Rise (War Witch Book 1) (67 page)

"You truly are a just King," she told him.

"Yeah, I try," he chuckled as the wave of soldiers approached quickly, too many to fight, too many to win against.

The trio faced death with determination. Here, they knew, they would fall. It would be on their feet, fighting, but all of them could see it was hopeless. Still, they held their ground, and prayed for a miracle.

Chara poured over her notes again and again, finding no rhyme or rhythm to the runic lettering. Nothing about it made sense, no matter how she looked at it. Whoever had carved the great onyx tablet was either a genius, or mad, and she was leaning to the latter.

Stop
, she told herself.
Think. The words they should mean make no sense. Okay. So what if there is no cipher key? What if they aren't supposed to be words at all? What else could they be? What else could runes be used for?

Gasping, Chara shot to her feet. "That's it! I know what it is!"

Untar grunted as a sword struck him broadside, staggering him. Esteban shook off three soldiers as Leena struggled to just stay ahead of their attacks. They didn't hear Chara, too lost in their own desperate struggle to survive.

Seeing the attack coming for him, Untar braced, unable to free his sword up long enough to block it. A few feet from him, Esteban withstood numerous blows, his Werefolk regeneration struggling to keep him standing. To his other side, Leena was forced to her knees, overwhelmed.

This was it.

Light flooded the chamber, driving the soldiers back, revealing them as Demon Seed, their twisted faces those of Doppelgangers, howling as they fell away from the purity of the Divine Light that washed over the three combatants. Turning to it, they saw their prayers answered.

"Minions of the fallen Gods, today you will face punishment for your many sins," Shana bellowed as she emerged from the light. "For you have slain an Ascended of the Emperor of Heaven, the Divine Tiger, creator of all that is, and mighty Grannax will show you no mercy!"

Clad in golden armor, the demigoddess joined them, wielding twin swords made of golden fire. Gone was the goofy smile she'd worn the last time Esteban had seen her, replaced with a wrath that was holy in its fearsome beauty.

"Untar Fel," she called out. "Stand firm, for today I will be your conduit to the Divine!"

Dropping the sword, the King of Lansing invoked his Divine Gift, and felt the Sunspear form in his hand. "My gratitude to you knows no bounds!"

"Shana," Esteban called. "Protect Chara!"

"I will protect all of you," she growled, advancing past them and wading into the thick of the Demon Seed, her divine weapons cutting them down in wide swaths.

"Or, that," the big Cat whispered in awe.

"Leena," Chara yelled. "Can you sing?"

"What?" the assassin asked, shaking off the wonderment that had settled over her.

"This tablet, it isn't in runic, or it is, but not the runic we thought! It's written in the language of the Avatars! It's a song!" Chara yelled over the screams of the Demon Seed as they died.

With a wave from the King's hand, Leena rushed to join the young woman as she translated the writing on the wall into musical notes. "Can you not do it?"

"No," Chara replied. "I can play piano a little, but I can't sing to save my life. If you can, then you need to, right now."

Glancing back, she saw Untar wading into battle alongside the Ascended Shana, and then turned back to Chara. "All Sisters are taught to sing. It's part of our training."

"Then do it," Chara said, ripping the page free and handing it to her. "I'll go help them."

Nodding, the assassin turned to the great onyx slab, going over the notes a few times in her mind. Behind her, Chara ran towards Esteban as he watched the Blessed and demigoddess slaughter the minions of evil, pulling her weapons as she went.

Untar put down two in a single swing, then saw a blue ball of fire whiz past, incinerating another. Looking over, he saw Chara standing firm, picking her targets carefully, and waved to Shana to swing wider, giving the young woman room to put down most of the enemy before they even reached them.

At the back of the throne hall, Leena began to sing. With each crystal clear, pitch perfect note she uttered, a rune on the tablet lit up, singing back at her. Stunned, she pushed away her surprise and continued, fearing if she faltered, the result would be lost.

Her beautiful voice was a strange counterpoint to the call of Chara's mystic handguns and the screams of the dying Untar and Shana brought low. The very castle itself began to shudder, as if feeling the odd music.

The last note sung, Leena stepped back as the runes sank into the onyx tablet and vanished from sight, the entire slab grinding as it pulled into the wall. The castle trembled violently as unseen, ancient chains and pulleys were put into motion.

"I think we should not be inside anymore!" she yelled, running to join the others.

Dust sifted down as the huge building shook, the rumble of stone against stone reaching them all. Quickly agreeing they should get outside, the group fled for the doors, cutting down the Demon Seed as they went.

Massive keeps, set atop towering cones of stone, held aloft by powerful mystic energies, flying citadels were doom incarnate. The base had been tunneled out, giving the great and monstrous structures hundreds of cannon ports capable of firing in all directions. Even worse, they usually sported an entire Rook of Harpies, granting the Demon Seed total air superiority. It was only their rarity that kept them from being an overwhelming force in the Middle World.

Ramora impaled two Doppelgangers on her sword, kicking them free before wiping blood out of her eye. There was no end to the beasts, and no escape from them. Risking a look back, she saw Leto and Renfro still battling, the clash of their weapons like a small lightning storm.

"I think we're in trouble here," Rills muttered.

Ramora nodded, agreeing with the Lieutenant. She was getting weary, and while her Avatar had managed to gather some fresh mystic energy, it wasn't enough yet for more than a single big spell, or maybe two medium ones. She was running out of options.

The castle groaned under their feet and began to tremble. Demon Seed paused in their attack, glancing around, which told her this wasn’t part of their plan, but then again, it wasn't part of hers either, so that didn't help much. Whatever it was, it gave her a half a chance while they were distracted.

Scribing runes down her blade, she flipped it over and drove the Heavensteel into the stone of the wall. Using the last of her reserves she enchanted herself for speed as she fell to her knees, legs sprawling. It was a desperate gamble, but all she had left.

Folding her hands into fists, she used the extra speed to strike the back of the sword, her hands going one over the other in a blur, the sigil on the other side spitting out foot-long jagged shards of ice. Rolling back and forth on the blade, she machine-gunned them out, spraying the walkway atop the wall with frozen death, piercing armor and flesh.

Doppelgangers screamed as they died along the length of the wall.

When the spell finally faded, she rose, gripping the hilt of her weapon to pull it free, waiting for the steam the ice gave off to clear. As it did, she saw that nothing else moved. For the moment, they were clear on this side, so she turned, brushing past Rakin and Vernit as they gaped in awe.

Stepping alongside Rills, she nodded to him, her face grim. The look he gave her in return filled her with pride. The Lieutenant, battered, wounded, bleeding, would stand by her, to the last.

Now faced with a Blessed, the Demon Seed that had been crowding Rills stepped back, having seen the rapid fire frozen death she'd delivered their fellows. She grinned, unable to repeat it, but figuring out they didn't know it. It was an opening, and she moved to take it, sword swinging.

The tremors in the castle were growing more severe as her blade flashed in the sun. Before she could land a blow, the Doppelganger she faced was struck by a fireball from within the courtyard, incinerating him. Stunned for a second, Ramora glanced over the side and saw Chara, both barrels blazing, as Esteban, Untar and Leena backed her up, Shana swinging into battle against the platoon of Demon Seed below.

Grinning wildly, Ramora hurled herself into battle with ever greater fury. Her friends lived. Somehow, she just knew, the shaking in the castle was their doing.

Across the walls, Leto struggled to keep up with Renfro, the sorcerer’s enchantments giving him a decided edge in their battle. The shaking, however, was leveling that somewhat. While the Blessed of Grannax was accustomed to fighting on uneven terrain, the Dark Blessed of Derril wasn't, and had to fight to keep his balance.

Leto wasn't sure what had set the castle to trembling so violently, but with the flying citadel looming large on the horizon, he didn't have time to worry over it. He had to find some way to overcome Renfro's skill with his weapon, so he could focus on bringing the airborne monstrosity down and join back up with Ramora.

"Death comes for you, blotting out the sun itself, and still you fight," Renfro chuckled. "You don't know when you're beaten, boy."

Leto didn't waste words on him, countering his blows and spinning the Sunspear in his hand, driving him back a step. His only chance was to get to one of the arbalests in the parapets. The only hope for them all was for him to stop the citadel coming for them.

Gripping his weapon with both hands, Leto laid it on heavy, everything he'd ever learned about combat with his Divine weapon coming into play. Each sweep was countered, or parried, adding to his growing frustration. The scream of Heavenly and Hellish energies wailed as he tried to find some way to overcome Renfro, to no avail.

Forced to turn, he found himself being pushed back farther as the Dark Blessed hammered him with heavy overhand blows, sending him scrambling as he guarded against them. Ramora fell farther away with each step, Leto watching her with one eye as she sprayed icy death down on their foes.

He felt lucky, really, to know her. She was, he felt, sent by Heaven to help keep him on the righteous path. His angel of war.

Steeling himself with that thought, Leto pressed back, jabbing at Renfro with a series of quick feints, meant to draw him out, pull his weapon too far to the right. When it worked, Leto spun his weapon around in his hand, striking at his exposed left, nearly scoring a solid hit as the Dark Blessed leapt to the side, the shaking of the castle throwing him down.

"It's over," Leto growled, coming at him fast and hard.

"Yes," Renfro grinned, shoving himself up, coming under Leto's Sunspear, his Netherspear finding its mark, sliding through the Blessed of Grannax swiftly.

Leto gasped as the Demon sorcerer twisted the weapon, churning his insides to pulp. His Divine Weapon faded from sight as he was spun, shoved against the battlements.

Across the wall, he saw Ramora. Her scream, even if she could make it, would never reach his ears above the din of the castle. Still, he tried to smile, and hoped she could see it as Renfro kicked him over the edge.

Ramora’s hope faltered as she watched Leto tumble from sight.

The citadel cast its shadow over the docks.

The parapets exploded into the sky.

THE SHAKING WAS GROWING
more violent as Shana and Untar led the small band from the entry hall, into the morning light. Outside, they found themselves faced with a full platoon of Doppelgangers, bringing their mad dash to a quick halt.

"Well, that's not better," Esteban muttered, readying his poleaxe.

"But at least it isn't worse," Untar replied. He brandished his Sunspear, making the Demon Seed cower back for a moment.

"They've sealed the castle gates," Leena growled. "We're trapped!"

"Not for long," Shana bellowed, calling on her full majesty as an Ascended of Grannax.

Out in the daylight, her power was unrivaled, allowing her to bring the full might of the Divine Tiger's wrath down on those who sought to defile his creation. Smiting them with Holy Sunlight, the Doppelgangers fell all around them.

Chara paused, catching a flash of light from atop the wall. Turning, she shielded her eyes, seeing Ramora battling the Demon Seed. Smirking, grateful her friend still lived, the young woman leveled a mystic handgun and took out a Doppelganger with ease. The range of the weapons astounded her as she turned back to Shana. Ramora would get the message.

"Chara, the gate!" Untar yelled.

"On it!" she shouted, bringing her mystic weapons to bear.

Designed to hold back a full-on siege, the massive wood doors that formed the gate had long ago been enchanted to resist almost anything. Never had the mages who wove those enchantments been prepared for what the young woman unleashed, blasting them with powerful mystic fire.

As Untar, Esteban, Leena and Shana fought around her, Chara concentrated her fire until the portals shattered under the assault, the gate crashing down as the castle shook all around them, battlements weakening and crumbling, tumbling to the courtyard.