Amidst The Rising Shadows (Book 3) (10 page)

“What can you do with the shield?” Sarah asked.

“I found this hammer beneath the Citadel of the Elite. I had assumed it was taken from Shandara at the fall. When I strike the shield with it I’m able to use the energy to focus the vibrations and push things away,” Braden said.

“Things?” Sarah asked with a raised brow.

A hungry look broke through Braden’s facade, “Elitesmen, my Lady.”

“Indeed,” Verona said, “and he’s been reluctant to give a demonstration ever since.”

“Do you think you can teach the others to do it?” Sarah asked.

“Perhaps now that we have more shields, but it’s not for the weak. It requires a strong hand to guide the waves coming off it. This may sound strange, but I felt the shield’s potential when I focused with the energy drawn within. While my hammer seems to be well suited to the task, it might work with something else,” Braden said.

“I think the hammer suits you, my friend,” Verona said.

“So you focused these waves, and it pushed the Elitesmen out of the way?” Sarik asked.

“Violently.”

“Couldn’t they just move out of the way? I mean they can move pretty fast,” Sarik said.

“Not fast enough,” Braden said.

“I think I’m fast enough,” Sarik answered.

Braden laughed, “All the young ones think they are fast enough.”

“I don’t know, Braden,” Verona said, “Sarik is pretty fast nowadays. Like you, my friend, he’s picked up a few new tricks.”

“As entertaining as this is, I think we should keep moving. Look, Tanneth is leaving us behind,” Sarah said.

She always liked their camaraderie. The bond between them was strong, and she felt fortunate to be a part of it. At first to them she had been Sarah, daughter of the High King, but now she was one of their own. She glanced at Braden, he tended to look out for her as an older brother or uncle she never had. Their protectiveness for her stemmed from their loyalty to Aaron, but she appreciated it nonetheless. After all, they accepted her into their group through her own loyalty to Aaron.

“The weapons here are all finely made, but if they were preparing for a war with the Hythariam military wouldn’t they have different sorts of weapons and armor here?” Verona asked.

“These aren’t ordinary. The alloys used show signs of the combined efforts between our peoples, but wait,” Tanneth said, stepping up to a smooth metallic wall.
 

He stood there for a moment and brought up his wrist, tapping commands into the comms device. Two panels hissed open simultaneously, and a screen flickered to life. Tanneth stepped up to one of the open panels and began moving his hands in a sequence that Sarah couldn’t begin to guess at. The screen in front of them changed.

“This is a map of the city,” Tanneth said, his voice growing excited. “And these are where the other weapons and supply caches are hidden.”

The map was invaded by blue dots throughout the city with the exception of a flashing yellow one. Sarah recognized the street above them on the map, which had a flashing yellow dot. Tanneth keyed in another sequence, and a section of the far wall pulled back revealing a smaller room.

“Gavril told me that the creation of these rooms was a joint effort with the Shandarians. It required a Shandarian to open the way into these vaults, but it required a Hythariam to access the more specialized weapons and devices,” Tanneth explained.

“How come you couldn’t bring up a map like this at Hathenwood?” Sarah asked.

“These vaults were here before Hathenwood was built, and for more protection the records of these locations could only be accessed from one of the vaults. It’s what we call a closed system,” Tanneth explained.
 

Sarah nodded, “What’s so special about the weapons down here?”

Tanneth smiled, “They are a blend of the finest Shandarian craftsmanship mixed with Hythariam technology. Some are powered and are able to shoot bolts of energy, others help with defense, and more things like the comms devices.”

Sarah studied the map, “Is that the palace?”

Tanneth nodded.

“What’s there? That dot looks different from all the rest.”

“It was where the city’s defenses could be managed. We’ve been trying to reach it, but it’s off the main palace, which is largely intact. When the invasion does happen, Shandara will become the last and best hope for us,” Tanneth said.

Sarah glanced between Tanneth and the screen, “What about the other cities?”

“We’re doing the best we can, and we will help them as much as we can, but we had years to prepare Shandara for invasion. The expectation was that the frontline battles would be fought here,” Tanneth said.

They were interrupted as his comms device lit up.

“Yes, Colonel,” Tanneth said as Gavril’s face appeared on the screen.

“You’ve done it, Tanneth. Good work,” Gavril said.

“Yes, sir. I uploaded the other locations to Hathenwood. This will allow us to narrow our search. Sarah was able to open the door for us.”

“This is great news,” Gavril said, sounding relieved, then he looked at Sarah, and his gaze softened. “My Lady, I need for you to return to our base. We’ve had word from the Resistance.”

An icy grip spread throughout Sarah’s chest, “We’re coming.”

Without so much as a backward glance, Sarah headed for the exit. Each step she took, she drew in more energy, lengthening her strides. She emerged into the sunlight with the others quickly following. Tanneth and Braden quickly activated their gliders and stepped on. After a quick look at the others, Verona followed suit. None of them could jump like she could. Sarik gave a half smile and dashed off down the street and blurred away from them. Sarah nodded to the others and launched into the air. The wind brushed past her face, and she felt her long braid trailing behind her. She landed and immediately took off again, closing the distance to their camp. Braden and Tanneth followed her using the Hythariam gliders. The dust clouds rising from the city streets were the only indication of where Sarik was. He could move so fast now, possibly faster than she could. She kept seeing the look in Gavril’s eyes in the back of her mind. Her people were in trouble. She was torn between her need to rescue Aaron and her duty to those she swore to stand with.

“Oh, Aaron...I’m sorry,”
she whispered as she made the final jump that landed her in the middle of their base camp, startling a throng of Hythariam and people working nearby. The others weren’t far behind, arriving in their own fashion. Verona and Sarik had come a long way since the decks of the Raven. It would only be a matter of time before they could jump as she and Aaron could. Braden, she suspected, wouldn’t be able to jump like that. His abilities with the energy came in a different form than the others. Braden’s abilities with the energy centered around his use of strength, which suited the De’anjard perfectly.

Gavril was one of the few Hythariam whose golden irises had a greenish tint, and they flashed in surprise as they came into the tent. The old soldier recovered quickly and nodded toward the display.

An older man’s face appeared on screen. The bleeding wound upon his head stained his gray hair, but it didn’t look bad.
 

“I am Nicholas, one of the Resistance leaders here in Khamearra. We need help. We’re being slaughtered by the High King’s guards and the Elitesmen. They are sweeping the city. There is no place left to hide. A number of our people have escaped and are making their way to Lorric. There are armies massing outside the city walls. They are planning something big. Please help us,” Nicholas pleaded before the message went blank.

Sarah swallowed the lump in her throat and closed her eyes. “I need to go to them.”

“What about Aaron?” Sarik asked.

Sarah cast her eyes downward as Sarik’s question echoed in her mind. “Is the chamber intact?”

Gavril shook his head grimly, “We haven’t been able to reach it yet. I’m sorry, but it doesn't look good.”

Sarah felt her knees turn to water, but then every muscle in her body went rigid as she turned away from Gavril. Her eyes welled up with tears threatening to spill over. “I can’t help Aaron here,” she said in a harsh whisper. “But I can help my people. I’m going to Khamearra,” she said retrieving the travel crystal.

“Not alone you’re not, my Lady,” Verona said quickly.

The others all nodded with the clear intention of coming with her. She felt her lips lift into the slightest smile, and her eyes softened, “Thank you, but I can’t take you all with me. They need you here. I need to be able to move quickly, and I can’t do that if all of you come with me.”

They all protested at once, saying how they couldn’t let her go alone. Only that alone is how she had made her way through the world, that is, until she had met Aaron. She could tell they weren’t going to let up, and she had too much respect for them to just up and disappear.

“I can only take one of you with me when I use the travel crystal because it’s getting weaker,” she lied.
 

Verona stepped toward her first, but she shook her head, “You’re needed here. The Hythariam need you to open the other vaults throughout the city, and Sarik can help you.”

“What about the medallion?” Verona asked.

Sarah withdrew it from under her shirt and reluctantly passed it to him. “Take it.”

“One second please,” Tanneth said. He went over to one of the metallic cases stacked upon the floor and rummaged inside for a minute. He withdrew a round plate about an inch thick and set it atop of the case. The plate came to life as he tapped in commands to his comms device.

“Put the medallion on top,” he said.

Verona did as he was bidden. After a moment the medallion rose a few inches into the air and was bathed in a red glow. An exact duplicate of the medallion came up on the screen. Verona retrieved the medallion and handed it back to Sarah.

“We’ll be able to make a copy of the medallion, which should allow us to open the vaults throughout the city,” Tanneth said.

Sarah frowned, “Are you sure? This medallion has been infused with the energy of Aaron’s ancestors. That cannot be copied with that device.”

Tanneth nodded, “You are correct, but I think the medallion’s use at the vault was more as a key. The energy to open the vault came from you.”

Sarah nodded slowly and hung the medallion back around her neck, relieved that she could at least hold onto this small piece of Aaron.
Foolish girl,
she chided herself. She glanced at Braden and was about to speak when he cut her off.

“Do not think you’re leaving me behind, my Lady. Since my Lord is not here to protect, I will protect what matters most to him,” Braden said and gently placed his hand upon her arm.

Physical contact was all that was needed to accompany someone using the travel crystal.

Verona stood struggling with the fact that he wasn’t going, but like Braden wanted to look after her. He shared a hard look with Braden and said, “Safe journey to both of you.”

“I will send word when I can,” Sarah said.

“Please do so,” Gavril said. “We can be of aid and can make the journey to you using the accelerators, but it will take a few hours. If you can coordinate with us we can help them escape.”

Sarah nodded and looked at Braden, “Are you ready?”

Braden nodded and hefted his war hammer from his belt and gave her a gentle squeeze. Sarah drew in the energy and focused it on the crystal, picturing a place in Khamearra, her home. After days of their frustratingly fruitless search for a way to rescue Aaron, she was eager to help her people and be of use, but at the same time she feared what she would find when they got there. With a silent prayer for the Goddess to guide her path, she activated the travel crystal.

Verona stood helplessly as Sarah and Braden disappeared. He silently cursed his duty for a moment, but knew that he was exactly where he needed to be.
 

“Let’s go find the other weapons caches,” Verona said.

Gavril reached out to him, “We’ll start making plans for the evacuation now and have a team of FNA soldiers standing by.”

Verona nodded and left the tent with the others.

C
HAPTER
7

A WANING HOPE

Aaron had been left in the stadium, chained to the stone pillar. Halcylon had invited all the Hythariam to look upon the human. The soldiers posted would prevent anyone from killing him, but his body ached everywhere. The first stones thrown hurt the worst. The Hythariam here looked at him as if he were some type of animal.
 

Sometime later, the soldiers had chained his legs to the pillar, and he could hardly move. He occasionally slipped into a restless sleep until the pain in his aching arms that he hung from woke him up. What passed for food was brought sparingly, but the tasteless, slimy white goop was the only thing they served. He had to endure. It was the only way to get back to Sarah. The faces of his friends faded in his mind, and as more time slipped passed, the harder it was to recall the details of their faces. His arms and legs failed to obey him, and his mind felt as if there were a great weight pulling down his thoughts.

The ground beneath him shook, rattling the chains that bound him, and snapped him awake from a dreamless sleep. He was strewn upon the ground and couldn’t remember when the soldiers had done that. He slowly turned his head to the sound of footsteps approaching upon the hard rocky surface. He opened his eyes, and the smoky gray fur of a wolf padded up to him.