by J C Maynard
The last light of day was fading to the west and stars were beginning to pop out against the darkening evening sky. Snowflakes began to drift down and cover roofs with a thin layer of white. The sun has set, so the Evertauri who are helping Kyan steal the stone have already left the Network, and Fillian and the Ferramish army must be closing in. It made his head spin that his memories were of the present — something happening right now. He looked out the crack in the fake crate and saw a building sitting in a grove of evergreens that he recognized and a few battalions of Cerebrian soldiers marching South.
Our supply train must be just a few miles in front of enemy lines. We must only be five or ten minutes outside of Seirnkov. The cart jolted again and continued to move. Once we get into the city, we’ll be a few streets over from the Ivy Serpent Inn where we might be able to enter back into the Nexus . . .
Calleneck watched through the crack in his fake crate as they slowly entered the city. His stomach pained him as he longed for food. But the far worse aching in his body was the fear of what was yet to come tonight. He thought of stealing the stone and handing it off to Aunika, only to be cornered by the Phantoms. Did Aunika make it back safely with the stone?
Ten minutes later, the cart pulled into the city. Calleneck recognized the buildings that surrounded them. We need to get out now. He thought quickly and decided on a plan. Peering out the crack, he located a small shop up ahead.
Calleneck tapped Dalah to wake her up.
Her eyes shot wide open. “Where are we, Cal?” she whispered.
Calleneck looked again outside the crate. “We’re in Seirnkov on Middleton Street. I’ll cause a distraction. Get ready to run for it.”
Dalah nodded and sat up.
Inside the crate of Taurimous, crimson fire began circling around Calleneck’s hands. Focus . . . Calleneck controlled his breathing and pictured what he wanted his Taurimous to do. Five, four, three, two . . . one.
Calleneck channeled his Taurimous through the ground and into the shop beside them. With an enormous boom, an explosion of fire shot out glass and bricks into the street and over the cart. The people in the streets screamed and pushed each other to get away. Most of the soldiers lay wounded from the explosion.
Calleneck evaporated the fake crate around him and Dalah then pulled her off the wagon. A few of the nearby guards noticed and immediately surrounded them, drawing their swords. Dalah sent a beam of golden light into one of them and Calleneck forced the others back with an explosion of crimson light. The mob of people in the square screamed and pushed each other over the streets of shattered glass and flaming debris. Calleneck grabbed Dalah’s hand and rushed her into a side alleyway.
Dalah looked around as she ran with Calleneck, figuring out where she was and what his plan was. The Ivy Serpent Inn is close! The two of them ran out into the next street, where people flocked through, trying to see what had happened. People were screaming, “The Ferrs are here!”
Calleneck and Dalah ran into another alleyway between two tall houses and into the next street. Fearing more soldiers were behind them, Calleneck and Dalah sprinted up the street, Xandria’s dark fortress looming ahead in the evening sky. Around another street corner, the Bernoils spotted the Ivy Serpent Inn up ahead. They ran through the crowds of people trying to board up their windows and get water from the wells that had now been completely emptied. Sprinting up to the steps of the Ivy Serpent, they saw that a mob of looters filled the tavern floor, stealing wine and drinks to prepare for the attack and water shortage.
Dalah and Calleneck walked through the door and pushed their way through the crowd of fighting citizens, ducking beneath punches. The two pressed their way into the back of the inn and into a side room filled with mirrors. They shut and locked the door behind them. Quickly, Calleneck put his hand to the mirror and covered it in crimson flames; nothing happened — it was sealed off. Calleneck pounded on the mirror and yelled. “It’s the Bernoils! We’re alone and safe. Let us in!”
After a few seconds, the mirror began to ripple like water and Calleneck and Dalah stepped through it and into the Network. A guard stood before them with dark blue fire circling his fingertips.
“It’s the Bernoils.” said Calleneck.
The guard breathed out in relief. “We thought you two were dead.”
“We snuck into a supply wagon and rode it up from Port Dellock.” said Calleneck quickly.
The guard nodded. “Quickly, go down into the Nexus!”
“Where is Aunika?” Calleneck asked.
The guard shook his head. “She hasn’t been through my gate, but possibly one of the other entrances.”
Dalah ran after Calleneck through the hallways and down a massive staircase into the cold and dark Nexus. The two of them sped into the main atrium of the underground buildings where a crowd of Evertauri had gathered. They all turned toward the Bernoils. “Cal, Dalah! We thought-”
“-that you were dead.” they all said in a jumble. “-Are you alright? -What happened?”
“Where’s Aunika?” asked Calleneck.
Hearing them, Raelynn ran out of a hallway up to Calleneck and Dalah. “Aunika and the other Evertauri from the mission are with my father and Borius. A few of them went to Xandria’s fortress but not all returned — Kyan and Lillia didn’t come back.”
Calleneck nodded. “I need to speak with your father.”
Raelynn sensed the worry in Calleneck’s voice. She nodded. “Come with me.”
◆◆◆
General Lekshane and the Phantoms walked beside Lillia down the streets of Seirnkov. Behind them, marched a battalion of the Cerebrian Guard nearly a thousand strong. Their armor rattled with the rhythm of their step down the cobblestone streets as commoners rushed to safety inside their house.
Lillia’s face still bled, and her hands were still bound behind her back. She stopped in front of the Ivy Serpent Inn where a mob of people fought over getting the last bits of resources in the tavern, but quickly stopped at the sight of the massive wave of Cerebrain Guards. “It’s in here.” she said weakly.
General Lekshane motioned forward. “Show us.”
Lillia slowly walked into the Ivy Serpent, followed by the Phantoms and a stream of Cerebrian troops. Everyone in the inn immediately felt the chilling presence of the shadowed warriors; silence fell over the room and the looters stared in fear at the Phantoms.
General Lekshane looked around and shouted, “Out!” and the tavern quickly emptied.
The Phantoms and a throng of troops followed Lillia to the back of the building into a sideroom full of mirrors. Lillia looked down at her stomach, her child, and she began to shake. The thought of Raelynn, the Bernoils, and all the others in the Evertauri filled her head. Lillia sobbed as she slowly raised her hand up to one of the mirrors. Almost inaudibly, she whispered, “I’m sorry.”
White flames circled around Lillia’s hand and covered the mirror, making it ripple like water. She looked back at the General Lekshane who motioned her forward.
With her head down, she silently stepped through the mirror like a ghost. In the dark tunnel, Evertauri guards stood in front of her.
“Lillia!” said a guard. “You’re back, we didn’t think you survived-” The guard paused. “. . . What’s wrong?”
Lillia looked up with tears running down her face. “I’m sorry.” Behind her, fifteen shadows crept through the mirror.
The guards looked at them in horror, but couldn’t retaliate before swords sliced through their backs and out of their chests. General Lekshane stood behind one and raised the sword up, making the guard groan out a dying scream and cough up a spat of blood, before shoving him aside and pulling out the sword.
Kicking over the dead body of a guard, Lekshane put his hand on Lillia’s shoulder. “You’ve done well . . . now open the other entrances to the rest of our troops and then leave the city, or what’s left of your Evertauri will hunt you down for giving your loyalty to the Queen.”
Lillia nodded
and left the dark tunnel.
◆◆◆
Calleneck, Dalah, and Raelynn stood outside Sir Nebelle’s office door. Raelynn pounded on the door. “Father, it’s Raelynn and the Bernoils!”
Borius Shipton opened the door. “Raelynn-”
He was interrupted when Aunika shot through the doorway and hugged her younger siblings. Aunika’s heart raced and she buried her head in Calleneck’s shoulder. “I thought you were both dead.”
“We’re okay.” said Calleneck.
President Madrick stood up quickly and demanded, “Why are you here?” looking at Calleneck.
Calleneck looked over and saw the glowing stone sitting on Madrick’s desk, guarded by a shield of silver light around it. “Who came back from the mission to Xandria’s fortress?
President Madrick looked at Borius. “Everyone except Kyan and Lillia.”
Borius nodded. “But they’re surely dead by now.”
Calleneck shook his head. “I don’t think so.” Everyone looked at him as he continued. “Ever since we revealed the Evertauri at the Great Gate, Xandria has wanted to infiltrate us. But the reason she hasn’t is because she doesn’t know where we are or how to get to us. However, if she’s captured Lillia-”
Borius nodded in understanding and finished the thought. “-then why would she kill her only way into the Network.”
Calleneck nodded. “Xandria’s most dangerous weapon-”
“-is one of us.” finished Dalah. “. . . Lillia Hane.”
The silence that followed was broken by screams and explosions off in the distance. They all realized at the same moment what had happened. Madrick, looked with wide eyes at Borius and the others. “They’re here.” Madrick quickly grabbed the stone as they heard the Evertauri fighting the Phantoms and Cerebrian troops in the distant hallways. Borius and a few other Evertauri darted out of the room toward the commotion to help fight.
Calleneck pointed at the stone and stared at Madrick. “We need to get that out of here! The Evertauri are compromised. Xandria is going to get the stone if it stays here. We need to get it to Prince Fillian — It’ll be safe with him.”
Madrick took the glowing stone and handed it to Raelynn. He spoke with words clear and precise and looked her in the eyes. “You run! Get this stone out of here and to Fillian Whenderdehl.”
The fighting sounded closer and they could see the colored lights of Taurimous down the hall. Raelynn took a deep breath in and then nodded. She placed the stone in her coat pocket and then dashed out the door away from all the commotion. The shadow of a Phantom streaked by in pursuit of Raelynn; Madrick launched a massive jet of silver light into him, knocking him into the wall.
Calleneck ducked as the Phantom lunged at Madrick, but Madrick sent a silver fireball into the Phantom, sending him flying down a tunnel.
Another Phantom ran towards the Bernoils, and Aunika shocked a green bolt of electricity through the ground, rippling through the stone and knocking pieces down from the wall onto the Phantom. Aunika pointed down another hallway. “Run!”
Calleneck and Dalah rushed down another hallway and into the atrium of the Nexus where shadows and glowing Taurimous flew through the air. Hundreds of Cerebrian soldiers were flooding into the Network in a wave of rattling armor and unsheathing swords. Everywhere there were Evertauri fighting Phantoms and Cerebrian troops, and bloody corpses on the ground, both Evertauri and Cerebrians.
Calleneck locked eyes with a Phantom, Ferron Grenzo, twenty feet from him. “Dalah duck!” he yelled as he sent a fireball towards the Ferron, who simply jumped ten feet over it and landed in front of them. Dalah created a glowing golden shield of Taurimous and held it up. Calleneck focused his crimson fire into a longsword and swung it into the Ferron, who met the blade with his own. Calleneck swung again and Ferron parried the blow. Beneath her shield, Dalah sent a wave of glowing embers at Ferron’s feet, tying them together. Calleneck blasted the Phantom away with a ball of fire. The shadow regained its footing after hitting the ground and streaked into another hallway.
A wall of shields marched forward onto the floor of the Nexus; the Cerebrian Guard trampled over the corpses of the sorcerers and then locked their shields together, planting their feet as a volley of arrows flew over their heads into the Evertauri. Calleneck’s Taurimous soared above his head in a wave of light, splintering many of the arrows as they whizzed through the air.
To Calleneck’s side, the old, bearded Evertauri — Sir Beshk — hurled a blue beam of light like a whip at the wall of Cerebrian soldiers and slashed their shields, sending them flying into the air. Immediately, the Cerebrain Guards raised their swords and pikes and drove forward, slamming into the Evertauri.
Countless colors of light sprung up as sorcerers produced shields and weapons to counter the hundreds of troops that still streamed into the Nexus like a never-ending current. The forces slammed together as the Guards charged forward, driving their pikes into the disorganized mess of Evertauri. Cerebrian archers shot down from balconies lining the many stories of the Nexus. Shadows of black streaked through the battle at impossible speeds, slicing through the Evertauri.
Calleneck looked around in a panic. Pools of blood seeped over the floor as Cerebrian troops and Evertauri crushed each other. Sickening sounds of dying screams and spattering blood filled the air.
“Cal!” screamed Dalah.
Before he could understand why she yelled, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and he saw a dark shadow on his side for a moment before Dalah blasted the Phantom away with a jet of golden sparks. Calleneck yelled in pain and looked at the gash in his shoulder that began to bleed.
He heard another “Cal!,” but from Aunika, who ran up to him. “Great Mother!” she said when she saw his bleeding shoulder.
“I’m okay.” said Calleneck through clenched teeth.
Aunika launched a green ball of fire into another Phantom, driving him away. Her face was bloody on one side and she had a gash from an arrow on her fingers.
Calleneck breathed in, trying to overcome the pain. “Did Raelynn make it out?”
“Yes.” answered Aunika as they all ducked under a jet of Madrick’s silver Taurimous. “She’s on her way behind enemy lines to give the stone to Prince Fillian.” The Cerebrian soldiers and Phantoms were closing in and forcing the Evertauri into a tighter area.
But suddenly, a giant wave of reassuring and powerful silver light flashed through the chamber — Madrick. A massive yellow fireball from Borius joined a giant silver column of silver embers form Madrick and exploded over a group of soldiers, crushing their bodies into the stone floor.
Purple, blue, and green balls of fire shot over their heads, burning up the arrows fired from archers above them. Beside them, Kishk the Trainer and the man with the gray beard to his stomach fought side by side with lilac and sky blue flames, blasting away the Phantoms and soldiers. Kishk’s stream of purple embers rippled through the ground as Beshk’s blue flames swirled in a storm above their heads.
Calleneck focused his flames into a glowing crimson sword and brought it down on a passing Phantom, who lunged back at Calleneck. Aunika kicked the Phantom away from Dalah, but he jumped back on Aunika and drew his dagger. Calleneck swung his glowing sword at the Phantom, who had to roll off Aunika to dodge the blade. Aunika sent a coil of the Phantom’s sword to try and knock it out while Calleneck took another swing, which was blocked. From the corner of his eye, Calleneck saw another Phantom — Chent — load his bow with an arrow. “Watch out!” Calleneck tackled Aunika to the ground as the arrow whizzed over their heads, but Calleneck’s body went cold when he heard a small gasp of pain.
Aunika and Calleneck looked up in horror at Dalah. The arrow stuck straight out of her chest and blood began to stream down. Dalah stared at them in shock as her legs gave out. Aunika jumped forward and caught Dalah as she fell to the ground. A giant wave of yellow light blasted the Phantoms and soldiers away from the Bernoils, and Borius and ran up to them. Calleneck knelt over Dalah
as Aunika placed her on the ground. Dalah coughed up blood and her eyes began to gloss over.
Tears streamed down Aunika’s face as she gently spoke to Dalah. “Dalah, listen. Listen. You’re okay.” Aunika put her hand on Dalah’s cheek as blood spurted out of Dalah’s mouth. “Dalah, it’s okay. Stay with me, alright? Stay with me . . .”
As fireballs soared over their heads, Borius stood over them, protecting them with a great yellow shield.
Aunika began to sob. “Dalah, it’s going to be alright. Dalah, don’t give up . . .”
Dalah’s body convulsed as blood bubbled out of her mouth and down her cheek. Her face was filled with fear as the light in her eyes died, and the golden flame dancing around her fingertips vanished in a wisp of smoke.
Aunika bawled and hugged Dalah’s bloody, limp body. Calleneck placed a hand on Dalah’s pale, freckled face as tears streamed down. An explosion knocked Calleneck over.
Borius picked him up with a burned and blistered hand. “You two need to get out of here.”
President Madrick ran over to them as balls of purple fire flew through the air around them. “Borius!” yelled Madrick through the explosions. “We’re being overrun.” he said, out of breath. Madrick stopped when he noticed the arrow sticking out of Dalah’s corpse.
“Borius,” said Madrick, “take those two and get out, now. I have to collapse the Nexus. It’s too late, but the Shadow Soldiers are all here now — I can take them out. They’ve killed almost all of the Evertauri, but I think I can hold them off until you and the others get out. The Ferramish army won’t be able to get to Xandria until the Phantoms are dead.”
Borius looked around at the Phantoms and Cerebrian troops fighting against the Evertauri, most of whom lay dead on the ground. He turned to Madrick, “There has to be another way-”
Madrick stared Borius in the eye and swallowed hard. “Take them and run . . . Finish what we started. Go!”
