Amidst The Rising Shadows (Book 3) (9 page)

“That is good news. At least now we are only slightly outnumbered by the High King’s armies instead of overwhelmingly so,” Garret answered.

“Have they moved?” Colind asked.

The Hythariam had set up what they called a command center at their camp in Shandara. Vaughn had spent most of his time in there, meeting with the rest of the Free Nations Army leaders and using the tracking devices of the Hythariam to keep an eye upon the High King’s army.

“No, they are merely gathering, but it can’t be much longer before they move out. It’s just a matter of figuring out where they will go first,” Vaughn said. “Also, this morning there have been reports of Ryakul sightings. They are sweeping west of here. Some of the new airships...the FNA Air Corps is what they are calling themselves, have been dispatched to hunt them down. There has also been a shortage of airship captains. They are going to need to start promoting some of the newer recruits up through the ranks sooner than expected.”

“Would one of those new captains happen to be a Zsensibarian prince?” Garret asked.

Vaughn smiled, “Indeed, he would. Although it took some convincing. Jopher had been adamant about staying on board the Raven to serve under Morgan, saying he needed more experience.”

“Normally I would say that was very wise, but we’re going to need for everyone to move a bit faster than they would like,” Colind said.

“Admiral Morgan agreed with needing more experience, so he assigned some of the more senior officers to serve under the prince and packed him off onto one the newer airships,” Vaughn said.

Colind found himself laughing with the rest of them.
 

“Anything more on helping the nations that have allied with us in defending their own cities?” asked Colind.

“The Hythariam have some type of canon. We’ve seen them in action on the airships, but again there is an issue of powering anything to do with Hythariam technology. I don’t think they were prepared for the scope of what’s involved. They are preparing weapons and generators to power them, but it’s slow going,” Vaughn said.

“Perhaps finding some of the weapons caches here will help with that,” Colind said.

They headed back toward where the digging was commencing for the chamber. He would be leaving them soon. He needed to find more members of the Safanarion Order. They were needed. Colind glanced at Garret and knew he would be hard pressed to leave the other man behind. Perhaps he shouldn’t leave him behind then. Knowing the armies were gathering and war with the High King was imminent, Colind wondered what would be left of them to stand against the Hythariam if they survived. The object in the heavens, a space ship, Iranus had called it, was still heading in their direction. Colind couldn’t help but feel as if they were missing something. A looming threat that lurked among the shadows just beyond his reach, but would strike out and catch them all off guard. He had to begin his hunt for Mactar, who was even now roaming free virtually unchecked. His time here in Shandara was at an end, he decided. He would be leaving by nightfall.

C
HAPTER
6

A CALL FOR AID

It was their third day in Shandara, and Sarah glared at the mountain of rubble before her. This was supposed to be an entranceway that led to the chamber where they might be able to open a portal to Hytharia. Sarah would be surprised if there was a place in this cursed city that had suffered more destruction than where she was right now. She all but scowled at the Hythariam working to remove the remnants of the buildings that used to be here. No one was moving fast enough. One quiet Hythariam, Tanneth, had urged her to be patient and had warned her that they could cause further damage if they weren’t careful. Sarah glanced over to her left where the quiet Hythariam stood with Braden. The Hythariam made sense. She just didn’t like it. They were about to trek out among the ruins again, looking for the weapons caches that were supposedly hidden throughout the city.
They were there
, she corrected in her mind. It was just her frustration getting the best of her. The more time passed, the more her emotions spun wildly inside her. She even found herself getting angry at Aaron for leaving her. The nights were the worst, when tears came when she least expected.
He’s not dead. I will get him back,
Sarah told herself over and over again.

Her fingers caressed Aaron’s swords. He had been able to use them to lift a house-sized boulder, allowing them to free Colind from his prison. She had tried the same, but though she could wield Aaron’s blades she couldn’t evoke the bladesong with them like he had. Gritting her teeth, she turned away and walked in the opposite direction.
 

Braden and Tanneth came to her side and silently followed. She remembered how dark Shandara had felt upon their first trek into the city, as if they were all about to be swallowed into the ground. Sarah hadn’t realized how profound the feeling was until she came back here. The barrier had been sucking the life out the land surrounding Shandara and if left in place would have plunged more of Safanar into darkness. They all believed that Aaron wasn’t dead. Not that she needed their faith in that, but it did make her feel a little bit better. She said a silent prayer to the Goddess that he would survive to return to her. They thought Aaron had been captured by the Hythariam military and the dominant faction known as the Zekara. Sarah didn’t care what they called themselves, but the fact that they had Aaron and she couldn’t get to him burned her up inside. She drew in a shaky breath and tried to keep her anger in check.
 

“My Lady,” Braden said. “We’re heading up to the northern part of the city. Nearest the palace. Tanneth scouted it a bit last night, and he thinks he has found something, but will need you to confirm.”

Sarah nodded. Next to her only Sarik, Verona, and Braden could tap into the energy enough to determine whether the caches were near. The others had all newly come into their powers, but she pushed them on without mercy. They trained together whenever they made time for it and never complained, urging her to drive them harder. They all knew what was at stake, but deep in her heart Sarah knew it would take more than the four of them to balance an engagement with the Elitesmen.
 

They were all good men, even the Hythariam Tanneth, and she was grateful for their support. None of them bore her any ill will, but she could sense the uncertainty from some of the other Hythariam, particularly Iranus. His word carried much weight, and while he hadn’t said anything directly there were others on their council that viewed her as the daughter of the High King. Perhaps even some believed they could use her to barter against her father. She was no stranger to this game and wouldn’t have survived in her father’s court this long without having learned how it was played. She wondered how the Resistance in Khamearra had faired since Aaron’s visit. So far they had no news and no contact. Verona had given her one of the leftover travel crystals, and she was tempted to return to Khamearra to see how things were in the city. She entertained the thought of offering to do some poking around on behalf of the FNA, but couldn’t do it. They were still her people, even if she didn’t stand with her father. Maybe Aaron was right in his belief that there could be no end to this conflict without bloodshed. But then again, Aaron had had the chance to face her brother Rordan and had instead chose not to fight him. Verona’s account had left her momentarily speechless, and she felt a warmth blossom inside her chest at the thought even now. Despite what had happened to him, Aaron was a good man, which he had proven time and time again. But deep down Sarah knew there was only so much a Dragon would take before it would unleash its fury. She almost found it hard to believe that he had reached out to not only her brother, but her father as well. A fool’s plea some would say, but he was
her
fool. Aaron believed wholeheartedly that the people of Safanar needed to unite if they were to have any chance at all to stand against the might of the Hythariam military. She shared his belief that the people of Safanar should unite, but it will be difficult, if not impossible, for them to unite against a foe that for all intents and purposes was a myth. The Zekara were not here. Right now the only armies gathering upon the field were native to Safanar. The perfect time for a strong enemy to sneak in and position itself for a devastating strike was now. In Khamearra there were Elitesmen who followed the old code; perhaps now they would stand with the Resistance and overthrow the current regime.

They walked deeper into the city, and the blackened skin of the buildings had begun to show flecks of white as the years of weathering stripped away the past. The first time they had seen Shandara, the destruction had a deep effect on all of them. It was one thing to learn about something as part of history, it was quite another to actually see where the event happened. To smell the stale air. Seeing all the lives that had been twisted and snuffed out by the fires that had consumed the city. Devastation brought about by her father and his victory was celebrated in Khamearra to this day. She felt her stomach rise up and settle back down, as if she were on an airship.

“Tanneth, what did you find last night?” Sarah asked.

“A part of the city that has been virtually untouched.”

Sarah nodded and quickened her step.

Birds flew amid the buildings, and fresh nests could be seen, but Sarah was at a loss for where the birds collected the bits required for building them. The forests where quite a bit away from where they were now, but the birds were determined to make a home here.

They turned a corner, coming to a wide-open street lined with some of the biggest statues she had ever seen. The statues were of men and women appearing in succession, depicting a person standing at first, then progressed with each showing the movements of the slow forms that Aaron had first taught them onboard the Raven. Sarah allowed her eyes to glide over them down the long thoroughfare, fooling her eyes into seeing the motions of the very still statues.

“This place is amazing,” Verona said.

Braden bowed his head and brought his fist across his heart and whispered the Warden's Oath of the De’anjard. The rest of them bowed their heads in respect, including the Hythariam. As they progressed down the wide street, Sarah’s eyes took in the stunning details of the statues. The folds of the clothing draped over lean muscles in each depiction of the slow forms were shown to perfection. The faces carved into the statues were generic ideals, and she drank in the sight of them as did the others. The tension drained away from her shoulders, and she found herself standing straighter, becoming infused with the majestic energy exuding from this place. The succession of statues spoke to the potential in each of them, and Sarah was grateful that amid all the destruction throughout Shandara this place had been spared.
 

Tanneth stopped in front of a statue about halfway down the street and nodded to Sarah.

“You think there could be something here?” she asked.

The others spread out examining the area, but Tanneth and Braden stayed at her side. The pedestal upon which the statue stood was adorned with an intricate design of laurel work, drawing the eyes toward the center. Sarah traced her fingers, following their path, and closed her eyes. Her fingers glided along, and she could feel Aaron’s medallion grow slightly warmer where it rested upon her chest. She drew in the energy around them and focused on the base of the statue. She sent tendrils of energy following the laurel vines away from the center to their point of origins that had become distinct. She fed the tiniest morsel of energy into each origin point and retrieved the warm medallion from under her shirt. The origin points glowed, and she heard Braden call the others over. Sarah brought the medallion to the center of the pedestal and pressed it firmly into place. There was a faint but audible click, and the white pearl in the medallion's center flashed momentarily. They heard the grating sound of a stone doorway reveal itself around the corner of the pedestal away from the street.

Sarah hung the medallion back around her neck and followed the others. Faint glowing orbs pulsated to life inside, growing brighter, revealing a stone staircase. Just past the entranceway the air tasted stale and old, leaving Sarah to guess when the last time someone had ever been down there. Having drawn in the energy, her eyes immediately adjusted to the dark. They came to the bottom of the stairs, and more orbs began to glow, stretching out along the walls away from them.

The orbs nearest grew brighter as did the others, revealing a long room that housed racks of weapons. The racks closest to them held bows and swords covered with a layer of dust, but the farther they ventured, the types of weapons began to change. One rack held golden rods with handles that slipped over your forearm and a grip for your hand.

“Shields, like the one Braden carries,” Verona said.

“They’re good at deflecting the Elitesmen’s attack orbs,” Braden said, then looked at Tanneth. “Now you and Gavril can test your pistols against one of these shields and stop asking me for mine.”

Tanneth smirked, taking one of the rods off the rack. He attached it to his arm and engaged the trigger in the handle. Within a second a golden oblong shield fanned out.

“I never get tired of seeing that,” Verona said.

“Braden, do you think it can do what you’ve done with your hammer and shield?” Tanneth asked.

Braden’s brow furrowed in thought for a minute, “Too risky to try in here. Would cause too much damage, but we can try later.”

“I don’t see any more war hammers like yours here,” Verona said, gesturing toward the black-and-gold-etched hammer that Braden carried.