The Silver Sphere (16 page)

"Aye," Barrick said. "They march to a different
tune, Sculptor, but the Stonecoats could wipe out an entire Nightlander regiment.
Do you remember your history? The Battle at Canopus Hills against the Nightlanders
was legendary. Blindsided and ambushed, the Meridian Army faced defeat, until the
Stonecoats stormed in and beat back the Nightlander troop within an hour, allowing
our soldiers to retreat and then launch a counterattack." Barrick shook his
fist in the air again.

"They may cost us allies, friend. They're feuding with the
Battleswine, but Lord Achernar is negotiating with the Battleswine in hopes they'll
join us. When they find out Milo and the Stonecoats are marching with us...."

"They will still join us. The Battleswine are well aware
the Stonecoats are in good relations with the Aulic Assembly. We are talking about
the Nightlanders here, Sculptor. Azimuth will unite. Adversaries will coexist, if
only to battle the minions of Biskara."

Max beamed at the Stonecoats, his eyes wide. "Wow, these
guys look awesome."

Shelby and Max met the Stonecoats' stares. Their armor glistened
in the sunlight, a blend of gold and silver mixed with rich, dark brown leather.
Shelby had dreamed of such armor as a little girl, and this exceeded her images.
A white knight from Arthurian legend couldn't hold a candle to these guys. Their
helms shone brilliantly, each forged with the Stonecoat eagle sigil atop the brow.

"All right." Sculptor patted Max and Shelby on their
backs. "We need to get you packed up now. We will be leaving in a moment."

They returned to the rest of the Kin. Riley twirled her slingshot,
and Stuart and Emily engaged in conversation while packing their bags. Shelby was
glad Emily was opening up to someone. She decided to give them space while they
rode.

"You guys won't believe this, but I slung this pellet thirty
yards and hit the tree I aimed for," Riley exclaimed, pointing in the direction
she had thrown. She tilted her head back a bit and smirked.

"I believe you," Max said. "I can handle this
sword with as much ease as the lacrosse stick I grew up with."

Stuart walked over with his backpack fastened. "Well, let's
get going. I'm anxious to learn what Lord Achernar has to say and how we can help."

"I'm with you," agreed Shelby.

The rest of them scurried to retrieve their new belongings. Shelby
slung the crossbow across her back and sheathed her saber. Having the blade by her
side seemed natural, almost as if she'd been missing half her arm her entire life
and hadn't known it until now. She smiled at Max, who had strapped the long sword
scabbard to his back. He wore his pack over the saber and was still able to unsheathe
it in a flash.

Barrick called the Kin over.

"Okay, now, not only will you be riding with us, but Presage
has asked Milo and the Stonecoats to accompany our group to Meracuse along the Dorado
Path. Let's saddle up and head out."

The five Kin and Mr. Dempsey mounted their horses, joined by
Vilaborg, Casselton, Sculptor, Cumber, Boozer, Sol, and the two new Meridian soldiers,
Dukas and Crater. Within a few minutes, Milo and the Stonecoats swarmed through
and enveloped the Kin, Milo taking the lead at the forefront with Barrick.

"Let's march," Milo cried out.

They traveled at a good pace and in unison like a well-disciplined
army. Previously, Shelby had been uneasy in a saddle, but now she was at home riding
the dappled charger they'd given her. The group fell in line with the rest of the
soldiers, and together, they created an enormous column of riders, wagons, carts,
and mounts.

Tall oaks lined the muddy path on both sides. The vegetation
alongside the road was thick, and several odd-looking birds rested on branches.
One in particular had an owl's body with a hawk's head.

Sculptor caught her observing and said, "Those are called
howls, my favorite birds. They're the easiest to train as messengers... very smart.
Earth creatures interbred with ours, and the results are amazing."

Shelby also spotted a pack of checkered ferrets scurrying along,
trying their best to keep up. They chattered and squeaked. About a mile down the
path, they vanished into the underbrush.

The pace of the army quickened from a canter to a gallop. The
course was wide enough for the horses and wagons to move along at more than a lumbering
clip.

Shelby glanced at Mr. Dempsey, who rode next to Emily. His head
tilted in close to Emily, focused on her word.
Good. Emily seems to be having
the hardest time with our summoning. Mr. Dempsey is a great person for her to talk
to.

After an hour of riding, Milo halted and waved his arm back.
The Stonecoats followed his signal and moved into action, forming a wall around
the Kin. Barrick appeared confused, looking to Milo for an explanation. The Meridian
Army ahead continued riding, and after a short pause, Barrick called out to them.

Milo said to Barrick, "I heard the cracking of branches
and what sounded like a sword being drawn."

Barrick raised an eyebrow. "Milo, no disrespect, but with
all of us riding at a gallop, you heard a sword unsheathe in the foliage?"

At that moment, a distinct snap erupted from the right side of
the forest. The Stonecoats all drew their swords in unison with one large swish.
Barrick and the Meridian soldiers followed suit. Up ahead, one of the soldiers shouted.

A wind swirled in, succeeded by a fog that seeped from the forest
on both sides. The smoke cloistered the Kin, separating them from the rest of the
group. It smelled awful, not at all like the mist around the lake near Shelby's
home.

"Thieves' fog. On your guard, Stonecoats," Milo hollered.

Dark soldiers, with black leather masks and a skull emblazoned
on their chests, stormed from the thicket. Each brandished steel. Axes were held
high, swords pointed forth, and maces swung to the ready.

Alongside Shelby, Dukas was snapped down off his horse by a net
thrown from a handful of the dark warriors. Without hesitation, she pulled out her
crossbow and fired at the Nightlanders that converged on the struggling Dukas.

Behind them, several more bodies emerged from the shadows and
the thickening mist. Savage tribesmen charged forward, a sea of war-painted faces
bouncing up and down, feathers of every color tied into their matted hair and beards.
White paint covered their tan chests. Most had spears, and some had hatchets and
bows.

Sculptor hissed, "The Zumbaki have joined the Nightlanders.
Unbelievable."

As several of the Zumbaki lunged at Shelby, they were cut off
by members of the Stonecoats, whose skill thwarted their efforts. She was dazzled
by how well the specialized knights battled. The one beside her parried an attack
as if swatting a fly. He stabbed men through their leather armor as they came, felling
them as fast as they closed in. Milo galloped across the ambush, shouting orders
and fending off Nightlanders and Zumbaki in droves.

Riley, surrounded by Stonecoats herself, placed silver pellets
in her slingshot and started picking off the attacking horde. Many of the bullets
she used were covered in points, which broke skin and bone alike.

Shelby joined Riley and aimed her crossbow into the crowd of
marauding Nightlanders. She loaded a bolt and launched it, hitting a Nightlander
square in the heart. From atop her mount, no one could stop her.

Emily cantered up from behind and shot arrows with deadeye accuracy.
The three girls dropped men faster and faster as they got used to their new weapons.
Emily's wooden missiles whistled through the air, smashing into each target she
aimed at.

Stuart set his hand-cannon on high and blasted away at the Nightlander
and Zumbaki armies. Every blast sent men scurrying for shelter. Beside him, Max
used his sword and hacked at the men who attempted to pull him from his saddle.

The main army with Presage was coming back now, and Shelby's
resolve fortified when the first armored soldier slammed into the wall of Nightlanders.
The armored soldiers came in a wave of yells, curses, and battle cries.

The soldiers knocked the assailants back in droves, repelling
their ambush. A maniacal cry roared from the foliage, causing Barrick and Max to
pause. For a second, the Nightlanders gained an upper hand. The moment they did,
Barrick began striking at them again.

"By the Trifids, it can't be." Barrick exhaled heavily.

Max yelled as he fought off a Zumbaki, "What? What is it?"

"Disembowelers." Dread laced Barrick's voice.

"Disembowelers? That doesn't sound good," Mr. Dempsey
said. He was trying to fight with a broken lance, clubbing those who came near Shelby.

"But, tha' can' be," Cumber said. "They're extinct.
They haven' been seen in years." He swung his blade, cleaving through a Nightlander's
neck. Yanking it back, he and his maple mount were sprayed in blood. The Nightlander
collapsed and another took its place.

"I know what they sound like," Barrick said. "Glimpsed
one at the animal grounds as a youth. It was an old one, but that was how it sounded.
I will never forget it."

Even Milo appeared concerned as howling blared from the forest.

Max had one sword out in his right hand and a long dirk in his
left. From atop his horse, he was death to anyone who came close.

Several Disembowelers ran out of the brush with collars around
their necks. They were monstrous, with rabid hyena heads foaming at the jaw, while
their multiple arms spun on each side like windmills with knifelike claws, cutting
through the smoky air. Branches broke in their wake as they surged close to the
ground on large goat-like hooves.

Milo leapt off his steed, lifted his shield higher, and charged
the Disembowelers, meeting a few head on. Several of the Stonecoats rushed to their
leader's side. At once, Stuart, Emily, Riley, and Shelby fired their long-range
weapons in support. The hideous beasts were lethal, lashing at the Stonecoats with
a steady downpour of six arms and sets of claws.

As the focus of the battle shifted to the Disembowelers, several
Nightlanders poured in behind the Kin. Men screamed as they charged.

Shelby whirled and aimed her crossbow. Sharp pain flowered on
the back of her head. Her vision swam as she was dragged down from her horse. Stunned,
she could move no more than a hair's breadth as a Nightlander carried her from the
fray.

She looked on helplessly as Max fought against the Nightlander
ambush. He struggled to advance his steed past the raging swarm, then dismounted
and leapt, soaring over the crowd of fallen Nightlanders. Soon she could only make
out snippets of the battle. Trees were in her way, and she was too dazed to fight
back.

Shelby spied Max as he rolled athletically behind the Nightlanders
and ran into the forest after her. She caught sight of him as he burst through the
trees. Part of her felt relieved, but most of her was terrified.

She snagged glimpses of Milo, fighting the Disembowelers with
ferocity. Suddenly, the Stonecoat leader turned his head, and Shelby met his eyes
in an attempt to call for help. He broke away from the Disembowelers at once.

"Barrick," Milo yelled. "I'm off after the captured
Kin. The Stonecoats will defend the rest of you to the death."

That was the last she saw of him before the forest closed around
her.

Zach shuffled along, tired and in a haze. Ghosts wailed overhead.
Demons sneered at him from the shadows. Nauseous, he vomited as insidious shapes
laughed in fits of haunting tease from the darkness. Gray, rat-like creatures darted
in and converged on his puke, fighting over the scraps. Zach wiped his mouth and
stumbled forward.

In the path ahead, the hag's hideous features and bony fingers
pointed at him.

"You are mine now, Kin. No Fugues to save you this time,"
she screeched.

He buried his face into his hands and dropped to his knees. When
he opened his eyes again, the gloom around him was silent. Movement ahead in the
murkiness prompted him to reach for his sword, but the sheath was empty. He rose
to his feet.

A deep voice rumbled, "You have traveled a long distance,
young man."

Moonlight peered through clouds above, creating an eerie glow
while illuminating the trees and woods. The demons and witch had vanished, no more
rats scurried on the ground, and he didn't feel as sick as he had moments ago.

A magnificent animal walked toward Zach. The creature cocked
its huge, white lion's head as it approached; its stallion's body was sure and strong.
Its broad tiger paws treaded with a delicate touch to the soil. The hybrid paused
before him and examined him with brilliant golden eyes, circling Zach little by
little. The beast's coat glistened with shades of black, tan, and cream.

Zach was too mesmerized to move.