CHAPTER

15

Kael wished he felt as calm as Clara looked. Despite Chernor’s assurances, he knew their plan was both drastic and dangerous, especially for Clara.

“You better not let anything happen to you,” he said as they stood in the center of the garden, hidden from the knights’ view by the thick gathering of trees.

“Or what?” she asked.

“Or I’ll die avenging you, and then when we meet in the afterlife I’ll be really, really mad for at least a whole day.”

Clara kissed his lips, her left hand gently settling atop his shoulder.

“The angels spare me such a fate,” she said.

“You two lovebirds ready to start?” Chernor asked.

They nodded in answer.

“What about you?” Kael asked his sister.

Bree pulled her gauntlet over her burned hand, wincing as it clamped tight.

“I feel much better,” she said. “I promise.”

“That’s good to hear,” Chernor said. “Saul, ready?”

He saluted in answer.

“All right then.” Chernor turned back to Clara. “It’s all up to you now. Go when you’re ready, little Archoness.”

Kael separated from her, and he prayed to every angel who might listen that it not be for the last time. Clara steeled herself, her emotions vanishing beneath a careful mask of concentration.

“I’m ready,” she said. “Don’t let me down.”

Clara soared skyward over the garden. Their hope was that she appeared to be fleeing from the specters inside the mansion. The garden put her in the center of all four knights, with no apparent escape. Kael readied his wings, his left thumb flicking back and forth atop the throttle. This was the most dangerous part of the entire plan for Clara. She raced eastward, drawing the knights after her. The two on either side of her steadily closed in, while the one ahead of her stayed where he was, waiting as the other two corralled her toward him. The fourth shifted so he could hover over the center of the mansion, keeping watch on all exits. The position put him directly above the garden within easy reach of ambush.

“Turn around,” Kael whispered. “Come on, Clara, that’s far enough …”

She was leaving the mansion behind while drawing in the other three knights with her. Little distance separated them from Clara, yet still they kept their elements in check. Kael chewed on his tongue, horror clawing at his heart. He repeated the same thought over and over in his mind as if he could deny it from becoming reality.

You are not about to watch her die. You are not about to watch her die. You are not about to watch her die.

Clara finally completed the plan. With a knight ahead of her there was no way she could outrace the other two. Instead she dove sharply, spinning into the dive so when she pulled back up she faced back toward the mansion. The two chasing knights veered outward, mimicking her maneuver. Now they unleashed their elements, ice and lightning tearing through the air. Every blast was a needle to Kael’s heart. He couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. She weaved and shifted, every bit of speed pouring into her wings as she returned to the holy mansion.

“Trust your girl,” Chernor said, settling a hand atop Kael’s shoulder. “She’s got a bit of fire in her as well.”

The knights would catch up to her in time, of that Kael had no doubt. But she only needed to survive for a few seconds more. Back and forth, constant dips and turns. Lightning flashed so close to her he nearly cried out. Her path lowered, drawing them into the ambush. The knight above them was completely distracted by Clara’s approach, no doubt readying for an intercept path.

“It’s time,” Chernor said. “Fuck ’em up.”

The four tore into the air, a barrage of elements marking their arrival. Chernor shot for the closest knight, his bolt of lightning perfectly aimed, while Kael and Saul sent sharp lances of ice flying toward the other three. Chernor’s bolt ripped through the knight’s chest. The knight convulsed, his wings keeping him in a hovering pattern. Chernor flew closer and swung, his maul striking the killing blow.

Clara remained perfectly still as attacks passed by on either side. Knights saw the incoming elements with barely any time to react. Two scattered while the third formed a squat wall of stone in protection. Saul’s ice connected, the spear cutting through a knight’s leg, separating it at the knee. The knight bathed the wound in flame from his gauntlet before resuming the attack, a feat of concentration Kael would have found admirable if it weren’t so frightening.

Bree, however, cared not for distance attacks. Her wings blazed silver, twin trails of fire dripping off her flaming swords as she streaked in for close combat. Kael separated from Chernor and Saul, connecting with his light element to push his wings beyond their normal limits. His shield was ready. Their ambush may have begun, but Clara was still closer to the knights than the others, and the brunt of their retaliation would be aimed at her.

The stone wielder raced over his protective wall while the two others curled in from either side. Shot after shot of stone lobbed through the air, arcing with perfect accuracy at Clara. She kept watch over her shoulder even as she fled, waiting for the projectiles and adjusting as best she could. Kael tracked them as well, saw they were too numerous for her to consistently predict. Wind screamed against his body. His wings thundered. Shield up, he curled slightly higher and maneuvered himself directly into a barrage of four human-size boulders.

Kael braced his body for the worst. Charging headlong into such boulders at his speed should shatter his bones and leave his wings in tatters, but he trusted his shield.

Fire, lightning, stone, it’s all the same, a voice spoke in Kael’s mind, one he wasn’t sure was his own. All of it will break.

Light exploded about his shield, flaring just before the first of the stones made contact. Instead of hearing the hard clang of collision, he heard a deep hum coupled with a loud crack. The boulders broke apart in an explosion of smoke and mist. The outer halves fractured and separated, spiraling wildly with only a trace of their former speed.

Kael never felt the slightest hit against his shield, instead feeling the strain on his mind as the light element drained.

“More!” Kael taunted, two other boulders careening straight for him. “Give me more!”

His mind ached, the connection growing stronger, his shield growing brighter. The stone blasted to pieces, whatever magic holding it together failing against his own. His greater speed sent him past Clara and alongside his sister. The two chased the nearest knight together, Kael keeping slightly ahead. Their foe readied to attack, realized Kael’s shield led the way, and instead drew his weapon. It was a long metallic staff wrapped in red leather. A trio of flails hung from chains on each end, spinning together as the knight twirled his staff in a flourish.

Kael slowed his wings, giving himself space and time to fire. Four shards launched from his palm, each one slightly higher than the last. The knight’s wings momentarily flared, pulling him higher as he twisted his body to one side. The flails spun, smashing two of the shards out of the air, the other two passing harmlessly by. Kael led with his shield, hoping to ram the knight out of the sky. Again the knight dashed away, avoiding the charge while attacking with his flails. They struck his shield with a deep thud, the impact jarring his shoulder. Kael didn’t know if his mind was too exhausted to withstand the attack, or if the nonmagical nature of the flails minimized the protection of his shield. Either way, it hurt like hell.

Bree followed after, unafraid to engage the knight in close quarters. She swung with her left hand, had it blocked by the staff. Kael whirled around, and he saw bits of stone crumble on contact. Had the knights learned some trick to protect themselves from her flame? His sister shifted her body sideways, thrusting into yet another parry. The two circled each other, a revolving dance as they alternated blows, their bodies never still, their eyes never leaving the other’s. The knight spun the staff a full circle, building power into his flails, and then swept one end toward her face. Bree killed her wings and dropped beneath the strike. The flails swooshed the air, hitting nothing. Bree’s wings immediately surged back to life, carrying her upward as she slashed with both her blades against her foe’s weapon. The staff, reinforced as it was, could not endure the sudden blaze of flame and split in the middle. The light elements that had been reducing the staff’s tremendous weight immediately ceased to function. Both halves ripped from the knight’s hands and plummeted downward.

The entire exchange lasted no longer than a few seconds, but the sheer number of attacks and parries made it feel like it had been a lifetime. An opening revealed, Bree burst forward, right arm slicing across the knight’s chest, who was then exposed and distracted by the pain. Kael buried him in ice, ending his life.

Opponent defeated, the two turned their attention to the rest of the battle. Saul and Chernor had brought down another knight, and now with Clara at their side the three chased after the injured knight with the severed leg. He must have fled east the moment the battle started, for he had a good mile lead over the others.

“I can’t catch up,” Bree shouted to him as she drew near. “But you can!”

Kael tilted his body, squared his shoulders, and flooded light into his wings. His speed increased at a dramatic rate, pulling on his limbs and straining the buckles of his harness. Kael kept his eyes on the fleeing knight, hoping to intersect his path. The ground below was a blur, the protection for his face against the wind straining. A small voice in his mind dared wonder a question he partly feared to answer.

Do I even need the throttle?

The throttle sent power from the light element in his gauntlet to his wings through the connecting wires, but what if he ignored the throttle completely? The light element was under his control, pulsing so clearly in his mind he could see every little blemish and crack in its slowly draining prism.

Kael envisioned himself slowing down as he curled slightly to cut the knight off. He imagined the wind reducing, the hum in his ears lessening. And it happened. His turn was perfectly smooth. Curving back around, Kael clenched his jaw tight and demanded speed. All of it. Every bit his prism could give him. The throttle was a suggestion, its maximum setting a feeble limiter. He angled his shield before him and let it part the wind while buoying him higher. Faster. Faster. Not just the ground a blur but the sky as well, his friends, all of Weshern. His eyes narrowed on his prey as the trio of Saul, Chernor, and Clara receded in a blink.

Second by second, Kael closed the gap. Every muscle in his body tightened, every bit of his concentration focused on keeping his body perfectly straight and still. One slip up, one twist of his shoulders, and he might spin to his death before even realizing he’d lost control. The knight looked behind him and spotted Kael’s approach. Still he tried to flee, the greater battle between Center’s forces and the outer islands just ahead. Kael doubted the knight understood how much speed Kael harnessed in his wings.

He crept his right hand around the shield, his fingers curled into his palm while his knuckles pulled back to stretch open the focal point. Blue mist swirled about his palm, building with power. Kael shifted again, racing directly toward the knight. He kept the imagined projectile in mind, but he didn’t release. Not yet. Not until the gap was all but nothing.

The knight saw him and panicked at his sudden proximity. A ball of flame shot from his gauntlet, badly underestimating his speed. It burned in Kael’s wake, accomplishing nothing. Kael never changed his direction and blasted straight past the knight. His arm swung back, the pent-up power releasing in the form of a giant square wall directly in the knight’s path. The knight’s body slammed into the wall with a scream of bone and metal. His body careened wildly to the ground on dying wings.

Kael pulled himself erect and slowly eased back his speed. The pulsing of his light element grew less vibrant in his mind, more drawn out. Kael gazed upon the battle as he fought to regain his breath.

“Impossible,” he whispered.

Varl Cutter’s army pushed through the barren wasteland that had once been a beautiful field. Center’s soldiers formed uneven lines, a paltry defense to stop Cutter’s onslaught. Seraphim of all islands hovered over the battlefield, raining down destruction. Dozens of cannons lay broken across the battlefield, and dozens more broke as he watched. Kael couldn’t contain his excitement. The battle … they’d won it. They’d achieved aerial superiority over Center’s troops. The knights were already pulling back, keeping tightly together, making any attempt at chasing them extremely dangerous. Platforms hovered in their midst, the few soldiers and machines who’d managed to flee.

Still the war machines fought on. Kael watched one gilded machine in humanoid form raise two arms that ended in focal prisms the size of a man’s fist. Fire sprayed from them in tremendous streams, matching those of the cannons. Two Candren Seraphs flew through the inferno, coming out the other side with blackened clothes and melted wings. Stone and ice boulders rained down from Candren’s furious Seraphim, smashing into the mechanics. The giant knight collapsed. A storm of lightning bathed its center, ensuring the death of the controller inside.

“We did it,” Kael said, in shock that such a miracle had come to pass. Then louder, with a whoop, “We won!”

He swung about to look for his friends. They were farther away than he expected, and he waved to them in greeting. Bree let loose two quick jets of flame beneath her in response, tiny little specks of red in the distance. Kael frowned. A warning, but for what?

Kael looked down to see a plume of flame rising upward. Ice flashed out his gauntlet in a panic, forming a thin wall against the heat. It quickly melted away but sapped the power of the blast so that only a painful jet of steam washed over him, blistering his skin and stinging his eyes. Kael pushed his throttle, disoriented and not trusting his ability to manipulate the elemental prism with his concentration so broken. A knight was below him, just one, it appeared, but what was he doing alone and so far from the battle?

With his vision blurred he could only send back a few haphazard lances of ice as he climbed higher. Squinting, he saw that the knight was flying at him at full speed. Kael pushed his throttle to the maximum, jarring his body as he shot higher. Not good enough. The knight overtook him, and for the first time Kael saw the strange gauntlet on the man’s right arm, four slender cannons where there should have been a fist. Kael brought his shield up the moment they crossed paths. The size of the blast shocked him with its power. This wasn’t normal fire. This was akin to Bree’s most vicious rage. He cried out as the attack broke against his shield. His head pounded from the sudden strain, and more blinding steam splashed across his body. His skin tightened and peeled as if he’d spent hours beneath the sun.

Kael moved his shield aside to retaliate with his ice. A prolonged fight meant death. Had to end it now. The knight dashed closer before he could release, left hand grabbing his wrist and shoving aside his gauntlet so the ice sprayed harmlessly past his attacker. The strange cannon jammed Kael’s throat, the end pressing up against his chin. There would be no dodging this one. He tensed for the killing blow that never came. Confused, he blinked the tears away to stare into the face of his captor.

To stare into the face of his father.

“Dad?” Kael asked. He felt too stunned to move. Too stunned to even breathe.

Liam’s eyes narrowed. His face was a mask revealing only deep concentration.

“If you move, I will kill you.”

The hand on his wrist released, instead grabbing Kael by the neck and holding him still. A blade extended from the strange gauntlet, its razor-sharp edge cutting through the leather loops of his harness one by one. His wings fell free, yanking the gauntlets with them on their drop. Kael gasped for air as the hand tightened. Liam pulled him closer, chest to chest. The blade sank back into the gauntlet so Liam could wrap the arm around Kael’s body and keep him still. Liam’s hand yanked two of his own harness buckles free.

“Tie them around both our shoulders,” he ordered.

Kael didn’t think he could form coherent sentences, let alone tighten the buckles, but his hands moved of their own accord. That finished, they together turned to see the other Seraphs approach. Bree led the way, her swords bathed in so much flame it was a wonder her element was not already dry. Liam’s blade extended from the strange gauntlet when Bree neared, the sharp edge pressing against Kael’s neck. The message was clear, and Bree immediately pulled back.

“Struggle, you die,” Liam said, his lips pressed near Kael’s ear. “Try to slow my flight, you die. Say anything, you die. Do not doubt my words, son.”

Kael didn’t just doubt his words. He doubted everything. He doubted his ears, his eyes, and his very mind. This wasn’t possible. His father was dead. Everyone knew it. He died with his mother battling Galen. He wasn’t here. He wasn’t carrying him to Center like a goddamn trophy. They drifted eastward while facing Bree. Kael wanted more than anything to speak, to ask if he knew those burning swords belonged to his daughter. Did he know? If he did, surely he wouldn’t be doing this. Why take them away? He wasn’t at Center. He was home. Weshern was home.

“Father—” Kael started to say.

Thick metal slammed against the back of his head before the first syllable exited his tongue, ending his confusion and misery with blessed darkness.