In Creation's Heart

by Jason Hamilton

  “He doesn’t want to stay?” she asked, slightly confused. He had once talked to her about visiting the stars, but she always had the impression that his main goal was to conquer Earth and rule over it like a god.

  “Relics, no,” said Marek with a slight laugh. “He hates this place.”

  “So why try to kill all of us.”

  “Because you’re in his way. He needs tools and resources. The demons were his way of ‘hiring’ servants to aid his work. He cares nothing for the wellbeing of the distant sons and daughters of his brothers and sisters. All he cares about is leaving this planet.”

  Jak took a deep breath. “That’s why he wants the Pillars so badly.”

  “Indeed,” Marek gave her a knowing look.

  “But if he has this starship, why does he need the Pillars.”

  “Because after all he’s done, he’s never been able to get the ship working properly. Oh, it will fly, he tells me. But it won’t do much more than escape the Earth’s atmosphere.”

  Jak frowned at the odd term. What did atmosphere have to do with trapping the ship so it had to escape?

  “He thought simply waiting might help, that perhaps with time your people would develop technologies that he could use. So he slept for several millennia.”

  Once again, Jak frowned. “How could he do that?”

  “With these,” said Marek, tapping on some large cylindrical objects in the back of the room that Jak hadn’t noticed on their way in. “Cain calls these cryo tubes. They essentially freeze a person for hundreds of years, as long as they keep working. Then they unfreeze you and it’s like you never aged a day.”

  “Incredible,” said Jak. What other secrets would they find here? Already she had seen so much that they could learn from. This was magic on an entirely different level, so much information that she could fill twenty journals, or a hundred. Perhaps when all of this was over, she could spend some time learning about all of it.

  “I don’t understand it,” she said after pausing a moment to take it all in.

  “It is a lot to comprehend,” Marek agreed.

  “No, not that. I don’t understand why Cain didn’t just ask. If he wanted to escape to the stars, he could have asked for my help, or for the Pillars’ help.”

  “He did,” said Marek. Jak met his eyes and furrowed her brow. Marek clarified. “When you were in Mt. Harafast, remember. He asked you then if you would join him.”

  “That’s not what he asked me. He wanted to dominate Earth and even other planets. I wouldn’t be a part of that.”

  “Yet that was your opportunity. You could have stayed by his side and been in a much better position of power, a position you could have used to do even more good.”

  “You think I should have accepted his offer?”

  “I did,” he gave her a knowing look.

  Jak pressed her lips together. She did not like where this conversation was going. “If Cain could leave the planet in this thing, where would he go?”

  “From what he’s told me, he would revisit the planet his parents came from, our ancestors. He wants to return home.”

  Unexpectedly, Jak felt a moment of pity for her enemy. In the end, he was just a lost soul, trying to go back to where he would be wanted. But no, she couldn’t pity the man. No ends justified the means he had used, the slaughters he had committed. Cain had been too caught up in returning to his ancestral home, that he had forgotten about the family he had on Earth, literally everyone was a distant niece or nephew. Perhaps he even had sons and daughters of his own with their descendants.

  “He should have spent more time getting to know us,” Jak said aloud. “Perhaps he could have found home right here.”

  “Perhaps,” said Marek. “But what’s done is done.”

  “Come back with me, Marek.” Jak pleaded once again. “Don’t fall into the same traps that he created for himself.”

  A twinge of some emotion Jak could not identify danced across her old friend’s face. “I can’t right now. Perhaps soon.”

  Jak fought back her frustration. When was the man going to listen to her? When Cain was dead?

  “Well then,” she said, making her voice more formal. “Is there any way he can use all of this against us?”

  “Not to my knowledge,” said Marek. “Though I suppose the ship is equipped with some weapons.”

  “Weapons? What kind of weapons?”

  “Nothing you need to be concerned with.”

  “If it could be used against us, then it’s my concern.”

  “You worry too much. Cain is personally capable of far more.”

  Jak glanced at the cylindrical objects in the back of the ship’s compartment. “Well at the very least we could destroy those. Especially if what you say is true, that he used them to stay alive for so long.”

  This time, Marek’s motions shifted dramatically. “I cannot allow you to do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “These are precious technologies that will not be invented again for thousands of years!” he said, his voice rising. “You cannot simply destroy them before we’ve extracted all the knowledge we can. And even then, it would not be right.”

  “I don’t need Cain awaking thousands of years from now and continuing the same carnage he has wrought on us thus far.”

  “So take the ship, but don’t destroy it.” Marek was almost pleading with her, unconsciously shifting his position so that he was between her and the cryo chambers. “Cain is your problem, not his technology. Destroy him, and you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

  Jak held his gaze for some time. He really wanted to learn all he could about these things. And Jak couldn’t blame him. She would want the same in his place, though she would never have allied herself with Cain for the purposes of gaining information like Marek had.

  “Alright,” she said, causing Marek to breathe easier. “If you’re sure it won’t cause any immediate problems for me or my armies.”

  “I can guarantee it.”

  Jak wasn’t so sure of that, but she would take her friend’s word for now.

  Just then, Marek stared out into empty space, as if listening for something. Jak was about to ask him what was going on, when she felt it as well, a slight discomfort in the pit of her stomach.

  “My master is coming,” said Marek. “You’ll need to leave, or he’ll sense you here.”

  “How did he get here so fast?” Jak said. It had only been six or seven hours since she had last fought with him.

  “You’ll need to stop underestimating him if you want any chance of winning,” said Marek. “I’ve seen the way you look down on him and his morals. Be careful you don’t grow overly confident with righteous intent.”

  Jak scowled. “I will.”

  “I imagine you’ll have several hours while he recovers from the efforts of traveling and using the Pillar of Time,” Marek said hastily. Jak could feel the reason for his urgency. The uneasy feeling in her stomach was increasing fast. “But when he’s ready, he’ll unleash everything he’s got against you and Foothold.”

  “Those demons, are they…” Jak began.

  “They’re all he has, Jak. Every single demon he’s ever turned all over the world that is still alive. They’ve all gathered here.”

  The knot in her stomach grew tighter.

  “You have to go, Jak,” he said, with a little more urgency. “I’ll try to keep him here as long as I can.”

  “But I’ll be going back empty handed,” she said. “We have no greater chance of defeating him now than we did before I arrived.”

  “You’re capable of far more than you give yourself credit.” Marek replied. “And Cain won’t attack you outright like he did before. He’ll use his demons to wear you down first.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”

  “People like you, Jak, they’re worth thousands of demons. Remember what happened on the plains of Riverbrook?”

  Jak nodded. She’d single-handedly def
eated several thousand demons then. But could she even replicate that?

  “Don’t forget what you’ve learned. His brands are powerful, and keep him alive. But his magic is not unlimited. Now go!” he said it a little more forcefully this time. Jak didn’t argue. She brought the Pillar of Space to bear, called on its magic, and disappeared from the cave.

  She re-appeared at the top of the Foothold tower, so she could get a good look at the demon army. The queasy feeling in her gut had shifted, so that now it was no longer as strong. Cain must have arrived at his hideout, and remained there for now. Hopefully he did not decide to attack so soon. The demons were still there, forming perfect ranks and standing absolutely still from what Jak could tell. They knew their master was nearby, and he kept a tight grip on them. Jak measured the situation as best she could. Cain was near, but he was weak. How could they take advantage of that somehow? She didn’t want to confront him directly, but perhaps she should? Or was there a way to wear him down further?

  He fears you, came her father’s dying words once again. Well then, she would give him something to fear.

  Jumping off the tower, she landed below, startling a few nearby soldiers. Her eyes sought out Skellig, who she immediately spotted standing just inside the door of their strategy room. She ran to meet the woman.

  “Skellig!” she said as she entered. “We need to move fast. Cain is already back.”

  Skellig stared at her, “Already? We can’t fight him yet?”

  “He’s back but he’s weak. To get here as fast as he has, he would have had to use the Pillar of Time, and doing so drains a person. We need to draw him out before he has a chance to recover.”

  “What do you propose?”

  “I need every troll who came with us, and every Thunderdancer we have in the army.”

  Comprehension dawned on Skellig’s face. “You plan to replicate what happened at Riverbrook.”

  “Perhaps,” she said. “Back then we had a thunderstorm to draw on. There’s nothing but clear skies today. But if we can carve a dent into Cain’s army, he might be forced to come out and face me.”

  “While he’s still exhausted,” said Skellig, nodding her head. “Well, we aren’t exactly equipped for any large assaults, but I should be able to gather those you requested.”

  13

  It took some time, far more than Jak liked, but eventually they were able to round up about a hundred people with a Thunder brand, and about a dozen trolls, including Rael, the troll Jak had first befriended.

  She walked up to the enormous, rocky creature and put her tiny hand on his tree-like leg. “I need you all to come with me and link. Can you help me with that?”

  Rael nodded, confidently. He seemed to understand human speech a lot better than he used to. He no longer cocked his head when she talked. He still didn’t talk much though.

  Jak ordered the drawbridge to lower, and she and the rest all marched out of the fortress as fast as they could. They were followed by the trolls, who strained the supports of the drawbridge enough that they had to go out one at a time.

  They passed a small farm house, where Jak had first met Yewin and the Bright Elves. It looked just as it had before. So much had changed that even seeing something like that cottage unnerved Jak. It was a reminder that only two and a half years had passed since she was last here.

  It wasn’t long before they crested a hill and stood within sight of the demon army. The sea of sweating, snarling bodies extended as far as she could see from this angle. There had to be at least two-hundred thousand of them out there, maybe more.

  Jak ordered everyone to gather around her. There weren’t that many soldiers with Thunder, as it was an aggressive brand, and she and Naem had spent most of their time handing out the passive brands. But there would hopefully be enough.

  “What we’re going to try,” she began, “is something I did once before on the plains near Riverbrook. At that time, I took out hundreds of demons within a few seconds. I’m hoping we can do the same here.”

  She paused, as if giving them an opportunity to back out or to say something, but they said nothing, choosing instead to look to her. They waited for her guidance.

  So she explained her plan to them and waited for anyone to object. They did not.

  “Then go,” she said, and they obeyed. The hundred Thunderdancers spread out, dispersing themselves as far as they could around the demon army, though they did not get too close.

  The demons could see them at this point. Jak closed her eyes and hoped that Cain was too exhausted to sense what his children were feeling. Otherwise he might learn of what she was about to try before it happened.

  The trolls gathered behind her, and Jak felt Rael’s enormous, rocky arms grab her from both sides, locking her in place. Well, it was now or never.

  With a signal to Rael, she felt the troll begin the link. A flood of power washed into her, like a dam bursting. The trolls were stewards of energy, and so much of it coursed through her veins in that moment.

  The air crackled around her, though there was a difference this time. Before, there had been clouds in the sky, and she had been able to use that to her advantage, calling down lightning bolts from the thunderclouds to strike helpless demons below. She didn’t have that this time, but what she did have was about a hundred Thunderdancers.

  With a rush that felt almost euphoric, she let the power of the trolls rush out of her fingertips, materializing as giant beams of lightning, far thicker and brighter than any Thunderdancer could achieve on their own. She waved her arms, spreading the beams wide, and sending them straight at the Thunderdancers.

  The beams hit each of them squarely in the back, knocking them forward slightly. But as was the nature of Thunderdancers, they immediately began absorbing all that energy and redirected it forward.

  Even more beams split from their fingertips, spreading in front of them so that the energy Jak directed, fanned out into an array of deadly energy. That energy slammed into the demons.

  Immediately, the demons began to die, most with a burning hole in their chest, put there from lightning directed at them from one of the Thunderdancers. Usually, someone with a Thunder brand could only pull off a few bursts of lightning without the help of something like a thunderstorm, but this was different. This time Jak called on the energy from her link with the trolls, and used that to fuel the Thunderdancers. And it was enough.

  Dozens, hundreds, and possibly even thousands of demons began to die at their hand. The fan of lightning appearing almost like a sea of light, radiating outward from the men and women at Jak’s command.

  And yet, there were still thousands more.

  Jak felt a lurch in her stomach, and that feeling that targeted Cain’s whereabouts began to grow stronger. He was aware of what they were doing, and he was coming to do something about it. Their plan had worked!

  But there were other problems. The demons were charging them now, pouring and tumbling over the bodies of their fallen comrades. Even as they did so, Jak and her team took them down, but others took their place, leaping off the bodies of their dead and coming closer and closer.

  It was time to leave.

  Without pausing to issue a command to retreat, Jak activated her several Telekinesis brands, using them to lift all of the Thunderdancers, herself, and the trolls into the air. Even with more than one Telekinetic brand, it took some work to lift the enormous and heavy Fae in addition to a hundred soldiers and herself.

  But after several long moments where Jak all but held her breath, they were over the stone wall of Foothold, and she was waving people to get out of the way so she could set them down.

  Moments later, and she could focus again. Retrieving the Pillar of Space from Naem, she looked ahead at the mass of demons. She had struck the first blow, and it had worked. Cain was on his way, as were the remaining demons. Her men had managed to take out a good portion of the army, maybe fifty thousand or so. But that was still not a lot compared to the might that came fo
r them now.

  The ground began to rumble from the sheer size of the attacking army.

  “They will come over the wall,” she shouted to all who could listen. “But remember, whatever you do, you have my brands. Each one of you can best a thousand demons. The odds are not stacked against us, they are stacked against them.”

  She caught a few more confident expressions. But that was all Jak had time to see. The first of the demons were spilling into the moat.

  For a moment, Jak felt a sensation like she had been in this exact situation before, though her first battle here, she had had only one brand, and there had been far fewer demons by comparison.

  But this time was different. A huge wave pushed back against the demons as the handful of Water Fae Jak had brought with her began using their powers. The water swept through the demons, pulling them off of their feet and back into their comrades. Others choked and died as they tried and failed to find a way out of the water.

  Even with the help of the Water Fae, the demons kept coming, moving around the wave and bounding at the Water Fae themselves. Thankfully, the Water Fae were more than capable of holding the demons off, but they had to swim backward until they reached the point where the moat connected with the river.

  It was time for her to get involved.

  Activating her Telekinesis brands and her Flamedancer brands, she began forming an enormous fireball above her head, filling it with fire, but containing the energy using Telekinesis. What resulted was a massive ball of flame just begging to be let out of its container.

  She hurled it at the nearest swath of demons, and the fireball burst in a satisfying spray of flames, sending demons flying into the air, burning as they fell.

  She summoned another fireball, then another. Other Flamedancers and Telekinetics lined the walls, imitating her and raining down fire at the demons below. Hundreds of demons died in huge numbers.

  But more took their place, climbing up the bodies of their dead comrades and rising higher and higher along the walls.