Heir of Shandara (Book 4) (26 page)

“The blast centered from the palace, which was where the infected had converged. So far, we’ve only found pockets of humans and infected. Repairs to our vehicles are underway. Our enemy had a few surprises for us, but up until the blast the battle pretty much went as we expected,” Chinta said.

“Except for the bomb,” Halcylon said, and an uneasy silence descended upon them.

Chinta nodded. “We also believe they know we’ve tapped their communications.”

Halcylon shrugged. “They were bound to pick up on it sooner or later.”

Chinta eyed him for a moment. “They? Don’t you mean Iranus?”

“The scientist, no. Iranus may be among the leaders of the traitors, but he wasn’t of the military. The name that keeps cropping up on their comms channels is Gavril Sorindal,” Halcylon said.

A coldness swept through the room. Gavril had been one of them before the portal to Safanar had been shut. Halcylon had discovered that Gavril had been aiding the traitors and was among those directly responsible for stranding their race on Hytharia. Gavril had been the head of his intelligence operations, and his betrayal had been a surprise. Halcylon would have his reckoning with him and all the rest of the traitors for the crimes they’d visited upon the Zekara.
 

Halcylon scanned the faces around him until he found who he was looking for. “Ronin, I’ve observed some odd behavior from the infected humans. There is a creature just outside the city walls. It’s a mix of a Dragon and a Ryakul but much larger. The infected humans seem to be drawn to it. It was overriding the expected protocols.”

Ronin pursed his lips in thought. “The virus at its foundation is the same. We may have modified it for humans, but we didn’t change the underlying core. Perhaps it saw a kindred spirit. One of the same, but an alpha in the hierarchy.”

“I’ve also seen reports of many of them being drawn to the human,” Halcylon said. There was no need for him to be specific. Everyone around him knew which of the primitive species he was referring to.

“I’ve seen the same reports. That I can’t account for at the moment, but I do have a theory if you’re interested,” Ronin offered.

“This should be interesting,” Chinta murmured.
 

“Proceed,” Halcylon ordered.

“The two appear to be natural enemies. One of the core functions of the virus is to spread itself in order to thrive. Perhaps it senses something different about Aaron,” Ronin said. The others around began objecting. “Oh, don’t be so ridiculous, the humans, as primitive as they are, have names. You must admit the human was able to achieve things that we’re only able to do assisted with our technology. So in keeping with the virus’s core functions—to spread itself—presents a strong correlation to why it targets Aaron above all other humans.”

“Which is?” Halcylon asked.

“Because it believes that he represents the best way for it to spread itself,” Ronin said.

“And the Dragon hybrid?” Halcylon asked.

“I believe it could be something similar. I will examine the creature if I can get close enough,” Ronin said.

“Take a squad with you. As far as I know, it hasn’t moved. If I had to guess, I would say it’s in the middle of its transformation, which should have been completed by now. You’re dismissed, Ronin,” Halcylon said.

“There is another matter I’d like to bring to your attention,” Chinta said.

“Proceed.”

“We’ve found further evidence of soldiers’ death from wounds that could only be inflicted by a maul-cat,” Chinta said.

“When were they killed?” Halcylon asked.

Chinta frowned, glancing at the report in front of him. “Just after the battle. They were found inside the city. They were searching through the wreckage for anything we can use.”

Halcylon nodded. “We have a bigger problem than one maul-cat. Our enemy has perfected the use of the keystone accelerator. It is the only reason so many were able to escape. We need to figure out where they went. We also need to build up the number of infected humans again before the next phase of our attack.”

What Halcylon said was true, but the presence of the maul-cat did worry him. He couldn’t let on how much it concerned him because he needed for his people to focus on the tasks he set for them.
 

“How many infiltrators can we bring online?” Halcylon asked.

“We have only twenty more units, sir,” Chinta replied.

“Deploy fifteen of them, and save the remainder for the attack on Shandara. I want the remains of the city searched for any of our technology. The keystone accelerators would be a valuable addition for our resources,” Halcylon said.

They had their orders. Now Halcylon wanted to take a look at the remnants of the city for himself. The next battle would be harder for them. A smart enemy would study his opponent, and he was willing to bet that the human… Aaron… had learned a great deal by this encounter. No matter. The human race was finished. They just didn’t know it yet. Once he conquered Shandara, the power issues for his machines would be resolved, and that would allow them to build more of a tech base from which to rule this planet. Halcylon left the mobile command center and headed toward the smoky remains of the first Safanarion city to fall to them. It wouldn’t be the last.
 

C
HAPTER
21

RUSE

Aaron was still piecing the battle together in his mind and would need to consult with Gavril to be sure about how they were defeated. They had been blindsided. What would it take to defeat Halcylon? The Zekaran general had shown a level of ruthlessness that rivaled that of the High King. Is that what was required of him so they could survive? Could he become that person?
 

He kept seeing the faces of the dead. Aaron’s brow furrowed as he lost himself in his thoughts. His breath caught in his lungs, and he felt a great weight press down upon his chest. Aaron blew out his breath and let his gaze drift skyward. He shook his head and kept going. A soft breeze blew along the grass, and he inhaled the sweet smells of wild flowers. Aaron could smell the faint odor of cook fires from a camp up ahead. He quickened his steps, believing that he would reach the camp just over the next hill. The closer he got, the more he realized that it wasn’t the FNA encampment. Gleeful shouts of children playing seemed foreign to his ears and stood in stark contrast to the horrors he had witnessed this day.
 

Aaron came over the hill and stopped. Below was a camp mostly made up of brightly painted wagons constructed as small houses on wheels. People went along doing their daily chores. Clothes hung drying along the lines between the wagons. The place was so calm and serene that just the sight of it made Aaron think he had strayed into a dream. An older man came from behind a wagon and greeted Aaron with a warm smile.

“Tolvar,” Aaron whispered.

The bald man in a gray shirt and brown trousers waved at him. “We meet again,” Tolvar said, and glanced up at the sky. “No Ryakuls following you this time?”

Aaron closed his mouth and felt the edges of his lips curve. “Not this time,” Aaron replied.

Tolvar made a show of looking past him and tilted his head in mock disappointment. “No princess this time either.” Tolvar sighed.

Aaron chuckled. “I’m afraid not. Should I turn around and leave?”

Tolvar laughed and put a companionable arm around Aaron’s shoulder. “Don’t be silly, my boy. You are exactly where you need to be right now.”

“Is that right? Truth be told, I don’t know where I am,” Aaron said, and glanced down at the comms device on his wrist.

Tolvar followed his gaze. “Not to worry. Your friends will be joining us soon enough.”

Aaron frowned. “How do you know?”

Tolvar chuckled again. “Some of us see with eyes beyond that of ordinary men.”

Aaron sensed the energy swirling around Tolvar, strongly rooted to the ground. “I remember,” Aaron said, some of the somberness returning to his voice.

Tolvar glanced at him. “Come, I’ve just the thing to lift those with a heavy heart.”

“But, Tolvar. Rexel… Prince Cyrus…”

“Come, we will take our ease by the fire, and you can tell me what has happened,” Tolvar said.
 

Tolvar guided Aaron through the camp, and many stopped what they were doing to offer a quick greeting. They were joined by Tolvar’s son, Armel, a grizzly-looking man with a burly brown beard that reached down his broad chest. He flipped a small ax in his beefy hand as he walked.

“Care for another go?” Armel offered, but Aaron shook his head.

Tolvar took him to a basin of water so he could wash. Aaron wished he could soak for a few hours in a tub of hot water, but this would have to do. When he was finished, he was amazed at how dirty the water was.
 

‘There, that’s better. Have some of this,” Tolvar said, and offered him a tankard. “It’s our dark ale with a little something extra. Speaking of extra, I really do wish that princess of yours was here.”

“You and me both. She’s the High Queen now,” Aaron said.

Tolvar nodded. “She’ll do well, and so will you.”

Aaron thanked him and took a long swallow. Whatever Tolvar had put in the ale blazed a path down his throat. He felt waves of warmth spread out through his core, and some of the tension drained away from between his shoulders. Tolvar and Armel took a sip from their tankards and waited for him to begin. Aaron told them of the events that had taken place over the past few days. From their first encounter with the Zekaran infiltrator and the Forsaken to their defeat at Rexel.
 

Tolvar exchanged a few glances with his son. “Cyrus was a good man. I’m truly sorry to hear of his passing,” Tolvar said.

Aaron raised his tankard in a silent toast for those who had fallen today and took another long swallow.
 

“Halcylon is going to spread the Ryakul virus. No human is safe. The battle at Rexel was something out of a nightmare. Friends and comrades who fought at your side rising again only to turn on you. No one was spared, and nothing we did could stop it. He defeated us so utterly.”

Tolvar frowned. “War is a nasty business.”

“I don’t know how to defeat him,” Aaron admitted.

“The same way you defeated the High King. With heart, faith, and skill. And certainly not alone. I know Reymius taught you that half of the battle is here,” Tolvar said, tapping the side of his head. “You carry a great many burdens, but I get the sense there is more.”

Aaron set his tankard down and paced for a few steps. The energy sparked within him. He hadn’t realized he had seized it and quickly let it go. In the brief moments he held the energy, he sensed the presence of the Eldarin. They were restless, waiting for his call, but the risk was too great.
 

“What good is being Ferasdiam marked if I can’t help them?” Aaron said.

“Who?” Tolvar asked.

“The Eldarin. One is infected with the same virus that turns Dragons into Ryakuls.”

“Do you know what it means to be Ferasdiam marked? One who has been marked by fate?”

Aaron met Tolvar’s gaze but didn’t answer.

“Because you were born different. You are the bridge across all life forms,” Tolvar said.

Life’s champion.
The Dragon’s words echoed in Aaron’s mind. “Colind warned me of the danger of being Ferasdiam marked. How I could traverse to the higher planes where the Eldarin reside, but I wouldn’t be able to come back,” Aaron said.

“Colind is correct in that you possess within you the potential to cast away your physical form. Returning is completely up to you.”

Aaron tilted his head in thought. “Not just me.”

Tolvar smiled. “Your assertion that the potential is with us all is correct. But you are more in tune with our realm than anyone else. Even now, I bet you can sense the lifebeat of every living creature in this camp without any effort at all.”

He could, and in a place such as this, his gift drove the point home just how precious life really was. “The High King used his power to control everyone. He said it was the destiny of the Ferasdiam marked. I swore it was something I wouldn’t do, but during the battle…”

“Amorak’s heart was black long before. He may have been a good man once, but power has a way of corrupting a person,” Tolvar said.