by Rick Scott
“How far ahead of them do you figure we are?” I ask.
Aiko is the first to give an estimate. “We must have gained at least half an hour. I don’t think they have a lot of mages like we do. Plus, we’re players. Our raw stats are bound to be higher.”
I’m liking those odds. Across the distance I can just vaguely make out the cliff face that hides the narrow crack leading to the wild. “We’re almost there, guys. Just need to get through the wild and then we’ll be in New London.”
“I hear that,” Maxis says. He then looks to Rembrandt. “You going to be okay, Rem?”
“What? Getting us through the wild? Of course, mate.”
“No, I mean New London.”
Rembrandt pauses before he answers, so long that everyone takes a curious glance at him, myself included.
“It’s where the mission’s taking us,” he says eventually. “Like Reece said. We’ll face what we’ll face when we get there.”
What did that mean? I’m about to open my mouth to ask, but then remember what Rembrandt shared with me down in the dung cave. Something happened to him back in New London. Something traumatic perhaps. My brother obviously knows too, but I guess now is not the time to try and bring it up.
The clouds have cleared almost completely now and a waxing moon shines overhead amidst the dotted stars. It’s enough to light our path, but hopefully not enough to be spotted making the traverse across the barren landscape.
Anxiety builds within me as we near the far edge of the caldera and the makeshift fort guarding the entrance to the wild. It’s much smaller than our former keep and made completely of logs. It’s actually more like a large tent than a fort, with a high-pitched roof and open sides. Torch lights and bonfires surround it, illuminating it in the dark. I wonder if Braxus built it solely for his own comfort, because it doesn’t seem to give much defense at all. But it’s not defenseless by any means. A small garrison of soldiers, perhaps thirty or so, mill about the fort, but thankfully I don’t see any giants or mammoths.
“You were right, Val,” I say. “It is still guarded.”
But how well?
I slow as I study it some more.
We never did see Braxus during the siege. And if he had indeed traveled with his army and just remained hidden, then why would he have even bothered to leave anyone to guard an empty shell like this?
It could mean only one thing.
“Guys, do you think Braxus could be in there?”
Gilly gives me a curious look as she runs next to me. “What does it matter? There’s an army behind us. Remember?”
That much was true. Still. What if he is?
“I don’t think they’ve seen us, yet,” Gilly says. “But once they see that army chasing after us, they’ll be sure to be on the lookout.”
As soon as Gilly says it, an arrow sails into the sky and explodes. A bright light floats downward like a flare, illuminating us against the pitch-black shale.
“Crap!” Maxis curses. “Run faster! We can still make it!”
A bell rings from within the camp and more soldiers pour from out of the structure, bringing the numbers to at least 50.
“Sorry,” Gilly says. “I must have jinxed us!”
I look at the camp and my guts start to boil. That’s a lot of men to be guarding nothing. If Braxus is truly in there, then I could end this whole thing with a single Backstab. General Lyons seemed a decent man and he truly controls the army, not Braxus. If I could take out Braxus then we wouldn’t even need to be running.
We could stop the army.
We could free Stormwall.
“Guys, I’m going for that camp,” I say, picking up my stride. “I need to see if he’s in there or not.”
“What?” Gilly says, alarmed. “No way, Reece! Didn’t you hear anything I just said? Plus, they’re alerted now. There’s no way.”
“She’s right, mate,” Rembrandt says. “Now’s not the time. We stop and we’ll be sandwiched between them.”
Crap, I don’t even want to think about that.
“We’ll get him later, bro.” Maxis shoots me a sympathetic glance. “Right now we need to get to New London. We need to save Citadel. We can deal with him when we get back.”
I bite down my urges and nod.
“Yeah…I guess you guys are right.”
But it still doesn’t sit well within my soul.
We pass closer, less than a football field’s length away and suddenly I see him.
Braxus.
My heart jumps with a mixture of anxiety and exhilaration. There he is, dressed in his stupid pimp robe and armed with his magic gauntlet. The same gauntlet he used to kill Gilly. My stomach roils with hatred as the moment replays in my mind—Gilly’s lifeless body in my arms while he laughs and jokes about it. He’s right out in the open. Standing there like nothing can touch him.
I could probably Shadow Cloak and reach him if I tried.
“Reece, let it go,” Gilly says, grabbing my hand, perhaps seeing the murder in my eyes. “Not now!”
But I just can’t help it.
I need to do something.
I glance over my shoulder toward the army pursuing us and weigh the risks in my mind. No one else thinks it’s a good idea. And maybe they’re right. As much as I want to destroy Braxus, and as close as the opportunity seems right now, we could be risking far too much for it.
We could literally be risking everything.
And I can’t do that.
I’m about to throw the idea out of my mind completely when a woman in a green dress saunters from out of the fort. She’s lithe with an athletic build and the wispy silk dress she wears does little to hide the curves of her toned body. She wraps her arms around Braxus from behind, nuzzling his neck and when the light catches her face, my heart nearly stops.
Scarlet hair falls down her shoulders, framing a face that’s feminine yet strong. Her gray eyes are dull and hollowed—void of the familiar dignity and resolve I’ve come to know. I refuse to believe it, can’t believe it…even though I already know it to be true.
“No…” Indignation rises in my chest as my mind comes undone. “He couldn’t have brought her here.”
Lady Diana…!
* * *
“Are you ready for this?”
Bruce Peters gave Carl a slow nod. “Hit it.”
Carl pressed a few holographic keys on his terminal, causing the recording to play on the holoscreen. It was the same image they’d viewed before, the one of Dennis trapped in the small metal cubicle.
“That was not my doing,” Dennis said on the screen. “Atonement, yes, but not that!”
“Here it comes,” Carl said.
Bruce leaned forward in anticipation, eager to hear the voice on the other end of the odd conversation.
An inhuman shriek erupted and Bruce jumped back in fright.
“What the hell!” His heart slammed against in his chest; the sound was so alien it made his flesh crawl. “What the devil was that?”
Carl just shook his head.
The conversation continued as before, but where there were once gaps, now this inhuman cry shrieked like some monster out of his nightmares. Bruce shuddered with each one, the sound evoking some kind of primal terror within him.
“What the hell was that?” Bruce asked again, when it finally ended.
“Not human,” Carl replied. “That’s all I can say.”
Bruce’s heart was still racing, his adrenaline surging, his mind firmly in fight or flight mode. Whatever that sound was, it clearly wasn’t human indeed.
“Are you sure this is right?” he asked. “This isn’t some kind of mask or encryption we’re hearing?”
Carl shook his head. “You’re the man that brought back the key, Bruce. The primer constant was spot on. What we’re hearing is exactly what Dennis was hearing.”
Dear Lord….
“Could that be how they communicate? The AIs?”
Carl shrugged. “We’ve never e
ncountered an AI before, so who knows?”
Bruce nodded, but he didn’t like where the logic led.
“The bigger question is…” Carl leaned over the console towards him. “If Dennis was actually able to understand that noise…then what the hell does that make him?”
Author’s Note
I hope you enjoyed reading Book 3 of Crystal Shards Online. This one was a bit of a rollercoaster to write (and read , I imagine) and in truth it took a lot longer than I thought it would, but I hoped you enjoyed it all the same. For those of you who have been here from the start, thanks for sticking in! Book 4 is already in the works and I hope to get it out soon.
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-Rick Scott
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