The Vitalis Chronicles: Steps of Krakador (37 page)

“
I am, Ardin, in my own way.
”

The bitterness in Ardin's heart only lurched at that response, but he kept his mouth shut.

“
You have taken on a great burden, Ardin, but in you now is a greater strength than has existed naturally in some time. The Mage relies on the Atmosphere, his body but a shell for its expression in the physical. Thus the power of
MARD
to completely debilitate a Mage. The Shadow are fully physical, but anchored to the Atmosphere in a way that the Mage is not. This full connection is now yours, and can be exploited.”

“
Can he really separate me from the Magi? From Alisia?”

“
He can do many things, Ardin.”
That was not what Ardin wanted to hear.
“
But running from him will not provide safety. He will hunt you down and kill you no matter what you choose to do.”

“
I'm still not a match for the Relequim.” Was the Greater Being even? His presence here could very well antagonize the Relequim. That was the last thing Ardin wanted.

“
You don't need to be. The Brethren will help you in this. It is his weapon I would be most concerned with, for its power lies in the third tier of this world's existence, and that is of spirit. The spiritual realm is not well understood, but he has found a way to manipulate it nonetheless. Beware of this weapon, Ardin. It is wildly powerful. And be grateful that his pursuit of dominance and destruction have superseded that of development. His forces may be brutish, but they lack technological or strategic innovation. Use that to your advantage.”

“
Is that all?” His impatience was growing. What if the Relequim returned?

“
You are connected to this world in a way that has never been fully explored, Ardin.”
The Greater Being seemed to take the hint as he backed slowly away.
“
But it will be instrumental in this battle. The Relequim is not weak, nor is he as vulnerable as I know the Brethren believe. Do not underestimate him.”
And with that the Greater Being vanished.

But how important am I, really?
He shook his head. He was needed more than he would give himself credit for, and he knew it. There was a reason the Brethren demanded he join them, that both Greater Being and Greater Demon had visited him, and a reason he had the power he did.
But Veria, my home! How can I let them die like this?

He stood then, looking around as his mind worked to churn through the decisions he had to make.
If I stay, we stand a chance at destroying the Demon here, fine. But he doesn't want me to go to Veria... he doesn't want me in the north either. Is he going to Veria himself?

Ardin mused on the Demon's threat.
Was it as thinly veiled as I think?
It seemed an obvious attempt at reverse psychology to Ardin, to so strongly forbid him from Veria when they so clearly needed to face him in his own territory. Or was it? If the Demon's strength was in deception, then wouldn't he have played this all out differently? Could he really be headed to Veria?

Suddenly Ardin felt very afraid for his countrymen.
The Brethren said it would go poorly for Veria. Could it go poorly enough that he kills them all?

What good was saving the world if everyone that comprised it died in the process? What could the Greater Being or Brethren know? They had said as much when they admitted to withholding their involvement. They had abandoned Veria once before, and it had cost the Magi their lives. He felt his heart rate pick up, and blinking against the panic, he made his way back into his mind.
I have to get back to Veria,
he realized.
I can't leave them to die to help some people I owe nothing. I have to get back.

He stumbled his way back into his own mind, something he never would have thought possible, and tried to calm himself.
That's it,
he thought finally.
I have to go to Veria. Tonight. I'll fly if I have to.

And with a flash he returned to his conscious state as Shill rammed a knife into his chest.

“
Y
OU'RE A FOOL,
C
RAM, YOU REALIZE THAT
?” Merodach was on the verge of completely losing his temper, and it only pushed him closer to that edge to see Cram take it with such a calm demeanor. “This has to happen! These people have to be cowed, controlled! They want peace, I'll give them a lasting peace, but one where they are the kings of the continental castle. Elandir deserves to rise to the top, and to the top I shall push them!”

“
I find it difficult to believe that 'cows' will so effectively rule.”

“
You're missing the goddamned forest for the goddamned trees, you ignorant piece of military shit!” Merodach kicked the bucket of grease that had been dropped off only a few minutes before. “You saw Liscentia! The idiots had run themselves into the ground with their gambling and drinking and sticking their pricks in anything that moved! This world needs order, Cram. Order! And I'm the man to give it to them. Me!”

“
You're the fool, Merodach.” Cram shook his head.

“
You can't talk to me like that!” Merodach was really losing it now. The engineers were actually backing out of the room as he let the anger come; it had been a long time since he had really let off steam. “I don't just run the city, I run its military too! You think Brutus, or Rast, or Lucius, or that piece of shit Silvers ever really ran the show?! No! I'll tell you who did, ME! I ran the show! I run the show!”

Merodach took another step forward and shoved his pudgy finger into Cram's chest. “Who do you think you are? You've seen what I'm capable of. I just cut the head off a coup from a cage! I just executed every rival I've ever let live, and now I'm in complete control of every goddamned thing! If you don't watch your ugly military mouth, I'll shoot it off you so fast you'll think God himself ripped it out of your square head!”

“
It's unwise to threaten a man like that when he's the one carrying the gun, Merodach.”

“
Are you threatening me?” Merodach's voice took a deep chill that belied the boiling rage steaming beneath. “Are you actually threatening me, Cram?”

“
Not really,” Cram said as he pulled his sidearm out. “Threats are intended to get what one wants without actually having to follow through.”

He fired into Merodach's chest twice, knocking the fat man on his back. “What I was implying was more of an inevitability, a promise of action if you will.”

“
You...” Merodach sputtered blood as he tried to work the words out.

“
I think that's enough from you, sir.” And with that, Cram unloaded his pistol into the Mayor of Elandir.

He sighed as he looked down at his superior, wondering how the hell he would get out of this one. The smoke was still rising slowly from his empty pistol, so slowly he couldn't be sure that time hadn't begun to freeze.

Thoughtlessly, he pulled a fresh magazine from his belt as he let the one in the pistol drop to the ground, reloading it before anyone came to discover his treason. What was done was done. He looked up and out towards the ocean as he twisted the short silencer off of the muzzle. The view from here was so peaceful, probably the last time he would ever see the coastline. And then he realized the gun on the central pillar was rotating slowly, already coming to a stop... aiming at him.

“
Oh shit...”

The cannon fired, and before he could think to act, the entire bunker exploded in fire and dust and blood.

T
WENTY-
F
IVE

A
NDERS
K
EATON HAD ACTUALLY ENJOYED THE HOUR OF PEACE ON TOP OF THE MASSIVE COLUMN OF ROCK AT THE CENTER OF THE HARBOR
. The stair that wound up its eastern face had been treacherous to say the least, large portions of it worn almost completely away by the weather since it had last been used.
Their swim had been tiring enough, but making it up those stairs without falling to their death had given it some stiff competition.

The time spent at the top, however, had proven to be almost relaxing. Keaton set his men under the direction of Grimes to bringing the main shore-facing gun into operation with the parts from one of the guns on the cliffs, then had walked to the other side of the bastion and set himself up to look at the ocean. The world was about to be rid of Pompidus Merodach, his men avenged, and war with the south averted.

There was a residual stress in his gut, the kind that kept him sharp before a fight, but nothing more. The wheels were in motion. Even if he had to swim to shore and strangle Merodach himself, he would get the job done today. There would be no mercy, no screwups, just justice. It made him smile every time he thought about it. Merodach dead and the world at peace. The Relequim was on the rise, that much he knew, but with mankind united to stand against him they would prevail.

Once Phelts was in power they could restore Liscentia's sovereignty and sue for peace with Silverdale. Keaton could retire from the military; there were honest men left who could run things well enough. He didn't need to be a part of this any more; he needed to start a life of his own.

The gun was ready in twenty minutes, and soon his men were hunkered down and watching for the arrival of their enemy. It was possible they wouldn't come today, possible they wouldn't come for two days, but Keaton felt they would be here today. He didn't want to have to figure out how to deal with visitors to their little tower if it came to that, the thought actually hadn't occurred to him until that moment. And support...
I need to get half of these boys back on land.

“
Sir!” Saltman came to him as he watched the waves break endlessly to the horizon.

“
Yes?” He shook the freedom free and reined his mind in to focus. “What's going on?”

“
They're here.”

“
Merodach?”

“
We aren't sure,” Saltman said. “There are four trucks and a passenger vehicle.”

“
Merodach.” Keaton knew it at once. “Probably commandeered it from someone in Liscentia.”

“
We'll have to let him make it up to the poor bastard he stole it from by dying then, won't we?” Saltman grinned as he scurried back through the fortifications.

The bastion itself was something like two thousand square feet or more, Keaton guessed, its walls aligned perfectly with the column on which it sat so as to look as natural as possible. It housed eight guns, each given a set direction to fire upon and a swath that just crossed over those of its neighbors. The guns facing out to sea and towards shore were able to swivel down steeply, while those facing the walls could hardly aim up at all. It wasn't the most efficient position, but one that still added to the lethality of the harbor as a whole.

Keaton worked his way to the front as engineers and soldiers began to appear among the bunkers and trenches that ran between them. It made Keaton nervous to see all of those guns pointed at or past them, and it made him thankful that so few were yet operable.

“
Any signals yet?” he asked quietly, even though it would be impossible to hear much less than a gunshot from here.

“
Nothing.” Saltman sounded disappointed. “I hope this Phelts guy is as smart as he's made out to be, otherwise we're in for a big letdown, to say the least.”

“
He'll come through.” Keaton patted Saltman on the shoulder as he sat down on the opposite side of the gun. “His life's on the line here as much as ours.”

They waited for a good ten minutes before Keaton saw movement in the bunker at the center of the line. “Did you see that?”

“
Yeah.” Saltman adjusted how he was sitting and put field glasses to his eyes.

“
Engineers?”

“
Yeah... and... there are others.”

“
How many?” Keaton wished he had a set of glasses now too.

“
Two... no three... four. Four. Two are military, I think. Damn, it's dark in those things. I can't see shit.”

The minutes passed with a painful lethargy from that moment, every Hunter with them impatiently waiting for Saltman to see the signal. For the final call to be made.

“
There it is!” Keaton caught himself before he pointed out into the sunlight. “What's that?”

“
It's... it's a coat of some sort.”

“
A coat?” Keaton's brow furrowed as he stared over the gray barrel of the gun at Saltman.

“
That's what I'm seeing sir, a coat. Looks like it's just sitting there.”

Keaton jumped to his feet and grabbed one of the hand cranks next to the gun. “That has to be it. We need to aim this sucker now.”

“
Aye sir.” Grimes jumped up to help. “It's level with the bunkers already, just rotate it another ten degrees.”