Barnin jerked his head up to see Josher. The dragon that Umbra was fighting had his paw around her again, but this time one of its claws pierced more then Umbra. It was going through the center of Josher’s back. The paw raked back along Umbra’s shoulder, slicing straight up Josher through his back, out between his neck and shoulder. It had cut right through to Umbra. Blood sprayed out of him and his screams gurgled. Barnin could see his ribs and shoulder blade, but they were soon covered as blood poured out of Josher, covering Heath and the men below him.
“HEATH! STOP THE BLEEDING!” he yelled, trying to reach over to the man.
Yellow fire burned the wounds closed, but there was still too much blood. Josher was out, but still coughing, vomiting blood. “HE’S GOING TO DROWN!” Heath yelled. There was nothing they could do. Magic was flashing everywhere, and it was all he could do to stay focused as Josher drowned in his own blood. Umbra could save him, but her mind was closed so she could fight. “Hang on buddy, we are almost through, then Umbra will fix ya up,” he said. Heath was trying to stop the bleeding and keep Joshers one good lung clear. Finally, Josher stopped convulsing. Heath was still working on him. Barnin reached over, feeling sick, to grab Heath’s hand. “He’s gone, he’s gone. Save your strength.”
* * * * *
Laura sat next to Edis, clinching her glass. Across from her was the still small Rachel, her thin hair draped around her face. In the center of the table, holding their collective attention, was a crystal. There was a crystal in every house today. Through the crystal they heard the sound of a man speaking in Elvish. Laura didn’t know a lot of the language, so they had a translator with them, a bronze haired woman.
“The fleet has engaged the Cona forces. There is no word on the Ascended yet, or on the human landing parties,” the woman said in her melodic voice.
Edis took Laura’s hand, and then reached over to the bronze haired woman, taking hers. Laura took Rachel’s as well. The girl was under so much stress.
Please let them come back home
, she thought to herself.
“The Ascended are fighting now,” the Elf said tensely.
“Is your husband one of them?” Rachel asked.
She looked up and nodded. Laura could see the Elves face grow pale. Could she feel her love from this far away? “What is your name?”
“Ina.”
“Can you sense him?” Laura asked.
She shook her head. “But if… if he gets killed, I will know. And so will you.” Then she cut off. “The fleet is pressing in now. It won’t be long now until landing parties will be able to make their run for the coast.”
Time took forever. Laura’s fingers were numb. Everyone was crushing each other’s hands as they hoped that their loved ones would come back home. Finally, more news came. “They are about to start landing. This is good, that means that we are win…” she stopped and looked odd. “NO!” she gasped. Ina gagged and Laura saw the most heartbreaking look of pain cross the girls face as their eyes met. Ina slumped, falling off her seat and hitting the ground.
“What is happing to her?” Rachel screeched.
More Elves were there, reaching down to Ina.
Her head lulled Laura looked into dead-looking eyes and understood. “Her husband passed, didn’t he?” One of the Elves just looked up. Laura sat down hard. “She’s gone?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” one of them said.
Edis wrapped his arm around Laura, and they reached out to Rachel, bringing her in close.
* * * * *
From their cliffside view, Arkin and Stacy looked down at Noris. Dragons were dropping men next to the gates and then turning to attack the city defenses. Landing boats were paddling toward the beach as balls of fire launched from behind the city walls.
“Will Noris fall, you think?” Stacy asked.
Arkin turned to her. “Yes, the fighting with the Ascended has moved south. They won’t be able to defend the city, and out at sea it looks as though the Pawdin fleet has won. Elvin ships will land soon, and with them Noris will fall.”
She huffed. “Will you be able to get Un Prosa, Legon, to talk to you?” she asked.
“Yes, what we need to do is too important, and the cover of the invasion will be perfect. Good work dear, you saved a lot of lives today.”
She smiled up at him. “I know I did.”
* * * * *
Legon took a drink and bit off the end of a power pack. Behind them was what remained of the Cona fleet. It was making its way north, most likely in an attempt to regroup. There hadn’t been much of an Impa showing in this fight, which didn’t surprise him. While the Impa ships were powerful, they took a long time to construct and repair. they were costly and even after all this time the Impa ships were not to the same standards as the Pawdin fleet. He knew that this was not the case for the Impa Dragon Domes, which he was not looking forward to. There was one between them and the capital city of Bailaya, but he wasn’t going to think about that right now. Right now, the only thing holding his attention was Noris. Smoke was rising high in the air. The Ascended were still fighting, but it was away from the city and to the south. The Iumenta were being driven deeper and deeper into Cona land.
The dragon-born landing teams had done their job getting the city gates open, and now human and Elvin forces were storming the city. If all went well, the city would be secure by midnight.
Sasha and Emma walked up next to him. Sasha spoke. “Sad, isn’t it?” she said.
“I suppose so. It depends on how you look at it,” Legon replied.
“And how is that?” Emma asked.
Legon shrugged. “Today is a sad day. These people will not yet see themselves as being freed, but as time goes on, as they rebuild they will see a higher quality of life. That being said, the people of Noris will not forget this day. It will rather be the next generation that will see today as a blessing.”
Emma placed her hands on the rail. “A tragedy for the living, but a victory for the unborn,” she said.
“That is a good way of putting it,” Sasha said, and then turned to Legon. “Arkin has contacted us. He needs to meet us on the beach. Emma and I are coming with,” she said, as if to close the subject.
Legon thought about fighting her, but decided against it. “Fine, but you’re both wearing store crystals. Did he say what he wanted?”
Sasha seemed satisfied. “No, he said it was important though. I don’t think he wanted to tie up communications. Emma and I will have stores, but I don’t think they will be necessary. We are meeting Arkin on the north beach. The whole area is nothing but cliffs. Mage said that Ascended have already cleared that area. It was a poor area to set up a defense.”
“Yes it is. The mountains are a defense in and of themselves, and we couldn’t have used that route even if we wanted to. When we looked at this place, all we saw up there was a monastery of sorts. Noris butts up to a cliff. We would have had to rappel into the city.”
Emma looked concerned. “But won’t there be guerilla forces in that area?”
Legon shook his head. “A few, yes. I’m sure the Ascended took them out, but you have to remember that the terrain is difficult. The trails wind around and are single-track most of the way. Umbra and her team took a good look at it. There aren’t any useable escape routes for the city there. They only had a few options and we made sure they stayed open.” He ate another power pack. “Ok, we will make landfall in just a moment. Let’s get ready.”
* * * * *
Keither and Sara got out of the landing boat. The fighting had all moved into the city, so they were able to take their time. The beach was littered with bodies, some human and others Elves. Many were still in the water, washing up to shore from the sea battle. He looked to where an Elvin and Iumenta dragon lay dead in the shallows. Their bodies no longer leaching or emitting light, they sat mutilated and draining, turning the tide crimson. The whole of the beach was reddened by the blood as far as he could see.
“Crimson tide,” he said.
“What’s that?” Sara asked.
Keither cleared his throat. “That is what today will be known as—Crimson Tide, the day the sea turned to death.”
She took his hand and they slowly made their way up the beach to the city wall.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ascension
“Faith is believing in something without ever seeing it. Knowledge is seeing faith come to fruition.”
-Confessions of Love, The First Wife
Iselin circled over the harbor of Noris. She was tired, but not ready to go back to the carriers yet. The fighting for the day was done, Noris captured. Once the Iumenta realized they’d lost the town, they retreated up the Kayloose. Most of their Ascended were flying tight cover over the area southwest of Noris, but the town and surrounding area had a wide berth. She was connected with her husband, as always, but not strictly paying attention. He was doing what he had to and so was she. Legon did seem happy to her, something about Arkin, she thought.
Sydin spoke in her mind “Iselin, Legon and Sasha have met up with Arkin and one of his top people, her name is Stacy.”
“Yes, I’ve heard of her.”
“Apparently Arkin has a contact with vital information about the invasion, but this contact wants to meet a ranking official, but can’t risk a lot of attention. Legon, of course, offered to go and do that.”
She didn’t really care for this plan. “Where are they going? Do you want me to try and talk him out of it?”
“They are going in the mountains to the north of town. There are no Ascended in the area, and we don’t believe there will be any resistance. Mage is going with them. Arkin and Stacy are there too. That’s two class fives and three class two’s with Legon, and Mage’s familiars. I don’t see there being a problem.”
She had to agree. “Plus, Arkin has more than proven our trust. Ok, I will act as if I am flying patrol in the area. If they run into trouble I can pull all of them out, and I’ll send cat too.”
Sydin agreed with her and she broke off from what she was doing. This little plan had the makings of a perfect storm, but Arkin was Arkin, and with no Ascended in the area, even if there was a trap…
* * * * *
Arkin looked up as Iselin passed overhead, a little pink ball detaching from her to form into a saber tooth tiger next to him. Cat nudged Arkin’s shoulder, and he looked back down the path.
“She flying cap?” Arkin asked.
Legon responded. “Yes, it will look like a patrol, don’t worry. Now stop stalling old man, let’s get up this hill,” he said with a smile.
That was easy for an Elf to say. The side of the hill they were scaling was steep and unforgiving. Arkin’s legs and lungs burned with the effort, but he pushed on. Just ahead of him was Stacy. Normally Arkin assumed she would be making comments about him staring at her back side, but even she was breathing heavily.
Stacy stopped to take a breath and looked back at Legon and Mage. “Aren’t you two winded at all?” she asked.
Mage just smiled and Emma spoke breathily. “Try living with them,” she huffed out and reached for her water skin.
“Right, ok, my man is over that ridge,” Stacy winced. “You lot go to the monastery on the cliff. Arkin and I will meet you there.”
Mage frowned. “Why aren’t we going to meet him directly?”
Stacy shook her head. “Couldn’t risk it. If he was being watched or if someone got to him before we did… while the chances of that were small, I didn’t want to risk it. Legon and Sasha are heads of house, after all.” She looked up the hill. “Of course, when I made these plans, I was just looking at maps of the area, and now that I’ve about killed myself, well, ya know what they say about hindsight, right?”
“We’ll meet you there, don’t worry,” Legon said and started back up the hill.
Arkin and Stacy broke off and Arkin had to admit he was thankful that while the others still had a sizeable climb ahead of them, he would be moving sideways for a while. It didn’t take long to get to an open area. To his left and up the hill he could see the monastery.
“Ok, where now?” he asked.
Stacy pointed to his left. “Over there.”
Arkin passed her, headed where she pointed, and flinched. “Ouch,” he said, turning. Something had bitten him. Arkin stumbled back, feeling weak in the knees. Stacy hadn’t moved yet. She was just watching him. Arkin fell over, breathing hard.
Stacy, who normally looked so happy and lighthearted, wore a stony expression as she walked up to him. “Stop struggling. The more you fight it the faster it will kill.”
The faster it would what?
“You’re confused,” she said, amused. “Let me help,” she said as four figures emerged. They were in black and wearing cloth over their faces. Stacy turned to them. “Stay put, I’m not ready yet,” she said in a cold commanding tone and then looked back at Arkin. “Sorry, they are bred for killing, not for manners. Where was I, oh yes, your confusion. Let’s see, I will have to make this fast. You do not have long, and I’m sure you have figured out that you cannot communicate with your mind or use magic. We were on to you from the moment you went and talked to your aunt and uncle. We have been watching, obviously.
“You were all so pleased with yourself for finding Mors, weren’t you? Thought you had finally cracked the northern mystery. Well, you haven’t. Didn’t you ever wonder why there were no magic users at Mors? Did you ever think that maybe there was another place for them?” She leaned down and whispered. “There is, and I’m from it. These animals behind me are just that, animals, but they are not from where I’m from. You see, humanity is a tool, well most of us are, but there are a few of us that have potential as more than just labor, like Venefica. I’ll keep this short, I can see that you’re having a hard time. You never looked into my past, so you never really understood me, but you depended on our mental link to give you all of the information you needed. Here is the problem—we were never fully connected, were we? Not even you would be willing to do that, not in our line of work. Truth be told, I don’t even feel emotion, but I fake it well, don’t I?”