Amidst The Rising Shadows (Book 3) (11 page)

"
Zeus!" Aaron gasped and started coughing. His grandfather’s wolf half-breed that had died at Shandara watched him with his large slate eyes.
 

Am I dying?
 

He could hear Zeus’s panting, but as Aaron raised his head the wolf vanished.

“Get him up,” Halcylon ordered.

Rough hands grabbed Aaron and brought him to his feet.

“Look at the screen, human,” Halcylon said.

Aaron raised his head to watch as the large screen in front of them flickered to life. Elitesmen crowded his field of vision, which then melted away to a sky filled with Ryakuls. The scenes were all disjointed, but all of them had been of events in his life.

“Explain this. How are you able to do these things?” Halcylon asked.

Aaron sucked in a slow breath, “All Safanarions can do this. They’ve been preparing for you for the last eighty years. When you bring your army to Safanar you will be hopelessly outmatched. If you come peacefully they may even allow you to live.”

Halcylon’s golden eyes narrowed, “You lie, human. We can see your memories. We know what’s waiting for us on Safanar. You spread ideas like wildfire.”

One the Zekara soldiers jammed the end of his rifle into Aaron's stomach.

Aaron collapsed to the ground, his limbs failing to work properly. He struggled to his hands and knees.
 

Halcylon squatted down to be eye level with him, “This shall be the pose of all the Safanarions.”

The bladesong flickered inside him, coming from deep within. Aaron could hear the deep growl of the Eldarin. His mind cleared, and he looked into Halcylon’s baleful gaze. He struck out with his hand, grabbing the Hythariam by the throat and surged to his feet.

“We will never kneel before you,” Aaron growled.

Halcylon’s eyes widened in shock as he gasped for breath. The soldiers rained down blows upon his back, and Aaron collapsed to the ground. The bladesong went silent inside him, and he writhed on the floor, in pain. When the soldiers stopped beating him, he found himself staring at his feet. The breath caught in his throat. His feet looked deformed, sticking out at odd angles. He blinked his eyes, and they returned to normal. Aaron shook his head, trying to clear it.

“Will it be ready, Ronan?” Halcylon asked, his voice sounding gravelly.

Aaron couldn’t even raise his head to see the Hythariam.

“Oh yes, sir. The Akasul won’t last long. Maybe a month at the most. We’ve rushed its development,” Ronan answered.

“Will the memories stick?” asked Halcylon.

“We’re pushing the boundaries of even the Nanites, but yes, it will work.”

“Excellent, the best weapon is the one they’ll never see coming,” Halcylon said.

The Hythariam walked away, their voices fading. Even the soldiers left him. Chained and weakened as he was, he wasn’t going anywhere.
 

Aaron lay upon the ground, staring up at the column above him, his eyes tracing the lines of it. Something appeared out of place. He closed his eyes, trying to draw in the energy around him, but it was getting harder to do. What once had been so easy was being stripped away. Two green eyes opened and stared at him. The rest of the creature’s body blended in with the column.

“Someone is always watching, human,” the creature hissed at him.

Aaron tried to speak, but he couldn’t form any words.

“Don’t try to speak, human. You and I have the same goal,” the creature said, and for a moment its body quivered. It crept down lower along the column. Its body was small, only about four feet in length, but its claws were able to penetrate the rocky column with ease. The creature’s face was dark, but Aaron could see the points of its teeth when it spoke.

“We both wish to kill Halcylon,” it whispered.

Aaron struggled to open his mouth, but couldn’t.

“Don’t consume what they bring you. It is bad,” the creature said.

“Name?” Aaron asked, in a voice barely above a whisper.

The creature cocked its head to the side listening. The creature turned its gaze upon him and moved its head as a hunter studying its prey, “I have no name, only what my captors used to call me...Thraw.”

Thraw came inches from Aaron’s face, sniffing.

“You smell bad. I’m not sure you will be much use,” Thraw said.

“...Fight...” Aaron croaked.

The door of the stadium opened, and the soldiers were heading back his way. Aaron glanced up at the column, but the creature was gone.

C
HAPTER
8

RETURN HOME

Sarah and Braden stood on a hill just outside the city of Khamearra. They wore ordinary brown cloaks, which for the most part concealed their weapons. Sarah scanned the skyline of the city and noticed the lack of a tower at the Citadel of the Elite. One still remained, but the blow to the Elitesmen and the lack of one of their towers was a constant reminder that their power was not absolute. Airships dotted the skyline over the city, their hulking masses moving lazily. She had gotten used to the FNA airships that were quicker and more agile.
 

Her gaze drifted over to the palace, which towered above the city, casting long shadows around it.
 

“Braden, at some point I will need to go to the palace,” Sarah said.

Braden nodded, “Okay.”

“Alone.”

Braden reared up, “My Lady, I cannot protect you if I’m not there with you.”

“I’ve been looking after myself since I was a child. I know the palace and how to get in and out unseen,” Sarah said.

“Then you can get us both in unseen, my Lady.”

Sarah sighed, “Very well,” she said, deciding not to push the issue, at least not yet.
 

Braden brought out the comms device and read the small screen, “Tanneth says they are putting together a plan to rescue any of the Resistance we can get out of the city.”

“Where will they take them?” Sarah asked.

“Shandara,” Braden said, frowning as he read the message again. “Rexel is bursting at the seams, and Shandara is the one place they are least likely to be found.”

Sarah nodded, “I see. When can they be ready?”

“In about six hours, but I’m not sure if it’s enough time for us. We need to find out what’s been done to the Resistance and where they are being held,” Braden said.

“First things first then. Why don’t we have a look around and then try and make contact?” Sarah said.

“We should find Captain Nolan. He runs one of the interior districts. He gave us aid when we were in the city last. They were starting to lock down the place when we left a few weeks ago.”

Sarah nodded and tried to ignore the pang of guilt she felt whenever she was reminded of what Aaron had done for her. If only she hadn’t allowed the Drake to capture her...

“My Lady, are you not well?” Braden asked.

“I’ll be fine. Let’s have a look around.”

Sarah drew up her cloak, and the cloudy skies began to drizzle. At least they would have a reason to keep their hoods up. She kept her head down, thinking about the last time she had been home. The Elitesmen Council had sent men to capture Aaron in Rexel. It seemed so long ago, and so much had changed since then.

Braden gasped, snatching her attention. Lining the main streets leading into the city were crudely constructed frameworks where men and women hung suspended by glowing shackles. The dead people were being collected and thrown into a large wagon that took them away from the city. The rank smell mixed with that of a cheap perfume almost caused her to gag as the cart passed by them.

Sarah and Braden looked back up at the people still hanging helplessly, secured by the glowing shackles used by Elitesmen.

“Pay them no mind. They're traitors,” a gruff voice barked.

Sarah glared at the guard from under her hood.

“You there, you’ve the look of a warrior. Volunteers for the High King’s army report in at the west gate,” the guard said, eyeing Braden.

Braden nodded, “Thank you. I’m certainly here to fight, but can you tell me what these people have done to deserve...” Braden said, gesturing up.

If the guard caught on to Braden’s double edged comment, he didn’t let on but narrowed his gaze and said, “They were part of some sort of rebellion in the city. Mind you there is a curfew in effect. If you’re out after dark, up you go,” the guard grinned.

Braden nodded, and Sarah didn’t trust herself to speak, because if she did they would be fighting for their lives.

They entered the city proper and left the smell of rotting corpses behind. She couldn’t believe the barbarism she had just seen, no doubt ordered by her father. She had heard someone remark how there were similar setups for suspected Resistance members at all twelve gates into the city. Her hands balled into fists; these were her people. She clutched her sword and glanced at the passing guards. She couldn’t understand how Braden, who wasn’t known for keeping a cool head, had been able to remain focused throughout the exchange with the guard. One telling look from him was all she needed. He was just as furious as she, but a smart warrior will fight upon a battlefield of his choosing.

There was the appearance of things settling down the farther they ventured into the city, but the people were on edge and hurriedly retreated into their houses.
 

“Do you recognize that?” Braden asked.

Sarah looked where he pointed, and her eyes widened in shock. Painted upon the side of a building was a curved sword at the cross section of the letter F.

“It’s the sigil for the House Faergrace, my mother’s family. They were the rulers of Khamearra before she married my father,” Sarah said.

Braden frowned, “I’ve seen it on a few places throughout the city. Why would they be painted on the sides of buildings?”

“I think they are a reminder of a time before the rise of the High King,” Sarah said.

“My Lady, this place is poised to collapse into a war. What would they do if they learned of your presence here?”

They continued walking while Sarah mulled over the question, “More people will die, but they are my people. I can’t let this go on.”

Braden nodded, pressing his lips together, “What do you intend to do?”

A child’s face appeared behind the window above a shop and watched them. After a few moments the child was ushered away by their mother.

“I’m not sure,” she said.

They continued on, coming to the district headquarters, and Braden led them inside. The clerk at the front desk looked up as they entered the room, his eyes registering Braden’s towering form filling the doorway.

Braden leaned in, “Is Captain Nolan here?”

The clerk frowned and told them to wait over at the benches off to the side. Ten minutes went by, and Sarah was losing her patience. The answers she sought were at the palace and not in some district headquarters.

A black uniformed guard came up and told them to follow him. The guard led them through the building toward the offices in the back. Sarah glanced at Braden. His face was a mask of impassiveness, but his hand, however, strayed to the war hammer on his belt.

The guard brought them just outside a room and knocked on the door. The door opened, and the guard gestured for them to go inside. Sitting behind a desk was an older man, fit and trim with his blondish hair tied back into a pony tail.
 

Captain Nolan dismissed the clerk that was in the room and instructed the guard to wait outside. He pressed his finger to his lips as they left and motioned for Braden and Sarah to come closer.

“I hadn’t expected to see you so soon, but I’m glad you’re here,” Captain Nolan said, clasping hands with Braden.

“Neither did I,” Braden said.
 

The captain tried to glance at Sarah’s face under her hood. When she removed her hood the captain’s eyes widened and darted to Braden who nodded.
 

Captain Nolan immediately bowed his head. “Your Grace,” he whispered.

“Quietly, Captain,” Sarah said.

“We received Nicholas’s message, and the Hythariam are preparing a way to get your people out,” Braden said.

Captain Nolan sighed deeply, “It’s been bad since you were here last. We were able to get some out of the city, but that stopped last week. They’ve captured and executed two of the leaders of the Resistance, and each day there are less and less of us around.”

“What about help from the Elitesmen of the old code?” Sarah asked.

“They help, but their numbers are few. They work mostly in secret,” Nolan answered.

“Your family?” Braden asked.

“They are safely away from the city, on an extended holiday with my wife’s family in the country,” Nolan answered. “I keep waiting for them to check on that story and come barging through that door to take me away when they find that they’re not there. My Lady, I’m glad you are safe. Aaron was quite worried about you but wouldn’t go into any details. I wish we had his help now.”

A sharp pang of guilt seized Sarah’s chest, “As do we all. Please believe me when I tell you that if he could be here, he would.”