Heir of Shandara (Book 4) (23 page)

The energy blazed through him. He raised his swords up and leaped down to one of Rexel’s main thoroughfares. A small cluster of Forsaken was charging a group of fleeing people. Aaron attacked, cutting down the Forsaken and tried to ignore the FNA uniforms they wore. The bodies twitched as if the virus was trying some way to force the severed body parts to move. The sight of it made Aaron’s skin crawl, and he forced the bile back down.
 

The street he was on was empty, and the abrupt silence seemed foreign to him. His mind flashed to a time when the streets had been lined with happy people and flags depicting the standard of Shandara, a Dragon cradling a rose within its talons. Verona had thought it gleefully ironic that fate had brought them to Rexel on eve of the feast of Shensharu honoring the Alenzar’seth.
 

Aaron called out, urging anyone hiding in the buildings to make for the palace. Soldiers joined him, and soon Verona and the others found him.

“They’ve ordered the retreat,” Verona said.

“We need to get as many as we can to the palace. From there, they can escape through the portals to Shandara,” Aaron said.

Verona stared at him in disbelief, and for once the faith his friend had in him cracked his heart.

“Isn’t there something you can—” Verona started to say.

“I’m sorry, Verona. We need to save as many as we can,” Aaron said.
 

They moved down the street, with the soldiers searching for survivors and urging them along as they made their way toward the palace.

Verona’s mouth hung open as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Call the Eldarin. They can help turn this around.”

Aaron shook his head. “I can’t summon them.”

Verona’s eyes flashed angrily. “Because one is infected with the Ryakul virus? Look around you. Thousands of people are going to die here today.”

“I am,” Aaron said. “Summoning the Eldarin will make it worse.”

“You’re Ferasdiam marked,” Verona said, as if that could solve everything.

Aaron knew that his friend wasn’t thinking straight, but the words stung him anyway. Alarms blaring from the palace snapped Verona’s glare from him.
 

A building collapsed a short distance away, and Forsaken poured into the street. The FNA soldiers fired their weapons while Aaron lined up with the rest. Verona cursed, coming to his side and bringing his bow up. Crystal-tipped arrows took out Forsaken in small blasts. The Forsaken charging them wore the uniforms of fallen FNA soldiers. Aaron dashed forward, unleashing the bladesong and swirling into a whirlwind of death. Tanneth called for him to retreat, and Aaron slowly gave ground. The Forsaken never ceased throwing themselves at him. Tanneth screamed for him to move, and a blast took out the clustered Forsaken.
 

The Free Nations Army was in full retreat, sweeping through buildings and evacuating the citizens that had
 
stayed behind. Those citizens who’d had faith that they would be protected were now fleeing for their lives. Aaron lost himself in the fight. He and the rest of his specialized squad went where the fighting was the worst. They were trying to keep a safe passage to the palace open, but more of the city was being lost. Desperation was spreading even faster than the Forsaken.
 

Just outside the palace walls, people were clawing their way to the portals. Gavril reported that things were unraveling fast. Aaron ordered the FNA soldiers that could use travel crystals to evacuate the people until there were none left. Some argued that their skills would be better served defending the way to the palace. These were former Elitesmen who had joined their cause and had a taste of a better world. The fact that they were volunteering to search for survivors should have made Aaron proud, but all he felt was the sting of defeat. He sent them out to make one last sweep of the city, giving people a way out if chance had denied them a way to the palace.
 

The Zekara hadn’t moved into the city, and Aaron could guess why. Halcylon wouldn’t waste a single soldier when the Forsaken were doing his work for him. The Zekaran weapons had demolished the western walls. Attack drones were being reported inside the city, but Hythariam flyers made short work of them. Halcylon had been methodical in his attack, accounting for their capabilities, including himself. Aaron suspected that Halcylon would order his troops in at any moment. Aaron was counting on it.

“Gavril, we’re running out of time. Any minute now, the Zekara will push into the city and head for the palace. We need to set up more keystone accelerators outside the palace,” Aaron said.

“If we set up accelerators outside the palace, then we risk one falling into their hands,” Gavril said.

“Post soldiers with orders to destroy the keystone accelerators if they get overrun,” Aaron said.

“Acknowledged,” Gavril said. “Aaron, the prince would like to see you.”

Aaron was about to refuse, but something in Gavril’s voice gave him pause. He told the others he was heading to the palace and brought out a travel crystal. Tanneth placed his hand upon his arm and was quickly followed by Bayen and a few others. Verona sighed and reached out as well.

Aaron took them to the command center in the palace. All nonessential people had been evacuated. Gavril nodded to them grimly and returned his attention to the holo display before him. There was a silent somberness in the room that made Aaron’s gut clench. The people in the room knew the city was lost. Prince Cyrus’s stooped form beckoned them over. Verona charged ahead.

“Uncle, the city is not lost. We can turn this around,” Verona said.

“Peace, Verona. If this were a normal attack on the city, I would agree with you, but the Forsaken changed all that. They spread like wildfire. We weren’t sure of their capability prior to this day, but we’ve taken precautions should the city fall,” Cyrus said.

“Your Grace, I won’t give that order,” Aaron said.

“You won’t need to. This is still my city, and I will be the one to see this through,” Cyrus said.

Verona divided his gaze between them as if he had been betrayed. “What do you mean? What order?”

Aaron waited for the prince to answer.

Cyrus took a long swallow from the tankard he had on the table. “What Aaron is reluctant to do, but has agreed with the rest of the council about, is that should the city fall, it will be destroyed. At first, the idea was to capture the Zekara inside the city and then trigger its destruction, but now with the Forsaken… We have no choice. The army of the Forsaken must be stopped, or all of Safanar will pay the price.”

Verona’s mouth hung open. “Destroy the city? Uncle, this is our home. What about the people? I won’t leave.”

Aaron reached out and put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

Verona sank into a chair. “How is this even possible?”

“The Hythariam have a bomb with enough power to level this city,” Aaron said.

Verona’s breath came in gasps. “Then use it on the Zekara,” Verona said.

Aaron shook his head. “We can’t. They are too close. We need to hold them off as long as we can.”

Verona sprang to his feet, crying out his defiance. Aaron went to follow him, but the prince motioned for him to stay. Tanneth said he would check on Verona. Aaron wobbled on his feet, his knees going weak. He grabbed a tankard off the table. Rexellian ale burned its way down his throat.

“He will understand, given time,” Cyrus said.

Aaron felt a lump grow in his throat. “If there was something I could do…”

“There is: Promise me you will get Verona to safety. I know my nephew. He will not leave,” Cyrus said.

“I swear to you that I will get him out alive.”

“One more thing,” Cyrus said, his cold gray eyes regarding Aaron for a moment. “Learn from this. It’s up to you to save the rest, Aaron.”

Aaron’s eyes widened. “You’re not leaving?”

Prince Cyrus shook his head. “Rexel has been ruled by my ancestors for almost as long as Shandara. I won’t leave, but I’ll make sure I can take out enough of our enemy to see that you have a fighting chance.”

“You don’t have to stay,” Aaron said.

Cyrus regarded him for a few seconds. “Yes, I do, Aaron. For the same reason you had to go through that portal to Hytharia. He would have been proud of you, you know, Reymius.”
 

Aaron’s throat grew thick, and he was about to reply to the prince when the windows along the far side of the main hall shattered and the floor shook beneath Aaron’s feet. An explosion filled the view outside the gaping hole where the large windows had been. Chatter from the comms device confirmed that Zekaran attack drones were making runs toward the palace.

Aaron ran toward the opening to get a better look. He stopped along the way to help people regain their feet. Thankfully, no one was hurt too badly. He was joined by Gavril and Bayen. The portals were easy to spot, their silvery glow looked like pools of moonlight cast across the water. Several portals were open on the palace grounds and one beyond the walls. People were running through the portals at breakneck speeds. All semblance of order was disintegrating. Attack drones kept close to the buildings, avoiding the plasma cannons on the airships above. The portal beyond the palace walls flickered and then went out.

“The Forsaken have reached the palace walls,” Bayen said.

Gavril glanced at Bayen as if seeing him for the first time. The Hythariam’s eyes slid down Bayen’s white armor, and his gaze narrowed.

“Order the evacuation. Get everyone in the palace out of here,” Aaron said, and returned to the holo display.

Gavril came to his side. “What are you looking for?”

“Halcylon,” Aaron said. “Look, the Zekaran troops are now entering the city.”

The holo display showed the troops in their dark armor marching through the remnants of the western walls.

Gavril’s hands swiped at the display. “He would be close to their mobile command center,” Gavril said.

Aaron nodded. “Keep looking for him, and send me his coordinates through comms. I’ll see you in Shandara.”

“What do you intend to do?” Gavril asked.

Aaron hefted the rune-carved staff. “I’m going to take him out if I can. We need to get the Zekara to go to Shandara. It’s where this war was meant to be fought,” he said, heading back to the gaping hole where the windows had been.

Gavril looked as if he were going to protest but shook his head. “When Cyrus sets the self-destruct, you will have seconds to use your travel crystal to get away. Not even you are fast enough to outrun the blast. Your comms device will let you know.”

Another portal went out. Aaron felt the energy gather in the rune-carved staff. Within the furthest recesses of his mind, he heard the low rumblings of the Eldarin. They were close. The airships hovering above fired into the Forsaken, giving the people precious time to get through the portals.

“I’m going to buy them some time,” Aaron said, and launched himself out of the opening, with Bayen close on his heels.
 

Aaron landed near the closest portal and jumped into the air again. He had to get closer. FNA soldiers fought to stem the advance of the Forsaken, buying time for people to get to safety, to perhaps escape with their lives. Aaron closed in on the front line and drove his staff into the ground.

“Fall back!” Aaron shouted.

FNA soldiers retreated, and the Forsaken pressed forward, coming to a halt and slamming themselves into a barrier. Aaron kept his hands upon the staff and used it to merge the energy from the soil into the barrier. He expanded the barrier as the Forsaken continued to throw themselves at it, howling as they tried to claw their way toward him.

“Go through the portal. I’ll hold them off for as long as I can,” Aaron said to the soldiers fanning out on either side of him.

The soldiers around him saluted with fists across their hearts and headed back toward the three remaining portals. Bayen came to his side, holding his bladed staff at the ready.

“You mean to take out Halcylon?” Bayen asked.

Aaron kept his attention focused on the barrier but nodded.

“Is this wise? He created the Forsaken. How do we know that Halcylon can’t unmake what he’s done?” Bayen asked.

The Forsaken strained against the barrier, and Aaron felt the pressure in his mind. This barrier was fueled by the energy he continued to gather around him, with the staff working to amplify its effectiveness. It wasn’t tethered to the land as the barrier had been in Shandara. He couldn’t risk it, or the travel crystals wouldn’t work properly.

“I’ll ask him just before I kill him,” Aaron said through clenched teeth, straining to keep the barrier up. His breath came in gasps, but still he held on.

Bayen glanced behind them. The portals outside the palace were being shut down. Bayen put his hand on Aaron’s shoulder. Aaron released the barrier and engaged the travel crystal and took them to the nearest guard tower. Catching his breath, Aaron looked back at the palace. There were still defenders shooting crystal-tipped arrows at the charging Forsaken. He brought up the comms device and saw Halcylon’s coordinates. He’d stayed in the Zekaran mobile command center.

“You should go with the others,” Aaron said, but Bayen shook his head.