Enaya: Solace of Time (25 page)

Crows became one body.

Nile now knew who it was.

He remembered his father calling them by name, Srinath and Ramiel.

This one had to be Srinath.

“What do you want?” Nile asked, flattening his back against the wall. To his side was a window.

Srinath said nothing, but slowly dragged his sword out of his sheath.

Nile aimed the rifle at Srinath and fired. The bullet shot out, but Srinath faded into crows and the bullet passed, crumbling into the wall beyond the elf. Srinath formed again and swung his sword into the rifle, knocking it loose from Nile’s hands.

A black object jumped through the window beside Nile. Nile jumped away and was surprised to see Ramiel standing hunched over with his sword out. Ramiel sniffed the air and quickly picked up the scent of his prey like a hunting dog.

“I can smell your fears, boy,” Ramiel said, crawling through the window.

“Are you sure that’s my fears you smell?” Nile asked, pulling his new sword from the sheath.

Nile lifted his sword, struggling to remember what his father had taught him. Ramiel slashed his sword into Nile’s, pressing it against the wall and holding it there. Srinath then held his sword up at Nile’s neck. Nile began to sweat, and his breathing was harder, more painful than before. The fear of death had snuck up on him like a thief. He closed his eyes.

“Should I spare you?” Srinath asked.

“Should you?” Ramiel asked.

Srinath smiled, and when Nile opened his eyes, his first sight was black slimy teeth. He pressed his sword tighter against Nile’s neck. A trickle of blood leaked through a small wound.

Ramiel stepped closer to Nile and licked the blood from his neck. “He is fresh.” Ramiel laid his head on Nile’s shoulder and looked up at him, sniffing him. Ramiel’s nostrils flared up and down rapidly. Nile felt as if he was watching a hairy spider crawl up his shoulder, and he wanted to shake off Ramiel badly.

“I can see your heart,” Srinath said.

“I can smell it,” Ramiel implied.

“You’ve taken my family away from me, my hopes, and my dreams. What else can you take?”

Srinath now looked puzzled. “I’ve taken a lot of families.”

Nile spat on Srinath. “Does Alexander Whitman ring a bell?”

The two elves looked at each other, and Ramiel moved back. “Kill him now.”

Srinath pulled his sword back, and as he brought it forward, fire whirled into the room and smashed into the wall opposite of Nile. Srinath lost his footing and tripped, falling in the large gap down the floor and hitting the steps to the ladder. Nile rushed and looked down to see Srinath transform into his army of crows around the seventh step.

Ramiel was sniffing around, trying to find his scent. The smell of sulfur mixing in with Nile’s scent made Ramiel confused. Nile rushed toward Ramiel, yelled through gritted teeth and pushed the elf out of the window. He watched as the creature smashed into a roof below. The roof gave way and caved inward. Smoke quickly became his grave.

Nile rushed to the ladder and stepped down. Srinath was flying around in pieces, the crows looking at each other anxiously. Nile knew he had to get down. If not, the tower would be hit again by a missile, and he would not be so lucky next time. He headed down the ladder, and the crows fluttered around him. He was nervous.

He took another step down, and a crow flew between two steps at face level, and came up, its feet hitting him in the nose. Nile’s head slung back as he lost his grip and fell fifteen feet, hitting the ground hard. His breath was knocked out of him, and the crows flew down on him, landing on his shoulders and picking at his skin.

He remembered this same incident when he was eighteen.

He rolled to his knees, then pushed himself up to a sprint and ran out of the tower. Nile looked over his shoulder to see Ramiel staggering and massaging his neck while Srinath dashed out of the tower. The two brothers looked at each other, Ramiel moving his head like a blind snake.

Bam!

Nile fell to the ground and shook his head. What was it that he hit so hard? When he looked straight, everything was blurry. He shook his head to see Leo gain his balance. He ran right into him.

“Sorry,” Leo mumbled.

Nile got to his feet and turned around to see the two elves jump forward and shatter into crows as soon as they landed on their stomachs. They flocked toward Nile, some of the crows spiraling in the air. Ashera stepped in front of Nile. She held out her staff and twirled it between her fingers until a gust of strong wind blew like a fan from the ends of the staff.

The crows stopped in midair and gently flapped their wings. The wind was so strong that the crows could not fly through, as another explosion went off near Ashera. She lost her balance, losing her concentration. The crows ambushed her, hitting her nearly four feet off the ground and pushing her body down.

The crows crushed down on her like falling bricks.

Nile and Leo rushed to her, slashing their blades at the crows that hopped over her squirming body. Nile’s blade hit the back of a crow, knocking it off onto the ground. It rolled a few feet then extended its wings and cawed. The other crows flew to this one, forming Ramiel. There was a large gash across his chest from when Nile hit the crow.

The other crows came together, and the two brothers hunched over and slowly stepped across each other. Nile helped Ashera up, and he stood before them with his arms extended out. Ashera grabbed one of his arms and pulled it to her tightly.

“Enaya,” Leo said. “Use it now.”

“What?” Ashera asked.

Nile swallowed. He stared at Ashera for a second, feeling like everything went into slow motion. He lowered his hand, digging through his pockets. Enaya rolled between his thumb and forefinger. He was tempted. He pulled it out.

The elves stopped.

“Enaya?” Srinath asked.

“I can sense it,” Ramiel said.

Nile thrust his fist in the air and tightened his grip. His palm itched and sweated, but it was working. He could feel it. It was spinning against his grip, forcing his fingers to loosen. Nile’s eyes met Srinath’s eyes. Srinath was fixed on Nile’s hand, his eyes bright red. The gem burned and he pulled his hand down to him and released it. It fell to the ground, bounced once or twice, and rolled to Srinath’s feet.

“What?” Nile asked, shaking the pain out of his hand.

“What was that?” Ashera asked.

Nile ignored Ashera, but watched as Srinath picked up Enaya. He examined every little crack and scratch the gem had endured. Ramiel grabbed Srinath’s arm, pulled it down to his nose, and sniffed down his wrist to the gem. Ramiel’s crooked nose pressed against it. He smiled.

“Shebris will be pleased.”

A black shadow came over the city. Everyone and everything darkened quickly. A black cloud spiraled down. No wind came from it. It stretched to the stone walkway, between Srinath and Nile, and then faded away, leaving nothing but a black figure standing there. Her eyes gazed over Nile.

Srinath wickedly danced up behind Shebris, reaching over her shoulder. The dark elf dropped the gem into her cold, pale palm. She smiled, her rigid teeth pursing her lips. Her crooked fingers encompassed the gem and she pulled it to her chest.

Nile reached behind him, feeling for Leo and Ashera’s hands. He clenched them both tightly. He took a few steps back, then turned with them and rushed toward the Ancrya, where Locklin was at the door, pushing a soldier off his blade. Nile jumped the steps two at a time, helped Ashera in, and then stood to the side, catching his breath as Leo and Locklin rushed in. Nile closed the door behind them until he saw Bancroft out in the distance, fending off two soldiers.

“Bancroft!” Nile screamed.

Bancroft dashed toward the Ancrya, charging as fast as he could. A soldier jumped in his way, loading his rifle. Bancroft brought his sword at an angle, hitting the soldier. He continued toward the Ancrya. A soldier jumped in front of Bancroft, smashing him in the face with the butt of his rifle. Bancroft fell to his knees, holding his nose with one hand and his sword in the other. Nile screamed for Bancroft.

“He is the one who used Enaya,” Shebris said, pointing to Nile.

“What makes you believe that?” Srinath asked.

“I can feel his presence in the gem.”

“What would you like us to do?”

“I will deal with him.”

Leo met Nile at the door. He was holding a rifle. He fired, missing by about twenty yards. He aimed again, firing at the soldier, but only hitting the ground. Nile was shaking. He reached for the gun, but Leo refused to give it to him. Leo fired again, this time missing the soldier and hitting a house.

“I’m going after him,” Nile said, gripping his sword. He jumped from the staircase and rushed toward him. His legs extended as far as they could—a muscle cramped in his hamstring, forcing him to limp.

Shebris saw this and was pleased. A wicked smile transformed her sunken face. She started to glide over to Bancroft. Black fog formed around her hands extending outward into what looked like black swords.

Nile saw her out of the corner of his eye. He pushed through the pain and ran harder toward Bancroft. He held his sword to the side, the tip scrapping against the concrete, ringing in his ears. Shebris and Nile were now close to each other. Nile brought up his sword.

Nile turned toward this black queen of darkness. He pushed toward her, sword stretching outward. She threw her fists into Nile’s gut, shooting him back toward the Ancrya. He flew in the air, losing his sword, and crashing back on the ground. His knees shot over his head, touching the grass and Nile rolled to his stomach. Everything faded into blackness.

Ashera jumped from the Ancrya, her staff disappearing in the air. Leo and Locklin rushed after her, reaching for her hands as they swayed back and forth. Bancroft got to his feet and rushed forward, grabbing Ashera and holding her. She squirmed out of his grip, but Bancroft grabbed her again. She used all her might to break free of his grip. She continued toward Nile, sliding to a stop above him. She reached for his hand, checking his pulse.

She screamed, “He’s dying!”

Chapter 35

Defeat

Everything was silent.

The guns weren’t firing, the airships soaring; the screams were drowned out by darkened silence that filtered through the air. Nothing else seemed to matter at this point, at least to Ashera. Her hands trembled over Nile’s pale face. It was as if the life was being sucked from him. His body jerked every couple of seconds then it stopped moving.

Heavy wind pushed down on Ashera. She looked to the sky and sobbed. A big black object had blocked out the sun and as it landed it became clear. It was the Black Widow—Norcross’s personal aircraft. The doors slid open, clicking loudly, and Norcross stepped out followed by his chain of soldiers. Norcross walked to Srinath and spoke a few words, but no one could hear what he was saying.

Shebris glanced to Ashera, her black eyes piercing through her body. She extended her arms out, closed her eyes, and looked toward the sky. The clouds turned black. Thunder rolled. She flipped her hands toward the sky and sparks of lighting flicked from her fingertips until a flash of black light consumed Peoria. Everyone cringed and covered their face, and when the black light was gone, they opened their eyes. Shebris had disappeared.

Leo staggered to Nile; his knees wobbled as he did. He fell down across from Ashera. Leo scooped Nile up in his arms and cried, rocking him back and worth. Tears fell from Ashera’s face. Leo gripped Nile tighter.

“Ashera? Please use some of your magic,” Leo pleaded.

Ashera shook her head. “I can’t raise people from the dead.”

Locklin and Bancroft stood over them.

Norcross walked toward them.

Leo held Nile close to his chest. “Don’t go, Nile. Don’t go. I need you. I need you!” Leo gently slapped Nile’s face. “Wake up! I need you to wake up!”

Ashera placed a hand on Leo’s. “I’m so sorry.”

“Please!” Leo cried. “Wake up! I can’t do this alone. I need you.”

Norcross laughed menacingly.

Leo looked up at him. His long leather trench coat swayed in the wind as he grew nearer. Leo sat Nile back down and got to his feet. He pulled his sword from his sheath, staring at Norcross. He rushed toward him. He brought his blade to the side. Tears damaged his vision. He could only see a blurry figure through the tears, but he knew the distance between them. He pushed harder.

Norcross counted Leo’s steps.

Leo looked down to see a crack in the ground at Norcross’s feet. He was going to use that to measure his attack. He would swing when he got there. Just a few more steps and he’d be there. He would kill Norcross.

The soldiers behind Norcross aimed their rifles, but Norcross threw up his right hand. He almost wanted Leo to kill him, almost wanted to see if he still bled red. Leo was almost there, but even then, with his soldiers behind him, his heart was racing.

Leo got to the crack and brought the sword from his side as hard and fast as he could. With a scream, the sword swooshed through the air. The blade was now a few inches from Norcross’s right upper arm.

Norcross brought his left hand up and caught Leo’s wrist and twisted it. Leo dropped the sword and fell to his knees. He cried out in pain as he heard his wrist pop, imagining his bones grinding out of place. Norcross held Leo’s hand there and gazed into his eyes. Norcross quickly grabbed Leo by the neck with his spare hand.

“Leo!” Ashera screamed.

Norcross tightened his grip, his teeth clenching together. Spit was forming at the crevasses of his parched lips. Norcross released Leo’s neck but he still had his hand. He brought up a fist and punched Leo in the face.

Leo flung back with the hit. He shook off the pain; he had been hit harder before. Leo brought up his free hand and punched Norcross in the stomach, which caused him to let go of Leo as he stumbled back. Leo climbed to his feet and punched Norcross in the face, hearing his jaw pop.

That was Norcross’s first mistake. He wouldn’t make another. Norcross had been trained to fight in hand-to-hand combat. He knew better; he had just forgotten. When Leo brought his next punch, Norcross caught it, tightening his fingers over Leo’s fist. Norcross punched Leo in the chin, then kicked the rat off him, causing him to stumble back with his arms waggling in the air. Leo caught his balance and swung again, but Norcross caught him by the wrist and guided him into two soldiers standing in the back.

The soldiers pushed Leo to the ground. His face hammered into the stone, but he turned to his cheek and looked at Norcross, standing in the mix of the dust that blew around his face. The soldiers were laughing. Leo could smell the blood oozing out of his body. His hands crawled under his chest and he pushed himself up, but fell back down as his elbows wobbled. He did it again, this time bringing a foot up under his knee. He kicked back and caught his balance, shaking as he did it and he started toward Norcross.

Norcross brought up his right fist.

But Leo had something else in mind. He marched to Norcross. Sweat poured off his face and with a pounce, he kicked Norcross in the face and fell to his knees. Norcross staggered back as he grabbed his nose. Leo crawled to Norcross and wrapped his arms around his knees. He lifted, then drove his shoulder into his stomach, taking him to the ground. He crawled over him and started to punch Norcross, getting at least three good licks before soldiers threw him off.

Leo crawled toward Norcross again, but the soldiers stepped in the way. Leo grabbed one by the shoulder and pushed him away, then punched the other in the rib. The soldiers hit Leo, pushing him away, and squaring themselves up to keep him from getting to Norcross, but he wasn’t about to give up. He leapt between them, punching in the air, hoping he would hit them, but they threw him off again.

“Stand down!” a soldier screamed.

“No!” Leo yelled, punching at them to get back to Norcross.

They aimed their rifles.

“Everything is gone from me!” Leo glared at Norcross. He was still holding his face. “You had a choice! You had a choice and you did this! You didn’t have to! People have lost their lives, their families, their friends. I don’t have anything anymore!”

“Sir?” asked a soldier.

Norcross, humiliated, glanced at his troops, and then to Ramiel and Srinath, who flooded into the ground like a pail of fallen water and shattered into the crows. They flew off into the air. Norcross glanced across the city to see it in ruins. Smoke rose above the trees. “Get them in the Ancrya. It belongs to me now.”

Ashera’s eyes saddened as she saw the soldiers coming for her. The soldiers cuffed them and forced Leo and Bancroft into the Ancrya. Charis ran from behind some barrels and joined them, willingly letting them cuff her. The soldiers pushed Locklin on then went to Ashera. Her staves disappeared as they grasped her under her pits and marched her toward the Ancrya. She stared at Norcross and for a moment she knew he was once human.

Norcross turned to the rest of the soldiers holding down the peoriallites at gunpoint. Airships were ascending into the clouds. He grazed among the women and children and he took a deep breath. “Bound them together and burn the village.”

The soldiers gathered them up.