Heir of Shandara (Book 4) (24 page)

Aaron engaged the travel crystal and took them within sight of the Zekaran mobile command center. The thing was immense, like a floating fortress with turrets and observation decks. With the Zekaran forces focused on the burning city, no one noticed them slip near the massive craft, unobserved.

“What are you going to do now? We can’t get inside,” Bayen said.

Aaron smiled hungrily. “I’m going to call in some friends.”

Bayen’s eyes widened. “The Eldarin, but you said it was too dangerous to call upon them.”

“I did, but we’re surrounded by the enemy and… I can feel them. It’s like they are anticipating the call. It’s getting harder to resist,” Aaron said.

Bayen didn’t say anything else but waited for Aaron. He gathered the energy and fed it into the rune-carved staff. They launched into the air, and a few Zekaran troops took a shot at them as they zoomed overhead. They circled around and landed atop the mobile command center. Aaron slammed the staff into its hull, unleashing all the energy in a single blow. Bolts of energy extended out from him, and the vehicle stopped. The turrets nearest him spun around, targeting his position, but he was already moving again. Bayen tossed a small cube at the turret, and after a few seconds it exploded.

“Tanneth gave a couple to me. I only have two more,” Bayen said.

Aaron summoned the energy and slammed the staff into the armored hull again, harder than before. A fissure opened, exposing the inner hull. Bayen dropped another cube inside, and they sprinted away.

Bayen pointed to a small tower-like structure. “That’s their comms array; if we take it out, it will cripple their communications for a time.”

Aaron narrowed his gaze and stepped away from Bayen. “No former member of the Safanarion Order would know this. Are you working for Halcylon?”

Bayen kept his halberd to the side. “I fought at your side most of today, and you doubt me? No, I don’t work for Halcylon. Time is short; we can sort this out later.”

Bayen was right about that. Time was something they had little of. Troops mustered outside on the ground, with some cresting the roof of the mobile command center. Aaron charged toward them, moving at speeds the Zekara in their powered armor couldn’t hope to match. They veered to the side, closing in on the smaller comms tower. Bayen raced ahead and tossed his last explosive cube at it. The cube adhered to the base, and they raced away with the flames of the explosion licking their heels.

Hythariam were a tall race, and the Zekara were a military faction of the same race. A Zekaran soldier in full power armor easily reached a height of seven feet. The cyan lines of their powered armor could be seen through the smoke. The black armor reminded Aaron of when he faced the Drake. Instead of one there were multitudes of them on the field.

“They’re weak on the back of their helmets and behind the knees,” Bayen said.

Aaron nodded and accepted the young man’s knowledge of the Zekara. They raced forward, zigzagging across the massive vehicle. Aaron could sense the lifebeat of the Zekara within the armored hull. He searched, looking for the one Hythariam he had held by the throat while imprisoned on their dying planet. He should have killed Halcylon then. His own life be damned. It would have prevented all of this.
That’s not true,
he told himself. The Zekara would have reached Safanar even if he’d traded his own life for Halcylon. They moved on to another comms tower, and Aaron unleashed the pent-up energy from the staff, leaving the tower inoperable. A cluster of soldiers emerged on the roof, and even without sensing the lifebeats of those around, he knew Halcylon was with them. The Zekara charged forward, firing their weapons. Aaron and Bayen weaved through the deadly barrage of plasma bolts. Aaron swung his staff, slamming the end behind the leg of a Zekaran soldier, forcing him to his knees. He followed up with a blow behind the neck, and the soldier went down. Aaron glanced to the side and saw that Bayen had taken out a soldier as well. The Zekara focused their fire on Aaron, and he dashed to the side. On instinct, he reached out and took hold of their lifebeats with tendrils of energy, freezing them in place. They resisted at first, and Aaron drew in more energy from the staff. The Zekara stopped firing their weapons. Aaron closed in on them, with Bayen on his heels. He reached out for the center Zekaran soldier, who had a red slash down his armor, and engaged the travel crystal. The three of them emerged just outside the city walls, well away from the Zekaran army. They stumbled away from each other but quickly recovered.
 

The Zekaran soldier looked down at the rifle he carried and tossed it to the ground. An armored hand lifted and touched the side of his neck. The helmet retracted, revealing the sneering face of General Halcylon. The Zekaran general withdrew a thick shaft from his back. The shaft extended to the length of a staff, with twin blades on one end.
 

“Come face me, human,” Halcylon said.

Aaron drove the rune-carved staff into the ground and drew his swords. He charged forward and swung his blades. The big Hythariam quickly blocked Aaron’s blows, moving with blinding speed. Aaron focused, augmenting his strength and speed that should have overwhelmed Halcylon, but the general was able to stand his ground. Halcylon bounded forward, swinging his bladed staff in wide arcs. Aaron ducked under a deadly swing, trying to move in closer, but as he did so, Halcylon’s staff deflected his blows. The Hythariam bared his teeth, with a wicked gleam in his eyes as if he were toying with him.

Aaron stepped back and focused. He wielded the Falcons, forming the bladesong. He no longer heard the whisperings of souls past, as he had melded their influence into his own. He was one. A clear head could mean the difference between survival and death. Aaron darted in, his blades lashing out, driving the Hythariam back. Aaron rained down the blows with blurring speed, working his way closer. He kicked out with an energy-enhanced blow to the side of Halcylon’s armored knee. Armor or not, you couldn’t protect against the physics of the blow. Aaron spun and back-kicked Halcylon, sending him back several feet. The Hythariam rolled and was instantly on his feet. Halcylon regarded Aaron for a moment.

“What’s the matter? We’re not as weak as you thought?” Aaron taunted.

“Your city lies in ruins, human.” Halcylon smirked.

Aaron leaped forward and shifted his momentum at the last moment, bringing his swords down upon an armored forearm. Halcylon attempted to shove him back, but Aaron stepped to the side and landed another blow. Halcylon grunted under the force of the blow, but Aaron’s swords didn’t pierce the armor.

Halcylon stepped back, bringing up his staff, aiming it like a rifle. Aaron dodged to the side, avoiding the plasma blast, and dashed forward. The Hythariam smoothly transitioned his fighting form to meet Aaron’s attack. The combination of powered armor and Nanites gave the Hythariam super-quick reflexes, but Aaron was faster. He beat Halcylon’s staff to the side and slammed the pommel of his sword in the Hythariam’s face. The force of the blow left the Zekaran general wobbly on his feet. Aaron yanked Halcylon’s staff from his grasp and plunged one of his blades through the Hythariam’s midsection. Halcylon’s golden eyes widened in disbelief. Aaron lifted his other sword, intent on taking the Hythariam’s life, but at the last moment his blade was blocked.

“No!” Bayen cried. “I won’t let you,” he said, and shoved Aaron back.

Halcylon crumbled to the ground, holding his bleeding stomach.

“Get out of my way, Bayen.”

“If you kill him, you’ll doom us all,” Bayen said, his breath coming in gasps. He hunched for a moment as if he were in pain, then straightened.

Aaron’s surroundings became apparent in a rush. The rumbling of the Eldarin grew more intense. The runes on the staff flared to life, and a beam of light shot forth from his medallion to the staff and lit up the smoke filled sky. Aaron felt as if electricity were charging through his skin. Above them a fissure opened in a bright flash of light. Aaron looked up expectantly while at the same time hoping it would close before the Eldarin came through. A wave of darkness plunged through the opening. The beast that flew through dripped inky blackness from its wings, and the great form of what had once been an Eldarin Dragon lord slammed into the ground. The once-vibrant hide had become a shadowy gray. The Ryakul-infected Dragon lord breathed a great sigh and opened its deep red eyes. Those eyes caught sight of Aaron in a mask of pure hatred. Aaron’s mouth hung open at the sheer size of the Dragon lord. This was the same Eldarin that had cradled him in its wings while the Zekara and Ryakuls attacked it. The fallen Eldarin raised its massive head and roared. The force of it hit Aaron like a blow. After a few moments, Aaron heard answering cries, not from any Ryakul, for there were none in the area, but from the Forsaken. Aaron glanced behind him and heard the Forsaken closing in, answering the call of the fallen Eldarin.

The Eldarin lunged forward, snapping at him. Aaron zipped to the side and kicked off from the Eldarin’s body, barely missing its claws. The Dragon lord circled around and was on his tail faster than anything he had ever seen. It was all Aaron could do to dodge the massive jaws. On a hunch, Aaron came to an abrupt stop and brought up a barrier. The Eldarin stopped its massive form at almost the same instant that Aaron did. It swiped at Aaron with its claws, but the barrier brushed off the attack. The Eldarin spun, using its tail. Aaron winced as the armored tail slammed into the barrier, but still it held. The Dragon lord reared back, and Aaron felt the waves of energy gathering into it. From behind the barrier, Aaron wielded his Falcons, and the pure notes of the bladesong pierced the air. Aaron pushed out with the melody, sending it to the Eldarin. Tendrils of energy seeped up from the ground, reaching hungrily for the Eldarin. For a moment, the Dragon lord faltered. It shook its massive head to clear it. Those piercing red eyes regarded him, and for an instant they recognized him. The Eldarin’s eyes grew wide, losing some of their menacing glare. Aaron released the barrier and reached across the expanse. The lifebeat of the Eldarin was eclipsed by swirling shadows, but Aaron knew that something of its old self was still there. The Ryakul virus hadn’t completely vanquished the Eldarin’s former self. The Eldarin shook its head, its eyes darting around. The snarling growls from the Forsaken came closer as their blackened forms poured through gaps in the city walls.

The comms device buzzed upon Aaron’s wrist, and he risked a glance at it. There was a brief flash of a blue and green light, signaling Rexel’s destruction was imminent. A dark shadow swooped down, and a Dragon slammed itself into the disoriented Eldarin. The Dragon was much smaller than the Dragon lord, but with the Ryakul virus present in the Eldarin’s physical form, the Dragon attacked on instinct. The Eldarin snapped out of it, and its lifebeat went dark. The Eldarin seized the Dragon by the throat and gouged at its underbelly, then flung the much smaller beast back. Aaron closed the distance to the Dragon and brought out the travel crystal. He didn’t know whether he could successfully take the dragon with him, but he would be damned if he wasn’t going to try. A blinding light turned the sky from purple to orange, and the ground shook beneath him. Aaron reached out and touched the Dragon’s hide and engaged the travel crystal. He pulled in all the energy he could muster and pushed in through the crystal. For a moment, nothing happened. Smoldering heat blasted the side of him closest to the walls, and then they were gone. Aaron and the Dragon emerged many miles away from Rexel. He collapsed to the ground. The searing heat blistered his skin. Aaron’s breath came in gasps, and he tried to focus his mind. He needed a clear head if he was going to be able to channel the energy to heal his wounds. The armor the Hythariam had provided him with protected much of his body, but still the pain was almost overwhelming. Aaron closed his eyes and blocked out the pain. His breath evened out, and he focused on drawing in the energy, urging his body to repair itself. Burned skin fell away from the side of his face and neck—that was a mix of pain and itchy relief. Aaron opened his eyes and touched the side of his face that had been burned. It felt just like his other side, down to the stubble of his beard from lack of shaving.
 

He slowly came to his feet. The Dragon that came to his aid lay next to him, its body quivering, and its breath seemed to come with a slight wheeze. The Dragon’s bluish hide had deep gashes from the Eldarin’s claws. Aaron surveyed the wounds grimly, and the Dragon’s tired eyes opened.

She still lives, Ferasdiam marked,
the Dragon spoke in his mind.

It took Aaron a moment to realize that the Dragon was referring to the Eldarin.

She hasn’t fallen fully into the abyss.

The Dragon’s eyes squeezed shut, its blood soaking the ground at its feet. Aaron drew in the energy and pushed it into the Dragon, trying to repair the wounds, but the damage was too much. The Dragon opened its eyes that were once fierce and vibrant but were now only moments from death.

You must save her…

I will. I promise,
Aaron said.

The Dragon’s final breath was released in a great sigh, and the vibrancy of its hide faded to a misty gray. Aaron felt a presence almost tease along the edges of his senses, and then it was gone. He had felt this before in Shandara, when his grandfather’s soul at last came to rest. The soul of the Dragon had left its broken body, which rapidly diminished until a vague impression in the ground was its only mark. The Dragon had confirmed what Aaron had suspected. The Eldarin had not fully succumbed to the Ryakul virus. There was still hope of beating it.