To Whatever End (Echoes of Imara Book 1) (44 page)

Cecily Reached, a crushing grasp that headed for his throat. She felt her Wield take hold and she gripped, trying to use Pressure to seize his neck. A shimmer in the air appeared in front of him and her Wield dissipated. The Pressure bounced back and flung her arm away. She stared. She’d never encountered such a force before.

Nihil looked around, his head moving from side to side. Sumara’s lightning strike shot toward him, but it hit the shimmering air and the jolts of electricity buzzed off in a cascade of sparks. Cecily Reached for him again, but it was like hitting solid stone. Her Wield couldn’t get through.

The arrows diminished and she could hear the ring of swords being drawn behind her. Sumara stayed low and peeked out of her hiding spot while she recharged. Mira fell back, still raining arrows on the masked men. A few of them scored hits, but no one went down. The man with the stone armor charged across the foyer, knocking guards to the side. Griff ran forward and closed with him. His great axe clashed against the stones, sparks flying as it hit.

The man covered in chains darted forward but Serv reached out and stuck his feet, rooting them to the floor. The chain man pulled, trying to free his legs as his eyes darted around. As Serv approached, he roared and swung the chains in his hands. Serv blocked the first swing and the metal rang out against Serv’s blade. Serv turned and struck again. His sword bounced off the chain as it coiled around the man’s chest, moving to fill in the gaps.

Cecily looked across the foyer and saw another masked man, pulling back an arrow in his bow.
I know you.
It was the Sensor. She Reached for his bow and Pushed up on the bottom. His arrow flew up into the dome and arched down to fall harmlessly through the center to the marble tiles below. His head whipped around and Cecily ducked, her heart beating fast. She peeked over the ledge and saw him searching, another arrow nocked, the string pulled back. She focused on the bowstring and Pulled, then heard him yell as his arrow dropped to the floor.

The din grew louder as guardsmen from the Lyceum and the palace rushed in to fight Nihil’s Wielders. Cecily hit the Sensor with Pressure again, this time aiming for his knees. She snaked her energy around his joints and squeezed with a slam of Pressure. He cried out and stumbled as he looked up and met her eyes. She Pressed harder but he knocked her back with the power of his own Push.

Callum was nearby, hiding behind an upturned bench. He peeked out over the top, his eyes focused on Isley. Cecily felt the brush of his Projection as it wafted by like a breeze through an open window. It skimmed against her outermost layer of consciousness, a deep ambivalence, thick with indecision and uncertainty. Woven throughout the Projection was a sizzle of fear, making the hair on the back of Cecily’s neck stand on end. Isley stopped and looked down at her hands. Her head turned as if she suddenly couldn’t remember why she was there.

Cecily looked up to find the Sensor rushing toward her. She grasped Serv’s sword and shot to her feet. The Sensor no longer had his bow. He held a curved blade, slightly shorter than Cecily’s and thicker at the tip, with a jagged point at the end. His multicolored eyes narrowed as he stalked around her, blinking as another jolt of lightning flashed. The sound of Serv’s sword clashing with chain rang in Cecily’s ears and Rogan’s voice shouting orders cut through the din.

The Sensor darted in and struck with his blade. She felt the distinct Push of a Pressure Wield against her wrist. She Pushed back, dislodged the grip of his energy, and struck with her sword. He blocked, and the metal clashed with a sharp ring. She felt another hit of Pressure against her leg but she Pushed back. The Pressure dropped and she blocked his sword strike as she Reached out to hit him with a Push to the chest. He stumbled backward and his eyes narrowed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Griff across the foyer, still locked in combat with the stone armored man. Mira had circled around closer to Cecily and fired arrows into the melee. Cecily worried she must be running out. The Sensor struck again and she grabbed his sword arm with Pressure, trying to hit the right pressure points to make him lose his grip. He shook her off and slammed her with a Push that sent her stumbling backward. She got back to her feet and added a Push to her sword to block his next strike.

The sound of a woman’s voice shouting orders reached Cecily’s ears. She blocked the Sensor’s next strike and turned her wrist to whip his sword around as they clashed. A loud boom rang out behind her. She saw Callum dart from his hiding place and run to crouch behind the half wall in the center of the foyer. As he dashed by, the glint of metal appeared in his hands. He’d lifted a dagger off the Sensor. She’d have to thank him for that later.

Another crash pounded behind her. She Reached for the Sensor’s throat but it was hard to get a grip when he was moving. She Pushed, heaving him away with all her strength. He staggered backward and nearly dropped his blade.

Cecily glanced over her shoulder and her heart lurched. Daro had broken the door of his cell wide open. The door hung loose on its hinges, half broken and crooked. His hair hung wild around his face and his eyes glowed bright, shining and terrifying. The remains of his shackles still hung from his wrists, the heavy chains snapped into jagged shards of metal, the absorption collar broken at his feet. His shoulders heaved with his breath and his teeth were clenched as his gaze swung around at the battle.

Daro clutched at the walls of the vessel he had created in his mind. He tried to shut out the chaos but he was tossed about on the waves of a storm. He felt like a caged animal, cornered and deeply threatened. Cracks ran across the roof of his stronghold, jagged lines of blinding light. Something on the outside had tried to get in, to reach him in his refuge, but the voices and the torrent of energy threatened to unmake him.

He railed against the confusion. Something pounded on the walls and surged through the emptiness, shock and pain determined to break in. He didn’t know where he was or what was happening on the outside, and he shrank away from the breach, desperate to keep his mind intact.

Cecily whipped her head between Daro and the Sensor, unsure of what to do. She didn’t know if Daro would attack, nor who would be the object of his rage. The Sensor shot forward and Cecily had to duck to keep from getting sliced open. She thrust her blade at him, Reached for his arms, and Pulled, trying to give herself an opening. He Pushed back and she lost her grip as his blade turned hers away. Her eyes darted to Daro. He stood still and breathed heavily, as his gaze roved over the foyer.

She closed with the Sensor again, their blades clashing as they Reached for each other with Pressure. She spun around, blocking another strike, and saw Rogan and Alastair, trying to get to Nihil. Paragon Windsor stood against a wall, surrounded by his guard, and fired jolts of lightning. The bolts hit the shimmer around Nihil and dissipated, the shafts of electricity snaking off as they traveled along the surface of the Shield.

The noise of the battle pounded in her ears and her arm burned with the effort of swinging her sword. Daro still stood outside the cell door. The sound of the woman’s voice rose over the clamor and Daro’s head whipped in her direction.

“Fourteen,” she called. Cecily glanced at her. She’d moved around to the other side of the foyer and now stood almost directly across from Cecily. One of the masked men still stood in front of her, deflecting any attackers who got close. “Fourteen, you will attack them. That is an order.” Her voice carried over the rest of the fighting and Daro recoiled. He stepped backward and glanced toward Cecily.

“Daro!” Cecily yelled, her voice giving out as she clashed with the Sensor. Daro gripped his head and doubled over. He cried out as if suddenly in pain.

Daro’s body flooded with agony. It surged through his head, down his back, and into his limbs. He huddled down in his boat and tried to block out the pain. It seeped in through the walls and threatened to let the chaos in. His vessel rose and fell in the turmoil and the voices called to him. It was madness outside.

Orders. If he could just follow orders, the pain would stop. He should stand up and heed Sindre’s command. Another voice warred for his attention, familiar and safe. As it called to him, it cut past the pain and leaked in through the walls, deep into his consciousness.

Cecily backed into an upturned chair and almost lost her footing. She threw a Push at the Sensor to give her enough time to recover. Movement caught her attention. Someone was coming at her from the other direction. She flicked her gaze to the side to see Nihil striding toward her through a gap in the fighting. His black robes drifted back, his unnerving eyes intense.

He held up his hand toward the Sensor. “This one is mine.” His eyes moved back to Cecily. “You have been exceedingly difficult to kill. If I had seen to it myself in the very beginning, perhaps we could have avoided all this unpleasantness.”

Cecily swung her blade and Reached for him with her Wield. Her Energy hit the shimmering wall, his Shield too thick to penetrate. Her blade smashed into his Shield as if she’d struck solid rock, and the recoil sent her arm flying backward. Her sword flew from her hand and dropped to the ground.

She lurched back to her feet and looked toward Daro. He stood upright and clutched his head. “Daro, please!” Cecily called. The woman yelled, repeating the number “fourteen,” and Daro doubled over again, his voice a loud roar. Griff still battled the man covered in stone and the bodies of guardsmen littered the floor.

Nihil took two quick steps toward her. She held up her hand to Wield, but he reached out and grabbed her wrist. His grip felt like a hot wire wrapped around her arm. Something inside her began to twist, as if he plunged a dagger into her gut and wrenched it around. Her mouth dropped open and she tried to cry out, but the twisting ripped her voice from her throat. Her eyes shot down to her belly but here was nothing there. The feeling spread, spilling out into her chest and down her legs. She gasped for breath, her lungs caught in a crush she couldn’t see. Nihil’s teeth clenched and his eyes were wide. She felt the energy inside her, the source of her Wielding power writhing and cracking, as if Nihil grasped it and tore it apart.

Tears blurred her vision and she tried to dislodge his hand from her arm. She could barely move. He pulled her arm higher and the feeling intensified. Her Wielding Energy ripped like a piece of fabric. Her head lurched back and she cried out, calling for Daro. Her body felt as if it would break under the strain. “Daro!”

Another voice cut across the battle, but she couldn’t understand the words. Nihil’s grip relaxed and the tearing stopped. She turned her head to see two more men, both dressed in black. One wore a mask, but the other’s face was bare. Long, pale blond hair streaked back from his face.
Pathius.

The sight of him sent a thrill through her but she recoiled at the burst of emotion. Pathius ran toward them and a sheen of frost spread from each footfall. Nihil let go of her wrist and she collapsed to the floor, her legs unable to hold her weight.

Pathius slammed into Nihil’s Shield with his hands and pushed against it with his palms open. Nihil stood still in the center, the air shimmering around him. “You’re a fool, Number One,” he said. “You were always a fool.”

“That isn’t my name,” Pathius said through gritted teeth. His arms were spread wide, his palms pressed into the Shield. Frost sparkled in the air around him and Cecily’s breath misted out in a fog.

“You don’t have a name because you never deserved the one you had. You were weak. I made you what you are. Without me, you’d be nothing but a disappointment.”

Pathius roared, his face contorted with rage as he shoved against Nihil’s Shield.

Cecily got back to her feet on shaky legs and felt her strength returning. She turned her head back to Daro. He doubled over, his arms wrapped around his body. His face turned toward her, his lips curled back in a snarl, his eyes squeezed shut.

“Cecily!” Callum’s voice rang out and she turned to see the Sensor bearing down on her. She threw herself to the side, and the Sensor’s blade whipped past her ear. She rolled to the ground and picked up a sword. It wasn’t hers. It felt heavy in her hands but she held it up as a surge of adrenaline poured through her.

“Daro!” she called as she blocked the Sensor’s strike, holding the heavy sword with two hands. Their swords clanged. “Daro, you can’t give in to them.” Block, thrust. “Your name is Daro and you are a son of Imara.” Turn, strike, sidestep. Daro clutched his head. “If they thought they could own you, they were wrong.” Clash, block. The woman yelled something else at Daro and lightning flashed behind her. “They don’t own you. Nobody owns you.” Spin, block. “You have to come back, Daro. You have to fight.” The woman yelled again and Daro cried out. Pathius beat against Nihil’s shield and the Sensor struck at her again.

Cecily felt the brush of Callum’s Empathy, and the Sensor blinked his eyes, hesitating. She struck again, hitting him with a Wield of Pressure, and he stepped backward. “I love you, Daro,” she cried out. “I love you and I know you are still in there.” She struck at the Sensor again, gripping his wrist with Pressure to send his next swing wide. “They thought they could break you, but they were wrong.” She spun and her sword clashed, the hit reverberating through her exhausted limbs.

Recognition flashed through Daro like a spark. He knew that voice. It slipped through and poured over him, drenching him with warmth. Another crack tore across the roof of his vessel. The voices screamed at him, threatened to tear him apart. His body was saturated with energy; it pulsed through him like a tempest.

He turned toward the crack and tore the breach open. The way out was thick with pain and confusion but a steady hand reached for him. He stood and held out his own hand, but wavered, shrinking back from the chaos outside. The sound of his heartbeat echoed through his mind as he fought against the turmoil.

The Sensor grabbed Cecily’s arm with Pressure and she stumbled. She tried to block his thrust but his blade sliced across the outside of her ribs and cut deep into her flesh. She screamed as the pain seared through her and she stumbled backward, grabbing her side with one arm. Anger raged through her and she gripped the Sensor’s arm with Pressure. She threw his arm wide and thrust the sword through his chest. His eyes shot open and he staggered backward. She let go of the sword, leaving it sticking out of his body, as blood leaked out onto his black clothes. He looked down at the sword, his hands moving as if to grab it, his eyes wide in his masked face. He fell to his knees and slumped to the ground, the sword sticking out through his back.