Destiny (14 page)

A hundred steps later Larissa caught up to Sharon at the top of the stairs. For a second, she couldn’t hear anything due to the blood pounding in her ears. Forcibly controlling her breathing, she turned Sharon around by her shoulders.

“Tell me what the bloody hell is going on!” Wide-eyed, Sharon silently pointed over Larissa’s shoulder with a shaking hand just as she heard heavy chopping sounds coming from behind her.

“What the bloody hell ...?” Whipping around, Larissa’s froze as her mouth hung open.

There was a loud boom overhead as a trio of United States fighter jets did a low flyby over the island at supersonic speeds, while an entire wing of Cobra Attack helicopters took up positions at the edges of the lava dome. Turning around slowly, Larissa saw armored landing vehicles already climbing the rocky shores of the island, while hundreds of soldiers began deploying into defensive positions along the outer rim. Off-shore in the distance, she could make out the outlines of many warships of what looked like the entire American’s Mediterranean Sixth Fleet.

Hearing a rush of heavy footfalls behind her, Larissa turned around just in time to see a small group of black-suited men in full battle gear rushing towards them at a fast sprint. Pushing Sharon behind her, Larissa faced the men silently as they came to a stop in front of her.

With silent efficiency, the combat group spread out to either side of their point man, warily scanning the area for any threat. Holding up a picture, the point man compared her to the image for a long moment, before addressing her directly.

“We need you to come with us, Doctor Evans.”

Chapter
Nineteen

Location Irlendria / Lúthien Narmolanya:

“Her Mother and Father were dead!” The realization of that simple truth finally cut through the maelstrom of emotions overwhelming Lúthien’s thoughts. With a prayer to Tapio, she pushed the terrible grief to the back of her mind. There would be time enough later to mourn their loss. For now, she had to focus on the present.

“RRREEEIIII!” Argus’ bestial cry of rage galvanized Lúthien into action as her analytical mind kicked into overdrive. Looking around the chamber, her gray eyes took in the nightmarish scene playing out around her.

Knight-Captain Valandil and the rest of the Ironidium Knights were strewn across the room like broken rag dolls while Argus savagely tore into the mutant creature in wild fury with claws and fangs. At first, Lúthien thought the Wenci was winning the ferocious battle, but almost immediately she realized that wasn’t the case. As the creature’s injuries began closing before her incredulous eyes, she knew they had to get out of here, while Argus distracted the monster.

Scrambling on hands and knees to her cousin’s side, Lúthien paused in horror seeing Enelya’s extensive injuries for the first time. White bones stuck out from her partly crushed chest, and blood ran from her nose and mouth. For a second, she wondered if her cousin was dead, but seeing the rise and fall of her chest. Lúthien breathed a sigh of relief. She still lived! Slipping an arm under Enelya’s shoulders, she struggled to lift the smaller Elf to her feet.

“Enelya, you have to wake up.”

Bracing against the wall behind her for leverage, Lúthien managed to lift her cousin up next to her. For being so much smaller, Lúthien couldn’t believe how heavy Enelya weighed. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Lúthien stepped away from the wall only to be immediately dragged to the ground by her cousin’s mass as she pitched forward. Tears of frustration streamed down Lúthien’s face as she shook her cousin by the shoulders.

“Wake up Enelya!”

“Rrriiieeaaa!” Looking over her shoulder as Argus’ shrieking cry rang out behind her, Lúthien was just in time to see the Wenci fly through the air. A second later, there was a thunderous crash as Argus caromed off the calcimite bookshelves at the far end of the room. Rolling back onto three clawed feet, Argus faced the corpse-white creature growling deep in his chest.

The long silver fur bristling out from the Wenci’s lanky body was stained dark red with blood and gore as his long smooth tail curled protectively next to his body. Holding a wounded front paw close to his chest, he moved with a pronounced limp stalking just beyond the reach of the creature’s long reach looking for an opening.

Argus’ black eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as the heavy clanking footfalls of more Knights approaching at a fast trot from deeper inside the keep started echoing around the room. Instead of feeling a wave of relief at the sound as she normally would have in the past, Lúthien’s heart began beating fearfully in her breast.

“Rrriiieeaaa!” With a shrieking cry, Argus pounced like a striking snake.

Quicker than eyes could follow the creature’s clawed fist shot out from its muscular body. Stretching across the room, the blow struck the Wenci midair slamming Argus back into the wall with bone jarring force. As the monster’s long claws sank deep into his furred chest, Argus shrieked mortally wounded as Enelya jerked upright screaming in agony.

Dread filled Lúthien’s heart as she suddenly recognized the corpse-white creature for what it was, a Tuonellian Hulk. As a young Elf, she had spent many years studying every tomb of learning she could find on the Horde’s races. The implications of were staggering. If the invaders were back, she had to warn her people. Not waiting to watch the outcome of the savage fight, Lúthien dragged her screaming cousin to her feet rushing for the doorway.

“Enelya, we have to go now!” They made it to the top of the steps before Enelya dragged her to a stop. Swinging around, Lúthien slapped her cousin across the face with an open palm screaming at the top of her lungs. “Stop fighting me! There is nothing we can do to save Argus’ life, but we can warn the Council of the Elders about the Tuonellians’ return!”

In a cold rage, Enelya shoved her away. Blood matted hair fell across her face as she staggered into the wall behind her. White-lipped with pain, she glared at Lúthien through black dreadlocks, the tribal tattoos of her face giving her features an almost menacing look.

“Then go, warn the clans!” Hacking uncontrollably, Enelya doubled over in pain retching blood, the spasms lasting for several long moments before settling down once again. Wiping the blood from her lips with the back of her hand, Enelya met Lúthien’s gray eyes speaking in a harsh whisper. “I will not leave my soulmate to die alone.”

Incredulously, Lúthien watched her cousin shove herself away from the wall. On unsteady feet, Enelya staggered back down the corridor heading for the library when a blood-curling screech rang out down the hall. Almost immediately after Argus flew through the doorway. Bouncing off the calcimite walls, he slid to a stop on the smooth marble floor at Enelya’s feet streaming blood. Falling to her knees, Lúthien watched her cousin drape one of Argus’ forearms over her shoulder as she struggled to help the mortally wounded Wenci to his feet.

“God, she’s such a savage!” Swearing in annoyance under her breath, Lúthien ran to Argus’ other side. Looping his bloody arm over her shoulder, she helped Enelya lift the Wenci to his hind legs. As she began dragging them both down the corridor, Lúthien heard the Tuonellians’ voice ring out behind them.

“Sound the alarm. I want the gates locked, and those animals dragged back to me in chains!” There was a loud crash as the monster bellowed in rage. “Now go!”

As the clanking sounds of heavy armor echoed throughout the corridor behind them, Lúthien glanced over her shoulder to see the Ironidium Knights charging around the corner in pursuit. Reaching the top of the stairwell Lúthien took a firm hold of Argus. Not bothering to slow down she pulled them down the stairs after her at a fast run.

The plan almost worked. At the bottom of the steps, they wiped out from the momentum as soon as the floor leveled out. Sprawling to a stop, Lúthien leaped back to her feet. Running back to the bottom of the stairwell, she was just in time to see their pursuit reached the top.

Ignoring the guards racing down the steps, Lúthien urgently searched for something that would slow the knights down. Seeing an old spider web at the base of the lowest step, she knew what to do. Scooping up the sticky material, Lúthien stood directly in the path of the armored mass of Ironidium Knights. Spreading her fingers, she called forth her power.

“Kónguló Vefur!” Energy flowed through Lúthien‘s body as she pictured the spell in her mind. Immediately thick gossamer strands spewed forth from her open hand in an explosive wave. Spreading out across the opening, the webbing completely filled the stairwell before coming to a stop in front of her.

The knights on the stairs were instantly caught in the spell’s grasp. Lúthien was just breathing a sigh of relief when she saw the runes on the magically enhance armor the Ironidium Knights wore flare with runic power. Grimacing, she raced back to Argus’ side. The spell didn’t need to stop them, just last long enough to allow them to escape.

Quickly Lúthien lifted the Wenci to his feet with Enelya’s help as they quickly began making their way to the exit. Looking once more over her shoulder, a cold shiver ran down her spine as she watched the knights attacking the mesh in utter silence. Already they were breaking free of its sticky embrace. Reaching the far end of the chamber, Lúthien flung open the wooden doors to the great hall, when suddenly an armored fist shot out of the corridor.

“Aaaeeeiii!” Lúthien’s scream was cut off sharply as she was jerked into the air by her long hair.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a silver streak pounce atop the knight reaching for Enelya as Argus’ battle shriek rang out around them. Slamming into the back wall of the corridor, Lúthien’s eyes focused on the cold metal of the tinnearlian visor staring back at her.

Pain laced through Lúthien’s scalp as she wrapped her hands around the cruel guard’s armored wrist. Not bothering to struggle against the magically enhanced strength of the spellforged armor, Lúthien blocked out the feeling of her hair being ripped out of her scalp as she called forth her power once more.

“Galdur Eldflaugum!” Starbursts of light suddenly shot from Lúthien’s chest. Flying around her like an angry swarm, they slammed into the Ironidium Knight’s breastplate in a series of mini explosions as the Klavikian runes engraved in the metal flared with defensive energy against her magical assault. Lúthien felt her feet touch the ground for a moment as the guard’s body shook in agony. Still focusing her thoughts, another light burst of stars flared into the air around her when blinding pain racked her body.

For a second, Lúthien didn’t know what had happened. Her face ached like nothing she’d ever felt before. As her vision began to clear, it was just in time to see another balled up fist slamming into her face as the knight slugged her again.

The sound of the wet meaty impact was cut off as bright lights flashed before Lúthien’s eyes. Immediately the starbursts streaming from her faded away as the pain of the physical blow broke her concentration and the connection that linked her to the magical power of her birthright.

As her consciousness began fading in and out, everything seemed to happen all at once.

Lightning fast, a thin arm snaked around the knight’s plate mail elbow. In a blur of motion, Lúthien dropped to the ground as the guard was suddenly propelled into the opposite wall with a resounding metallic crash that was instantly muffled by a swirling gray shadow.

Falling to her hands and knees, she saw Argus sail through the air with her swollen eye as the Ironidium Knight he was battling lurched back to its armored boots. Immediately a caterwauling shriek rang out as Enelya launched herself through the air at the armored guard. As Enelya wrapped her hidebound legs around the knight’s thick waist, Lúthien flinched at the loud scream of grating metal as Enelya slammed her tinnearlian daggers through the shiny helm’s thin horizontal eye slit.

Immediately every muscle in the guard’s body went ridged as blood began gushing down its runic faceplate. For a second Lúthien’s eyes widened in shock that her cousin had managed to kill one of the infamous Ironidium Knight’s by herself when the guard suddenly staggered backward stopping its fall. Terribly wounded and very much alive, the knight smashed Enelya violently to the ground with a brutal strike to her head.

Time seemed to slow as Lúthien struggled to push herself back to her feet. The entire side of her face throbbed with pain as the blood pounded in her ears in time with her beating heart. Helplessly she watched the knight shamble after Enelya on unsteady feet. As the armored boots reached her side, a swirling gray cloak suddenly flew through the air blocking Lúthien’s vision.

Immediately the knight was thrown to the ground with a loud crash. Floating back into the air, the cloak rippled again flowing directly for her. As the rippling shape came to a stop directly in front of her, Lúthien shrank back in fear as a leather gloved hand pulled the cowl back from the shadowy face underneath.

“Please forgive me, Princess. I was held up by traitors.” Hearing the strong familiar voice of her guardian relief flooded through Lúthien as she saw the battle-hardened face looking back at her in concern.

“Warden Morwen!” Wrapping her arms around the Warden’s broad shoulders, Lúthien sobbed into her armored shoulder. “Mother and Father are dead!” Wiping the tears away with the back of her hand she spoke haltingly. “I don't know when it happened, but a Tuonellian Hulk now sits on the High Throne and wears my father’s face like a mask.”

Feeling Morwen’s shoulders tense, Lúthien blood suddenly ran cold. Remembering Knight-Captain Valandil’s betrayal, she fearfully began pushing away from the Warden, when Morwen’s ironidium grip stopped her. In one swift motion, Lúthien was pulled to her feet.

“The Ironidium Knights have been compromised, but I have not.” Dragging her to Enelya’s side Morwen spoke quickly. “Trust no one Princess. I do not know what has happened to our people, but whatever it is. It holds even the most steadfast of our people in its powerful grip. We must find Princess Amaurea and get the three of you out of Daeron Fortress immediately.”

Lúthien felt the blood drain out of her face remembering her cousin’s mutilated corpse. “Princess Amaurea is dead.” Morwen’s face was unreadable as she gently lifted the Enelya to her feet.

Lúthien had always heard Wild Elves were resilient to physical injuries, but that didn’t explain how her cousin stood before her now. Her injuries would have killed a normal elf. Blood ran from Enelya’s nose and mouth with each painful breath, but somehow her cousin ignored the worst of her terrible wounds as she followed the Warden to the Wenci’s side.

“Help Enelya get Argus moving.”

Hearing the clanking sounds of armored, Lúthien looked over her shoulder with a start. Still covered in sticky fibers, the guards she’d immobilized in the stairwell were rushing into the chamber behind them. As Lúthien’s heart began pounding in her chest, she hissed in frustration.

“We don’t have time for this. The guards are going to be here any second!”

Enelya glowered angrily back at Lúthien as she looped Argus’ arm over her shoulder, but it was Morwen who responded. “Do you want your cousin to die?” Seeing the confused look on Lúthien’s face, Morwen spoke harshly. “What do you think soulmated means to a Wild Elf? Do you think the Wenci is just another beast of the forest?” Not waiting for an answer, Morwen answered her own question. “If Argus dies, your cousin will too!”