“No?” Connal turned to face her.
She ignored him and turned south raising the field glasses to her eyes. “Those are General Andreas’s troops,” she said. “Andreas is aggressive to be sure, but not foolish. He would never expose three full legions of infantry without good reason.”
“A trap,” Connal said.
She nodded and turned north pointing toward the hills. “Beyond those hills you’ll find at least a dozen legions of troopers. I’d bet my life on it.”
“Our scouts have reported no recent troop movement to the north.” Rika said.
“We’re to believe this girl?” Connal’s eyes flared with anger. “Two days ago our scouts —”
“Two days ago our scouts reported troop movement near Vern,” Sir Alcott said.
“Yes,” Connal said voice rising. “And, that’s sixty miles north. Do you imagine an entire army can cover sixty miles in two days? They’re on foot.”
“Yes,” she said. “Underestimating them is a dangerous mistake.” She faced south and gazed on Andreas’s gathering force. “Each warrior on that hill is every bit as dangerous as one of your knights or guardians.”
“I believe her,” Rika said. “Connal, you saw them in Forth. You should know.”
Connal’s jaw muscles flexed and the Prime Guardian turned north.
“If you don’t believe me, have your battle knights rid the sky of dracos near the northern river. Afterward, send a pair of guardians high above Prynesse. You’ll find them.”
Connal glared at the guardians standing beside Rika. “Do as she says.”
“At your command,” the nearest guardian said.
The pair shifted and set a course for the guard towers at the city's northern entrance.
She turned in a slow circle surveying the river and nodded. “Yes, that might work.”
“What is it?”
“Sir Alcott,” she said. “Can you alter the river's course?”
Sir Alcott nodded. “We can divert the central river to feed the northern and southern tributaries. While useful in a flood, I can’t see what purpose it serves here. We might broaden the river by a few feet, but not enough to stop their army.”
“Pull back your defensive troops as soon as the draco abandon the city,” she said.
“We can’t abandon our defensive positions,” Connal said. “Those soldiers are all that stand between us and annihilation.”
With eyes glazed over, she stared at Andreas’s gathering force. “Your defenses won’t live past the first wave,” she said. “You have no idea what they’re capable of.”
“Why would we flood the river?” Rika said.
“They can’t swim and have a crippling fear of the water,” she said.
“Can’t swim?” Rika said. “They crossed an ocean.”
“They had no choice,” she said. “Their continent is sinking.”
The group stared at her with jaws agape.
“Alcott, have the river diverted,” Connal said.
“If you can time the release, wait for their initial charge," she said. "Knowing General Andreas, they will expect the tactic. But, if they're caught unaware, you might split their force. Use that moment to unleash your knights.”
Connal nodded. “Alcott, can you make it happen?”
“I think so,” Sir Alcott said. “I need to reach the city engineers in the government building.”
Connal shifted into the familiar black and red war hawk. “Climb on.”
Sir Alcott climbed atop Connal’s wing and the war bird took flight.
She felt Rika’s steady gaze bore a hole through her back before the king’s lady spoke. “I thought you looked familiar. It’s you isn’t it?”
Stomach spinning, she faced Rika but held silent.
“Why are you helping us?” Rika said.
Tears welled in her eyes and she pulled loose the journal stashed in her pocket. “I knew Elan.”
Rika didn’t speak for a long moment. “Why are you helping us?”
Tears rolled down her cheeks and Jo took her hand. “Atonement.”
“I don’t trust you,” Rika said.
She held the journal up. “I can use the information in this book to teach you how to create more soul knights.”
Rika’s gaze flickered to the journal. “How?”
To the south, the thunder of a thousand voices roared in unison.
She whirled southward.
Troopers, wearing General Demos’s colors, stormed the fortified guard tower.
Blood drained from her face. “Andreas is sacrificing Demos’s troopers.”
A second roar, as loud as the first, came from the north.
“No,” Rika said from behind.
She spun northward and gasped.
Thousands of troopers wearing the colors of General Demos rounded a hilltop. With spears down, the troopers charged the northern tower.
A shadow fell across the rooftop and a throaty shriek came from the sky above the library.
A gar-draco, triple the size of their smaller cousin, hovered a dozen feet overhead. A half-dozen draco flew in formation circling the library.
A trooper wielding a menacing blade leaped from the gar-draco’s saddle. The trooper landed on the rooftop a dozen feet away.
She tucked the journal into her belt strap, wiped the tears from her face, and faced General Andreas.
Behind her, Jo whispered. “Tara, save us.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Ronan’s Gift
Ronan stepped through the portal floating beside the Tree of Life. As he passed through, a cool tingling sensation bathed his skin.
He stepped onto a smooth stone surface and dry air whipped his face. A high-pitched shriek and the sound of flapping wings set his flesh crawling.
General Demos came through the portal followed by the Sura and the sansan warriors.
"Draco." General Demos shouted above the rushing wind and shrieking draco.
Beneath his feet, the stone floor led to a sheer drop. In the distance, rolling hills surrounded a sprawling city. Thousands of troopers swarmed the hills. Human soldiers fought a surge of troopers pressing into stone guard towers.
A baerinese archer atop a circling draco pointed toward General Demos.
Was this Maylin? He didn't expect baerinese troopers in Maylin.
Sansan warriors spread out across the rooftop and readied wicked black bows.
Demos peered across the city. "Those are my troopers crossing the river."
Meranthia? The short trip had left him disoriented. This wasn't Freehold.
A broad river split the city while two smaller tributaries ran around its perimeter.
Prynesse. He'd visited the city many times, but never experienced it from this angle.
A forest cat's low rumble rippled across the rooftop.
His ears perked. He recognized the rumble. Rika. He sprinted across the rooftop and rounded a stone outcropping.
A black cat flashed white fangs and circled a baerinese warrior wielding a steel blade. Behind Rika, two young women stood beside a pair of shield knights. The knights tossed spirit at the circling archers.
"Rika!" His voice boomed across the rooftop.
The black cat hesitated then glanced in his direction. Rika's eyes widened.
The baerinese trooper sprang forward blade flashing.
The younger of the two women, a teenager, leapt forward with knife in hand.
The trooper's blade buzzed toward Rika's flank.
The girl sank the knife into a section of exposed flesh near the trooper's shoulder.
The warrior's blade moved right and bounced off the rooftop. Yellow sparks sprayed over the building's edge.
"Andreas," General Demos said in a menacing hiss. The general drew a blade and in a blur of motion, dashed toward Andreas.
Andreas shoved the girl aside and spun meeting General Demos's gaze. "Demos." A snarling grin spread across Andreas's face. "I've not been cheated after all."
"G
regor," the woman behind Rika said. A broad smile painted the woman's face and she ran across the rooftop toward General Demos.
His skin crawled as recognition bloomed. He knew that voice. He opened his mind to the soul threads swarming the rooftop.
Orange threads came from the sansan and baerinese warriors. Blue came from the shield knights. Rika's soul glowed with a deep green while the teenage girl's soul glowed a dull gray.
He turned toward the witch and his blood ran cold.
A soul marked by a greasy black film and intermittent streaks of vibrant silver. He recalled the faceless man's black soul and nausea swirled in his stomach.
Touching the witch's putrid soul might leave him paralyzed. But, he wouldn't allow Tara to destroy any more of the living. He stretched his mind outward and pulled at the sticky black goo of the witch's soul thread.
A curdling nausea set his legs wobbling while a vibrant silver aura expanded from his body.
The circling draco screeched and veered away while every head turned.
Andreas stood frozen watching him shine like a beacon atop Elan's Great Library.
Tara gasped while a mask of fear warped her features. The witch recoiled as if in understanding.
Rika bounded across the rooftop and stopped beside Tara.
As he had with the faceless man, he pulled on Tara's soul thread and gagged. Nausea overpowered him and dropped him to his knees.
Tara's head rolled back and the witch screamed before falling in a heap.
"Ronan," Rika said ashen faced. "Don't kill her."
He let go of the oily soul thread and the nausea eased. "Rika." The word came out harsh and uneven as if someone had punched him in the gut.
Rika knelt beside him and laid a steady hand on the rags covering his back. "Are you okay?"
The sweet scent of cinnamon and lavender swept over him and a month's worth of fatigue washed away. With Rika, he was home. The nausea faded and he staggered to his feet.
General Demos came up beside him with blade drawn.
Rika shrieked. "Don't touch him."
Blue shields sprang to life surrounding both he and Rika. "It's okay." He gripped Demos's shoulder. "He's a friend."
Rika's shoulders eased but the look of worry remained.
General Demos gazed past him and glared at Andreas. "By Baerin's high law, I accuse you of treason and order you to stand trial before the council."
Andreas laughed. "There is no council. There is no Baerin. I'm the law here." Andreas shouted toward the archers circling the library. "Fire on the humans. I want Demos for myself."
A dozen arrows sliced the air and his spirit shield rattled with impact points both high and low.
In a lilting dialect, Sura shouted orders to the sansan warriors. They aimed their bows toward the dracos and fired.
A series of sickening thunks and screams followed and riders fell from the draco.
Andreas flew forward lowered a shoulder and rammed into General Demos. The blade in General Demos's hand flew away, bounced off the stone, and spun to a stop out of reach.
General Demos flew a dozen feet backward and tumbled across the rooftop. A flash of silver reflected sunlight and Andreas swung the blade.
General Demos grabbed Andreas's wrist in mid-swing and connected with a hard jab.
Andreas rolled away and General Demos sprang upward in a blur of motion.
Andreas produced a knife and swung at the lunging general.
Demos dodged left, whirled, and kicked Andreas's wrist.
Andreas's blade flew across the rooftop. Rage flashed in Andreas's eyes and the warrior charged again.
General Demos stepped right and dropped an elbow to Andreas's back.
With a groan Andreas slumped to the stone and didn't move.
The teenage girl scrambled across the rooftop and knelt beside Tara.
The shield knights sprinted toward General Demos with spirit balls coiled.
"Leave them," he said.
Rika's arms wrapped around his waist. "Ronan Latimer, you look like you've lost twenty pounds." Rika touched his face searching for the nicks and cuts.
"I'm fine," he said pulling Rika close. "We have to stop the invasion."
Rika gazed into his eyes. "Can you stop it?" Rika glanced past him at the armies advancing through the Prynesse streets. "Did you recover your magic?"
"It's more complicated than that," he said.
A shriek and a flash of black and red whizzed a foot overhead, and he ducked.
General Demos spun and stared wide-eyed at the advancing war bird.
Andreas rose with a dagger in hand and sent the knife plunging into General Demos's back.
"Father, no," he said and sprinted across the rooftop.
With claws extended, Connal rammed General Demos.
Andreas moved right a moment too late. General Demos, General Andreas, and Connal sailed over the edge and disappeared.
"No." His stomach dropped. He stopped at the edge and peered over. A sickening feeling of helplessness rolled over him.
"Get on," Rika said and shifted into a war bird.
With a loud crack the generals bounced off the cobblestone. Connal fluttered to a landing on the street behind General Demos.
He leaped onto Rika's back and they glided into the square below.
Battle knights, healers, and shield knights littered the square. They all turned on the fallen troopers.
Connal shifted into an ice bear bigger than any he'd seen.
General Demos staggered ahead. Andreas lay motionless atop the cobblestones. A pool of blood spread beneath the fallen general.
With a hiss, General Demos reached behind, ripped free the dagger, and tossed it aside.
Rika touched down and he leaped off her back. "Father, stop." His voice, lost in the shouts of advancing troopers, never reached Connal's ears.
With a lumbering swing, Connal raked General Demos's face and chest. Flesh tore leaving behind a jagged wound.
A hush fell over the knights and he tripped forward. "In Elan's name, stop."
Connal whirled.
General Demos teetered and fell face first onto the cobblestones.
He dropped to a knee beside his friend and rolled the general over taking care with the knife wound. "Hang on Gregor. Don't you die on me."
Around the square, troopers poured in from every open street and avenue.
The knights closed in around him, Connal, and Rika. Spirit shields flickered to life.
Connal shifted and knelt beside him. "Ronan, I'm sorry. I thought he was hurting you."
"I understand." He stripped off the ragged tunic that had served him across two continents and wadded it into a ball. He leaned over General Demos and spoke in a soothing voice. "I'm going to make you comfortable." He slipped his tunic beneath the general's head.
The warriors packed the square gaping past layers of spirit shields.
Demos's eyes fluttered open. The general's blood-stained tongue slithered outward. "Your father," Demos smiled, "he's a fierce warrior."
"I'm sorry. I —"
Demos took his hand and squeezed. "No apologies." Demos coughed and fresh blood gushed across the general's battered lips.
"Don't speak," he said. "I'll heal you. Like I did the chief's son."
"And, if you don't?"
He peered across the sea of troopers and smiled. "It won't matter because we'll both be dead anyway."
Demos's laugh turned into a fit of coughing.
The doors to Elan's Great Library banged open.
Sura and the fist of sansan warriors fanned out in a blur taking up position inside the shielded area.
Rika cast an uneasy gaze across the line of sansan. "I hope they're friends too."
The troopers pressed forward. "Get away from General Demos," a warrior said near the front. "Leave him or we'll slaughter every woman and child in this city," another warrior said. Roars rose from the troopers flooding the square.
At the entra
nce to Elan's Library, Tara and the teenage girl appeared in the doorway. They ran down the steps and into the protection of the spirit shields.
Wide-eyed fear registered on the faces of the nearest troopers. A chorus of murmurs and shouts rose from the troopers. The soldiers nearest Tara pushed away.
An expression of menace crossed Tara's face. The witch stalked the perimeter and glared at the troopers. Black mist curled from the witch's outstretched fingertips. Tara's voice rose above the rustling murmur and the crowd hushed. "If you love General Demos, stay back and let the king try to save him. I'll take his life otherwise."
Stay back? He glanced at Rika. "What's she doing?"
A thin smile touched Rika's lips. "Atonement."
General Demos leaned forward and coughed. Blood gushed across the general's lips. "I'm beyond saving. My wounds run too deep."
A Meranthian healer huddled over Demos. White flows of magic wrapped the knight's hands.
The troopers roared their disapproval.
The healer's fear-filled gaze met his. "He's beyond my help Your Majesty. His wounds are mortal."
He gripped the healer's shoulder and squeezed. "Never mind that Marcus. I'll not have his death on your hands."
Relief washed over the healer's face. "As you command Your Majesty. I've never tried healing one of… them."
Rika knelt beside him and spoke in a hushed voice. "Are you healed? Can you channel enough magic to save him?"
His heart sank as he searched Rika's eyes. "I've lost Elan's magic. It's gone Rika and I'll never get it back."
The barest flicker of shock touched Rika's eyes. "What happened on the roof with Tara? I saw something."
He turned to Demos and knelt low before whispering in his friend's ear. "Today is not your day to die Gregor. I'm going to need your help. Okay?"
A slight smile brushed the general's face. General Demos held his wrist and squeezed.
He glanced back at Rika. "Stay close?"
As the sun faded behind Elan's Great Library, the purple hue of evening took hold.
He let go a deep breath while a hush fell over the crowd.
Gregor Demos's fading soul thread hovered like a cocoon meeting spring's arrival.
He stretched out his mind and touched the general's soul thread. He drew on his own life force and pushed it through the connection.
A gasp rose from the troopers. A few feet beyond Demos, Tara sank to the stones mouth agape. Silver light bathed the witch and tears welled in her eyes.
Maylin's Gate (Book 3) Page 40
