by Scott Baron
They didn’t know what, though. Perhaps scout ships disguised as civilian vessels, surveying the outer edges of the system. Or extra ground forces disguised as locals or traders. One really couldn’t be sure.
Normally, those sorts of tricks weren’t used by the Council at all. They simply relied on their overwhelming power to protect their leadership. But now, operating in a covert manner as they were while Maktan was amassing power and the Council was in turmoil after Ravik’s death, no one really knew exactly what to expect.
The two Ghalian shimmer ships jumped to the dark space just outside the system in preparation for their approach. Rather than arriving with Bud’s mothership and detaching, they placed themselves as close as they could without being seen. Then they waited.
The others in the assault group would be coming shortly, but when they arrived it would be a far less subtle occurrence. Until then, the two stealth ships engaged their shimmer spells and made a rapid but cautious approach to the Council estate on Rimpalla.
The amount of magic needed to keep the ships invisible to the degree required was substantial. Shimmer cloaking was notoriously difficult to utilize in space. But the Wampeh Ghalian were experts in the temperamental spells required, and with the additional konuses Hozark and Demelza had brought for this purpose, they made it all the way to the planet’s surface without raising a single alarm.
Of course, they had to land a significant distance from the actual target location. Vislas as powerful as Maktan and Egrit would be able to sense their ships if they were actively alerted to the possibility of an attack. They shouldn’t have been expecting anyone, but it was far better to play it safe than be sorry.
The approach through the outskirts and eventually the city itself was straightforward enough. Hozark and Demelza were each using minimal disguise spells so they could more quickly shift to a new look as soon as they disabled and then replaced one of the staff or guards with access into the inner reaches of the estate.
It wasn’t a fortress or impenetrable stronghold they were infiltrating, just a fairly opulent property that happened to have what appeared to be a few visitors at the moment. Little did the locals know, it was a pair of vislas, members of the Twenty, no less, who were meeting in secret a mere stone’s throw from their homes.
Demelza was the first to find a suitable identity to assume. A member of the cleaning staff who just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wrong for her, that is. For Demelza it had worked out wonderfully.
The woman was only stunned, though, her slumbering body tucked safely away where no one would stumble upon her while the impostor worked her way deeper into the estate. Had she been a Council guard, Demelza might not have been so kind, but mere support staff had nothing to do with the dealings of those who employed them. To kill one served no purpose.
She quickly made her way through the corridors, getting the lay of the land without encountering any pushback. The benefit of the woman’s job was that no one tended to look too closely at support workers. They were the lowest ranked and therefore not worth the effort or attention. And that afforded them an unexpected bit of freedom.
Demelza, wearing this new appearance, continued moving deeper into the grounds, cataloging everything in preparation for the distraction from above.
Hozark’s entry took a little longer. It was just a fluke of luck that none of those cleared to enter the perimeter in his general area were traveling alone. Always in groups of three or more, and infrequently at that. And farther in the city, the unmarked goons he knew all too well at this point were congregating in far larger groups than that. This was going to require a shift in strategy.
Of course, he had known it would be a trying day no matter the circumstances.
“You know she’ll be there, right?” Bud had asked him before they boarded their ships for the final departure.
“Yes, Bud. I am aware.”
“So, you know she’s gonna be fighting with those unidentified Council mercenaries again.”
“Yes. His off-book goons.”
“What are you going to do, then? I mean, you two had a bit of a truce there.”
Hozark imperceptibly sighed. “It was short-lived,” he replied. “And this shall end today. One way or another.”
The tiny bulge hidden within a secret pocket on the inside of his tunic well ensconced in layer upon layer of protective magic was a heavy weight for him to carry. But what he said was true. One way or another it would end today, even if he had to break out the weapon of last resort he never hoped to use.
The vial of water seemed normal enough, but to nearly all of the species in the galaxy, just a few drops of the Balamar waters would provide great healing benefits, even increasing their magical powers and recovery abilities.
It was utterly priceless, and this vial had been captured from Emmik Rostall when he had been slain. And it was on that day the waters were used for their other purpose. To kill Wampeh.
Enok had been his name. An aspirant out for his final test. A difficult assassination, but one he should have been able to complete. But the target, a lower-ranked emmik by the name of Rostall, had surprised them with the one trick no one expected up his sleeve. Balamar waters.
Just a drop had reduced Enok into a pile of ashes. A quirk of the magical water that what healed so many more was the deadliest thing known to the Wampeh. It would be a dangerous but valuable addition to the order’s collection.
But Hozark had kept the vial rather than place it safely away in the Ghalian vaults. For on that same day he had learned that Samara was alive. And he knew then that the day may come that he might need to go so far as to sacrifice both of their lives to end her.
If it came to that, it was a price he was willing to pay.
Hozark had been lurking around the two entry points to the facility closest to where he had landed for some time when a decision had to be made. The others would be jumping into orbit soon, and he would either be inside, or be forced to fight his way in with the others. Reluctantly he donned his shimmer cloak, hoping beyond hope that its magical camouflage would not be detected given the extremely unusual circumstances.
At long last an opportunity presented itself. A large contingent of guards were shifting out, the doorway open for their passage. It would be a tight squeeze, and a lot of moving bodies to avoid in hopes of not being noticed by an errant step or stray arm brushing against the invisible man.
Hozark tucked as close to the wall as he could as he shadowed the group. A bit of inspiration hit him, and he quietly cast a novelty spell. Not the usual fare for deadly assassins. But in this case, it just might work.
The guards sniffed the air, the rank stench of someone’s gaseous bowels wafting from closest the wall. None would claim the offending flatulence, and all instinctively shied away from its origin.
It wasn’t elegant by any stretch of the imagination, but it got Hozark inside, and that was all that mattered.
He dropped to a crouch as a large platter was carried through the space he had just occupied. The metal barely cleared his head as those carrying it hurried along. Food for a feast, it appeared. More likely than not, the troops were being fed the excess from the visla’s personal meal for himself and the other Council representatives below him.
One thing the Twenty did well was entertain, and given all of the wealth they had amassed over the years, cost was not an issue. And if they were feasting, perhaps their guard was down more than he’d expected.
He stood once more when the coast was clear and rushed deeper into the estate. He had intended to take another’s identity, but that was obviously not an option that was going to present itself. So Hozark stepped into a small storage chamber and assumed a generic guard’s look.
He just hoped no one would stop and ask who he was. That this could be done quickly and quietly without additional casualties. Though highly unlikely, ideally, the killing would begin and end with Maktan. But he knew the situation was anything but id
eal.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Bud’s mothership jumped into low orbit above Rimpalla just before Lalaynia and the mercenary band led by Andorus arrived. The pirates and mercenaries were right behind, but the immediate reaction from the seemingly benign ships in orbit was already both violent and intense.
“Definitely disguised Council ships,” Bud growled as he spun into a quick dive to evade the blistering barrage of both spells and magically lobbed projectiles.
If the ship hadn’t possessed the additional shielding provided by Corann’s clever overlapping of the defensive spells of the smaller craft on its hull joining with the larger vessel’s, they would almost certainly have been blown from the sky. As it was, the impacts were enough to shake loose a few less robustly secured bits, including one of the smaller shuttle craft.
The little ship was destroyed as soon as it had pulled free of the conjoined defensive shielding. The Council forces were not playing around, and their response had been to throw everything they had at the intruders.
“Where the hell are the others?” Bud wondered as he and Laskar unleashed their countermeasures against the swarming ships. “Get here, Lalaynia! We can’t handle all of these on our own!”
As if she had heard his plea, the massive pirate ship flashed out of jump nearby, spewing out its contingent of fighter craft the instant it arrived. The pirates were here, and they were more than ready for a fight.
Hot on their tail, the cluster of heavily armed mercenary ships jumped in as well. Suddenly, what had seemed like a very lopsided fight had become a massive space battle between two very potent forces.
Bud’s ship dove toward the surface while the others took on the space-bound craft. The plan was to draw the surface ships up to meet them, leaving the ground forces with less craft to provide any sort of air support. It was a risky move, and Bud’s ship would take a beating, but it was fast and the most heavily shielded of their rag-tag fleet.
“You got this?” Bud asked his copilot.
“Yeah. Just get it done,” Laskar said, taking over the controls and firing off a spray of deadly defensive spells, powered by the many konuses linked within the ship.
“See you on the other side of this mess,” Bud said. “Henni, let’s go!”
He took off down the corridor, headed straight for the fastest ship mounted on the hull, his violent little friend close on his heels, armed to the teeth and ready to fight.
Outside, the first wave of pirate and mercenary ships heading for the surface also began their descent. In just a few moments the duo boarded and strapped in, then immediately detached from his mothership and peeled away, quickly, joining them in the dive for the surface.
“Nice shielding system you’ve got there, Bud,” Lalaynia transmitted over skree. “You’ll have to show me how you did that when this is all done.”
“Let’s just survive first,” Bud replied.
He was straining his piloting skills to the max as he and the others dove through the magical chaff and defensive spells, heading for the surface and the battle that awaited them there. But he nevertheless felt a tiny rush of calm at Lalaynia’s voice. Knowing she had his back was a comfort in such a massive engagement.
On the surface, the Council forces were taking up positions, prepared to defend the compound against these surprisingly organized attackers. None had expected any to be so bold as to attack a pair of Council members, and as a result, their response was a bit slow at first. It was just so unlikely.
But then again, most would not even know the Council members were there. One of the downsides to being so secretive. For all they knew, the attackers were oblivious to what they were really stirring up.
Regardless, once the initial surprise wore off and the fighting began in earnest, the well-trained Council guards quickly split off into their battle stations, ready for the inevitable clash on the ground.
What they didn’t know was that the truly dangerous invaders had already infiltrated and were behind their defensive lines.
Hozark and Demelza rushed through the grounds with the others in the somewhat chaotic call to arms, fitting in just as they had hoped. Demelza had shed her servant’s disguise and was now sporting the appearance of one of Visla Egrit’s guards. Hozark had also upgraded, having been able to separate one of Maktan’s men from the others in all of the chaos, ending him and taking his persona.
Inside the facility, word was spreading that the two vislas were aggravated that their meeting had been interrupted by some so brazen and foolish as to attack the facility. Of course, their presence was a secret, so it appeared to simply be a very unfortuitous bit of timing for a band of pirates and mercenaries to go on a raid.
But the two power users had something up their sleeve. Power, to be exact. And they were both actually looking forward to seeing the looks of surprise on the attackers’ faces when the two of them stepped out onto the battlefield and revealed who the fools were really engaged with. Oh, what a surprise it would be. Or so they thought.
“Where’s Visla Maktan?” Hozark asked one of the guards rushing past him. “We need to protect him!”
“Haven’t you been told? He’s heading to the front gates with Visla Egrit. They’re going to take on the pirates!” the guard said, positively giddy at the prospect of two Council members showing what they could really do.
“Is that wise? I mean, there are so many?”
“You know how powerful they are. A little band of pirates is no match for two of the Twenty!”
“You’re right,” Hozark said, matching the man’s enthusiasm. “Let’s go. I don’t want to miss this!”
Caught up in the moment, the guard didn’t even question Hozark’s legitimacy, instead leading the assassin directly toward his target. If Maktan truly did intend to step outside onto the battlefield, he would be on a high level of alert.
It would be best if Hozark could take him out before he did so, while he still felt safe within the walls. It would save a lot of innocent lives, as well as provide him a much cleaner way to carry out his contract.
But when they arrived, it looked like he was already too late. The gates were open, and the sounds of fighting were thick in the air. Maktan and Egrit were both standing there, calm as could be, a nice, safe wall of magic in front of them, blocking all of the attackers’ pathetic attempts to reach them.
Hozark noted the guards coming and going from behind the defenses, peeling off to the sides then rushing out into the fight. The two vislas were foolishly overconfident in their security and had only cast in front of themselves, not all the way around. Standing in the doorway with their stronghold at their backs, they didn’t see how anyone could possibly slip past to attack from the rear.
In one regard, they had a point. There was quite a healthy contingent of modestly powered men and women standing around them. The underlings and assistants, each powerful to some degree, though a few did seem to rely on konuses as well.
Hozark scanned the area. It was looking like this might be a bit more difficult than he’d originally thought, and he hadn’t expected it to be easy. But with Lalaynia’s pirates in the mix, the neat and orderly fighting was sure to become very asymmetrical very soon.
Andorus’s mercenaries would then use that to their advantage, the two very diverse fighting forces playing off of each other as they swept forward through the skilled but outmatched defenders.
Hozark stopped and pulled back, stepping into the shadows behind a cluster of guards awaiting their opportunity to rush into battle to prove themselves to their visla. Something seemed odd on the battlefield.
Someone else was there, leading a group of Council soldiers with no insignias on their uniforms into the fight. And she carried a glowing blue sword.
Samara.
But the forces under her command seemed to be fighting all they encountered, pirate, mercenary, and even the occasional Council guard who got in the way. Something was going on.
Hozark looked closer. The fal
len guards were Visla Egrit’s, a group of them having been closest to Samara’s point of incursion. A double-cross? It was beginning to look as though Maktan might have lured the other visla here with something other than an alliance in mind.
Whatever it was, he would worry about that afterward. For now, he had one task on his mind. And that was ending Visla Maktan once and for all.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
For all the talk about how Visla Maktan was the least threatening of the Twenty, personality-wise, the man still possessed an enormous amount of power. Far more than most of the others on the Council. But he typically avoided conflicts, choosing to hang back and let the other, more overtly power-hungry members get involved.
But despite his supposedly calm and restrained demeanor, seeing him in the thick of a major engagement proved one thing. The man was still a member of the Twenty, and you didn’t maintain a place among that lot by being sweet and lovable.
The two vislas had continued to hold back, allowing their underlings to flex their power a bit, rushing out into the fray and casting some rather impressive spells, showing their vislas what they could really do.
The attacking forces countered them, though, overlapping their defensive spells to better diffuse the bombardment while still allowing others within their ranks to cast offensive replies.
It was a brutal push and pull, and it seemed likely the two sides would carry on this way for some time if allowed to. Of course, the pirates and mercenaries were using charged weapons while the Council lackeys were powered individuals.
Everyone knew they would not replenish their internal power fast enough for that element to be a real threat in battle. Both sides would slowly use up their magic until they were down to their blades.
And then there would be no stopping the vislas.
Really, there wouldn’t be anyway, most likely, even if the attackers were fully charged. The Maktan bloodline had a long history of possessing significant power, and Egrit was no slouch either. But they were being cocky. Underestimating the threat. And that left an opening Hozark and Demelza could exploit.
