CHAPTER

11

Kael soared through the skies alongside the rest of the Seraphim, the eastern half of Weshern rapidly approaching. The second they’d spotted the invading armies on their return trip home, they’d left the platforms and ferrymen behind, with Rebecca carried in Argus’s arms. Center’s forces blotted out the southern sky, a storm of gold and crimson. The barrage of cannons had left a black mole on the otherwise beautiful green-and-blue expanse of Weshern.

Clara flew beside him, and Kael spared a glance her way. Her face was pale, her eyes wide open despite the wind’s resistance. He could only guess what she felt. They had all been part of the resistance that pushed for war, but Clara’s family had made it official with their declaration upon capturing the Crystal Cathedral. At that moment there’d been no turning back. Kael prayed they would not be forever haunted by the costs of that decision.

The grasslands flashed below them, and Kael felt a moment of relief. At least they were over Weshern soil now. They could be part of the frantic defense.

“Kael!” Clara shouted, pulling up to a stop. Her eyes were wide, her body visibly trembling. Confused, Kael followed her gaze past him to the south as a deep tremor rumbled through his ears. The sight shocked him to a hover, many of those accompanying him doing the same.

A hell cloud swirled above Weshern soil, crackling with red lightning. Chaos raged beneath it. Despite the distance, there was no questioning the destruction happening beneath that cloud. The ground churned. The buildings crumbled. Somehow the Speaker had unleashed pure devastation.

“How dare they?” Clara said. She lifted a shaking fist, clenching and unclenching on reflex. “How … how dare they?”

Kael reached out for her.

“We need to fly,” he said. She hovered up and down, eyes glazed, her mind lost in a private horror. He shifted closer and took her hand. She startled, and when she first looked his way she stared as if he were a stranger.

“Clara,” he said, struggling to remain calm himself.

“I know,” she said. The sudden change was marked only by the growing light of her wings. “Let’s go.”

They raced across the Weshern fields and rivers, making their way to the holy mansion. Kael saw the roads flooded with people, men and women fleeing toward the island’s center with only the clothes on their backs. Center’s grim tide rolled onward from the south, cannons thundering another stretch of beautiful land to ash.

Seraphim gathered at the holy mansion, awaiting orders. Argus flew their group past them to land before the front gates and storm inside. Kael followed, trusting him to know where they were going. They passed frightened servants and scrambling soldiers as they sprinted the halls. Near the back of the mansion were two double doors marked with blue swords painted into the black wood. Argus flung them open and the rest followed.

Within was the war room of Weshern. Seven light elements lit the many maps and lists hanging from the walls. Isaac and Avila stood with General Cutter and Olivia West overlooking a grand table in the room’s center, its surface carved into a facsimile of Weshern’s topography.

“Mom! Dad!”

Clara sprinted past Argus and flung her arms around her mother. Isaac stepped away from the map of Weshern to greet her, kissing the top of her blond head.

“I’m glad you’re safe,” the Archon said as Clara pulled free. “We feared your group had been intercepted along the way.”

“The invasion started when we were halfway home from Candren,” Rebecca said, completely ignoring him. Thin red blocks marked the advancing front line of Center’s soldiers. Rebecca adjusted several, then tapped her finger on Glensbee. “I observed best I could during our flight. Center has some sort of new weapon, though God knows what. It destroyed the town in a single blast.”

“We heard,” Olivia said. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she glared at the map as if she could break all of Center’s forces with her mind. “I’m sure we could destroy it from above if we ever had the chance, but that’s the problem.” She gestured to yellow triangles positioned all about the red line. “From what we can tell, Marius has his knights keeping tight and close to the army’s advancement. We won’t be able to hit the ground troops without first taking out the aerial support.”

“Varl’s preparing his soldiers to form the first line of defense,” Isaac said. “But it’s going to take time, and every minute we wait lets Center conquer another piece of our land uncontested.”

“What of the other islands?” Rebecca asked.

“No word yet,” Isaac said. “I can only hope they send their Seraphim in time. We have no hope of holding without them.”

“And Johan’s disciples?” Bree asked, unbothered by the glares from Rebecca and Isaac for interrupting.

“I spoke with Johan only briefly when we first spotted Center’s army on the approach,” Isaac said. “He promised aid, though I know neither when nor where. For now, we move forward without him and treat any help he offers as a welcome bonus.”

Argus leaned over the map, staring at the locations of the many gold triangles.

“If Rebecca is right on their placements, then the soldiers are fanning outward in an expanding circle instead of marching in a straight line toward the mansion,” he said. “Marius must believe any resistance we offer will be useless against him. He’s spreading his forces out to be the most time efficient in conquering our lands. That means there won’t be enough knights to cover the entire front line.”

Argus grabbed five blue circles of wood, each marked with a sword on the top. He positioned two along the far eastern side of Center’s forces, the other two the west. The last he put directly between the holy mansion and the landing site.

“Marius won’t leave knights alone to guard portions of the front lines, nor will he leave any stretch unguarded,” Argus said. “That means he’ll have knights flying in patrol groups. We can exploit that. We’ll divide our Seraphim into five squads, with two pairs at the outer edges spaced about a mile apart. Both hit simultaneously, and the moment either sees sign of reinforcements they pull back. We’ll keep bouncing the patrols back and forth, never letting them engage or set up to defend. If they try to split in half, then we’ll attack. Mobility and surprise are our best weapons. If we can chip away at their forces we might be able to thin them enough to have a chance.”

“What of the center force?” Isaac asked.

“That will contain the majority of our Seraphim,” Argus said. “We’ll try to harass and draw knights away from the groups, but the main purpose will be to watch for reinforcements and dive on them before they can join up with the larger mass. The longer we keep the side groups separate from the rest of the knights, the more damage we can inflict.”

“A clever, if desperate, gamble,” Isaac said. “But we have no other options. I will leave it to you to create the five squads, Argus, and may the angels smile upon you in this dark hour.”

Argus snapped a fist against his breast in salute, then hovered off the floor. Clara offered her parents one last embrace, and Kael wished he could convince her to stay behind. If this were their final hour, she should be with her family. Of course there wasn’t a chance in hell that Clara would remain. Weshern needed her in the air. Clara pulled free, flicked her own wings on, and then joined Kael’s side.

Their wings thrummed as they rushed back outside to meet the greater gathering of Seraphim. Chests of elements lay open in the grass nearby. Kael and the others replaced their prisms with fresh ones and grabbed several more for backup.

“Gather here!” Argus shouted to the Seraphim. They immediately obeyed. Kael watched the faces of the men and women. They appeared calm and composed despite their fear, and eager for Argus’s instructions so they might finally enter the fight. It seemed silly, but that made Kael feel better. If others were calm in the face of this storm, then he could be, too.

Argus relayed the plan before dividing the Seraphim into five squads. As the names reeled off, Kael realized his name wasn’t called, nor was Clara’s, Bree’s, or Saul’s. When the other groups broke, the four remained standing about Argus, confused.

“You four were a squad during the fireborn invasion,” their commander told them. “And by all reports you also performed magnificently assaulting the Crystal Cathedral. Given Bree’s importance, and Clara’s nobility, I have a different plan in mind for Phoenix Squad.”

Kael glanced at his sister, saw her apprehension.

“I hope you’re not planning to send us away from the battle,” she said.

“Quite the opposite,” Argus said. “I want you four to fly underneath Weshern, travel along the far southeastern side, and then ambush the outermost edge of Center’s forces. After that, move from east to west raking the front line. You have complete freedom to choose your engagements. Flee deeper into unconquered territory if the numbers are too overwhelming. My hope is that when you encounter one of our five other squads, the surprise of your arrival, coupled with its ferocity, will tilt the scales in our favor.”

He turned to Clara, and he spoke with surprising bluntness.

“Should we somehow endure, and yet you die, I will stand before your parents and tell them in all honesty I gave you four the safest of tasks, to hit and run at your own discretion. If you wish to be more aggressive, that is on your head. Is that understood?”

Clara stood up straighter, and she did not wither beneath that gaze.

“Understood,” she said.

“Good.” He turned the knob of his right gauntlet, arming the ice prism within. “I will be commanding the center force. I look forward to your joining us, should you survive that long.”

His wings flared and up he went, taking lead of the other dozen Seraphs waiting patiently for their commander. Kael glanced among the four, excitement battling dread in his heart.

“Well,” Bree said, and she cracked a grin. “Who’s ready to follow me to certain death?”

“I’m sure as shit not,” Saul said. “But I’ll be right there if you change your mind and lead us to victory instead.”

“To victory, then,” Kael said, and he raised an imaginary glass. “It’s better than the alternative.”

The others smiled and raised their own imaginary glasses. It felt stupid and immature but they were a group now, alone and facing a war unheard-of since the time of Ascension. Bad jokes were better than tears.

“All right, then,” Bree said. “Let’s go kill some knights.”

Bree took the lead, Kael and Clara trailing just to her sides and Saul flying middle to form a wedge. They kept parallel to the distant forces of Center, their wings pushed to their maximum. The minutes dragged long and painful. Kael watched the conflict as best he could but they were too far away to see much except for when the cannons fired another salvo. The destruction looked like a plague slowly sickening and eating away at Weshern’s healthy surface. Within a day or two, nothing would remain.

Marius would have us all dead than free of his rule, thought Kael. He would have preferred the Speaker sent Weshern crashing to the ocean instead like L’adim did with Galen. At least then Marius couldn’t pretend to be the righteous one.

At last they dove over the edge, looped around, and flew toward the Fount while brown earth passed overhead. The white spray and twisting funnel would hide them should any patrols be keeping an eye belowground. Kael found it highly unlikely. If the knights were stretched thin trying to provide cover to all of their ground troops and war engines, Marius wouldn’t be able to spare more to patrol underneath the edges of the island.

Closing the distance between them and the edge passed achingly slow, and yet still too fast for Kael’s taste. He kept his shield tight across his chest, taking whatever meager comfort he could from its presence. He might not be the lethal killer his sister was, but between his newfound speed and his shield’s protection he could keep her safe as she performed her skillful work.

Bree banked upward, the dark brown earth above their heads hovering closer and closer. Kael armed his ice element and clenched his fists. There was no telling what awaited them when they curled up and around to the surface; they had to be ready for anything.

Fly aggressive, Bree’s hand signals ordered the other three. Kael grinned. She wanted aggressive? Then that’s what she’d get. No one could fly faster than him.

They made their way back over the lip of the island and were once again topside. Blackened grass flashed beneath them. Keeping low, they surveyed the surroundings, Kael spotting groups of knights dotting the sky far off to the west, forming an outer flank for the ground troops marching behind. Bree led them over a burning field, pushing through the heavy smoke. Kael held his breath and squinted his eyes, relying on practiced control to keep himself level and straight. A row of cannons manned by theotechs and soldiers rolled past on the other side of the fire. With their wings bathed in smoke, the soldiers would never see them coming.

Clear sky greeted them on the other side of the burning field. Kael saw the cannons below him, the soldiers panicking at their arrival. He gave them no chance to react. Ice exploded from Kael’s, Clara’s, and Saul’s gauntlets, vicious shards ripping through the unarmed theotechs. Bree dove closer, twirling once before unleashing her flame. A roaring inferno washed over the first cannon, setting its wood frame alight and melting the thinner sections of metal. Kael broke from formation, his shield leading as the first frantic barrage of arrows cut the air. This time he imagined spheres of ice the size of his fist instead of lances. He curled his fingers to help shape the focal prism and then released his attack. They slammed down on the soldiers, the force of their projection plus the added speed of their fall giving them incredible power. The soldiers’ armor meant nothing, bones shattering and necks breaking as the ice struck.

Saul and Clara brought down the second and third cannon, boulders of ice smashing them to pieces. Kael curled back toward formation, becoming Bree’s shadow as she bathed a large swath of soldiers in flame, her subtle shifts in direction keeping her safe from the few arrows launched in retaliation. As they rose back into the air, Kael lobbed a single boulder of ice. It smashed the final cannon, breaking its wheels and toppling it onto its side.

“Let’s go!” Bree shouted over the wind. Saul and Clara resumed their positions, the four racing above Weshern like an arrow. This time they flew on a collision course for the nearest patrol group of knights, their wings glowing a brilliant gold as they rushed to protect their eastern flank.

Three knights, four of us, Kael thought. We’re fucked.

Not that Kael could feel sorry for himself. All of Weshern was in trouble, and the other squads faced off against far worse odds. Clenching his right hand into a fist, Kael steeled himself. He was a Seraphim of Weshern, brother of the Phoenix, and goddamnit he was going to make that mean something. A burst of silver light pushed him alongside Bree.

Follow my lead, he signaled.

Her confusion was evident on her face, but there was no time to explain. The knights were too close. Swallowing down his fear, Kael closed his eyes to focus on the light prisms inside his left gauntlet. He felt the three of them, two keeping his shield nearly weightless, the third pouring power into his wings. His mind clicked, the connection made, and then all three surged with energy far exceeding the original limitations of the mechanical designs.

His shield led the way, brilliant silver light swirling behind him no different from Bree’s twin trails of fire when she wielded her swords. His wings were blinding, his speed incredible. The other three formed a line behind him, unable to keep formation and still follow. Kael focused on the middle knight, careful to keep his aim absolutely steady. At such speeds the tiniest deviations could send him careening wildly. Wind roared against his face and ears despite the protection of the harness. Light flooded his vision.

Stay on target, he ordered himself. Trust your shield.

The knights were clearly baffled by his speed and they attempted to scatter while firing. Their aim was true, lightning and fire striking his shield only to vanish within the swirling light. Kael never felt the tiniest of impacts. Backs to him, they retreated three different directions. Kael’s center target still underestimated his speed. And why wouldn’t they? Knights wore the fastest wings of all the islands. No one could outrace them. No one but him.

The middle knight curled upward, trying to gain distance so he could spin about and fire. Kael gave him no chance. He maneuvered his back and shoulders to shift upward, not chasing but intersecting. The knight glanced behind and saw his doom far too late to react. Kael shifted his thumb down and killed all elemental power to his shield right before impact. Its weight returned, every pound of it. Kael braced his arm and slammed into the knight, breaking the man’s body upon impact with the shield. Kael immediately reactivated the light elements and kicked away the corpse. It fell, accompanied by shattered pieces of golden wings.

With the knights’ formation broken and the remaining two scattering, Bree’s arrival was that much safer. She raced after the knight on the left, her swords drawn and dripping with flame. Saul and Clara chased the other, weaving side to side while flinging shards of ice. They weren’t trying to kill him, only corral him away from Bree so she might engage one-to-one. Trusting his sister, Kael looped left and hurried after the other three. The hum of his wings was a roar in his ears, deep and satisfying. Kael found he barely touched the throttle, able to dull or flare the elements of his wings with but a thought.

Is this what it’s like to be Bree? he wondered. Is this what it’s like to fly as natural as breathing?

Saul and Clara fell farther and farther behind the knight, their wings unable to keep pace. Their foe knew this as well, and at last he looped through the air with incredible grace, setting himself on a direct course for the two Seraphim. Kael felt his heart skip a beat. He wouldn’t get there in time. His friends would have to endure on their own.

Saul immediately formed an opaque wall of ice a dozen feet long, using it to screen their maneuvers. Clara broke left, Saul right, each releasing a wide spray of shards. They didn’t expect to hit him, only keep the knight dodging and to disrupt his aim. He did so, but with only the mildest of corrections. Kael held his breath as the knight broke after Clara and retaliated with small balls of flame.

Clara shifted and spun, keeping her path unpredictable. Fire and smoke passed all around her, far too close for comfort. Kael urged himself faster, demanding even more speed from his wings, more than he thought he could control. The distance between them vanished at a heart-pounding rate. Clara’s dodging grew more desperate. The knight was close. Too close.

Clara turned sharply, beginning a wide turn toward Kael. He shifted himself onto a collision course and raced through the air like a comet, streams of light trailing his path. Clara’s curl ended, she and the knight directly facing Kael. His approach surprised the knight, immediately sending him banking away. It wouldn’t be enough, and they both knew it. As Kael neared, the knight reversed course. They charged head-to-head, the deadliest of scenarios any Seraphim could find themselves in.

The knight released a gigantic plume of flame, expertly placed so that Kael would have no way to avoid it. So he didn’t. Shield up, he pushed right on through, not feeling a lick of heat. The distance between them vanished in an instant. Kael didn’t try to hit him with a spear of ice, knowing his aim would be too poor and the knight’s reflexes too great. Instead he spread his palm and formed a wide wall of ice directly between their paths. They were so close, and flying so fast, neither would have time to avoid collision. It was a suicide tactic, a way to take a Seraph with him into the afterlife during a head-to-head battle … but Kael had no intention of dying. He lifted his shield and trusted it with his life. Light blazed around it. Powerful. Unstoppable. A chunk of the wall shattered into an explosion of shards upon contact, granting Kael his passage through.

The knight had no such protection.

Kael slowed his speed to a hover and turned. Gold wings guided the knight in a slow death spiral toward the ocean, the crushed body hanging limp in the harness. Saul flew to Kael’s side while shaking his head.

“Holy shit, Kael,” he said. “Since when could you do all that?”

“I think I always could,” Kael said. He patted his shield. “I think I just needed this thing to help.”

Kael searched for his sister, remembering that battle wasn’t necessarily over. He found her flying his way, the fire gone from her blades. She must have dispatched the knight during his confrontation.

Clara joined their group first, and Kael grinned to hide his lingering fear for her safety.

“Nice dodging,” he said. Clara smiled only briefly.

“I thought I was dead,” she said.

It wasn’t meant in jest or humor. Kael didn’t want to imagine her fright as the knight had steadily closed in for the kill. Kael put an arm around her waist. No overconfident grin this time, only sincerity.

“You flew well,” he said. “And you’ll keep flying well all day, you and me. We’ll survive this together, I promise.”

She leaned her head against his shoulder, a singular moment of weakness before she pulled away.

“We’re Seraphim of Weshern,” she said. “We’re not just going to survive. We’re going to bring hell to Center, won’t we, Bree?”

Bree hovered up to join them, still in the process of sheathing her swords.

“That we will,” she said, turning to Kael. She didn’t compliment him for his maneuvers. Didn’t even crack a smile. “Two to my one.” Her eyes twinkled. “I’ll have to try harder.”

Exhaustion threatened Kael’s limbs, a headache lingered at the edges of his mind, and he wanted nothing more than to lie down and cry. He laughed instead.

“It’s about time you had some competition,” he said.

Kael froze. There, in the distance, faint but unmistakable. The others followed his gaze. Clara was the first to speak, and she didn’t try to hide the tears rolling down her cheeks.

“The other islands,” she said. “They’ve come to our aid.”

Clusters of green, yellow, and white dots speckled with gold. They’d arrive together from the south, striking the vulnerable back line of Center’s troops. Weshern’s seemingly hopeless task now had a chance of success.

Kael nudged Bree’s side, and he gestured farther east, to where other battles still raged.

“Lead on, sis,” he said. “We have a war to fight.”