Chapter Twenty-Three

The Bastillen fighters fanned out within the time pocket.

Some climbed trees, some scaled to the roofs of nearby houses, some crouched behind large rocks that I was sure hadn’t been put there for decoration.

Callan would help direct the other Temporals who would be making openings so they could attack with their projectile weapons. He quickly called up his magic, touched it to the time pocket to make an opening, and the Havenrow warriors ran out and unsheathed their weapons.

There were swords, staffs, an axe, and a man who looked like he’d stepped off a sumo mat with a huge mallet that he held like it was a feather. One woman was doing warm-up swings with nunchaku. Three warriors who had either a bow or crossbow, climbed into trees.

I exchanged one last heavy look with Callan before Ashe and I ran out.

The Tamers released their creatures.

The Foleji flew into trees. The Vicasiv was directed to the left with one of the Jagark, while the other was sent to the right. The earthy smell of freshly churned soil rose along with a feeling like I was rolling across gravel as Jia, who was standing next to Callan at the opening, directed her magic to the soil and rocks at the edge of the clearing.

Jia quickly pulled together the legs, torso, arms, and featureless face of a fifteen-foot-tall Pachrall that was almost as wide. Rocks of various sizes were embedded into it, most notably at the end of its thick arms. She made the Pachrall take a few steps toward the time pocket.

Fire magic sizzled as Igiro constructed a Suniksu. The huge four-legged beast with its fiery mane sent heat blasting through the clearing. Igiro directed it to the other side of the clearing.

Noyah called something out and the Havenrow warriors fell into formation around the clearing that stood between the edge of the forest and the time pocket.

The way everyone was positioned meant we had all angles covered, including the southwest. We were as ready as we were going to get.

“Five in time warps!” came a shout from the watchtower.

A satisfied feeling went through me. Good. Hopefully they would keep running into warps whenever they tried to come back.

“Projectile incoming!” The watcher’s voice was threaded with fear just as something flew over our heads.

A flaming arrow.

It exploded against the time pocket’s barrier, causing it to ripple.

“Incoming! Incoming!” the watcher shouted.

Apprentice Warriors burst through the trees, weapons at the ready.

After a quick scan, I saw Cindra but not Kana. Hopefully that meant she was stuck in a warp, which would make her easier to deal with. Cindra’s expression was focused but empty. She wasn’t in control of her actions, and I disliked having to face off against someone who didn’t even know what they were doing, but I had to. Cindra spotted me and she stopped running and pulled out her sword.

I took up my own stance, holding the Claymore out to the side, wondering how I could save all of these warriors from the Discordant Dark’s hold when I only had Ashe’s Divine fire to rely on. And would it even be enough? It had taken a tremendous amount of Divine magic from both of us to free Xythen.

“You must die.” Cindra’s voice sounded fractured, deeper than her normal tones.

“Cindra…”

She came for me and I raised the Claymore to meet her challenge.

Our blades clashed.

The thrum of metal on metal vibrated up my arms.

I was holding the Claymore with both hands as we bore down on each other. I kicked my foot out and buckled her knees, gaining the advantage. I aimed for another kick, but she grabbed my leg and pulled me down, causing me to drop the sword.

I didn’t stay down long, especially when her booted foot was coming down for a stomp. I rolled out of the way, but it put me even further from the sword.

In my peripheral I saw Ashe body-slam someone, sending them rolling across the ground. Her Divine fire almost blasted the man through before he dove for cover.

A Foleji screeched and swooped down, clawing at another Discordant warrior’s face. The woman let out a nightmarish scream as blood erupted. She was swinging wildly with her battle axe and managed to slice through the Foleji. They both fell to the ground.

I took that in within a few seconds then sidestepped Cindra’s attempt to slam me.

I flexed my hands around the iron knuckles and delivered a punch to her face that made her stagger to the side. She spat blood as I danced back, trying to get to my sword. Before I could, she threw out a bola that wrapped around my ankles and sent me down again.

Looked like Cindra had a few toys on her.

My hands were free so I could make quick work of getting out of the bola, but Cindra kicked me in the side. She was then slammed by Ashe hard enough to roll across the ground for several feet.

Ashe stood guard while I freed myself and stood up, but I was still too far from the sword, which had gotten pushed further away.

Another Discordant was advancing on me with a war hammer. Ashe jumped to the right to protect me from someone coming from that direction, blasting her Divine fire. The hammer swinger was barreling down and all I had were the iron knuckles.

“Penn!” I twisted to the side at the sound of Callan’s voice. He drew his arm back and launched a spear at me.

I jumped to catch it, then spun my body midair and threw it at my attacker, having only a split second to decide my aim.

The spear slammed into his upper thigh.

I could have caught him through the chest, but I was trying to avoid killing anyone if I could help it. He went down and a Foleji swooped in to claw at his head, making him drop the hammer so he could use his arms to protect himself.

I whooped at Callan as I was finally able to retrieve the Claymore.

Jia’s Pachrall punched one of the Discordants hard enough that she slammed into a tree and crumbled to the ground like a puppet with cut strings.

Igiro’s Suniksu was spraying fire at the fighters who were coming from the southwest. The Vicasiv had someone screaming in pain as its thick body coiled around it and squeezed.

Ashe sunk her teeth into someone’s shoulder and flung them aside. They were then rammed by one of the Jagark. A nice hit of teeth and tusks.

Cindra was coming for me again.

I readied the sword and met her head-on. We parried.

I slashed her across the chest, but she jumped back. We brought our blades up and the clash of metal resounded. I felt another searing touch of fire magic as multiple Firi Stone arrows arched over our heads and slammed into the time pocket, creating a cloud of disorienting smoke.

The distraction cost me.

I was slammed from the side and went down hard.

But Cindra wasn’t the one on top of me scrabbling for my throat. It was another Discordant.

I launched a headbutt that made his neck snap back. I shoved him off me and stood up. He was on his feet with his mallet ready, but a Jagark slammed into his legs and he crumbled, dropping the massive weapon, which the Jagark’s trajectory pushed further out of his reach.

When he got to his feet, he was limping, but he wasn’t down for the count. He curled his hands into fists and came at me. I sheathed the Claymore. If he wanted to brawl, we could brawl.

I ducked his swipe and punched him in the midsection.

He stumbled back, but he was quick and knew how to keep going even when injured. He hit me with a side kick, then caught me across the chest.

I shifted back, but he wasn’t gonna give me time to breathe. He bore down on me again but didn’t heed the screech above our heads until it was too late. A Foleji swooped down, its razor-edged wings aiming for his face.

He screamed as it raked across his neck, the bird’s weight driving him to the ground.

“Penn!” Callan’s voice again, but this time it was shouting a warning.

A warning I wasn’t able to heed in time.

I turned, and all I saw was a blur of motion as something slammed into me, cutting through my armor and piercing my chest.

Sharp, searing pain burned through me and I gasped and stumbled back, looking down to see a chakram lodged in my body. When I looked up it was as though I had tunnel vision; all I could see was the person who’d thrown it: Kana. She stood at the edge of the clearing, her hand extended from throwing the chakram. Her skin was still charred from the backlash when she’d tried to kill me. Her face was expressionless as those galaxy-filled eyes took me in.

Time had seemed to slow down but now it sped up again as I collapsed, feeling blood wash down my chest.

There was noise and movement all around me but I could barely comprehend it. I could hear Ashe, but if she hadn’t made it to my side it meant that she couldn’t.

I heard someone screaming my name. Callan?

I needed to get up. Get the chakram out of me, get the Claymore and defend myself before…

Cindra was suddenly looming over me, her face blank as she raised her sword. Like in the cave, my Divine magic was swirling around inside me. Would it deflect the attack like it had before?

“I figured it out,” came Kana’s grating voice. Pain was screaming through my body as I felt my strength sap. I was taking ragged breaths as blood poured down my body under the armor. I hurt so much. So much. I had a salve in my pouch that could help but I had to get the chakram out.

But I couldn’t even move enough to put Kana in my line of sight. All I could do was stare up at Cindra and the tip of her sword aimed at my neck.

“You seem able to deflect attacks propelled by my power, but what about when I remove my power from the hand driving it?”

My eyes widened. I tried to scramble back but could barely move. Ashe was howling, and I heard a yelp of pain that fueled my anger. I felt her Divine fire sizzling, but she still couldn’t reach me. Another howl of pain.

Kana laughed, a crystal clear sound I heard above the noise of battle.

“What an awakening I am having!” Kana said, sounding rapturous. “I have seen countless worlds made, have been the force that brought their time to an end, have thought there was nothing I have not already seen. Until now. Until you! An obstacle in my path for the very first time. A battle I must fight to win. Marvelous!”

I couldn’t respond, could only see what was looming above me, and feel, yet again, that I had fought so hard and so long to live only for someone else to determine that I should die.

Cindra raised her hand a few inches, then within a split second I saw a dark wave release from her at the same moment that she started to bring the sword down.

There was a flash of recognition across her face, but it wouldn’t be enough before…

Cindra suddenly went flying to the side and the sword clattered to the ground.

Ashe?

No, it hadn’t been her furred body that had slammed her.

I grunted as I wrenched the chakram free and dropped it, pressing my hand against my chest and the blood that was oozing out. It wasn’t a deep cut, but that just meant I would bleed out slowly. I fell to the side on my forearm and looked to see who had saved me.

And felt like I had been rammed through with a sword after all.

Callan was straddling Cindra and cracked a punch across her face.

Callan was off the unchanged lands. He was beyond the time pocket.

“Callan!” I found the strength to scream his name and his fist paused in midair.

He turned to me and our eyes locked. My body was shaking.

“Get back!” I yelled. “GET BACK!”

Callan got off Cindra, who groaned and tried to get up. But I only had eyes for Callan, who was scrambling across the ground trying to reach me when he needed to be going in another direction entirely.

“Head back to Bastillen! Now! What the fuck are you doing! Get back!”

“Penn!” He looked relieved to see me alive but anguished at how hurt I was. He reached out his hand and I reached out mine, desperately.

“CALLAN, GET BACK TO BASTILLEN!” Why wasn’t the idiot man listening to me?

“I will, but I had to save y—”

He disappeared.

My eyes widened. My breath hitched. My heart felt like it stopped, like it wanted me to die so I didn’t have to process what had happened.

A burst of Temporal magic washed over me like the winds of a tempest as the giant time pocket around Bastillen collapsed. Callan had made the time pocket. Without him, it was gone.

I stared at the spot Callan had been.

More warriors ran into the clearing. Without Callan, his time warps would be gone too, freeing those who’d been trapped in them.

I stared at the spot Callan had been.

The fight wasn’t over. The time pocket was down. Bastillen was going to be breached, everyone’s lives were in danger.

I stared at the spot Callan had been.

Grief as fathomless as the unknown depths of the deepest ocean clawed me down to oblivion, to the rawest place my emotions were kept, to an edge I was about to fall over, into an abyss I would never be able to claw my way out of because…

Because…

Callan had been Erased.

I threw my head back and screamed.