Alderich took a deep breath and released it slowly. “But this did come to pass. And when it did, I was to learn that my own son would betray everything that we have stood for in our lives. Every ounce of blood this country paid for in its unification has now come to nothing for your own jealousy and greed.”
Rhoneck shook his head, his eyes glimmering in the moonlight. “No, father. It was what you stood for, what Norryn would stand for in the years to come. I have learned that I must be my own man. That is my only way. For I am the one that must stand alone, even among those that supposedly love me.”
Alderich took a defiant step toward him. His voice began to thunder in unison with the surrounding explosions. Rhoneck readied his pistol. “By all gods, be your own man then! You claim to have been cast into shadow and yet your choice was to leave a shadow for more shadow! Do you think all this will be sweeter in Ralick’s confidence? Open your eyes, Rhoneck!”
“These eyes are open, father. For once my thoughts hold true clarity. You have no idea how he has liberated me with the truth. It was painful at first to accept, but once I could embrace it, my destiny unfolded before me in splendor. My future, like yours is very much set. Nothing you can do or say will change that. Soon guards will come to relieve me. You will be taken into custody, and I will see that you are moved to the safety of exile. Until then, you are my prisoner. Forgive me if I take relish in this victory,” said Rhoneck.
“And what of your brother and your mother? Think what you want of me, how could you tear their hearts and endanger their lives in such a way?” asked Alderich.
Rhoneck thought about this for a moment. “I accepted the pain that would come with my decision months ago and I’ll have to live with that. Mother will be safe, and I will take comfort in that knowledge. As for Norryn, he will have a choice to make. He will have to choose between glory with his brother or exile with you. It’s as easy as that.”
“You know what choice he will make, Rhoneck.”
Rhoneck’s face softened as he replied. “I suppose that I do. But at least I will give him the truth, something he has deserved for some time now. And who knows? Perhaps he too will be released from the shackles you have placed on us both. I know he loves me, even though his heart belongs here.” Rhoneck sighed heavily on this. He did not want to fight his brother. Despite his animosity toward their father, it did not carry to Norryn. None of this was his fault. Rhoneck accepted that like him, Norryn was born into his role, the role that their father chose for them. One day, he hoped his brother could see why he had to hold their father accountable. Refocusing Rhoneck tightened his grip on his weapon, drawing close to his father. He motioned to Alderich with the pistol. “Come. Turn around and drop to your knees. We’re through talking.”
Alderich nodded. “You are right about that, son.” With a swift fluid motion, Alderich extended both hands out, fists clenched. Tilting his head out of the line of fire, his left hand crashed into the inside of Rhoneck’s wrist as his right buried into his knuckle. Rhoneck yelped as the weapon went tumbling to the floor. For a moment, father and son stared at each other in tense, grudging silence as the wind kicked up briefly. Alderich then spoke again. “Now get out of my way. Our people need me.”
Alderich made for the door only to be blocked by Rhoneck. Rhoneck put his good hand up in front of his father’s chest. “I will not let you go, father.”
Alderich’s eye deepened in intensity. “Do you think I’ll allow you to stop me?” In another swift motion, Alderich grabbed Rhoneck’s offered hand. Twisting violently, he wrenched his son around, locking his arm behind his back. Alderich then tightened the lock, making sure he had his son’s full attention. “Now stand aside, Rhoneck. Don’t make this night more difficult than it already is. I am forced to deal with you later.”
“You will deal with me now!” Rhoneck screamed as he twisted his back slightly, raising his bandaged hand quickly. The hand slammed into Alderich’s face much harder than Alderich would have ever anticipated. Bannar’s keeper stumbled back onto the ground. He could feel the impression of the strike on his face. Blood began to hint around in his mouth and nose. How in all of Earth did he hit me so hard? Looking up, Alderich got his answer.
With his arm still up, Rhoneck turned to face his father. Anger was in his eyes, flaring to the surface in coursing waves. With a fierce gesture, Alderich’s son grabbed at the bandages that engulfed his arm. Pulling them off with a few swift motions, he revealed to his father the truth. There in front of Alderich rested the price and the depth of devotion that his son had placed in his new leader.
Free of restriction, Rhoneck’s fingers moved easily and deftly. Making a fist, Alderich heard the distinct sound of metal on metal. From elbow to fingertips a new arm had been fastened onto his son. Alderich could see his distorted image in the dark silvers of it as the depths of his nightmare only deepened.
Alderich could find no words then. His eyes watched the movements of Rhoneck’s hand as his vision attempted to clear. His thoughts felt muddled, but there was no mistaking the alteration. Finally, Rhoneck’s hand came down to his side as he looked at his father. Alderich began to find his feet. “By all the stars, what else have you done?”
Rhoneck smiled as he crossed his arms. “Do you like it father? It was a necessary addition, indeed. Though I must say, it was difficult to conceal these last few months. It caught Hurler by surprise as well, though he met with more force than you just witnessed. I will give him credit. His anticipation of the Thorne ambush saved several men from being led to an easy slaughter. You will be honored to know that he fought for you and Bannar to his last dying breath.”
Fire crept into Alderich’s eyes as the muddiness faded instantly. He found his feet again as anger fueled his steps. “You killed him.”
Rhoneck let out a quick breath, nodding his head. “His death was unfortunate. He was a good man. I had hoped to find a way to take him alive, but he suspected me all along. While I was setting gears into motion, he had his own men watching me. He was even close to spoiling our operation today. But what’s done is done. I did what I had to do and that is all that I can say. I don’t expect forgiveness from you.”
“Nor will you receive it,” said Alderich closed the distance between him and his son.
As Alderich approached, Rhoneck grabbed for his arm with his newly acquired strength. This time though, his father was prepared. Alderich’s free hand clasped down on Rhoneck’s clenched fist and pivoted his body as he twisted his son’s arm in the process. The momentum sent Rhoneck hurtling to the floor. Trying to compensate, the younger man tucked his head and attempted to roll. He took more impact on his neck and upper back than he desired, but still achieved the desired effect.
Rhoneck came back up from the roll swinging punch after punch at his father. Using forearms, elbows and wrists, Alderich blocked every single shot. Soon he responded with his own attack, lashing out his fist with a whip-like strike. His son blocked that with his new hand, but as he did Alderich relaxed his arm allowing his elbow to rethink the trajectory of the shot. Alderich’s hand came around and he ended up backhanding Rhoneck in the face instead.
Rhoneck Ashener fell to the floor. Looking up enraged, he rolled backwards and to the side, retrieving the gun as he did. Alderich anticipated this and bridged the gap. Rhoneck was up in a second and snapped off a shot from the pistol. The blast was intended for his father’s leg but never reached the mark for Alderich was simply too fast. He sidestepped out of the line of fire, legs bent and ready. Rhoneck squeezed the trigger repeatedly, receiving the same effect each time.
Rhoneck was dazzled by his father’s speed. With a grace that Rhoneck had never seen before, Alderich eluded two shots in rapid succession. And it seemed that the harder that Rhoneck pressed, the easier Alderich escaped. Frustrated, Rhoneck began moving the weapon around, trying not to telegraph his final shots. “You cannot keep this up all night. Do you think your luck will hold up much longer?” he asked.
Alderich’s eyes narrowed, but never relinquish their focus on the gun. “I do not have to keep this up all night. I just have to do it for a few more shots.” Alderich stood poised only a few feet from his son. He let his mind go as he watched Rhoneck’s face and tension. He’s got four more shots, then I am away to deal with more important matters. All I have to do is be patient a moment longer. Alderich poised himself with a breath as Rhoneck aimed for his legs and fired.
Bright blasts of energy streamed from the small weapon. Alderich thought about nothing and moved. The first came and he was clear. Rhoneck moved the weapon left and right. Feinting this way and that, he fired again and once more Alderich was not there to receive the blast. Drawing his arm up, he brought it back down in a quick shot to throw off his father’s rhythm. An instant was all that the exchange had taken, but the final nanoseconds were burned into Rhoneck’s brain forever.
Rhoneck had fired intending on wounding his father enough to force him to surrender. Something inside had told him that he had no chance of hitting, but he had still hoped. But the next few seconds were a resounding and unwanted surprise. In that moment, in another part of the keep, Rhoneck’s mother had taken a searing laser bolt into her back, felling her instantly. Rhoneck had felt a stinging sensation in that area, knocking him forward slightly. It had caused him to alter his aim. His father was a different story altogether.
Alderich’s heart had felt every inch of the assault on his chosen. The blast that Enora had taken severed the tranquil bond that had joined them through every season they shared. In half a second Alderich was overwhelmed by agony. He felt the pain and the confusion that Enora had felt and knew she was slipping away. He could still feel this a second later as he stumbled and took in the chest the shot that was intended for his thigh. The small pistol scorched a hole that came close to an already broken heart. Alderich Ashener remained on both knees as his body fought hard for his last few moments on Earth.
Alderich’s head looked down, seeing the death sentence emblazoned on his chest. Even so, his thoughts were lost in the pain of his chosen. He fought to live and to breathe but his body refused him. He could no longer feel Enora inside and his heart longed to surrender to nothingness. He looked again into the horrified eyes of his older son, but could utter no words. Blood came from his chest as a tear shimmered down his face. The gun dropped from Rhoneck’s hand, and Alderich followed its descent as he too fell sideways to the ground.
“Father!” Rhoneck trembled as he went to his dad. He was too scared to touch him. His hand hovered a foot from his face as Rhoneck watched the final bit of life trickle from his eyes. Alderich took one more small breath before his chest rose no longer. Rhoneck fell to shivers as his father died.
Rhoneck knelt over the dead body of his father. He had intended to take this town by storm and claim his father as a prisoner. However, Rhoneck had never intended to take his life. This was the unplanned outcome that crushed his aspirations. Rhoneck watched in horror as the blood crept from his father’s lifeless body. He could do or say nothing, only stare at what he had reaped. He had done it. Alderich Ashener was dead and Bannar was dying. Rhoneck put a shaky hand into his hair. There was no time for that now. It would do no good to let Ralick’s soldiers see him crying.
“Dear gods, what have I done?” The young man could not stop from trembling. All that he had planned, everything that he had worked for seemed diminished now. He had longed to prove himself and his strength to the man that lay dead at his feet. Now I will never have the chance to show you. I would have never asked you to forgive me for what I have done, but I did not want this. He stifled another sob before his attention was drawn to the sounds from the hallway behind him.
Through the rampage of the streets below, Rhoneck heard a piercing scream of rage and loss. The sound grew closer and filled him with dread. A chill crept through him at the sound. It was the voice of his brother.
Bursting through the doorway, Norryn approached his brother, winded from exertion. The young man’s eyes were stained with grief. Rhoneck met Norryn’s gaze and saw the void that their father’s death had made in him. Rhoneck had no words as he watched his young brother tremble with emotion. Rhoneck rose to his feet and took a step from Alderich, knowing that all the pieces were coming together in his brother’s mind. There was no sense in trying to explain it now, for Norryn knew everything he needed to know.
Rhoneck held out his hands, wanting to explain it all at once. “Norryn. Brother . . .”
“Why?” Norryn looked between his father and brother. His voice shook as much from rage as exhaustion, but it was finding its strength quickly enough. He finally fixed his eyes onto Rhoneck. His voice strengthened as he stepped toward his brother. “Why?”
Rhoneck tried to find the words. “Norryn, I swear to you that this is not what I wanted! I just– ”
“Why?!” Norryn lunged for his older brother. Rhoneck went on the defensive, trying to defend himself from the strikes that Norryn sent at him. He failed miserably. Not only was he caught off guard by Norryn’s rage but also no matter what he did his younger brother found a way through his defenses. Every punch that was blocked by Rhoneck was redirected, striking at a different area. Before Rhoneck could recover, he’d been hit repeatedly.
Rhoneck tried to reason with his brother but it was no good. “Norryn, listen to me!” Norryn continued to drive him back with a barrage of whip-like strikes. In the momentum, Rhoneck tripped upon his dead father’s body, falling backwards and taking Norryn with him. The two boys rolled for a moment, connecting with the end of the balcony that faced the Lorne River. Rhoneck rolled on top and tried to subdue Norryn but to no avail. Norryn slithered out of his grasp and with one swift motion reversed the situation. Continuing his assault, Norryn took his right palm and bounced his brother’s head off the ground. While the force was not enough to knock him out, it was sufficient to end his struggles.
Taking Rhoneck’s gun, Norryn stood up. Standing over his brother, he reached inside his shirt, grabbing Ashener’s Calling. He looked out into the distance as he raised the amulet over his head. Norryn looked down at his brother once more as he readied himself. Using the knowledge that every member of the Ashener family held, he made the amulet burst to life.
A great, overpowering light burst forth from the object in Norryn’s hand. It shook and hovered a moment before its strength and beauty erupted into the sky. Like a rippling shockwave, light and energy carried and was seen for miles and miles. It continued to shine bright and true for several seconds before at last returning to its sleep.
Norryn lowered the amulet and looked down at his brother. Norryn tried to slow his breathing, still shaking with rage. He could not unclench his fist nor get past the knowledge that his father was dead from the hands of his flesh and blood. Rhoneck looked up with pleading eyes, but all Norryn could see there was death. You did this, Rhoneck. All of this and more, the blood is on your hands. It’s all on you now, my brother, and there is no freedom from that.
Norryn was about to speak when a sharp pain ate through his shoulder. His body spun around and convulsed as an ardent blue bolt passed through him. Staggering, Norryn’s hands found security on the balcony ledge. Slowly, he looked to the doorway. Filling the space was the mechanical soldier from the streets before. Holding a smoking rifle in hand, he smiled. His scratchy face chiseled out his satisfaction as his browning teeth and predator eyes bore down on young Norryn. He pumped the gun once, preparing his second shot for action. He lived for moments such as these.
“Janzen! No!” Rhoneck put his hand up toward the soldier attempting to gain his attention, but it was too late. Firing again, his second shot pierced the boy inches from where the first had hit. The impact was enough to fling his target backwards, tumbling over the ledge. Norryn made no sound as he fell the great distance to the cold depths of the river below. His limp body crashed through the surface, sending water in all directions. Soon the old river had swallowed up any sign of his offering and
Norryn Ashener was gone.
Rhoneck screamed out his frustration, slamming his metal hand onto the floor under him. He rose to his feet looking over the edge as the wake of his brother diminished in the water. He saw nothing but the river and nothing that would indicate that his brother was still alive. At last, it was all too much and Rhoneck did weep.
Tossing his rifle down, Janzen walked up next to him and spit over the ledge. “And that’s that,” he said.
Rhoneck turned his tear-laden face to Janzen. “You bastard! He was just a boy!” His hands instinctively went to the throat before him. Janzen countered it easily enough, backhanding Rhoneck on the cheek. Rhoneck crumpled onto the floor next to the body of his father. Curling into a ball, he continued into tears. “Why . . . why . . . ” The rest was incoherent.
Janzen looked down at Rhoneck in disgust, for he had always despised weakness. Leaning forward, he lifted Rhoneck up and tossed him over his shoulder. “Oh, just shut the hell up. You just shot your own father and you have the gall to yell at me? Next time I’ll just let you be killed. Until that time comes, I have my orders.” Janzen stepped over the body on the floor and headed downstairs. Moments later, he was outside again and into the horrors of the night.
{42}
From his vantage point two miles from the town, General Nathaniel Cresul saw a glorious white light reach out from the destruction cascading upon Bannar. Its brilliance inched slowly at first before bursting forward for miles and miles. Even Cresul allowed himself to be taken by its strength and beauty. The light flowed freely and unchecked in its brilliance. And then he swore to himself as he realized its purpose and what it meant to his plans.
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