The Lore Of The Evermen (Book 4) (38 page)

“Let’s hear it.”

“You’re going to think it’s crazy, and it will need your help, but hear me out.”

“Miro, just tell me.”

Miro took a deep breath.

He told him.

Killian shook his head as the two men rose to walk back to the circle of commanders, but he’d agreed to Miro’s proposal. Miro wasn’t sure who was crazier—Miro for suggesting the idea or Killian for going along with it. He only hoped it would work.

“You know this plan leaves the army without either of us to lead it?” Killian said, stopping to look Miro in the eye.

“I know,” Miro said.

“Who would you have lead them?”

“Tiesto,” Miro said without hesitation.

“Any other contenders?” Killian asked.

“No,” Miro said.

Killian nodded, and the circle made way for the two men to rejoin the group. “The Alturan high lord and I have put together a strategy, a way that the two of us might be able to make a difference. Whether we succeed or fail, your task is the same. You must try to break the siege, and we will do our best to ensure you have support from the inside.”

Miro scanned the onlookers; he saw nods and heard murmurs of assent.

“But,” Killian said, “I won’t be here to lead you.”

Every set of eyes was on the emperor.

“Someone must get into the city to speak to the defenders and time the attack. I am the only one who can do so, and I have my own duty to fulfill in order to protect the Empire from our foe.” Killian turned as he spoke, looking at each face in turn. “One among you must make the overall decisions if you are to have any chance of success. Miro and I will have our own tasks to accomplish.”

Killian paused to take a breath.

“Is there one you trust with this duty?” Killian asked.

Miro’s eyes widened. He’d expected Killian to nominate Tiesto.

Outside the circle, Miro saw Amber’s eyes on him. She knew nothing of his mad plan.

High Lord Grigori Orlov of Vezna stepped forward. “I will
follow
Tiesto Telmarran, high lord of Halaran,” he called.

“I will follow the high lord of Halaran,” Lord Marshal
Scola said
.

“He has my vote, for what it’s worth,” said Dain Barden of the Akari.

“And mine,” Touana spoke up.

Killian fixed his gaze on his Tingaran marshals.

“If it is your wish, Emperor,” said one of the big men with the shaved heads.

“It is,” Killian said. “High Lord Tiesto Telmarran, you’re in charge. By my decree, the army is yours to command, the orders yours to give.”

Tiesto scanned the crowd. “I thank you for your support. We will need to form up, but the city needs us, and the longer we wait here, the greater the chance we’ll be spotted by the enemy. We will attack when we hear your clarion.”

Killian nodded. “I’ll coordinate those in the city and tell them help is on the way.” He spoke with fierce determination. “We can still win.”

Miro nodded at Bartolo. “Bartolo, can I speak with you? I will need your help, more than at any other time.”

Bartolo came forward. “Of course.”

Miro tried not to see Amber’s worried expression.

His plan was insane. But it was worth the risk.

His zenblade was the key.

52

Killian took his thoughts away from the army and instead focused on what he needed to do. Miro’s plan was mad—
mad!
—and could lead to terrible destruction for Seranthia, even as it held the hope of victory. Killian would have to use every bit of skill from the
training
he’d received at Evrin’s hands. Miro’s part would be more dange
rous s
till.

“Well done,” Miro said.

“With what?” Killian was puzzled.

“With Tiesto’s nomination. They thought it was their idea.”

Killian shrugged. “Something my mother taught me. She says that if you know in advance how someone will decide, and it’s what you want to happen, then tell them the decision rests with them. They’ll appreciate the trust you place in them, even though it costs you nothing.”

Miro shook his head and grinned. “Remind me never to sit at the bargaining table with your mother.”

“Are you two done?” Bartolo said. “Come on. We’ve got a war to win.”

Killian, Miro, and Bartolo left the army behind them and ran toward the city, keeping clear of the tall hills and instead skirting along the gullies and far sides, their path always taking them closer to the crashes and thuds of the battlefield.

It was mid-morning, moving toward midday, and the three men finally took cover in a copse of trees as they regarded the gray stone of the Wall in front of them and prepared to make their approach.

Miro and Bartolo both looked fit and lean in their green
armorsilk
. Killian’s eyes kept involuntarily flickering to Miro’s
zenblade
before looking at the man himself.

“When you cut a tree, which way does it fall?” Miro said,
evidently
noticing Killian’s attention.

Bartolo grimaced. He’d been brought in on the plan, but his expression said enough. Even so, he’d promised to do his part.
Bartolo
was needed to protect his friend. Killian could tell at a glance that Miro trusted Bartolo with his life.

“In the direction of the cut,” Bartolo said. “Most of the time.”

Miro grinned. “That’s why sometimes you need to give the tree a push.”

Killian glanced from one man to the other. “Are you ready?”

“We’re ready,” Miro nodded.

“Good luck,” Killian said. “When you hear the city’s clarion, you’ll know it’s time. I don’t know how much of a difference I can make, but I promise you I’ll try.”

“That’s all any of us can do,” Miro said.

“Find Shani,” Bartolo said. “Trust me, she can help.”

Killian put out his hand and shook hands first with Miro, then with Bartolo. He left the copse of trees and stepped out into the open ground. With the two Alturans watching, Killian took a deep breath and spread his arms. Chanting a series of activation sequences, Killian rose into the air.

Wind buffeted his face as Killian climbed high in the sky, for the first time gaining a full appreciation of the struggle being fought for the city. Even now, glowing orbs rained down on the revenants below, pouring like hail from the Wall and dirigibles alike. The
warriors
of the enemy horde leaned incredibly long ladders against the Wall and swarmed up as soon as they were placed. The ladders were too long to be pushed back by pole-arms, and the defenders could only wait until the enemy reached the top before the struggle could begin.

On the thin ramparts, Tingaran legionnaires fought side by side with avengers and black-clad Hazarans to cut down the enemy.

Killian’s people were dying. Every land of the Empire was his to protect. They needed him.

He tilted forward now and moved his arms slightly to
propel
his body through the air. He sped over the surging revenant army and heard the crack of muskets as some of the enemy took shots at him. He felt a small sting, barely noticeable, as a ball hit his chest, bouncing off without harm.

Killian thought about the other man who had these powers. Where was Sentar Scythran? It was too much to hope that the
injuries
Sentar sustained at the free cities had removed the Lord of the Night from the struggle.

Killian passed over the Wall and saw eyes staring up at him in astonishment and fear. With his fiery-red hair and black clothing Killian could have been the enemy they’d all been dreading, but he’d made sure to wear his purple cloak, and the nine-pointed star on his chest covered his torso, boldly proclaiming who he was.

The cries turned to cheers, and Killian slowed his motion to hover fifty feet over the narrow ramparts, barely wide enough for two men to pass each other and dizzyingly high. Looking down, he saw Hazarans standing side by side with Tingaran legionnaires. Avengers scanned for enemies with red glares, and common citizens fought with trained warriors. More than any other color, purple filled the length of the Wall.

“I have returned!” Killian roared.

“Emperor!”
the shouts followed in his wake.

Killian traveled over the city, and the call was soon taken up in the streets of Fortune and the alleys of the Tenamet. The slums and market districts roared up at him as he passed overhead.

“Emperor!”

The news of the emperor’s arrival traveled like wildfire
throughout
the city. The defenders on the ramparts took heart and threw
back th
e latest charge with renewed vigor. The cowering citizens
left th
eir barricaded homes to share the news.

The jubilant voices carried to the Imperial Palace, but Shani shrugged them off; she had bigger things on her mind.

Shani sat on the side of a bed, and once again she pulled back the covers to reveal the body of the young woman with pale g
olden ha
ir.

Ella lay comatose.

Shani wiped tears from her eyes as her gaze took in what had happened to her friend.

When the morning tide had brought Ella’s body in to the docks, some people recognized her enchantress’s dress and pulled her out of the water. Then others arrived and said they’d seen her at the harbor the previous night, miraculously walking on water.

They’d told Shani the story with wide eyes. Everyone not
fighting
on the Wall had witnessed the destruction of the huge cargo ship, though none had realized its significance. Even so, the people at the docks knew Ella had done something to make a blow against the enemy, and they decided to take her body to the palace. Shani had met them and carried her limp form back to her rooms.

Ella was near death.

Under the covers, Ella wore just a sleeveless white shift. Shani once more ran her eyes over her friend’s skin. It was uniformly tinged a sickly blue color. Even Ella’s face was blue, and Shani kept touching Ella’s cheeks to see if she was frozen. But the blue wasn’t from the cold.

Shani and Rogan had pieced it together, and as an elementalist, Shani knew what it was.

Shani set the covers back down and resumed stroking Ella’s cheek. She didn’t know what else to do. She knew she should be back at the ramparts, fighting alongside Ilathor, Jehral, and her
fellow
elementalists, but she couldn’t leave Ella. Not like this.

Shani heard running footsteps, and suddenly the door crashed open. Her eyes shot up as she saw the last person she expected
to se
e.

Killian, emperor of Merralya, stared at her with frightened eyes.

“What happened?” Killian cried. He rushed to Ella’s side. “I heard. How is she? What’s wrong with her?”

Shani considered her words before turning to Killian, who nearly quivered with pent-up emotion. “Killian, you need to
listen
to me. When we were with the Akari, she was affected by poison an Akari traitor put in her essence. I had my suspicions, but I didn’t know for sure until Rogan told me this morning.” Shani met Killian’s pain-filled eyes. “No one affected survived. No one.”

“I don’t understand. They said something about Sentar’s essence . . .”

“She did it, Killian.” Shani sighed. “She destroyed Sentar’s store of essence. Ella knew it was dangerous, but she also knew she was dying. Last night, she went out, all alone, and she did it. He can’t open the portal now.”

“Why does her skin look like that?” Killian placed his hands on Ella’s forehead and cheeks. “Is she cold?”

“It’s essence poisoning,” Shani said. “Where essence touches the skin, it turns it blue.”

Killian’s face went white. “Essence poisoning?”

“Ella destroyed a ship filled with essence. I know the signs. We can only assume it came into contact with her skin.”

Ella’s chest was barely moving. Killian put his ear to her lips. “She’s breathing.”

“For now.”

“How is she here? How can she still be breathing? What will happen to her?”

“I don’t know,” Shani said simply. “I’m sorry, but I don’t expect her to live.”

Killian straightened, his face twisted with anguish. “It should have been me.”

“She was dying even before she destroyed Sentar’s essence,” Shani said. “You can’t blame yourself.”

Killian leaned forward to brush his lips across Ella’s forehead. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, so that Shani could only just hear him. “I should have been there.”

Shani heard a sudden blast. It was the city’s clarion, sounding the call to arms. Shani wondered at the sound: they were already fighting for their very survival. “What’s happening?”

Killian couldn’t take his eyes off Ella. Shani read the expression of a man in terrible pain.

Killian visibly shook himself. “We have to go,” he said. “Shani, I need your help.”

“With what?”

“I need you to come with me to the Wall. Help me gather the other elementalists. We need you. I’ll explain it to you on the way.”