Element Wielder (The Void Wielder Trilogy Book 1) (21 page)

A loud cheer from the Sandorian men rose over the battleground. 

The remaining two creatures turned their gaze toward the man who had conquered their fallen brother.

Their yellow eyes flashed as they rushed forward, destroying everything in their path. They had one target: General Higa. 

Chapter 34

Falcon’s legs jittered as General Higa wielded a wave of earth. With flashing fangs, the dark hulks effortlessly broke through the hills of earth that moved up and down like a raging sea.

The first of the two leapt into the air. It landed next to the general, slamming the ground and sending shockwaves across the field. 

The general stumbled, falling by the lifeless body of a young Sandorian soldier. He stared at the corpse for a moment then picked himself up.

“Behind you, general!” warned Falcon, though he was so far from him, he doubted Higa could hear him.

In his daze, the general did not seem to notice danger approach from his rear. The creature altered one of its tentacle arms to resemble a circular drill, which punctured the general’s chest, running him through.

The black form threw its head back and roared while it picked up the impaled leader for the entire field to witness.

Higa twitched and struggled, in a futile death spasm.

The dark beast altered another tentacle to resemble a rapier. It then struck the general’s stomach.

“Uuurghh,” the general’s pained wail came to an abrupt end as black tar spurted out of his mouth. His body convulsed while the dark liquid bled out of his ears, eyes, and nose.

The Sandorian army turned into a riotous mob. They jumped over bodies and stumbled into one another as they fled their defensive lines.

Thousands of Suteckh soldiers and the nine remaining dark monsters took after the retreating men. 

“Falcon, stay here and hold this line,” ordered the Ghost Knight. “Do not let the enemy pass. You are now the last line of defense.”

Falcon stomach dropped. But he tried to not let it show. “Understood.”

The Ghost Knight’s steed took off into the melee. He lifted one of his arms into the air. Even through the distance, Falcon made out the emblem shining brightly in his glove, which could only mean one thing: he was wielding.

The sky parted. An explosive noise rang through the battlefield, causing Falcon’s horse to jump.

At first, Falcon saw what appeared to be small break at the center of the blue sky. But it quickly grew in size until half of the entire canopy was as dark as the night.

The opening was a window into space. Through it, hundreds of unknown stars shared their glow. A mysterious blue planet with patches of brown and green hung in the blackness of the universe. A much smaller gray planet floated next to the blue marble, like two silent partners dancing in space.

What is that supposed to do? Nothing is happening.

“What is that?” asked a soldier, pointing at the break in the sky. “There’re so many of them.”

Falcon couldn’t believe his eyes. Thousands of meteors shot through the opening at blazing speeds. The burning rocks crashed into the pursuing army.

The Suteckh soldiers brought up their shields in a useless attempt to protect themselves. The meteorites slammed into their ranks, dropping men by the hundreds.

The hole in the sky began to collapse, but before it did, one more celestial body struggled through the rip.

It was an icy comet so huge that Falcon doubted it would make it through. But seconds later the large chunk of rock plummeted in. Steam poured from it on all sides.

The comet slammed into the Suteckh army, sliding through the battleground, obliterating everything in its path.

At first, Falcon thought the comet might actually destroy the entire Suteckh forces. But with a wave of his hand, Draknorr, who stood in the rear ranks of his army, wielded a pair of giant black hands that emerged from the depths of the earth. The shadow hands took the comet in its grasp, crushing it into countless pieces.

The retreating Sandorian soldiers now stood safely on the defensive line beside Falcon. But he did not celebrate. The Suteckh army still had over two-thirds of their army intact. To make matters worse, five dark creatures had the Ghost Knight encircled in the middle of the battlefield. The remaining four rushed toward Falcon and the defensive line.

Cold sweat worked its way down Falcon’s back while he watched from afar. The Ghost Knight did not unsheathe his spear. Instead he brought a finger to the front of his mask as if hushing his enemies.

What is he doing?

“Come forth,” commanded the Ghost Knight loudly. In an instant, a black hole appeared above the field. Everything around the anomaly instantly lost itself into the unnatural darkness. Grass, corpses, weapons, and even the monsters.

The creatures snarled as they fought the pull of the black hole, but their strength proved futile. One by one they fell into the dark abyss. At first their bodies spun at the edge of the black opening, stretching to unnaturally long shapes. Then they fell into the center. Their bodies were ripped to shreds in the whirlwind of elements.

As soon as the last of the beasts entered the dark void, the Ghost Knight brought his hand down and the black hole disappeared.

Just then the four dark monsters that still remained reached the Sandoria defensive line. They slammed into the men, sending them flying.

“All non-wielders stand back,” ordered Falcon. “Only elemental attacks can stop these creatures. Wielders, form into large groups, and send them back from the pit out of which they crawled.”

The wielders banded together and released their entire arsenal of attacks. Mostly earth attacks, but there were a few fire, water, and lightning attacks in the mix.

The beasts staggered back, but didn’t go down.

“Good job, men,” encouraged Falcon. “We can do this.” But silently, he was having doubts. Some of the wielders’ attacks were growing thinner and flimsier by the second. He had to do something before everyone ran out of energy.

Before he could come up with a plan, two dark creatures burst through the lines. They ran past the men, their sights set on Sandoria.

“We have to stop them from reaching the city!” cried one of soldiers.

“No,” countered Falcon. “Concentrate all your attacks on the two remaining foes.” He certainly didn’t need the defensive lines to weaken by allowing a fruitless chase. “I will handle those two.”

Falcon ordered his horse forward and took after the creatures. He shot sphere after sphere of lightning at their backs. They turned and glared at him, opening their fanged mouths. A putrescent stench escaped from the depths of their maws.

Falcon ignored the smell and jumped down from his horse. A light breeze tousled his dark hair as he stood in anticipation of the incoming attack. 

The creatures pounced. Falcon ducked. One of the dark monsters turned its stomach section into thick spikes. The other one formed long tentacles from what was once its right leg. They spread these around him and lunged. Falcon danced between the attacks. Not one weapon found its mark.

My turn.
He infused his katana with fire to make sure they could damage the beasts’ tar skin. He swung his weapon in an upward motion. The sword penetrated one of the massive bodies, but not as effectively as he’d hoped. The katana got stuck halfway into its head, or at least what resembled a head. Power. I need more power!

He focused all of his anger on the thought of fire.
Fire, so destructive, like me.

The red flames that overwhelmed his sword turned a translucent blue: the next level of fire wielding!

The dark one wailed in pain as the sword effortlessly cut through it.

The second thing jumped at him. Falcon rolled forward and stabbed it. He again swung the sword upward. Black ooze burst from inside the being as it fell to the ground in two pieces. A mountain of bubbling black gunk was all that remained of both creatures.

Falcon exhaled
. I did it. I got them both.
He turned to his men. They were still holding the two remaining dark creatures back, but were visibly weakening. But as he began to make his way to them, something ruffled behind him.

He turned around to an unbelievable sight. The ooze of both fallen monsters had molded together as one. A new black form stood before him, twice the size of the originals.

There’s just no way.

It vomited a flow of dark slime at Falcon. He wielded a water shield around him that blocked the attack. But he lost sight of the creature. He saw a black tentacle cutting through the water. It wrapped around his body. He tried to break free, but the pressure holding him was too great.

The thought of never again seeing Aya raced through his mind.

That’s it.
Aya had taken her water wielding so far that she could do something only a few select water wielders could do, ice wield.

She had given Falcon a few lessons on it. In his mind he replayed what she had told him.
First you wield the water. Once you have it, hold it in place and drop its temperature. This requires both concentrated energy and focus, but you can do it.

Falcon pulled water from the air around him. Once he had it, he dropped it all on the dark creature.

The beast glanced down at its wet body and then looked back at Falcon with rage in its eyes. Its grip tightened.

Falcon ignored the pain and focused his mind. He stopped the water flow, which now covered the creature. He closed his eyes and thought of Aya once again.

“Ice!”

The crackles of water freezing over rang in his ears. He gazed in amazement as the dark body froze.

“Thanks, Aya,” he whispered. “I owe you…again.” At his command a lightning bolt sliced through the frozen creature. The icy figure shattered into a thousand pieces.
Let’s see it come back from that.

~ ~ ~

By the time Falcon returned to his men, the last two dark creatures had been killed. But the small victory had come at a heavy price. Over three-hundred men lay dead on the ground.

“Forward!” Falcon heard Draknorr’s booming voice order from the other side where the remnant of soldiers stood. The still massive wave of Suteckh warriors began a steady march toward them.

Falcon scanned the numbers of enemies. But no matter how much he tried, he could not find Lao within the oncoming Suteckh army. As a commander, he should have been in front of his battalion leading the charge.
Why would Lao miss out on this opportunity for glory?

That’s when the terrible truth dawned on him. His former friend was launching an attack on Sandoria, but not on the battlefield.

Falcon looked back at Sandoria. The city looked so peaceful. Its shimmering lights illuminated the buildings in the incoming darkness of the night. Everything appeared to be in order. But he knew better. With most of the soldiers busy at the battlefield, sneaking into the city would prove an easy task.

There was no doubt in his mind. He knew where to find Lao.

Chapter 35

As soon as the Ghost Knight rode back, Falcon shared with him his suspicions.

“If this Lao you speak of kills the emperor, then a victory on the battlefield will be meaningless,” agreed the Ghost Knight. “I am needed here. If you really believe what you told me holds truth, then make haste toward the emperor.”

“Yes, sir. I won’t fail,” said Falcon. He turned and sprinted back to city, feeling like a fool all along.
How many times have I fallen for the same trick?
Even worse, he had left Aya and Faith back there on the false assumption they would be safe.

He rushed past the Sandorian entrance. The guards who usually patrolled the gate lay on the ground, swords stuck in their chests.

He took a breath and continued. The deeper he went into the city, the worse the scenes became. The charred remains of a mother clutching her dead infant in her arms caused him to stop in his tracks. He stared at the mother who had died trying to protect her child, like his own mother had done all those years ago. A low moan snapped him out of his illusion. He turned to a wrinkled, frail man dragging himself toward him. His legs were gone, the result of a sword no doubt, and the man’s blood gushed out into the hard dirt.

The elder’s eyes rose up to Falcon. Tears streamed down his face as he muttered something Falcon didn’t understand.

Falcon moved closer. “I’m sorry. What was that?”

The man moaned something under his breath and then his head dropped to the street. Falcon narrowed his eyes as he noticed that the old man’s lips were rimmed in green.

Poison.
Lao had not infiltrated Sandoria alone.

~ ~ ~

Aya moved quickly between patients, wrapping bandages, healing burns, and mending wounds. She knew the healing stations would be full, but she hadn’t expected the sheer volume of injured that had appeared.

“I need another blue gel pack here,” cried one of doctors.

Before Aya could get one, Faith grabbed a gel pack and rushed it to the doctor.

“I’ve got a fire injury over here,” said one of the medical assistants. “It’s too severe for me to treat.” The patient was an older woman. Half of her face and neck were a light red color with streaks of black.

Aya placed her hands over the affected skin. Slowly, she released water into the wound. In seconds, the red skin returned to its normal color. The woman would retain a scar for the rest of her life, but she would live.

“How did you do that?” asked the stunned medic. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Lots of practice,” answered Aya, moving on to the next wounded citizen.

“But that was beyond belief. I mean the wa—”

“Help!” came an unexpected soft whimper.

Aya turned to the source of the voice. It belonged to an old soldier who limped into the healing station. Blood from a slash in his stomach coated his uniform.

Aya supported the man and assisted him to one of the few remaining infirmary beds. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“Don’t worry about me,” groaned the old man. Blood poured from his mouth. “The emperor has been kidnapped.”

Countless ribbons and medals adorned the man’s chest. “You’re from the emperor’s royal guard,” she stated. “What happened? Where is the emperor?”

“We were ambushed by two men. They wiped out our entire guard squad. I alone managed to escape.”

“Where did they go?”

“They took the emperor and headed toward the Deysi gardens.” He staggered forward. “You must alert someone to stop them before it’s too late.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll find someone. Now rest.”

“Thank you, young lad….” The man’s eyes closed.

“Someone, tend to his wounds,” ordered Aya, striding out of the healing tent.

“What are you doing?” asked Faith, gripping Aya by the arm. “Don’t tell me you’re going after those men alone. You saw what they did to the elite guards.”

“I have no choice. By the time we warn General Higa of what’s happened it will be too late. The emperor will be dead or beyond our grasp.”

“If you’re going, then so am I. Without a guide it will be hours before you find the Deysi gardens.”

Aya didn’t wish to put Faith in danger, but she had brought up a valid point.

“I suppose you’re right,” admitted Aya.

“Let’s go then,” said Faith, taking off. Aya followed close behind.

~ ~ ~

Aya felt as if they had been running forever when they finally arrived at the gardens. A square of grass dotted by a riotously-colored flowerbed spread out before her. A concrete fountain at the center of the garden sent plumes of water high into the air. Candle lamps flickered on and off, illuminating the lush scenery.

“I think they’re gone,” said Aya between breaths. 

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” said Faith, pointing at something in the distance. “Look.”

Aya squinted. Then she saw it. A short distance ahead, two dark silhouettes moved through the green shrubbery.

“Stop right there!” commanded Aya.

The figures turned at the sound of her voice.

“What a pleasant surprise,” said the smallest of the kidnappers. “Come to re-consider my offer, Aya?”

Lao. Of course.
That explained why there had been so many Sandorian citizens with burn injuries.

“I see that the Suteckh still have you working as their errand boy,” mocked Aya. “You must be proud of yourself.”

Lao stomped forward. “I’m not an errand boy. I am a respected commander of the mighty Suteckh. You would be wise to remember that.” He wielded a mass of fire on his right hand. Half of his face glowed a bright red. The other half remained obscured by darkness.

“We be not having no time for these…games,” grunted the second silhouette as he stepped forward. It was Cidralic. Atop his broad shoulders, he carried the unconscious Sandorian emperor. He handed the emperor down to Lao. “Deliver the emperor to her majesty. I will be personally making sure these
women
don’t be interfering with our plans ever again.”

“Have fun,” laughed Lao, tossing the emperor over his shoulders. He took off trotting toward the rear gates of the city. “It was fun knowing you, Aya.”

Faith stepped forward. “What are you planning to do with the emperor?”

“That be none of yer concern, little girl,” sneered Cidralic. “Besides, yer about to be meeting a most painful end. What be happening to the emperor should be the least of yer problems.”

Aya took a readied stance. “Get out of my way, poison wielder.”

Cidralic let out a hoarse, guttural snicker. The scent of decay intensified. “And what are yer going to do, little girl? Yer be not even having yer weapons.”

“These are my weapons,” said Aya, folding her hands into fists. She rushed forward. Cidralic threw a slow punch. Aya dodged and delivered her own punch. Her fists slammed against dark green armor. The knight tossed her aside with a simple swipe of his hand. Through it all, he continued choking on his own laughter.

“Yer attacks have no bite, little girl. This be easier than I thought.”

“We’ll see.” Aya wielded water from the nearby fountain toward her. At her will the liquid formed into a water panther.

The panther pounced on Cidralic, who quickly unhinged his mace from his back. The weapon came down on the panther’s back, ripping through the large cat. Only a puddle remained when Cidralic lifted his mace.

In seconds, the water beast formed again. It growled between its clear teeth and jumped at the green knight. Cidralic staggered back. For a moment, it appeared that the poison wielder might go down. But at the last second he stepped back and shot out green slime from his hands. The slime dug itself into the panther. The alien substance flowed through the clear water, growing and overtaking Aya’s sleek animal.

The water panther changed into something…different. In its place stood a featureless green creature. It was composed of layers stacked upon layers of an oozing green material.

“Yer want to be summoning element creatures? Well, how yer be liking my baby?” jeered Cidralic. The creature took a step toward Aya. But before it could commence its attack, a beam of light shot through it. The slime creature dissolved into a pile of steaming mush.

“Sorry, but I don’t like your…
baby
,” said Faith. Aya stood in shock. She had been so caught up in the battle of wills that she had forgotten all about her companion.

“Yer be paying for that.”

Cidralic rammed his deformed body forward. Aya fell back. Driving the power of her hands together, she wielded the last of the fountain’s water toward her. It formed into dozens of liquid pillars. She shot them at the poison wielder, who violently jerked around to avoid the attacks. But his massive body made him an easy target. Most of the water pillars slammed into him and drove him back. He raised his chained mace and swung it over his head, targeting Aya.

The spiked weapon slammed into the ground. Aya rolled out of its way. Before she could pick herself up, the spiked ball shot at her again. She wielded the remaining water into a thick block of ice. The mace rammed into the ice, shattering it. The broken ice blew into her face, temporarily blinding her. A loud ringing noise rang in her ear.

“Watch out!” came a muffled cry from Faith.

Aya discerned a faint green blur headed toward her. Cidralic’s fist pounded hard on her shoulder blade. Her head bounced off the ground as she fell once again. A hard kick to her stomach made it impossible to breathe. Cidralic then brought his metal boot down on Aya. A wooden staff stopped him in mid-attack.

Faith twirled her staff while simultaneously blocking and delivering blows to Cidralic. Sparks flew out of every hit as it met its mark. The poison wielder’s head armor cracked under the barrage of attacks.

Cidralic brought his shoulders down and rammed Faith. Her body flew into a wooden hut.

Aya stood, noticing the pond was gone. She would have to wield water out of thin air, which required a tremendous amount of energy. Her hands shook as water formed over her hands and arms. Once she had sufficient liquid, she changed its form. The water contorted itself into the head of the majestic lion, which covered her right fist as though it were a glove. The head of a keen-eyed blizzard hawk encased her left.

Cidralic swung his mace. This time, Aya did not dodge. Instead, she met his attack head-on. The lion roared and hawk shrieked as she blocked his mace with both her liquid-wrapped hands. The mace broke and clattered on a set of decorative bricks.

The air crackled with the sounds of Aya’s hits connecting on Cidralic. Two left blows landed on his face shield. Three right jabs broke his stomach armor.

The poison wielder collapsed. Thick green liquid spilled out of every break in his armor. The words Cidralic said back at Ciompi came to her.
Poison flows through my veins. It be my life source.

Aya moved in for the final blow.

“Halt!” cried Cidralic. “Spare me, and I will give what you be desiring the most.”

“I don’t want anything from you, you monster.” She aimed her finishing strike at Cidralic’s giant emblem. But inches away from making contact, she stopped. Her water gloves dissolved. She stood frozen, wondering if she had just heard what she thought she heard.

“That be right,” repeated Cidralic. “I be knowing where yer little sister be. What was her name again? Ooh, yes, Selene. Except, that not be her name anymore.”

“Where is Selene?” asked Aya.

“Oh, yes.” Cidralic laughed. “It be yer fault that she was lost. She be with yer when she disappeared, wasn’t she? Tell me? Did your parents ever be forgiving yer for losing her?”

“Where is Selene?” repeated Aya, unable to stop her body from trembling. Her eyes ached. Her chest hurt. “Tell me where she is!” 

Cidralic opened his mouth and emitted a black gas poured out of it. Aya moved back, but the gas was too fast. It overcame her in seconds. She dropped, unable to breathe or move. Her body was paralyzed. She thought back to her sister. Perhaps she deserved to die like this for losing her all those years ago.

A bright light cut through the black mist, interrupting her thoughts. At the middle of the ray stood Faith. She was encased in a divine light.

“Cidralic, you have lived a life of ruthlessness and brought needless suffering to the people of Va’siel,” Faith announced. Her voice sounded different, as if multiple women were speaking at once. She brought her hands together, imitating a prayer. “May you find peace.”

A light encircled Cidralic. A green mist glided out of his armor. The giant roared as Faith’s holy attack cleansed the poison out of his veins, the same poison he needed to survive. The knight crashed down, lifting a mushroom of dust. His body turned into dark ash that disappeared in the passing wind. Only an empty suit with a giant emblem at its center remained.

Faith fell to her knees. Her face buried in her hands as tears traversed down her arms and into the earth. She kept on repeating the same words, “I’m sorry for taking your life. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”