Heretic Spellblade

by K D Robertson

With a crack like thunder, the shimmering white and black tear in reality vanished. A blast of wind knocked everyone down in the clearing.

  Nathan collapsed, and all went black.

  Chapter 25

  “Nathan!”

  Nathan stirred. He thought he heard Fei shouting.

  “Nathan, get up,” Fei said. “Something’s wrong with the portal.”

  A sense of deja vu struck Nathan. Part of his mind panicked. Had he sent himself back in time?

  He opened his eyes and remembered where and when he was. Something was wrong with the portal because he had cast a spell on it. Fei was simply panicking.

  “I feel like I got hit by a catapult,” he groaned, pushing himself to his feet.

  Fei yanked him up and let him lean on her. He appreciated both the help and the soft cushions pressing against him.

  “Would that even hurt you?” Fei asked, eyes wide.

  “Yes. Believe or not, getting hit by a gigantic flying boulder would hurt me,” Nathan drawled. “You’re a lot sturdier than I am, now that you have your first gem.”

  “Oh.”

  Nathan looked around.

  No demons remained. The last of their remains seeped into the cracks in the ground and broke down into…

  Nathan realized he didn’t know what happened to the bodies of the demons in the portal. Outside, their bodies rotted and collapsed like normal. But in this strange place, something swept them away like so much garbage.

  But the invasion was over. No more demons spilled from the portal. Fei and the hoplites had cleaned up the few that had remained after he cast his spell.

  Where the tear in reality had stood was a much smaller hole in space, roughly the size of a large double door gate. It shined bright white and didn’t shift in tone or color. Nothing walked through it.

  Nathan frowned. He had hoped that somebody on the other side would notice this and save him the trouble of going to the other side.

  “We have to go through,” he said. He pushed himself off Fei’s shoulders and stood under his own power.

  His body ached. The binding stone rung in his mind, empty almost to the last drop.

  How long had it been since he had pushed himself this far? When he had fought Kadria, she had destroyed the fortress and directly attacked his network of leylines and binding stones before he even had a chance to use his full power.

  If anything reminded him that he had fallen in status as a Bastion, it was this feeling of impotence. He had a single binding stone, with only just enough power to repel a mildly dangerous demonic horde and pull off a nifty trick. He hadn’t even fought a Messenger. Or even multiple invasions at once.

  It would be a while before he reached the level of power he once held.

  “Nathan? Are you alright?” Fei asked softly.

  “I just pushed myself too far,” he muttered. “Forgot my own limits.”

  “Shouldn’t we pull back then? The portal is—” Fei began to say.

  “No,” he said. “We need to go through. We have only a few minutes before it collapses. I’ll have the hoplites carry Sen back.”

  Sen kneeled on the ground behind them, where she had cast her tornado. She hadn’t moved an inch, and her breathing was clearly labored.

  But Nathan needed to push on. He strode up to this new gateway, ignoring Fei’s whines about his health. Then he stepped through. Fei followed a moment later.

  The white of the portal blinded him, filling his entire vision. It faded quickly. The pair had been transported to an entirely different location. Fei gripped his arm and looked around uncertainly.

  “Isn’t this…” Fei trailed off. Her tail rubbed against Nathan’s leg.

  “Vera’s tower. I connected the portal to her gateway,” Nathan explained.

  They were on the third-highest floor of her tower, immediately below her planning room. The gateway glowed behind them, bright white. Nobody else was up here. The tower was eerily empty. Each level was doughnut shaped, with stairwells leading up and down on opposite ends and the empty center leading all the way to the bottom.

  Clangs and shouts echoed from below. Nathan walked to the edge of the platform and glanced down. Fei stood behind him, her grip on his arm tightening as he got closer to the edge. She mumbled something about being careful.

  Vera’s armored summons clustered on the bottom floor, right at the entrance. The door had been destroyed. Spearmen wearing tan and gray uniforms pushed their way inside, but the summons held them back. Corpses piled up, and a pool of blood coated the floor.

  Two levels above the fray, Vera hurled balls of fire and light at the attackers. The corpses disintegrated from her onslaught and allowed her summons to push the enemy back to the door.

  “Are they trying to wear her down?” Fei asked.

  “Wave tactics are pretty normal to deal with sorcerers,” Nathan said. “Vera has her cairn, so she can’t run out of raw power, but her stamina will run dry eventually. She’ll overtax her body from casting too many spells. Then she’ll either make a mistake, allowing a Champion to capture or kill her. Or she’ll collapse and the fight is over.”

  “That’s horrible,” Fei said.

  “Given they’re using humans for the wave, yes it is.” Nathan grimaced. “Usually summons are used.” At least, before the war. Perhaps he had been naive in thinking that if he stopped the Empire from falling, then everything would be better.

  Nathan looked for a quick way down. He only saw the staircases.

  “How come I’m not tired?” Fei asked.

  “I did tell you that the enhancement changes you. The binding stone makes you superhuman. That’s why sorcerers often become Champions or Bastions. It’s one of the few reliable ways to cast spells above sixth rank.”

  Nathan cursed when he didn’t see a faster way down.

  Suddenly, a familiar voice shouted, “You’re wasting your effort, Nair.”

  “Sunstorm,” Nathan said. “We’re running out of time. Let’s go.”

  He leaped down. Fei squawked and followed him, still holding onto his arm. Her quick reaction time allowed her to stick with him.

  Despite landing in a roll, Nathan still felt the pain from dropping several stories at once. He felt the fractures and forced himself to ignore the pain blossoming along his limbs.

  Fei spotted his discomfort and pulled him over her shoulder. He grimaced but used her superior strength and speed to cross to the other side of the floor.

  Vera spun as they approached, her staff glowing with triangles. She stared at them in disbelief, ready to cast her spells at any moment.

  “You look like you don’t want to see me,” Nathan said. “I have a way out. We need to go now.”

  “How—” Vera tried to say. She shook her head. “Forget it. I’m learning not to question how you do what you do. Lead the way.”

  Nathan had expected more resistance. This was her tower, after all. Her inheritance.

  As they ran for the stairwell up, he glanced down and saw the enemy push through her summons. A seemingly endless wave of Federation soldiers hell-bent on breaking in and killing Vera. Their ferocity was unusual. Somebody drove them to this level of fervor.

  Or maybe they thought their commander was more likely to kill them than Vera.

  Either way, Nathan found the Federation soldiers unnerving. How did Vera feel after watching them die in droves just to capture her tower?

  There was only one floor below the gateway when the Federation completely overwhelmed the summons. The soldiers began shouting and pointing at them. Vera flung spells in response. She looked at Nathan while biting her lip.

  “Don’t look at me,” he said. “I burned all my energy to get here.”

  “I can tell,” she replied.

  Nathan felt something nearby. A strong power. He dropped, letting go of Fei.

  A wicked short sword cut through the space where his head had been. A boot slammed into his stomach and nearly knocked him off the edge. Fei grabbed him befo
re that happened.

  Sparks flew as Sunstorm traded blows with Fei. Blue flames burst into existence.

  Sunstorm vanished in a puff of shadow. Fei hoisted Nathan up.

  “Keep moving,” he growled, stumbling toward the gateway.

  Vera looked around wildly, staff glowing with a readied spell.

  A pair of shadows appeared, one racing right toward Vera. Her beam of light burst uselessly on Sunstorm’s body. Vera’s eyes widened, and she raised her staff.

  Fei’s flames disintegrated Sunstorm’s shadow instantly, as if it wasn’t there to begin with. Turning, the beastkin intercepted Sunstorm before she reached Nathan.

  The two Champions traded blows. Fei’s flames ate at Sunstorm’s armor and clung to the assassin’s skin.

  Nathan ignored them and climbed the stairs.

  “What about Fei?” Vera shouted.

  “She can handle herself,” he said.

  Grunts and clashes of steel sounded behind them as they ran for the gateway. Nathan paused before the portal and waited.

  Fei could handle herself, couldn’t she?

  Vera stared at the glowing white gateway. “How?”

  “Don’t ask. Go. I don’t know how long we have,” Nathan said.

  Vera ran through the gateway.

  Something appeared nearby. Nathan felt her.

  He ducked. Blocked with his sword.

  Sunstorm’s sword crashed into his and bowled him over. She growled at him. Her armor and clothes had been burned away, leaving her almost naked. She was left wearing only the onyx gem in her collarbone and her black panties. Otherwise, her olive skin was on full display.

  Oh, and the burn marks. Blue flames still clung to her, burning at patches of her skin and blackening them. Sunstorm was going to look like she had flown a little too close to the sun after this fight.

  Fei crashed into Sunstorm before the assassin readied another attack.

  Rising to his feet, Nathan yelled, “Fei, we are leaving.”

  Sunstorm’s head snapped toward Nathan. Before she could do anything, Fei tripped her. The beastkin darted toward Nathan. A short sword flew at Fei’s back, but she spun and batted it aside.

  In a puff of shadow, Sunstorm vanished and reappeared right above the gateway. She wasn’t giving up, Nathan realized.

  Fei hurled a jet of blue flames at the other Champion, while holding Nathan back. Sunstorm’s eyes widened. She saw her defeat, no doubt.

  If she blocked their way, she’d take the blast of flames head-on and would then have to fight Fei right afterward.

  If she ran, then both Nathan and Fei would escape through the portal.

  Sunstorm glared at Fei. The assassin ran a finger across her throat the moment before the flames reached her. Then she vanished into her shadows.

  The next moment, Fei and Nathan ran through the gateway.

  The hoplites and Vera stood guard on the other end. Some soldiers had wandered down as well.

  Seconds passed. The gateway remained open. Nathan collapsed on the ground and allowed Fei to stroke his hair. Her tail brushed against his back. He was spent.

  Nobody came through. Eventually, the gateway collapsed.

  The demonic portal didn’t reappear. Over the course of the next several minutes, the black sky regained its color and the light from below turned purple again. The monochrome world they had fought the demons in turned back into a hellscape. Everybody cheered.

  Nathan rose to his feet and stumbled back up to the palisade. The soldiers who had come down to see what had happened followed him back. When he stood atop the wall, the remaining defenders watched him in eager anticipation.

  He held up his sword and cheered. The soldiers joined in, saluting and throwing their hands into the air.

  They had won their first victory.

  Nathan left out that they needed to win another. The Federation was coming. But for now, they deserved to celebrate.

  Chapter 26

  “Have you gone insane?” Kadria screeched.

  “Given I’m standing in a void talking to a demonic Messenger? Maybe,” Nathan said. He crossed his arms.

  Kadria paced back and forth in her strange void world. He had visited her immediately after the invasion. The fact that his binding stone was empty concerned him, and there was an incoming enemy army. He doubted she’d help, but maybe he’d get lucky.

  Instead, she shouted his ear off the moment he walked in. Nathan looked around.

  This place seemed larger somehow. More palatial. Nathan didn’t keep track of the furnishings, but he swore there were a few more.

  And the room was definitely larger, and not in the mind-bending way. The outline of a rug shifted as Kadria padded back and forth, her bare feet tugging at fibers Nathan couldn’t see.

  Was she leeching off the binding stone to feather her own nest? Nathan shook the thought away. He didn’t have the time right now to concern himself with Kadria. And a slightly larger bedroom for the Messenger was the least of his worries.

  “Funny. You’ll find yourself enslaved in somebody else’s void if you keep pulling stunts like that,” Kadria growled. Her eyes flashed.

  Nathan noticed that her pupils had enlarged, giving her the appearance of having almost solid red eyes. Her horns had blackened as well. Gone was the Messenger who lusted after his crotch. In her place was a genuine demonic general.

  Kadria terrified him right now. He hid the shudders she sent down his spine, but he knew he’d be having nightmares about this.

  If she had shown up with this appearance when they first met, he’d never have accepted her deal.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked quietly.

  “What do you think it means?”

  He paused and thought about it. “You said I didn’t need to worry about Messengers yet. That the portal was too small to concern them.”

  Kadria rolled her eyes. “Are you stupid? There must be a Messenger behind every portal. Who do you think creates the things? Do you think those armies of hulking musclebrains are traversing transdimensional space by themselves?”

  “What?” Nathan blurted out. “Hold on, but you said—”

  “I said that a Messenger wouldn’t come through the portal.” Kadria run her hand over her face and glared at Nathan. “Look. Why do you think the portals get worse the more you suppress them? Shouldn’t it be the opposite? Use your brain. I turned up when I did because I was looking for competence. I found it, at the end of everything, in a world that had defeated so many other Messengers.”

  Nathan felt like the world had been ripped out from underneath him. “Other Messengers are doing the same thing you are?”

  “Not exactly,” Kadria hedged, her tone uneasy. “I can’t be too specific. Not yet.”

  “Why not? We seem to be in this together. Or aren’t we?”

  Kadria rolled her eyes. “We are. And we’ll both be very, very dead if I say the wrong thing at the wrong time. You probably won’t understand this, but let’s just say that the walls have ears.”

  Nathan pointedly looked at the closest wall. It didn’t appear to have an ear, or the outline of anything at all on it. Kadria kicked him.

  “God, you people are stupid,” she muttered.

  “You mean goddess,” Nathan corrected automatically, hiding a grin. He had successfully taunted her.

  “Sure.” Kadria waved a hand. “In any case, each Messenger has its own goal. They’re looking for things. But you know what I know every Messenger wants? Servants. Useful servants. Servants who can manipulate portals using binding stones, which is a power I thought unique to Messengers. Where did you even learn to do that?” Kadria snapped, growing irritable.

  A lull fell over the room. Nathan rubbed the bridge of his nose while Kadria huffed and puffed at him.

  Then Kadria coughed and straightened herself up. Not that there was much for her to straighten up, given her lack of attire.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled. “But you Bastions tend to be
so terrible at working with your binding stones. Where did you learn to manipulate a demonic portal?”

  Nathan frowned. “It was something that an old comrade of mine worked on in my timeline. His theory only really worked on weaker portals, because the power necessary to close a portal is equal to the demonic energy leftover. Plus, closing a portal early will trigger a cascade.”

  “But you’ve used it before?” Kadria asked.

  “I’ve tested it on weaker portals.” Nathan shrugged. “And my comrade used it in an evacuation once. That’s when we learned the spell caused cascades. For what little it mattered at that point. Trafaumh was already a ruin by the time he closed the portal, so creating a bunch of new demonic portals there was a drop in the bucket.”

  Kadria clicked her tongue. “Just another oddity of your world, I suppose. So many little things drew me there.”

  Her mutterings continued for several minutes. Nathan didn’t pick up anything of particular value from them and eventually grew bored.

  “If you didn’t notice what we did in my timeline, why does it matter here?” Nathan asked.

  “Because this world isn’t a maelstrom of death, destruction, and despair?” she asked rhetorically, looking at him as if he were an idiot. Which had been her default look for most of this visit, to be truthful.

  “That makes a difference to Messengers?”

  “A big difference,” Kadria said. She placed one hand high in the air and moved it up and down like a fish. “In your world, large invasions, cascades, trigem Champions, and entire countries being destroyed were normal. A Messenger knew your world was serious business, which attracted major players such as myself. But the individual events don’t stand out.”

  Kadria lowered her hand, and her motions became slower, but much more deliberate. Like waves, Nathan realized. She was making a wave pattern with her hand.

  “In this world, the level of activity is far lower. Fewer large invasions, very few cascades, and only the Kurai Peninsula has been destroyed. So every big event stands out.”

  Nathan licked his lips. “So by converting the demonic portal into a gateway like that, I made a big wave in a small pond?”