Wicked War of Mine (Overworld Chronicles Book 9) (33 page)

"Elyssa is still alive, right?" Leanne asked.

I nodded. "Look, we can talk about her condition later." I told them about my plan with the soggers.

"Yeah, I remember hearing about that tactic against the battle mages during our assault on the castle." Phoebe grimaced. "I'm sorry. I know it must make you angry to think about my role in those battles."

It did, but I shook it off. Now was not the time. I'd take out my burning rage on Daelissa. "We're allies now. I need you to put that superior intellect to good use." I motioned toward the Seraphim armor. "No luck with that, I take it?"

Leanne shook her head. "We figured out why the Seraphim keep such tight formation."

Phoebe put two sets of the armor next to each other. "If a spell hit this armor, this second set absorbs a portion of the spell as well."

"They act like a circuit," Leanne said. "As long as they're within a couple of feet of another armored soldier, they can absorb all sorts of spells and disperse the energy among them."

"It's not like they need the extra protection," I said. "One set of armor seems to absorb most spells without a problem."

"We talked about how channeling Murk weakens the armor," Leanne said. "If you could channel enough, it would flow from one set of armor to the other since they're all interconnected."

I shook my head. "There's no way I could channel that much power. I'd need a small army of Darklings to help."

Her shoulders slumped. "I know. Maybe once we revive more Darklings it'll be an option."

"They won't need their armor by the time we have enough Darklings," Phoebe said. She groaned and gave me a wondering look. "How you've kept her at bay as long as you have is amazing."

I ignored her praise. "Would nom weaponry harm the armor?"

"I tried a blowtorch and a gun on it," Leanne said. "It soaked up the heat and repelled the bullets."

"We'd have to saturate the armor with enough kinetic energy to cause it to shatter from the inside." Phoebe bit her lower lip and instantly reminded me of the way Elyssa looked when focusing on a tough problem. I swallowed against the lump in my throat. "Even though Nightliss removed her sister's negative influence from my mind, I still have the 'blessings'"—she made air quotes—"she gave me."

I ran a hand across the cold translucent armor. "How did you concoct the plan to assault the Australian Templar compound?"

"I ran simulations about how the Templars would respond to a split assault." She shrugged. "It stood to reason they'd commit their normal soldiers to defend against vampires, and split their Arcanes to defend against magical attacks from the front. My only limitation was the small number of battle mages at my disposal." Phoebe pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I used the Templars' own battle tactics to make them weaker. Without all of their Arcanes fighting the vampires, it gave that assault a better chance of succeeding. Once the magic interdictors were in place, it would have crippled the Arcanes and our superior numbers might have won out."

"What kind of simulations?" I asked.

"They're kind of like the video games the noms like to play." She slid a finger across an arctablet and showed me a program with an overhead view of virtual soldiers fighting each other. "Sometimes I pick up on patterns by staring at the simulations."

"You have the overhead videos of the Seraphim army from the Grand Nexus, right?"

She nodded. "Their pattern is fairly predictable. They adhere to a tight trapezoidal formation to maximize the benefits of their armor. The side of the formation under attack spreads out to allow the soldiers to swing their swords."

I drew upon my LARP days, thinking about the various weapons different players used. "Do they all use swords or do they have pike men and other units?"

"This particular army is comprised only of swordsmen." She projected the image of a Seraphim soldier. "Since their swords can also discharge Brilliance and other absorbed energy, it gives them a unique battlefield presence."

"They're arrogant in the superiority," I said. "It's no wonder the Darklings in Seraphina managed to break the yoke of Brightling oppression."

"The Darklings may very well use similar battle tactics." She placed a hand to her chin. "While Brightlings can use their abilities to heal, the Darklings are far superior in that capacity. It probably gave them an edge."

I backhanded the air. "None of this helps us defeat the Brightlings."

"We simply have to find a way to use their advantage against them just as I did with the Templars." Phoebe sighed. "It's harder than I thought it would be."

I heard the sounds of crates being moved and looked down an aisle. I saw Templars carrying boxes of soggers toward the exit. "I need to go help."

Phoebe snapped her fingers. "Since the Seraphim keep such a tight formation, turning the ground to a bog should have a good chance of slowing their advance."

"It's not much, but I guess it's all we have." I touched the armor one more time. "Will this fit me?"

"We can try," Leanne said. She took the first breastplate. It was far too short for me. The other one didn't fit any better.

I took the sword and swung it. I knew I'd do much better having my hands free to sling magic and set it down. "You two should get what you need to the evacuation point. Things are about to get ugly." I gave them the number to my arcphone. "Call me if you think of anything."

Phoebe hesitantly touched my shoulder. "Be safe, Justin. I think Elyssa would want that."

I closed my eyes and pictured Elyssa's still form. "I know." I stepped back, turned and walked away.

On the way to the levitator, I grabbed a box of soggers. I followed a line of other Templars carrying the sogger crates and rode the levitator to ground level with them. Once we reached the top, the Templars broke into groups.

A man with a tablet shouted orders for each group and sent them to a different pasture to soak the earth with the soggers. After the last group left, I walked to him. "Which direction is the Seraphim army coming from?"

He did a double-take when he saw me. "Oh, Mr. Slade. I didn't expect you to be helping us."

I took a deep breath. "Direction, please?"

He showed me a diagram of the compound. "According to our scouts, they're coming straight up this highway as the most direct route."

I felt my eyes stretch wide. "That's Ponce de Leon Avenue."

"With the various tactics employed by the Custodians to evacuate the area, we're hoping there won't be many noms in the way." He switched to a live-video feed from a remote ASE.

The Seraphim army marched six abreast down the four-lane highway. I instantly recognized where they were. "They're less than a mile away." At the speed they were marching, it wouldn't take them long to reach us. "May I?" I gripped the tablet.

"Of course, sir." He released it.

I switched back to the map and traced a line.
Daelissa is all about brute force.
She'd push her troops straight at us. That would take her past a mall and right through the rear pastures. "How many soggers are being deployed in this field?" I tapped it with a finger.

The man looked where I was pointing. "We knew that would be her preferred route, so I sent half our soldiers to saturate it. It should be a boggy mess by the time they get here."

"Justin?" Phoebe's voice startled me.

I spun. "What are you doing here?"

"I can't let you go alone." Phoebe wore Nightingale armor and had two katanas sheathed diagonally across her back.

My heart stopped at the likeness to her sister.
Stop thinking about it!
I shook it off. "You should—"

"Don't even think about telling me to leave." Her violet eyes sparkled with ferocity. "I don't plan to get up close and personal with the Seraphim, but I will be sure you make it out alive."

A group of Templar Arcanes walked past. Two familiar figures burst from the group.

Bella gripped me in a tight hug. "Justin, what are you doing here?"

"You should be recovering," Shelton said. "We wanted to come with you to Thunder Rock but"—he made a helpless gesture—"things got so crazy around here we ended up pitching in."

"How's Elyssa?" Bella asked, worry plain on her face.

"She's being taken care of." I didn't feel like getting into details right now. It was all I could do to stop thinking about her. "Are you evacuating with the others?"

"We're joining with the Templar Arcanes to hold them off as long as possible." Shelton held my gaze. "You don't look right. Are you sure you're okay? We heard everyone took a good beating during your assault."

I ran a hand down my face. "I don't want to talk about it right now." I gripped his shoulder. "Just make sure you get out of here in one piece."

He poked a finger into my chest. "
You
be careful. We can take care of ourselves."

Bella squeezed me one more time. "Please don't overexert yourself. We need you."

I returned her hug and tried not to contemplate losing them. They were more than friends to me. They were family. "I'll see you soon."

They gave me one last worried look before hustling after the Templar Arcanes.

I turned around and saw Kanaan walk out of the barn across the yard from us. His eyes seemed to assess me as he strode our way. "It is good to see you again," the Magitsu master said when he neared us. "I assume you are here to fend off the assault."

"That would be correct," Phoebe said. "Are the Blue Cloaks here to help as well?"

He nodded. "Our plan is to slow them and perhaps inflict a few casualties before a retreat."

"Shouldn't you be with the other Blue Cloaks?" I asked.

"I am to hang back and take out any targets of opportunity." He touched the wand at his side. "Considering the Seraphim battle tactics, I do not expect to find many who separate from their main force, but it is worth a try."

"Three minutes to assault," a voice rang out from a loudspeaker somewhere. "Ready positions."

I handed the tablet back to the Templar coordinator. "Go see to your duties."

"Thank you, sir." He saluted. "Good luck."

"I think I will accompany you two," Kanaan said. "Perhaps we
will
get lucky."

Phoebe looked him up and down. "I remember seeing you before the Blue Cloaks joined us at Kobol. You're impressive with a wand."

"You are as impressive with a blade." Kanaan offered her a curt bow.

I clapped my hands. "Great pep talk, people. Let's all go be impressive together."

Phoebe bared her teeth. "Sounds like a plan to me."

We each grabbed a flying carpet from a stack where the coordinator had been standing and flew toward what would soon be ground zero. Flying above the trees, I spotted the glimmer of Seraphim armor shining in the dark.

The enemy was here.

Chapter 29

Glowballs shot high into the night air, casting a bright white light across the surroundings. Some Seraphim soldiers looked up at the hovering spheres but didn't seem the least bit concerned by the sudden illumination.

Arrogant bastards.

The enemy reached the tall fence surrounding the perimeter and cleaved through it as if it were paper. I watched their glowing forms as they tore down a patch of trees in their path and threaded through the utility poles the noms used for electrical cable. They crossed into the pasture. A few yards into the field, the first row of soldiers slowed considerably as they sank up to their knees in the muddy mess created by the soggers.

I heard someone shout orders. Eyes wary, the Seraphim took a step back to solid ground and seemed to assess the area. Soldiers at either end walked along the marshy ground, testing it with their feet. They soon realized the ground was thoroughly saturated in either direction.

"Forward!" Daelissa's voice boomed from somewhere. I looked and spotted her hovering beyond the trees on a carpet.

Qualan floated next to her on a carpet of his own. He added his commands to Daelissa's. "Push through!"

Hatred boiled in my heart at the sight of the two people I hated the most. I sensed my inner demon awaken. It strained against its cage.
Not yet. We'll have our blood soon enough.

The front row of soldiers formed back up and pressed on. Despite the thick mud, they still moved forward at a steady pace.

"Behind us," Kanaan said in a calm voice.

I turned and saw Templars pushing catapults on levitating platforms into a line. Scores of our soldiers quietly formed ranks and moved toward the edge of the field. A fleet of Templar Arcanes and Blue Cloaks rose on carpets.

The Seraphim soldiers tightened their ranks, presumably so their armor could distribute any damage once they came under fire. I saw smug smiles on their faces. They knew we'd thrown everything we had at them at the nexus and it had hardly fazed them. They obviously didn't expect the results to be different this time.

The field was about a hundred yards across. Already, the first ranks of Seraphim had cut the distance in half. Looking down, I could barely make out where the ground wasn't boggy a few yards in front of the Templars.

When the Seraphim were about three-quarters of the way across the pasture, a trumpet rang out. The catapults unleashed a volley of crucibles at the enemy. Each glass sphere glowed with destructive energy. Just before the crucibles hit, Templar Arcanes and Blue Cloaks cast hundreds of spells at the enemy front line. The result was a blinding light show.

I squinted until my eyes adjusted to the light. The Catapults launched more crucibles. I timed a burst of destruction at the front line to coincide with the next attack. The racket of explosions filled my ears. Afterimages of each attack danced in my eyes. I saw flaming meteors fall into the Seraphim. Pulsating nova spells exploded. Spears of light every color of the rainbow rained down on the enemy advance.

A trumpet sounded and our attacks died away.

When the smoke cleared and my eyes adjusted, I saw the Seraphim formation was even tighter than before. A dozen or so soldiers lay in the mud, either dead or incapacitated during the attack.