Rise of the Faire-Amanti (The Ascendant Series Book 3) (38 page)

Pain in his side and calf told him he’d been hit, but not critically. Another volley of fire, though, and he doubted he’d be so lucky.

It wasn’t luck
, came Sem’s thought.
We saved your sorry ass
.

He glanced behind him and saw Sem, Owyn, J’ael, and a host of Mynders disarming Vycor’s followers at the edge of the clearing. He was flooded with relief when he saw his family alive and well.

And you’ll never let me hear the end of it
, he sent back, catching Sem’s eye.

What are cousins for? Now go kill that piece of shit
.

Ty didn’t need to be told twice. He cleared his mind of the seething hatred that had propelled him carelessly up the ladder and nearly gotten him killed. His senses opened instead to everything happening around him. He funneled perspectives from Kyr, Sem, and all of the Mynders fighting on their side. It gave him a nearly three hundred and sixty degree view of the battlefield.

Why had Vycor remained in the vessel? He was a coward, yes…but he had pigeonholed himself.

The Advisor won’t be able to take off as planned
, came an anxious thought from one of Vycor’s Mynders. Ty picked it up since his heightened senses were fully open.

Vycor had planned for this, he realized. The Advisor had wanted to draw him to this spot for this confrontation. He wanted to watch Ty and Kyr die with his own eyes, and if the worst happened and they reached him, he planned to take off once Ty climbed onto the vessel so he could kill him that way. Now that the vessel was disabled and that couldn’t happen, Ty was sure that Vycor had something else underhanded and deceitful up his sleeve.

There was nothing to be done but let it play out, he decided. He’d just have to be smart about it and anticipate trickery.

With that thought in mind, he eased his head over the edge of the vessel leading up to the top hatch. Nothing awaited him. Still, he finished the climb with a healthy dose of caution, his de’llum at the ready. He didn’t make a sound as he examined the lock on the hatch. After a moment of consideration, he sliced through the lock with his de’llum.

Grabbing the edge of the hatch, he yanked it open, then threw himself to the side. A volley of fire from a projectile weapon flew from the opening.

“Any time you get near that opening, I’ll fire,” Vycor shouted. “I’ve got enough weaponry in here to light up the night sky.”

Ty snorted. “No wonder you were passed over for the right to protect the Ascendant,” he called out. “You’re a complete idiot.”

A growl and more laser fire issued from the opening as Ty leaned over the side of the ship and caught Sem’s attention.
Bring me something on fire. The bigger, the better
.

Sem’s eyebrow lifted, but he shrugged and went to do as Ty said. Ty met him a minute later on the ladder.

“Can I watch?” Sem asked as he carefully handed over the flaming shrub he had dug up.

“Sure…from over there where Kyr is detaining Shaya. There’s still a battle going on, in case you missed it.”

“You’re no fun.”

Sem jumped back down and went to help Kyr. Ty hustled up the ladder, trying not to fry himself. He didn’t even bother to slow down and wait for a gap in the laser blasts. He just walked over to the opening and dumped the flaming shrub inside.

This time, Vycor yelped and cursed. The string of obscenities brought a dark smile to Ty’s face. He made sure to convey it all to Sem, Gren, and Kyr. Sem’s hoot of laughter carried across the clearing.

“I’ve got enough of those to light up the night sky,” Ty said loud enough for Vycor to hear.

Smoke poured out of the vessel’s opening. Ty correctly guessed that the next stream of weapon fire preceded Vycor himself. He waited behind a section of the left engine to shield himself from the laser blasts. The moment he had a clear shot, he struck with his de’llum. The weapon’s barrel sheared in half.

He barely had time to recover from his strike to meet a blow from Vycor’s own de’llum. The Advisor was coughing, but his strength was true. The contact sang through Ty’s arm. He welcomed it.

Their de’llums clashed again and again. They battled in silence, the time for words long gone. They each knew where they stood. They both sought to kill each other.

The difference was, Ty had more to fight for than Vycor ever would.

Their battle ranged across the top of the vessel, over the smoking opening, and along an uneven landscape that had them both stumbling and fighting to recover ground. Every other sight and sound ceased to exist.

Which was why a blast to the side of the vessel had them both losing their footing and falling.

Ty was trained enough to extinguish his weapon the moment he lost his balance. He didn’t need to take off one of his own appendages. The ground rushed up to meet him. His feet hit first, sending him into a diving roll to alleviate some of the compression. The pain didn’t even register. He was back on his feet in an instant, his weapon ready.

When he turned to face Vycor, however, Ty saw him staggering away at a rapid clip, heading right for his allies. The bastard was trying to escape.

Oh, hell no.

Cold fury fueled Ty forward. He didn’t even pause when the V’larians and Mynders surged in a protective cocoon around Vycor. He stormed right at them.

“Move,”
he commanded.

Everyone around the vessel dispersed, giving him a wide berth. The power coursing through him resembled what Kyr had described when she ordered the Mynders in the hangar to stop. It was beyond anything he’d experienced before, yet felt perfectly natural.

“Throw down your weapons.”

The soft thuds of weapons hitting the ground filled the sudden silence. Vycor stumbled to a halt as he realized that everyone he thought would protect him was backing away from him, leaving a path for Ty to reach him. He barely had time to lift his weapon in time to block the strike Ty aimed at his heart.

The battle continued, this time on level ground. In the back of his mind, Ty realized that all other fighting in the area had stopped, not only because he had demanded it, but because people wanted to see how this fight ended. It was as if the entire planet held its breath.

But there was no doubt how this would end. Ty was younger, faster, and better trained than the Advisor. Within minutes, he saw his opening and took it. Vycor screamed as Ty’s de’llum seared through the base of his weapon, taking half of his hand with it.

As Ty went in for the kill, he saw Vycor pull something from his belt. It flashed with an ominous light. His mind registered
explosive
.

“Get down!” he shouted.

He barely evaded Vycor’s hand as the Advisor tried to secure the device to him. It fell to the ground.

Ty launched himself away from the weapon, pushing people as far from it as possible. Vycor dove in the other direction, using anyone who happened to be closer to the weapon as a shield.

A wave of heat, air, and debris propelled Ty headlong into a tree as the roar of the explosion shook the ground. His weapon flew from his grip, disappearing into the forest. His vision grayed as pain ratcheted through him.

Stay with me, Ty!

Kyr’s thought mirrored the one he had sent her when she nearly lost consciousness on their trip back from Shelvak. He latched onto it like a beacon. His eyes slowly parted. He tried to move, but couldn’t.

His senses aided him where his body failed.

Kyr was running towards him. On the other side of the huge, steaming hole in the clearing, Vycor grabbed a loose weapon from the ground. When he activated it, Ty realized it was a Shelvak’s begothia.

Stay away!
he ordered Kyr. The weapon could harm her and kill their babies.

“You have underestimated me for the last time, TaeDane,” Vycor spat as he approached with the begothia.

He swung the weapon at Ty’s head. Ty rolled out of the way, no longer as immobile as he led Vycor to believe. As he regained his feet, he grabbed Vycor’s wrist and twisted it violently enough that the snap of bone reached his ears. Ty realized that it mirrored the dream…the one that Kyr had influenced.

Even as Vycor shrieked from that injury, Ty rammed the begothia deeply into his groin.

They stumbled apart, breathing heavily. Ty wiped the blood pouring from his nose and smiled, watching Vycor’s face go deathly white.

“I told you that you were an idiot,” Ty said. “Of the two of us, I’m the one immune to Shelvak poison.”

Chapter 49

Kyr had obeyed Ty’s command to stand back because she shared his fear for their babies. The moment he pushed away from Vycor and tossed the begothia aside, however, she hurried forward. She heard Ty’s words as she reached his side.

Vycor had no response. He was too busy dropping to the ground, his hands between his legs. His mouth was open in a voiceless scream.

Kyr remembered the pain from her own begothia injuries. She remembered feeling like acid was bubbling under her skin and invading her veins. She remembered how Ty had opened up her injuries with his de’llum to release some of the poison so she didn’t die.

No one stepped forward to help Vycor. Her gaze lifted to the surrounding crowd. She noticed that nearly everyone was still on the ground from when Ty had ordered them there.

Picking up her observation, Ty also looked around. She felt his surprise as he realized his abilities had impacted everyone even though he hadn’t intended it. They obviously both had some learning to do as their abilities developed.

“I release you,” Ty said loudly.

Nothing happened. Kyr took his hand and opened her senses. She focused on wanting her people to be free of any influence. Ty nodded in understanding. They both put the power of their abilities behind the thought. Gradually, the bodies on the ground began to rise. As some of them made an effort to help Vycor, others held them back.

Seeing that things within the clearing were under control, she turned her thoughts to the V’larians and felt when Ty did, too.
The battle is over,
she conveyed.
Vycor and Shaya are defeated. Ra’jah TaeDane and I have assumed power and control of our planet. You’re facing far more skilled fighters in the Shelvaks and our people. There is no need for more bloodshed.

They waited for a response. Vycor’s body contorted into unnatural poses. He vomited violently, making Kyr step back and look away. She knew he was in an inhumane amount of pain. She wasn’t sure what it said about her that part of her exulted in it.

After a few minutes, Telad and Ravina approached. Judging by their clean white robes and lack of any signs of distress, they had also removed themselves from actual battle. Kyr’s back teeth set, especially because her face, arm, and thigh still radiated from injuries and she felt Ty’s pain from at least a couple of broken bones. She couldn’t respect any leader who allowed their people to die while they sat and watched.

When a number of heads nodded around them, Kyr realized that she hadn’t guarded that particular thought.

“Telad and Ravina,” she said, speaking clearly for everyone to hear. “We demand that you order all of your troops on our planet to cease their fighting. We further demand that you remove all of the abilities you have bestowed upon VycorDane.”

Telad and Ravina exchanged a look. Eventually, Telad nodded.

“We will agree to these demands,” he said, “so long as you give our people safe passage to return home.”

Kyr knew the battle had to end, and concessions had to be made. It wasn’t as though they could keep all of the V’larians prisoner.

Ty responded this time. “With the exception of you, Ambassadors, who must answer for your crimes against our planet, we agree to your request. Your followers may leave unharmed.”

Kyr waited for the V’larians to consider their offer. If they thought she and Ty would allow them to leave without consequences, they were mistaken. On this, they would not bend.

Again, Telad and Ravina nodded. Since they were pale to begin with and wore dark eyeshades, she couldn’t tell if they were concerned by how things had turned out. She supposed it didn’t matter.

She and Ty stepped aside as the ambassadors moved forward and crouched by Vycor. He jerked his head from side to side when they tried to touch him.

“No!” he screamed. “You can’t! No!”

Telad issued a weary sigh. “This power was never yours,” he said, touching Vycor’s forehead. “And we were fools to give it to you.”

Vycor’s screams faded to pathetic mewls as the V’larians removed the abilities they had given him. As their efforts took effect, Vycor’s thoughts and feelings filtered more and more powerfully to Kyr and Ty.

Feeling the intense hatred and loathing he held for them made it even easier for Kyr and Ty to step forward once the V’larians were done. Without even having to communicate about it, they both reached down and touched Vycor, bringing forth the full magnitude of their power.

Layer by layer, they stripped him of the abilities Shaya had given him. The process, as it had been for Ty when the Guardians relieved him of his abilities, was excruciating. Vycor had it a little easier, though, since he was already in so much pain from the begothia injury that this process hardly registered.

Until they got to his bare essence and the latent Mynder talent with which he’d been born. When they stripped him of that, leaving him bereft of any abilities and his every nerve-ending raw and pulsing, he screeched and wailed in torment.

Kyr swallowed a wave of nausea as she and Ty finished and stepped away from him. She wasn’t sure if the physical illness was a result of their efforts or the wretched agony pouring from Vycor. She deliberately tempered the connection she had with him, reminding herself of all he had done to bring about this moment.

Around the clearing, people were shaking their heads and swaying as reason returned to them. Their thoughts flooded Kyr and Ty’s minds. Rather than overwhelm them, though, the thoughts felt natural and welcome. It comforted them to have this connection with their people.