‘They have that handled,’ Valerya suggested. ‘Let’s clean up here.’
‘Sounds good,’ Aris answered her as she brought the ship around and began to bear down on the Crux ships, which seemed to be on the defensive now.
***
Amanda Ported again, barely missing being caught by the tail of the Crux Dragon that was fighting Grokar. She appeared instantaneously a short distance away as the two Dragons rolled over each other, ripping and tearing with their claws and teeth.
She was about to throw more Magic at the Crux Dragon when Ventori, the other Sol Dragon swooped in and slashed at the Crux Dragon, making it leap away before coming up to face off against both Sol Dragons.
Amanda turned and glanced back towards where the two mystery Dragons had slammed the captive down to the station. They were in a lowered part of the station’s surface, and only the wings of the two Dragons were visible.
She looked back at the fight she’d been in and decided that it was now well in hand, they didn’t need her here. Amanda concentrated and Ported over towards the two mystery Dragons and quickly moved to the edge of the raised section and looked down into the depression.
For a moment, Amanda could only stare in shock as she saw Anastasia’s body consumed in energy that was floating out of the captured Dragon.
What the hell? she thought as she watched the captured Dragon die, its body shrivelling up and turning grey. Meanwhile, Anastasia dropped to her knees and shuddered for a few seconds as intense Magical energy rolled around inside her before settling down.
The glow from Anastasia in her Aetheric Sight was much brighter, something that caused a knot of worry to pull tight in her gut.
Taking a breath, Amanda jumped off the ledge and down into the lower section. The Dragons were to her right with Anastasia directly in front of her, and the main group of Nomads, many of whom Amanda recognised from her fights against Yasmin and her large Coven, were off to her left. Lyka stood amongst them.
They all turned to look at her.
Anastasia rose from her knees and smiled. ~Amanda,~ Anastasia said through an open Link that Amanda picked up on.
~Anastasia,~ Amanda answered cautiously.
~So formal,~ the Nomad said. ~Call me Ana, I think we’ve reached that point by now, at least.~
~What are you doing, Ana?~ Amanda asked, glancing left and right to keep everyone in view. The nearest Dragon, a huge black and red monstrosity, rose up, its pose threatening.
~No, Tallon, there’s no need; she’s all mine,~ Anastasia said, raising her hand to wave him down. ~Kill the Black Knights and Tayzar’s rider, though, we’re done with them.~
~What?~ said one of the Black Knights.
~The hell?~ said another.
Amanda frowned as movement filled the area. The second Dragon’s tail shot forward and skewered an unconscious Magi that three others were standing around holding, nearly cutting her in two just below the chest while the Nomads surrounding and holding her stabbed her with Essentia laced daggers.
Tallon, the Dragon next to her, tensed and then leapt forward, over Anastasia and landed on a few of the Black Knights that were already backing off. An Aegis snapped up around the Dragon, the Black Knights, Lyka, and the three who had just killed the unconscious girl.
Essentia and kinetic energy smashed into Amanda, sending her up and back. She smacked into the lip of the ledge above her and tumbled over the top, rolling to the stop a short distance back.
Shit, that was stupid, she thought, and jumped up, feeling a few bruises spike with pain from that hit. She’d been so caught up in what was happening around her that she’d taken her eyes of Anastasia.
Essentia surged again. Anastasia was suddenly standing a short distance away, just on the edge of the ledge, above the chaos erupting on the floor below.
~It’s the new me, Amanda,~ she said with a grin, holding her hands out wide as if showing off her body. ~I feel reborn, and ready for you this time,~ she said.
Amanda took a deep breath. ~Is that right?~
~Let’s see, shall we?~ she said as Essentia surged. Magical energy shot out of Anastasia and slammed into Amanda’s Aegis, hitting her hard. Amanda braced against it, which she was glad she did as it hammered into her. Anastasia was right, she was suddenly much more powerful. Whatever that Dragon had done had enhanced her Magical power to a considerable degree, and if Amanda had to guess, she would probably peg her at Arch Master rank, based on that first hit.
Anastasia smiled. ‘Worried?’
‘Not remotely,’ Amanda answered, which was partly a lie as she still wasn’t sure what the Dragon might have gifted her with yet.
Anastasia Ported and appeared right beside her, going in for a hit. Amanda blocked it, and then the next five as Anastasia went for her. She was fast and a skilled fighter.
Amanda hit her with a ram of kinetic energy that smashed her backwards and away. Another hit her from above before several bolts of lightning exploded from Amanda’s hands, hitting Anastasia’s Aegis.
Essentia surged around Anastasia as fire erupted around Amanda and the floor exploded beneath her.
Amanda flipped backwards and landed as a swarm of Essentia daggers slammed into her Aegis. Amanda shunted more energy into her shield as she threw her own barrage of Essentia Strikes at Anastasia.
She ignored them and hit Amanda with another kinetic ram that flung her across the disk of the station, back towards the lowered area where Anastasia’s Dragons were ripping the Black Knights apart.
Amanda landed with a bump and skidded to the edge of the ledge where she glanced down. Most of the Black Knights were dead already by the looks of things, with Lyka and the Dragon having ripped most of them apart. Amanda flipped over to find Anastasia right above her. The Nomad punched her in the face with powerful, Essentia laced fists, further weakening Amanda’s Aegis, when Anastasia summoned a blast of electrical energy that ripped into her Aegis.
Amanda grunted in pain. That one tore through her shield and hit her body, nearly destroying her Aegis entirely.
~Look at you, you’re not all that. Yasmin was a wimp,~ Anastasia taunted her as she gathered more Essentia to her.
~Incoming,~ Amanda heard Valerya say over their private Link. Looking past the Nomad, Amanda spotted a silver shape speeding towards her. Summoning what strength she had left, Amanda hit Anastasia with as much kinetic force as she could and threw her sideways. She landed in a roll and crouch, looking up at Amanda with hate in her eyes.
Beams flashed and rail guns fired. The ground around Anastasia erupted from laser and gunfire as her Aegis flared from the Essentia filled hits.
Anastasia cowered briefly as the Arkady shot past at high speed just above her head. A roar filled the vacuum and ripped through their minds. Looking up, Grokar swooped in and landed with an almighty thud, flame erupting from its maw to engulf Anastasia. Amanda got to her knees and boosted her Aegis, fixing it.
Amanda sensed something behind her. A feeling of Essentia surging and a presence made her turn to see Lyka come crunching down a short distance from her and shriek into the void, her tentacles rippling with fury.
Reacting on instinct, Amanda threw a barrage of lightning and Essentia Strikes at the Scion and threw her into the air, where Ventori, the second Sol Dragon swooped in and smashed her to the station floor with one almighty hit of her claw before the Dragon landed a short distance away.
Essentia flared and Anastasia Ported. Turning to her left, Amanda spotted Anastasia sitting atop the red and black Dragon, with Lyka just behind.
~We’ll meet again,~ Amanda heard her say over the Link.
~Count on it,~ Amanda answered as Tallon beat its wings to join the other Dragon that was already aloft. They turned and within moments, after a flare of Essentia, had Gated out of there.
Amanda relaxed and took a moment to breathe. ~Thank you,~ she said over an open Link.
~Sorry we didn’t get to you sooner,~ Valerya answered.
~You fought w
ell today,~ Grokar commented.
Amanda smiled thinly. ~Thanks,~ she said as she walked over to the lip of the ledge and looked down. The husk of the captured Dragon lay silent and still, a short distance from the body of a female Nomad rider who had been nearly cut in two.
To her left, six more corpses, the remains of the Black Knights, lay in bits, their bodies ripped, torn, or crushed by the Dragons.
Well, she thought, that’s the end of Yasmin’s Coven, at least. Although, she had another threat, an arguably a greater one in Anastasia now. She would be a wildcard in the struggles to come that she had not seen coming at all.
Rane suddenly Ported in beside her. ~Are you alright?~
Amanda nodded. ~I’m fine,~ she answered.
~What happened here? Who was the blonde woman you were fighting?~
~That,~ Amanda sighed, ~was Anastasia. A Nomad from Earth who seems to have been playing the long game.~
~Aaah,~ Rane answered, and looked down on the mess below them with a troubled look on her face. Amanda knew that feeling. She had no idea what Anastasia was planning, but she was certainly planning something. It looked to Amanda that not only did Anastasia have two Dragons, but also a small Coven of her own out here as well, which included Lyka. This did not sit well with Amanda, and she found herself wondering what other resources or allies Anastasia might have out here.
~So, not good, then?’ Rane asked.
~No, definitely not good. Not good at all.~
Orcus
Dwarf Planet Orcus, Sol System
Amanda stood on the rocky surface of the dwarf planet Orcus, having just disembarked from the Arkady a short distance behind her.
Valerya, Aris, Rane, Crystal, and Trevelyan stood with her as she looked upon the airlock built into the low cliff face up ahead. Nearby, she could see windows in the rocks as well, suggesting a large underground base.
~Looks like the prisoners were right,~ Amanda commented.
~They were right under our noses,~ Rane stated.
~Don’t worry about it, no one could have predicted this,~ Amanda answered as she looked around, spotting Orcus’ moon, Vanth, off in the distance, hanging in the black.
Amanda had done a little research on Orcus on the flight over here as she wasn’t very familiar with it. It was in an orbit similar to Pluto, but also opposite Pluto, leading to it being referred to as the anti-Pluto. But that wasn’t all she’d read up on.
It turned out there was a lot Amanda didn’t know about her own solar system, such as all the dwarf planets that were circling the sun, such as Ceres, Haumea, Makemake, Sedna, and Eris, plus others. With the amount of time she’d be spending out in deep space in the near future, she wanted to learn all about the environment she would be travelling through.
Turning back to the door, Amanda walked forward towards the Aegis that surrounded the base, helping her friends to brake through it with a working of Magic before opening the outer airlock door.
Everyone got in, allowing the airlock to cycle before the inner door opened on a room with stairways leading off from it, going up and down. Through her Aetheric Sight, Amanda could tell there was a breathable atmosphere in here, allowing them to speak out loud.
‘Let’s take it steady, there might still be people in here,’ Amanda whispered before she set off through the complex. As it turned out, it was deserted, but there was still plenty of interest in here.
‘Well, that’s not freaky at all,’ Amanda said, standing before a desk and wall covered in photos and drawings of her, as well as maps pinpointing her house in New York and other details of her life. The small room was just off a large and very comfortable living space at the top of the complex that looked like it had been in use for decades or more.
‘Whoever did this, really had a bone to pick with you,’ Valerya commented as she scanned over the images.
‘You’re not kidding,’ Amanda answered before she turned and continued her search, remembering the Magus she’d encountered during the Dragon attack of New York. Was it her? It certainly seemed to fit. They found maps of the Sol System, complete with details about Ultima Thule and Sol Prime and where they were in what looked like an operations room. This, clearly, had been the staging area for the attack on Earth, and they had been here, planning it and waiting for their moment for a long time.
Amanda remembered being here once before, centuries ago, after her first journey to Axia. It had also been her first encounter with a Dragon that had followed her back to Sol and attacked her. She’d fought back and thought she’d killed the Dragon, but she hadn’t. Instead, the Dragon — Grokar — had faked his death, defected to the Arcadian side, and was now living on Sol Prime. She recalled the Nomad who’d attacked her in New York had called herself Nessa and accused Amanda of killing her Dragon.
Amanda shook her head. Little did Nessa realise that Grokar was alive and well and working for the Arcadians how.
‘There’s a huge hanger and cavern through there,’ Rane said, walking up some stairs into the Ops room. ‘Enough room for all the Dragons that attacked Earth, Saturn, and Prime to roost. I think we can safely say this was where it was all planned and launched from.’
‘I agree,’ Amanda said.
‘This is incredible,’ Trevelyan said. ‘I need to speak to the Council, but I think we need to build our presence in the Solar System. We need to know the moment anyone enters Sol Space so we can fend them off before they even get anywhere near Earth.’
‘That’s a monstrous task,’ Crystal said.
‘Long-term goal,’ Amanda suggested.
‘Indeed,’ Trevelyan said with a nod. ‘At least, they’re gone, though.’
‘The prisoners confirmed that,’ Rane replied. Amanda nodded. They had taken a few Riven prisoners who had been a part of the Crux assault force, and reading their minds was childs-play for Magi such as Amanda. They’d confirmed that the Dragons who had attacked Sol Prime to rescue the captured Dragon were the last ones in Sol. The others were on their way back to Crux Space. They didn’t know where they were now or what route they would be taking back. They’d been kept in the dark regarding the details, which was not surprising given how vulnerable to telepathy Riven were.
Trevelyan found Amanda by herself a short time later and walked outside with her. They sat on a rock near the Arkady and looked out to space.
‘Well done,’ Trevelyan said.
‘Thanks.’
‘No, I mean it. Incredible work. What you’ve done out here is amazing. The Council is pleased with you, and this idea of the Terran Alliance. We’re already in talks with the Ormonds and the Sentinels about how we do this. It’s going to be a long road, and we’ve barely even started, really. But we’ll get there.’
‘I know, but it’s actually been kinda fun in places. You really should get out there and visit Axia, it’s incredible, and that’s just the closest system to Earth. Look, I don’t know what your plans are, but I want to keep doing this. I need to find these Archons and the Crux they’re working with. I need to see this through.’
‘We were hoping you’d say that, actually,’ Trevelyan replied.
‘Good.’
‘What are you two doing out here?’ Crystal said as she walked up to them.
‘Looking to the future,’ Trevelyan answered.
‘What about you?’ Amanda asked. ‘What’s your next step?’
Crystal sighed. ‘We have a lot to do here in Sol with this new Terran Alliance, but we also need to get out there and find the Demiurge.’
Trevelyan frowned for a moment. ‘The creature that imprisoned the Archons, right?’
Crystal nodded.
‘You think it could help?’
‘It was powerful enough to imprison the Archons in the Aetheric Realm once before…’
‘You want to imprison them again?’ Amanda asked.
‘Or kill them. Either works for me.’
‘At the very least, the Demiurge could be a very useful ally,’ Trevelyan added.
<
br /> Amanda nodded.
‘I need to get back to Sol Prime,’ Crystal said.
‘I’m done here, too,’ Amanda agreed. ‘The Alliance can send people to go over this place more carefully.’
Crystal nodded.
***
Back at Sol Prime, Amanda sat at a table at a café in the Ormond Spire with Liz. They were on a balcony, looking out over the station below as it stretched off into the night. They were high up and could see the curved edge of the disk far off in the distance, but couldn’t make out the area that the fight with the Dragons had happened.
‘I knew you were going to be doing some crazy stuff,’ Liz said, ‘but just… Wow. That’s a hell of a story.’
Amanda smiled. They’d been talking for a while with Amanda telling Liz about everything that had happened. Liz asked questions, and so the conversation went.
‘What about Earth? How have things been in New York? Did the cover-up work?’ Amanda asked.
‘Better than I could ever have hoped, really. The Arcanum and the Sentinels have done a thorough job. You’d never know. Only the supernatural community has any memory of it.’
‘Good,’ Amanda smiled. ‘But what about you? Are you holding out okay?’
‘Oh, yeah, I’m fine. It’s good, actually, leading the Coven. I could get used to it.’
‘Well, I think you might; at least, for the short term. I’m going to be staying out here. I have a lot to do.’
‘I understand,’ Liz said. ‘Thank you for trusting me.’
‘You were the obvious choice.’
‘There’ll always be a home for you in New York,’ Liz smiled.
Amanda returned the smile. ‘Thanks.’
They sat there for a little while longer, talking about less important stuff, swapping anecdotes and little stories about things people had done until a pulse of Essentia flared in Amanda’s mind.
Star Magi: A Space Opera Fantasy Adventure (Star Magi Saga Book 1) Page 22
