Rise of the Red Harbinger (56 page)

Lincan looked across at the other bed. It had been less than a day since Baltaszar had been exiled. Though Tasz hadn’t slept in the room for over four days, Lincan doubted he would ever grow accustomed to it. Delilah stirred as he nudged her a little too harshly. “Get up! We’re being attacked!” He jumped out of bed, glanced at the beam of moonlight shining through the window, and cursed as he ran out of the room just ahead of Delilah.
Lao won’t be able help us for a long time.
The other residing Descendants on the third floor scurried about, still half asleep. Most just leaving their rooms.

He looked back and forth from one end of the hallway to the other.
For the love of Orijin, the front of the House has been torn open!
Lincan could clearly see the night sky where the wall once stood. The floor had given way, a number of Descendants were running from the collapsing floor past Lincan and Delilah. He spotted Malikai, a tall Markosi boy, running past, and grasped his arm. “Kai! I need your help! We need to take the injured down to the infirmary!”

“Now, Linc? We should find shelter first!”

“There won’t be any shelter soon if floors are already collapsing! Find anyone you can and have them help you! Any injured! Infirmary! The sooner we can heal people, the easier it will be to fight back! Your skin will protect you well enough. Just get them downstairs so Delilah and I can start working!”

Malikai nodded and ran back the other way, pulling his friends to help him. His skin could harden into an almost rock-like protective layer. It could withstand strikes from swords, clubs, maces, and numerous other weapons; they’d tested as many as they could find in the past several months, and perhaps had a little too much fun in the process.

“Come, Lincan! We do not have time to waste!” Delilah pulled him to the staircase, following the others who fled. He felt embarrassed getting lost in thought at a time like this.

As they reached the first floor, Lincan marveled that no one had been trampled. The booms were more frequent now and the House shook constantly. Anger filled him as he followed Delilah.
We all knew this day was coming and still Marlowe refused to prepare us. What are we supposed to do now? The infirmary will likely have collapsed by the time we get there
.

They wove their way into the main common room in the central section of the House. Delilah had a girl limping at her shoulder and Lincan scraped a boy from the floor and hefted him over his shoulder. The infirmary lay beneath the main floor. It was big enough to hold almost all of the Descendants currently in the House.
Hopefully it doesn’t come to that
, Lincan thought as he and Delilah ran down the final flight of stairs at the back of the room and set their companions onto cots. Malikai stormed down shortly after with a following of helpers. They placed a dozen more injured Descendants onto surrounding cots.

“Good. Get us more! As many as you can find! They’ll be safe down here for now! And if any of you think that you can’t fight back or help up there, then come back to us! We could use your help!” The House shook again. “Go! We don’t have much time down here!”

Malikai and the others ran off and Lincan looked at Delilah as the woman gave him an order. “We’ll start with Sindha. It’s just a broken leg. If we get her back up there, she can help to repel whatever they are hitting us with.” Sindha was a wiry Shivaani who could repel nearly anything that was about to hit her. Hopefully she could prevent the walls and ceilings from falling in on people. The ceiling thundered again and dust fell on them.

“Let’s start. I’m numbing her now. You set the bone.” Lincan held Sindha’s bloody knee firmly and submitted to his manifestation. The girl let out a sigh of relief as the numbing began. Delilah set her hand on Sindha’s shin and closed her eyes.
I love when she does this
. Her hand disappeared into Sindha’s leg and within moments she brought it up again. Lincan could only imagine how much trouble he would get into if he could make his body pass through objects. He smirked for a moment, then quickly refocused. As soon as Delilah pulled her hand out, Lincan focused on healing the bone and torn muscle and skin. After a few minutes, he stopped the numbing and looked at Sindha. “How does it feel?”

Sindha smiled, “Sore, but good as new. Thank you.” She hopped off the cot and clasped his shoulder. She gave Delilah a tight hug and ran up the stairs. The ceiling boomed again.
We don’t have much time.

***

Desmond ran toward the rubble, Badalao in tow, and instantly the melody flowed through his veins. He flung the collapsed floors and walls out of the House so that the others could escape the ground floor corridor. Shortly after, the halls brightened drastically and he noticed Marshall running along with them. “How did ya get down here so quickly? Fall through the floor?”

“I was already down here. Couldn’t sleep! Still angry about my mother! What do you think this is?”

“I’m puttin’ my coin on Jahmash. We’re definitely bein’ attacked! Worst part is, Lao is useless ‘til the mornin’! As Desmond finished clearing the destruction at the end of the corridor, more of the ceiling caved in from where they had just come. “We’re not goin’ ta be able ta save this wing. Move ta the front o’ the House! Maybe we can properly assess everythin’ from there.” Another chunk of the front wall exploded inward as they moved on. “Let’s go!”

Desmond ran; Badalao and Marshall kept pace.
Most of us will be useless to fight back
, Desmond thought.
Those of us who can must do something.
Desmond looked around as dozens of Descendants ran by in every direction. The walls were exploding in the Mavens’ wing as well.
They must know the layout of the House. They know exactly where to attack.
Another explosion hit the common room where scores of Descendants were finding shelter. Before Desmond even realized he’d summoned his manifestation again, the melody screamed to him. Hundreds of broken pieces of the wall and glass hung in the air above everyone in the room. Only then did he see the cause. A large iron ball hung in the midst. He’d heard rumors of weapons that could propel such things. Usually they were held on ships.
Cannons?
Another explosion came. He put all of his focus into the front wall. Several minutes, and as many explosions, passed. Where a solid wall and entryway once stood, hundreds of fragments and a dozen cast-iron balls hung in mid-air.

Desmond didn’t care how long he would have to hold it all up. He knew he could handle more. He cleared his mind. Explosion after explosion came, breaking fragments into smaller fragments. He pulled deeper from his manifestation and willed everything to float in the air.

Badalao yelled as he ran away, pulling Marshall with him. “We’re useless to you right now, Des! We are going to deliver the injured to the infirmary! We just heard that Linc and Delilah are down there healing people!”

Just as Badalao and Marshall turned away, Sindha came running to Desmond. “Let me help you! There’s no way you will be able to maintain this!”

“No! There aren’t enough o’ us ta be doublin’ up! Protect another area o’ the House! Once everythin’ falls down, we’re all dead! Repel the attacks on another front!” She listened, nodded, and ran off. Desmond was relieved.

All around him, Descendants lay injured or lifeless. Bloodied bodies were strewn throughout the room. Marshall, Badalao, and several others carried body after body down the stairs at the back of the room.
Where the hell is Marlowe in all this? Coward
. Anger spiked within Desmond, but he pushed it back down.
Focus. Save yer strength fer the wall. The whole House needs ya
. He closed his eyes, breathed several times, and then reopened them. Once he refocused, Desmond knew he hadn’t nearly reached his manifestation’s capacity.

Desmond maintained his position for over an hour and finally allowed himself to kneel down. If he had gotten a full sleep and had eaten breakfast, he knew he would still be standing. It didn’t help that he also had to fight back his anger. He couldn’t be sure if he were angrier at their attackers or at Marlowe for allowing the attack to happen and then not even showing his face.
Maybe he’s dead. I guess we wouldn’t be so lucky. Keeramm said he wouldn’t die ‘til he was much older. Shame
. A piece of the wall slammed to the ground at one end of the room. Desmond shook his head and refocused.

Marshall came running back. “Hey! You think you can hold for a little longer? I have an idea!”

His breathing was starting to labor. “I’ll stay here ‘til it kills me. Just get everyone ta safety an’ figure out how ta fight back!”

“It doesn’t have to be that difficult! They have Maximilian down there. The ceiling caved on him—broken back. But Linc and Delilah are sure they can heal him. If he has enough energy...”

Desmond saw Marshall’s plan, “Then he can transfer his stored energy ta me! I could keep the whole damn House up with that kind o’ energy!”

“I’ll get him as soon as he’s ready! Do not die before then!”

Desmond gritted his teeth and stood up once more. The amount of iron balls hovering had more than doubled. He could see portions of the night sky clearly through all of the wall fragments. It almost looked as if lightning was coming down from the sky.
But it’s not rainin’. That Raish?

***

Savaiyon ran through another alleyway, then through the yellow-fringed doorway and into a field of tall grass. Every time he looked back, his pursuer was right behind him.
His method is faster than mine. I cannot outrun him
. His back and side ached. Savaiyon wasn’t even sure if the blade was still in his back, though it wouldn’t have fallen out on its own. His back was at least starting to numb a little. He knew if he didn’t outsmart Maqdhuum soon, he would die running.

He formed another gateway over the water outside the House of Darian, designed to fall from the sky. As he fell, he created another gateway that brought him further up. Savaiyon created gateway after yellow-framed gateway, each time fluctuating his altitude, hoping that Maqdhuum would be lost in the confusion. In the process, another dagger struck him in the back of his left arm, just below the shoulder.
I dazed him when I threw him. Is he missing my head because he is dizzy, or on purpose?
Every time Savaiyon turned around, Maqdhuum was right behind him.
Even in this darkness, he knows exactly where I am going. How?

The gash in his abdomen hadn’t stopped bleeding.
He could have just killed me. Why didn’t he?
He ran on as he clutched his stomach.
Focus on what matters. No time for questions. First, hurt him or kill him. Second, find Lincan. Third, put the gateways back up to protect the island.
Savaiyon turned his head before stepping through another gateway.
Still there
. He ran across the wet sand along one of Gansishoor’s beaches.
I need someone else who can hurt him. Quickly. Something like…fire. What a terrible, terrible time to not have Baltaszar. No time to find him; he might not even be in the same place by now. Who else? Reverron? No. Cannot risk hand to hand combat. Someone who can strike from afar.

Savaiyon ran through another gateway that brought him back to the grounds of The House of Darian. Another dagger struck him in the calf. Savaiyon maintained his focus. Embracing his manifestation helped against the pain. He ran on through more gateways. Every time he created a new one, Savaiyon already knew where the next one would lead.
He can see through all of my bridges. He has traveled. He always knows exactly where I’m going.
Savaiyon had even led Maqdhuum into the Never a few times already, but could not shake him.

His muscles were tearing where the knives stuck in him. Despite his tolerance and focus, his body would give out soon.
Horatio. I need to find Horatio. Find him, then go back to him a few times. No time to stop and talk
. Savaiyon had no clue as to where Horatio would even be. He had seen lightning strikes, despite no evidence of rain clouds. He knew Horatio must be alive. The novice wing was collapsing. Horatio’s quarters were at the very end of the top floor. That side of the building was in the process of collapsing.

Three outcomes. He made it to the first floor and is alive somewhere there. He is trapped in his room. He is on the roof. Start in the room. If he is trapped, I can save him.
Another blade sliced into Savaiyon’s back.

***

Maximilian lay face-down on the cot next to Reverron. Lincan and Delilah stood over him, discussing something. The only reason he knew that Lincan’s hand was on his back was because he no longer felt pain anywhere in his body.
What if that is not Lincan? What if I have no feeling any longer?
As soon as the ceiling had crashed down on him and Reverron, Maximilian had immediately lost feeling in his body halfway down his back and through his legs. Reverron had been unresponsive ever since. He hoped that the boy was only unconscious.

Strangely enough, Maximilian still felt energized. He absorbed energy for a week at a time, then transferred it every Lionsday to the grounds to help the gardens and plants grow. If he remembered correctly, it was Abraday morning.
Two days away. Still a great deal of power. If they can heal me, I could aid in a great attack on our enemies
.