The Gift of Volkeye (52 page)

17

A great feeling of dread tingled down Maugrimm’s spine as he came upon an already well-worn battlefield. There was a huge fire standing and, beyond it, he saw death everywhere, much of it belonging to the Igloo soldiers.

Because Jalum couldn’t survive in the frigid temperatures surrounding the Igloo, he’d been left at home these past weeks. Zynathian knew they needed him for this fight, so several hours ago he dispatched Maugrimm in a hover to go pick up Jalum. Mawg had gotten to the castle in an ample amount of time, but on the way back down they encountered a vicious windstorm. It was so bad that, for most of the way, they flew about as fast as a falling piece of notebook paper!

Now that he and Jalum had finally arrived at the battleground, Maugrimm was angered to find that many of his comrades had died. As he prepared to take vengeance on their behalf, Maugrimm noticed his friend, Rufus, emerging from the trees in his deadly hoverchair. Rushing to his side, they simultaneously engaged the aerial beasts.

18

Lyn Sha and Teshunua dashed back and forth, somersaulting in the air, shooting at the winged assailants. They were in a fury, having seen Khyeryn get his legs lasered off by these aerial beasts that had appeared out of nowhere! They had to take them out quickly, for they didn’t know how long the snipers would be able to hold off a now-sluggish (but nevertheless, still deadly) Zu from killing Khyeryn. He seemed adamant on making this his last task, for Khye’s legless body was all that held his attention.

This was the biggest problem for the snipers; they now had to watch Zu
and
the winged creatures! Nicolas took it upon himself to scare off the latter, while Sing and Asha fired at Zu, who was unfazed by the pain. Nothing could stop him. Several headshots in a row would’ve done the job, but because Sing and Asha were so flustered, their aim was off. It was clear that Zu would get to Khyeryn before they could take him down, so Seth and Samuel, the two remaining Dickery boys, couldn’t have had more perfect timing.

19

Zu slowly trudged forward, again using his fist to knock the life from three more individuals. This time it was Bo, Adrian, and Daum who met their end. Their deaths were most gruesome, for Zu had vertically compressed them like discarded soda cans.

The little one has blown away almost every piece of my flesh…before I lay down my life, he shall pay dearly!

20

Samuel didn’t have a launcher in hand like his brother, Seth, but he did have one of the bombs. As he slid forward and avoided Zu’s swatting hand, he whipped his arm as hard as possible. Simultaneously, his bomb and the other fired from Seth’s launcher, landed on opposite legs. Zu, being so enthralled with getting to Khyeryn, didn’t notice the sticky substance that clung to his limbs. As he raised his arm to crush Khyeryn and Samuel, the bombs d
etonated, blowing off his legs.

Finally, he was down, roaring in agony.

Lyn Sha and Teshunua were of the same mind, taking positions on opposite sides of Zu. They began firing and didn’t stop until his head had disintegrated.

Again, laser fire began showering from above, and they watched Samuel throw Khyeryn over his shoulder, running into the distance.

“Look out!” Sam yelled over his shoulder.

Tesh and Lyn looked up not a moment too soon, for they found boulders and trees, hailing from the sky! They leapt out of harm’s way.

As Bahzee figured, the winged creatures were startled by her attacks. A tree killed two of them, and the others scattered…only to find themselves attacked by Rufus and Maugrimm, coming at them from behind!

21

Rufus took three of the creatures down. As Maugrimm watched Rufus’s kills smack into the hard earth below, he sent a few bombs down to ensure their defeat. When he’d finished vaporizing their remains, he turned to find two more directly in front of him, firing.

As a laser nicked his wing, Jalum gave a cry that rendered his prey stagnant from fear. Maugrimm took the opportunity to cut one of them down, and the other was cloven in two by Jalum’s talons.

The last one of the aerial beasts was attacked with astonishing athleticism. In a single bound, Teshunua leapt to one of the enormous stones Bahzee had thrown, rebounded off of it and grabbed the beast by the throat. He snapped its neck and dangled from the creature like it was a parachute, as it sailed to the treetops. Teshunua let go and fell into the depths of Saint Marcleese Forest.

22

No one had heard Bahzee’s warning, so now that the sky was raining boulders and trees everyone scattered to safety. The Igloo soldiers were lucky, as they were much closer to the safety of the forest than the enemy. Most of the latter found themselves mashed to paste in the dirt, soiling the earth with flesh and bone. The rest of them had no choice except to take their chances with the only thing that could offer them shelter—the forest!

As they headed into the trees, they kept their weapons at the ready, unsure of what they would face within.

Nicolas’s mother, Rosa Lee, had been placed in charge of the soldiers amidst the treetops. As the remainder of Phyllamon’s infantry entered the forest, she gave her signal. They let loose with their Shit Surprise bomb launchers.

Most of them were instantly blown to smithereens. However, Teshunua, who’d suddenly come crashing through the treetops, took care of those who made it past the blasts. Rosa Lee and the others couldn’t help but be amazed at what an astonishing warrior he’d become. He swung about the tree’s branches as if he was a trapeze artist, somersaulting with the technique of a gymnast, while slashing at the enemy with his claws. He picked the beasts off quickly and had used his feet to pin the last of them to a tree.

Teshunua’s heels stabbed through its shoulders, as his toes gripped the tree bark behind. He glared at the beast, and though it was bleeding to death from the shoulder wounds, Teshunua still thought him dangerous. He pointed his index and middle fingers at the creature, sinking them deeply into its neck, finishing him.

23

A pair of Mechs raced by Teshunua with an unconscious Khyeryn. They were followed by others that carried many more of the wounded, one of whom was Alex (the relative of Nigel and Reena)...he’d lost an arm and a leg. There were other Mechs that carried back the dead, as to give them a proper burial upon returning to the Igloo. However, there were some bodies that were beyond saving, as Teshunua noticed the Mechanicals throwing them into the swamp of fire.

Everyone had begun to return from the battleground. Nicolas raced by Teshunua on his hoverpod, heading back to Annie and to assist with the wounded. The rest of them (minus Asha, Sing Tzi Yi, and Lyn Sha) slowly followed him.

As he removed his mask, Teshunua sighed, for he’d somewhat been keeping count. “There’s about eighty of us left…give or take a few. That means at least a hundred of us have been killed,” he said.

“That couldn’t have been helped, Tesh. It only proves how powerful Zynathian’s weapons can be, because even with versions that were but a fraction of his quality, they nearly destroyed us all! Hell, the troops were already injured, having gone through a swamp of fire, and they
still
came out killing us two and three at a time!” Asha replied.

Bahzee came in over their comlinks. “Is everyone alright?”

“Khyeryn’s hurt bad…he lost his legs,” Teshunua answered.

“Oh no!” Bahzee said.

“Khye will be fine…Zynathian has dealt with worse injuries than that,” Asha assured them, pacing back and forth. She was ready to get moving, as there was something she promised herself that she’d do if she survived the battle.

Asha spoke into her comlink and looked to the others. “I must be going...I’m heading to Rhylix,” she said, “I’ll meet you all soon to pick up Zynathian, and I think we’re all in agreement that he went after Phyllamon.”

“You know he did,” Teshunua answered with certainty. Sing and Lyn Sha nodded.

Maugrimm came in over their comlinks, entering the conversation. “Jay’s wing is hurt. Me gonna help him get it treated before meetin’ y’all at Phyllamon’s castle,” he said, ending his transmission abruptly.

“We’ll keep in touch…and, Bahzee, if you and Teshunua think you’re going to need help in Mashyuvah, you call me or Maugrimm!” Asha said.

“Understood, Mother. Be careful.”

“You do the same, love. I’ll see you soon,” Asha replied in the comlink, while hugging Teshunua and the girls.

“I think Lyn’s arm might be broken. It doesn’t look good,” Sing said.

“I’m going to the ship to get my arm set in a proper sling…”

“…then we’ll meet you in Rhylix, Asha,” Sing finished.

“Be safe, all of you,” Asha said to them.

At this, they parted ways. As Teshunua watched Asha speed off on one of the hoverbikes with her sniper rifle slung over her shoulder, he stood in awe of all that had transpired in such a short time. Everywhere about him was the odour of blood and gunfire, and it chilled him to know that he’d contributed to much of it.

How have I gone from being a photographer and explorer to a murderer in just a few months?
he asked himself. Teshunua shivered at the uncertainty of life and how cruel it could be sometimes. A call from Bahzee shook the thought from his mind.

“Teshunua, get over here, now!”

24

Teshunua was moving so fast and carelessly that he almost crashed the hoverbike into Bahzee’s leftover pile of ammunition. The way she spoke over the comlink made him think she was in danger, but upon arrival he discovered Bahzee holding a shivering girl in her arms. She was moaning hysterically, spattered with blood.

“Mom…brothers…dead! Entire family…gone!”

It didn’t take much for Teshunua to realize that the girl was from Mashyuvah. She was one of those who’d been let go, and somehow happened to meet up with Bahzee. Watching her wail in despair, he was all the more furious at the injustice and eager to embark on their task.

The girl had made the trek out of the city and, somewhere along the way, picked up a jagged rock as to do herself in. When Bahzee disconnected with her mother from the comlink, she turned to discover the girl on her knees, not ten feet away, preparing to open her own throat. Bahzee caught her hand just in time and had been consoling her since.

“I promise they’ll pay for it, I swear!” Bahzee whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. She could empathize with the girl’s pain, as it was how she’d have felt if Teshunua or her mother had died. There would’ve been no point in living. Momentarily, Bahzee wondered whether or not she’d done the girl an injustice by not allowing her to commit suicide.

“Are there many others?” Teshunua asked.

“Many, many…please help them!”

“We’re on our way,” Bahzee said, running her fingers through the girl’s hair. “Let us take you to the ship…you need rest and much time to recover.”

Bahzee picked her up, cradling her in her arms.

Astonished at her strength, the girl realized that this was one of the much-talked-about Volkeye children. “Which one are you?” she whispered.

“Bahzee,” she replied, walking her over to the hoverbike.

“Teshunua.”

“I’m Emmy,” she said, still crying. “Do take care of yourselves…and the others, if you can manage to save them.”

“What are we up against?” Teshunua asked.

Emmy lowered her eyes.

Oh…that easy, huh?
Bahzee thought sarcastically.

Emmy was overwhelmed to see such a strong resolve in their eyes, and she pondered the things that Teshunua and Bahzee had experienced for them to become warriors at such a young age. Whatever had happened, it was clear that the events had hardened them.

As they sped to the hospital ship, Bahzee couldn’t help but think on things in the same manner as Emmy. She marveled at the courage that recent events had given them, for she and Teshunua would’ve
never
attempted Mashyuvah alone before now! At this moment, a quote Lyn Sha had once read to her from one of her favourite books came to mind. It had been written by a brilliant man of a different age, many hundreds of thousands of years previous. In many worlds throughout history, was he renowned for his words. He’d been called Friedrich Nietzsche. Presently, his magnificent saying seemed all too appropriate.

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”

1

Asha, who strongly desired to kill Zephranie just for sharing the same face as her daughter, resolved to forgo this task, as she had a much more personal vendetta with Vlajdimir. She’d leave Zephranie’s fate in God’s hands, and hopefully God would leave it up to Bahzee and Teshunua!

Asha stopped the hover when she was several minutes walk from the mansion. Unwilling to alert anyone to her presence, she’d make the remainder of the trek on foot. Through Jix’s efforts, Asha had seen that Vlajdimir planned to return to Rhylix this day and search his ruined home for a lost fortune. However, there was no telling if he’d changed his mind or not.

She gazed through the sight of her rifle, finding that her vision was completely impaired. She couldn’t see a thing past fifteen or twenty feet ahead, because the fog was thick enough to cut with a knife! Asha slowly crept forward, weapon at the ready.

At last she came upon the destroyed mansion, trekking along the charred rubbles of the ruined monstrosity of a home. She listened for any sign of movement, and for a while nothing came. Then suddenly Asha thought she could hear faint whining in the distance.

As she advanced further, Asha came upon a pathetic excuse for a man, on his knees, sobbing like a child. He held fast to a very large iron safe with an open door, revealing a multicoloured, shiny liquid on the bottom.

“That’s where you kept all of your money, was it?”

Vlajdimir, nearly startled out of his skin, yelped and crawled away.

“Arhyz melts quite easily; that’s what makes it such an efficient fuel. It’s a pity that you never thought your home would go up in flames!” Asha said.

“What do you know of it, woman? Be quiet and get gone! I must finish weeping,” he spat through crying eyes.

“This is so typical of people like you! You have everything. You’ve never gone hungry a day in your life, but you sit here crying over a fortune that you know you’d regain in time…that is, if I were not here to kill you!”

Extremely taken aback, Vlajdimir attempted to crawl further away. “What is the meaning of this? Who are you, woman? I have no quarrel with you, so why do you bother me?”

“You have no quarrel with me? …Oh, I beg to differ, Master Ghurzblood! You and I have a scrap that goes back two decades!” Asha said, jabbing him in the chest with her gun. He flinched, shutting his eyes.

“By what means did I offend, Miss?” he said, stuttering over his words.

Asha snarled at his ignorance. “I’m ignoring the fact that you’re partially responsible for the deaths of countless innocents. Today, you only have to answer for my husband and child!”

“That’s a lie, I’ve never killed anyone!”

“Not
directly
. But what about the man who was slain in your office, twenty years ago? Do you remember his wife—the pregnant one, whom you beat within an inch of her life and threw over the balcony? Surely you recall that day?” Asha said, seeing the revelation sweep over him. He remembered.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait a moment…don’t be too rash! I can make it up to you. I’ll give you anything you want, name it!” Vlajdimir pled, scooting away from her. Finally, with his back against a half-destroyed wall (compliments of Bahzee), Asha thought of a way for Vlajd to bargain for his life. It was as fair a deal as she could come up with for the likes of him.

“You say that you’ll give me anything?”

“Yes!” he replied, nodding vigorously. It was clear to him that the woman had a merciful heart.

“Well, I have an idea. I’ll reward you with your life…”

Vlajdimir listened intently, hopeful.

“…
IF
you can return my husband and child to me!” Asha hissed with a frightening grin upon her face.

Terror seized Vlajdimir, as all the hope drained from his body and emptied in his pants. The last thing to cross his mind was the fact that he was glad his patron, Phyllamon, wasn’t here to see him at the mercy of a woman…and that he’d pissed himself, no less, dying without any sort of dignity!

Asha put the cold, heavy barrel to his temple and pulled the trigger, not even flinching as the contents of his head was sprayed on the wall behind. She pulled the trigger once more and blew away one half of his face. Then she aimed at the opposite side, doing the same. She fired again. And again. And again.

As sparks of red lasers dyed the white fog in their hue, the surrounding area was dreamlike, taking on the surreal appearance of a strange field, littered with crimson patches of cotton candy, magically sprouting from the earth. As two others navigated their way through this unsettling land of sweet treats, in which breathing the air seemed to promise a stomach ache, Asha continued to let loose of the pain she’d held for two decades. She could only bring herself to stop firing when Sing and Lyn gently grasped her from behind, letting her know that it was okay to do so.

2

Each of the woman’s torn, bleeding arms was held in the mouth of a Karnov. Her husband and son lay on the ground, several feet away with their chests opened. This was courtesy of Kruxum, who stood off to the side admiring the smoking barrel of his weapon. So far his body count was only two, far behind that of Zephranie.

So far this day, Zephranie had murdered a total of sixty-five, all of whom were sprawled about the concrete of downtown Mashyuvah. These bodies had no gun shot wounds but showed a tiny hole somewhere around the neck area. Zephranie’s method of disposal was needlepoint injections.

(The poison was an updated version of the substance Murlach had used to murder his parents. The reactions to the drug remained the same. The victims writhed about in excruciating pain, foaming at the mouth, and sometimes biting off their tongues. As the pain lifted, the stroke of death would take the individual at once, leaving them with foam ridden, bloody mouths, and open eyes. The only difference now was that Murlach had figured out a way to stretch out the torturous process a few minutes longer.)

Except for Kruxum, who stood at Zephranie’s side as a means of handling feisty hostages, the Karnovs and other infantry lazed about the area, making sure the remaining prisoners stayed in the houses with the shutters closed. They had crammed the last of them in four houses adjacent one another.

The newest victims were to be a family of four, and she planned to kill the infant first. Zephranie had reluctantly handed the child over to Felix, because he was so eager to join in the fun. The baby’s father and brother put up a vicious fight, protecting her and her mother. Kruxum stepped in to help, because the men were strong and burly and would’ve torn Zephranie apart. Now both of them lay face-up with abnormally large, burnt cavities in their chests.

Kruxum was proud at his deed, showing off, for he was the only beast here with a special arm. The rest of the infantry like him had marched to the Trio. He momentarily pondered how they’d faired at that battle, and then he lost his train of thought as the woman began pleading for her baby’s life.

“Please, please, pleeeeeeease don’t. Take me instead! Spare my baby, I beg you,” the hysterical mother cried.

“No one will be spared. Your child will die the same as you and the others, bitch!” Zephranie spat, nodding to Felix as he began dousing the crawling ten-month-old with gasoline from a large tin can he held.

The mother tried to yank herself free of the Karnovs grip, but they further dug their teeth into her arms. She cried in agony, but the tears no longer fell, as she had none left. The woman turned her head, refusing to witness the next act.

Felix taunted her.

“Oh, come now…you’re going to miss the best part!” He sniggered, glancing down at the baby, who’d begun to cry from the gasoline stinging her eyes.

Just then, unable to take anymore, the woman died of shock. As her limp body dangled from the Karnovs jaws, Felix struck the match and tossed it upon the child. The baby’s cries were ever so brief, for she, like her mother, had died instantly.

As Felix stood mesmerized by the child’s burning flesh, he was slightly startled by strange voices that cut through the wind, echoing throughout the area. It was quite unnerving, as the voices were very much like growls, spitting the foulest of curses at him. Were he a spiritual man, Felix might’ve assumed that he’d made god angry, but She (if she existed) had never been of any concern to him. Therefore Felix dismissed the voices, assuming it was the howling wind that deceived his ears.

However, it wasn’t until two pulses of red light emitted from the trees across from him that Felix knew otherwise.

3

“YOU’RE DEAD! I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU FOR THAT!” Teshunua choked out, seething with rage.

Bahzee wept in fury.
“You demons!”

The two of them had just arrived. At first, they intended to attack in a more patient and stealthy fashion, but due to the hideous act they’d just witnessed, it seemed that a more hasty and improvised approach was in order. Neither of them had ever wanted to pick a fight so badly.

There was no hesitation with Teshunua. Both his arms transformed, and he looked through the sights, marking Kruxum with his right arm, while his left was aimed at a large pile of weaponry, sitting next to Felix.

“I’ll take out Kruxum, the guns, and the Karnovs!” he said.

“Don’t touch Zephranie, she’s mine…I’ve got dibs on the soldiers too!” Bahzee said, brandishing her hammer in the air before her.

“No mercy, Baz!”

At this, he fired.

4

“What the devil was that?” one of the hostages asked.

Most of the people in the house panicked, wondering if Zephranie was now using explosives on them. Although the doors weren’t locked, so far none of them had braved the outdoors, knowing they’d be Zephranie’s next victims if they did. However, as the racket outside increased, they knew something wasn’t right.

One woman mustered the courage to open the door a crack and was astounded at what she found: Karnovs racing into the distance, chasing after a strange assailant; a now-dead Kruxum; Felix and Zephranie, amiss amongst all the goings on; and bodies of Phyllamon’s infantry, sailing through the air. Mashyuvah was in complete chaos! This was their chance!

“Their distracted!” the woman yelled. “Let’s go!”

As this group raced from their cottage, they found the other prisoners, in the adjacent homes, saw this as an opportunity as well. Every family for themselves, the people scattered into the city.

5

As Felix watched half of Kruxum’s torso disintegrate, an explosion, to his left, threw him to the edge of the trees. He tried to land on his feet but only wound up spraining his ankle. As he lay in agony, he looked in the direction from which the shots were fired and saw a strange beast, the likes of which he’d never seen, emerge from the trees. Though Felix knew he couldn’t have been seeing properly, because from here it looked liked the animal had metal arms and legs! It had a masked face and was deadly fast, running on all fours. Suddenly it came to a halt, in a standoff with the Karnovs.

One of them, foaming at the mouth, stepped forward to show off its size. It was enormous, muscular like no other Karnov, and even on all fours he stood eight feet tall. In a haughty laugh at the tiny, lone creature before him, the beast let out a growl that would’ve made the bravest man in the world soil his undergarments. However, this gesture came too soon, for he’d grossly underestimated his foe.

Teshunua had no patience for these antics and reached out dozens of feet and slapped the beast, dragging his claws across its face. The beast was so taken aback that it only stood there, eyes wide. It was only when the Karnov felt the stinging sensation of four deep cuts stretched across his face that he realized Teshunua had called him out.

As the creature bolted forward in blind rage with its brethren following closely behind, his prey disappeared before his very eyes! It was only when the Karnov felt razor sharp claws digging into its back, that he realized this was an unfairly matched fight.

The beast thrashed about, attempting to throw Teshunua off. As he reared on his hind legs, Tesh dug his claws into the throat, slashing about until the lot of its head was just hanging by skin. Finally, heaving with all his might, Teshunua threw his enemy’s head several yards into the distance. It was a strenuous gesture, as the head alone must’ve weighed ninety pounds!

Like a dog that had just run through a puddle of water, Teshunua shook himself free of blood, showering the coats of the Karnovs surrounding him. Some of them appeared terrified. Others were enraged. And just a few of them, both. Now having seen what he was capable of, they knew best not to underestimate Teshunua. They awaited his move.

“Stay and fight, or run…it doesn’t matter. I’m going to kill all of you!” Teshunua said as his deeply magnified voice projected throughout the area.

The Karnovs were taken aback, hearing this animal speak in the same tongue that their masters, Phyllamon and Murlach, communicated with. They knew then that they were dealing with a deity of some sort, who’d taken the form of an animal. Perhaps this one was in relation to the witches who’d slaughtered many dozens of their kind, several weeks previous (only a few had escaped their wrath, making it back to the castle). Bent on avenging their brethren, the beasts attacked.