Mythborn (54 page)

Silbane must’ve felt the same because he looked at the group and said, “Let’s fly.”

“Agreed,” snapped Orion grabbing Yetteje and eyeing the tunnel they had exited from as he grew to his full height. Sounds could be heard that could only be more soldiers coming. It was clear this platform would soon be overrun. Each winged person of their party took someone, with Brianna and Duncan carried by Silbane.

Then they leapt into empty space, and for a heartrending moment Arek felt himself freefalling and clutched at Helios’s armor. The Aeris Lord’s wings snapped open and he flew into a swooping dive that turned into a spiraling climb as they found a warm column of air rising near the center area. He heard something and then saw a bolt of fire shoot past him and back in the direction from whence they’d come. It was Yetteje, firing back at the platform from under Orion’s arm, setting the wooden landing they had just been standing on ablaze.

Even as Arek watched, more than a dozen elves ran forward with flexible vines that spurted water, dousing the fire before it could do any serious damage. However, Yetteje’s attack had bought them the precious few beats needed to get out of their arrow range. She didn’t say anything, just looked at Arek and nodded.

The person who had it worst was Ash, who had squeezed his eyes shut, not daring to look. Kisan wheeled above them, taking the lead as they made their way for an opening and blue sky. A sound drew Arek’s attention below again. Elves boiled out of the tunnels, like fire ants stirred up by a stick. They came armed with bows and spears but held their fire as the quartet pulled out of range. Still, because they were climbing, more elves appeared on landings above them. Arek was sure they would come under withering arrow fire at any moment. When they didn’t he couldn’t understand why, until the attack came.

It was not by arrows but surprisingly from above, by a contingent of winged elves. They slashed with blades drawn as they fell like direhawks after a sky serpent, right through the group. All four defenders spun clumsily out of the way, burdened by the people they were carrying.

As Helios desperately rolled, the tip of a blade caught Arek’s shoulder, slicing through the muscle. Blood welled but he clamped a hand over it and gritted his teeth. He could tell the wound was small but deep and he felt thankful for the Watcher’s agility in the air. He had no doubt if they’d been a few hands out of position that blade would’ve gone through his neck instead.

Kisan closed her wings into a ball and tumbled with the firstmark held to her belly, then rolled onto her back snapping her wings out again and going after them. Ash let loose a short scream as Kisan’s diving pursuit ended with one elf losing a wing and spiraling out of control. The master swooped back into a climb like a ballista, shooting up towardthem. She did not see the lead elf had circled back with his vanguard in a loos
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until it was too late. He hit her hard in the back, causing her to drop Ash and cartwheel out of control. The firstmark fell again, his scream now one of real terror.

The others all reacted, diving either for the elves or for the falling form of Ash, but they had not counted on Kisan’s puissance. The black-winged master tucked and hit a tree lattice with the balls of her feet, then used that contact to throw herself into a dive like an arrow… after Ash. Her wings stayed folded against her back like a bird-of-prey as she shot past the elves on her left and right. As she passed, Kisan threw her blades to either side. One sword entered the elf on her left’s neck, the other went through the elf on her right’s sternum. Both stopped flapping and rolled over to fall in lazy spiraling circles, like the autumn maple seeds Arek liked to watch twirl as a child.

Kisan continued her plummet and disappeared into the gloom. The last thing Arek saw was one arm outstretched as if she were trying to catch Ash, but he could not see the firstmark before she too disappeared into the darkness below.

Then Orion shot past them with Yetteje standing on his back. Arek blinked, unable to comprehend how the princess could balance on the Watcher in flight. She drew and fired arrow after arrow, skewering the leader of these winged elves with an arrow that took his head clean off. That body followed the others in a slowly turning inverted spiral as he plummeted down into the darkness.

For a moment there were no attackers. Their aerial fight had taken them out of arrow range of the platforms. Arek was about to ask Helios if he saw Kisan when Silbane pointed and said, “There!” loud enough for everyone to hear. He pointed to the blue sky opening they had been making for, away from the eager bowmen and winged assailants that would doubtlessly reappear.

An explosion sounded from below. A ball of fire blossomed, igniting trees and leaves as it rolled slowly upward. Arek looked at Silbane, but he seemed just as surprised. Another explosion sounded, deeper in the city, followed by the lighting crack of what could only be a large bough breaking. A few arrows rained down upon them from a distant platform with elves more hoping than aiming, one half-hearted attempt deflecting harmlessly off Helios’s armor. Arek was again grateful of the Aeris Lord’s bulk shielding him. Whatever was happening below clearly had taken the attention off of them, at least temporarily, and Arek knew from the reaction to Yetteje’s arrows that fire of any type would be a high priority for a city made entirely of wood.

It was only when he looked down and saw the immensity of the fire that engulfed the city below that the sickening realization became clear. Kisan and Ash were down there in the middle of that conflagration.

As if echoing his thoughts, Helios said, “I pray for them both.”

Revelation

To see a cup fill to its fullest with scorn

and hatred for a fellow man,

Tell a young mother her child means nothing.

-
          
Toorval Singh, Memoirs of a Mercenary

K
isan dived with the unerring accuracy of a direhawk after prey. She couldn’t change the laws of falling bodies, but Ash’s flailing made him catch more air, slowing him considerably. She was, on the other hand, tucked into a slim form like a dart and catching up. The question was, would she get there in time to save him or to mark the spot where he died?

As she neared she yelled, “Spread out!”

She couldn’t tell if the firstmarkheard her, but after a moment the man responded, becoming a
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that caught more air. That his discipline overcame his fear impressed her. A few beats later she was within a hand’s grasp, her fingers just touching his boot. At that touch, he pushed his leg up and she grabbed his ankle with both hands and spread her wings, which popped open with such force Kisan thought they’d be ripped off. Every muscle in her body strained to hold onto Ash, but it had the desired effect. The sudden braking made their impact with the roots at the bottom of Avalyon bone-jarring, but not lethal. They fell in a tangled heap before coming to rest close by each other. Kisan sat up, taking stock of their surroundings. “That’s three times, Firstmark. Perhaps I should be paid for such consistent service?” She smiled at the tease.

“I’ll have to owe you,” replied the man miserably. He lay on his back and let out a long breath. Then he rolled quickly out of the way as a body impacted the ground where he’d been. It was one of the winged elves whom Kisan had killed with her blade during her hurtling descent.

“Kind of him to return my weapon,” the adept commented without emotion. The sound of branches breaking revealed the other dead elf, caught in the canopy above.

“How are we going to get up there?” asked Ash with trepidation.

“Easy Firstmark,” replied Kisan, looking up, “I’ll retrieve it.” To her surprise, however, the mere thought of her blade sent it flying back to her. She caught and sheathed it deftly, then looked at Ash with a smile. “I’m liking this place more and more.”

“That makes one of us,” Ash replied. “Now what?”

Kisan breathed out then said, “The only way up is to fly. I don’t know if I can do that from here and carry you.”

Before Kisan could say more Ash hurriedly said, “Great, let’s try and climb a bit.”

Kisan arched an eyebrow and changed form back to her normal appearance. “It’s a long way up.”

The ground was solid and neither of them could see the sky below. It was clear the trees grew from this central spot like a giant root. Dozens of openings to tunnels leading upward were evident, the question was which would lead to a landing that she could fly from? Ash had already started to move, likely choosing a tunnel at random. Kisan smiled at the firstmark’s fear of flying, but did not comment. She wasn’t sure why but she found his weakness endearing, perhaps because he didn’t seem to think of himself as any less for it.

So, rather than point out an obvious choice that led to a landing only short distance up, she followed the firstmark quietly, an uncharacteristic show of submission that surprised her even more.

Soon they were deep in an internal root tunnel that wound its way upward. They had not gone far when another explosion sounded, and from the groundshake it was not far off. The tunnel buckled, sending bits of leaves and bark down like green and brown snow.

“What was that?” Ash asked no one in particular.

Kisan peered out of a tunnel “window,” nothing more than a round hole in the root, and saw a ball of fire slowly rising. Her eyes narrowed. Shapes moved quickly up the root system… winged shapes—Aeris!

“We have Aeris infiltrating Avalyon.” Her tactical mind unraveled what was going on and she said, “Lilyth is attacking.”

“What?” exclaimed Ash. “Why would she do that?”

Kisan moved past him and said over her shoulder, “Because she can. Duncan coming here fixed a way to Avalyon and with us used as a distraction, she’s taking Valarius out of the equation.” It seemed clear that given the chance, Lilyth would have been foolhardy not to wipe out the elves. The only question she had now was if her Furies were here to slay just elves, or everyone involved. Kisan was not going to take the chance on Lilyth’s benevolence. The woman was turning out to be exceedingly merciless, a quality that at any other time Kisan would have liked.

She grabbed the firstmark’s arm and said, “We’ve got to get out of here, quietly. We can’t trust the Furies are on our side.”

Ash nodded, drawing his new blade. Unlike the normal weapons of Edyn, he hoped this blade would hurt the same demons who had only just gifted it to him as a replacement for Tempest.
Only one way to find out
, he sighed mentally. More Aeris boiled out of whatever opening Lilyth had created. They carried charges they set and detonated. Each seemed designed to send fire upward in a rising ball, burning the canopy above. Here at ground level they were relatively safe. Explosions shook the corridor they were in as the firstmark looked around nervously then pointed up. “There. The tunnel forks. Let’s push upwards until we find an open area.”

Kisan moved quickly, only looking over her shoulder now and again to make sure the firstmark did not fall too far behind. Normally her pragmatism would have bade her to leave the man behind now that he was safe and uninjured, but for some reason she found herself wanting to watch over him.

After a few moments they entered a wide hall with six tunnels leading out. Kisan looked around, then at Ash. The firstmark shrugged and said, “Pick one.”

Kisan began to turn when the scene slowed and then came to a halt, as if time itself had stopped. From this still point a woman appeared. Sonya! The adept fell back, looking for any others but Sonya’s voice drew her back.

“Pay attention, Adept! I do not count you yet as ally, but dire needs make strange bedfellows.”

“How is this happening?” Kisan asked.

“Nothing has happened. I speak to you between the eye blinks of time. When I’m gone all will be as it was.”

Kisan nodded, accepting that, and said, “What do you want?”

“You sought to kill my son. Is that still your mission?”

Kisan didn’t feel like bantering and said, “You know it is or you wouldn’t ask.”

“You understand that killing him here will destroy Arcadia. If Arcadia falls, so too does Edyn.”

“I do,” Kisan replied. “My only goal now is to get Arek out of here.”

Sonya looked at her, her gaze measuring the truth of Kisan’s words. Then she said, “Take the Binding Oath then, that you will not cause harm to my son.”

“I won’t,” replied Kisan icily, “and you know it.” She paused then said, “You act as though your hands are not bloody, that you have risen so far above us that your actions are beyond reproach.”

“You dare—!”

“I dare anything and anyone!” Kisan paused, then said sadly, “I used to worship you but now I see a desperate woman who has sacrificed herself, and for what? To bring ruin to our world for the sake of one boy?”

She moved closer. “What is it, Sonya? What drives you to put the life of Arek ahead of the tens of thousands of children who have lost their families to magehunters, or gone simply missing since the Demon Wars ended? Do you know their fate?”

Sonya looked down, not answering, and Kisan’s eyes widened. “You know, don’t you? They’re here, held by Lilyth? Or Valarius. Or both. What have you become?” she spat.

“I’m the reflection of what this world and Duncan made me, nothing more or less,” Sonya said. “You cannot know what it’s like to lose your own child.”

“Can’t I?” Kisan said, tears welling up despite herself. “I know what it’s like to lose an entire family to magehunters. I know what it’s like to lose a boy as close to me as a son. Perhaps Valarius had a hand in that as well?” Kisan stepped back waiting for the lore mother to say something, but Sonya seemed to fall within herself.

Finally, the adept said, “I will do whatever I think is needed, and that’s the only promise I will make. At least you know where I stand.” She began to move forward but Sonya raised a hand, clearly careful not to touch her.

“Valarius will seek to possess Arek, using his body to leave this realm. You cannot let that happen.”

Kisan stopped, her mind racing. “Why can’t he leave? The war with the Aeris?”

Sonya looked down, grief etching her features. “His greatest secret, his most guarded lie…” she looked at Kisan then and said, “Valarius is more than elven. He was the first, and is in some ways also Aeris. He cannot leave without a body and Arek was created for that purpose. When I found out, I sent my son to Edyn to safeguard him. Now, with his return, the fate of both worlds hangs in the balance.”

Kisan looked at Sonya, stunned by the revelation. She shook her head and asked, “What happens if Valarius possesses Arek?”

“What do you mean? He feels betrayed by Edyn and will bring her people to judgment for that betrayal. You will see the hand of retribution fall upon thousands if not millions of innocents. He cannot be allowed to leave this world.”

“Even if it means the death of Arek?” asked Kisan, still thinking through what Sonya had just said.

“You’re not listening,” exclaimed Sonya, “if Arek dies here it will unleash a darkness that will consume Arcadia. With it gone, nothing will hold Sovereign’s hand.” The lore mother shook her head, “I don’t know why I came to you. You’re nothing but an obtuse weapon and will allow Valarius to become mortal again, wreaking his havoc upon your world.”

Mortal?
Kisan’s eyes narrowed and she looked up over her shoulder past the chamber’s roof, as if she could see the dizzying heights of Avalyon above. Valarius would become mortal if he possessed Arek? Her thoughts tapered to a fine edge with crystalline acuity. Would not the boy’s danger be rendered ineffective if he was possessed? And what would happen then if Valarius were killed or trapped here in Arcadia? She smiled and looked back at the lore mother, who for her part appeared exasperated.

“Promise me you’ll save my son and I’ll lead you to the top by the quickest path,” demanded Sonya.

Kisan tilted her head and said simply, “No.”

Then she lashed out, her fingers touching the lore mother’s form before the shade could react. As she suspected the touch dissipated her with a forlorn scream. The adept smiled as time returned to its normal flow.

Ash was a few steps behind and stopped short. “What?”

Kisan looked back at him and said, “I think I know a solution to this mess we’re in, but I can’t have you interfering.” She smiled at his confused look, then snap-kicked him in the forehead.

Ash went tumbling back, falling in a heap. Kisan looked around, then made her way to the first landing before changing form. A moment later she’d vaulted up and into the interior of the elven city, spiraling quickly up and out of sight.

* * * * *

On the ground at the base of the steps lay Ash, groggily shaking his head to clear it. When he finally opened his eyes and looked up, Kisan was gone. In her place stood the specter of the woman they’d seen earlier on that island, the lore mother, Sonya. She looked barely able to hold her form, as if everything she had left was bent upon keeping her visible.

As he levered himself up, the shade looked at him with desperation and said, “I beg you, Firstmark, help me stop that woman from killing us all.”