by John Corwin
Why are they going north? There's nothing up there except—
I pulled back and let my gut instinct guide me. I knew why Kohval had abandoned this city and why he wasn't worried about Kaelissa attacking his rear. That many malaether gems were for one thing.
Before I jumped to conclusions I told Elyssa what I was thinking. "Am I crazy or is Zero going to collapse the Northern Pass?"
Elyssa nodded. "I don't see what else he could be planning."
Kohval's insane solution to a Brightling invasion was to seal the northern border.
Chapter 8
Kohval's plan was a crazy one, and not the sort that just might work. It was the fantasy of a madman to think he could seal the Northern Pass with a few explosions. "That fissure is a couple hundred yards wide and nearly a mile deep. Even if he blows up half the mountain, will he have enough rubble to fill it?"
"I don't see how." Elyssa stared up at the crack in the Vjartik Mountains. "All he'd do is create another gap."
The mountains were impassibly high—an entire range rivaling Mount Everest. Even if someone flew to the top and didn't suffer from severe oxygen deprivation, aether storms pummeled the peaks.
Pjurna had remained safe from the Brightlings for so long because of the dangerous natural barriers all along the coasts. Not only was the landmass the geographical equivalent of Australia in Eden, but like Australia, everything here could kill you. It even had giant spiders that spun aether webs and small but vicious drop bears.
I still had nightmares about my first encounter with what I’d thought was a sweet little koala bear.
The convoy of cloudlets stopped in front of a boulder that looked as if someone had chiseled a V-shaped crack down the center.
Zero stopped and held up something pinched between his bare thumb and forefinger. I magnified my vision and discerned a small clear gem.
"Looks like he's going to demonstrate the process," Elyssa said.
Unfortunately, Zero's troops positioned themselves between us and him, so we couldn't see what he was doing.
"This way." Elyssa headed around the opposite side of the building and crept to the far end. Before we got there, a loud boom echoed through the valley. An instant later, it sounded as if a bull had charged through the biggest china shop in the world, like a thousand plates crashing onto a marble floor all at once.
Echoes and the ringing in my ears gave way to silence.
Elyssa and I froze, staring at each other with unease.
"What in the hell was that?" I hissed.
She shook her head and poked her head around the corner. I knelt down and took a peek. The crack in the rock was completely filled with what looked like shattered crystal. No, that's not crystal.
"Those gems don't explode like malaether crucibles," I said. "They seem to solidify airborne aether into crystal."
"Suddenly their plan doesn't seem so crazy after all." Elyssa bit her lower lip. "We need to get back to the ship."
Before we could leave, more soldiers drifted into view, some on cloudlets, others marching with comrades. Before long, a cheering crowd had gathered in front of the boulder with Zero, Two, and Thirteen raising their fists in the air in victory.
"In a few hours, we leave for Tarissa," Zero shouted. "Soon, all of Pjurna will be justly governed by its rightful ruler, Kohval!"
"Looks like we way underestimated the force here," Elyssa said. "I count thirty Daskar."
"Thirty flying menaces," I muttered. "This is going to be harder than we thought and we only have a few hours to stop them from sealing the pass."
Elyssa nodded. "We'd better get back to the ship fast."
The need for stealth slowed our progress. It took us nearly an hour to clear the military sector, and another thirty minutes to get through the village. We saw only a couple of guards patrolling, but any one of them could have put the entire base on high alert. Our chances of stopping the Daskar were a lot better if they didn't know we were coming.
Shelton gave me a disgruntled look when he saw us emerge from the forest. "Man, I thought you were going to meet up with me. I must've waited for an hour near the edge of town."
"I'm sorry, man." I clapped him on the shoulder and pointed toward the ship. "Let's get onboard. We've got problems to discuss."
Adam met us at the top. "You guys were gone for a while."
"We've got a good reason for it." Elyssa told him and Shelton what we'd witnessed.
"Fascinating." Adam put a hand on his chin. "These mottled gems must create a slightly different kind of malaether than what we've dealt with in the past. It sounds like they act as a catalyst to solidify airborne aether, causing a crystallizing effect."
Shelton blew out a sigh. "Imagine if those were some sort of malaether gem bombs."
"I don't want to imagine it," Elyssa said. "They'd make the ones Daelissa used look like firecrackers."
"We have an important decision to make," Adam said. "Do we stop the Daskar, or let them seal the pass?"
"Why in the blazes would we let them seal the pass?" Shelton said. "We'd have to go all the way to the west just to get out of the damned country and it would take forever to go back to Atlantis."
"There are other ways in and out of Pjurna," Adam said. "It's just that the Northern and Western Passes are the only ones big enough to march an army through."
"Exactly," Elyssa said. "It means Kaelissa could bottle us up here as long as they want. We'd never be able to launch an offensive against her."
"Not like that's gonna happen anytime soon," Shelton muttered.
I held up a hand. "Look, we're not making any decision without consulting Thomas, okay?"
"Amen," Shelton said. "Atlantis might be the key to us getting out of this hellhole and I don't want to make it any harder to get there than it is already."
Adam snorted. "Let's not call Pjurna a hellhole in front of the Darklings, okay, Shelton?"
"I ain't talking about Pjurna," Shelton shot back. "I'm talking about Seraphina!" He made a disgusted grunt. "We had to go all the way to Atlantis just to get a decent hamburger!"
"Otherwise it'd be just fine?" I said.
Shelton pursed his lips and considered it. "Toss in pizza and it'd be bearable."
"Well, thank god Atlantis gave us enough Eden-style food to last a while," Adam said.
Shelton shuddered. "I can't even look at glurk without gagging."
"Enough food talk," Elyssa said. "Let's contact my father."
Illaena had seen us coming up the gangway and had gone into the captain's quarters ahead of us. Thomas's holographic image appeared above the table, the dark fabric of a tent behind him. Illaena moved as if to leave, but I stopped her.
"You'll want to hear this too," I said.
Her eyes narrowed. "As the Muhala Kajeen has made clear, we are not a part of this war. Though we will help refugees, we will not fight with you."
I waved off her concern. "This isn't about just us anymore."
"Kaelissa hijacked your ships and kidnapped Mzodi crew," Shelton said incredulously. "Why in the hell won't you people fight?"
"The civil war in Tarissa is a completely different matter than the fight with Kaelissa," Illaena said. "The Mzodi cannot embroil themselves in such internal matters."
"I still think you'll want to hear this," I told her. "Believe me, Xalara will agree."
Illaena frowned. She didn't nod, but she didn't leave the cabin either, so that was at least something positive.
"Commander, what's your location?" Elyssa asked her father.
Thomas looked around at each of us. "I take it you made it through the Northern Pass and are enroute to meet us?"
"Not exactly." Elyssa folded her arms across her chest. "I need to know where the army is now."
"Ooskai—Kaelissa's former village." Though he didn't even flash a smile, he seemed amused. "The villagers have been very accommodating, and are helping us create more domiciles for the refugees the Mzodi are bringing with them daily."
<
br /> "I'm not sure if that's irony or not," Shelton said.
Elyssa held up a hand to keep Shelton from going off on a tangent. "I'll keep this short. Kohval may be a golem. His elite Daskar are all golems created in a likeness to Nightliss, and the remaining Daskar in Kohvalla are about to close the Northern Pass with malaether gems."
Illaena gasped at the last part. "Close the pass? Impossible."
"Totally possible," I said. "Those gems solidify aether right out of the air and he's got enough of them to pack the Northern Pass a mile wide and deep."
"That is a major trade route," Illaena said. "I must speak with Xalara at once."
I gave her a satisfied I told you so look, but she seemed too preoccupied with the grim news to give me a proper scowl.
"What's the soldier complement in Kohvalla?" Thomas asked.
"Thirty to thirty-five," Elyssa said. "We can't stop them unless the Mzodi help."
Thomas already had a handle on the bigger picture. "Kohval wants to seal off the pass so he can concentrate on Tarissa without fear of the Brightlings invading behind him. That means if we stop them from damming up the pass, we'll need to station our own forces there to protect the border."
"That's why I wanted to know your location," Elyssa said. "We need you to get here as soon as possible."
Thomas turned to Illaena. "Will you help them stop the Daskar?"
The Mzodi captain stiffened but offered a curt nod. "If Xalara approves, yes."
"There's more," I said. "If Kohval really is a golem, it means other important people could have been replaced."
"Cinder has been spending a great deal of time with Issana," Thomas said. "He's been unable to determine how she can use magic."
Adam pushed up on the bridge of his nose. "I can summarize."
"Proceed."
"The Daskar are made flesh and blood by summoning a demon in their likeness and then replacing the demon spirit with a golem spark." Adam frowned. "I still don't understand how that maintains the demon flesh or enables them to channel magic, but it does. As you know, golem sparks are not the same as spirits."
"Don't tell Cinder that," Shelton said. "It'd break his heart."
"We think they're making the golems in a place called the foundry," I said. "Elyssa and I weren't able to infiltrate it."
Adam's eyes widened. "You didn't mention that earlier."
"We found recorded communications between Kohval and his top lieutenants," Elyssa said. "He's apparently moved foundry operations to Tarissa. I don't know if there's anything useful left at the one in Kohvalla."
"It doesn't matter," Adam said. "I'm dying to know how they did it."
"Victus is how," Shelton said grimly. "We think he may have dealt directly with Kohval at some point."
"No collusion between him and Cephus?" Thomas said.
"We won't know until we've searched the command center from top to bottom," I said. "We need to capture the city and hold it." I looked at Illaena. "As I said earlier, we can't do it without Mzodi help."
Thomas pinched his chin between thumb and forefinger. "Illaena, can we coordinate with the Mzodi to relocate our forces to Kohvalla?"
"I will speak to Xalara and let you know," she replied.
"Very well." Thomas nodded at Elyssa and me. "Good work. Inform me once Xalara has made a decision." The holographic image faded to black.
Illaena didn't waste a moment and contacted the Mzodi flagship, Uorion. The same nasally male voice greeted her. "How may I help you?"
"This is Captain Illaena of the Falcheen. I must speak with Xalara on a matter of great urgency."
"At once, Captain." A moment later, a tall woman, her long brown hair hanging in tight braids about her face, appeared. Xalara, the Muhala Kajeen of the Mzodi, looked like a mix between an Italian and an Amazonian warrior.
Xalara didn't beat around the bush. "What is of such urgency, Illaena?"
"Kohval's forces seek to close the Northern Pass." Illaena held up a hand as Xalara's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "I know it sounds impossible, but he has devised a weapon that crystalizes aether."
Adam raised a hand. "Um, maybe I can explain a little better."
Illaena and Xalara deferred to him with nods.
"It would appear that these malaether gems are charged using those splotchy gems that Eor told us are useless—"
Xalara's brow arched. "Kohval's people are using slag gems?"
It took a moment for me to translate that from Cyrinthian into English and back again since I hadn't heard that term before. It was probably a term native to the Mzodi dialect. "The gems were mottled with all sorts of colors."
"Slags," Xalara said. "Sometimes an aether vortex will fuse many gems into one, rendering them useless for our purposes. Not even our gem can separate slags. We discovered that any attempts to enchant these gems only destroys the aether channeled into them."
"We call it malaether," Adam said. "It was used during the war to create weapons of mass destruction."
Xalara's dark eyes flashed. "Is this what Kohval means to do?"
Adam waggled his hand. "Not exactly. It seems that these large, clear gems magnify the discharge of malaether and coagulate the magical energy in the air like rancid milk."
"Milk?" Xalara frowned. "Is this a human food?"
"Like coagulating blood." Adam took out his phone and projected a drawing of the Northern Pass that looked like something a kindergartener had drawn in a hurry. "Sorry about this rough sketch, but if a malaether gem discharges, this is what we can expect to happen." He played a brief video of a stick-figure gem breaking and filling part of the pass with scribbles.
"Man, that is the worst illustration I have ever seen," Shelton said. "Did you make that on an Etch-a-Sketch?"
Adam gave him a dirty look then turned back to Xalara. "Based on my calculation, one gem can pack a hundred square yards with up to ten feet of crystalized aether." He flicked to a series of numbers. "That would mean Kohval's people have just enough of these gems to fill the pass all the way to the top."
The Muhala Kajeen's gaze went distant. She turned to Illaena. "I authorize you to assist them in any way necessary to stop this from happening. If the Northern Pass is closed, that will severely limit our trade routes."
Shelton raised a hand. "Speaking of which, how is trade these days? I mean, Kaelissa hijacked your ships and all. Are you still doing business with her?"
"There is more to the Brightling Empire than their leader," Xalara said. "We do not judge an entire nation based on the actions of a few."
Elyssa's mouth dropped open. "After all they've done to you, you don't plan to retaliate?"
Xalara shook her head. "I will not lead the Mzodi to war."
Once again, it seemed we were on our own against the Brightling Empire.
Chapter 9
"Maybe you should reconsider that," Shelton said. "At the very least, maybe you should help us get rid of Kaelissa."
"I have discussed the matter in depth with my advisors and the fleet captains," Xalara said in a cold voice. "This is not the first time we have had conflict and it will not be the last. We made the decision to enact trade sanctions on the capitol city of Zbura and the Brightling military." She stared at Shelton a moment. "Do you find that acceptable, Edenite?"
Shelton's fists tightened and instead of backing off, he doubled down. "Maybe you think because I'm not Seraphim that I'm intellectually challenged or something." He squared his wide-brimmed hat. "Frankly, I don't give a damn. Kaelissa ain't no better than her maniac daughter. If anything, she's worse, because she's got the whole damned Brightling Empire at her back now. That means these limp-wristed trade sanctions ain't even a smack on the ass. If anything, she'll see that she can get away with hijacking Mzodi ships and just do it again. If she can't trade gems, she'll steal them right along with your ships." He folded his arms across his chest. "Before long, you won't have a fleet left and the Brightling military will be hunting you down with your own sky ships."
Illaena glared at me. "The Edenites express themselves poorly, Muhala Kajeen, but in this case, I must agree with their reasoning. I fought Kaelissa. I saw her madness firsthand. She is ruthless and will not allow any slight to go unchallenged."
Xalara reeled back, apparently just as surprised as the rest of us at Illaena's outspoken agreement. "You did not voice such an opinion during our deliberations."
"Of course I did not," Illaena said. "I was not invited."
"Not invited?" Xalara's dark eyes glowed ever so faintly. "I sent the invitation to all ships' captains."
"Perhaps I did not receive it because I was in Atlantis," Illaena said. "Communications there were difficult."
"I told my second to ensure all ships received the communique." Xalara shook her head. "I will speak with Naja on the matter."
Illaena nodded. "That is good."
The Mzodi leader tilted her head slightly. "So you believe open war with the Brightlings is the answer?"
Illaena shook her head. "Absolutely not. I believe we should ensure none of our ships venture alone into Brightling territory. We should be wary and prepared for attacks. If the Brightlings attempt another hijacking, then we should retaliate."
"What about the Mzodi crew Kaelissa kidnapped?" Shelton said. "Are you doing anything to get them back?"
"The Brightling prisoners we took said that the crew are imprisoned on Guinesea," Xalara said. "So far, our attempts to communicate with them have been ignored."
I grimaced. "That's the island just north of Pjurna, right?"
Illaena nodded.
"Maybe if we stop Kohval's people, we can try to mount a rescue for the crew on Guinesea." I turned to Xalara. "I think with us you'll have a better chance of getting them back."
