OKSA HAD BARELY CROSSED THE SQUARE IN FRONT OF THE Column when a huge explosion shook the ground so violently that fragments of stone and glass broke away from the tall building and crashed at her feet. Oksa flattened herself against the wall and hugged her Cloak around her for courage and energy. In horrified fascination she looked at the Aegis, which had been hit simultaneously by hundreds of acid bombs. A gaping hole formed in the thin, yet strong, protective membrane as other smaller, and equally destructive, bombs made holes here and there. In a few minutes, the Aegis shrivelled like incense paper and disintegrated, showering the area with charred fragments.
Thousandeye City had lost its protection.
A heavy silence descended while pieces of ash, light as grey feathers, floated in the humid air. Time seemed to stand still, and everyone stood rooted to the spot, well aware that this was only a temporary respite. Then a fearsome, belligerent shout arose and the ring of Felons gradually closed in like a shrinking circle. From their positions on the terraces of houses, the Gracious’s supporters began firing volleys of Granoks at their enemies, who were wearing armour and helmets of dark leather. From where she stood, Oksa saw the first bodies falling from the sky, but also swarms of Chiropterans swooping down on the districts farthest from the centre of Thousandeye City.
She shot into the air, a burning rage in the pit of her stomach.
It was a clever move to surround the city, but applying the strategy simultaneously on two levels, both on the ground and in the air, was a masterstroke. As Oksa flew over the Dome District she had good cause to lament the destruction being wreaked. Felons sitting astride rhinoceroses flattened everything in their path, trampling people and knocking down houses. It was sheer carnage. Then swarms of Chiropterans attacked, crawling through the holes made in the walls by the long horns of the blue-skinned monsters to bite the poor wretches trapped inside their own homes.
And yet the Gracious’s supporters showed great courage in defending themselves. Men appeared suddenly above the houses, dragging a gigantic hoop net behind them. As the net floated past, Oksa immediately realized its distinctive origins: it had been woven by Spinollias. The men Vertiflew towards the swarm of approaching Chiropterans, hovered in front of them and then shot forward and cast the hoop net over them, trapping them inside. The strident noise of the whistling Chiropterans was soon cut off when the net soaked in Inflammatoria sap caught fire, incinerating all its prisoners.
The Felons were making inexorable progress, though, and the violence escalated as they advanced.
Distraught, Oksa Vertiflew above the streets farthest from the centre of Thousandeye City. Everywhere, people who had once lived together were pitted against each other in terrible hand-to-hand combat.
“What a waste,” murmured Oksa, with tears in her eyes.
Seen from the sky, the city had become a vast morass of men and women fighting with Granoks. Oksa recognized the Fortensky clan, grouped around Galina—Leomido’s daughter—attacking a rhinoceros with Putrefactios. Confronted by this unexpectedly aggressive woman with untidy braids, the animal was writhing in pain as its body putrefied by the second. In any other circumstances these fighters would have felt deep pity for the creature. But neither pity, kindness or mercy had any place in this slaughter. Only the strongest had any chance of survival.
Sven, Sacha and Bodkin were unfortunately not among them. They were some of the first victims of this chaos, lying spreadeagled in the mud.
Farther away, Naftali, Brune and their children were bombarding a group of rebellious Felons with Stuffaraxes. The men fell one by one, suffocated as the insects filled their throats. Tugdual wasn’t with his family and Oksa’s heart lurched when she thought he might be in danger. Or worse…
Oksa’s creatures also did their bit, fighting with all the powers they possessed. The Incompetents spat their corrosive saliva, the Corpusleoxes disarmed the Felons with violent swipes of their claws, and the Attendants charged at the Abominaris, tossing their slimy, mangled bodies into the air. All humans and creatures had abandoned their long-standing pacifist principles to become fierce and courageous warriors.
Both clans seemed surprised at the violence of the raging battle. Neither Felons nor Gracious supporters had thought they might have to face such ferocious adversaries. Lifeless bodies lay everywhere, some dressed in leather, but many in simple double-breasted jackets.
At the other end of the city the Felon vanguard, aided by vicious zebra-snakes and Vigilians, was just as savage in its attack. The Young Gracious glimpsed Tin and Olof fighting one of those enormous reptiles with striped scales. A powerful axe blow severed the monster in two but didn’t kill it. Half its body reared up, towering above the men. It turned a glassy stare on its attackers, its forked tongue darting in and out evilly, then it spat at them. Tin was spattered by its venom and collapsed with a terrible scream.
In an attempt to protect Lucy, who was firing a large number of Granoks at the snake without being able to hit it, Olof was also struck by the venom. Oksa couldn’t bear it: her phenomenal Knock-Bong hurled the two halves of the snake against a wall. The horrible creature finally died in an explosion of flesh and venom. Shocked to see their ruler in their midst, the Gracious’s supporters looked gratefully at her, while the Felons advanced with ominous determination, their fists clenched and their faces hard.
“No one lays a finger on her!” yelled a voice she would have recognized anywhere.
Oksa looked up to see Orthon, floating a few yards above the ground, Granok-Shooter in hand. Everyone scattered.
“No harm must come to her,” he hissed fiercely, without taking his eyes off Oksa.
He landed on the ground in front of Oksa, whom he hated with a vengeance, even though she was his key to success. His fawn-coloured leather breastplate made him look even stiffer than usual, but his face was just as lacking in humanity. Muscles taut with tension, Oksa glared at him defiantly.
“I can imagine how hard that must be for you to say!” she said sarcastically. “Having to spare my life when you’re longing to kill me.”
Amused surprise gleamed in Orthon’s unfathomable eyes.
“Kill you?” he asked. “Tut-tut, not before you’ve done me one last service!”
Several Arborescens Granoks spurted with lightning speed from the group of Felons, immediately countered by the Fireballisticos fired by Oksa’s supporters. The fireballs intercepted the Granoks, reducing them instantly to ash, before being extinguished in their turn to form small orange plumes in the air, thick with dust. Orthon raised his hand and the attack stopped immediately.
“Do you really think I’ll lead you to the Portal?” sneered Oksa. “In your dreams!”
Saying this, she fired a volley of the worst Granoks she possessed at him, regretting that she’d wasted a Crucimaphila on the Diaphan—she’d have to wait a hundred days before using the supreme Granok again. Battle-hardened and skilful, Orthon easily parried the tiny balls laden with spells, deflecting them with fine electric currents from his fingertips. Suddenly they both stopped, unsure who had the upper hand. Orthon gazed at Oksa, his eyes narrowed and cold as a dagger blade. She had to stay unharmed and that was her greatest weapon. Orthon took off and disappeared into the sky with a long, triumphant laugh, leaving Oksa furious.
She was about to take flight in pursuit of her enemy when she was stopped by her supporters.
“Gracious Oksa, you shouldn’t be here!” said a woman, midway through dealing with an Abominari.
“Oh, here comes Lady Muck!” grated the vile creature. “You know that I puke on your family and loathe your ancestors, don’t you?”
“No one talks like that to our Gracious!” said the woman, delivering a fatal blow to its head, which exploded like an over-ripe watermelon.
“Watch out, Oksa! Behind you!”
Mortimer jumped down from the terrace of a burning house to join her. Oksa just had time to turn round to see a silver tiger leaping straight for her. She held out her hand and her quick reaction floored the big cat, as a fireball shot straight into its gaping maw. The animal roared, writhed and snapped its fearsome teeth in an attempt to put out the flames consuming it, but it was no good—the tiger collapsed at Oksa’s feet as she gazed in wonder at its terrible beauty.
“Mortimer? You okay?” she asked.
He nodded, then turned to face an Abominari that was rushing at him with all its claws out. Oksa noticed that Mortimer had taken off the distinctive leather armour and helmet which marked out the Felons. It looked like he had chosen his side.
“What are you doing here?” shouted Zoe suddenly. “You’re supposed to be safe in the Column.”
“I was looking for Orthon,” admitted Oksa.
Zoe gave her a sidelong glance, while firing Colocynthises at a group of Vigilians. They fell to the ground, turned to glass and were reduced to a small pile of shards by some Attendants, which trampled them underfoot.
“Have you lost your mind?” exclaimed Zoe. “It’s too dangerous!”
“This won’t stop until he’s beaten!” cried Oksa, firing a Putrefactio at a Felon who was bearing down on her.
Then she took off again, on the lookout for the man responsible for this chaos.
The two clans battled for hours. The Gracious supporters had the advantage of greater numbers, but the Felons had brute force on their side. Although the latter initially had supremacy, Oksa’s army finally gained the upper hand, after heavy losses on both sides.
Most of the Felons were dead or had been taken prisoner. Only a few diehards still opposed Oksa’s forces around the Column, and Oksa had no doubt that Orthon would be among them.
A crowd had formed near the Gracious’s gardens. She approached cautiously, although she was relieved to recognize some of her entourage: Abakum, Cameron, Naftali, Jeanne and Pierre…
A great weight lifted from her heart.
But when she heard their sobs, she feared the worst. She felt as though her blood had drained from her body. Who was it? Who were they weeping for? Who was missing? Zoe? Reminiscens?
Her father?