THE LAST CREATION

As RaCorren lifted the giant leg, Crystalyn pulled her legs out from under it. The big Valen let it go. The heavy limb thudded wetly on the ground. Before she could utter a word of thanks, Long Sand grabbed her hand and pulled her under a column lying on its side, the crown resting on the fountain wall. A double hand’s width from the column’s far edge, a wall of rubble blocked the way onward, though there appeared to be space for her to crawl past the timbered column and climb the mound if she had to, albeit barely.

The second dark creation stomped toward her at the only speed it seemed capable of, a slow, steady march. Though still much faster than expected for a thing of its size, she was grateful for that. Reaching her makeshift barrier, the towering raggedy man halted. Raising a foot high, it stomped on the column leaning on the fountain above her, crunching half the base to chalk on the courtyard flooring. Slowly the foot ascended again.

Ignoring RaCorren, the first colossal dark creation moved past the Valen, walking on its hands, pulling the body and its maimed useless legs behind it.

The Valen man slipped a broad sword from his back sheath, chopping the weapon’s width into the colossal arm above the elbow. The creation shuddered but kept moving. “Everyone with a blade weapon aid me! Defend Sarra’esiah!” he roared.

Heaving forward, the colossal crawler moved ahead another hand’s reach, gaining half the distance to Crystalyn.

The gigantic foot of the towering creation descended, slamming into the column. The base crumbled, shifting close to her head. Jagged cracks appeared along the column and covered her in a white dust that stuck to the black tarry substance from the dark creation. The great foot ascended.

Scrunched beside her, Long Sand shifted slightly, glancing through the gap between the column and rubble. “The stone cannot take another hit. We have no choice except to fight our way past. Can you run?” he asked tersely.

“I think so,” she replied. Until she slid out from under the column, she had no way of knowing for certain.

Hastel arrived at the crawling creation first. Working on the opposite side of the Valen, his muscular arms swung with synchronal precision. As one axe bit deep, the other rose and then fell as the twin side of the half-moon chopper ascended again. His broad shoulders glistened with the sweat of his exertions, and splotches of the tarry substance coated his brown kell vest and bared arms before long.

Joined by a nomad and his scimitar, RaCorren and the warrior took turns hacking at the gigantic creation in the same place.

Long Sand slipped out from under the pillar, taking her by the hand.

The one-legged creation lunged forward as Hastel and the other two cut through its arms. Sliding forward with an inhuman effort, the colossal head slid beside Crystalyn. Losing momentum, its burlap-textured skin rubbed her shoulder.

The colossal foot of the other Dark Creation slammed into the column. A sharp crack rent the air.

Long Sand tugged at her hand.

The heavy white marble fell in two halves, the upper torso of a lovely woman taking Crystalyn’s place she’d been a moment before. The sand reader had barely pulled her to safety.

The dark creation had not been as fortunate. Lying unmoving, the huge head was buried under the thick column. An image of yellow-orange eyes fading from the loss of the spark of life flashed through her mind.

From where she lay, Crystalyn formed her absorption symbol, combining it with the air elemental one under the heading wrathful aggression, which she’d read in the black-lettered Tiered Tome of Symbols. Flowing with liquid-like consistency, the black-and-white pattern hovering above her converted to a radiant gold. Snaking outward to a triangular point, it swirled into a raging cyclone containing thin fragments of gold.

Blowing into the descending foot, the golden tempest flew upward, spiraling partway up the leg before fizzling out and dissolving. The black crystal heated in her hand, and her throbbing hand ached all the way to the bone. Crystalyn moaned from the pain and weakness it caused her. The golden symbol had drained her of much energy.

Atoi appeared from out of the shadows of the barracks, dashing under the withdrawing leg.

Shredded and oozing streams of black goo, the dark creation supplanted its damaged leg beside its intact limb and stooped to a pile of rubble. Arrows sank into its back, fist-sized balls of white detonated all over it, and thick green vines entwined around its legs, crawling toward the waist.

Long Sand lifted her upright. “If you are well, Clan Savior, I shall join the battle of destroying the final abomination.”

“Go for the eyes, the spark of life there needs extinguished,” Crystalyn said, wincing. Her left hand ached. “Trenton may have the best shot at it with the orb.”

Atoi slid to a stop beside her. “The Dark Citadel soldiers are attacking.” The little girl ran to the foot of the broken column, peering around it. “They are many,” she said.

Spread in a line spanning the width of the courtyard, the dark-armored soldiers marched. The black dragon stalked behind, a beast towering as high as the dark creation.

“Gather to me, Sect Leaders!” Long Sand shouted as he joined Atoi at the downed column.

RaCorren strode up to her. “I shall rally my people and bring them to the Dark Child. There, where the Child waits, is a good place to make a final stand. Will your one-eyed companion survive?” he asked, giving a nod back the way he had come.

The humongous creation had managed to lift a heavy marble depiction of a planet resembling Astura, cradling it in his arms. Hastel chopped with wild abandon at the shredded leg. “He can take care of himself,” she said. “As you collect your fighting force, have your archers and Users attack each of the enemy’s flanks. If you can get them to create pressure, it will remove some from us, while I regain strength.”

RaCorren executed a brief bow. “As you say, Sarra’esiah,” he said. Turning, he ran into the darker area at the front of the row of barracks, giving the creation a wide berth.

Slowed substantially, the creation limped toward Crystalyn carrying its heavy round payload.

A glint of something shiny in the shadowed courtyard hallway entrance behind the creation caught Crystalyn’s eye, the steel of a bared weapon. Before she could sound the alarm, skirmishes broke out at the barracks. The enemy had crept in behind, cutting off any hope of escape.

Her people were doomed.

Following her, they’d left their homes and loved ones, trusting her to keep them safe. She’d repaid them by leading them all to a dark place where they would die. Every death would be on her blasted incapable hands.

The mere thought of it made Crystalyn angry. If they were to die, she’d go out with a boom, giving it her all. They would not perish for nothing.

With her mind clear with what she must do, Crystalyn visualized the absorption symbol with its many crosses of white and stretched it over her. Picking up a fallen warrior’s shield, she slid it over her right arm and strode on. Having the symbol’s source taken out with an errant arrow wouldn’t do.

Preparing as she walked, Crystalyn strengthened her barrier, looking over her shoulder. The last creation limped toward her, the sphere hugged to its immense chest. Ignoring the swords hacking below, the vines seeking to tether or pull it down, and the arrows quilled on its burlap-textured skin, the yellow-orange eyes fixed on her as it came.

When the colossal creation raised the ball of marble slightly, Crystalyn judged it close enough and broke into a run.

She’d barely made it beyond Atoi’s lookout spot beside a mound of rubble before missiles and cones streaked toward her. Crystalyn placed the shield in front of her, leaving enough room to see past it with one eye. The Dark User’s power struck her barrier at mid-point.

A throbbing migraine caused her to wince, dulling the pain in her hand. She’d reached her limit of symbol use. Creating more would drain her life. But did it matter? She would give those who came with her the best chance at survival.

Her companions, her followers, her people, shouted at her with urgent voices, but Crystalyn tuned them out, keeping an eye on the last colossal creation with a quick glance behind. The thing had gained. Reaching deep inside, Crystalyn picked up her pace.

An image of Jade grasping her hand flashed through her mind causing her to long for her sister with a fervency that surprised her. “Together we are stronger,” she clearly heard Jade say somewhere close. Startled, Crystalyn glanced around. Or, had she imagined it?

A bolt of red lightning crashed into her absorption symbol, bolstering her head throbs and drawing through her aching hand with an intensity that staggered as she moved forward.

Behind, the creation stomped past the barrier of rubble, past her friends, moving fast for it, even with a limp.

Not far ahead, dark-armored soldiers advanced, many rows deep, their movements unordered in places. Choosing an ordered group in a direct line with the dragon, Crystalyn dashed forward, running at top speed, glancing over a shoulder.

Without slowing, the dark creation heaved the marble sphere when she did.

Waiting until the last moment, Crystalyn adjusted her shield, dashed sharply left, and ran in front of the first row. Pikes held at the ready banged against her shield edge, jarring her shoulder.

A wide swath opened up at her heels as the sphere bounced into the front row.

Skidding to a halt, she reversed direction, dissolving her symbol and installing a new one, the absorption for a physical barrier. Then Crystalyn charged after the ball.

The marble sphere rolled through soldiers, crushing or throwing their mangled bodies to the sides, opening a path to the dragon without much loss of speed. The dragon dodged nimbly to one side.

The massive marble ball ground onward, its momentum carrying it smashing into the gate wall where it bounced once and rolled to a stop. A great crack raced upward, knocking several Users from atop who stood too close to the edge.

The enemy force closed in around Crystalyn, raining blows on her barrier. Jagged cracks appeared with a quickness that worried her, only to have them stop the next moment.

Gasping for breath, she’d reached the dragon.

Preparing her golden cyclone symbol, knowing it to be the last of the power she had in her, perhaps even kill her with the drain. But she had little choice. Crystalyn half-turned, gauging the distance to the thing behind. With luck, she could include it and the dragon within the area of her symbol’s effect.

The dark creation thumped through the soldiers, kicking and smashing them as it followed a path beside that of the marble boulder.

An enormous force slammed into Crystalyn wrenching her from the floor. Blunt force crashed into her side, stopping momentum.

Blackness bloomed.