In a flood of tears that came on suddenly, Rinne recounted the story of what happened her use of power that destroyed the tower and the resulting deaths that she believes were caused by her powers.
"This is why we have our rules," said Zalon.
Mavok stepped closer to her and placed his hand upon her shoulder.
"Rinne, you should have told me about this, no-one should endure such an experience," he said calmly.
"Do not trouble yourselves, this was always a possibility," said Zalon.
"And did you plan for it?” Asked Mavok.
"We will meet with their leader's first and try diplomacy, there is no need for blood to be shed"
"I know these people, they will not talk with us. The battle is all they are trained for," said Mavok.
"We will only use force if it is necessary and even then it will not be our powers. Understand?" Zalon said to them. Rinne couldn't help but feel that it was aimed at her.
Mavok nodded.
"Come, let us look upon this army," said Zalon.
"Mavok can I have a word?" Cala asked.
Zalon had started walking up the hill whilst Mavok and Rinne waited to hear from Cala.
"If it truly is an army then what you said is true, they know only the battle," She said.
"You wish to leave before anything happens?" asked Mavok.
"Only to aid you," she replied. "Let me and my men go to Natures Paradise and summon the army. If we leave now then we should make it back in a day"
"You would bring another army here?"
"It may be the only hope you have, these people may seem ready for action, but we have been skirmishing with the path of strength for a long time and know something about fighting"
"Very well," said Mavok. "Be safe and swift"
Cala ran off back down the hill to find her men.
"Do you think it will be enough?" Rinne asked him.
"I don't know, but we have brought these armies here," said Mavok.
They carried on up the hill and quickly caught up to Zalon. Men and women ran around, some carrying weapons and others pulling wooden contraptions.
"Last resort?" Mavok asked dryly.
"Unity will be protected no matter what," said Alan as they made the top of the hill.
The sight before them caused Rinne to gasp. Across the plain was a swarm of men, more than Rinne could count.
"We estimate an army of over one thousand," said Alan.
"A great number of people," said Mavok.
"We have an advantage on top of the hills. A system of tunnels run through them and hatches can be opened to allow men or weapons through"
"Impressive," said Mavok.
"Send a messenger to the army and request an audience with their leaders," Zalon said to Alan.
The man left and soon they watched someone running down the hill with the message and they waited.
chapter nineteen
Garan stood next to Akar looking over to the hills. Some movement could be seen that indicated they had been seen.
"There was a little cover to be had and it would have been too easy should they not have had guards watching," said Akar.
"What is our next move?" Garan asked.
"They have the advantage of the hills, we will set camp and let them make the first move," replied Akar.
"Very well," Garan left the commander and walked to his men, they had separated the two armies ensuring that no conflict would happen. He had a hard enough time persuading the men to stay and fight. Having to remind them of why they were there in the first place. His generals approached as he entered the camp.
"We set up this evening, make sure the men eat and rest but we must be ready when the order is given"
A murmur rose within his men and many were pointing towards the hill. Garan looked over at them then saw what was happening. Someone was running down the hill towards the armies. A few men from Akar's side ran out to intercept the person and he was they were escorted to the camp.
"I should see what this is about," he said to the generals and quickly made his way back, ignoring the pain in his legs from the long march. He was led back to Akar once he returned to strengths camp.
"Ah, there you are Philosopher. Come listen to this," said Akar. They looked at the man that had been brought in. "Repeat what you said"
The man looked nervous as he spoke.
"The elders of Unity request an audience with the leaders of the army that has approached our community to discuss your withdrawal"
Akar's laugh boomed.
"Discuss our withdrawal?" said Akar "The bloody cheek of it"
"I am to take an answer back immediately," said the man.
"This one has some spunk, it's a good sign for the battle to come," said Akar. "Tell your elders that we will meet, it is only fair to look someone in the eyes before killing them"
They let the messenger go and the two leaders watched him run across the plain and up the hill.
chapter twenty
The man named Mark returned to the top of the hill and delivered a reply from the armies.
"I do not think they will leave without fulfilling their mission," said Mavok.
"Violence is never the answer, we must at least try," Zalon said.
"Allow me to be there at the meeting, I will see what I can glean from them and what their intentions are"
Zalon agreed and once the other elders had arrived they began to walk down the hill surrounded by a few armed men. Rinne ran and caught up to Mavok.
"Be careful," she said to him.
"We will be fine, go back to the community and make sure the others are safe"
Rinne reluctantly agreed to and watched them walk down to the plain before turning back towards the community.
It took her some time before she found the group. They had been given temporary homes until new ones had been built. Such a large group had not been foreseen so they were not ready.
The ascended seemed not to mind their new living situation. In fact, Rinne saw much improvement in their moods though a few were concerned about what was happening and she was overwhelmed with questions.
"We have heard rumours that an army approaches," said one of them.
Jon came over to Rinne.
"Why is there an army here Rinne?" the boy asked.
"I don't know," Rinne replied. "The elders are meeting with them to find out"
"I want to see it," said Jon.
"No, it is not safe out there and we should rest. It has been a long journey," Rinne said firmly.
The ascended all agreed and took to the bunks that had been provided. Darkness was beginning to set in and candles were lit as they settled down, her thoughts were on Mavok and the hope that he was safe. It took many hours before she fell asleep into dreams of the community crumbling in front of her.
Rinne was unsure how long she had slept, but the sky was beginning to brighten. Rolling off of the bunk, she noticed that Jon was not in his bunk. A few of the other ascended were awake.
"Have you seen Jon?" she asked.
"He left a few moments ago, didn't say where he was going," one of them replied.
Rinne instantly knew where the boy had gone and she ran out of the house, heading for the hill where Mavok had last been. Even at this early hour there were a lot of people running around, all of them carried weapons and they headed for the hill.
"What is happening?" Rinne asked a man as he ran past her.
"We are preparing for battle, the army refused to leave. The elders were attacked after the meeting," the man said before hurrying off.
Her fear for Mavok rose instantly and Rinne began running as quickly as she could. The top of the hill was buzzing with activity as people moved around. The contraptions that Rinne saw the day before were now in place and she could see that their function was to throw large stones down the hill. She saw Alan and ran over to him.
"What happened, is Mavok here?"
Alan held a sword in his hand
and looked at her.
"He is over there," the man pointed "Only two of the six elders returned from the meeting. Sorry but I must prepare the defences, it is not safe here"
Rinne headed for where Alan had pointed, saw Mavok and rushed to his side. A cut ran down his face and dry blood covered one of his cheeks.
"You have been injured," she said.
"Rinne, what are you doing here?" Mavok asked.
"Jon went missing and I thought that he would come here"
"It is not safe up here, the meeting did not go well," said Mavok.
"What happened?" Rinne asked.
"As I thought, they never intended to leave and demanded that all of the ascended be handed over to them. When Zalon refused and demanded that they leave. Well, that is when things turned nasty."
"It was a trap from the beginning," said Rinne.
"It seems that way"
"Did Zalon make it back? Rinne asked.
Mavok nodded.
"So what now?"
"We defend this community for as long as we can. If Cala is successful then we only need to hold on until the naturists get here," he said, his expression did not make Rinne feel any easier.
"Do you think they will come?"
"If they don't then I fear all is lost," replied Mavok.
Shouts began and they both turned. "They are coming"
Rinne looked out onto the plains and saw that the army had lined up. They began to advance towards the hill as Alan turned up beside them.
"Ready the catapults," he shouted.
Rinne, you should really go," Mavok said to her urgently.
"I am not leaving you"
Mavok was about to argue when the order to fire rang across the hill. Rinne watched as large rocks began to hurtle down the hill sending the attackers scurrying away, the lines were quickly reformed and they continued. Some were not lucky enough to get out of the way and Rinne turned away as the rocks ploughed into men, crushing the life from them. Quickly the stock of rocks were depleted.
"Now the moles," Alan called out.
Rinne turned back to watch as the face of the hill seemed to come alive. Hatches opened and out flew arrows that rained upon the attacking army, cutting down the men that were climbing.
"This won't last for long, we have a limited amount of arrows," said Alan.
"How long till they make it up here?" Mavok asked.
"Half an hour maybe more is my guess," replied Alan. "It is going to get messy"
"And how many do we have?"
"Two hundred that are able to fight, the odds are not looking good."
Half an hour was a generous estimation. The holes in the hill were closed and blocked, the army were making their way up the hill quickly and arrows from the attacking army began to fly towards them. Mavok ran for the edge of the hill and engaged the first soldiers that made the top of the hill. Rinne watched his blade arc over his head and into an enemy soldier, he then quickly turned and swung into another. Both fell and she cringed each time the sword bit into someone, but her feet were rooted to the spot.
"Rinne! Get out of here," Mavok shouted over the clash of swords that rang across the hill.
All around them, Rinne could see enemy soldiers wearing the armour of the philosophers beginning to break through the defences.
"Take cover," Mavok shouted just before another flurry of arrows sailed overhead.
Rinne ducked down and Mavok shortly joined her once the area around him was clear.
"Rinne I beg you, get off this hill. You must keep the others safe, we will not hold the hill for long. Get them to the island, as many as you can."
"Why the island?" Rinne asked.
"It is the last defendable place for Unity, the bridge can be defended and the building is strong"
More soldiers appeared on the hill and headed for them.
"Go now," Mavok said before standing and heading after the soldiers that had passed them.
Rinne wanted to stay but knew Mavok was right, the others needed to be kept safe and she had to find Jon. An explosion nearby shook the ground, she looked over to see a man engulfed in green flames. The philosophers had brought weapons of science to the battle. Keeping low, Rinne made her way through men fighting. The grass on the hill ran red with blood and many bodies lay on the floor not moving. She fought back the urge to vomit as more explosions shook her, almost making it to the other side Rinne was stopped by a voice crying out.
"Rinne," called out Jon weakly.
She looked around but could not see him.
"Jon, where are you?" she called out.
It was not far from where she heard him that Rinne found Jon laying upon the floor next to an ascended that she did not recognise. As she got to him and knelt down, Rinne saw an arrow that had pierced Jon through the chest. Blood ran down his mouth and he writhed in pain, still calling her name.
"Jon, why are you here?"
"Rinne," Jon said again and he coughed up some blood. "I came to see the army, it is magnificent"
"Yes it is, don't speak. I will get you to safety," said Rinne softly.
"Ascended scum," said a voice from behind her.
Rinne turned to see a soldier from the path of strength approach her, his sword was raised. Without thinking, Rinne grabbed a sword from the floor by her and raised it, managing to block the blow from the soldier.
"You have some spirit, maybe you will make a good plaything for the commander," said the soldier who took another swing at her.
Rinne dodged the sword and swung the one she held, but it missed. The soldier managed to kick her hand and the blade fell to the floor.
"Or maybe I should just kill you like you deserve," said the soldier. His blade rose and time seemed to slow as Rinne watched it fall towards her.
Then the power burst through her hand and slammed into the man, sending him flying. She turned back to Jon.
"Jon, we have to get out of here"
"I can't feel my legs," said the boy. Blood still dripped from his mouth and his breathing was becoming laboured.
"I can carry you," said Rinne and she placed her arm under his legs. "Grab my leg"
"Rinne I am scared," said Jon and tears ran down his face.
"I know, so am I," she admitted.
"We made it to Unity," Jon coughed up more blood.
"We did and we are going to live free," she said as tears began to run down her face.
"It was beautiful," said Jon with a weak smile. He coughed once more and then his head fell backwards.
Rinne released his legs and screamed. Just like Father, Jon was now dead because of her. Rage quickly built up within her. Anger about the treatment of the ascended, anger about the death caused by the humans and anger at her inability to save those she loved. The power exploded inside of her, just as it had on the day she destroyed the tower.
Rinne stood up and walked to the side of the hill that soldiers were appearing from. Each time that she came across an enemy, Rinne sued her power to send them back down the hill, much to the surprise of the defenders as well as the attackers. All that went through Rinne's mind was using her power to protect Unity and make those who threatened it pay for what they were doing. Mavok still fought fiercely at the edge of the hill and Rinne could see him continuing even though he had been injured. Another release of power sent the men around him off the hill, Mavok stumbled over to her, his leg bleeding and he breathed deeply.
"Rinne, what are you doing, you should be in the community"
"Get everyone off this hill," Rinne said calmly.
"Rinne we promised not to use our powers to harm," said Mavok.
"I will not let anyone else I care about, die because of me," she said.
"This is not the way it should be done," said Mavok. "Come with me now, we will be safe on the island"
"Get them off the hill, I will finish this now," said Rinne and Mavok took hold of her arm.
"Rinne, don't," Mavok pleaded.
"You cannot st
op me," she responded before releasing a little of her power to push him back and began to walk down the hill.
Soldiers ran towards Rinne in a futile attempt to stop her, they too were sent back down the hill. Each time that Rinne released her power she felt it grow, as though her abilities were getting stronger. About halfway down the hill Rinne stopped and placed her hands on the ground. The cool grass was soft and bouncy, she could feel the life that flowed through it. The power surged through her hands and the ground began to shake knocking men off of their feet. More and more the ground shook with large cracks beginning to emanate from her hands.
A hail of arrows arced towards her, they stopped dead and fell to the floor as her power expanded and she stood again. Looking across the plain, Rinne could still see a lot of soldiers heading her way.
"For Father, for Jon and for all ascended," she screamed and then began running for the plains.
Men flew away, still they came at her and at that moment Rinne felt indestructible. She managed to get to the bottom of the hill before suffering an injury, one of the fallen men had managed to get his dagger and caught her leg. Pain lanced up her leg and she fell to one knee. Soldiers swarmed around her, weapons aimed for her head. She threw them back, but the pain distracted her and Rinne was quickly overwhelmed. Fists and kicks hit her, knocking the wind from her lungs and the power seemed to die within her body. Ropes were tied around her wrists and Rinne was dragged across the ground towards the rest of the attacking army.
chapter twenty-one
"So this is the one that destroyed your tower," said a voice close to Rinne.
She had lost consciousness whilst being dragged across the plain and had only just regained it. Her hands were bound and pulled apart, upon opening her eyes, Rinne saw that she lay on a table like the one Father had been tied to.
"Hello Rinne," said the familiar voice of Garan. "It is so nice to see you again.
"Why have you done this, these people mean you no harm," said Rinne. She looked at the grand librarian and saw a partially healed cut above his eyes.
"It will do you no good to repeat yourself, you know why we are here, you have proven yet again why the abominations are dangerous and must be eliminated," said Garan.
The Ascension Trilogy Page 7
