Shadow Seed (4 page)

Sayar crouched down in front of Janah. “Your
guess is as good as any. Maybe it’s me, but you sound scared.”

Feeling slighted, Janah said nothing as she
stood and walked away.

“Have they abandoned their invasion of the
Netherworld?” Nedim asked.

“Maybe,” Amarna answered. “Our scouts there
have reported that the Pelasgians are gathering, either to leave,
or attack their last city.”

“Their last city,” Nedim said bleakly. “What
about the humans?”

Amarna shook her head. “The letter states it
was near their cities the Pelasgians were seen. New Haven may be
able to withstand the assault, but I fear the other two don't stand
a chance.”

CHAPTER SIX

Under an increasingly cloudy sky, Arthur
hacked away at some branches as he pushed his way through a dense
section of the forest. Thomas, Richard, Jacob and William followed
in-line behind him.

When they came to a small stream, Arthur
crouched down, paying close attention to the surroundings as his
team gathered around him.

Thomas picked up a pebble and tossed it into
the water. “With all due respect, I don't believe it was necessary
for you to resign your post. I could have led this assignment.”

Keeping his eyes on the thicket ahead, Arthur
whispered. “I don't doubt your ability. Maybe one day you'll be a
Preceptor and understand.”

“Boring would be the word,” Thomas said,
speaking as he would anywhere else. “I can't believe the Marshal
allowed it, not with the fine job you did on Sara.”

Arthur looked hard at Thomas for a moment
before concentrating back on the forest. “You know, you talk an
awful lot, and loudly, too. As far as Sara is concerned, she can
take better care of herself more than most men I know.”

Richard sniffed the air. “Is it me, or does
it smell kind of odd?”

Jacob inhaled deeply and almost choked. “What
is that, brimstone?”

“Pelasgians,” Arthur said, staring in the
direction the smell was coming from.

“Wow,” William said, with a hint of sarcasm.
“How many are there?”

Arthur wasn’t amused. “Shut up, nitwit.
Vesuvians said it could be a sign. Tread carefully now.”

Moving as quiet as possible, they soon
discovered a small Pelasgian camp. Three Corinthians, two Centaurs,
a Minotaur and a Satyr were either cooking or sharpening their
blades.

Arthur looked back at William. “We're
outnumbered, so somebody is going to show off. Let's see if you're
as fast as your wits. Nail one, then turn back the way we
came.”

As William equipped his bow, the rest of the
squad fell back, staggering themselves as they hid in trees and
bushes.

After waiting a short time, William took aim
and fired. The arrow struck a Centaur dead in the chest, and
alerted the camp.

William stood, giving his position away. “I'm
so good it's pitiful!” he shouted, before taking off like a
frightened gazelle.

The Pelasgians roared after William.

Running through the bush, a Corinthian at the
rear didn't know what hit him when Jacob slit his throat from
behind with a dagger.

Richard waited for the last moment to spring
a simple trip wire made of vine, and the timing couldn't have been
better as the last two Corinthians fell flat on their stomachs. He
jumped out and used his equinox to impale the one with no armor in
the back. The other Corinthian tackled him and both wrestled on the
ground for a brief moment, until Richard managed to free one hand
and use a talon to stab his foe through the eye.

Thomas watched from a tree as William dashed
by, with the Minotaur in hot pursuit followed by the Satyr. When
the Centaur came by, he jumped down landing on the back and snapped
the Pelasgian's neck with his hands.

When Arthur spotted William, he grew
concerned seeing the Minotaur and the Satyr.

As Arthur jumped out from around a tree
swinging his equinox, the Satyr was nimble enough to avoid it with
only a cut to the arm.

Grunting in anger, the Satyr lunged with his
spear.

Arthur was barely able to dodge the attack as
he spun and thrust his equinox into the creature's chest.

William glanced back and found the Minotaur
too close for comfort. There was no way he could fire off another
shot. He grabbed his halo and spun around, swinging the weapon in a
downward arc, but the Minotaur caught his wrist and easily tossed
him aside.

Landing with a thud, William scrambled
backwards on his hands and feet as the Minotaur closed in for the
kill.

“No!” Arthur cried, as he leapt through the
air and slammed both of his talons into the back of the Minotaur's
neck, impaling it several times until the creature fell over
dead.

The rest of the men quickly caught up as
William got back to his feet.

“Are you okay?” Thomas asked. “I thought I
heard you scream.”

Arthur was a little winded, and his chest was
covered in blood. “Yeah, I thought the boy here was about to steal
my kill.”

William laughed, grateful for the rescue.
Though at the same time, he hid his face pretending to scratch it.
He was embarrassed at not being able to take on the Minotaur.
“Thanks, Arthur. I owe you one.”

Richard sniffed the air. “Oh man, the smell
is a lot stronger now. The main camp must be close.”

“That's not good at all,” Jacob said
worriedly. “New Haven isn't two hours away.”

Thomas blew his nose to try clearing the
smell. “We should go back and report this.”

Arthur didn’t think long about it. “No, we
have to find the camp. That’s why there’s five of us. Once we
locate the main force, we need to send a constant flow of
information to our people.”

“I strongly disagree,” Thomas said, harsh in
his tone. “This camp was probably a forward lookout. If the
Pelasgians don't hear from them soon, they'll know something is
wrong. We should have just gone around it!”

“There's no time,” Arthur said. “We'll deal
with any scouts we come across. William, go to New Haven and report
what happened. On your way back, one of us will meet you halfway.
Okay?”

“You got it,” William said as he ran off.

Richard moved ahead. “I'll take point.”

Arthur turned to Jacob. “Bring up the rear.
Thomas, you cover the left.”

The men swiftly and silently hustled between
trees and bushes.

It wasn't long before Richard picked up a
very strong scent of Pelasgians. He peeked through some bushes as
he waited for the rest of the team. What he couldn't see or smell,
he could hear, and it sounded like a huge gathering of wild
animals.

Arthur slowly crept up from behind.
“Pelasgians?” he asked.

“Yeah, probably,” Richard answered. “It's
hard to make out anything. There's no way we're getting any closer
without being spotted.”

“What choice do we have?” Arthur asked.

Richard looked around. “I've done some
patrols out here. There should be high ground that way,” he
pointed.

The thick wooded forest hid the men
perfectly. From their vantage point, they could see the area was
swarming with Pelasgians.

The source of the dark clouds came from
hundreds of terrosaurs throughout the camp. They were enormous
four-legged creatures veiled in black smoke. Crystal-like spikes
protruding their skin burned off at a tremendous rate from exposure
to the sun. Their long necks, and much of their skin was armor
plated, as was the ball at the end of a whip-like tail that was
nearly the length of their body.

“Unbelievable,” Thomas said. “How big do you
think this army is?”

“I don't think I can count that high,” Jacob
replied. “But those oversized lizards are going to be a handful.
How on earth are we supposed to deal with that?”

The camp began to burst with a lot of
activity.

Arthur could see the Pelasgians falling into
formation to begin their march. “They're on the move.”

“There's only one place they can be going,”
said Richard. “And I don't think it's home.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

“I think that's enough for today,” Leon said,
opening the door to let Chris and Delia out.

“Bye, see ya later!” Chris hollered, as he
ran out.

“Later,” Sara said.

Delia looked back nervously at Sara. As the
door began to close, she quickly turned and darted past Leon,
running up to Sara. “Can I be a Ranger?”

“Delia!” Leon said, flustered.

Sara was speechless. Somewhere between the
time she'd eaten the fish and told her story of how she arrived in
Vesuvia, Delia had become fascinated with her.

“Sure, why not?” Sara finally answered.

Delia jumped back delighted.

Sara winked. “When you get older, come see me
when you're ready.”

Leon grinned. “Hey, Delia, I dare you to ask
your parents that.”

“Don't be mean,” Sara laughed. “Okay, Delia,
I'll see you later.”

“Bye,” Delia said, running outside.

Leon closed the door. “Kids…”

Sara relaxed back on the couch. “I was kind
of wondering why you don't have one.”

Leon sat next to Sara, leaning back to rest
his head and closing his eyes.

“You don't like them, do you?” Sara
asked.

“I like kids,” Leon said. “It's just...I
don't know. I never had a desire for them, I guess.”

“So you don't plan on having any?”

“I'm not saying it won't happen. I'd be lying
if I said I never thought of what it'd be like.”

Sara leaned in slightly. “Girlfriends?”

“I've had a few, but...”

“But what?” Sara asked straightening up.

Leon opened his eyes, looking at Sara. “You
know silly things. Like my lineage. Never fails. It always gets in
the way, with the parents at least, a lot of old fashioned
statues.”

“That's a problem with humans too,
sometimes,” Sara said. “I can only imagine what that means for a
Vesuvian.”

Leon closed his eyes again. “Well, it's the
least of my problems.”

Sara stretched her arms and legs before
standing. “Let's go to the promenade. We've got a few hours before
I have to report back to New Haven.”

Leon was not nearly as physically tired as he
was mentally, all from dealing with the Vesuvian children. He got
up lazily, holding his hand out for Sara to lead the way.

The short stroll through Leon's yard took
them to a street packed with people coming in and out of stores.
The only way Sara could tell what they sold was by an
advertisement, or a display in the window. Many of them sold
clothing or trinkets, but one that caught her eye was selling
goblets.

“Let's check those out!” Sara said.

Made from clay, wood, glass or metal, there
was a wide selection to choose from. Some were plainer than others,
but the nice ones were elaborately enameled and jeweled.

Sara picked one up made of wood. It had a red
tinge and was carved to look like a person holding a large bowl
across his back.

The shopkeeper moved around the counter,
closer to his valuable customers. “Our soldiers are a great part of
the good life we live today.”

“I like the symbolism,” Sara said, placing
the goblet down.

“Check this out,” Leon said, handing over a
gaudy one that was all black, shiny and decorated with onyx
stones.

Sara was amazed with the craftsmanship. “Now
this looks expensive!”

“Not really,” the shopkeeper said. “That one
in your hand there is just a regular chalice. The one you were just
holding was enchanted by a Remian elder. A sip from that goblet and
you'll have the speed and strength of ten men.”

“Doesn't have to be blood either,” Leon
added. “It can be anything from alcohol to water.”

Sara looked around, imagining what many of
goblets were capable of. “I didn't know you could do that.”

Leon picked another goblet up. “Only a
handful of these do anything. It takes a very powerful Vesuvian a
lot of time. That's why they're pretty expensive.”

“Guess I better start saving my money.” Sara
said.

The shopkeeper laughed.

“Maybe I’ll start a collection,” Leon said.
“Let’s go see what else is going on.”

Leaving the shop, Leon and Sara went two
blocks down the street where a small crowd of people watched a man
painting on a large canvas.

The landscape painting was at nighttime with
two cliffs opposite each other, overlooking a valley filled with
trees.

Sara was hit with a sense of déjà vu. “Why do
I get the impression that's a perfect image of a real place?”

“It's just outside Vesuvia,” Leon said.

The painter examined his work for a moment
before drawing a vague depiction of a man standing at the edge of
one cliff, and of a woman at the other. With that, he turned and
bowed to polite applause from the crowd.

Suddenly, every Vesuvian stopped talking and
froze in place.

Sara was bemused. “What is it? What's
wrong?”

Leon answered in a trance. “Pelasgians. The
northeast. There's a portal.”

“Here, now?” Sara asked.

As quickly as it happened, Leon snapped back
to reality with the rest. “Sorry about that. I have to go.”

Sara followed Leon. “That's some trick you
got there.”

“It was the Kanara,” Leon said. He stopped a
Remian soldier passing by. “Hey, I need a favor. Please watch her
until I get back.”

“Get lost!” the Remian said.

Sara felt the same. “Forget that! I'm coming
with.”

“No,” Leon said. “I'm not taking any chances.
Stay here. I'll be right back for you.”

Before Sara could argue, Leon was gone. With
his Vesuvian speed, he reached the outskirts of the city in no
time.

There were several Turin and Liro gathered at
one end of the street standing down a group of Pelasgians opposite
them.