The Lostkind (49 page)

It gave the other enough time to grab Yasi by the ponytail and yank her off her feet. Yasi hit the ground, sword lost to her; and her hair in the enormous fist. Her neck and head wrenched painfully, she couldn't get traction to move without losing her scalp...

She saw the club coming down, the spiked end of it almost bigger than she was; no way to dodge, no way to get free...

...when Dorcan sailed in from nowhere, in a flying kick that put both his feet together into the centre of the warrior's chest. It was enough to drive him back a few feet, and get Yasi free of his grip.

She came up instantly, drawing another blade from the sheath at her leg, and she and Dorcan lunged; both of them at the Goliath's throat, taking him from the sides... The huge warrior swung blindly back and forth at them, having to work to keep his attention on either of them; unable to land a blow.

Yasi heard a shout and looked to the rest of the room which was caught in a desperate pitched battle; the air ringing with the sound of steel on steel; cries of pain, roars of battle. In a chamber, even a larger one such as the marketplace, it was still loud enough to go echoing off the walls, making the battle seem fiercer and wilder. The fighting grew more desperate the closer it got.

At long range, the Invaders and the Shinobi were almost equals, at close range the Shinobi were Grim Reapers. But the Shinobi were outnumbered, and more Wildmen flooding in every second.

"URK!" Yasi spun back to the main fight, her and Dorcan versus the Wildman Goliath; and saw her lieutenant was losing, the sheer brawn of his enemy was overpowering him. Dorcan was being held two feet off the ground by one enormous fist...

Yasi cast around and found her sword a few feet away. With quick light steps the ran toward it, dropped to her knees, skidding forward on the smooth stone floor. Snatching it up mid-slide, she found the nearest Wildman she could and threw herself at him. Hooking her sword around his torso, the momentum spun them both around, cutting the invader down, and suddenly putting her in the right direction to charge the Goliath that held her friend hostage.

The Goliath saw her coming, and turned to face her. As before she charged, and dropped to slide, slipping under the swing of his club, and between his legs. Before the enormous warrior could turn she spun, slashing her sword across the backs of his knees; and the Goliath dropped with a roar of pain. Dorcan was immediately released; and started gulping air.

The Shinobi saw the Giant Champions fall, and roared victoriously for their Captain. Even the Invaders seemed stunned. The most feared secret army in Europe, Vandark's Wildmen Warriors had never fought Yasi before.

With the two biggest opponents out of the fight; Yasi and Dorcan turned their attention to the rest of the battle... And discovered that taking down the Goliath was their only real victory. The Shinobi were being driven out of the market, being pushed back again by sheer force of numbers...

The battle intensified as they reached the corridors, the narrow passage made the Wildmen's numbers irrelevant, but even as the Shinobi cut down the first row of enemies, the ones behind them used even the bodies for cover, gaining ground.

"It's times like this I wished we used grenades." Dorcan complained to Yasi, wiping sweat and blood from his forehead. Then he froze. "Where's Kamy?!"

Yasi didn't respond. The Wildmen were chasing them, but some of them were splitting up, going down side passages. They had the momentum now; and were taking full advantage; trying to keep the defenders from organizing.

The Invasion was spreading through the Secret City; unchecked, unstoppable.

~oo00oo~

Even if it isn't your fight; you have to do something.
Vincent thought rapidly.
But what can you do? Even if Yasi hasn't destroyed all those entrances, and even if you
do
go back, what the hell are you going to do against the bad guys that Yasi couldn't?

This is the game of secrets.
He argued with himself, almost frantic.
What do the bad guys want that I can give them? What do they need that I can take away?

Even if you do get into it, what's it all for? For Yasi?
Common sense shot back.
She kills, and she lies to you about it.

She's a defender, hoping to keep her home
and
her friend. What are you so worried about? She couldn't possibly be interested in you. You're a paper pusher who can't go any of the places she goes, and can't even save your own life when there's a weapon
in your hand
!

Such thoughts chased him around non-stop. Vincent was sleepwalking for most of the night. He went to Gill's place with Connie because he had nowhere else to go.

True to form, Gill was in the middle of a poker game.

"Nickel ante, I swear." Gill said as soon as Vincent came in. "I find I miss the social part of gambling as much as the money, so I rounded up some friends..."

"And enough chips and dip to sink the Titanic." Connie commented with a light smile. "Missed the regular Poker Game routine, huh?"

Vincent barely heard them. There was a war going on beneath their feet. Yasi could be dead any minute. And here he was at a poker game with his best friend.

There was a knock on the door.

"There's our fourth for the night." Gill jumped up and answered the door.

Vincent heard his heart give one solid thump, loud enough that he felt his whole body move.

Because coming in the door with Gill...

Was Owen.

"Love the place." Owen said to Gill as he came in, friendly and outgoing. "Great furnishings. That's a great photo. They your kids? Vincent! Long time no see."

~oo00oo~

Below, in the Throne Room, Kamy came running down the Tunnel into the room, waving her arms in surrender. "Keeper! Keeper!" She shouted ahead. "They're heading for the Whisper Gallery!"

Keeper heard the news and turned instantly, lunging across the table for her husband. Archivist was already halfway to the tunnel when she caught him. "Waitwaitwait!" She hissed. "You're not going anywhere!"

"I have to!" Archivist rumbled, pulling free. "If we let them take the Gallery..."

"I know you love it but..." Keeper lunged and grabbed his arm before he got out of reach. "The main fight in is the Thoroughfare. You won't have nearly enough backup. You go, they will kill you!"

"Keeper, we have
people
in the Whisper Gallery!"

"By the time you got there, they'd all be dead!" Keeper implored.

"It's not just the people..." Archivist looked at her in agony. "The entire
history
of the place..."

"I know." The old woman creaked sympathetically.

"Every lesson I ever taught Yasi was based on those Archives."

"I know."

"She knows this city like the back of her hand, and I'm the one that taught it to her! She still recites facts from memory!"

"I know!" Keeper insisted. "Gerald,
please
!"

Archivist gave her a crooked smile. "You haven't called me that since we moved down here."

Keeper sucked a breath in between her teeth. "Don't try it."

Archivist wiped a tear off her face with one gentle finger. "We poured our heart and soul into this place Keep. You the people, me the story. I won't let them steal my heart and soul."

"You can't save them!" Keeper insisted.

"I know." Archivist murmured. "But sometimes the effort means more than the result, my love."

He kissed her goodbye, and ordered the Throne Guards to open the door, just for a moment, to let him through. A team of Shinobi followed; ordered by Yasi to take care of him at all times.

~oo00oo~

The Wildmen were actually being very careful in the Whisper Gallery, binding up the records cautiously, preparing to take them somewhere. They wanted this room whole; and all it's secrets for themselves. The people that Archivist had assigned there were still alive, all of them on their knees, hands tied before them.

Archivist cat-walked in silently, as all the Lostkind knew to do, with a borrowed hunting knife in his hand; running the nearest Wildman through before anyone knew he was there.

The rest of the Invaders all spun at the sound of their comrade falling to the ground, stunned to see themselves in danger from one of the Triumvirate. Even so, they had his team of Shinobi outnumbered.

"Welcome to New York." Archivist boomed powerfully at The Wildmen, teeth bared. He charged at them, doomed from the start, and not caring.

~oo00oo~

The instant Dorcan came charging in; the Shinobi slammed the door shut behind him, bracing the Throne Room door with everything they could find.

Dorcan was gulping oxygen, covered in sweat and blood. Unable to speak, he gasped for air as Yasi wiped his face quickly, checking him over for injuries. Her lieutenant barely noticed, reaching out with both hands and grasping Yasi's forearms tightly.

"They've taken the Whisper Gallery." He reported, breathing hard.

An instant later, echoing through the steam pipes that were omnipresent across the Underside, they heard the echo of Archivist's final breath, crying out in pain.

Yasi's eyes bulged, and Keeper started to say something violent, when they heard the sound of footsteps in the corridor, and something rammed the Throne Room Entrance powerfully.

WHAM!

The door did not move at all.

Dorcan grinned. "They're going to be stuck there for a while."

Yasi nodded and spun back to her. "Keep? What happened?"

Keeper looked to Yasi, and held out a hand to her. "We knew he'd do it. It's what you do when you love something or someone; you care more about it than makes sense."

WHAM!

Yasi nodded, pain on her face. "Well... we'll feel this later."

Keeper gave a single savage nod. "Yes we will; after we've driven every last
wretched
hell-spawned Wildman thug into the sea."

Yasi nodded. "We've got a chance now... The more of them we can pack into that corridor..." She took an oil lantern off the wall. "There's a side tunnel that I used to sneak out, a long time ago. I had the Diggers put it in when you and Archivist told me to stay in the Throne Room with my studies."

"Got news for you Yasi, we knew all about it."

"You did?"

"We were running the Underside before you were
born
kid." Keeper creaked. "Exactly who do you think gave the Diggers permission to build our six year old daughter an escape tunnel? You weren't
that
cute back then."

Yasi flushed and looked down. "We got a lot of history in these walls, don't we?"

~oo00oo~

Owen was the perfect guest; telling them all the story of where he'd been the last few years; what he'd been working on; having enough details and funny anecdotes to keep the conversation moving.

Gill was pleased, having friends in his house, and pizza on the way. Vincent and Connie plastered smiles on their faces and nodded along. Connie was struggling not to ask pointed questions; not knowing what Owen would do if she started picking his story apart.

The doorbell rang and Gill stood up; heading for the hallway. "That'll be the pizzas."

"We can only hope." Connie commented blandly. "I'd hate to think who else might show up tonight."

Owen chuckled at that, as though in on some grand joke.

"What are you doing here?" Vincent hissed.

"Keeping an eye on you." Owen said coldly. "We know that you two are the only ones up here who know what's going on. Maybe you plan to do something stupid; maybe not. But everyone else is needed... elsewhere right now. In a few hours, it won't matter."

Vincent's cell phone rang; and he nearly levitated out of his chair. "I'll just... take that call in the kitchen."

Connie glanced at Owen, and was glad to see Gill coming back into the living room with a stack of pizza boxes. She rose quickly. "I'm gonna help Vincent with the plates."

~oo00oo~

She came into Gill's kitchen, in time to see Vincent ending the call. "Who was it?"

"Work." Vincent said shortly. "God, I wish I could give a damn about the office right now."

"Well, look on the bright side; with Owen here, you don't have to worry about your mind being elsewhere." Connie said quietly, mindful of Gill in the next room. "You were hoping to get a call from Yasi, weren't you?"

"Either she calls tonight to tell me it's over, or I never hear from any of them again." Vincent admitted, putting his phone away.