Tentyrian Legacy (19 page)

“No, I’m fine,” she panted. That’s when a
combined fireball from Asia and Aglaia engulfed her.

“Zoe! Water over here,” Daria screamed. She
could hear Narcissa’s skin sizzle as Zoe directed water on her
sister. Bile rose in Daria’s throat at the smell of the charred
flesh just inches from her. “Maximos, take her to the infirmary
now,” commanded Daria. Maximos scooped Narcissa up in his arms and
shimmered away.

Daria surveyed the room. There was blood
everywhere—even on the tapestries. Bodies were strewn about the
floor like broken toys. From what she could tell, Calypso,
Alexander, and Damian were dead. Claudius was down, and Narcissa
was seriously injured. Aristos hadn’t come back from getting the
children, which he told her was his priority as soon as the fight
broke out. Stavros and Calix weren’t in sight.

The fire was raging out of control. Zoe burst
a water pipe and was dousing the flames as best she could. But the
room was now practically impossible to breathe or see in. Almost as
if on cue, Zoe, Sophia, Evander, and Sebastian appeared. Sebastian
was leaning heavily on Evander; he was unconscious.

“Where is Pello?” Daria asked.

“Crushed under a rock,” said Evander. “I
can’t help him. We need to evacuate to the infirmary now.”

Daria agreed to meet them there, but she
needed to get Phoebe first. She found Phoebe clutching Claudius’
shattered body that had hit the stone floor with so much force his
brain matter was strewn about. It was too late.

“Phoebe, we must go,” Daria urged. “You know
we can’t save him.”

“Why, why! Why is this happening!” screamed
Phoebe.

“We’re going now.” Daria pulled Phoebe from
Claudius with all her strength and shifted them to the infirmary,
where the rest of the injured were taken.

It was mayhem. Rows of examination tables
were filled with the wounded. Approximately twenty Egyptians,
Guardians, and the Sanctum’s servants were in critical condition
along with thirty Tentyrians who had fought bravely. Another twenty
or so were unhurt but were brought to the infirmary by Sophia,
Sebastian, and Evander for refuge. The infirmary was built under
the central area of the Sanctum and was accessible through a series
of intricate passageways that also led to the core processors of
the Sanctum. By placing the infirmary under the main buildings,
there was ample space to build the observation and research rooms
and the necessary quarters for quarantine should an epidemic strike
the Sanctum’s humans.

There were still a few loyal humans and
Tentyrians who remained fighting above. They would need to go back
and rescue as many as possible and soon. Maximos stood by
Narcissa’s side holding her hand. When he saw Evander, he yelled
for him immediately. Narcissa was barely breathing. Before turning
his attention to the badly burned Luminary, Evander called for all
Tentyrians capable of healing to stand to one side of the room.
There were only three, plus Evander, who had healing skills. He
organized teams with volunteer nurses and prioritized the
victims.

“Daria, Phoebe, I can do my best here, but
what next?” Evander asked.

“We need to get to all the Covens and warn
them,” said Sophia. Daria called the remaining Council members to
her. They were covered in sweat, soot, and blood. “It’s too late.
It’s already been done,” she said. “Stavros never intended to let
them or any of us live. But we should still send someone to check
on every Coven and report back. Phoebe, can you go?”

Phoebe managed to quell her hysteria upon
arriving in the infirmary. Seeing the devastation was sobering.
They would have to grieve later. “Yes, I will go,” she said. And
with that, Phoebe left.

“What about the children?” Zoe choked out a
sob. “They weren’t in the dining hall. Aristos said he’d find them,
but he hasn’t returned.”

“I know,” Daria replied. “That is why I’m
going to find them. Maximos, I need you to come with me. Sophia, I
need you to do a sweep to look for any more survivors—no more
fighting, just a sweep. Zoe, you stay here and help Evander with
whatever he needs.”

“Who else knows of this place, Daria?” asked
Maximos.

“Not many since we haven’t technically
completed it or toured it. Only the Luminaries, Aristos, you,
Pello, probably a handful of Tentyrian builders, and Evander. But
the builders are all celebrating the Rising of Sirius with their
Covens. Or at least they were. And the Tentyrian Guards aren’t
allowed to come down here since it’s a sanitary area and is so
close to the processors.”

It was sheer luck Daria had shown Evander the
infirmary weeks earlier at Narcissa’s insistence to ask for his
input on refinements. His quick thinking gave the injured a
fighting chance. Daria wiped her brow, and her hand came away with
blood.

“We can’t stay here long,” Daria said.
“Stavros will find us eventually. Zoe, make sure those who are well
enough stand guard. And keep the door shut.”

Daria and Maximos went to the nursery first.
The entire corridor was burning. Fortunately, since it was
predominately stone with few support beams needed, the structure
didn’t risk collapsing. Through the heavy smoke, they saw Aristos,
pinned to the floor. Daria ran toward him, sidestepping the
remnants of burned toys, blankets, and furniture. As she picked her
way toward him, she noticed the blast pattern. A bomb had exploded.
Please let them have escaped in time, Daria prayed.

Aristos was severely burned, especially the
left side of his face that had been licked by the flames from the
rug. Together, Daria and Maximos lifted the beam off Aristos, their
own flesh bubbling under the heat of the metal. Fortunately, they
would heal fast. Maximos’ arm had already started to self-repair,
and the bone was no longer visible. Daria put her ear to Aristos’
mouth. He was hardly breathing. Feeling his pulse, it was beating
sluggishly.

“Maximos, give him air while I see if the
boats are gone,” Daria said as she rushed over to the wall that led
to the secret tunnel. When she pushed on one of the stones that was
raised ever so slightly, the door opened. Daria didn’t have time to
run down the hundreds of steps; instead, she shifted to the
bottom.

All three boats were gone. She wasn’t sure if
she should feel relieved or upset. She told herself she would see
her son again. But what of Zoe and Evander’s child, or the children
of their friends? They had come to the Sanctum expecting a
celebration, not a massacre. Daria and her sisters didn’t
anticipate treachery on this scale. They had discussed that a play
for power tonight could be made, but they thought it would be done
through words. They figured it was possible their own children
might be threatened . . . but certainly not the families and Covens
of the rest of the Council, or their entire Tentyrian clan. The
devastation was unfathomable.

Returning to the nursery, Daria saw Maximos
working on Aristos, giving him oxygen from his own mouth. They
shifted back to the infirmary. By then, Phoebe had arrived too. She
reported that all of the Covens were gone. The halls had exploded
with such force there wasn’t a trace of the people inside.

Aristos started to come to. Now under the
bright light of the examination table, it was obvious the left side
of his face was ruined. Evander would need to work a miracle.

“Matia mou, Aristos, it’s me—Daria. Can you
hear me?” Daria asked. Aristos tried to move his lips, but only a
gravelly moan escaped. He couldn’t open his eyes. “Do you know
where the children are? Ammon, Tale, and Nenet must have used the
tunnel. But what about the rest of the children?” Aristos’ head
rolled side to side. Zoe found something for Aristos to write on
and encouraged him to do so. “Do you know where they are?” Daria
repeated.

With his good hand, Aristos scribbled:
Solarium. All dead. It was too much for Zoe, who collapsed in
grief. Her only child she shared with Evander was dead. The
Tentyrians were systematically wiped out. Sophia returned with four
more survivors. This was the last of their race.

“Stavros intends to keep the Sanctum as his
own. Which means he is still here with Calix, Aglaia, and Asia, or
they are coming back. We need to plan our next move carefully,”
said Daria as she paced. “Sophia, based on your assessment, about
how many of the Guard are left?”

“Fifty, give or take a few,” Sophia replied
breathlessly.

“We’re too weak to take them on,” Daria
rationalized. “And there aren’t enough of us. Between us we are
only six, and Evander said there are only ten here who can fight.
We need to move everybody. Maximos, do you have any ideas?”

“I know of an island not far from Greece that
is deserted,” he offered. “There are a few abandoned huts, but they
are rudimentary at best.”

“That’s fine; we can shift what supplies we
need later. After we get everyone out, I can lock the Sanctum down.
All of the Sanctum’s energy inside will be switched off, and the
outside barrier will be turned on,” Daria commanded.

“Those left here will remain trapped and
they’ll die,” finished Phoebe, her voice devoid of emotion. She
felt she had lost everything. “Maximos, take us there now so we can
see where we are going,” requested Daria. In order to shift, they
needed to know exactly where they were going. If the destination or
physical surrounding was unclear, it could have dangerous
consequences. The six Zodiacs held hands and Maximos took them.
Within minutes, they were on a balmy island surrounded by fruit
trees. They returned to the infirmary. The Council—or what was left
of it—agreed they’d do one last sweep for survivors before moving
everyone.

Narcissa’s prognosis didn’t look good—her
internal organs were severely damaged. Sebastian’s situation was
more positive, but not much better. And Aristos slipped back into
unconsciousness. Splitting into teams, Daria and Maximos planned to
shift throughout the central buildings of the Sanctum, including
the Great Hall, Royal Villa, and library. Sophia said those areas
were where most of the guards were stationed outside. Phoebe and
Zoe would take the outer buildings, which entailed the kitchens,
bathhouse, and dormitories for the Sanctum’s residents. They all
intended to get in and get out quickly. Evander would stay in the
infirmary with the rest of the survivors until they returned.

Daria and Maximos shifted themselves behind
the colonnade that encircled the Great Hall. From their post, they
saw the Tentyrian Guards piling the dead in the central courtyard.
Amongst the pale corpses, there was no one to save. They quickly
covered the library and surrounding areas without managing to be
seen. No survivors were retrieved. Daria and Maximos went to the
Royal Villa next and started with the lower level.

“Maximos, I want you to know that if
something happens to me, I need you to take the book and protect it
with your life,” Daria whispered to him. “That needs to be your
priority. You’ll need to lock down the Sanctum. Calypso is gone.
Narcissa will die. That leaves Phoebe and me. My mother said our
people can only be unified when the Luminaries rule as one. My
mother told us you were essential to the future; she never said my
sisters and I were by name. And there is the prophecy about the
next generation of Luminaries . . . You are destined to reunite
them.”

“Daria, shut up. Nothing is going to happen.
Let’s get who we can and get out of here,” said Maximos. Despite
his dismissive words, Maximos knew Daria was right. Hathor had
alluded that much to him. . .

Daria and Maximos went from room to room,
hallway to hallway; they were all empty. After searching the
upstairs, their last stop was Daria’s bedchamber. Fortunately, the
treacherous guards had made an effort to prevent the fire from
spreading from the nursery corridor to the other areas. So far, no
fire or smoke reached the quarters she shared with Aristos. That
meant the book was safe.