Dreams of Fury: Descendants of the Fall Book IV

by Hodges, Aaron

  34

  The Sovereign

  A snarl tore from Lukys’s lips as a Tangata leapt at him, evading his guards and reaching for his throat. Reacting faster than he’d thought himself capable, Lukys spun his spear and drove the point up through the creature’s heart, sending it screaming into the void. But he barely heard the creature’s Voice as it cried out—his attention was only half on the events in Mildeth, the assault upon the walls.

  His other half was far away, tangled in the minds of his friends, supporting them as they fought in the darkness.

  And despite his efforts, they were losing.

  He could sense their furious battle, the exchange of blows and screams. But even as those in the caverns struggled, Maya worked her mind upon them, peeling at the layers of their consciousness, feeding on their base emotions, seeking to turn them against one another.

  Only Lukys’s desperate efforts kept her from succeeding, as he used all the strength of his Voice to bolster his friends’ courage, to keep the Old One from their minds.

  His efforts were slowly failing, as Maya crept through the gaps in his defences, or tore them apart when a distraction on the walls drew his mind back to Mildeth. Her raw power, her mastery was far beyond Lukys’s amateur efforts, even with the memories of the Sovereigns crowding him. This was a fight he was destined to lose, and yet he struggled on, did his best to keep his friends safe, if only for a moment more.

  Alongside him, Sophia struggled as well, but she battled the Old One in a different place. On the battlefield of Mildeth, she fought for the hearts and minds of the human defenders, of her people. But despite the distance, despite her own innate knowledge as a Tangata, she too was losing. The passion of battle was too great, the fears and rage and hatreds too deep between their peoples. Maya had only to nudge the minds of the warring factions to drive each to ever greater madness.

  But like Lukys, Sophia would not give up, would not surrender so long as hope remained. If only they’d had time to practice this ability, or greater allies to support them. The Anahera who had remained in the city had raw ability, but the creatures were unpractised, easily distracted by the chaos around them. Perhaps together—

  Lukys gasped as the overwhelming strength of Maya pressed against him again, her hatred washing through him, and for a moment he felt as though he stood alone, that he would be consumed…

  …screaming, he tore himself from the battle in the caverns, surfacing for a moment on the walls of Mildeth. His vision flickered, clearing in time to see a Tangata leap over the crenulations. Quickly Lukys moved to shield Sophia from the bloodshed. He felt her pain with each death, but he could at least spare her the agony of fighting her own brethren. For now, at least.

  But despite the memories crammed into his skull, Lukys was still human, and his strength was wanning. Their guard were struggling too, as he saw Travis fighting desperately at Isabella’s side, glimpsed Dale down on one knee as Keria stood protectively over him with another of the Perfugian guard, fighting off a maddened Tangata.

  Slamming the butt of his spear into the face of the Tangata he faced, Lukys reversed the weapon and drove the razor tip through its throat. It fell back, crumpling to the ground, and he forced his will back to the cavern, even as he felt his friends wilting.

  His protection was failing. Eroded by distance, he could not match Maya’s strength, not for long. Sooner or later, she would find her way into the hearts of one of the allies. When that happened, their fate would rest on the strength of that soul, on what lay in their heart, whether they had the will to resist…

  Thinking of the mistrust held between the three women, Lukys shuddered. Gathered himself for one last effort, he hurled himself at the darkness assaulting his friends. He would not surrender, would not abandon them to the Voice of the Old One. He held the knowledge of generations in his mind, the will of all the Sovereigns who had come before him. It would be enough.

  It had to be.

  Withdrawing from the battle atop the wall, Lukys found himself back-to-back with Sophia, with his love. Without seeing her face, he could sense the tears in her eyes, her pain as she tried again and again to find the love in her peoples’ hearts, to remind them of the peace of New Nihelm.

  They’re dying, Lukys, her voice came to him.

  He scrunched his eyes closed, turning to hold her tight, even as chaos reigned around them. They fought and fought and would keep on fighting, but he no longer knew why. They were losing, crumbling. Maya could not be defeated, would destroy them all. It was inevitable.

  Why suffer, why continue?

  Why not finally give up, and have peace?

  “I can’t lose you,” Sophia whispered to him, lips warm on his cheek as they held one another.

  Lukys tightened his grip on her and said nothing. What more was there to say?

  You do not have to perish with the rest.

  A shudder slid down Lukys’s spine as the Voice of the Old One spoke into his mind. He tried to force it away, to close himself to her, but there was an exhaustion upon him now, a weariness he could not simply shrug off. It left cracks in his consciousness, gaps through which the Old One continued to whisper.

  I sense my brethren, the true strength of the Chead, entwined in your souls. Surrender to it, give yourself to the power. Return to me, brother, sister, and we will rule this world as we were always destined.

  Lukys’s skin crawled as she spoke, and something within him stirred in response to her command. Opening his eyes, he found Sophia staring back at him, saw the terror upon her and knew she felt that same stirring, like a giant that had long lain dormant, now waking…

  An icy cold seeped through Lukys as he found himself frozen, his body torn between the memory of a creature long dead, and his own self. Looking around, he saw the bloodshed upon the battlefield and felt that creature grow stronger, sensed it gathering, its anger, its rage…

  No!

  With an effort of will, Lukys fought back, clinging to Sophia, sensing her own battle, her own fear. Instinctively, he reached out for her, their minds mingling, uniting in their battle against those other consciousnesses, filling them with strength…

  …and with relief, they sensed those other minds subsiding, returning to the depths, to dreams of a world long since passed.

  Letting out a long breath, the Sovereigns found themselves standing once more atop the walls of Mildeth, arms clasped around one another. They shivered, thankful for their sanity, and wondered…they were a hundred miles from the battle beneath the earth. Why then had Maya turned her attention towards them, tried to bring them to her side? Their minds raced, their thoughts as one as they came to a singular conclusion.

  She fears us.

  It was a spark of hope in the darkness of night. Together, the Sovereigns realised they no longer felt the oppressive weight of Maya’s Voice, the darkness that had weighed on their thoughts these past days. Something had changed, a discovery of fresh power, of strength that kept the Old One’s influence at bay.

  We work as one.

  Realisation struck, the truth that had been staring them in the face, ignored, avoided for fear of what it might mean. Separated, they could not stand against the Old One. What they had been doing, dividing their attention between their friends and the battle for Mildeth, it was not enough. Maya’s mind was greater than either of them alone.

  They needed to act as one. And yet…

  We must decide, the Sovereigns shuddered. We must choose.

  The thought struck fear into their souls, and for a moment Lukys found himself separated from Sophia, though her emotions still roiled alongside his own, raw, exposed. He saw her pain, her fear, but beneath that, a steely resolution.

  We cannot abandon our friends, she whispered, and Lukys saw her attention was not on their battlefield now, but had turned to that dark place, where even now Erika and Cara and the others fought for their lives.

  For a moment, Lukys watched the three fighting, their magic and power fla
shing in the darkness.

  Then his mind returned to look out over Mildeth, at the thousands of lives joined in battle, at the terrible hatred shared by Tangata and mankind alike. Hatred that had been born from the mouths of men, crafted by callous rulers to bring war from peace. Maya was only the latest of the dark men and women to have exploited these peoples, to use them for their own purposes.

  But what if that hatred could be healed, if the minds of humanity and Tangata alive could be opened, so that they saw one another not as the monsters of childhood tales, but the men and women they truly were.

  What if they could bring peace from war?

  If the Sovereigns could heal the wounds of centuries, not all the power of the Old One could tear them asunder again. Humanity, the Tangata, they would live on, would survive and prosper in a new world.

  In that moment, Lukys realised it was not the battle beneath the earth that their fates rested upon, but the one before him. Turning to Sophia, he reached out to embrace her.

  No, he whispered, and felt her frown, her confusion. No, it is our people, all of our people, that we cannot abandon.

  What about our friends? she whispered back, though he sensed the swelling of her hope.

  He kissed her then, and as he did so allowed their minds to unite, to become the Sovereigns, to feel that joyous sense of Oneness.

  We must trust them to do their part, the Sovereigns said, even as they released their protection from the caverns, turning their attention instead to the battlefield. Our attention is needed here.

  And together, the Sovereigns reached out to undo the destruction wrought by Maya, by Amina, by kings and queens and Sovereigns past, by all those dark rulers that had come before them.

  35

  The Queen

  Light burned in the darkness as Erika and Amina ignited their gauntlets. The brilliance of their power reflected off those unnaturally smooth walls, catching on Cara’s scarlet feathers. Erika’s heart raced as her strength rushed into the strange links of the gauntlet, its power gathering, preparing to strike. In the City of the Gods, she had seen Maya resist its magic—but then Erika had been weak, exhausted. Let the Old One stand against her true strength.

  She exchanged a glance with Amina, and the other nodded. There was no love lost between them still, but the queens would stand together, at least against this enemy. As one, they raised their magic, preparing themselves.

  “Ahhh!” A cry of joy, of victory, burst through the chamber as Maya suddenly straightened…

  …and Erika staggered, a weight suddenly falling upon her, a crushing darkness, terror and despair that burnt away all hope, all thoughts of resistance. Tears welled in her eyes and she watched as the power bled from her fist, slipping away until the light all but died. Only the softest glow remained, casting their world in shadow.

  A whimper slipped from Erika’s lips as she sank to her knees. Sobs came from nearby and she saw that Cara had already crumpled, arms wrapped about herself, wings spreading to hide her face. The sight sent terror rushing through Erika, and she felt desperation, a need to act, to protect the young Anahera she had come to see…come to see as…

  “And so we come to the end.”

  Maya’s voice sounded in the darkness, banishing everything else from Erika’s mind, leaving only the despair. On her knees, she looked up as footsteps approached, as the terrible eyes of the Old One fell upon her.

  “I admit, your Sovereigns resisted far longer than I thought possible.” She smiled as she stood over them. “But I knew their true nature would reveal itself eventually, that they would choose themselves over their friends.”

  A cry tore from Erika as she felt the world shrinking about her, as childhood terrors rose to drown her, as she came to realise her every hope, every dream had been a lie, the foolish whims of a child. She had never been a queen, did not deserve the love of her people. She was no one, a pretender, a fool for denying the majesty of this creature before her.

  “Still,” Maya mused. “I will have to deal with them eventually. Who knew my old rivals would be so cunning, as to find a way to thwart me even now, long after they were gone? I will have to prise that secret from their hosts before I rip them apart.”

  The Old One leaned her head to the side as a whimper came from nearby, and the dark eyes fell on Cara. “So considerate of you to lure yourselves out here, so far from your friends and followers.”

  Erika shuddered, shrinking further and further towards the floor. Her entire being unravelled as she relived her every mistake, her every terrible decision, the lives she had cost, the evils she had committed. Again and again she had led those who’d trusted her to their deaths, and now…now she had done it again, had brought Darien and Maisie and Cara to this place, had failed them, failed herself, failed her people.

  The Old One stepped past her, advancing on Cara. The Anahera was sobbing, trying to crawl away, but Maya caught her by the wing and dragged her back, laughing, cackling as she threw the girl down in front of Erika.

  Pain tore at Erika’s heart, threatening to tear her apart. Desperately she sought something, anything to sustain her, some spark amidst the suffocating despair. But she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t see anything beyond the darkness, the doom. Not a hint of love or hope or joy. It was all gone, washed away, sponged from her soul.

  She watched as Cara sobbed on the floor, unable to summon the will to defend herself, and knew that her friend would die, that here, now, Erika had truly failed her.

  No…

  Somewhere in the depths of her soul, a piece of Erika fought against that thought, resisted. She had made a promise, had sworn…sworn to protect her friend, to do better, to be better. Somehow, her hands found the cold stone beneath her and she froze, no longer sinking, no longer slumped in defeat. Teeth clenched, she struggled, fought to push herself back, to rise again.

  The weight upon her redoubled, the despair swelling within, trying to crush that spark, to drown her. Erika clung to its light, to its determination, even as she felt it slipping from her, knew that no matter her strength, this was an enemy she could not fight, not alone…

  …but she was not alone. Her eyes found Cara, lying on the ground beside her, saw the Old one pinning her wing beneath a boot, saw the death shining in the creature’s eyes.

  Desperately, Erika sent up a plea to the sky, to the Gods she knew did not exist, had never existed…and yet still she begged, pleaded…

  Please, give me the strength to help her.

  But of course there was no answer, and Erika’s agony swelled as the Old One drove a boot into Cara’s chest. The sharp crack of breaking bones punctuated the blow as Cara doubled up, gasping, crying out her pain, but still the Anahera did not fight back, could not. As Maya drew her foot back for another blow, Erika scrunched her eyes closed, unable to watch, to witness…

  Very well, human, a voice—no, voices—whispered into Erika’s mind. You have…proven your word once. Perhaps…perhaps you are proof that humanity truly can change.

  And suddenly, the spark to which Erika clung exploded, sweeping outwards, washing back the darkness. Where before there had been despair, Erika found an unlikely hope, an unyielding joy for the voices in her mind, the possibility of a future. The weight of responsibility no longer felt so heavy, the doom she had foreseen not so inevitable.

  And she found herself rising.

  We will not see another world Fall, the voices of the Anahera whispered to her. This Old One, she is too strong, too powerful. We cannot risk leaving the fledgelings, not again, but this, at least, we can do. Stop her, Erika of the Calafe.

  “Impossible,” a voice whispered as Maya swung to see Erika on her feet.

  Erika reacted without thought. Light burst from her gauntlet and she threw out her hand. Screaming, Maya staggered back, retreating from the power. Erika had not gathered enough to strike the creature down, but the attack still served as Erika wished, driving the Old One away from her friend. Quickly she adva
nced, placing herself between Cara and the Old One.

  A groan came from Cara as, trembling, the Goddess rose. She clutched at her chest and one wing hung limp and broken, but despite the pain, the Anahera stood, teeth bared at the creature who opposed them.

  We will watch over you, and Cara. The voices came again, followed by a pause. The other…she clings to the darkness. She will not let us in.

  “So the Anahera have found their courage after all,” Maya murmured as she straightened. “No matter. Their Voices will not be enough to save you, human.

  Erika had a moment to process those words, before a figure joined Maya in the darkness. A dark smile crossed Amina’s lips as she looked at them. Erika sensed the vibrations in her mind, could almost read the words of Maya as she gestured to the queen.

  “Kill them.”

  And smiling, Amina advanced.

  * * *

  Hatred blew through Adonis like a storm unleashed, tearing every other emotion from his soul. Setting his sights on Maisie, he advanced with a snarl, hands outstretched. He made no move to rush—the human could not escape him, could not fight him. Trapped by the power of the Old One, she could only stand there and die.

  Indeed, she watched his advance, eyes wide with fear. Then abruptly she spun—and vanished.

  Adonis staggered to a stop, confusion penetrating the haze of his mind, struggling to comprehend what had happened. The human had no power—how could she have resisted Maya’s Voice, let alone disappear into thin air?

  Movement came from nearby, and he spun as the human man charged him. Adonis’s eyes widened at the creature’s nerve, but it stood no chance against his power, and brushing aside a blow from the man’s broadsword, he struck blow against the human’s chest.