by N. M. Howell
“No one intimidates us. No one overshadows us. This is what we’ve trained for. A world with no more dragons or the abominations that came from them, and that includes the Dead. Let’s end the war we started. Do it.”
A cheer went through the battalion as Lucas set about his work of changing the destination. Ashur turned to his forces.
“Engineers! Engineers to my location, now!”
Chapter Seventeen
Andie and Saeryn couldn’t believe their eyes. As they flew over the String Fields and Arvall came up across the horizon, they saw that the city was burning. The closer they went, the more damage they could see. Andie was shocked beyond words, having not expected the army to arrive for at least another week. She realized they were likely using the portals they had stolen to cover the distance. Tears came into her eyes as they flew lower and faster, desperate to reach the city to help.
As they finally breached the airspace over the city, Andie looked down into the streets and couldn’t believe what she saw. No one was there. No one was mounting a defense or fighting back, aside from a few small skirmishes. She wondered where the professors and students were. Where Raesh was. She began to wonder if she had been gone too long, if she had lost everything and everyone because she gambled and lost. She didn’t even know how long the army had been in the city.
Saeryn flew to where the army was thickest and then swooped the dragon straight down in a breathtaking nose dive, the other dragons following. The dragon slammed into the ground so hard the asphalt cracked. Saeryn and Andie dismounted and rushed to meet the army that was much too large for them to handle on their own. They were, above all, two of the bravest and most powerful women in Noelle, but still they were no match for what lay ahead.
Andie was the first into battle, casting furiously and swinging her blade with excruciating intensity. She cast an acid rain over a group of soldiers and parried the thrust of black and bronze spears. She opened the earth beneath them and then closed it over them. Her power had grown strong over the past year, and she held nothing back.
Saeryn came forward with as much grace as could be mustered when one was going into battle. She lifted a group of soldiers and then brought them crashing down onto the ground Andie had just sealed. She pulled glass from the windows of a nearby building and sent the glittering, razor-sharp cloud through the soldiers. The result was wave of crimson that painted the surrounding landscape in the colors of war. She drew her sword as well, though she swung it more cautiously than Andie.
They fought hard and long, staying at the edge of the army so that they wouldn’t get surrounded or trapped. When they came across citizens in need, they helped as much as they could, half carrying them to safety, casting small healing spells in between offensive blasts of magic back toward the approaching enemies.
The army was well-trained in their short amount of time together, but they were still only a hodgepodge of men who had been soldiers for a few months. They could not match the power, skill, or intensity of the dragonborn women. Apart, Andie and Saeryn were a force to be reckoned with. Together, they were a formidable sight whose bravery would be carried down generation to generation through history books and bedtime stories. Both powerful dragonborn fueled each other’s power, each drawing from the other and pushing everything they had into their magical attacks. Saeryn’s magic was graceful, practiced. Andie’s was more archaic, a ferocious mélange of sorcery and dragonborn magic.
The enemies fell one by one before Queen and princess. Andie was cautious of her surroundings, keeping a wary eye out for the Beautiful Dead, who she knew must already be there somewhere. They did come across some battalion soldiers, who posed a much graver threat than the simple soldiers. Andie took two down, as did Saeryn. They didn’t go far before one of the soldiers regained his feet and, managing to surprise them, conjured a blade and sent it flying at Saeryn. The blade missed her organs, but cut a devastating gash in her side. Saeryn fell to her knees and Andie placed herself between the soldier and the Queen. She cast a spell that broke every bone in the soldier’s body. She grabbed Saeryn and dragged her into a nearby building.
“You need to get over yourself,” Andie said, kneeling to take Saeryn into her lap and held the wound until the dragon blood healed her. “This isn’t a game.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That soldier. If you had taken him out he never would have been able to do this to you.”
“You mean if I’d killed him?”
“Yes, Saeryn. You need to kill. And I know you’re not okay with that, but you need to get okay with it soon because if not, either you’re going to die or you’re going to get someone else killed.”
“It may be easy for you, but I do not relish the thought of taking another’s life.”
“I don’t like it either, Saeryn. It makes me sick inside. Sometimes I can’t even sleep at night thinking about the things I’ve done, but I don’t do them because they feel good. I don’t do them because they’re right. I do them because they’re necessary. Thousands of trained and dangerous men have stormed our city and are roaming the streets killing innocent people. They can’t be reasoned with or talked down. They’ve come thousands of miles to be here, to murder us. There’s only one way this ends and that’s with a pile of someone’s bodies.”
“But it never ends. The bloodshed never stops,” Saeryn said, trying to control her emotion. “I have spent my entire life watching people die and it never gets easier. You think I don’t realize the reality of war? That I don’t understand our freedom isn’t free? You forget I’ve killed before. So many I’ve killed. I thought that here, now, in a new time and a new place we could be different. I couldn’t see how we could win this war if we fought the University with the very thing they used to destroy us—death.”
“Saeryn the University didn’t invent death, even if they perfected it. And everything they did was done in cruelty. I fight to survive, to protect our people and the people of Arvall who have risked their city and their lives so that we could have a home among them. Killing makes me sick, it makes me hate myself, it makes me hate war. I want what you want: peace, happiness, safety, a home. But all of that is in jeopardy now. We can’t afford to spare the lives of thousands of evil soldiers. We don’t have the prison space to hold them because the cells are already full of people we’ve spared. We have to let the world know that we won’t continue to be bullied, to be ambushed. Do you understand?”
Saeryn was silent for a moment, healing there in Andie’s arms. Andie held her close, wondering if the Queen of the dragonborn would do what was right or what was necessary. The two women had such differences and such love for one another.
“Perhaps I had forgotten,” Saeryn said. “How it is to rule when the threat is imminent. My mother was the one who told me that being a Queen is about making difficult, but fair decisions. Later, when I led the rebellion, I learned that her wisdom was slightly incomplete. Being a Queen is about making difficult, but fair decisions and sometimes those decisions are about whether or not lives should be spared.”
“And what will you do, Saeryn?”
“Protect my people.”
“At all costs?”
“At all costs.”
Fully healed from the wound, Saeryn began to raise herself. Andie helped her to her feet. They shared a look, but only for a moment. Then they return to the street. To the war.
One of the citizens they helped earlier had made his way back to his shelter. Once he had been seen to and treated, he moved through the crowded space to the back room, where all of the communications devices were. He was a radio operator, helping to relay information and keep the other shelters and the University tunnels informed of the progress. He had only stepped outside for a moment to get a better sense of what was happening. Now that he had returned, he re-took his seat and turned on his equipment. He took a deep breath and got to work.
“All stations, all stations, all stations. Critical update. Diamonds have b
een found in the streets, diamonds have been found in the streets. Two diamonds, two diamonds a little rough for wear, but still shining, still shining. Repeat: two diamonds have been found in the streets, still shining.”
“…two diamonds a little rough for wear, but still shining, still shining. Repeat: two diamonds have been found in the streets, still shining.”
As the transmission came in over the radio, the professors and students who were familiar with the code began to rejoice. It was the only good news they’d had since the attack began the day before. They spread the word through the tunnels and corridors, and people began to cheer up for the first time since they left their homes.
When Raesh heared the news, his heart began to race. he hadn’t said anything to anybody, but he had begun to seriously worry something had happened to Andie. There weren’t words to describe how happy he was to hear that she and Saeryn were safe, were back, and were fighting. He jumped up to his feet and listened to broadcast again, just to be sure he heard correctly. Sarinda was on her feet as well, almost as relived as Raesh was. They embraced, thrilled to finally have some news in their favor.
“We have to go help them,” Sarinda said. “Somehow, someway, we’ve got to fight through this army and get down to the city. Once they figure out Andie and Saeryn are back this army is going to rush down to the city to overwhelm them.”
“I know, but first I need to get to my apartment. There’s something Andie’s going to need and I can’t go down without it.”
“I’ll go with you. But first we have to organize our forces here. You and I fought these guys, so I know you saw what I saw.”
“Trained, but still not soldiers.”
“Exactly. Raesh, there were a lot of these guys, but I think we just might be able to take them or at least make them think twice about this assault. Now’s the time. Everyone’s getting excited about the return of the Queen and princess. We shouldn’t wait any longer.”
“Agreed. You try to find Lymir and I’ll get on the radio.”
Sarinda took off down into the tunnel and Raesh hurried over to the small station they had set up near the mouth of the tunnel.
“All stations, all stations, all stations,” he began. “This is Raesh. I know we’re supposed to be using code, but the enemy is already here and they don’t care what we’re saying. They just want to kill us. I want all of you to know that Andie and Saeryn have returned, they’re back. I know some of you felt that they’d abandoned us, but they’re down on the streets of the city right now, fighting alone against an army of thousands. I know you all have families and lives that you want to get back to, but I’m asking every able-bodied person with enough training and courage to stand with us.
“In just a few moments I’m going to lead a charge out of the tunnel. I know these are dark times and I know we’re in an impossible position, but believe me when I say this fight is far from over. What I’m asking for now might turn out to be the ultimate sacrifice and maybe I’ll go down, too, but what I won’t do is sit back and watch while a cruel army destroys my city, my friends, my family, and my entire way of life. By coming here and declaring war on us they’ve challenged everything we believe in. I’m not going to allow that.
“I have power in my body and a girl I love who’s fighting for us right now. We may not love her in the same way or for the same reasons, but I know you love her, too. I’m going now to fight the fight of my life and if I die I’ll do it honorably and with the knowledge that as long as my heart beat I fought them with everything I had. If this is the end, let it be one they will never forget.”
Raesh signed off and suddenly the University was alive with applause. All through the tunnels, passages, and corridors the people clapped, excited and inspired. All around him people were getting to their feet and preparing to go out and fight. Raesh himself felt a little more emboldened now. Soon Sarinda returned.
“Raesh, you’re not going to believe this.”
Lymir came in a few paces behind her, dragging a man through the dirt.
“What’s going on?” Raesh asked.
“This is Murphy,” Lymir said, throwing the man down at Raesh’s feet. “Murphy is a spy, a mole for the battalion.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“Positive. I’ve been unsteady for about a week now, thinking that something wasn’t right. It was that attack that Sarinda reported. I kept wondering how that advanced party could get all the way to the dock without being seen, and how they even knew to go there. I did some investigating and found some correspondence on the body of one of their soldiers. I knew then there was a mole. I had no idea who, though, so I had to be careful about what I said. That’s why I’ve been so quiet when it came to discussing strategy. I managed to narrow down the suspect list by finding out who even had the clearance to know about Sarinda’s mission. From there I knew it had to be someone in the communications department because they would have the ability and resources to contact the advanced party and track Sarinda’s boat as soon as it was close enough to the city, because no one had heard from her in months. I was really struggling to narrow it down from there, but then I caught this little weasel trying to hijack a signal back there. and he told me where I can find the rest of Ash’s spies. Investigation complete.”
“It’s great to have you back,” Raesh said. “Don’t dispose of him yet, though, he may prove useful. Sarinda and I are about to attack.”
“Go,” said Lymir, his foot on Murphy’s neck. “I’ll get on the radio and give the notice.”
“What notice?”
“The notice for the secret groups of trained professors and council fighters I stashed around the city. You didn’t think I was just sitting back enjoying the view the last week, did you?”
Raesh smiled and turned to Sarinda. She nodded to him and they both turned toward the tunnel. Outside the shield, the soldiers saw that something was about to happen. They stood, squared off, prepared their weapons for use or their hands for casting. Raesh touched the wall and the shield came down. Sarinda wasted no time and released a wave of magic that took the thirty nearest soldiers off their feet. As Raesh’s seal came down, so did the others. The people had finally been roused to action. Raesh and Sarinda led the charge. They were magnificently brutal, showing no mercy to the men who had shown no mercy to them. Professors and students from all the tunnels came rushing out, and in no time the soldiers in the main hub were overwhelmed and calling for reinforcements.
Raesh and Sarinda made their way to SKY 1 and boarded it. The train took off. It climbed steeply at first, before making its customary journey out to the mountainside for the spiral ascent. Just as Raesh allowed himself to relax, a spell nearly took his head off. He cast back in retaliation, hitting the soldier right in the chest and knocking him off his feet. They hadn’t even thought to check to make sure the train was safe. A mistake they would be sure never to make again.
Chapter Eighteen
Soldiers came pouring into the train car at both ends. Raesh and Sarinda fought back to back fending off spells, spears, and bullets. The train sustained serious damage, but continued its ascent. Raesh and Sarinda fought the soldiers all the way to the summit. The train stopped and the fight spilled out onto the platform.
Raesh and Sarinda hurried back into the mountain. Sarinda took up a position at the entrance to the apartments, allowing Raesh to rush to his and Andie’s apartment for what he needed. It didn’t take him long to find it. It had never been moved since they placed it there.
He came hurrying back out only to find that the danger was over and Sarinda had defeated the final soldier. They took the train back down, though it barely survived to get them back to the main hub. From there, they rejoined the fight, pushing forward to the front of the University.
Still, the sheer numbers of the army were overwhelming and they had their work cut out for them. The army wasn’t made of true soldiers any more than the professors were. Apart from Raesh, Sarinda, and the council fighters, th
e battle was evenly matched. Luckily, once they pushed forward far enough, Raesh and Sarinda made it to one of the hidden passages built for such an occasion. It was a dark, winding path that cut through the mountainside, but at least they had a break from the onslaught. Once they reached the end, they got an unwelcome surprise. The passage wasn’t complete.
The exit was never made because the army arrived a whole week ahead of time.
“Great,” Sarinda said. “Just what we need.”
“I’ve got a spell for this,” Raesh said, already raising his free hand.
“Yeah, I know, and I’ve got a couple. But we don’t know what we’re going to run into out there. If we just go blasting through the side of the mountain, we could end up right in the middle of them, surrounded.”
“Well, we can’t just stand here. So, either we go back and try to keep pushing to the front doors, which could take all night and I’m sure the front doors are even more heavily guarded, or you can help me blast through dirt and stone and we take our chances on the other side.”
“Obviously, that’s not much of a choice.”
Raesh shrugged. “Here goes nothing.”
The two raised their hands and began blasting their magic against the earth in front of them. They pushed and released with all they had, and fortunately they were not far from the end. But as soon as they found daylight, they also found themselves right in the middle of a dense crowd of soldiers.
Sarinda sighed. “Told you so.”
Just quick enough to avoid a shotgun blast, Sarinda whipped the wind around herself and Raesh, knocking all the soldiers far back. They took advantage of the opportunity to head down the mountain toward the train. Spells and bullets and projectiles flew, exploding into the ground at their feet and blowing huge chunks of earth into the air. Raesh and Sarinda ran so fast they almost tripped going down the slope, casting and ducking as they went. They finally reached level ground and headed for the train, only the commotion they caused seemed to have attracted the attention of virtually all the soldiers stationed outside of the University.
