Dire Destiny of Ours (44 page)

We streaked after the bat. Keeping my left hand on the throttle, I hit the bat with a low-level burst of light. The others each took turns firing at it. Due to the chaos of the swarming bats, most of our shots missed or hit other bats. We flew out of the bat cloud and prepared for another run. Just as we were turning, I saw someone in the practice field waving frantically at me.

Shelton.

I nodded toward the ground. "Come with me." Swooping in low, I screeched to a stop in front of Shelton. "What's wrong?"

He must have been running, because he spoke between gulps of air. "I just got an alert from El Dorado. I think they're under attack."

Using an Arcane spell Shelton had taught me, I shot a flare into the air to signal the other flight groups to come in. Within minutes, they were all hovering nearby.

I guided my boomstick a little higher so they could all see me. "El Dorado is apparently under attack. We'll depart immediately to aid them."

Though some people looked at each other with concern, nobody seemed particularly shocked. This was the news we'd all been expecting.

I turned to Shelton. "Are the doors ready?"

He nodded. "They're working great. One is set up at El Dorado and another is in Colossus Stadium. It's already open and waiting."

"What are you doing after we leave?" I asked.

Shelton shrugged. "I don't know yet. Thomas asked me to wait here for further instructions."

I drifted lower, got off the broom. "Take care of yourself, Shelton."

He gripped me in a tight hug. "Justin, be careful. I know we've been through some hairy situations, but I have a bad feeling about this."

I had to admit I was a little surprised, but returned the hug. "Don't get all emotional on me now, okay?"

He chuckled. "You know me. I'm Mr. Calm."

Ivy got off her broom, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed Shelton's cheek. "Just in case we all get blasted, I wanted you to know that I'm glad you're my brother's friend even though he stinks."

Shelton squeezed her in a hug. "You be careful, okay?"

Blue eyes shimmering with an inner light, her lips spread into a wicked smile. "Daelissa is the one who'd better be careful." She skipped back to her broom, humming "Ring Around the Rosie."

Bella parked behind Shelton. "I'll be along shortly," she told me.

Shelton's forehead wrinkled. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to be a bomber, Harry."

"A what?" Shelton exclaimed.

I could tell they needed a little time to talk, so I hopped back on the boomstick and lifted off. "Skywraiths, form up!"

The other pilots guided their brooms into the air and joined their flight groups. Lanaeia and my group formed up behind me.

I pumped a fist into the air. "Skywraiths, go!"

We streaked toward the stadium. I couldn't help but look back and feel a sense of awe. Fearful as I was, this was probably one of the coolest things I'd done.
I'm leading a squadron of flying brooms into battle!

Once we cleared the top of the stadium, I spotted the giant door sitting just outside the range of the Obsidian Arch in the center of the field. I swooped low, veered around, and aimed for the open door. A gray stone courtyard waited on the other side. I was glad Shelton hadn't set it up next to a pyramid or other obstacle. When we burst through, humidity hit me in the face like a wet sponge. The sky was overcast with thick clouds, casting the land into a surreal gray twilight.

I heard explosions and pulled up to gain altitude. An immense tract of flattened jungle lay in smoking ruins, leaving a path at least a mile long into the city. I saw hundreds of enemy troops marching toward us from the north.

Large stone pyramids, each one with massive mosaics dedicated to the Seraphim who'd enslaved the ancient citizens of El Dorado, lined the edges of the huge stone plaza. Our forces gathered outside the pyramids where we'd clear-cut hundreds of yards of jungle for the perimeter.

I saw Fjoeruss drifting nearby on a flying carpet and realized Cinder was with him. The seraph spotted me and flew to my position. "I am teaching Cinder all there is about golem making and strategy. He has proven an apt student."

"It is fascinating," Cinder added, real emotion penetrating his typical deadpan voice. "What do you think of the battle golems?"

Fjoeruss's Battle golems, five in all, stood in a line before the troops. A static sheen hung in the air before them indicating a camouflage screen masked their presence. The golems stood far taller than the trees around them. Two humanoid versions, constructed of some kind of volcanic rock like basalt, had cylindrical heads lined with white, black, and gray gems. They rivaled the height and size of Daelissa's battle golems though their weaponry seemed less impressive.

In the middle stood an ornately crafted replica of an Egyptian sphinx, its body gold and shiny. A blue-striped nemes headdress with a striking cobra completed the impressive ensemble. Red gems shimmered in the cobra's eye sockets. The eyes on the human head glowed azure blue. Although the golem stood only waist high to the humanoid versions, it was still nearly two stories tall.

The last two golems were oddities. Half of a sphere with the flat side facing up perched atop three round legs with massive domed feet. Gray men manned—golemed?—shard turrets lining the wide platform. Several large weaponized gems protruded from the front. They were, in essence, walking battle platforms.

"They look awesome." Despite the threat of imminent death, my inner nerd was awed and excited to see Fjoeruss's monstrous creations. I had to hand it to the seraph—he made golems right. I had a feeling the Brightling soldiers would wet their pants the second we dropped the camo screens. I turned to Fjoeruss. "Will they hold up to Daelissa's goliaths?"

He shrugged. "The megaliths are the closest ones I have to hers."

"The humanoid ones?"

"Yes." Fjoeruss turned his gray eyes toward his monstrous creations. "I believe their offensive capabilities match the goliaths, but since I don't know the specific enchantments Daelissa's golem makers use, all I can offer is pure speculation."

"They should be sufficient for fighting conventional troops," Cinder said.

I was glad we didn't have to worry about fighting goliaths this battle, but unless we captured or killed Daelissa this time, we might still have to fight them.

Our other troops were arrayed similarly to the first battle. The Darkling army formation stood in front of the tripod golems on the right flank while the Templars massed to the left in front of the humanoid golems. Blue Cloaks on flying carpets filled the air, and Arcanes manning catapults filled the back ranks. I couldn't help but notice how much smaller the army seemed. The last battle had taken a tremendous toll on us.

The lycan and felycan contingents were noticeably diminished. Though the Daemos had summoned fresh hellhounds, their numbers also seemed reduced. I spotted my father and Kassallandra waiting near the front lines, their massive hounds pacing restlessly nearby.

"We'd better report in," I said.

Cinder stepped to the edge of the carpet and shook my hand. "Good luck, Justin."

"Stay safe, friend." I released his hand and offered a nod to Fjoeruss. "Perhaps we can end this today."

"Perhaps." He gave me a discerning look. "I must admit that your ability to draw together such a diverse array of individuals into one cohesive unit is impressive. Even Underborn and his assassins have joined the fight."

My eyebrows almost flew from my forehead in surprise. "Was that a compliment?"

Fjoeruss shrugged. "Merely an observation." He turned back to Cinder. "We should inspect the final preparations." With that, the two flew toward the neat square formation of gray men standing near the tripod golems.

I led the Skywraiths to the Templar command platform hovering in the center of the back lines and held up a fist. The flight groups behind me stopped while I dove down to speak with Thomas.

"How long ago did the enemy arrive?" I asked.

"Perhaps twenty minutes. They tripped our outer wards. Before we could respond, they launched a series of destructive spells that laid waste to a long stretch of jungle." He tapped on his arctablet. "We suspect they portaled in and then rushed to clear a path."

As I watched, it seemed more and more enemy soldiers appeared from thin air in the distance. "Why don't I see their portals?"

"Camouflage screens." He waved around the city. "We have several such screens around the city so they can't see in."

"Won't they think it's kind of strange that they can't see El Dorado?"

He shook his head. "The spell makes it appear as though the city is empty. I just hope none of their scouts have penetrated the perimeter."

The enemy lines grew closer and closer. The tension in the air felt as thick as the humidity. I felt like prey lying in wait for the hunter to draw near, hoping by some miracle to kill him before he killed me. I repressed a shudder and regained my composure. "The Skywraiths are ready to go on your command," I told Thomas. "Hopefully we can make a difference."

He reached out a hand. I grasped his and gave it a firm shake.

"Good luck, Justin."

"Same to you, sir."

Elyssa approached from her station and took my hand after Thomas released it. "I love you, Justin." She swallowed hard. "Please, be careful."

I got off the broom and squeezed her to me. "No matter what happens, I will always love you." I kissed her, not even the tiniest bit ashamed to do it in front of her father and everyone else. But time was fleeting and I had to go. Trying to push back the fear clenching my heart, I released her. "Be safe, my love."

She took a deep breath, nodded. "Kick Daelissa's ass, baby."

I gave her a toothy smile. "As you wish." I hopped on the boomstick, rose into the air, and zipped across the army toward my father.

He grinned when he saw me coming. "Nice ride, son."

"I know, right?" I dropped down to his eye level. "Are the Daemos ready to kick some booty?"

"We are ready to end this war," Kassallandra said in a cold, hard voice. "Without goliaths, I predict Daelissa's forces will fall more easily."

Dad didn't look quite as convinced. "We've got a couple of contingency plans in case things get hairy."

"House Salomon stands ever ready to advise," Godric said from his perch on a flying carpet. "Victory through wisdom."

How about victory through a punch to your face, you pompous asshat?
I wondered if he would fight this time or hang back as usual.

Yuuki, also on a carpet, drifted toward us. "The infernal hands of Haedaemos stand ready to aid our cause." Members of House Wakahisa burst into cheers.

I wasn't really sure how to respond to her declaration so I kept it simple. "Excellent. We need all the infernalness we can get." I turned to my father. "Now, if only I could get the dragons to help us."

Dad put a hand on my back and leaned closer. "They're stubborn, Justin."

I lowered my voice to match his. "They fought alongside you centuries ago. Why not now?"

"Back during the first war, Moses had problems getting them involved." He looked around, but the other Daemos were distracted by Godric as he launched into a soliloquy proclaiming his wisdom. "I don't know what Moses did to make them change their minds."

"He didn't tell me anything before he died." I growled with frustration. "It's too late to do anything about it now."

Dad nodded. "I'm sorry." He gave me a firm hug. "I-umm…" He cleared his throat. "Just want to say, I love you, son. I just needed you to know…in case."

I blinked back the mist in my eyes. "I love you too, Dad." I backed up a step and gave him a stern look. "You'd better survive this. Mom will never forgive you if you die."

That brought his smile back. He looked toward the Skywraiths. "She and I said our goodbyes last night."

I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment. "Don't talk like that. We're all going to live long and prosper, okay?"