Siege of Night (22 page)

* * *

Dragot leaned way back on his throne as he so often did. Thoughts of humanity’s ultimate demise fluttered though his head as he slumped low, sinking into the soft cushions.

Suddenly a storm of briggits came flooding into his throne room clicking away in panic as they flapped their skinny arms up and down. “What is this?” he demanded as he tried to make sense of all the feverish clicking. “Here? He is here?” His eyes grew wide with disbelief. “That’s impossible!” He leapt from his throne but really didn’t even know where to go. He couldn’t think of what he should do first.

“Oh, it’s more than possible,” came the eerily calm voice from the doorway. Eric leaned against the frame with his sword gripped loosely and held low to the ground.

“It can’t be! How did you—” What seemed even more impossible than this was the fact that Dragot actually felt fear right now. The emotion was completely foreign to him, yet there it was. The fact that he had been taunting Eric with his new power bump made him even more concerned with the Gate Keeper’s wrath.

“There is nowhere to hide. You can no longer run from me, Dragot.” Eric’s voice was calm and serene, unlike his eyes, which blazed with intensity—they blazed with murder.

“I’m not even the one you want. I-it is Krytoes! When the planets are aligned, he will be the threat, not me.” Dragot could hardly believe the cowardly words coming out of his mouth.
I'm feeling terror in the presence of this mortal?

“You should have thought of that before hurting the innocent.” Eric’s voice gained in strength and confidence with every word. “You should have thought of that before helping the demon Krytoes, who will
also
die by my hand.” Then his voice lowered to a hiss. His eyes narrowed while raising his sword point methodically toward the demon. “You should have thought of that before threatening the woman I love.”

Dragot regained some measure of composure.
He is only a mortal
. “Very well, then. Allow me to give you a little demonstration of my newfound abilities, boy.” Dragot extended his arms straight out as his claws began to hiss and pop with energy. Tiny crackling bits of static jumped back and forth between them. Then they began to grow and sparkle, each extending outward until the claws had become long, gleaming blades at the end of his fingers.

With both filled with savage hate, primal screams echoed off the walls as the two enraged animals charged at one another with murder in their hearts.

* * *

Corzon was nearly in a panic as he watched the thick yellow bolts rip through his army. As vast as it was and even with a large number of remaining troops, their morale had taken a huge hit.

He had been saving them for the cleanup, seeing as how he didn’t like to risk his special forces unless absolutely necessary, but the situation was becoming direr by the minute. He looked to the girls lined up in their leather armor, twirling blades in their hands as they impatiently waited for their orders. “Maidens, go!”

The forty or so leather-clad women began streaking for the walls. As they got closer, arrows began to take flight, clearly directed at the new threat. Some transitioned into a series of handsprings as they easily weaved through the potential massacre. Others just swatted the speeding arrows out of the air like pesky flies, shattering them into harmless splinters. This had been such a large part of their training for so long that these archers really posed no threat at all.

When the first wave of Maidens reached the wall, they turned around and faced the others immediately. The second wave leapt feet-first into interlocked fingers held low, then were thrown into the air with unbelievable force.

The archers on the walls could hardly believe their eyes when these girls just levitated up before them. It was the last thing they saw as blades flashed across their throats. They landed smoothly on the wall and began a deadly bladed dance as they easily tore right through any archers who didn’t have the sense to run or get out of their way. Then the Maidens leapt off the wall and headed for the rooftops of Taron as they bounded from rooftop to rooftop. The city had been breached!

* * *

“You sent him where?” screamed Ilirra as she shook Berkeni back and forth by his shirt.

“It was the perfect opportunity!” he said through broken on and off speech until she finally let go of his collar. He took a very needed breath as he rubbed his neck. “Dragot’s trail was still in his head. If he is able to track him down, he might be able to finish—”

“Finish what?” Ilirra screamed as she threw her hands in the air. “The real threat is outside these walls, and I’m not sure how much longer it will remain outside! They think he is some kind of superstitious deity. I have lost many soldiers today, all in the name of protecting the Gate Keeper, and you go and possibly send him to his death?”

Addel put her hand on Berkeni’s shoulder. “We might have made a mistake. He is out there now doing what he believes to be right, doing it for the people, and the people don’t even believe in him!”

Berkeni slammed his hands down on the wooden table. He peered into his pearl as he contemplated his mistake. He could now see the image of the two beings preparing to face off. It was true, he had made a mistake sending Eric after Dragot when there were more pressing issues. It was also true that the main reason this war was even happening was because most people didn’t believe he was real. Burning reality grabbed him by the throat.
The world needs to know
!

The thin, old man snatched his pearl out of its holder and sprinted through the door. Ilirra and Addel gave chase, not understanding what he was intending to do. He raced up the wooden stairs, ignoring urgent calls from the two of them.
Brothers killing brothers over fear of the unknown
. He ran down the white tiled hallway so fast Ilirra could hardly keep up.
He is more important than any single being alive today and they fight each other
? He ran up to a window and kicked open the shutter with an angry foot.
They kill each other over this?

He screamed out the window at the top of his lungs, “The world must know the truth!” He flung his pearl out the window and into the air. It defied all laws of physics as it floated higher and higher. It was impossible that he could throw it that far, but on it went, up into the sky. Then, all of a sudden it exploded in a bright, green flash.

The sky lit up as a deep throbbing pulse radiated through the whole city. It was like thunder with no sound, just the deep sound waves themselves driving through everyone’s body. Every single soldier from both sides of battle was driven right to the ground by the unseen force. Jade and Athel’s battle was cut short as both sprawled right to their hands and knees, overwhelmed by the heavy vibrations. The crytons’ energy circles were disrupted, as it was all they could do not fall off the wall. The whole battle had come to a halt.

Then came a sight no one present during this historic war would ever forget. The history books would be forever changed. The story of the battle in the sky would be passed down for generations.

The image that was once contained within the pearl, of the Gate Keeper and Dragot facing off, was now cast onto the sky. Every soldier from each side gazed up in complete disbelief as the two gods suspended in midair charged against one another.

* * *

Eric’s sword and Dragot’s claw blades smashed against each other with a fury never seen before. A shower of sparks rained down from the heavens as the sound of steel on steel rang through the sky, like gods fighting over who would gain claim to the world. Eric’s blade danced the familiar forms as he spun and twisted into the living tornado of steel he had always been. Golden light surged from his eyes and mouth as his roaring, primal scream filled the sky.

Even with Dragot’s seeming advantage of blades on both hands, he could not deal with Eric’s freakish speed. The demonic being parried and parried again as the onslaught of flashing steel came from all directions at once. Eric could feel the power of nature’s forces flowing through him like a river. He could see everything, feel everything. Opening a gate was as easy as breathing. He slashed at Dragot once, twice, then flashed through an opening that formed from nothing.

Dragot spun around, searching desperately for the would-be attacker. A gate opened right behind him as Eric leaped through, striking hard at the demon. Another shower of orange and blue sparks fluttered down as hard steel collided. Eric appeared to dash across the sky as he disappeared through another gate that was not there a moment ago.

His heart thumped loudly in his ears. Time itself was on his side. He could control the way it drifted. Eric stepped through yet another gate calmly, slowly ending up right behind Dragot once again. Time crept along at his will. Dragot turned ever so slowly. Seconds were now like minutes in the Gate Keeper’s private world. The laws of the physical world were now his laws.

Eric waited patiently for the demon to turn all the way around. He wanted to make sure Dragot saw his face as time trickled like melting snow, wanted to make sure he knew it was him who took his life.

Dragot’s expression ever so slowly turned to one of horror as his eyes began to widen...slowly...slowly. Eric leaned in so close to the helpless demon that their noses were almost touching. “Your time in the world of men has ended,” he whispered just before the flash of steel sent the demon’s head tumbling into the air.

* * *

The stunned armies stared into the sky long after the clash was over and the image had faded. Some sat on the ground and cried, having no idea how to comprehend what they just seen. Others—many, in fact—shouted “Gate Keeper” and pumped their fists into the air.

Jade remained on her knees. She stared at the sky with tears streaming down her cheeks. She was completely oblivious to everything around her as she remained in partial shock. So much so, she never even noticed the assassin walking up behind her, blades in hand with her usual silent stalking movement; never noticed Athel lean down by her back, but she did hear the blades clang to the ground as Athel wrapped her in a hug. The two of them cried in each other’s arms. The war was over.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since the battle had taken place. The Dronin had long since pulled out. Ilirra told Corzon his army would be free to go one condition. The heads of Tamera and Grimton now hung from the walls, and as promised, Ilirra had no intention of ever taking them down.

All the Dronin army had left except for Athel, who opted to stay in Taron. She felt as if she had no home to go back to. Even Corzon showed no emotion when she told him of her intentions. He didn’t care.

They welcomed her, however, and she seemed to be fitting right in. In fact, Jade and Athel were quickly becoming fast friends. Berkeni called a meeting and claimed it to be quite urgent.

They all met in the war room once more. It seemed a little unnecessary and nobody really wanted to come back in here for a long time. He stood quietly at the front of the room until all had been seated. With his hands clasped behind his back, he said, “Thank you all for coming on such short notice. We have just seen one of the darkest times Taron has ever been forced to endure, but still we must press forward.”

He motioned to Addel, who was standing in the corner holding a rolled-up map. She limped over, and with a flick of her wrist it unrolled across the smooth tabletop.

“Addel and I have been sorting through the ancient scrolls. We—Addel, really—have discovered something of grave importance.” Everyone stared attentively, not sure they really wanted to hear this. “Addel had been tracking the various power shifts in our lands, and it seems,” he looked down as he choked on the words, unable to finish right away, “it seems the only entry point where Krytoes can possibly enter the world of man is not even located in Tarmerria!”

Everyone sat there wide-eyed, looking down at the map Addel had strung across the table. It was an ancient world map which none of them could really understand. They recognized the shape of Tarmerria just fine, but had no knowledge of all the waters and lands around it. As far as most of them knew, Tarmerria
was
the world.

Berkeni looked to Ilirra. “You must send riders to the east coast, my lady. The port cities must begin building sturdy ships immediately.” He then placed a bony finger on a large cluster of land that stood across a great body of water from the only spot they even recognized on this map. “I implore you all to get ready as soon as possible. We must leave Tarmerria soon. Prepare to set sail for Shangti!”

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14