“It was the Kanara,” Leon said. He stopped a Remian soldier passing by. “Hey, I need a favor. Please watch her until I get back.”
“Get lost!” the Remian said.
Sara felt the same. “Forget that! I'm coming with.”
“No,” Leon said. “I'm not taking any chances. Stay here. I'll be right back for you.”
Before Sara could argue, Leon was gone. With his Vesuvian speed, he reached the outskirts of the city in no time.
There were several Turin and Liro gathered at one end of the street standing down a group of Pelasgians opposite them.
“Leon,” Marus called. “You're just in time.”
“What are we up against?” Leon asked.
Marus looked down the street. “It's rather odd. There's a few dozen just beyond the lookout. The portal closed a second ago, so it doesn't look like a major attack. Could be a probe, but that's suicide. Too bad for them.”
Leon unsheathed his sword. “I'll hold the line here if you want to blindside them.”
“I wouldn't have it any other way,” Marus said. All at once, he and his Turin melded with the earth.
Throughout the city, the streets were quickly becoming deserted.
Sara wondered around trying to find her way back to Leon's house. “This is ridiculous.”
A man covered from head to toe in a robe approached from behind. “You must be Sara.” he said.
Sara turned, a bit startled. “You Turin really need to lighten up.”
“Leon sent for you,” the man said. “Please, come with me.”
“Good,” Sara said, following along. “I don't know why Leon is so protective. He knows I can handle myself.”
At the outskirts of the city, a Minotaur riled up the Pelasgians with a loud roar and sent them charging down the street.
Leon and the Liros calmly waited.
When the Pelagians were about halfway, the Turin burst from the ground swinging short swords and staffs tipped with sharp metal.
Many Pelasgians were cut down before they could react. The air was quickly filled with spurts of blood and limbs.
Leon and the Liros ran in to join the fray.
Sara was growing anxious. “Can't we take one of those towers? The war is gonna be over by the time we get there.”
From across the street, a Doran woman noticed Sara with the stranger and knew something was wrong. “Hey, human, who is that?”
Sara stopped with some confusion. When the stranger tried to grab her, she punched him in the face, knocking his hood back and revealing a man with no hair whatsoever and skin that was white as snow with red patches.
Another Vesuvian in the street instantly knew what the man was. “A Koiga!”
Before Sara could do anything else, the Koiga threw a sleeping powder at her face that instantly put her out.
Hoisting Sara over his shoulder, the Koiga took off running.
Vesuvians gave chase when they realized what was happening.
But the Koiga was impossible to catch. He repeatedly teleported several yards down the street as he ran, covering a lot of distance within seconds.
Even a Remian had trouble keeping up.
Leon and Marus had made short work of the Pelasgians.
The ground was littered with bodies.
“That was a little too easy,” Marus said, before noticing that Leon was in the middle of receiving a telepathic message from the Kanara.
“The Koiga took Sara,” Leon said as he came to. Looking at the dead Pelasgians, he realized, “This was a distraction.”
Marus was perplexed. “Why would the Koiga help the Pelasgians?”
“Never mind that,” Leon said. “Why would they take Sara?”
“There's only one place they would take her.”
“I know!” Leon said walking towards the city.
“Want help?” Marus asked.
Leon looked back, waving a finger before running off in the blink of an eye.
“No need to beg!” Marus said poking at a dead Pelasgian with his staff. The sound of another portal opening got his attention, and he didn't have to look to know it was a big one.
CHAPTER EIGHT
On the mainland, Melkor's house was part of a large complex forged into the ground. Aside from the children, it was a quiet area strictly for homes.
Inside, Gillan and Caycee waited as Melkor came down a flight of stairs.
“How’s Kemik?” asked Gillan.
“He's a strong kid,” Melkor answered.
Caycee reached out with her abilities to sense Kemik's feelings. “He's so sad, but…he'll be fine. He has Kamala's courage and your sense of honor.”
Melkor nodded with satisfaction. “Thank you,” he said. “Gillan, I'm afraid I can't go with you to see the Chiefs. I must stay here with my son.”
“We understand,” Gillan said. “We'll check back with you when we're done. Right now we need to get to Central fast.”
“Wait, did you hear about the Pelasgians seen in Rhea?” Melkor asked.
Gillan thought he felt his heart stop. “No, this is the first I've heard of it. The only ones we saw were in the Shadow Realm.”
“The Vesuvians informed us, but all they said of you and Kamala was that you had gone with several others.”
Caycee’s head began slowly moving around as if she were slightly dazed and confused. “Then the Chiefs already know everything.”
“You may still have to see them,” said Melkor. “Just as a formality. At least now you know they know.”
“Thanks for the heads up,” Gillan said. He then noticed Caycee staring blankly ahead. “What's wrong?”
“I'm not sure,” Caycee answered. “I just got this bad feeling, like I need to get far away.”
“Why?”
Caycee held her head in frustration. “I don't know. It could be anything. Maybe there's gonna be an attack on the city, or maybe there's some place I need to be.”
“Rest assured,” Melkor said. “Any attack on this city will be met with severe retaliation.”
“Don't worry,” said Gillan. “You're safe here.”
Caycee glanced around in paranoia. “I wish I felt that way.”
Gillan lightly tapped Caycee's back. “Just relax, okay? Let’s see the Chiefs. I think we’ve kept them waiting long enough.”
With a Leviathan controlling the water, the trip to Central Island was short. Compared to the housing complex, the smaller meeting hall at the promenade was noisy and packed with people. Simply trying to stick together was a chore for Gillan and Caycee.
They eventually found the Chiefs waiting in the main chamber.
Gillan greeted them, placing his fists together close to his chest and slightly bowing. “Thank you for coming. I'd like you to meet Caycee,” he said. “Caycee, meet the Chiefs. Jesca, Varak, Nasia and Salacia.”
“Welcome,” Jesca said. “I would tell you to enjoy your stay, however, minutes ago the Draco spotted an army of Pelasgians advancing on the city.”
“I knew it,” Caycee whispered, fidgeting nervously.
Nasia bowed to Gillan. “Forgive me for making a hasty departure. The Typhon must be ready for battle. Speak quickly.”
“Yes, ma'am,” Gillan said. “I was unaware of the Vesuvians who came earlier, so I'm sure by now you've all heard of Kamala.”
“About Kamala-” Varak began to say.
“I accept full responsibility,” Gillan said.
The Chiefs looked at one another for a moment.
“Take care,” Jesca said taking a bow and leaving with Nasia.
“You don't want to carry that,” Varak said. “Kamala's loss is tragic, but she knew the risks. I respect that you came here to bear the burden.”
“Thank you, Varak,” said Gillan.
Salacia placed her hands on Gillan's cheeks. “Being good friends with Kamala isn't the only reason she took you along. She saw it in you. You care more for others than you do for yourself. You take responsibility. Those are power
ful traits of a leader. Now, all you have to do is learn how to deal with it.”
Gillan felt some comfort, but couldn't hold back the tears that fell with the thought of Kamala.
Salacia bowed slightly to Caycee. “It was nice to meet you,” she said. Two Leviathan warriors quickly escorted her out as Tiamat's warning horns began blaring.
When Gillan and Caycee exited the building they noticed black clouds rolling in like a bad storm.
Perak landed with his wyvern in front of them. “Gillan, we've got Erinies and griffins coming in. It doesn't look like they're worried about the defenses. Any words of wisdom?”
“They may look crazy, but they’re not stupid,” Gillan answered. “Watch each other.”
Perak smiled mischievously. “Yeah, watch carefully. Do you remember that little maneuver the Draco practice from time to time?”
Gillan’s jaw dropped. “You’re actually going to try that?”
“Fight well!” Perak said as he took off. “It’s gonna be a party.”
Caycee held her head as collage-like visions of the fight ahead flashed in her mind. “I hope you guys are as powerful as I’ve heard.”
Gillan watched as the Khothu around him began scrambling in preparation for the attack. “Me too,” he said.
Thousands of Dracos gathered at a nearby grouping of mountains with huge swaths that appeared to have been carved out of the sides.
“Form up!” Perak ordered.
A female Draco landed next to Perak. “Sir, the distraction teams are already on their way.”
“Good, I’ll make this quick then,” Perak said, moving his wyvern to the front. “A lot of us never thought we’d live to see this day, but it’s what we trained for. It looks like we have our work cut out for us, so use the wind to pick your targets. And remember, we stay airborne until we've won, or we’re lying on our backs dead. Now let's fly!”
Within a minute, the sky was filled with wyverns and their riders climbing higher and higher.
In the fading visibility Perak could see the distraction teams engaged with the Pelasgians. He pulled out a pair of retracted chain whips, a dual-purpose weapon that could serve as a short sword, or a whip with razor-sharp sections of blades.
Leaning off his wyvern, Perak went headfirst into free fall.
With their ability to manipulate the air, the Draco had a great degree of control as they fell. Their exposed arms and legs along the openings of their attire had small, wing-like appendages they could extend to guide themselves.
Rapidly closing in on a Corinthian and his griffin, Perak righted himself up and unfurled his chain whips. Colliding feet first, he knocked the Corinthian off and snared the griffin's wings with his whips as he clutched the underside of the creature.
The griffin squawked and spun wildly trying to buck Perak, but this only caused more pain as the whips cut into it.
With a strong push off his feet, Perak tore the griffin's wings off and went back into free fall. He instantly spotted a pair of Erinies in his path. At the speed he was going, his whips easily ripped their heads off.
Perak's wyvern swooped in for him to land on.
Making a rapid ascent through all the madness in the sky, Perak looked down, picked a target, and dove again into the mayhem.
CHAPTER NINE
Between kills, Kamala would catch a glimpse of people being taken away by Pelasgians. At one point it was just gut-wrenching.
Darek caught a Corinthian trying to get the drop on Kamala. “Behind you!” he cried.
As the Corinthian was about to toss a slime net, Hurok quickly tackled him and tore the Pelasgian up with his claws.
“This isn’t going well,” Kamala said. “We have to find Arloff.”
Hurok was bewildered. “In all this?” he asked.
Darek stabbed a Corinthian. “As big as he is. Can't be too hard to find.”
Hacking and slashing through some Pelasgians, Kamala spotted Arloff at a distance, punching and stomping anything in his way. She screamed his name, but there was no way he was going to hear her over all the screaming and weapons whacking away at armor.
Several Centaurs and Satyrs caught both of Arloff's arms in slime nets. They wrangled for a few seconds before Arloff, becoming angrier than he already was, spun wildly, taking the Pelasgians for a ride that sent them crashing through the crowd.
Kamala narrowly dodged a Corinthian's sword. She swung her axes in turn, one smacking against the shield, the other finding the enemy's shoulder.
Darek was knocked down from behind. He rolled over to see a Satyr pin him to the ground with a spear through his midsection.
As the Satyr moved on, an Eriny landed and grabbed Darek to carry him away.
Hurok jumped up in the nick of time, slashing the Eriny's wing off. When the Pelasgian hit the ground, Stig, Rona and Doradus quickly hacked him up.
Darek pulled the spear out and picked up a sword. When he saw Kamala nearby fighting with a Minotaur, he ran up swinging his sword up into the creature's stomach.
“Thanks,” Kamala said, before seeing a Corinthian too late as he lopped off Darek's head.
Hurok jumped forward, slashing the Corinthian's sword hand off with his claws.
Again, Stig, Rona and Doradus closed in to finish the Pelasgian off.
Hurok picked Darek's head up.
“He'll be fine,” Kamala said.
Arloff was now a little further away.
Unable to reach the Promethean, Kamala threw her axe and struck Arloff directly in the chest, finally getting his attention.
Arloff pulled the axe out, and saw Kamala jumping up and down. He battered everyone out of his way until he was standing in front of Kamala. “What?” he asked.
“We need to regroup,” Kamala said. “At this rate, everyone is gonna be taken.”
Arloff laughed. “Are you crazy?” he asked, grabbing a Satyr about to attack and squeezing him to death. “It’s impossible. They’re pressing us too hard.”
An arrow struck Kamala from behind in the shoulder, though she hardly reacted. “Don’t we have backup?”
“If we did, they’d be in the city,” Arloff answered, pulling the arrow out.
Kamala was about to speak when she noticed Lilith standing next to them.
Several Prometheans, including Elsa and Lugos, formed a circle around them for protection.
Kamala couldn’t believe Lilith would take such a risk. “How did...never mind. It's dangerous here. You could be taken.”
“Not a chance in this world.” Lilith smirked. “I'm quite safe. It's you who are in danger, and that's why I'm here. A little birdie told me you have some ideas to win this.”
“Not sure,” Kamala said. “But maybe we can save what’s left of us.”
“No,” Lilith snapped. “This is it. This is our last line of defense. If we lose here, we're finished.”
Kamala's mind ran a million miles, thinking of what to do. “We have to gather everyone we can and retreat to the ridge over there. Arloff, no matter what, we hold that line. Hurok, take all the Fenrir. Fall back and circle around to the Pelasgian portal. No one gets through. Lilith, what do you have in the city?”
A portal opened next to the group. “This way,” Lilith said, stepping through.
“Elsa, Lugos,” Arloff called. “Do as Kamala said. This battle ends today.”
Arloff and Kamala entered the portal and emerged on a high platform overlooking a massive town square filled with people.
Lilith grabbed Kamala, and pointed to the crowd. “This is my army, or most of it. I need you and Arloff to take these people and destroy the Pelasgians outside the city.”
Kamala felt like a ton of bricks landed on her. “No sweat.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Lilith.
“Sorry for saying this,” Kamala said. “But this isn't an army. I mean there's hardly any organization here.”
Lilith was halfway offended. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said with a hint of sarcasm. “No one
told me about an all-powerful, intergalactic, superbeing that could open portals and assimilate entire worlds.”
Kamala was baffled. “Inter…what?”
Lilith chided almost like an uptight aristocrat. “Small mind…”
Arloff could hear the battle outside the city. “Maybe if we could see what's happening, we can come up with a counterattack.”
“Easy,” Lilith said, with a small-scale, phantom image of the battle appearing in front of them. “It's a top-down view of the fight. Our people are the red ones, the Pelasgians are blue.”
Kamala closely examined the image.
“The line at the ridge is holding well,” Arloff commented. “The Fenrir need to move faster.”
“Give them a minute,” Kamala said. “They'll flank any moment. If only we could surround the Pelasgians.”
Arloff tapped Kamala on the shoulder. “Portals?”
“Yes!” Kamala said. “We can use them to get in the perfect position. Send reinforcements to the Fenrir. We need to blockade the Pelasgian portal.”
“Who flanks?” Arloff asked.
Kamala pointed to a spot on the image. “You flank from here. I'll take whoever is left and hit the center.”
Arloff cracked his knuckles. “This is going to be fun.”
“Are we ready?” asked Lilith.
“Wait,” Kamal said. “I should address the people first. They need to know what’s about to happen.”
Lilith held her hand out, inviting Kamala to the fore of the platform. The sight of the throng below was intimidating.
“Will they be able to hear me?” Kamala asked, noticing that her voice boomed like an echo in a valley.
Everyone below stopped and looked up.
Kamala waited a moment, thinking of her son before speaking. “We believed we would find peace in death. And there are those who say we have no future. Now, as awful as it may seem, we face an enemy that is determined to consign us to a horrible fate. And that means we have only one option, fight.”
The crowd screamed with enthusiasm.
Kamala continued. “But this fight isn't just about our freedom. The fate of our legacy, in Rhea, depends on us. To lose this fight, seals theirs.”
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