Last Bastion

by Rachel Aaron

  But just as she started to think the enemy was cracking at last, Malakai turned his back on the city guards and yelled something to his knights. Tina was too far to hear what, but lots of mounted knights started moving into position for what appeared to be another bridge assault. Given how the last one had gone, she was amazed they'd try something so suicidal again, but then Malakai started moving his spearmen toward the riverbank, spreading them out in a line along the water with archers stationed behind them.

  She shifted her feet, fighting the urge to call the Roughnecks back. She was dying to attack while the enemy was still getting into position, but it hadn't been the promised five minutes yet. If she didn't give her casters time to eat and drink their mana back, they were going to fold fast, so she sucked it up and waited, watching Malakai move his pieces into position with increasingly frenzied gestures. Then, at last, the captain himself drew his sword, and Tina knew they'd run out of time.

  "Everyone back in position!" she yelled. "Here they come!"

  The raid must have been watching the gathering soldiers as well, because they jumped to obey. Tina had barely gotten herself braced behind her shield before Killbox had her back again, bracing her with his weight and strength. They were going to need it too. The second cavalry charge was even bigger than the first. Thanks to her stonekin senses, Tina had the "bonus" sensation of the ground itself quivering with the rush of the oncoming army, and it wasn't just horses this time. Whole squads of spearmen were plunging straight into the shallower parts of the river, plowing through the chest-high water with their spears held over their heads. Behind them, the archers started firing with wild abandon, peppering the bridge with arrows Tina's forces could no longer afford to hide from.

  "Shields up!" she shouted, forcing down the fear that was clawing up her throat at the thought of being buried alive again. "Ranged, fire at will! Everyone else, keep your heads down!"

  Behind her, the melee obeyed, curling themselves into balls as the arrows started to fall. Beside her, Frank stamped his stance down and lodged his shield with hers. Fireballs and arrows flew from their side of the riverbanks and hit the riders at the back of the bridge. But even as the front line went down, the knights behind them kept up the charge, pounding down the bridge like a hoofed freight train.

  Head down behind her shield, Tina saw the spear units reach her side of the river through the bridge railing. As intended, the random raids met them with a storm of arrows and spells, but she didn't have the time to watch and see if Cinco's hard-core training had worked. She could feel the horses riding at her through the stone, and she braced for impact, hunkering down behind her shield for the wall of force--which never came.

  Tina blinked in surprise, looking up just in time to see the rider of the horse she'd braced against jump over her shield to land on top of Killbox behind her.

  "For the king!" the rider cried, stabbing his spear into the Berserker's massive shoulder. He was still screaming when the next knight jumped off his horse as well, clearing Tina's shield by inches to crash into the knight behind Frank.

  "Shit!"

  Tina surged to her feet, bringing her shield up with her to smack the next jumping rider out of the air, but it was too late. It had looked like a repeat of the first charge, but in fact, only a third of the knights had attacked their shield wall. The rest had plunged their mounts into the river on either side of the bridge. Tina hadn't thought horses could swim through such deep water, but though they were clearly having trouble, enough were getting through, charging past her position on the bridge into the shallows near where her ranged camps were still shooting blindly at the knights on the bridge.

  "Zen!" Tina bellowed at max volume as she brought her sword down on the back of the knight who was still stabbing Killbox. "Richard! The water! Shoot at the water!"

  She had no idea if they'd heard her, but someone must have noticed, because the arrows and spells stopped coming at the bridge and started sailing out over the river. The deep-blue water turned red as the knights went down under the onslaught, but there were just so damned many of them. Even with the wall of fire coming at them, they were eventually going to make it to the banks by sheer numbers.

  If that happened, they were done. The casters and Rangers were powerful, but they couldn't hold up against hundreds of mounted knights. If they got overrun, the knights might actually be able to kill them. Ranger special attacks often wouldn't work on targets closer than six feet away, and casters couldn't cast if their hands were busy defending. All the knights had to do was get on top of them, and the whole defense would crumble. Not good.

  "SB!" she shouted, turning to hack at the knights in front of them now that she'd killed the ones attacking Killbox and the other knights. "Frank and I have the bridge. Take all the melee to the riverbank to defend the casters and Rangers! Go, go, go!"

  She reached back and lugged Killbox to his feet as she finished. The bloody Berserker looked woozy, but he saluted and ran off. SB was slower to obey, casting her a very worried look before he hopped onto the bridge railing and started running back toward Camp Comeback, yelling at the rest of the Berserkers and Knights and ZeroDarkness to follow him. As they left, Frank moved closer to her. "Are you sure we've got the bridge?"

  Tina stabbed the knight who'd been trying to attack her through the chest. "We have to," she said. "If we go down, everyone gets flanked. It's a tank's job to be the wall. Nothing gets past the two of us."

  Frank nodded, but his face was pale below his visor. Tina didn't blame him. The bridge in front of them was covered in dead bodies, and more were still coming. Many of the knights were actually dismounting to climb over the corpses of their comrades to attack, eyes burning with hatred as they drew their swords.

  Tina clanged her sword against her shield in defiance. "Come get some!" she yelled. "We'll take you all!"

  Beside her, Frank gulped nervously, but it was too late to rein in the bravado. The knights were already charging, their boots sliding in the blood of their dead as they crashed into the two tanks holding the bridge alone.

  Chapter 16

  James

  Early that morning, before the battle at Camp Comeback commenced, James was sitting in his cell, frantically explaining the king's late-night visit to Ar'Bati.

  "Let me be sure I have this correct," the warrior said slowly once James had told him everything. "The Holy King of Bastion came down to talk to you himself, and you're upset?"

  "Of course I'm upset!" James cried. "The king still doesn't believe that Malakai's cracked. Worse, he's called in the ancient favor with the Great Bird Xthr to help take out the players. This whole thing is spinning out of control, and everyone's going to die if we can't find a way to stop it!"

  "It's not as bad as all that," Fangs said with infuriating calm. "Your sister started a rebellion. Of course it's come back to bite her in the tail. But I think the king was wise to call in the great favor. They say Xthr has power that hasn't been seen since the world's creation. Even your monster of a sister will take one look at him and know that she has no chance. She'll have to surrender."

  "Tina won't surrender," James said, shaking his head frantically. "If she thinks she's in the right, she'll fight to the last breath no matter what. Trust me. I've seen her do it. Also, while he was never actually attackable, Xthr was part of FFO just like everything else here. That means he still has hit points, and as Tina always liked to say: if it has HP, we can kill it. I wouldn't put it past her to think she can take out an ancient Bird. She's always wanted a big world first."

  "Then she is a fool," Ar'Bati snapped. "But you can't stop her from cutting off her own head, James. You've already done more for her than she deserves. If your sister doesn't see that, then she is blind. But you keep skipping over the most important part of this."

  James blinked. "What?"

  His brother flashed him a fanged grin. "We've been pardoned. The king forgave our crimes and cleared our names! We're still in prison, but that's merely a form
ality."

  "But Tina--"

  "You think too much on Tina!" Fangs snapped. "Think of yourself for once. You did it! You got the letters to the king and made him believe you. Bastion is now warned of the Once King's attack. Once the traitors listed in the lich's letters are found and stopped, the undead's invasion will be foiled."

  He reached out to grab James by the shoulders. "Don't you see? We've saved the whole world! Songs will be written of our exploits! Other than your sister getting what she deserves for rebelling against the king, which is not your fault, this mission has been a total success! We will return to the savanna as heroes. When the other clans hear of our actions, we'll be drowning in marriage offers of the highest quality. I'm already in line to inherit the Claw Born, but if we both choose wisely, we can make powerful alliances and position ourselves to be the leaders of Windy Lake. Together, we will shape the destiny of the Four Clans for decades to come, ruling as brothers surrounded by our plentiful and powerful families! You speak constantly of finding a way home, but what could your world offer that is better than this?"

  James gritted his teeth. Political marriages notwithstanding, Ar'Bati painted quite a glorious picture, but he couldn't embrace it. "It's not that I want to go home," he said. "I have to. If I vanish forever, my debt will fall on my parents. I can't betray them like that, and I won't abandon my sister. You shouldn't be so fast to kick her under the bus, either. Bastion needs the players if it's going to survive. If Tina dies fighting Malakai or Xthr or the king himself, there'll be no one left to stand with us when the Once King comes."

  "I think you underestimate us," Fangs said. "But I understand your loyalty to your sister. She is your family, as I am, which is why I will help you save her from her own stupidity. But I will not fight against the king. No matter how the knights are acting, so long as they are the Royal Knights, fighting them is treason, and I will not, nor will I allow you to, risk the Claw Born's honor for Roxxy."

  That was fair enough. James had no idea how they were going to stop this war, anyway. He couldn't see what time it was thanks to the lack of windows, but the army had to be marching out by now. Also, they were still in prison. He was wracking his brain to find a way out of this when Flameboyant, who'd been quietly listening this whole time from his cell across the way, suddenly stood up.

  "Heads up, guys," the Sorcerer whispered, grabbing the bars. "I think someone big is coming."

  James and Ar'Bati both moved to the front of their cell just in time to hear the prison's outer door open at the end of the hall. James couldn't see what was coming from where he was standing, but his sensitive ears picked up the jingle of multiple armored men coming their way. Sure enough, a few seconds later, a four-squad of Royal Knights marched down the hall between their cells. But though they wore the same red and gold, these knights didn't look like the ones Tina's people had slaughtered. Their heavy armor was much more ornate, and their chests were decorated with medals denoting brave service to the throne.

  The four knights didn't look at the prisoners. They simply walked in and positioned themselves in front of the cells, creating a protective square. When they were all in position, the prison door clanked again, and King Gregory Heraldsford himself entered the dungeon.

  The eight-foot-tall king looked very different from how he had looked last night. He was wearing his full suit of sun-metal armor, and there was a golden-hilted sword on his hip that filled the dark dungeon with gentle sunlight as he came closer. As well it should. James hadn't seen it in person since the game, but there was no way he wouldn't recognize the Dawnblade. It was one of the most sacred relics of Bastion's royal line, a sword that had supposedly fallen from the sky, a gift to the Holy Kings from the Sun itself. According to the Wiki, it was made of solidified solar-fire, not just sunlight as normal sun metal was. James didn't know if that was all still true, but he was certain the Dawnblade's presence was a huge deal. It was an ace the kings of Bastion only brought out for the most dangerous of times. During the game, it had only appeared during the big cinematic cut-scenes.

  Seeing it for real now, with his own eyes, was as terrifying as it was impressive. He was still staring at it in awe when the king said his name.

  "James Anderson of the Claw Born."

  James jumped at the sudden boom of his voice and belatedly dropped to a knee. "Your Majesty."

  Gregory waved him impatiently back to his feet. "I know how this looks," he said angrily. "But we've no time for formalities. Your words last night have gnawed at me, so I did as you requested and inquired about the fate of the players at Founder's Square."

  James's heart leaped into his throat. "And?"

  "And I have been met with vague answers and uncharacteristic evasion," the king snapped, his eyes flashing with rage. "All of my men, even Raffestain, have refused to give me a straight reply! I even sought to question Captain Malakai directly, but when I ordered him to appear, I was informed that he'd already left the castle to begin his campaign against your sister, which is cause for great concern as he was supposed to request final approval before marching out. When I investigated further, I found that Malakai also ignored my order to capture Portal Keeper Star Fall, who--much to my dread--I've just discovered is missing from the castle grounds."

  "Then we have to find him!" James cried, grabbing the bars. "Star Fall is the one who's supposed to open the portal for the Once King's armies at the Room of Arrivals! If he's successful, the undead will pour into the city!"

  "I know," the king said angrily, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose with an armored hand. "It seems I have been more foolish than even I believed. All of my orders appear to have been ignored, and I would be unawares even now had you not urged me to question."

  He sighed and dropped his hand, looking down at James with beseeching eyes. "Of everyone in this fortress, you are the only one who has been truthful with me. You tried to tell me what was going on outside my walls, even when I did not want to hear it. That makes you my most loyal subject at the moment, so I have come to ask you and your companions to join me as I ride out to see for myself what has happened to my kingdom since I can trust none of my advisers to tell me. I will witness what is wrong, and right it with my own hands if I must."

  James glanced at Ar'Bati, who was grinning from ear to ear. "Of course we will go with Your Highness," he said, fighting to keep the smug smile off his face. "It would be our honor."

  More than an honor. Going into the city with the king was better than any outcome James had dared to hope for. There was no way Malakai could clean up the evidence of his genocide in one night. All they'd have to do was ride out the front gate, and King Gregory would instantly see that everything James had said was true. Add in Malakai's dereliction of duty over Star Fall, and he'd never had a better chance to convince Gregory that his captain was cracked. After that, all he would have to do was convince the king to talk to Tina instead of trying to crush her, and he could save everything.

  But while James was desperate to get the king to his sister, Portal Keeper Star Fall's disappearance was the more immediate problem. He had faith Tina could hold against Malakai for a while, but if the traitor managed to open a portal, they were all dead. He was about to suggest to the king that they take care of that first when Gregory beat him to it.

  "I've already sent Captain Hightower and all of my honor guard except the four you see here to the Room of Arrivals," the king said. "Malakai may have failed me, but they will not. If the traitor Star Fall attempts anything, my men will stop him. But saving Bastion from the undead means nothing if we can't save it from ourselves. I beg you, James, please come with me. I cannot call myself a king if I don't ride out and face what I have allowed to happen through my inaction."

  Just hearing that made James's heart soar. "I can think of nothing I'd like more."

  The king nodded and waved for his knights to open the doors. A few minutes later, James, Ar'Bati, and Flameboyant were all free, armed, and on their way out of the castl
e's main keep. There were horses waiting for them in the eerily empty courtyard. Now that the army had marched out, the castle felt hollow and fragile, making James more nervous than ever as he scrambled onto the bay horse the stable boy held steady for him. Even so, the animal almost threw him when James's Eclipsed Steel Staff touched its flank. He yanked the weapon up and tied it high on his back to make sure the cursed metal didn't touch his mount again as the king mounted up beside him.

  Since Gregory was a king, James had expected him to have the classic white stallion or something similarly regal. As huge as he was now, though, the only animal capable of carrying King Gregory was an enormous, placid-looking draft horse with hooves the size of dinner plates. It was so big, there didn't seem to be a saddle that fit it, leaving Gregory with nothing but a blanket for padding as he eased his weight onto the animal's back.

  When they were all mounted, the veteran Royal Knights formed a protective square around the party, and they all started toward the front gate. The king grew decidedly more agitated as they drew closer to the castle's entrance, fidgeting nervously on his giant horse as the giant gates began to creak open, only to go perfectly still when he saw what lay beyond.

  The plaza in front of the castle was a wasteland of craters and bloodstains. The holes Tina and her crew had put in the ground were all still there, but the gallows, metal cage wagons, and tents for the knights were gone. The barricade of rubble was still there, but all other signs of the player concentration camp had been removed.