His feet caught up to something below him. He'd reached Goblin. His friend pressed into Finn's legs as if the boy was slowing down. Was Altin beneath them, using his power to slow their descent? He could faintly hear what sounded like a strained scream.
Suddenly a light flashed by to his right. It was a quick blink. The first hole—the organ’s opening at level “20”. Finn tightened up, terrified one of his body parts would stick out at the wrong time and be amputated. Goblin’s speed decreased even more, pushing into Finn. Another opening passed them, and another, the flashing lights giving Finn a quick glimpse of those beneath his feet. Leeya was holding on to Goblin's legs. Altin was directly below her, arms straining to push against their weight. The feathers carved into his bracer armor glowed with blue energy and blood marked his face. They were thrown into the dark again.
More openings came and went to either side and they slowed even more. Finn felt some of his stomach return to its proper location. He put his feet out, pushing his back against the wall, hoping to help Altin. His added friction brought him to a slow slide. With a jolt, he came to a stop, nearly crushing Goblin between himself and Leeya. He held his own weight, pinning himself in place.
“What's going on?” he yelled. He had to shout to be overheard through the pipe's humming.
Leeya yelled something back but it came as a muffled grunt. Finn could see light below him but Goblin and Leeya were both in the way. Had they made it to the bottom floor?
Leeya crawled through the light and was gone. Goblin slid down and disappeared as well. Finn released the pressure in his hands and feet, coming to a stop against Altin, who floated between him and a blackness leading only to the depths beneath Kazma. Beside them was an exit. Altin groaned and Finn took the hint. He pushed out of the child-sized space, falling to cool tile floor. Goblin and Leeya, both covered in sweat and red skinned, helped him up. By the looks of them, the tunnel had been hot after all.
Altin collapsed through the pipe, gasping. His armor contracted and re-solidified as a bracer on his wrist. The blood Finn had glimpsed earlier leaked from a large gash on his forehead, matting his blond hair.
“What happened?” Finn huffed.
“I landed on him while going too fast.” Leeya responded.
“Had to slow us somehow, right?” Altin replied with a cough, rolling over onto his back. He too was red from the heat within the organ.
“So-did-we-make-it?” Goblin asked. “Are-we-on-the-bottom-floor?”
“Listen.” Leeya replied, standing.
They perked their ears. Screams and shouts came from all around them. As they turned in place, surging crowds of people burst through from all four openings into the massive room. Men and women ran toward the elevators, flipping levers to bring the platforms to life. None of the elevators moved.
“They aren't working!”
“The cowards above us left us to die!”
“What are we going to do? Our soldiers and guards can't hold against the invaders!”
Leeya raised her arms and walked to the crowd. “The Upper-District locked us out. There’s nothing we can do. Those who wish to flee, leave by whichever gate isn’t being attacked. Those who wish to fight, gather your weapons!”
The people yelled and shouted in response, their voices intermingling into a cacophony. Many panicked and sprinted away, taking family members with them. Some sat on the ground with mouths opened, stunned. But a small few drew swords and shields; others pulled spears. They looked at each other with terror, knowing they had no choice but to take a stand.
There was a moment of chaos as citizens made their choices. The crowd surged and twisted within itself and people pushed each other out of the way, running outside and disappearing down the alleys.
Altin grabbed a passing form. “Wait! Who attacks us? Can we reason with them?”
The citizen shook his head, trying to break Altin's grip. “It's a Star-Child! He leads men made of gold and an army of monsters! We can’t kill them! Kazma’s doomed!”
The man broke free and ran. Altin turned to them, his face pale. “A Star-Child.”
Finn shivered.
“One of the Chosen runs rampant.” Leeya spoke, her words slow. “Perhaps the rumors of darkness moving through the South have been true all along.”
“What-do-we-do?” Goblin asked.
The group went silent for a moment.
“We’re Star-Children.” Leeya spoke. “We've been granted a higher power. This is my home and I will not flee. I’ll find this Star-Child and fight him myself. If he can’t be reasoned with, he’ll die.”
She turned to Finn. “You don’t have your power yet. Neither has your friend been granted a bracer. You may leave. We’ll meet again in Jakitta as we planned if all goes well.”
Finn had a sudden surge of loyalty toward the people around him. It was as if Lady Tuliah was patting him on the back. He thought of his friends in Pittance. What if the attack had been there? Who was to protect those who couldn’t fight such evil? Energy coursed through Finn's body. He might not have access to his bracer or even be a true Star-Child—but he would fight for Lenova all the same. For Kazma. It was all his home.
“I’ll stay.” he said, his voice unwavering.
“I-will-too.” Goblin stuttered, looking at Finn. “I'll-do-what-I-can.”
“I guess I can't run away by myself.” Altin smirked, wiping blood from his face. “Would be bad for my reputation, you know.”
Leeya smiled at them; a genuine reaction. Finn staggered. The emotionless girl was suddenly the most beautiful person he'd ever seen.
“Then let's fight.” Leeya confirmed with a nod.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:
The Battle for Kazma-Part One
—The secret to the hygiene of a Mockingtoad is through harvesting the tattooed marks on their backs. The faces that form like inked artwork on the reptile’s body may have features that are stretched and disproportioned to incite anger upon those that come across them. Remember: it’s only a defense mechanism of theirs. If you are brash and rush to attack bare handed, merely touching the toad will price you with a fast-spreading rot. You will soon lose your fingers. But if you are careful and can collect the easily-shed skin while wearing leather gloves, you can sunbake the thin membrane to remove all toxins. What you will have left is almost a parchment-like picture of strange faces. It is said that in the city of Kazma you can sell the art for a pretty penny.—
-Excerpt from The Care of Mysterious Lenovan Beasts, page 14
Leeya led them over catwalks and past tunnels, guiding them through the city. Light peeked over the walls, bathing the entirety of the Lower-District in yellow. It wasn’t the only light: distant buildings were on fire.
Jumping from one catwalk to another and hopping a trickle of water forming a small waterfall off a roof, Leeya took them to a weapon shop wedged between two vendor stalls. Although many citizens ran the other way, no one tried to prevent them from looting the small store. Altin, having left his crossbow in Leeya's home, was forced to find another one. Leeya took a spear and handed Finn a sword with a sheath. Goblin found a falcata that fit him just right. Armed, the four returned to the ground floor and ran toward the Southern gate where the army was invading.
Finn had no idea how to wield a weapon. He doubted Goblin knew as well. If they were to cross enemies, there was no way they’d come away unscathed. He pulled his blade free. It was heavy in his hand. Leeya motioned for him to sheathe the weapon.
“Wait until we meet the enemy. I don’t want you tripping and impaling yourself.”
“What, you can’t take me seriously with this?” Finn asked, doing his best not to wink at the girl. He was sure Leeya would have broken his spine if he had.
“You look like a blind man brandishing a log.” was her only reply.
Finn put his weapon away, blushing. Unlike him, Leeya held a weapon with confidence. Finn had a suspicion Leeya was an expert with a spear. Altin himself looked at home w
ith his crossbow. It irked Finn. Was he the least experienced of them all? He hoped he didn't make a fool of himself in front of Leeya. He hoped he didn't die.
They turned down an alley and came face-to-face with a nightmare. Ahead of them was the massive South gates to the city. It looked as if soldiers had attempted to lower iron bars to block the entrance, but something had smashed through it. That something was right in front of them.
At first Finn assumed it to be a pile of rubble from the destroyed buildings—then it moved. It jumped forward, swiping out at a group of spear-carrying soldiers. Their chest-pieces were caved and they flew backward, dead before hitting the ground. Other soldiers shot arrows at the creature but they bounced off its stone body. It rose to its full height of ten meters, roughly resembling a man. Civilians screamed and ran away. Soldiers held up shields. But the monster had no mercy. It swiped and hit, crushing and smashing anything that moved. Blood painted the street. From over Finn's head a blur shot out, the size of a cart. A bolt embedded into the creature's chest and it fell apart, showering the area with rock. Above them on a catwalk, two soldiers pulled back on a large portable ballista, reloading it.
But with the creature out of the way, the gate was exposed. Battle cries rang out as a mass wave of black-cloaked figures rushed in, holding scythes and whatever form of weapons one could conceive. Many of them had golden limbs. The soldiers of Kazma paused. What sort of odd army was this?
The invaders clashed with the guards like two clouds conjoining. From Finn's right, a door burst open and thirty soldiers poured out, brandishing swords and shields. More ran across the catwalks, launching arrows into the enemy. Leeya pointed out a group of intruders climbing a set of stairs. She charged toward them and Finn followed, Goblin and Altin at their tail, not wanting to be left behind in the bloodbath. Finn's group chased the six attackers up the stairs, watching in horror as soldiers were pushed off, falling to their deaths with bloodcurdling shrieks. Catching up to the cloaked figures as their backs were turned, Leeya struck. She was a blur of movement, leaving Finn behind to draw his sword.
The hooded figures turned to try and stop Leeya, possibly attack back, but she gave them no chance. She ducked a scythe swung for her head and jabbed her spear forward, stabbing it into the thigh of one man. He howled and Leeya tipped the spear, unbalancing him. He fell three-stories into the middle of the battle below. She turned, propping the spear over her shoulders and jabbed out, using the weapon's length to her advantage. The other five tried to step forward and grab at the spear, but she bobbed and wove, timing her attacks and leaving them with cut hands. An arrow pierced one enemy through the chest and he toppled over the side of the catwalk. Finn looked up, seeing Altin floating a few meters above him. He reloaded, a confident snarl on his face.
In the open space below, a voice shouted out. “The Star-Children fight for us! We’re saved!”
The soldiers of Kazma cheered, their valor renewed. Finn watched as Altin zipped about in the air, launching arrows and tackling men off high perches. Leeya finished killing the group ahead of them and engaged another using a ladder to get to their level. Perhaps the battle would not be lost.
There was a yelp behind Finn and he turned. Goblin parried a slash from a hooded figure who’d snuck up behind them. The man had a golden nose and fear reflected in his eyes, as if he preferred to be anywhere but Kazma. He swung with the scythe, visibly inexperienced with the weapon. Goblin blocked and was pressed back, closer to Finn.
Finn didn’t hesitate, knowing if he were to kill, it would be justifiable. He had lives to protect. He darted forward, holding his sword like a lance. Goblin had fallen backwards and was scrabbling for his weapon, unprotected. The man loomed above his friend, about to strike down. Finn jumped in front of him and stabbed forward. His weapon smashed into the man's chest, cutting through thin cloth, skin, muscle, and glancing off bone. It slid between two ribs and Finn lost his hold as it moved up, piercing the attacker's heart.
Merely a few fingers-length away from the man's face, he made eye contact. The man's fearful eyes wavered for a second more, confusion and uncertainty running through them, then he was falling backward. Finn slid the blade free from flesh and the body collapsed. Something bubbled inside Finn—a mania tottering on the edge of coming free. He remembered the training back in the Crust and stilled his breathing. He tripped back but stopped himself, tightening his muscles so to not shake. He had to continue fighting. He turned and lifted Goblin to his feet. The boy gave Finn a nod.
“That's-got-to-be-the-millionth-time-you-saved-me. How-much-do-I-owe-you-now?”
“Too much.” Finn replied.
They ran back to Leeya's side. Bodies pilled around her, and far below, others lay broken and prostrate. Blood covered her spear all the way to her hand and smeared across her face and clothes. It gave her a fierceness that made her terrifying to behold. Altin landed nearby, pulling a broken arrow-shaft out of his shoulder. He gritted in pain and blood oozed from the wound, yet he winked at them.
“You lot suck at fighting. Too bad you're not more like me, huh?”
At first, it looked to be as if Kazma was winning—possibly even pushing back the robed invaders. Then, when all seemed to be going in their favor, there was a lull in the battle below and they stared down. From beyond the smashed gate came a towering monster of a man. The enemy stepped away from him, showing terror toward their own ally. Something primal and cold crawled through Finn's belly. He had seen the inside of a vat-worm. He'd ran from Nozgull's wrath. He had come within an inch from death in the Slaglands. Yet this being emanated a far worse threat. A sense of absolute doom. Hopelessness. A panic clawed at Finn's throat and put ice in his veins.
The man was made of gold from the neck down, an inhuman form stranger than all other creatures of Lenova. His face was hidden, covered by a dark wooden mask with thousands of eyes. He was naked, no features carved into his golden body to detect his gender. Only his stature identified him. Finn could tell he was bald and could see black pulsing veins running from his scalp to beneath the mask, where his face was. But worst of all, he bore a bracer. He was the Star-Child.
Words from the prophecy came to him. Evil seeks to end all we hold dear. Something else came to him, something far more disturbing: a flash from a vision, the screaming face of a golden man; a glimpse given to him from when he'd donned the bracer.
Finn's knees gave out and he fell to the wooden catwalk, shaking and struggling to see straight. Goblin and Leeya bent to help him, concern written on their faces. This wasn’t right. That man...that monster...they were all in mortal danger.
A cocky soldier charged forward with a yell, swinging his blade. The Star-Child was a blur. He grabbed the sword with one golden hand and snapped it in half. He pounced, seizing the soldier's mouth with both hands and ripping his jaw clean off. He dropped the corpse and lifted a blood-soaked arm.
“Vetis-fin.”
His voice beneath the mask was the hoarse whisper of death itself. There was a shimmer and his arm wiggled strangely, sagging and stretching. The gold meshed and molded, forming a lance. He jabbed forward, cutting through armor like water, impaling four other soldiers.
“Ginda.”
His arm liquefied and returned to normal, dripping gore. Everyone backed away. Magic. No—necromancy. This man could control the dark arts. A massive bolt whizzed out toward the Star-Child. Before it hit him, something jumped in front. Catching the cart-sized blur in mid-air was a puppet as thin as a walking-stick, limbs like sharpened edges. It landed and its dagger-thin fingers walked along the missile, feeling it. The bolt, as large as a man, seemed as light as a feather in the creature's grasp. It dropped the useless projectile, staring at the ballista with a blank, oval head. It had no eyes, mouth, or nose. For all Finn knew, it could be staring at him.
“Kill them all.” the Star-Child spoke. It was a trigger sentence. All about him, the cloaked invaders came back to life. They screamed obscenities and rushed the overwhelmed sol
diers and guards of Kazma. Men were slaughtered left and right.
The puppet launched forward, climbing walls with all four limbs like a spider. It landed on top of the ballista and decapitated both operators before they had a chance to react. With a quick heave, it tipped the engine-of-war over the catwalk, crushing the men below. It moved as a blur, disappearing deeper into the city. Finn could hear screams come from where it’d gone. On the ground, the Star-Child stood with his arms crossed in the middle of the chaos as battles were fought all about him, none daring to draw near. Men writhed on the ground, holding stumps where limbs once were. Blood sprayed like loose water and gurgling cries filled the air. The Star-Child was saturating—bathing—in the horror.
Finn observed the powerful man. The figure studied the Upper-District, bending his neck all the way back to take in the whole of the floating city. Although Finn couldn't see his face, he imagined the man held a wide smile. Below his mask, the bottom of his jaw was moving. The man was reading the massive ancient runes carved into the Upper-District's walls. Who was this being who possessed necromancy, had a golden body, a terrifying mask, the bracer of a Star-Child, and knew ancient languages? The man looked to the center of Kazma where the Neck soared above all other buildings and connected the two city centers.
A hand grabbed Finn's shoulder and shook him. It was Altin. The older boy's eyes were wide with terror. “We must move! We can’t stop this!”
Altin grabbed at Leeya and Goblin; both mesmerized by what they saw below. “Run!” he shouted into their faces. The group came to life.
They turned and fled the South gate, Leeya taking point as she wove and ducked her way through narrow alleys and catwalks. Behind them, the screams and the moans of dying Kazmans followed their footsteps.
Leeya smashed through a wooden door and Finn found himself back inside the restaurant where he'd been first introduced to Bantu flowers. Altin closed the door behind them and they sat in chairs, panting.
SunRider: Book 1 (The SunRider Saga) Page 22
