Heir To The Nova (Book 3) (29 page)

“As a scholar, I have no words for this place, this fortress,” Ryliss said in wonder. “By everything I know, most of it shouldn’t even exist; yet it does. It kind of makes me feel foolish and small, but excited to learn at the same time.”

Getting comfortable in the chairs, I looked over at Alera. “So with all your experience with nebulia, have you ever heard of this place or Helios?”

“Not really, my Queen.” The healer squirmed in her chair, and I shot her a look. She amended it to, “Not really, Maya. The nebulia live almost exclusively in the here and now, they have very little interest in past histories. If they need to access an account of a past battle for strategic purposes, it will just come to them automatically. That’s part of the reason their written word is so elusive, it isn’t used much. As far as Helios, I didn’t even know they existed until today, I’m sorry.”

We chatted aimlessly for a few minutes. Ryliss proudly informed us that her Jag’uri kitten was now successfully weaned and was eating raw meat on its own. I smiled, thinking that bit of information would probably cause more terror than delight among the villagers and human guards in the fortress. But thus far, Naurakka had been a model citizen.

Ebony and the one called Tammy came in a few minutes later. Both were wearing what I would describe as duty uniforms: leggings, long pullover knit shirt, and a wide leather belt.

“Would it be acceptable if I joined you, my Queen?” Tammy asked with a slight, respectful bow. I was about to say yes, but Lin beat me to it.

“Yes, please come sit with us,” the young druid smiled and patted one of the empty seats.

I snorted, “Well, I guess you have to now. There’s no refusing Lin when she bats her eyes.” To prove my point, Lin did just that, with Jules and Ryliss leaning in close and copying the move.

The two warriors laughed, with Ebony recovering first. “I believe you are right, my Queen, but first…” They walked back and retrieved four large baskets that staff had just delivered to the room. “Qleyse was concerned that you haven’t eaten enough today, my Queen; and judging by the weight of these baskets, I would say he sent enough for everyone.”

Now that she mentioned it, I was hungry. And wizards and dragons can always eat. It was a happy group that scooted to the floor and turned the backs of the chairs around to use as backrests. We had a nice little picnic in the middle of the lounge of breads, cheeses, fruit, and fresh cider.

Finally, after a short period of joking around, but mostly just hard-core eating, Ryliss burst out with the question that had many of us wondering, “Please, if it’s not impolite for me to ask, what are you?”

Ebony gently set down her food. “I guess that’s a fair question. If you are thinking we are some form of undead, I can understand that, too. But we are not, at least in the animated corpse sense anyway. The shapes you see here are modeled after our original bodies, but those turned to dust centuries ago. Instead, the physical forms you see now are made from raw magic compressed to the point where it takes on actual mass. We still have some basic needs like sleep for some reason.” She picked up a slice of apple and popped it into her mouth, savored it, and continued, “We really don’t need to eat either, except as a social function, but it’s pleasurable and it makes us feel alive. The only down side is that magic, when compressed, tends to take on a gold color, so we all end up looking like this.”

“Hey, I just gained eagle vision and sprouted owl wings. Believe me, golden skin is not all that strange,” I said, smiling to affirmative nods from the rest of the girls.

“Your wings are exquisitely beautiful, my Queen. There is no shame in them, as there is no shame in what we Helios have become.”

“Besides,” Tammy grinned, “she hasn’t even mentioned the fun part yet. The reason why our eyes glow is because our new bodies are actually powered by our souls. Kind of cool, huh?”

“How does that work?” asked Lin as she nibbled on some hard cheese.

“Well, from what we understand, time spent in the crystal has changed us and altered our souls from the ground up. We have become lesser versions of what he is; in essence, almost limitless amounts of energy, although we’re just a candle and he’s the sun. That’s why Captain Winya is what she is now. If she had a normal soul, then she wouldn’t have the ability to control your armor or do half the things she does.”

“
Well, that explains a lot.”

“Indeed.”

“So looking into your eyes means we are looking into your soul?” said Julia.

“Yes, and what do you see?”

“…Warmth...”

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Alex

It was getting late or rather very early, and Nia and I were getting very tired. Even Elsa had fallen asleep curled up on a workbench with a blanket thrown over her. Darroth didn’t look like he was going to be stopping any time soon, though; and he was most definitely the happiest I have ever seen him. Nia and I had spent most of the night assisting him with cutouts, finding supplies, and organizing the new orders pouring in for repairs needed on the fortress. Several of Conlan’s men came down to act as forge assistants, so Darroth had a non-tiring staff pool. Qleyse had sent down food at one point so no one would starve, but the forge master’s plate still sat untouched on the workbench next to Elsa.

But even with all the work and commotion, Nia and I still found some time to come up with a few new plans to work on for the week that would, hopefully, give us an edge against the demons. It was already well past bedtime and I was considering a soft cozy bed when Winya contacted me and asked for me to come to her. I don’t think Darroth was even listening when I said good bye; but hey, I tried.

My pixie bodyguard was pretty tired from all the heat and smoke, so when we left the caverns, she just gratefully slid into her nook on my armored shoulder and rested. A few seconds later, the resting turned to soft snores; it had been a long day for everyone. I followed directions from Winya through a labyrinth of tunnels until we reached what appeared to be underground barracks, and nice ones at that.

Still following instructions, I entered a room that looked to be an informal gathering area of some kind to find Ebony and Tammy sitting amidst a pile of empty picnic baskets. They both looked like they were going to jump to their feet and bow or something, but I gestured for them to stay put. It was quite a scene. My dark elf girl was sound asleep on the floor, sitting propped up against the back of a lounge chair. Under one arm, leaning against her, was Ryliss; and surprisingly, under the other arm was Alera, all snuggled in, both fast asleep.

Lin was asleep, head on Tammy’s lap, and Julia was on Ebony as the two women gently stroked the girls’ hair. The silvers eyes were open, but unmoving.

“They’ve been asleep for over an hour now, and we thought it might be good if we got them back into their own beds,” Ebony whispered. “But we weren’t sure if it was proper for us to lay hands on our Queen, so Captain Winya said to let you handle it.”

I was smiling and Nia seemed very moved by the sight. “I understand. Come on, girls; let’s get them all to bed.”

The twins got up and carefully picked up Alera and Ryliss without waking either of them or Maya. Tammy carefully slid out from under Lin and picked her up as well. “If it’s all the same to you, my King, I would be happy to carry this one.” Lin unconsciously snuggled deeper into the soldier’s arms.

“And I, this one,” Ebony added, picking up Jules like she weighed nothing at all.

I nodded my appreciation and moved to pick up Maya.

“My King, I could have two of my troopers carry Alera and Ryliss to their quarters if you would prefer the Queen’s handmaidens to carry her.”

“Not a chance,” I whispered. “This is the best part of my day.” With practiced ease, I scooped her up in my arms, resting her head on my shoulder.

With a lot of direction from Winya, I finally made it out of the barracks catacombs and through a last door into the cold night air. The fortress was eerily silent, save for sentries moving about their routines. Looking up at our tower at the top of the keep, it was a dishearteningly long ways away and up.

Unbidden, my wings unfurled with hardly a sound, and with a feeling that I was breaking some rule or other, I made my way to a broad street intersection and propelled myself up into the sky. Just a few beats had me rising well above the rooflines of the civilian shops, and a few more sent me just above the second curtain wall. The slight weight of the girl in my arms didn’t even register, but it was unnerving to see the four ballistae stations lock on and track my flight. Letting a little glow bleed out from my wings apparently convinced them of my harmlessness, and they swiveled back to watching out over the walls.

The cold night air was invigorating to me, the coolness removing the cobwebs from my brain from hours in the hot foundry. I was just starting to really enjoy the flight, when I felt a shiver in my arms. I had forgotten that my dark elf was wearing just a thin dress. Stirring against my chest, she opened her emerald eyes and smiled up at me.

“I was dreaming of flying with you.”

“A good dream, I hope,” I said.

“With you, they are always good dreams,” she said languidly, snuggling closer into my chest. “In my dream, I wasn’t freezing to death though.”

A few strong beats and I dived down, finally reaching our destination–the balcony of our room. Setting her on her feet, I folded my wings away.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think.”

“Yeah well, too bad; now you will have to deal with the consequences, Magic Boy.”

“Consequences?”

“Ahuh, now I’m fully awake and really, really cold. I’m going to need a lot of warming up.” With that, she put her arms around my neck, kissed me softly, and pulled me through the door. At the same time, she grabbed the dozing pixie out of her nook in my armor and tossed her over her shoulder out into the cold night air. A well-placed heel kicked the balcony doors closed with a firm click. In the back of my mind, I could have sworn I heard some determined tapping and pixie expletives outside the door. But I found I didn’t care anymore once I felt my love’s cold lips on mine.

The next few days were like a living hell…ok, not really; because I, of all people, really know what that’s like. But that’s what Maya, Nia, and Rosa kept saying as we were all forced to listen to more reports and do more paperwork than any of us wanted to see in our lives. But I will admit, it was the quickest way to bring us up to speed on the state of the fortress, both the good and the bad.

The good news was that the fortress, with the aid of Bel’s farmers and all the supplies being routed through from the remaining supply portals like Foalshead, had acquired an impressive amount of fresh and preserved foodstuffs, grain, timber and high grade ores for Darroth’s forge. The fortress’s armory was also opened. Inside were some usable weapons and antiquated armor, but Rosa inspected it all and proclaimed that none of it was enchanted. The inevitable conclusion being that we either haven’t found the ‘special’ armory items or those pieces had been looted centuries ago.

The bad news was what was causing headaches and loss of sleep. Apparently, when Qleyse made his grand gesture, showing off the might of the fortress, he was caught up in the moment and a wee bit too optimistic. Oh, the old girl still had teeth to be sure, but those teeth hadn’t been sharpened properly in a millennium or more, and there were some problems.

The ballistae on the main walls were still operational, just requiring a tune up by Conlan’s boys. However, Winya and her girls used up nearly every ballista bolt in the place during the last days of their stand four hundred years earlier. Fortunately, ammunition was not a problem for the catapults and trebuchets. All we would have to do is fire back the junk they shot over the walls during the last siege. But all the wooden arms and supports were dry and badly cracked with age and would most likely snap like twigs the first time they were fired. So those were on the dwarves’ repair list, also.

The four machines on top of the inner curtain walls that we assumed were some form of ballistae were another concern. They didn’t fire physical bolts at all; rather, they were some kind of rapid-fire crossbow platform designed to take down flying targets. Of course, they were designed and built by nebulia, so their operation did not require that they follow any known weapons technology. Instead of bolts or quarrels, they were designed to launch bolts of pure Nova magic. I asked Qleyse why they were set back and not on the main walls, and he informed me that they didn’t have the punch needed to take down a heavily-armored demon like the minotaur I fought, but they would provide a very nasty experience for the more lightly-armored fliers like the bat things we saw at Xarparion. Rosa was spending all her free time trying to restore the flow of magic to those battlements.

Still another problem was the light that shown so brightly from the top of our tower; it wasn’t supposed to do that. That was actually a misfire of the fortress’s main weapon, a main weapon that no one seemed to know what it did or why it malfunctioned. According to the dwarf siege engineers, it wasn’t included in the afterlife mock-up of the citadel that they trained in, so they were as puzzled as everyone else. About the only thing we knew for certain was that it was broken, and this made my parents very upset. Of course, they weren’t being very forthcoming about its true purpose either.

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Ryliss

Begrudgingly, Naurakka and I slunk through the portal, ending up on a hill overlooking my home, the dark elf capital. From where I was standing, I could clearly see the main gates. Apparently, this was a spot that Sir Alex and Maya knew well.

Rosa, Prince Alex’s mentor, stuck her head through the portal. It was unnerving to see a disembodied head floating in the air, but I was getting used to it by now.

“Remember, Ryliss, the portal will reappear promptly at dusk for fifteen minutes in the event there are any messages to come back through. After that, it’s closed for the duration. It’s been good knowing you.” She gave a little wave and pulled back and the portal shrank down in size, eventually disappearing completely.

Crap, I really didn’t want to leave Sky Raven, but Alex had insisted. He had promised my father that I would be kept safe, and Sky Raven on the verge of the battle of her life was no longer safe. I snorted as I turned my head toward home. Like any place on the planet was safe right now.

Just before reaching the main gate, I squatted down and peered into the startling blue eyes of my Jag’uri, willing her to understand what I needed from her. I had no choice but to bring her along; I don’t think either of us could live without the other at this point. But I was also pretty sure she wouldn’t be getting a warm reception. Next to evil dragons, Jag’uri pumas were the most feared creatures by my people.

I looked her over lovingly. She had been growing at an astonishing rate, thanks primarily to my friend, Lin, who had personally taken charge of her feeding and hunting/training program. Let’s just say that the marmot populations near the citadel were diminishing rapidly. My cat’s back was already to the top of my calves, and I am considered tall for a female dark elf. She was also losing her kitten awkwardness quickly and showing signs of the fearsome predator she would soon become.

I brought out a thin but stout length of rope and fashioned a leash of sorts. I explained to her that this was to make the townsfolk happy, not to restrict her; but still she snarled in annoyance. Naurakka wasn’t talking yet, not even to the more experienced druids like Jules, but she could still make her wishes known.

The main gate swung open with practiced precision; this was my father’s area of responsibility and his pride and joy. All of the warriors who manned the walls and gatehouse in this area knew me well. I grinned at a few shouts of recognition as well as some good-natured catcalls from the troops as the gate closed behind me and I waited for my father to appear. Naurakka curled defensively between my legs and dragged her razor sharp claws through the sandy soil nervously.

Almost immediately, I heard my name and saw a familiar chain-mailed figure dashing out of the gatehouse. Normally he would rush over and scoop me up in his arms like a little girl, but this time he stopped and eyed my cat warily.

“I can only hope there is a really good story behind this,” he said, scratching his chin perplexedly. I crossed the few feet still separating us with Naurakka following docilely behind.

“She won’t hurt anyone, Dad. How about a big hug for your only daughter?” Finally, he crushed me to his chest gratefully.

“Well, I suppose that’s to be expected when I let you hang around with druid girls; but by the stars, a Jag’uri puma, Ryliss? How do you know it won’t turn on you in your sleep?”

“This is Naurakka. ‘She’ is not an ‘it’, and I rescued her from a forest fire and a hunting party of goblins that killed her mother. She’s an orphan, and I am raising her.”

My father, Ollis, snorted dismissively and changed the subject. “Honey, I’m so glad to see you home safe. Is everything going well at Sky Raven?”

“No, no it isn’t, Dad. I really need to explain everything with the King and Queen present. My news affects the entire dark elf nation; the whole planet, in fact.”

He grimaced. “Well, I know he’s in meetings all afternoon, but I think the rest of the morning is free…I’ll send a runner ahead.”

Thirty minutes later, I was seated in the kitchen of the recently remodeled home where King Faeron and Queen Renalla lived. Naurakka lay on the floor in a corner gnawing on the large meaty leg bone of an elk, seemingly happy.

“So, Ryliss, what news do you have of Sky Raven? How are Maya and Alex?” Faeron asked, setting some large mugs of tea down in front of us all. Queen Renalla sat next to me and patted my hand reassuringly.

“My Liege and Lady, I can honestly say that your daughter grows more beautiful and radiant every day…umm, Alex, too,” I added, walking a mental tightrope. I wasn’t sure how much I should reveal about the whole wings and glowing change. I came to the conclusion that it was probably something best explained by Alex and Maya in person.

I hurriedly filled them in on the rescue of Xarparion and the new information about the coming attack on Sky Raven, also the Kerr’s intentions for our world. The mood at the table grew decidedly grimmer, and I saw my father’s face turn dark with anger.

“Destroy the planet? Who do these Kerr, or even the Nova, for that matter, think they are that they can just come in and destroy our home? Why are they interfering?” he growled and shook his head.

King Talmin just steepled his fingers and leaned back in his chair in thought. “I’m sure they give it no more thought or remorse that we would sweeping a hornet’s nest out of the eves of our cottage, old friend.” He looked at me. “But you say Alex’s parents, the Nova, have a plan?”

I nodded. “Yes, but Alex, Maya and Sky Raven have to win their fight with the Lifebane and his forces for it to work.”

The King pondered this for a moment before he asked, “And what will you do, Ryliss? Are you going back to Sky Raven?”

“Yes.”

“No!” my father echoed, looking at me in abject horror.

“Yes, I am!”

“But, Ryliss!”

“Father, King Talmin, my Queen…this all comes down to one chance, one battle, one throw of the dice. If Sky Raven falls, it will matter little if I die on her ramparts or ‘safe’ in my own bed here in the capital. The net result is the same. I have people who I have come to care about in this battle. I also believe in the message of change that Sky Raven represents for our entire world.” I paused to take a breath and continued, “Besides, if we win, someone should be there to chronicle the event. I’m sorry, but I intend to return to Sky Raven at dusk.” I sat back, folding my arms defiantly, searching each of their faces for signs of disagreement, but all I saw was concern and a flash of pride.

King Talmin stood up and smiled. “Well, Ollis, it appears our young scholar has grown up. I just needed to hear her reasoning from her own lips, and I have to say I’m very impressed.” He put a gentle hand on my father’s shoulder. “If I’m not mistaken, the Ninth Corps owes a life debt to Sir Alex of Sky Raven for his timely rescue outside our gates during the undead siege. Even as depleted as our forces are, let no man say that our people stood idly by when our world was in peril.

That evening when the portal on the hill opened, I walked through proudly with my Jag’uri, followed by my father and sixty-five fully equipped dark elf archer/rangers. Pulling up next to an astonished Rosa, I said, “I bear a message from King Talmin of the Dark Elves!”

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Alex

The arrival of the dark elf contingent was a surprise. Of course, there were some hostile looks exchanged between our human guards and the new arrivals. But Higs and Ollis both seemed to be going out of their way to work together. In fact, I was walking past the entrance to the barracks where the dark elves were housed when the door opened, and a young dark elf female who looked vaguely familiar stepped out.

“Dawn?”

She smirked, “Oh, hello, Father.”

“What are you doing here and in disguise?”

“Just checking to see if the dark elves have recovered yet; Queen Maya was concerned.”

“Recovered?”

Dawns eyes lit up mischievously as she latched both hands onto my arm possessively and walked with me, winding our way through the streets servicing the barracks areas and finally into the civilian areas. “Oh, my Lady Queen hasn’t mentioned the dark elves’ reaction to her yet? Well, perhaps it isn’t my place to say then, me being just a humble handmaiden and all…”

“Spill it or I’ll ban bacon from the fortress.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

“No need to get testy, Father,” she purred, leaning her head softly on my shoulder. “You know I ever-so-hang on your every wish and command.”

The story Dawn told me; I found curious. Maya, learning about the arrival of her countrymen, went down to the barracks where the dark elf troops were billeted to offer her thanks and encouragement. She was exhausted and emotionally drained from days of planning and certainly not in any frame of mind to face down veteran troops. Mind you, these were all hardened dark elf rangers, both male and female, and most of them were aware of the “Warrior Queen” episode from Maya’s brief stint as the dark elf Queen. But when they all gathered around her for the first time, it was as if she was still the Queen. They treated her with so much reverence, Maya became so overwhelmed with emotion that she inadvertently extended her wings and glowed briefly, lighting up the entire lounge with astral warmth.

According to Dawn, the effect was immediate. To a man (or woman) they froze, their faces taking on an almost beatific calm, as they kneeled and placed their weapons on the floor at her feet. Every dark elf in the hall enthusiastically pledged their lives to her that day, and begged for the opportunity to serve as her personal guard and die gloriously smiting her enemies.

“I’m pretty sure they all meant it, too,” Dawn sighed dramatically. “Oh, if only I had someone who thought of me in that way! But alas, I am but a poor, lonely dragon girl, doomed to wander the world fruitlessly comparing every man I meet to the impossibly high standards set by my own father. Ach, it is too painful to contemplate,” she gasped and pretended to fall into a swoon, knowing that I would catch her–which I did. Fortunately, I had spotted Hons approaching from down the street, so I deftly lifted the comely dark elf lass up and handed her off to the arms of the surprised earth wizard.