Wicked War of Mine (Overworld Chronicles Book 9) Page 20

  I saw Joss and Otaleon blasting the enemy with ultraviolet beams as they flew overhead, giving our troops even more space. Otaleon managed to ravage a couple of soldiers with a thin beam of white destruction.

  Brilliance speared through the gateway in the nexus, narrowly missing the two Darklings. A cloud bearing Qualan burst through. His face bore a look of rage and delight as he unleashed another blinding bolt at Joss. "Filthy Darklings! Come face me!"

  Joss and Otaleon were already in dangerous territory flying so close to the enemy. I waved my arms to get their attention. "Fall back!"

  Otaleon blocked another attack from Qualan with a shield as Joss wheeled the carpet around and flew after us.

  I fired a flurry of beams from my fingers at Qualan, but they all flew wide, or dispersed before reaching him. He roared when he saw me and launched into pursuit. The rest of the Seraphim army came through the portal as our troops made more space. Another cloud zipped through, this one bearing Daelissa. I spotted the elfin girl, Lanaeia, on a flying cloud of her own. Her face looked bruised and bloody. The two of them flew at us. Daelissa balled her fists, pressed them together, and discharged a beam of white light into our troops.

  Our people screamed as pure destruction cut them down. I tried to shield some of them, but I was out of position to render much aid. Daelissa's cold eyes settled on me. The cloud bearing her came straight for us. Qualan launched another attack. This one caught Otaleon on the shoulder.

  Their carpet spun out of control. A Blue Cloak flew his carpet close, leapt to theirs, and stabilized it. Joss gripped Otaleon to keep the Darkling from falling off the carpet as the Blue Cloak flew them toward the southern corridor where our troops were retreating.

  Although it was hard to maintain a moving shield, I was plenty good at making a stationary one. Just as Qualan took aim again, I threw up a small shield right in front of his head. He cried out in surprise as his face slammed into the barrier. The cloud flew from beneath his feet, and the Brightling tumbled backwards into his own troops.

  Unfortunately, the fall wasn't nearly enough to kill him.

  "Run all you want, Justin Slade," he screamed at the top of his lungs, "I will kill you!"

  The Seraphim troops had fallen well behind our people by now, but it was due more to our own dead blocking their path than the speed of our retreat. The angels were incredibly agile, however, and managed to navigate the bodies of our fallen without tripping over them.

  The bulk of our troops reached the south corridor about fifty yards ahead of the Seraphim. I spotted Thomas on his command platform and raced to him.

  "What now?" I asked.

  His face seemed set in stone. "We hold."

  I saw Daemos and lycans moving to the front lines while ranks of the elite gray men took positions to the right. The Daemos morphed into demon forms while the lycans shifted into their beast forms.

  The front row of Seraphim soldiers balked when they saw what they had to fight. Qualan, once again on his cloud, flew overhead.

  "Attack!" he shouted. "Destroy them!"

  He fired a thick beam at our front lines. I intercepted his attack with a barrier of mirrored Murk. It reflected his attack to the side. The base of a massive column supporting the corridor entrance exploded into shards. A great rumbling sounded and the entire right side of the entrance cracked.

  "Retreat our units!" Thomas shouted.

  A trumpet sounded and our rear guard moved back.

  Cracks ran up the wall. Huge chunks of marble rained down. One slab thudded into the Seraphim front lines. Another took out a squad of gray men. Still another hit the Daemos as they raced backwards. Our forces moved farther and farther back until we were near the statue of Daelissa. We watched as the ceiling and walls collapsed in on themselves, blocking the corridor while a thick dust cloud billowed toward us.

  Heart in my throat, I flew our carpet to the Daemos. I scanned the infernal forms until I spotted a huge red demon, my father, carrying a wounded, blue-skinned female. Her lower body looked as though it had been crushed. Blood flowed from her mouth.

  I leapt from the carpet and raced over as Dad called for help, his demon voice low and guttural. The female slowly reverted to human form. I realized, with a shock, it was Vallaena. A group of healers raced over, but after one look, they simply shook their heads.

  "Heal her!" Dad roared, his voice rising in tenor as he shifted back to human form.

  "Too late, brother." Vallaena coughed and a fountain of blood erupted from her mouth. She saw me and smiled. "I am proud of you, Justin." She drew in a harsh breath. "You are dearer to me than you know…" Her voice trailed to silence. Her body slumped.

  Dad pounded the ground hard enough to leave cracks in the marble. "No!"

  I stared at her still form in disbelief. Aunt Vallaena is dead? We hadn't been close, but she'd been there for me. She was the one who'd taught me how to unlock my Daemos abilities. She'd persevered through my stubbornness and pushed me to be the best. I looked at her face, so calm in death.

  "No." It was the only word I could muster.

  "Pity," Godric said from behind me. "I do not understand why someone of her social rank would risk the front lines."

  I looked and saw the Daemos standing on his own flying carpet. His clothing still looked as clean as when he'd arrived. I heard a roar and something flashed through the air. Dad gripped Godric by the throat, carried the Daemos off the carpet, and slammed him hard into the floor. His fists blurred. Godric cried out and went limp.

  Dad wiped the blood from his hands on Godric's shirt and stood. He spat on the unconscious Daemos. "Cowardly scum."

  Kassallandra strode from the mass of other Daemos. She placed a hand on Dad's shoulder. "Your sister was brave and noble. She was not the only of our kind to die this day. Having seen the Seraphim army, I am sure she will not be the last."

  Dad gave her a grim look. "No matter how many of us die, this time we end Daelissa."

  Somehow, I ended up staring at Vallaena again. I found myself next to her on my knees, my hand stroking her silky hair. Though Jeremiah and I had bonded during his last days on Eden, I hadn't lost someone so close to me before. I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

  "Rest easy," I whispered. Anger burned in my heart. "I will win this no matter what."

  A trumpet blasted four staccato notes signaling a retreat through the portals. As the dust settled and revealed the choked passageway, I saw that we would not finish this war today.

  Meghan Andretti appeared with a group of healers. She placed a black cloth over Vallaena's body. "I'm so sorry, Justin."

  "Thanks," I mumbled.

  She looked toward the tunnel and shook her head sadly. "All the dead beyond those walls." A shiver ran down her back. "May they rest in peace."

  A hand settled on my shoulder and pulled me to me feet. "Shake it off, kiddo." Dad bared his teeth. "Let's go home and clear our heads. We've got a bitch to kill."

  I nodded numbly. "I need a minute."

  "We all do after today." He gave my shoulder a squeeze and walked away.

  I stared at the destruction around me. Elyssa appeared from somewhere and gripped me in a tight hug.

  "I thought we won," I said, hardly able to believe the turn of events. I looked at Elyssa. "Tell me this is a bad dream."

  She kissed my forehead. "We need to go home and rest."

  A pair of healers carried Vallaena's body away. I saw dozens of flying carpets bearing the dead floating toward the portals. How many more victims lay beneath the rubble?

  "Go ahead without me," I said. "I—I just have to think."

  Her forehead creased. "Why here?"

  I shook my head. "Please. I'll be along soon."

  Elyssa kissed me again and followed the dead to the portal. I saw rescue crews pulling survivors from the rubble and ran over to help. One man was trapped beneath a huge slab of marble. Only another pile of stone had prevented the slab from crushing him. I channeled Murk and lifted th
e slab enough so Templars could pull him out. We patrolled the wreckage. Our supernatural hearing allowed us to locate several more entombed allies and free them.

  I lost track of time as we moved from one victim to the next. We liberated more corpses than we did survivors. We even found two dead Seraphim soldiers. We were finally about to call off the search and leave through the portals when I heard a faint whimpering near the wall.

  "We're here to help," I said. "Can you tell me who you are?"

  There was a brief pause in the crying. "I am nobody. Just leave me," said a female voice.

  I slashed a hand in the air. "Never! I refuse to give Daelissa one more soul today."

  She sniffed. "I am hardly worth the trouble."

  Leaning toward the sound of her voice, I said, "Every life is worth the trouble. Hang on, we'll have you out soon."

  I was dead tired from so much channeling. My hands and arms were filthy, bruised, and crusted with blood. My inner demon clawed at my insides. I needed to feed. For some reason, the hunger and pain felt good. It kept my mind off our spectacular failure. More importantly, it reminded me I was alive.

  I tried to channel a wedge of Murk to move debris from the area where I heard a woman crying, but my legs turned to jelly and I almost fell over.

  "We've got this, sir," said a familiar voice.

  I turned to see Hertz and his crew of Blue Cloaks. I managed a smile. "Thanks."

  Tell us what you see, Kanaan," Hertz said to the man I recognized as the Magitsu master.

  The man studied the pile of rubble for a moment. He was tall and appeared to be of mixed Asian and Caucasian descent. He ran a hand through his thick black hair and knelt next to a thin slab of marble that didn't seem to be part of the pile trapping the female.

  "Here is the weak point," he said in a calm voice. He pressed his wand to a seam between the stones, and whispered a word. A small part of rock fell from the slab. It shifted ever so slightly and freed a boulder from its weight.

  Hertz and the others were able to pull the boulder free with a couple of spells, revealing a small cave. I saw a bruised, dirty foot. Kanaan examined the pile again, removed another small bit of rock, and the Blue Cloaks were soon able to remove the enough of the pile to reveal the person trapped.

  A filthy girl blinked her eyes at us. A sharp bit of shrapnel jutted from her thigh. Crusted blood glommed her silvery hair. I knew who she was immediately.

  Lanaeia.

  Chapter 23

  I braced myself for a fight but only managed to stagger backwards in exhaustion.

  Tears streaked through the dirt on Lanaeia's face. The elfin Brightling squeezed her eyes shut. "Just let me die. I am worthless."

  Kanaan inspected her thigh. He pressed his hands to the wound around the jagged stone. "There is no way around it. This will hurt." He pressed a hand to her forehead. "Prepare yourself."

  She closed her eyes and nodded.

  Kanaan jerked the sharp stone from the wound. Lanaeia cried out in pain. She gripped Kanaan's arm and pressed her face against it, sobbing. He watched her, but said nothing. A Templar healer cleansed the wound and pressed a wad of what looked like gray bubblegum over the hole.

  "That will keep it from getting infected," the healer said. She looked at Lanaeia. "Are you a Daemas?"

  "I am your enemy," the girl replied. "I am a Brightling."

  The healer flinched back and a couple of the Blue Cloaks drew wands.

  I'd seen Lanaeia fight and knew she was more than capable of handling herself. Either she was too exhausted to fight, or she really meant what she'd said about dying, because she didn't raise a hand to defend herself.

  Kanaan never moved. He pushed Lanaeia's damp hair from her face and looked at her, as if seeing into her soul. "She is not like the others. You have nothing to fear from her."

  Hertz and the Blue Cloaks relaxed. They apparently trusted the man explicitly. The healer didn't seem quite as sure, but made no move against the injured Brightling.

  Lanaeia's silver eyes looked questioningly at Kanaan. "How do you know? I might be very dangerous."

  He smiled. "You are very dangerous, just not in the way others might think." He stood and helped her stand.

  She limped, but her supernatural healing had obviously started mending her injuries. "Thank you."

  "How did you end up under the rubble so close to our side?" I asked.

  She looked at the floor. "I wanted to be away from Qualan. For him it is always about hurting and murdering. He killed so many of our kind in Seraphina." Her eyes drooped with sadness. "I thought your people might kill me or take me prisoner. Either way, I would be far away from that evil seraph."

  "Seraph?" I asked.

  She tilted her head. "A male Seraphim. A female is a sera."

  I groaned. "I'll probably keep using human terms like man and woman. Did you know a female lycan should be referred to as a bitch?" I waved my hands. "Talk about suicide."

  A couple of the Blue Cloaks chuckled.

  "I am comfortable with your decision," Lanaeia said. "Will you take me prisoner?"

  "That depends." I already knew from experience not all Brightlings agreed with Daelissa's policies. Maybe once I knew more about Lanaeia, I could make a judgment call about her. "Will you tell me what you know about Daelissa's plans and how she managed to open the Grand Nexus from the other side?"

  She looked at Kanaan. "Will you be there?"

  The Magitsu master raised an eyebrow. "You should be able to walk on your own shortly."

  "Yes, but you make me feel safe." Her silver eyes grew large and pleading.

  I looked at Hertz. "Can I borrow your guy for a little bit?"

  The lieutenant nodded. "Of course." He looked at Kanaan. "Behave yourself."

  "He's a wild man," another Blue Cloak said.

  Kanaan didn't look amused. "I will accompany the lady if it makes her more comfortable."

  "It does," Lanaeia said and smiled sweetly.

  I looked at the massive pile of rubble blocking the way to the Grand Nexus. Daelissa wouldn't have to break through if the omniarches and Obsidian Arch on the other side worked. For all I knew, her troops might already be gone. I thought about leaving a guard to watch this place, but saw no point. There was nothing of value on this side of the wall.

  We headed toward the lone remaining portal, which had been left open for us, and returned to La Casona.

  Hertz shook my hand before he and his men headed for their quarters. "Don't worry, sir. We'll still win this war."

  "I know. Thanks." It was incredibly hard to muster anything resembling enthusiasm after the debacle at the Grand Nexus.

  I opened a portal to the Borathen Templar compound and went through it with Kanaan and Lanaeia.

  "You look very young," Lanaeia said looking me up and down. "Why do the others follow your orders?"

  I shrugged. "Must be my good looks."

  She seemed briefly confused before enlightenment lit her face. "You are Justin Slade."

  I remembered all the daggers the Red Cell soldiers had thrown at me and almost didn't answer the question. On the other hand, Kanaan had declared her safe and, since the Blue Cloaks trusted him, I could probably trust him.

  "That would be my given name." I looked at her. "It also happens that you're my cousin."

  Her silver eyes widened even further. "Of course. You are Alysea's son."

  I led them to the war room. Thomas and Elyssa were there with Commanders Taylor and Olson. All eyes turned to us when we entered the room.

  Elyssa rushed to me and gave me a firm hug. "I was getting worried about you, but Meghan told me you were helping recover survivors from the rubble."

  I pushed a dark lock of her hair behind an ear and kissed her. "I had to do something." I turned toward my guests and introduced them to everyone. "This is Lanaeia and Kanaan."

  Elyssa stiffened. "Isn't that the girl from Kobol Prison?"

  I nodded. "I think she's okay."

  Tayl
or nodded at the Magitsu master. "It's an honor to see you again, Kanaan."

  "I was surprised but pleased to learn you were with the Blue Cloaks, Master Kanaan," Thomas said. "It was my understanding you had left them."

  "I refused to serve with Cyphanis Rax giving the orders," Kanaan said. "Once Captain Takei told me he had joined forces with you, I reconsidered."

  "I'm glad we have you," Commander Olson said.

  I wrinkled my forehead and looked at the Blue Cloak. "How does everyone know you?"

  "Perhaps that is a story for another time," Kanaan replied. He helped Lanaeia into a seat. "I will vouch for this Brightling."

  I wondered how he could be so sure, but now wasn't the time to ask him.

  "Why should we trust you?" Elyssa said to the Brightling girl. "You tried to kill us at Kobol Prison."

  Lanaeia's eyes turned sad. "I was only looking for my family when your group attacked me."

  I held up my hands. "Let's put that episode in the past and get to the present." I dropped into a chair since my legs were killing me. "Tell us everything you know, starting when Daelissa revived you."

  The Brightling nodded.

  "May I suggest we refresh ourselves first?" Kanaan said.

  I looked down at my filthy clothes. Lanaeia looked as bad as I did, and Kanaan wasn't much cleaner. I nodded. "A shower and some food would be great."

  "Would you accompany Lanaeia, Master Kanaan?" Thomas asked.

  "I will," he said.

  We left and took the levitator down to the barracks levels.

  "I already took a shower, so I'll accompany Lanaeia," Elyssa said when we reached the communal showers. "I'll procure some fresh clothes for you, Master Kanaan."

  He held up a hand. "Just Kanaan is fine, Miss Borathen."

  She smiled. "Just call me Elyssa." I could have sworn her eyes were a little brighter than usual.

  Kanaan gave her a short bow. "Thank you." He stepped into the shower room.