“You can leave my sanctum at any time,” whispered Jessa. “All that’s required is for you to focus on your will and what awaits you outside. I thank you for your visit.”
“Thanks for having me,” said Hal.
He stepped back from her, feeling a little awkward in the wake of their goodbye. She was all alone, frozen in time, apart from the world. Did she get lonely? She seemed to experience other emotions freely enough. Or did she just hibernate in the time between the rare visits she received from the Heart Holders?
“I hope we see each other again,” said Hal.
She smiled at him. He wasn’t sure if it meant she felt similarly on her part, or if it was out of amusement.
Hal took a deep breath and began to organize his thoughts. He pictured Laurel in his head. He saw two of her, both the girlish Laurel he’d known when he first came to Krestia’s Cradle, and Laurel as she was now, mature and responsible. He felt his heart resonating with her image.
He added Karnas to the scene, standing behind Laurel, holding his wings out, as though shielding her. And where would it make sense for all of them to be, if not the homestead, rebuilt larger than it once was, but just as warm and open. Hal’s home, along with the people he loved most.
He opened his eyes. He was back in the tent, sitting at an uncomfortable angle with his chest collapsed forward over his legs. His body didn’t ache, however, and he stood up easily enough, holding the memory crystal in one hand.
Zoria and Cadrian were both waiting outside, and looked to be in the middle of a conversation. Zoria bit off whatever she’d been about to say, flashing an annoyed frown at Cadrian before raising an eyebrow at Hal.
“What do you need?” asked Zoria.
Hal shook his head. “Nothing. It’s done.”
Zoria looked surprised. Cadrian’s expression was impassive and unreadable, as usual.
“It’s only been a minute,” said Zoria. “You managed to figure it out, that fast?”
“It’s complicated,” said Hal. “Time flows differently inside the crystal.”
Zoria looked as though she wanted to ask more, but she held back. Cadrian nodded in their direction, and then all three of them began walking across the elven war camp, toward Tessianna’s tent.
Should I tell them more? Come up with a contingency plan?
It seemed like it was too late for such things. Hal wasn’t entirely sure what was going to happen next, and it didn’t seem fair for him to force Zoria and Cadrian to be complicit if he tried something stupid. They had their own stakes to play for, and it wasn’t his place to force them to back his gamble.
As though proving his point, both Zoria and Cadrian found places amongst the elves as soon as they entered Tessianna’s rather crowded tent. Hal stood alone in front of the daughter of the elven Empress. He held out the memory crystal wordlessly, and Tessianna took it from him, flashing a petty, unnecessary sneer.
“Are you finished already?” asked Tessianna. “Is it unlocked?”
“It doesn’t work like that,” said Hal. “That memory crystal contains all of Jessa’s memories, but it’s only accessible by other Heart Holders. There is no way to unlock it.”
Tessianna’s expression softened slightly, and she folded her arms.
“I would think you a liar if our own research hadn’t come to a similar conclusion,” she said. “Very well. Tell me why her memories were so valuable. What is it she knew that she wished passed on to future generations?”
And now I roll the dice…
“It was a message to her family and her descendants,” said Hal. “Advice on how to live well. Mistakes she made that she regrets. There wasn’t much beyond that.”
He didn’t have a choice about handing the memory crystal back over to the elves. Telling them the truth about the vulnerability it had exposed in the Upper Realm would only push them to destroy it, along with the chance of undoing Jessa’s mistake. Hal knew that he couldn’t act on her information without keeping the memory crystal for himself, and while that was too much of a risk for him to take, perhaps a future Heart Holder might get a better chance at it.
“I must admit,” said Tessianna. “I was expecting some kind of trick out of you. It’s a shame that you will still have to die, in the end.”
All the elves in the tent save for Tessianna drew their weapons. Hal was more disappointed than surprised. He glanced over the threatening faces, looking toward Zoria and Cadrian. Neither of them would meet his eye.
“You assume that you can kill me,” said Hal. He drew his pistol, making the movement slow and casual enough to do it without provoking a reaction from Tessianna’s valkyries.
“My mother told me you were overconfident,” said Tessianna. “I thought she was out of her mind when she suggested this plan, and all the more so after you refused my first offer.”
Hal said nothing, letting the tension build. The tent was large, but not large enough to host a fight between him and the elves present. He was outnumbered seven to one, nine to one if including Zoria and Cadrian for the other side.
“I am the Heart Holder,” said Hal. He didn’t project his voice, like he had in Jessa’s first trial, and he didn’t elaborate on what he meant. He said the words quietly, without breaking eye contact with Tessianna. She blinked a couple of times and looked toward her valkyries, confirming something.
“And I’ve spoken to others who have fought you before,” said Tessianna. “I’m not stupid. I heard the details of how Gardius captured you, and I outfitted all of my personal valkyries with reflect crystals, at an exorbitant cost. Your magic is useless against us.”
CHAPTER 24
Hal squeezed the handle of his pistol a little tighter. With reflect crystals, Tessianna would be able to render all of his ruby magic ineffective. His only other effective offensive option would be to go at them with his sword, which would be suicide against this many valkyries, most of whom would have runic armor and weapons.
I can still use Wind Dash. I might even be able to use it to escape.
The valkyries were already moving to encircle him, as though they could read his thoughts. Hal forced himself to stay calm and kept his eyes on Tessianna. If she wanted him dead, he’d force her to make both the first move and the first mistake.
“If you kill me, you’ll never know what was really in Jessa’s Archive,” said Hal.
“The memory crystal was just a ploy to lure you out into the open,” said Tessianna.
Hal smiled. “You’re lying.”
“It doesn’t matter if I am,” said Tessianna. “This only ends one way. We gave you many chances to ally yourself with our cause, Heart Holder.”
“I get the feeling I’d have died even sooner if I’d agreed,” he said.
Tessianna let out a slow laugh. She looked so young that it was hard for Hal to take her seriously, at least until he saw her eyes. They were cold, with a hungry edge to them.
“You don’t understand,” said Tessianna. “It’s not just you who dies today. You may have noticed that the war camp is emptier than it should be. Did you stop to wonder where our soldiers are? Or why I only have a handful of valkyries, and no dragoons?”
Hal glared at her. He wanted to look over at Cadrian, but couldn’t risk it. Had she known? Was this the real task she’d been given, to lure Hal out of Meldence, where he could lend his aid to defending the city? He felt like an idiot.
“That was your first, and most obvious mistake,” said Tessianna. “You are overconfident, Heart Holder. And you trust far too quickly. You came here alone.”
Did I come here alone?
The question coalesced into a plan of action. Hal tapped his finger against his pistol. He reached his awareness into his heartgem, and surprisingly, found that it was nearly full of ruby, sapphire, and diamond essence. A gift from Jessa, perhaps?
“I didn’t come here alone,” said Hal.
“Oh?” asked Tessianna. “Do you have soldiers lying in wait? I have scouts watching, Heart
Holder. I would know if-”
Hal didn’t wait for her to finish. He channeled ruby essence from his heartgem, lifting his pistol into the air and firing three Flame Shots straight overhead. In the moment created by the distraction, he snatched the memory crystal from Tessianna’s hand and slipped it into the pocket of his trousers.
The tent burst into flames, burning faster than he’d expected it to. It was a convenient side effect, given how it made the valkyries scramble to shield their leader. The second and third Flame Shots blasted into the sky, bright orange balls of burning fire and magic that could be seen from miles around.
Hal drew his sword, blocking a runic weapon strike from the valkyrie who’d been guarding the door. He used Wind Dash to dodge her next thrust and countered with a slash to her extended arms which, unfortunately, only bounced off her runic armor.
He threw himself against the burning tent, using his heartgem to cast Flame Shield and absorb the heat. The smoke was as much of an aid to him as the collapsing canopy, and it gave him a second to reposition himself.
There were still a few dozen soldiers left in the camp, outside of Tessianna and her valkyries. They were moving to cut off Hal’s escape, creating a wide, quickly closing circle instead of attacking him directly. They left the actual fighting to Tessianna and her valkyries, who were emerging from the tent, the ones who’d reacted more slowly summoning their runic armor and weapons.
One of the valkyries charged him, swinging a long, shimmering runic scythe. There wasn’t anything Hal could do to counter it with his short sword. He dodged, moving to position himself so he could keep as many of his enemies in sight as possible.
Another valkyrie, attacking with wild sword strikes. Hal blocked the first and used Wind Dash to put himself out of the way of the second. He immediately ducked under another attack, and then reacted too slowly to dodge a kick from his other side.
He wasn’t calm. Oftentimes, Hal would feel a sort of peace in the midst of battle, allowing him to focus and commit himself fully to what he was doing. This reminded him more of the frantic survival he’d been through in the Dragongrounds, with desperation guiding his movements, rather than technique.
He swung his short sword in a reckless circle, forcing the valkyries to pull back a step or two. Tessianna was there, too, wielding a sword of similar size to Hal’s own, but with an odd curve to the blade. She was smiling, probably as much out of genuine amusement as to irritate him into doing something stupid.
“What would your mother think of you hiding behind your bodyguards?” shouted Hal.
“She’d think it a wise strategy, when dealing with an opponent like you,” said Tessianna. “I will not have it said that I underestimated the Heart Holder.”
Need to stall. Need to keep her talking.
“You could have it be said that you tamed the Heart Holder,” said Hal. “That you brought him over to your side. That you convinced me with your words, or perhaps found… other means of persuasion.”
He caught her eye and flashed a suggestive smile. Tessianna flinched, glancing away from him as a blush came to her cheeks. Hal suddenly found himself wondering just how young she really was. Had she gone through her dawning ceremony, as all elves did on their twentieth birthday? Was this a weakness he could exploit?
Something cracked against his skull from behind. A rock, thrown by one of the soldiers. Two of the valkyries chose that moment to act. Hal barely managed to deflect a runic axe blade away from severing his head from his body. A sword slashed at his stomach, and he used Wind Dash to move himself into a backward leap.
He tripped as he landed, an inevitable consequence of accelerating so fast in a blind direction while off balance. One of the valkyries rushed to deliver the final blow with a spiked runic mace. Hal couldn’t use Wind Dash while on his back, on the ground, and he couldn’t block that kind of weapon with his short sword.
He watched as the blow came, wondering if his assumption had been wrong, or if he just hadn’t managed to hold out for long enough. He accepted his fate, giving himself credit where it was do for at least trying his best.
Cadrian collided with the attacking valkyrie from the side, her shoulder knocking the elf off balance. She stood over Hal, drawing her sword slowly and eyeing the rest of Tessianna’s valkyries.
Hal felt as annoyed as he did surprised. He was grateful, happy to still be alive and relatively unscathed, but his emotions roiled at the idea of owing his life to her, of all people, yet again.
“Elyse,” said Tessianna. “I knew you were foolish, but this is tantamount to suicide. Have you forgotten what your family’s situation is, currently?”
Hal leaned his mouth in close to Cadrian’s ear. “We just need to hold them off for a little longer. I have a plan.”
She gave a quick nod, and the two of them turned to put themselves back to back. The valkyries were wary, now that they had two opponents in place of one. They approached, but more slowly, with their attention focused on the range of their opponent’s weapons.
“Enough,” said Tessianna. “Move in and kill them. Make sure the memory crystal isn’t damaged in the process. He wouldn’t have tried to steal it from me if it wasn’t more valuable than he wanted us to think.”
Tessianna gestured with her hand, and then froze. Zoria had finally made her move, stepping behind the Empress’s daughter and pressing the point of a dagger to her throat. She wore her runic armor, and the violet, magical glow it gave off seemed to make the rest of her fellows unsure of what was happening. The valkyries glanced around at each other, as though betrayal could come at any time, from anyone.
“And you?” screamed Tessianna. “This is lunacy! Bring in the soldiers and see them all dead! Even if it…”
Zoria whispered something into Tessianna’s ear, and she went silent. She gave the slightest nod, affirming that she’d heard whatever threat had been whispered. The soldiers were, to their credit, still obeying the order, the circle around the war camp closing in on Hal and Cadrian.
“You said you had a plan?” said Cadrian.
Hal grinned. He waved a hand at Zoria, and she pushed Tessianna aside as she rushed forward to join them. The valkyries, aided by the soldiers, began attacking in full force. Hal took a slash to the shoulder, only barely managing to defend the strike and subsequent follow-up to keep himself from taking a mortal wound.
A roar came from overhead, and Karnas finally arrived. He landed in the middle of the war camp, crushing a soldier underneath him and sending a dozen more scattering. He unleashed a blast of flame at the remainder of the army, sweeping it across the undefended elven warriors. They screamed, and it set off complete panic.
The valkyries were caught off guard, and Hal and Cadrian took advantage of the surprise. Hal stabbed his short sword through the neck of the one with the mace, while Cadrian delivered a slash across the legs of the other nearest two.
Zoria reached them, hesitating as one of the valkyries moved to stand in her way. She knocked him back with a blunt, side strike from her spear. Hal grabbed her hand and Cadrian’s shoulder and pulled the group into a desperate sprint toward Karnas.
The dragon was already kneeling to allow them onto his back when they reached him. Hal was a little uncertain about how he’d fare carrying three passengers, given that he’d only recently discovered that Karnas had enough strength to lift two.
Too late to change plans now…
“Kill them!” screamed Tessianna.
Hal pulled Cadrian and Zoria onto Karnas behind him. The dragon flapped his wings once to knock back a few tenacious valkyries attempting to mount one final attack, and then again to lift himself into the air. He struggled a bit, but within a minute, they were out of range.
“You knew he’d come?” asked Cadrian.
Karnas let out a roar that sounded hurt, and irritated. “Angry… Hally.”
“I hoped he’d come,” said Hal. He rubbed the dragon’s neck. “I’m sorry, Karnas. Truly, I am. I should have foun
d a way to tell you earlier.”
Karnas was silent.
“I’ll explain everything to you, once this is all settled,” said Hal. “What I know of your father. The events that led up to his death. And how the feud between him and I, and I guess, between Mauve and you, first began.”
Karnas turned his head slightly in acknowledgement. “…Okay, Hally.”
CHAPTER 25
The sun began to rise over the horizon, the first rays of day lighting the sky and landscape beneath them. Hal was comfortable on Karnas’s back, and took the time to gather his thoughts as he guided their flight back toward Meldence.
His first priority was making sure Laurel was safe. Tessianna had implied that there was another attack planned for the city, one that might already be underway. Hal needed to find his way back inside and get Laurel out of there.
And then what? Run away, while the rest of Krestia’s Cradle is destroyed and enslaved?
He wasn’t about to do that. He’d taken the memory crystal back from Tessianna for a reason. With Jessa’s aid, he could attempt to reach the crystal anchor and figure out a way to bring the Upper Realm down to the surface.
He made a deliberate effort to keep from thinking about the practical concerns related to such a move, like where the Upper Realm would end up descending to, what would be underneath it, and the effect it would have on the balance of power. He could get the answers to those questions from Jessa. In the meantime, what he needed to do was gather supplies, reach Laurel and the Maxim, and try to get a handle on the situation.
Hal’s thoughts led him to his companions. He could feel Cadrian’s arms around his waist, and Zoria’s hands from where they made contact with his back, in position around Cadrian. They’d both taken an immense risk in siding with him, one that might end up getting them killed, or putting their families at risk.
He felt annoyed that his concern extended to include Cadrian. He had no real interest in including her in whatever came next. It was too hard for him to trust her, and too distracting for him, given their past.
Eternal Palace (Sexcraft Chronicles Book 4) Page 13
