Vendetta (Legend of the Ir'Indicti #4) (31 page)

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"Ashe," Sali whispered, terrified. The shields had come down as Ashe raised his arms and then lowered them.

Sal, now's the time for you to keep quiet
, Ashe warned mentally.
They can see me
now. They can't see you, but they might hear
. Sali nodded mutely as both sides, Bright and Dark, muttered among themselves. Here was a boy, standing between them and their enemy, and somehow the shields had been lowered without contact.

"You!" Parlethis stepped forward from the Bright army.

"Me," Ashe agreed quietly. "You represent the Bright Queen?"

"Yes. I intend to kill you, but that will wait. I want Prince Beldris to step forward or his people will die."

"Beldris is not here," Baltis came from behind his first line of soldiers to stand before them. "My brother is elsewhere."

"Your brother has been attacked in Chicago," Ashe turned to Baltis with stars in his eyes. Ashe stood in the center, Parlethis and Baltis perhaps twenty feet away on opposing sides. Baltis did not fail to see Ashe's eyes. Frightened, he wanted to step behind his troops again. He was King, however. He was expected to be braver than his bravest warrior.

"My brother?"

"Is dead," Ashe sighed. "As you likely know, none of us can truly be in two places at once. A difficult lesson I learned only recently. The Bright Ones decided to attack your camp. Others attacked your brother in Chicago. I came because you have children here. I will not see them killed. Leave now and I will not pursue."

"I have no plans to leave," Parlethis snarled. "I will do my Queen's bidding. She asked me to destroy the Dark race and take the King's crown. I will not fail her."

"But you have young in your camp as well," Ashe turned to Parlethis. "Surely your Queen has no desire to see the children die."

"She knows this and sent me anyway. The Dark Ones have murdered too many of our race. We will not back down. I will kill you, King," Parlethis snarled at Baltis, raising a jeweled sword. Light played along its edge, causing it to glow brightly in the dim moonlight.

"I stand in your way, Bright fool," Baltis hissed. "Warriors, attack!"

Ashe pulled Sali into his mist as the front lines clashed together. Energy blasts flew and exploded. Elemaiya on both sides screamed and shouted as bodies hurled through the air. Weapons clanged and huge chunks of earth and rock were thrown and blocked. Water from the lake was doused onto both sides. Those who slipped struggled to rise again. Many still standing took advantage of the situation and fell on their enemy, until the ground began to shake beneath the feet of both armies. The quake was so violent it threw everyone to the ground. The shaking increased—so much so that none could rise again. Ashe materialized with Sali at his side at a safe distance. "Go now!" His voice boomed through the trees and across the lake. Elemaiya warriors began disappearing by the hundreds. The ground still shook. Sali, though, stared at his feet. The earth beneath him was as still and calm as anything could be.

"How?" he stared at Ashe.

"Don't break my concentration, Sal," Ashe murmured. Sali saw tall firs break and fall. The lake formed waves and engulfed many. Parents disappeared with their children, followed closely by others. Ashe's jaw tightened as he concentrated and the ground continued to tremble violently. Sali wanted to speak again but held back; frightened of the answers he might receive to the questions struggling against his clenched teeth. Finally, after roughly ten minutes of continuous ground shaking, the tremors subsided. Every Elemaiya was gone, including the dead. Ashe went limp, dropping to the ground in a heap. "Ashe?" Sali knelt beside his friend. "Ashe?" Sali was alone.

The End

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About the Author:

Connie Suttle lives in Oklahoma with her patient, long-suffering husband and three cats. The cats are not long-suffering and are far from patient.

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For information on upcoming titles, please visit Connie's website at www.subtledemon.com, her blog at subtledemon.blogspot.com or find her on her Facebook page—Connie Suttle Author. She is also on twitter: @subtledemon.