by A R Maloney
I was able to listen as the Warlord, Tchotal, gave summaries of their attacks. The Kauri Pramta, in DuPage, destroyed? My heart felt as if it were pounding through my chest and I began to feel ill. He reported the next attack on the elder Kauri Espencheid. From the sounds of it they were unsuccessful, losing every troop which had attacked. He did say that the damage to the elder Kauri was immense, and that perhaps a second attack might be successful while the Kauri remained in a weakened state. His final report was of a failed attack on the Kauri Nabaru of Morland. What I heard next shocked me to the core. He reported that his forces had been defeated by a group… a mixed group… of Lucenians and Ustenians, together, fighting side by side.
I had heard enough. I needed to leave, and now. But where to go? I knew now that I couldn’t return to Dusk Fortress… Droghel was probably hoping I’d been killed as well during that attack. I couldn’t go back to Company Damagus… I didn’t even know where they were at this point. I wouldn’t be welcomed anyway… I’d left them in their time of need. Any chance of redemption I had with them was gone. There was only one place left for me to go at this point.
Gods help me, maybe there was something in me worth saving. The sense of guilt running through my veins was almost overwhelming. Perhaps there was one thing… may the gods have mercy on me for what I was about to do. With the thought in my head, I began to whisper the words which would take me away from this place.
Chapter 33 – Still Spellbound
~Eno~
HAD SOMEONE SUGGESTED TO me six months ago that I would be sitting in the company hall of General Lancer of the Ustenians. And that we would be drinking together…. I would have probably laughed at them and then banned them from the tavern. But here I was. And here he was. We were sitting together in the common room of Eclipse Company sharing a meal and trying to find some common ground. I was still trying to wrap my head around the scene that had passed just three hours ago, when we first landed on the teleportation pad at Morland Fortress.
I had to give credit to General Lancer. He seemed to be forthright in his desire to work together. I watched as he sent several sentinels out to other fortresses, garrisons, and guard posts. Then he sent back the remainder of the group we had come across…the group we fought with. They paved the way for our entrance.
Our arrival at Morland was unlike anything I had ever experienced. We landed inside the gates, and as we walked down the stairs from the landing pad, we were surrounded by Ustenians. Both sentinels and mortals lined the path before us. There was a mixture of apprehension, distrust, and anger in the air. That much, I had expected. It was what I didn’t expect that had shook me to my core.
We had descended from the platform and were making our way down the main street. That’s when I began to hear the voices of the sentinel’s we had stood with… rising up above the din of the crowd. Loud voices, exuberant and seeming to come from every direction. Recounting the story of the battle against the Lluren at Nabaru. Telling the story of how we saved them. How we fought with them. How we saved not only their lives, but the lives of their beloved Nabaru and the other Kauri of Morland.
I had watched in disbelief as the hatred and suspicion turned to gratefulness, as loved ones realized they had almost lost their husbands, wives, children and parents. Sure, nobody was cheering for us, but as my gaze passed from person to person, I saw clenched fists raised to chests, heads bowed with thanks. And I let out a long sigh of relief as I held back the powerful emotions surging within me. I had made the right call. We will make a change.
So here I sat, at a table with those who would have taken my head, and possibly my wings just weeks ago. My heart surged as Mera ran her hand across my shoulders and through my hair, leaving it to settle on the back of my neck. I slid my hand onto her thigh and gave a squeeze. She had changed. Her skin used to be so light that it would turn pink in the sun. I turned to gaze at the woman who had been my love for as long as I could remember. Her hair was still the dark auburn that I remembered, yet now extended down her spine to nearly her waist. She had it drawn into thick, heavily braided locks, with beads and feathers tied in with small knots here and there. Eyes that used to be brown were now crimson. Her skin, now a deep dusky blue. Her body had changed too, fingers longer and clawed, yet her palms remained soft. Her feet, clawed like her hands. But her face was the same one I remembered in my dreams at night.
“Eno?” The voice pulled me out of my reverie. “Are you still with us?”
I cleared my throat and took a sip of whiskey. “I’m sorry, Skye. Yes, I’m with you. Just got a bit… distracted.” I took one more glance at Mera before turning my attention back to the table. “Forgive me, it’s been decades and I am still entranced by her beauty.” Mera blushed and smiled.
“Today could not have gone better for any of us.” Skye continued. “But now, we need to plan. Word will spread of today’s battle, and of how we came together. Nabaru will be very busy. This is good for many reasons. First, it will educate the sentinels, who will in turn bring the mortals around. I believe this will spread like a wildfire and the Ustenians will be on board. Secondly, this will give a constant presence to the Kauri of Morland. I suggest this be done with Espencheid as well. His copse needs the same protection.”
“I agree,” Lancer added, “we remember our history. We have many who lived through the break. There are so many who wanted nothing more than to be reunited with their families for so many years. When we were finally found, there was hope that we’d be saved. But we only found death instead. That dream… that hope that we may be reunited with family and friends, it still remains…. Somewhere beneath all the blood that has been spilled.” Lancer stood; his deep voice carried clear to all corners of the room. “We need to make right this loss of blood.” All eyes were fixed on the charismatic leader of the Ustenian forces. “We need to set the sentinels free!”
“Burn the wings…” I murmured quietly, before standing. “Yes! Burn the wings! We will go to Dusk Fortress and release the souls of our sentinels! For too long our numbers have been dwindling, and now we know why.”
“Can we do this with minimal bloodshed? How can we do this without starting another war?” Niera rubbed her chin as she thought out loud.
It was Pyro that spoke next, she had just returned and was filling a plate with food. “We can go. Dragon Company can still enter Dusk Fortress without raising an eyebrow.” She looked among those of her company. One by one they nodded and stood. “We will go tonight. By morning, one way or another… it will be done. This I promise you.”
“What about Droghel… his death squad… Company Hellfire? Will you be able to pass through the gates after Eno turned him away at DuPage?” Dimitri’s voice called out.
Pyro turned to him, “Droghel will be holding the grudge against Eno only. He doesn’t concern himself with the guard. We’re just peons in his eyes. I would be shocked if he even recognized any of us.” She turned to her company. “We can adjust our company cloaks, just in case.”
I laughed lightly, “Well, we haven’t exactly been stepping lightly so far.” When questioning eyes met mine, I explained. “When I first sent Skye to Morland, I had no idea this would be the result. In my wildest dreams, I could never imagine that we’d be sitting here, sharing a meal, drinking, and planning something so radical. This reuniting our peoples…was an impossibility that I could only dare to wish for. Nothing I could ever speak of beyond closed doors.” I smiled at my daughter, Sonarim. “And from the sounds of it, not a strategy that has been made has gone as planned.”
“We plan, and the gods laugh….” Mera said wistfully.
I nodded. “Here’s what I think. We can go to Plano, LaSalle, and Savannah… Sonarim and I. We can go and gather each leader for a united meeting. They will not know that it will be a meeting with Nabaru. They will not travel alone. No doubt they will each bring a small contingency, just as I had. They will learn the truths which have been discovered.”
“And they may still
take your head! Husband, I did not wait all these years to find you, just to lose you again!” Mera turned and grasped my hand.
Skye paced the room as she thought aloud, offering her insight to the group, “Perhaps wait until we see that the wings have been returned. Then that may be added to the memories to be shared. We should try to mix with the people here in the fortress as well, make ourselves available for question. Sonarim needs to regain her strength again; she has been going non-stop for days. I’m sure she is depleted.”
Mera and Sonarim both nodded at this.
“This is a good time for a feast. We haven’t had a good celebration in a long time.” I looked at Lancer, questioning his process as he continued, “I can have the meat roasting tonight. Tomorrow will be a feast day. We will celebrate our combined victory over the Lluren at the Battle of the Kauri. We can share information of all three attacks. I will get this started immediately.”
We spent the next few hours planning the infiltration into Dusk Fortress, as well as forming a group to return to Torres. We needed to check on both him and Espencheid. And we needed to get the ball rolling on Lucenian soil too.
It was late into the evening before we had finished our talks. We had all raised our glasses to Dragon Company, who would be soon leaving for Dusk Fortress. After wishing them good luck, we left the room, Mera at my side. Lancer gave us a tour of Eclipse Hall and then showed me where I would be staying throughout my visit. Then he bid me goodnight.
Mera held my hand as we entered the quiet room. It was sparsely decorated. Pegs on the wall for armor. A bed along another wall, sheets and blankets folded neatly onto the mattress. Another wall lined with shelving and cupboards. A table with chairs and a small sink sat in the corner. I was grateful for the privacy he offered us. I turned, wrapping my arms around Mera and pulled her close, burying my nose in her neck as I inhaled deeply. I exhaled a deep sigh.
“I didn’t think I would ever hold you again, love.” My lips spoke into her neck.
“The gods have rewarded us for our faithfulness and devotion.” Her voice was the sweetest song in my ears.
“Show me….” My voice was a plea.
“Show me yours… and I’ll show you mine….” Mera teased.
“Minx!” I pulled her in for a kiss before I let her get another word out.
Chapter 34 - Freedom!
~Ansker~
I HURRIED DOWN THE pathway, trying to not go so fast as to raise suspicion, but fast enough to get the job done. I pushed through the front doors and made my way down the empty halls of Hellfire Hall. The pounding of my feet echoed across the flagstone floor. I whispered a spell and a glowing orb of light rose from my palm driving the shadows back. I turned and descended the long winding stairway. Eventually I came to a locked door. I sent the orb to hang above me and placed my palms on the lock. It took a few tries, but eventually I was able to whisper a spell which the lock responded to. I smirked to myself. Having been raised under Droghel’s wing, I knew I would figure the right one out eventually.
I stepped through the door, pulling it closed behind me. I gave a low whistle as I looked through the large room, and up into its high vaulted ceilings. Row upon row of shelves stretched out before me. Wall to wall, each was filled with bins, each stacked high with wings. There was no rhyme or reason to the placement, no record of who’s wings were there. Lucenian and Ustenian wings lay mixed together in piles of bone, feather, and dried blood.
My heart skipped a beat and I felt ill as I realized they were too numerous to even count. I walked through the rows, my hands running lightly over the many piles of wings. How many sentinels had been denied their return? If I had the time, I would touch each one… give each one a bit of my time. Still that would not be enough to redeem me. In working with Droghel I had been complicit… even if I didn’t really know the true extent of his depravity.
Swallowing hard at the lump in my throat, I nodded. I closed my eyes and said a prayer for those who were finally to be set free.
“Ignis!” The flame returned to my hand. I held it for a moment before sending it to the furthest left corner. “Ignis!” Another flame. This one was sent to the far-right corner. “Ignis! Ignis! Ignis!” Each row was aflame. The wings were so dry that the fire spread without any coaxing. The room quickly began to fill with acrid smoke. My eyes and nose burned, and I struggled to stay in the room as long as possible. I fought to stay, to bear witness to the immolation of the wings of those who had been denied their returns and ascensions. “May you come again!” I coughed out the words as the smoke finally forced me back to the door. I exited the room, gasping and coughing as my lungs fought for fresh air against the smoke which I had inhaled. My eyes watered, and my hands were clenched on my knees as I tried to catch my breath.
Desperately, I tried to whisper the spell which would send me to Plano. It was time. I needed to confess my sins to the high priest. Yet each time my voice crackled, I found myself doubled over in pain as I was wracked with coughs again.
I didn’t see him approach. I was dragged up by a pair of strong hands and flung against the wall. Stars spun before my eyes as my skull met stone with a loud thump.
“What in the gods name are you doing here?” Frosts voice growled. He was aptly named. I felt a shiver as ice drove down my spine.
“B-b-b-burning w-w-wings. Setting them fr-fr-free.” I hated the way I sputtered and coughed the words out.
Beyond the door, the sounds of the inferno rose up. “Shit. We gotta go. It’s done.” Arisa called out.
“Hang on to that one. He’s coming with us.” I looked at Pyro, my eyes wide. Her voice rose above the thundering inferno on the other side of the door. “We need to leave, now, grab on!”
I was still coughing and dazed from the blow to my head. I gasped for a breath that I couldn’t seem to catch. The lack of air caught up with me. My legs gave out and I felt myself sag in Frost’s grip as Pyro prepared to cast.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to my parents, who have continued to be encouraging and supportive throughout this journey. Charisa French, you are amazing, sister! I can’t even begin to say how awesome you are. Thank you! To my wonderful team of beta readers, you are so very appreciated. Thank you also to my friends and family; especially to my son, River, who is my eternal sounding board. I appreciate your input more than you will ever know. Finally, to my friends at the Written Apocalypse, Authors of the Apocalypse, and Women of the Apocalypse a very special thanks for letting me pick your brains and helping me out as I came closer to publishing. You are all rock stars!
Finally, my readers, thank you from the bottom of my heart for spending your valuable time visiting my world. As an independent author, I rely heavily on you, the reader, to help spread the word about my books. If you liked this book, I would be very grateful if you would please leave an honest review online and recommend it to a friend. The more people who read my stories, the more stories I can write, and nothing would make me happier than to keep getting new stories out to you!
About the Author
A.R. Maloney was born in northern Illinois. She has worked as a registered nurse for several years, spending much time focusing on school nursing and children’s health. While she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, camping, gardening, and playing music with her family.
A.R. Maloney has a Bachelor of Fine Arts, from Saint Louis University, as well as a Bachelor in the Science of Nursing, from Saint Anthony College of Nursing.
Other Works by this author:
Skye Light – Edict of the Kauri – Book 1
“Robby’s Wish”, Originally published by Angry Eagle Publishing in The Winter in the Apocalypse Anthology, 2019.
Keep your eyes open for more from A.R. Maloney!
Contact the Author:
E-mail: [email protected]
Facebook: A.R. Maloney
Twitter: AR_Maloney_
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