Lukys rose to his feet before he could doubt himself, drawing the attention of the others at the table.
“On that sentiment, my good lords and ladies—” he started, but as he spoke the door to the chamber banged open, and a man garbed in the red uniform of the Flumeeren army entered, a sword hanging from his belt.
Lukys tensed, but he spied the golden lieutenants badge a second before Wallace leapt to his feet. “Finally! Lieutenant Ewan, what kept you?”
The lieutenant frowned as he crossed the room. “The safety of the city?” he said shortly, irritation in his voice. “You do realise we’re at war, steward? I cannot attend every dalliance you decide to host on a whim. There was another protest amongst the Calafe camps that needed dealing with…” he trailed off, eyes noting the presence of Sophia and Lukys at the table.
“Yes, well, as you can see lieutenant, we have important guests,” Wallace replied shortly. “My dear Sovereigns, may I introduce Lieutenant Ewan, the man in charge of our defences in the queen’s absence.” He paused, belatedly remembering that Lukys was on his feet and clearing his throat. “Er, Sovereign, you were saying something?”
Lukys hesitated, needles prickling at his brow as the attention of the room returned to him. This was their chance. With the members of this room captured, the city would be left without leaders. He cast his gaze to the back of the room, where Dale and Keria lurked. The Flumeerens had guards of their own of course, but none possessed the strength of the Tangata. With Sophia and Keria on their side, it wouldn’t be difficult to take control…
…but what if violence was not the answer here?
“Thank you, Wallace, for your kindness,” he said softly. “It is welcome after the difficulties we have suffered these last months.” He drew in a breath as a frown crossed the steward’s lips, then continued before the questions could begin. “In truth, we are new to our roles as Sovereigns. Word would not yet have reached you here on the mainland, but there has been a change in leadership in Perfugia. The old Sovereigns were killed…unexpectedly.”
“Killed?” Wallace exclaimed. Seated nearby, the elderly Zayaan only frowned, lips pressed in a line, eyes fixed on Lukys.
“Slain by their own guards,” Lukys confirmed grimly, gesturing for Sophia to rise. He sensed the tension in his partner as she came to her feet, felt it too from Dale and Keria as they edged towards the other guards. “We do not intend to make the same mistakes.”
“I should hope not,” Zayaan responded calmly. “Treachery must be quashed wherever it is found.”
“That was not their mistake,” Lukys said. “Their mistake filling the hearts of their people with hatred, in clinging to the past.”
Even as he spoke, images flickered in Lukys’s mind, of a people exiled, of the former Tangata as they landed on a barren shore, of men and women coming together to create a new kingdom. But always those memories were clouded, distorted by the hatred of his predecessors, by their anger towards those who had seen them banished.
“We must find a new way,” Lukys continued. “One of peace, of respect amongst equals. We can no longer blindly follow your queen.”
13
The Tangata
Adonis shivered as he looked upon the human queen. Seeing her standing calm amongst the chaos, Adonis realised he knew this creature. He had glimpsed her from afar, at the height of the human invasion so many years before, when the Tangata had trapped the human army between their forces. The enemy might have been crushed that day, had it not been for a calvary charge that had forced the Tangata back, giving the humans time to retreat.
This woman had led that charge against his people, had saved the humans from disaster so long ago. If not for her, the war might have ended that day, with the strength of humanity destroyed in one terrible battle.
Adonis would not allow her to save them again. Now, on this night, she would finally fall. And the last resistance of humanity with her.
Brothers, sisters, on me.
Standing in the shadows, he gathered his Tangata. Already the humans were responding to their queen, retreating from the Tangata inspired chaos and raising their weapons in a defensive formation. His people would need to change their tactics too, if they were to destroy this creature.
Thankfully, the Tangata had already taken a heavy toll upon the human forces. There couldn’t be more than twenty left to stand against an equal number of Adonis’s brethren. Impossible odds, even for this queen.
Kill them all, Adonis said softly when the last of his Tangata joined him.
As one, they surged forward, charging across the blood-slickened deck, silhouettes in the night. The humans roared in answer and hefted weapons. But most had lost their spears earlier, the one advantage they might have had against the Tangatan charge. Instead, the humans met their foes with swords in hand.
And died screaming.
Ducking beneath a wild swing, Adonis shattered the ribs of the human before him, then leapt over the falling body, eyes on the woman who stood at their centre. Dressed in chainmail armour with a greatsword in hand, she alone amongst the humans stood her ground. Indeed, as Adonis watched, one of his sisters leapt at her and the queen spun, her blade slashing out to catch the Tangata in the neck. The blow almost decapitated the Tangata, and she fell amongst the other bodies littering the deck.
A growl rumbled from the back of his throat and fists clenched, he pushed aside one of his brethren.
Focus on the followers, he hissed. The queen is mine.
Encased in her armour, it would be difficult for one of his lesser brethren to pierce her defences, but one blow from Adonis would crush the metal like a hammer. This was the moment he had waited for, the foe he had been created to face.
The other Tangata stepped aside, splitting the ranks of human soldiers in two and allowing Adonis to pass. They were falling quickly, the queen’s human guards, overwhelmed by the sheer power of the Tangata. The queen realised it too, for her helmet flickered left and right, and he heard her voice carrying over the clash of weapons. This time though, her men could not hear her over the cacophony of battle.
Then the woman’s eyes fell upon Adonis. The queen seemed to realise his intent as he started towards her, but to her credit, she did not try to flee. Rather, she squared her shoulders and took her greatsword in a two-handed grip. Adonis smiled at her courage, but it mattered not. This night would see her end. No human could stand against a Tangata of the third generation.
Crying his rage, Adonis charged, closing the gap with his foe in an instant. Her sword came up, reacting with the speed she had demonstrated with the others, but Adonis was confident in his strength, and his arm swept out to slam against the flat of her blade to turn it aside…
…except the blow felt as though Adonis had struck something hard and unyielding, as though the greatsword were fixed in some vice rather than held by a mere human. For the merest of seconds, he felt bewilderment, confusion—then the point of the sword slammed into his shoulder, tearing through flesh and bringing his charge to a sudden halt.
A cry burst from his lips at the impact and stunned, Adonis twisted, tearing the sword from his flesh. His cry turned to a growl as he regained his balance, swinging again at the human woman. She raised her blade, face hidden by her helmet, but Adonis saw her mirth in the ripples of the woman’s aura.
A frown touched his lips. How had she held the sword against his blow? How could she move so quickly, keeping pace with even his own supernatural speed?
Baring his teeth, Adonis reached a hand to his shoulder, feeling the hot blood gushing from the wound. His right arm had lost some of its strength, but it should still be enough to defeat a human, even one dressed in steel.
Snarling, he clenched his fists and attacked again. This time the queen dropped into one of the strange stances practiced by the humans, sword extended, iron fist held across her chest. Adonis ignored the blade this time, trusting his speed to evade her next blow. All he needed was to land a strike, one with th
e force to crush her bones, to tear her flesh, and it would all be over.
But as he came at her again, far from awaiting his attack, the queen leapt forward to meet him. For half a moment, Adonis was left frozen. This human dared to attack him? Only the hiss of approaching steel snapped him from his stupor, and gasping, Adonis hurled himself aside…
…and again found himself too slow. Pain erupted from his side as the greatsword slammed against his ribs. Fortunately his retreat took most of the impetus from the blow, but even so, he felt something go crack as he staggered back.
Gasping, he stared at the woman, hot blood running from his side as well as his shoulder now. For the first time that night, fear touched him. This should not be possible. A human could not stand against him, not unless…
…his eyes widened as a suspicion touched him, and without thinking, he reached out with his mind.
What are you?
Laughter rattled from within behind the iron visor, lifting above the screams of the dying. Reaching up, the queen tore the helmet from her head, revealing great eyes of emerald and flaming red hair.
“I am the saviour of humanity,” she shouted into the night.
A roar came from nearby as one of Adonis’s brethren, caught in the grips of the Tangatan rage, crushed his foe’s skull—then caught sight of the queen standing nearby. Before anyone could react, he charged at her.
The queen didn’t bother with the sword this time. Instead, she lifted her empty hand, and only now did Adonis notice how it rippled, how it was different from the rest of her armour. A burning light lit the night, and his brother fell to the ground, writhing against the wooden boards.
“I am the death of gods,” the queen continued, even as Adonis’s brother died in agony.
Adonis shook his head, staring at the human in disbelief. She was human, that he sensed, smelt, but…somehow she had Heard him, had matched him blow for blow, had injured him.
Abruptly, the queen raised her sword and shouted into the night. Too late, Adonis realised his danger as she charged. His brethren were engaged with the last of the humans, leaving him to stand alone against the queen, against whatever creature she was, and the human magic she wielded.
Watching her charge, Adonis realised his death was upon him. Even so, he clenched his fists and readied himself for battle, though its end seemed already written in the night sky.
A sharp crack came from above, then a shadow fell from the above, black-feathered wings flashing out to slam against the queen’s blade, finally tearing it from her impossibly strong grasp. Adonis barely had time to recognise Nyriah before the Anahera launched herself at the queen, fist and boot and wings lashing out, driving the woman back, leaving her no opening to use the magic of the gauntlet.
The queen roared as she matched the Anahera’s blows, revealing a strength beyond anything Adonis knew to be possible for a human, for even a Tangata. His heart hammered hard in his chest as he watched the two battle amidst the flickering lanternlight. This queen could not be human nor even a descendant of his people. She was too powerful, her strength too pure for that.
No, this creature had come from the Anahera themselves.
But the false gods they had their limits, and as the last human soldier fell, Adonis’s brethren formed up around him. This was their chance. With Nyriah’s aid, they could still win a victory. He could still salvage his injured pride. The creature could not fight them all.
With me, Tangata, he called. The Human Queen falls this night.
Across the deck, he saw the pale face of the queen swing in his direction and he cursed silently. She had heard him, knew they were coming for her. But what did it matter? The Anahera had the woman pinned against the bow where Adonis had first climbed aboard. She had placed a pile of barrels to her back to keep from being surrounded, but even that would not help against so many. There would be no escape for the human queen.
Grinning, he started across the deck with his Tangata.
An all-too-human curse slipped from the creature’s lips and she leapt back from Nyriah, finally managing to bring up her gauntlet. Light flashed as its magic lit the night and Adonis rushed forward, his Tangata with him. He knew this weapon, its magic. The queen could not strike them all with its power.
Nyriah’s wings swept down, hurtling her into the sky as the queen unleashed the magic. Adonis and the other Tangata charged into the gap the Anahera had left and one of his brethren went down, caught in the gauntlet’s awful power. But not Adonis, and teeth bared, he leapt at the queen…
…but she was already turning from him, her magic vanished, reaching instead for a…lantern. The sight gave Adonis pause and he hesitated, watching as the queen wrenched the flaming light from a hook and raised it high. The whisper of wings from above announced Nyriah’s return, but the queen paid no mind to either. With a shout, the queen hurled her lantern at the pile of barrels.
The crash of breaking glass followed as it smashed upon the wood, spilling burning oil across the barrels in a whoosh of heat. Even as Adonis struggled to comprehend the woman’s plan, she swung on one of his brothers, bringing the Tangata down with a terrible blow to the face.
And as he fell, the queen charged through the gap he left, escaping the circle of her pursuers. Before anyone could stop her, the woman reached the railings of the ship and hurled herself over the side, out into the darkness of the river.
For just a second, Adonis stood staring at the point she had disappeared. What was the creature thinking? The Tangata and Anahera would only follow her into the waters. She would not escape there, whatever—
Boom.
The night erupted in an inferno.
14
The Prisoner
Erika cried out as a wave of light and sound burst through the cabin, followed by such heat that she feared they had been engulfed by flames. Smoke seared her lungs as she drew in a breath to scream, and instead found herself choking. Her ears rang and stars danced across her vision, but the heat vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and she found herself lying again in the iron cage.
Except the cage was no longer standing upright, but rather lying twisted on its side. Groaning, Erika struggled to push herself up, even as her vision cleared and the first sound returned to her ears. Somewhere nearby she heard the roaring of flames and screams of men in agony, before a whisper from nearby drew her attention, desperate, urgent. A hand grasped her by the shoulder and shook her.
“Erika, are you okay, please, I can’t—” Cara’s voice broke, as though she were already imagining the possibility of Erika’s death.
Erika let out a moan, hoping it would reassure the Goddess, though truthfully she wasn’t sure what condition she was in. She was already so weak…and now she could hear a roaring from above, as of…flames, growing closer.
What had happened? That explosion…it had to have been the black powder Amina had mentioned. She couldn’t help but feel some small measure of satisfaction at that. It seemed only fair that the woman’s stolen weapon had been turned against her. The Archivists knew the perils of the black powder well, and never stored great quantities in one place.
Deciding she was still in one piece, Erika managed to push herself upright. “I’m okay,” she said softly, placing a hand on Cara’s arm as she looked around. The walls of the cabin had been torn apart by the force of the explosion, but they hadn’t been so lucky with the cage. Some of the bars had twisted, but otherwise it remained in one piece.
Fear touched her as she saw the fire flickering beyond the twisted ceiling. Orange lit the night, illuminating the silhouettes of men and women still struggling on the decks of the galley. Erika didn’t know whether to scream for their help or hope they didn’t notice them. The queen did not appear and Erika could only assume she was fighting the Tangata someplace else on the massive ship.
Swallowing her fear, she turned to Cara. They would get no better chance than this, if only they could free themselves of the cage. The Goddess seemed to have r
ealised the same thing, for some of the life had returned to her. Seeing that Erika was unharmed, the Anahera turned her attention to the bars of their prison. Pale fingers closed around the steel and veins appeared on the Cara’s neck as she exerted her incredible strength. Erika held her breath; Cara obviously hadn’t been able to escape this way before, but if the explosion had weakened one of the bars…
…but breath held, Erika watched as the Goddess strained—and the steel bars resisted. They would not give an inch, not even to a Goddess made flesh.
Warmth touched Erika’s cheeks, a dry, searing heat that swept through the broken cabin. The silhouettes beyond the shattered walls had vanished, the ship abandoned, but the light of the flames only grew, creeping closer. She could feel the ship rocking sharply beneath them too, the floor pitching as the vessel sunk lower on the river.
Idly, Erika found herself wondering which would reach them first—the flames, or the water. Whichever took them, at least they would be free of the queen and her torturous magic. Perhaps she had even perished in the explosion. The thought was cold comfort to Erika. She didn’t want to die, not yet, not when there was still so much for her to do. Even after the agony she had suffered these past days, it was only the hope for a new life that had given her strength to resist. Watching Cara strain to save them, seeing her own fear reflected in her friend’s eyes, Erika found herself clenching her fist, wishing for a final whisper of power, enough to crack the lock again…
The power did not come, but looking at the silver chains she wore, an idea came to Erika. Starved and beaten, she had no strength left to summon its power—and the queen knew it.
But there was another option, a choice someone like Amina would never consider.
Reaching down, Erika squeezed the gauntlet around her wrist the way the queen had earlier. A soft hiss followed, then a tingling in her skin as the wires separated from her flesh, like a thousand tiny needles withdrawing from her arm. Finally, the gauntlet slid free and fell into her lap, its intricate threads shimmering in the fiery light.
Dreams of Fury: Descendants of the Fall Book IV Page 9
