Deep within the city, the Opal King’s army pushed onward. They were not a malicious group, nor were they stupid. They didn’t march forward out of spite, or for some old rivalry between the two states. They didn’t hate Leapador or its king, who in his short tenure had established a government built on reason and justice that they found admirable. They marched for one reason alone: it was the will of their Creator, and to oppose him in either thought or deed was a reason for death. Leapador planned to aid the fugitives of Aeris, as the Creator explained, and that was reason enough to initiate such a terrible and almost one-sided war.
The branches of the army moved through the streets as civilians fled for cover. Their orders were to march to the castle and all obeyed, ignoring the spoils of war that lay ripe for the taking abandoned in the streets. There would be reward enough for them all when the enemies of the Creator were brought to swift justice. Only those who remained in the streets to fight back were to suffer the wrath of the army, though in the fray of swinging swords the soldiers could not discern between those resisting and those fleeing who were caught in the melee.
In one street, the soldiers reached a blockade of Leapador’s guards. The invading soldiers paused, staring down the guards who formed a wall of shields throughout the street. They were far outnumbered, but they were the only ones capable of holding back against the enemy. It was their duty to protect the capital, and they would uphold that mission until they took their last breaths. Without a word they stared back at the invaders, swords at the ready, waiting for the first move. With the faith that their fight was the Creator’s will, the Opal King’s army carried on and prepared to clash with the blockade.
The ground quaked in front of the Leapador guards, giving pause to the advanced soldiers. A two foot thick wall of solid earth erupted from beneath the cobblestone streets and rose fifteen feet high, segregating the two forces. Those fighting for Leapador turned and saw Adam behind, his arm still extended out. The object of their anger shifted from the invaders to Adam as the guards raised their weapons towards him.
“Do you all plan to waste your time fighting against me while your comrades are in desperate need of help in the other streets?” Adam asked them. The guards weren’t expecting to hear criticism from the enemy they shared with the invaders. “If you still want to arrest me when this is over, so be it. But now, you all have better things to do. Your king and your country are depending on you.”
The guards were conflicted. They had no reason to listen to the fugitive, but he was right. There was no good trying to capture Adam while the rest of their city was under siege. The guards accepted reason and moved away from the wall of earth, avoiding eye contact with Adam as they passed him by. Adam was thankful they had listened to him and went off peacefully. The last thing he needed to do was whittle down the forces of Leapador more than they already had been.
Behind the wall, Adam heard the invading army trying to beat their way through with whatever they had available. He pulled a set of rocks out from the wall far enough for him to grip and climb up to the top. Standing there, he looked down and saw the massing army filling the street. Angry shouts rose up when they saw him, denouncing him as an enemy of the Creator. As frustrating as they were, Adam didn’t want to kill any of the invading army if he could help it. His plan was to hold them off and prevent any further excursion into the city. From his vantage point, he could see the enemy outnumbering the guards by a tremendous amount. He would need to intervene in order to save Wensfell, especially to match against the Creator’s overpowering presence.
Ignoring the inciting rabble below, Adam jumped and grabbed the edge of the roof of the closest building. He pulled himself up and got a full view of the damage. The sun had set as the invasion began and darkness covered the city, but the torch lights of the army still glowed near the gates and were being used to start fires as the invaders progressed. With no one else to stop them, the fires would cause widespread damage in a short amount of time. He figured he should make his way towards the gate, blocking off the army wherever he could and putting out the fires. It wouldn’t take long for word to spread that he was fighting back, and then the Creator would step up against him. After everything that had happened, Adam was actually anxious for that confrontation. He didn’t intend to waste time asking for excuses from the shameful deity.
Adam moved across the rooftops in search of more soldiers to block off. Closer to the castle, Mathias and Dee stood by while the guardians of the keep donned their armor, gathered their weapons, and marched out to defend their city. Dee was anxious, staring out over the buildings where the fires that had been started were rising.
“I should be out there,” said Dee.
“No offense, but even you’re a little too delicate for something like this,” Mathias told her.
“My magic’s strong enough to fight back against them,” Dee argued. “All they have are swords and spears, right?”
“It’s more than that,” Mathias said. “Going up against them by yourself would be like trying to fight against a gristmill. You can push back with all you’ve got, but it’s always going to keep pushing until it wears you down and grinds you to dust.”
“That’s not something you should say while your soldiers are marching off to battle,” said Dee.
“They’re all strong men, good men,” Mathias told her. “They don’t fight for themselves, they fight for Leapador. They know that they may die, but they go on ahead anyway, even as all hope slips away.”
“You’re lucky to have such loyal men.”
“I’m thankful every day that I can inspire them to stand up for what is right, even in the face of terrible odds.”
Dee scoffed. “You’re still so full of yourself.”
“You love it,” he said with a smirk.
“Your Majesty!” a soldier shouted as he came running. He stopped in front of Mathias and saluted him. “The new exit has been secured and is ready to receive citizens for evacuation.”
“Fantastic news,” Mathias said. Before Adam went out into the city, he had opened a section of the perimeter wall behind the castle that led to the countryside. A portion of the guard had been inspecting the area to make sure it was clear from any of the Opal King’s army. Now that it was, it provided an opportunity for the people of Wensfell to escape. With the invading army distracted at the head of the city, it would take time to notice that people were fleeing. With the strong chance that Mathias might lose the city, he at least wanted as many citizens to escape alive as possible.
Mathias gave the order for some of the guard to begin shepherding people out of the city. This was where Dee’s role began. While Adam barred off further movement into the city and Mathias defended the castle, Dee was tasked with helping the people escape and using her magic to protect them if they should come under attack. It would be impossible for her to guard the entire city during their exodus, but if things went according to plan she would only need to keep them hidden in the forest just south of the city. They would wait there until the city was secured or until it was overrun, an option Mathias would not stand to let happen.
“Take good care of my people, Dee,” Mathias told her. “I’ll see you when you all return.”
“Don’t do anything stupid, Mathias,” she told him. “If things get too bad, promise me you’ll fall back with the rest of us.”
“I can’t leave my father’s city behind,” he said.
“I’m certain he’d rather have you alive and well than to see this city stand without you,” Dee told him. “Just be safe, please?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. “You worry too much, kid.”
“Don’t call me a kid, you jerk,” she said.
“Blondie, then?”
“Not that either!”
“Damn, you’re hard to please,” he said, crossing his arms. “We’ll settle it later, then. Get going.”
She huffed and turned away with feigned anger. Sometim
es she couldn’t stand his teasing nature, but she knew he was just trying to lighten the mood. In the midst of disaster, he still managed to keep his spirits high and lively. She hoped that that attitude would serve him well as he and the guards did what they could to hold the city together. It was in his hands now, and Adam’s too, as the fighting began to intensify in the center of the city.
Chapter 25
Kings Parting
Swords clashed against shields where the Opal King’s army met head to head with the soldiers of Wensfell. At first the fight had hardly been fair. Mathias’s soldiers were spread across the city trying to intercept the invading army with little luck as they were outnumbered ten to one. With Adam helping by blocking off access to the interior, the guards had been able to reorganize and condense themselves to a few key positions. They were still outnumbered, but not as badly now, and they were inspired to fight on.
A few blocks from the city gate, Mr. White and Spartacus stood behind a mass of soldiers trying to push their way through the resistance ahead. The mood of the invaders had diminished now that Mathias’ soldiers had regrouped, and Mr. White was intrigued to see that the zealous warriors from the Opal Kingdom were losing their handle on the fight.
“Remarkable,” Mr. White said. “Even with the Creator on their side, they’re losing faith in themselves. ‘If God is for us, then who can ever be against us?’ I suppose they’re beginning to think that, and the thought must be terrifying to them. Maybe they need a reminder of who they’re fighting for.”
He turned and looked around, catching no sight of the Creator. “Now where did Daniel disappear off to? He’s missing a wonderful show, and it’s time for him to play his part again.”
The hulking machine remained silent, looming over its master and showing him an empty stare as if it tried to relate some sort of message.
“Spartacus, I’m growing rather bored of this,” said Mr. White. “Let’s see if we can’t find Daniel and have him rally the good soldiers.”
A loud sound echoed far in the city, giving Mr. White pause. He looked back and saw a flash of steam rising up into the darkening sky. The fires that had been set were being extinguished. Surely the guards was too preoccupied to waste their time dealing with the fires while they were being overrun. It had to be the work of someone else, the only one capable of moving enough water to put out the growing fires. Mr. White’s muscles tightened and his heart raced. Adam Evans was close by.
With a wave of Adam’s hands, a rush of water poured across a burning tavern like a torrent of rain. He moved his hands away, allowing the rest of the water to fall over the building. His attention was stolen by a group of soldiers coming at him with swords drawn. For an instant, Adam saw his comrades in the Khazaki instead of the Opal King’s men. His heart paused and he felt an empty sensation in his chest, but just as quick as it had come on the hallucination disappeared. Now with a clear head, Adam moved his hands with dynamic precision. As he did, the ground beneath his enemies fell away and they tumbled into a deep pit where they were trapped. The men clamored below as they tried to find some way out, but Adam didn’t stay long enough to see if they even could.
He had encountered many enemy soldiers while moving through the city, but Adam had yet to kill one of them, or even draw his sword. To do so would be doing just as Oracle expected him to do, to cast him as a monster that kills innocents and servants of a benevolent deity. He didn’t intend to let Oracle decide what kind of person he was. Adam intended to create his own path, and that meant showing those who doubted him that he was capable of being more than a symbol of anger and the embodiment of poor decisions. He would save Wensfell, and he would do so without taking a single life.
Adam rose up high on a pillar of rock to look out over the city. The fires had been mostly put out and no new ones had started while the invaders were forced to focus on fighting Mathias’ soldiers. Most of the streets had been blocked off and the enemy had to make their way to a few narrow bottlenecks where the guards could defend themselves and force the invaders back. Behind him, the civilians of the city were being evacuated and taken to safety by Dee while Mathias waited in reserve at the castle. Despite the terrible odds that first presented themselves, it seemed that things were turning around for Leapador’s side. Adam refused to relax his guard just yet. He knew there was still one thing that could change the tide of the battle once again.
As if on cue, a hollow howl rang through the city like the haunting gale of a windstorm. It blew through the streets, passing through the army of the Opal King and into the defenders. There came a sudden and sickening shift in the skirmish as Adam watched the Wensfell guards crumple beneath the astonished invaders. The men showed no resistance and fell to the ground, and Adam realized that they were all already dead. The enemy soldiers and Adam knew perfectly well what had happened, and with a resounding cheer the invaders charged ahead, trampling the bodies of their foes and moving into the city. Adam looked to the front gates and his hands clenched in a new rage as he saw the Creator with open hands looking pious as could be, as if he had just delivered a gift to someone in need.
Adam made an amendment to his vow not to kill anyone else in the course of the conflict. If anyone deserved retribution for all the pain and suffering that had gone on it was the Creator. Even now, he contributed to the demise of Wensfell by helping Oracle. What he had done was unforgivable, and Adam intended to put an end to the madness before it escalated any further. He drew the Sword of Magid and allowed the pillar to bring him back to the ground as he began his sprint to where the Creator stood and watched the turmoil unfold.
The streets at the head of the city were empty now, save the bodies that remained from the fallen civilians who were caught up in the initial charge. Adam ignored them; he didn’t have time to think about the dead. As long as the Creator was helping the enemy army, more people could continue to die. There had been too much death already, and he could not bear to let it continue. He raced down the streets until at last he reached the city gate, now wide open as the walls surrounding it were crumbled into mere bricks. There he found himself alone. The Creator had already disappeared.
Adam clenched his fists. “Stop hiding, you son of a bitch!” he screamed into the open air. “You want to capture me? To kill me? Well here I am, so try your best! Come and get me!”
He received no response and only heard the sound of panic continuing to rise up deep in the city. Adam waited there, anticipating the Creator to appear at any moment to deliver some glib comment before attempting to dismember him atom by atom. He stood in vain, and still there was nothing there for him. The Creator had moved away, perhaps to something more important. Adam realized that with the guards slain, the castle was now unprotected. He was not the Creator’s only target, and the second fugitive of Aeris was a sitting duck among the other civilians as the enemy crept closer.
With the same swiftness that brought him to the head of the city, Adam sprinted back towards the castle. He hastened the trip by shooting himself into the air with another rock pillar, calling upon subsequent pillars to catch him and form stepping stones as he bound across the city high above. As he touched down on the next pillar in front of him, it crumbled to dust immediately and he began to fall. In a panic, he waved his arms and called upon the wind to carry him. To his surprise, the gust came and held him up. The wind passed and he began to fall once more, but again he bent the air to his will and further gusts pushed him upwards. It was an action that he had never considered before, but it was of significant use to him. He carried on, using the strong pulses of wind to support him as he ran through the sky as if in flight.
The destruction of the pillar had to have been the Creator attempting to keep him from the castle. That meant that he was still keeping an eye on Adam while remaining out of sight somewhere else. Now that Adam was relying on the wind to carry him, it would be more challenging for the Creator to slow him down. If the Creator really wanted to keep Adam away, he would have to remo
ve the very air beneath Adam or show himself and fight head to head. Adam readied himself for both scenarios, but found that neither one came to pass. He was able to ride the air currents uninterrupted all the way to the castle, a trip that was shortened a good deal by travelling through the sky. He allowed himself to fall, controlling the current beneath him to allow for a gradual descent until he touched down in the courtyard where Mathias and the rest of his remaining guard stood waiting.
“Fancy trick,” Mathias told Adam as he approached. “What’s going on out there?”
“The Creator wiped out all of your soldiers in the streets,” Adam reported. “I tried to find him, but he’s nowhere to be seen. The Opal King’s army is marching towards the castle now.”
“Damn it all,” Mathias said, turning his head. “We’ll just have to hold the castle ourselves then.”
“Mathias, even with my help, you’ve got no chance with what little men you have remaining,” Adam said. “You should evacuate with the rest of your people.”
“A good king doesn’t turn tail and abandon his castle no matter how dire the situation,” Mathias said. “No offense intended, Adam.”
“A good king doesn’t abandon his people when they need him, either,” Adam replied. “The people of Wensfell, all of Leapador, they need a king, a decent and good hearted king.”
“You flatter me,” Mathias said with a laugh.
“I’m serious,” Adam said. “You’re the kind of king that they deserve. You need to keep leading and protecting them.”
Mathias put his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “I am protecting them. If this is what it takes, I will do what I have to in order to keep them safe.”
Fallout (Tales of the Other Universe Book 2) Page 27
