Last Bastion

by Rachel Aaron

  "I would be unworthy to travel with His Majesty if I did not carry such minimal necessities," the old knight replied stiffly. "A knight is always prepared to serve with honor."

  He said that last bit with a stern glare at Sir Dan, who was now bound, gagged, and under guard. They were at the rear of Malakai's battle force, tucked away in an alley behind the plaza the knights were using as a staging ground. King Gregory had wanted to push forward, but James had begged him to hold back. They'd only get one shot at defusing this situation, and he meant to do it right, reading over the agreements he and Gregory had put forth over and over until he was certain he'd missed nothing.

  "That should do it," he said, blowing on the ink to help it dry.

  "Finally," the king said, lifting his pale face to the sound of battle going on only a block away. "I was worried I wasn't going to have any subjects left if we waited much more."

  "It'll be worth it," James promised. "Neither the players nor the knights are monsters. They're all just angry people who've been pushed too far. But even angry people don't want to throw their lives away for nothing. If we offer both sides a path out of this mess where they get to keep their pride and their lives, I'm sure they'll take it. It'll be just like the gnolls and Windy Lake."

  Ar'Bati grunted at that, but he didn't contradict as James rolled up the scrolls he'd written and handed one to the king. The second one, however, was another matter. "So," James said awkwardly, looking down at the scroll that was still in his hands. "Who wants to be our liaison to the players?"

  "Don't look at me," Fangs in the Grass growled. "I'm Angry Cat. I'll just eat their tacos."

  "I can't do it," Flameboyant said, shaking his head. "They all still think I'm a mad-bomber psycho, remember? They'd probably just shoot me again if I came over from the knights' side."

  "Why are you even asking this?" Ar'Bati demanded, glaring at James. "You're the one with the Great Stone General for a sister. Clearly, it has to be you."

  "Oh no," James said, waving his hands frantically. "No, no, no. I am the worst person to bring anything to Tina. She still thinks I'm a giant screwup. Just looking at me puts her in a bad mood. If I bring this treaty to her, she'll reject it without even reading. We'd be better off if King Gregory took them both."

  "It cannot be me," the king said solemnly. "I am the enemy. Anything I bring her will be seen as a trap. You are the only one here she will listen to."

  "You obviously haven't seen me and my sister together," James said sadly. "'Listening' isn't her usual reaction."

  "Then you must make her," Ar'Bati snapped, turning to face James head on. "You have done nothing but cower before your sister since we came to this city. No wonder she sees you as a failure. It's the only attitude you ever show her! But we no longer have the luxury of licking old wounds. It's time to decide, James--what is it you wish to be to her? The screwup who always runs away or the older brother who's there when it matters?" He pointed at the scroll in James's hands. "This is your plan. Have faith in it! You were brave and strong before the elders at Windy Lake. Be that person again now. Stand up and show your sister that you're no longer who she thinks you are. All of Bastion depends on it."

  "I know," James said desperately, his voice cracking as all the old fears came back. "I know how important this is. I wrote the treaty! But you don't understand. I deserve everything Tina thinks about me. I was a screwup. I did run away and leave her with a giant mess she's still digging out of. What am I supposed to do? Walk out there and tell her all of that doesn't matter?"

  "I never said it didn't matter," his brother snarled. "But you can't keep being a coward! Whatever happened in your past, she'll never change her mind about you unless you show her that you're different now. Fight, spit, claw, curse--it doesn't matter what you do. Just don't run away. If you get in her face and refuse to back down, she'll have to listen."

  If James got in Tina's face, he was pretty sure she'd pummel him into the dirt. But as terrified as that made him, Ar'Bati was right. His entire plan hinged on getting both sides to talk. That included him. All the treaties in the world wouldn't do squat if he didn't have the guts to talk to his own family. If he meant a word of anything he'd said about not letting Tina down, he had to do this. He just hoped it didn't end up with his actual guts on the ground.

  "This is going to end in tears," he muttered, clutching the scroll in his hands.

  "So long as it doesn't end in blood," Gregory said bitterly. "Are we ready?"

  With a deep breath, James nodded.

  The king nodded back. "Then let's go stop the fighting."

  With that, the group moved out. They rode in tight formation, moving through the bloody streets as quietly as ghosts. No one noticed as they passed. All of the knights and support forces were too busy with their own tragedies and furies to look up and see the enormous man riding past. They made it all the way to the river before anyone even thought to challenge them, and even then, they only had to stop because of the massive knot of knights gathered at the edge of the northern bridge.

  "What is going on?" Gregory demanded.

  All the knights jumped. Even when he was speaking softly, the king's voice was a presence. It rumbled through the air, making the armored men whirl around. Their eyes widened as they realized who they were looking at, then they dropped to the ground, falling off their horses in their rush to get to kneel before their king.

  "Y-Your Majesty," one of the knights, a blond man with a gold braid on his shoulder, stuttered. "What are you doing here?"

  "I asked you first," the king said, his lips tugging up in a hint of a smile before growing serious again. "What is the state of the battle? Where is Captain Malakai?"

  The blond knight began to shake. "He has been captured, my king."

  Gregory's face grew pale behind his red beard. "Captured?"

  "The player leader, the stonekin, drowned him in the river," the knight reported. "He lives still, but the enemy has him in their possession. We were discussing how best to conduct a rescue when you arrived."

  James winced. If Tina had captured Malakai, it was definitely time to step in. Even though he'd been driven mad, the loyalty Malakai commanded from his knights was serious business. If he hadn't been so crazy and vengeful and dangerous, it would have been touching, but taking Malakai prisoner was the worst thing Tina could have done from a de-escalation standpoint. His knights would crawl over broken glass to get him back, which meant the pressure was on more than ever. If James couldn't get both sides to listen, they'd be killing each other until no one was left standing.

  "Your Majesty," the knight officer said, looking hopefully at his king. "Please help us. You have the strength of the Nightmare still. You could go in there and rescue the captain. The players wouldn't stand a chance!"

  The other knights nodded at this, gripping their weapons in readiness, but the king shook his head. "I fully intend to reclaim Captain Malakai, but not by arms." His blue eyes went to the horrifying river, and the king's face paled. "There has been enough blood spilled already. I will not lose any more of my people to this senselessness. This war ends now."

  The blond officer scowled. "But sire--"

  He reached out, but the king had already stepped forward, raising his voice like a trumpet. "Stop!"

  The command echoed across the city. On the other side of the bloody river, the chaotic battle froze. James could almost feel the recognition spreading through the crowd as knights and players turned to look at the giant man standing at the river's edge.

  "This battle is over." The king's voice shook the ground. "Armies of Bastion, I order you to retreat."

  For several moments, nothing moved, then like a tide, all of the soldiers turned and fled. They must have been desperate for a chance to run, James thought as he watched them. No one even stopped to finish off the wounded as they retreated. They just ran, surging across the bridges and through the bloody river to hide behind their king.

  "There's the first part done," G
regory said with a deep breath, glancing nervously at the golden glowing sky. "But I can only command my soldiers. The rest will be up to you. And him."

  He looked up at the dark shape hidden behind the glittering shell of the Bastion, and James clutched his treaty tightly.

  "Let's do it."

  The king nodded and drew his sword, making James shiver. The moment the Dawnblade left its sheath, all the tendrils of magic in the air began to spiral around it like moths to a flame. James didn't know if the king could see the magic or not, but his sword didn't cut any of the streamers as he raised the ancient sword high above his head.

  "I'm lowering the Bastion now."

  Those words made him start to sweat. Other than him having to talk to Tina, this was the part of the plan James liked the least. The Bastion was their only wall against the undead. The king had assured him many times that his knights had taken care of the rogue Portal Keeper Star Fall, but lowering it while the Once King's invasion was still a possibility felt like a very bad idea. It had to come down sometime, though. King Gregory had admitted to him when they were hashing everything out that the holy power that kept the barrier up was almost depleted and would need to recharge, anyway. Taking it down now meant they'd still have a little juice left to put it back up again later if they needed to, and if the Bastion didn't come down, then Xthr couldn't come in.

  The Great Bird had actually arrived some time ago, but as a creature of the Lightless Realm, he'd been trapped on the other side of the Bastion. Normally, that was how the shield was supposed to work, but the Bird was on their side this time. As a lore nerd, James was dying to know what the first king of Bastion had done to get one of the oldest monsters in the world in his debt, but his curiosity would have to wait. He just hoped Xthr was as serious about keeping his word as Gregory seemed to think, or they wouldn't have to worry about Tina, because the Great Bird would eat them all.

  As the Bastion vanished, James wasn't sure that wouldn't happen anyway. He'd seen Xthr before in cut scenes, but watching CG and seeing the reality were worlds apart. He'd known the Bird was waiting because the king had told him, but none of the monarch's words could have prepared him for how big the ancient monster was, or how terrifying. The closest thing James had to compare it to was a dragon--a sky-darkening, reptilian monster with wings that flickered like burning shadows. The multiple claws on each of its four feet were the size of buses, and the wedge-shaped horned head at the end of its thick, snaking neck was as big as a building.

  And if sheer size wasn't advantage enough, Xthr had clearly arrived ready for war. James had no idea where giant monsters got armor, but the Bird's shadow-wreathed body was covered in what were clearly worked metal plates fastened to it by blazing arcs of crackling purple magic latticed across the bulk of its body. As a Naturalist, James couldn't actually see the streams of dark magic pouring off the Bird, but he could feel the power to his bones, making all of his fur stand on end as the giant boss turned its glittering, geometric, crystalline eyes on the king.

  Gregory lifted the Dawnblade in response. His giant body trembled as he did, but for all his claims of being a bad king, Gregory clearly understood when not to show weakness. His face was firm and stern as he stared the giant Bird down. James could have sworn Xthr smiled at that, his giant jaws curling up before the Bird turned to face the rest of the figures on the island, settling his giant body on several buildings at the crest of the nearest hill so he could loom over the island more comfortably.

  When it was clear the monster wasn't going to move again, Gregory lowered his sword with a shaky sigh. "It is done," he said, turning to James. "Shall we go?"

  James wanted desperately to say no. He wanted to get away from the shadow monster in the sky. He wanted the reassuring golden glow of the Bastion back. He desperately wanted not to have to march across that river and face his sister, but it was too late for all of that. He'd already spotted Tina standing on the crest of the bridge in front of them with SB. She looked more like a bloodkin than a stonekin with her crimson-stained armor--a true demon.

  The king clearly thought so. Gregory, who'd stayed rock steady in front of the Bird, actually flinched when he saw Tina staring down at him, turning to give James a worried look. "Are you sure you can do this?"

  "No," James said honestly. "But I have to." If Tina didn't stop fighting, the war would never end. He wasn't just doing this for Bastion. He was doing it for her. How he would make her see that, James had no idea, but he owed it to her to try, so he rode forward with the king, crossing the bridge Tina had just vacated to find her raid waiting for them on the other side.

  "She certainly does move fast," the king whispered.

  James nodded. The island, which had been a raging battlefield just a few minutes earlier, was now almost entirely empty. All the players--high level, low level, healers, damage dealers, wounded, and able bodied--had been moved inside the big stone Trainers' Hall at the top of the island's main hill. James could still see a big Berserker in crimson armor herding them inside and being none too gentle about it. This left only the raiders to face the king, which was a smart move. The Roughnecks could down King Gregory no problem, and far more easily if they didn't have to worry about hitting less-geared people. If it had just been the king, James was sure Tina would have already attacked, but it looked like even Roxxy's Roughnecks weren't crazy enough to charge a five-skull while Xthr watched, which meant stage one of the plan had worked. Now he just had to pull off the rest.

  "We have your back if you need us," Ar'Bati assured him quietly, squeezing his shoulder. "Good luck."

  "Thanks, Fangs," James whispered back, giving his brother what he hoped was a confident smile as he slid down off his mount, then he started across the bloody grass toward Tina's army.

  ***

  "Isn't that your brother?" Zen asked, shading her eyes against the bright sun as James walked forward. "The one who ran away?"

  Tina nodded, her jaw too clenched to speak.

  "Glad to see he's all right," Frank said with genuine happiness. "But I don't like that he's coming out alone. I've seen movies. The only time they let the hostage walk out alone is when it's a trap."

  "Dude, what kind of trap could it be?" Neko demanded. "There's a freaking purple laser dragon hanging out on the high-rises! I don't think it's going to matter what Roxxy does. That birdy can barbecue this whole island in one pass."

  "Well, he must want something," Killbox said, pointing at the paper in James's hand. "He brought a note."

  "Maybe it's a surrender," Anders said hopefully. "It was pretty common in medieval wars to release hostages in the hopes of buttering up the enemy before a treaty. Maybe that's what's going on here."

  "I don't care what he wants," Tina growled, sheathing her sword so she'd have a free hand. "I'm going out there and grabbing him. You guys wait here. I'll be right back."

  "Tina, no," SB said quickly, grabbing her wrist. He let go again when he saw the look on her face, but he didn't give up. "Look at the enemy," he pleaded, pointing at the towering king, who was still waiting on the bridge. "No one's attacking. Xthr could have burned us all by now, but he's just sitting there waiting. Don't you see? This is a parley. They probably sent James out to negotiate since he's your brother. It was probably his idea."

  "Just because he wants to talk doesn't mean I have to listen," Tina snapped. "They've got a Bird, but we have Malakai and plan B. I don't know what James has gotten himself into, but it's obvious he's in over his head. Everything hard is over James's head." She bared her teeth. "If they want to negotiate, we'll do it with the king. You know, the guy who actually has power. But I'm not going to miss what might be my last chance to save my brother."

  "I get that," SilentBlayde said desperately. "But if you grab the messenger and carry him back over your shoulder, it's going to look like an attack. This is a delicate situation. If they misunderstand what you're doing, you could bring Xthr down on us, then we'll lose everything we've fought for."

&n
bsp; Tina cursed under her breath. She hated that SB was right, but not as much as she hated the fact that it was James. Any other representative, she would have been fine with. Hell, she actually kind of liked the idea of parleying with a king. That sounded cool and important. This was just obnoxious. Dealing with all this complicated political shit would be hard enough without her brother poking at old wounds, which he absolutely would. Even when he was trying to be nice, James couldn't go two minutes without finding some new way to piss her off. If things hadn't been so serious, she would have sent one of the other Roughnecks to spare herself the aggravation. But things were that serious, so Tina sucked it up and stepped forward.

  "Don't agree to anything without consulting us first!" Zen called after her. "Whatever deal the king's sent over, the officers still need to vote on it."

  "Yeah, yeah," Tina grumbled. "Just make sure plan B is ready to go, 'cause I might have to come back quickly."

  "We are ready," Richard said as the other Sorcerers nodded. "All you have to do is say the word."

  That made Tina feel a little better as she strode across the bloody, trampled grass toward her brother.

  He was waiting for her at the edge of the dirt furrow Frank had plowed in the grass when Malakai had thrown him. Tina stopped on the other side of the ditch, staring at her brother with a surprisingly varied mix of emotions. Twenty seconds ago, she'd have said she was just angry. Now that she was standing in front of him, though, Tina wasn't sure how she felt. Rage was there, of course, but so was relief at seeing him unharmed. There was love for her brother, who, despite everything, was still the only family she had in this place, but also resentment because he'd made everything into such a mess, especially her. He was right there, practically in arm's reach, and Tina still couldn't save him. Truly, no one could screw things up like James could.

  "Tina," he said, breaking the heavy silence at last. "I'm glad you're all right."