by Joel Stewart
Jesse poked his head up and saw Menor and Ridone heading his way. He saw Davis standing, swaying, but standing, in defiance. He could see Cliff laying on the ground moaning. He then looked down at his feet, at Alex’s peaceful but unconscious face. When the roof blew out, a beam had fallen down the staircase they were hiding in and slammed Alex in the side of the head. She was alive though, and Jesse hoped her new fast healing would bring her back to her senses shortly. Fear gripped him. He ducked back down next to Alex.
Maybe if I pretend to be dead they will leave me alone, he thought. He thought about Cliff, the way he was writhing in pain on the ground. Not dead, but unable to do anything but deal with the pain that had been inflicted on him. A spark of anger burned in Jesse, and with the spark his fear receded a little. As the fear withdrew his anger grew brighter, and with his anger so did his courage.
By the time Ridone passed the stairway Jesse had whipped himself into a full-blown fury. He ran up the stairs and held his hand out toward Ridone. It seemed natural. A wall of flame coalesced out of thin air and wrapped itself around Ridone. He screamed and fell back in the confusion. He turned to unleash his fury on Menor, but he was too slow. Menor kicked him in the chest and sent him flying through the air, landing just on the other side of Cliff. Davis jumped on this opportunity to attack Menor but again, he was just useless. As trained in hand-to-hand combat as he was, Menor had thousands of years of combat experience, something Davis couldn’t match. Menor also wielded his abilities with incredible proficiency. After a short exchange, a punch to the face left Davis lying on the ground next to his friends.
Cliff saw what was happening but felt helpless to stop it. The shockwave Menor had sent through the earth erupted right under his chest and he had absorbed its full force. He was in so much pain he wished one of the demons would just kill him and end the suffering. Ariel, he thought. I don’t know if you are in there, or if you can do anything, but if you can . . . we are all going to die if you don’t. I don’t care about the rules of possession, just use me! It’s Alex . . . if you don’t possess me, she will die. I would rather I die than her. Use me Ariel! His building passion overrode his pain and screamed it out loud. “Use me Ariel!”
As if a switch had been flipped, Cliff jumped to his feet. Menor and Ridone looked hesitantly at each other but Cliff did not give them a chance to coordinate. With blinding speed he slammed his elbow into Menor’s chest, sending him flying through the air and into the ground on the opposite side of the house near Bren and Frost. Ridone swung his now glowing swords but they were blocked by a fiery blade that appeared in Cliff’s hand. He was also a Cherubim. Ridone was fast but Cliff was faster. Not only was Ridone outmatched, he was wounded from several gunshot wounds and Jesse’s brief but painful flame. A slash across his chest and a second across his back was followed up by a spinning kick to the face that threw him after his partner. As Cliff flew over the rubble of the house Frost stepped forward to meet him. A flurry of kicks and punches ensued but it was evident that Frost was losing. Bren, Ridone, and Menor all started firing energy blasts at Cliff as he fought, quickly turning the tide in Frost’s favor. Cliff’s sword reappeared in his hand to give him more reach and to keep frost at bay while fending off the barrage.
Without warning, three powerful energy blasts slammed into Bren, Menor, and Ridone, sending them sprawling and leaving small craters where they once stood. Lena flew out of the skyscraper like a bolt of lightning to follow up on her attacks. Bren got up and formed his own fiery sword, but Lena’s strength cut through it, shattering the sword and leaving a scarred slash across his chest. Ridone raised his swords but he was too injured to imbue them with energy. Lena’s sword cut them in half and severed most of his arm off, leaving it hanging by a few ligaments. Menor almost got to Lena while she was preoccupied with Bren and Ridone, but in the chaos he forgot to maintain his shield and bullets began to rip through his body. He raised his shield, but it was too late—he had sustained significant injuries and Lena was on him. By the time Lena had finished with Menor and his body dropped unconscious to the ground, Frost fell right next to him. Cliff stood over her, victorious.
“Oh how the mighty have fallen,” a sinister voice said from behind them. Lena and Cliff whirled to see Serenis coming up the hill with five dragons. Her dragons were grotesque things, not at all like the dragons down in the caves. One of the dragons had half of its face covered with a steel plate, another had one of its front arms and one leg replaced with cybernetic systems. “An angel possessing a human. Are you sure you do not belong on our side, Ariel?” Cliff spit on the ground in response.
“You are alone Serenis, do you really think you can take Ariel and I on your own?” Lena struggled to settle the unease inside her. Ariel was in decent shape overall, but Serenis was much more powerful than him. She was the one that needed to be at full fighting strength, and she was anything but. She had several broken ribs from when Menor sent her flying across the city and her energy was drained from the intensity of the combat. She kept herself steady and stepped back into a combat stance with her sword burning menacingly in her hands. Cliff followed suit. Why did she come up on us like this? Why not come out in full force and crush us unaware? Lena thought. She is weakened somehow. She is riding a dragon, but she would not be doing that if she was not conserving energy . . . she must have flown here herself all the way from Chengar! Realizing that Serenis was not planning on trying to pick a fight, Lena slowly backed away from the demon generals, never dropping her guard. If Serenis realized how injured she was, this battle still might have a different outcome. At this point she was willing to accept a draw.
“I will let you have this one,” Serenis said with a sly smile on her face. “Consider it a gift, since we have not seen each other in so very long. Next time I will not be so lenient.” Lena and Cliff said nothing. The four dragons accompanying Serenis each grabbed a demon general. Serenis lingered a moment, as if considering whether to attack them after all, then turned and flew off with the others close behind. Once they were out of sight Lena flew over and picked up Davis and Jesse, flying them down into the hill. She looked strange carrying someone as big as Davis. Cliff followed her in silence, picking up Alex on the way. Lena and Cliff laid their injured comrades on the couches in the living room area they first entered when she led them to the caves. “They will be OK in a few hours,” Lena said breaking the silence. She looked up at Cliff and met his eyes for the first time. Lena’s eyes looked so sad. “Ariel . . . What have you done?” Cliff tried to say something but couldn’t. He started looking around wildly. Lena grabbed him and tried to focus him, but she couldn’t. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he collapsed in Lena’s arms. “Ariel . . .” She repeated to herself in a weary tone, cradling him. “What have you done?”
Chapter 11
In the Skies near Dengrin
“General, our Queen is coming into view off our port side. She is giving us the signal to proceed with our alternate plan.” The pilot yelled over the sound of the cruiser engines.
General Reminir looked out the window to the see the five dragons flying in a horizontal pattern. That was indeed the sign for plan B. “Land us in the castle. Your families will be richly rewarded for your sacrifice.”
When Reminir arrived there was a small escort waiting for him. “Sir, the council is assembled and waiting for your report. I feel I must tell you—” a young female aide began.
“Take me there.” He cut her off.
“Sir, two members . . .” She attempted to finish.
“Throw her in the prison for insubordination.” He commanded the pilot as he jumped down from the cruiser. The three Chengarian operatives he had with him were special forces and knew every inch of Castle Dengin’s layout. The woman’s jaw dropped open as handcuffs were placed on her.
“But . . . But sir . . .” she tried to reason one last time but was again cut off when Reminir wheeled around and slapped her face, sending her reeling down to the grou
nd.
He motioned to the other two. “Take me to the council room. It’s time to meet with . . . this governing circle.” He walked briskly through the castle streets as if he owned them. At one point a man literally had to jump out of his way to avoid getting knocked over. When he reached the main conference room of the governing circle, he slammed open the door and stormed in, his two escorts close behind. Everyone just looked at him expectantly, word had gone ahead of him that he had an important discovery to reveal to them. “I have something very important I need to speak with you all about . . .” He looked around at the room full of gullible fools. They had no idea what was about to happen to them. “I am happy you are all here . . .”
“Actually, Alden . . .” One of the circle members began, but he was rudely interrupted by a bullet passing through his brain. The two escorts Reminir had brought with them opened fire on the council, slaughtering them all in a matter of seconds.
“I am happy you are all here . . .” Reminir restated to the room of dead men. “Because your deaths mark the first step toward the end of Denoria.” He looked up at his two consorts. They staged their poses as if they were about to shoot him. They knew this was the next part of the plan, and their families would be celebrities back home—famous and rich. Reminir drew his pistol and shot each of them two times in the chest. They crumpled to the ground, bleeding out.
“This marks a new day for this world.” Reminir began talking to himself. “A day where Queen Serenis has removed a great obstacle from her path for domination.” He then turned his pistol around and shot himself in the shoulder. The council room was soundproof to deter espionage, so Reminir did not fear interruption. He remained where he was for a moment to make sure a good blood trail would follow him as he left the room. I now have control of this entire country. I will be greatly rewarded when word of this reaches Serenis.
He breathed heavily and stumbled to the exit, shakily stepping out the doors he collapsed in the foyer outside. The clerks surrounding the council room looked on him in horror as the guards at the building’s entrance ran to his side. Within minutes medics were loading him on a stretcher and calling arrangements in to a local hospital.
Part III
The War Begins
Chapter 1
Above the Eastern Denoria National Forest
An A-1 Firehawk burst into the flames as the fiery liquid that covered its hull ignited the fuel tanks. This was the third airship to fall without landing a single hit on the five dragons they were attempting to take down. LCDR Kurt Cerigan was growing frustrated. Rockets exploded just shy of the dragons for no reason he could ascertain. The dragons each had a rider as well, although from a distance only one looked to be riding strong, the others were half falling off of the crude saddles the dragons were equipped with.
“Knight and Rook squads, fire heat seekers from the front, hopefully these dragons carry a significant heat signature. All other squads, stay behind and use cannons. We won’t let them get away!” As the lead airship, Kurt lined himself up in the middle with the airships from Rook squad on his left and Knight squad on his right.
“Knight copy.” Called out LCDR Cassandra Rothburg, flight leader for Knight Squadron.
Kurt smiled when he heard Cassandra’s voice. They had been rivals since the Air Navy Academy, but he had won the last dogfight earning himself the title of flight leader for the air base this year. Cassandra still maintained that her airship malfunctioned, and Kurt suspected it might have, but since she beat him the year before he took the win anyway. Not my most chivalrous moment, he reflected. His brief thoughts were interrupted by the other squads checking in. “Rook copy,” “Baron copy,” “Mantigore copy,” “Panther copy.” Everyone was set for the next run.
As they approached, the woman in the center made a motion and all the dragons with her halted. Kurt squinted—it almost looked like her eyes were glowing. A trick of the light, he told himself. The rockets loosed from the front row of airships and streamed ahead of them toward their target. Kurt could not shake the feeling that her eyes were glowing red, and brighter than before. She held up her arms and, just for a moment, Kurt thought he saw some sort of ripple or distortion around them, but he couldn’t be sure. They just began to bank off and let the cannon squads do their jobs when the rockets collided with what appeared to be an invisible wall. Each explosion created a ripple across it, a ripple that showed it growing in size at a tremendous rate. As it grew, one of the airships from rook squad did not break off fast enough and crashed into the barrier. “Pull up!” Kurt screamed into the radio. “All airships, full retreat! Pull back!” His warnings came too late. A dozen airships plowed into the wall, a growing field of debris forming on its surface.
The sphere was now colliding with the earth below. Trees started to snap in the middle and higher elevation geographical outcroppings and hills began to flatten under its crushing power. Another dozen airship was unable to avoid its growing influence and the debris field from their wreckage defined the outer edge. “My afterburners are spent, and it is still gaining!” Screamed Cassandra through her radio.
“Hit the deck!” Kurt replied back. The few remaining airships dove down as close to the ground as they dared, but the sphere continued to gain on them. “The eastern desert cliff is up ahead, cut the trees if you have to.” Kurt began firing his cannon ahead of him, lopping off the top of some of the taller trees ahead of them. Cassandra and the other airships followed suit. Three more airships were crushed into the ground before they reached the cliff. Kurt had never thought the desert looked so beautiful.
The eastern desert cliff ran one-third of the distance from Dengrin to Jorgen. One side of the cliff was at an extremely high elevation and covered in green forest, the other side of the cliff was below sea level and was a desert. As Kurt tore past the cliff he angled his airship almost straight down to gain maximum speed and distance from the growing sphere. Cassandra and two other airships followed close behind. Two more were overtaken by the sphere just before the cliff. As the ground rushed faster and faster to meet them Kurt heard a deafening BOOM behind him. He looked up to see the sphere had dissipated and the debris that had been riding in front of it, rock, trees, and airship wreckage, had been expelled from its surface with incredible force.
“Pull up and watch your back!” Kurt ordered. Debris slammed into the ground all around them causing huge plumes of sand to billow into the air. Kurt watched helplessly as a tree trunk crashed through another airship. He was frantically trying to see in all directions to make sure he did not meet the same fate and, after moments that felt like hours, he broke free from the debris field. He was relieved to see that Cassandra and one of her Knight Squadron airships managed to survive with him.
“I don’t know how that happened,” Cassandra said over the radio. “But that woman did this. Do you think this is a new weapon Chengar developed? How are they coming up with all this new technology?”
“I don’t know Cass.” Kurt replied. “We need to set down at the closest airstrip and review our flight cameras. The council is going to want to hear about this. General Reminir will not be happy to know that dragons are the least of our worries.”
Chapter 2
Chentar, Capital of Chengar
“Tomorrow will be an interesting day if the conditions are right.” A voice echoed through the door of Admiral Stenman’s home.
“I have had my fill of interesting days; the end of Denoria will bring peace.” Was the somber reply. Stenman opened his door to see General Rogner standing before him. He looked almost too civilian with his collared shirt, beige pants, and overly large hat that curled up on one side.
“I have something I need to show you.” The aging general said in a flat voice. Stenman waived him inside.
After closing the door, Stenman motioned to his ear as if to say, The house is bugged. “Did I lose the bet on that last arena gladiatorial match?” Stenman said laughing. “I didn’t manage to catch it after we had that alt
ercation the other day.” Serenis had instituted fights to the death as a means of entertainment. Stenman found it appalling but the masses in poverty were eating it up.
“You guessed it,” Rogner said jovially, quickly catching on. “And I’m here to collect.”
“Well you will have to show me the proof first.” Stenman replied. “Let’s head for the basement, I have a video player there we can use.” Stenman, wearing his pajamas, led General Rogner through his spacious home. Rogner admired the warm home, obviously the work of Mrs. Stenman. It was a sharp contrast to his own. Once reaching the basement Stenman put a disk in a video player. “We can watch the whole nights bouts, I haven’t had a visitor in quite some time and don’t mind the company.”
“Sounds good to me.” Rogner replied. “I only caught the end of the night’s matches anyway so this will let me catch up.” He shook his head impressed as the previous night’s gladiatorial matches began to play. Stenman must have recorded the fights to keep as a pretext to other conversations. He is a brilliant strategist, Rogner thought.
“Look at this fellow, this should be an interesting match.” Stenman said as he pressed the play button on an audio player. He moved toward a wall and pressed his hand on the concrete. An illusionary concrete brick turned blue and scanned his hand. Accepting the handprint, a hidden door opened in the wall. A recorded laugh bellowed from the audio player as Stenman silently beckoned Rogner inside.
“It is safe to talk. This room is soundproof and there are no listening devices in here.” Stenman said as he sat in one of the two comfortable chairs in the room. “I even have a separate generator to this room, so it is not connected to the rest of the house in any way.” He motioned toward a video player and TV centered on the wall. “Put it in, let’s see what it was that was so important it brought you out here tonight.”
