Amidst The Rising Shadows (Book 3) (14 page)

The noise in the Great Hall grew as the evening meal started in earnest. Sarah said a silent prayer to the Goddess Ferasdiam to guide her way and to watch over her people. She closed her eyes and made a small circle with her thumb upon her forehead. Her hand drifted down to Aaron’s medallion that lay nestled against her chest beneath her shirt. Gritting her teeth, she left the room.

Sarah came to the servant's staircase where two guards waited, eyeing her approach. She pulled back her hood, revealing her golden braid. The guards gasped in surprise, and Sarah drew herself up with all the dignity of a princess of Khamearra.

“I will see my father now,” Sarah said. One of her hands hidden in the folds of her cloak grasped the hilt of a throwing knife, ready to use it if necessary, but the guards nodded and brought their fist across their heart, bowing their heads in unison.

She moved past the guards and could hear the heavy footsteps as one ran off. She emerged midway into the Great Hall to a sea of nobles and decorated officers of the Khamearrian army. Her hard gaze slid past her nose as she took in the scene before her. Here these people ate and drank their fill, while the dead piled up at the gates. Her hand clutched the hilt to her sword while servants and nobleman alike scurried out of her way.
 

Some guards with the silver Dragon emblem gleaming upon their pristine black uniforms moved to intercept her. One of the guards held up his hand to block her path. Sarah drew in the energy, enhancing her strength. She reached out and bent the outstretched hand back on itself, and the guard cried out in pain.

“Get out of my way,” Sarah said, keeping her eyes upon the other guardsmen.

She proceeded past them without a backward glance. If they were fool enough to get her way again, she would draw her sword. Sarah's gaze was fixed at the head of the Great Hall, drawing her father’s eyes to her. She strode forward, and the High King narrowed his gaze.

“My daughter has returned to us!” the High King’s voice boomed across the Great Hall, silencing its occupants.

Sarah came before the head table and glanced at Rordan, who coolly met her gaze. To the side she could sense Elitesmen closing in around her.

“I have returned, Father,” Sarah said.

“What a joyous event this is to have you here now, but I’m a bit out of sorts. Where have you been?”

“Why are you having so many of our people executed, Father?”

Sarah’s question echoed through the Great Hall, and her father’s playful gaze withered.

“I didn’t realize I was answerable to you, my daughter. Regardless, these citizens are a sickness that has plagued our beautiful city. I’m afraid that there is only one way to root out such a vile infection.”

“Entire families! Why not let them leave?”

“The infection runs deep. Examples must be made, that any who align with the Resistance are to be punished by death,” the High King answered coldly.

“You go too far,” Sarah shouted. “I stand with the Resistance; will you have me executed?”

Gasps erupted throughout the Great Hall.

The High King leaned forward, “And your Alenzar’seth suitor. Do you now stand with him?”

The Elitesmen inched closer to her, “Come at me if you will, Elitesmen; I never grow tired of dispatching any of you.”

The High King’s pained expression almost seemed genuine, but she knew better.

“I see you’ve been infected by the Alenzar’seth. He will be brought to justice, like all the other kingdoms that would foolishly clamor to Shandara’s banner.”

“He will never bow to you,” Sarah hissed. “And neither will I.”

The room darkened as the High King stretched out his hand toward her. The medallion became as ice against her skin. Sarah shut her eyes, wincing against the sudden cold. For a second she saw dark figure chained to a column. The vision appeared as if she were looking through a window with water streaming down, giving occasional glimpses of golden clarity.

Aaron!
She saw him.

“She is shielded. Take her!” the High King shouted.

Sarah shook off the vision and leaped to the side, circling around one of the Elitesmen who tried to grab her. She sprang to the top of the nearest table, whose occupants scrambled out of the way. Two Elitesmen chased her, and she kicked out, knocking them off the table.

Sarah jumped to the next table over, bringing her closer to her father, and saw guardsmen pouring into the Great Hall. An Elitesman leaped to the table in front of her, landing hard, sending plates of food crashing to the floor. He drew his sword with practiced efficiency of one at home with a blade in his hands.

Sarah took a step back, drawing her own blade, its single curved edge catching the light around them. The Elitesmen charged, and their blades clanged out. She dashed forward inside his attack and pulled him off balance. Sarah spun, deflecting another attack and kicked the Elitesman in the back, sending him face-first off the table. She drew in the energy and jumped to the far side of the Great Hall. She glanced at her father and could have sworn a prideful smile tugged at his lips.

The Elitesmen blurred toward her, passing the guardsmen as if they were standing still. She reached inside her cloak and grasped the travel crystal, but an attack orb glanced off her sword and knocked her off the table onto her back.

A loud war cry of the De’anjard sounded from above as Braden landed atop of the guardsmen, sending them sprawling. Braden unfurled his Shandarian shield and lashed out with his war hammer. Attack orbs from the Elitesmen blazed into the shield and ricocheted away into the fleeing nobles. Braden let out another war cry and slammed his hammer on his shield. He planted his foot behind him, bracing himself, his face a mask of grim concentration.
 

Sarah felt the pressure of the sonic waves barrel off Braden’s shield. Braden focused the blast, sending guardsmen and Elitesmen alike flying through the air. The pressure built up on her ears, blurring her vision. Sarah grabbed the travel crystal and at the same time grabbed Braden’s outstretched arm. They were pulled into a purple abyss, bringing them safely away from the palace.
 

Sarah and Braden gasped, catching their breath. She took them to the first place she could think of, which was near one of the designated gates that the Resistance would use to escape.
 

“What happened to you back there?” Braden asked.

She got up off the ground, “I had a vision of Aaron.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know, it was so dark. He was chained to a stone column,” said Sarah.

“How were you able to see him? Can you do it again?”

“I...I don’t know. They tried to capture me, and the medallion became as ice on my chest.”

“What medallion?”

“Aaron’s,” she said, taking it out for Braden to see.
 

He studied it for a moment, then they both looked up as two golden Hythariam flyers streaked across the sky. Alarm bells began to ring throughout the city. People were filling the streets, and she heard the guards manning the gates behind them call for archers. Sarah grabbed Braden’s arm and used the travel crystal to bring them to the streets below.
 

She marched up to the guard commander of the gate, “These people are leaving the city.”

The commander’s eyes widened, “Your Grace, I have orders not to allow anyone to leave.”

“I’m giving you a command; you and your men are to quit the gate,” Sarah said.

The commander’s eyes darted to the approaching crowd and back at Sarah.

Sarah leaned in, “You can’t stop a mob. Save your men.”

“Archers, ready bows!” the commander cried.

The guardsmen at the top of the gate towers drew their bows and nocked their arrows.

“Your Grace, if they come to the gate I will order my men to fire,” the commander said.

Sarah drew her sword in a flash and had the end of her blade at the commander’s throat, “Call them off,” she hissed.

“Stand down,” Braden bellowed.

The guardsmen at the tower aimed their arrows down at them.

“I don’t want to kill you, Commander, but if you give that order, you will be the first to die,” Sarah said.

“With all due respect, your Grace, but if I don’t give the order, the king will see to it that I die anyway,” the commander replied.

Sarah lowered her sword, “You shouldn’t have to serve under such conditions. I cannot sit by while my father murders the good citizens of Khamearra. Would you join a cause worthy of laying down your life for?”

The commander met Sarah’s eyes, and something gave way inside. He held up his hand, and the archers stood down.

“They will have us executed for this,” the commander said and glanced up at the people tied to the poles beyond the gate. “Cut them down,” he ordered his men.

Some of the guards looked as if they would protest the commander’s orders, but decided against it.

“Thank you, Commander,” Sarah said.

“Your Grace, if you’re taking these people away would you consider taking a few guardsmen along?” the commander asked.

Sarah studied the commander for a moment and nodded.

Hythariam soldiers, riding upon gliders, swooped over the walls. They had dark armor, and the leader removed his helmet, revealing Gavril’s face.

Gavril glanced up at the guards and looked at Sarah questioningly, “I’m glad things are so calm here. There was some fighting at the other gates.”

“We don’t have long,” Sarah said.

Gavril nodded and gestured to his soldiers, who immediately put the equipment they were carrying on the ground. They opened a tripod of legs and rested a large cylinder atop. The cylinder began to glow, and a beam of light spread out from it, forming a large oval that bent the very fabric of the world around it. A great hum pulsated from the portal as it stabilized into a glittering doorway of light.
 

A Hythariam soldier tossed a small metallic ball into the air, which zoomed through the portal. The Hythariam soldier studied the readout upon his comms device and nodded toward Gavril.

Gavril waved over toward the crowd, urging them through the portal. At first they approached warily.

“It’s all right; you will find safety on the other side,” Sarah said. “Please, you must hurry.”

Flashes of light erupted around them, and two Elitesmen appeared. Sarah dashed forward, lashing out with her sword. The Elitesmen met her attacks, but she pressed on, hoping to distract them. One Elitesman disappeared in a flash of light. Sarah pressed her attack, keeping the Elitesman on the defensive. She felt the energy flow through her, guiding her blade as she unraveled the Elitesman’s defenses. In moments, the Elitesman collapsed to the ground after her blade stabbed him in the heart.

The crowd pushed forward as more and more people disappeared through the portal to Shandara. Sarah jumped to the top of the nearest building, catching a glimpse of the Hythariam flyers as they laid waste to the airships on the far side of the city. A figure leaped up next to her, and Sarah turned, seeing Verona grinning next to her.

“Apologies, my Lady, but I couldn’t stay away,” Verona said and waved to Braden down below.

Braden nodded up to them and continued to wave people through the portal.
 

“The Elitesmen will be back anytime now,” Sarah said.

Verona nodded grimly, his face darkening at the thought. “The others are all through. This is the last portal.”

The gate beneath them came crashing down, trapping the fleeing people on the other side. Sarah and Verona leaped to the ground. The trapped people began to panic. Braden muscled his way through, shouting for them to stand clear, and grasped the gate.
 

"You can't lift it. We need to hook up a team of horses to get it up," Verona said.

Braden ignored them, the corded muscles in his back straining. He roared with the colossal effort, and the heavy gate slowly lifted off the ground. Sarah and Verona quickly pushed a nearby wagon under the gate, and Braden eased the gate down.

As the last of the Resistance raced through the portal, the Hythariam soldiers converged around them. Bright flashes of light lit up the street, and Elitesmen had them surrounded. Attack orbs were flung in their direction. The Hythariam soldiers fired their plasma pistols, catching the Elitesmen off guard. Gavril waved them through the portal, and they retreated from the bloody streets of Khamearra.
 

They emerged into the quiet twilight sky above Shandara with the great white walls before them. The heart of the Resistance that was the De’anjard rejoiced to return to their homeland after being away for so long.

Sarah looked around her at all the people they had gotten to safety, and her heart ached for all those they had left behind. Verona and Braden stood next to her.

“And this is only the beginning,” Verona said.

Sarah walked among her people, and many bowed in her direction. Verona was right, this was only the beginning, and it left her wondering what the price of this war would cost them in the end. Would they look back and deem the price worthy of the cost, or would they dread the silence of thousands of dead souls as their only answer?