When Zeus pulled back, Canry's green eyes were open and full of delight. Zeus pressed his forehead to Canry, silently mouthing 'family'.
"We must move now, Zeus!"
Giving Canry's hand a final hard squeeze, he turned to see what worried Alpha. The hunter barreled toward them, plowing through both V'Saar and Terren alike. The siren's song seemed to double in intensity as Zeus moved back to the line of soldiers standing between the People of the Sea and the V'Saar.
The hunter staggered at the sudden barrage of artillery from the two battle mechs. The whole line of soldiers concentrated their firepower on the massive beast, but the plasma rolled off the hunter's outer shell like water. The mech's artillery rounds had more luck, but in the scheme of things, the effect seemed no more devastating than the V'Saar being bitten by mosquitoes. The bug shook off the attack, even though it bled from several wounds.
The main body of Zeus’s small Monticore force concentrated on the other V'Saar bugs, keeping them from following the humans to the sea. The front of the Monticore mingled with the wounded V'Saar, swiftly dispatching them. Zeus’s heart clenched at the sight of Monticore lying unmoving upon the battlefield.
The hunter released a long, loud bellow. "I can smell your stink, Bespoken! Turn yourself over!"
What? The Bespoken was not here. Zeus’s mind raced and Alpha's angry hiss brought him up short.
"The raid on the Gorgon, when they attempted to take you. It was by scent the V'Saar identified you."
While he had physically been engineered to be a decoy, he had not considered his scent could be used to identify him.
The hunter's triple set of eyes roved over the battle field, nose lifted into the wind coming off the sea. Zeus moved away from Canry and the People of the Longing, toward the main body of Monticore.
"Beware of its sting. The venom does not kill but will enthrall its victims, and cause them to become addicted. On the underside, there is a line between the armor plating. If you can pierce it there between the plates, you will kill the bug. It is the only way to dispatch it quickly."
The last of the humans stumbled their way through the line of Monticore. The V'Saar seemed to be renewed by the presence of the hunter and pushed against the small Mar'Sani army, threatening to overwhelm the imperial soldiers. The tri-eyes of the hunter latched on to Zeus. The thunder clouds billowed overhead, their rumble almost sounding like a growl. Dread crawled up his spine. The creature was too massive, too strong, and Zeus had trouble imaging overcoming such an enormous creature with a simple sword. The plasma rifles did not seem to affect it: they were merely a nuisance and nothing more.
The siren's call changed from the longing for hearth and home, taking on an ancient tune. Canry led the Mar'Sani in a song of war.
"With every step we cause the earth to tremble,
A warning to our enemy we are not easy prey!"
The words plucked at that newfound primal chord within Zeus. He was done being chased like a rabbit! The unwavering ball of tension that sat heavily on his chest tightened until he thought he would suffocate from the weight. The clouds flickered, glowing as lightning struck within their depths, briefly lighting up the dim skies. Canry's song caused him to envision ancient battles: the noise and the blood, the faces of enemies now long gone. Yet, his body thrummed as if remembering the vibration of each stroke as those who challenged him fell dead at his feet.
"We are the seeds sown in the past.
We are the unbroken link never to be lost."
Emboldened, Zeus leapt upon an outcropping of rocks and drew one of his titanium-reinforced obsidian swords. "Hunter!" he bellowed. His roar was followed by a rod of lightning striking into the jungle. "Here I am! My mouth waters for the taste of your flesh!"
The ball in his chest eased for a second and multiple bolts of lightning lit up the sky, the crack of their meeting almost deafening. The hunter shook its head, the dazzling light seeming to momentarily blind the bug. Screeching in challenge, the hunter's four legs struck the ground as the bug pushed into a run. The long scorpion-like stinger arched high over its thick, armor-plated back.
"Steady,"
Alpha soothed.
His muscles gathered. Canry's war song brought images of triumph and honor.
"Steady."
The Monticore pushed against the overwhelming bug horde.
"Almost."
The hunter plowed through and trampled the V'Saar barring its path.
"Now!"
A roll of thunder accompanied Zeus’s war cry. Dozens upon dozens of bolts of lightning were unleashed from the sky to stab the ground of the grassy plains among the V'Saar and into the shadowed jungle. He launched from the rock and rolled. The hunter's stinger, which was the size of his forearm, struck the ground where he had just rolled from, and the bug snapped at Zeus, unable to stop its forward momentum.
With a burst of adrenaline, everything suddenly slowed down. Zeus’s sight focused into sharp clarity, the strike of the hunter's legs overly exaggerated.
The dark plating lightened to almost white on the underside. In between the two impenetrable shells ran a line of bristle-like hair. That was how the V'Saar could see in dark underground caves. The hair detected the movement, and was the source of the hunter's weakness.
"There,"
Alpha whispered.
At the Y intersection, Zeus plunged his sword to the chest. Instead of the blade tearing down the length of body following the line of hair, the momentum of the massive creature tore the hilt from Zeus’s hand.
Time snapped back to normal and the hunter passed over him in the blink of an eye. Warlord Sohm'lan immediately appeared, grasping Zeus’s arm and yanking him to his feet. His Monticore guard surrounded them. He shook his numb hand; his finger tips felt like they had been severed even though they were still attached.
"What in the name of the ten planets do you think you are doing? I thought you quit jumping blindly into battle when you were ten summers old!" Sohm'lan roared with anger, forcefully dragging Zeus away from his foe. He craned his neck to see the hunter.
Gelatinous fluid gushed to the ground as the hunter attempted to turn, the hilt of Zeus’s sword catching on protruding rocks. The hunter stumbled, releasing a chittering screech full of pain and agony.
"Yes!"
Alpha howled in triumph.
"Look." Zeus tugged his arm free of Sohm'lan's grip and pointed to the struggling hunter, wavering on its feet as it screamed in alarm, the front legs buckling, causing the hunter to fall face first in the dirt. The back legs scrabbled uselessly against the ground.
"You—" Sohm'lan sucked in a sharp breath. He almost sounded impressed.
"I was never blind." Zeus took a step toward the dying hunter. The guards moved with him, pulling in tighter.
"Prince Zeus, you are too exposed," Sohm'lan urged.
Three V'Saar attacked his group, and his guards fought furiously to hold them back. Zeus drew his second sword, ready to lead, when a robot appeared out of thin air atop one of the three V'Saar. Reaching down, the Feteine grasped the spindly neck and yanked. The Feteine dispatched the second and third V'Saar before the first V'Saar fell dead to the ground.
Once the Feteine leapt to the ground outside Zeus’s circle of guards and became stationary, the chipped yellow paint and flat faced features revealed it to be Laeretes Arcessii. "Prince Zeus, please move yourself to safety, for we come."
He swallowed the relief; reinforcements would arrive. "How did you find us?"
"The storm led us to the battle. Your brothers said I would find you at the heart of it. They were correct. Now, if you please."
Zeus yelped involuntarily as Sohm'lan grasped one arm and a Monticore the other. They ushered him back toward the edge of the sea.
"I can walk," he snapped, tugging at their grip.
"That is what I am afraid of. You will walk right back where you do not need to be."
He did not dignify that statement with a response. He did not always find danger.
A ring of Monticore guards circled Canry who still sang, weariness once again causing him to sag against the shaft of the trident. Sheathing his sword, Zeus pushed past Nethus, ignoring the male when he barked for Zeus to stop. He ducked under Canry's arm, pulling it over his shoulder to steady him and lend him support.
"He cannot release the trident," Nethus hissed in Zeus’s face over Canry's shoulder.
Zeus looped his arm around Canry's waist and secured his brother to him, placing his free hand over Canry's, firming up his brother's grip on the shaft of the trident. Canry's free arm moved to wrap around Zeus.
"I have you," he whispered in Canry's ear, staring defiantly at Nethus.
Sohm'lan moved close and stood guard, a barely perceptible smirk twisting his mouth. He turned his gaze to the field of battle. The Monticore seemed to be holding their own against the V'Saar even though they were outnumbered. V'Saar continued to pour out of the jungle. The Ursid brothers moved the battle mechs through the fighting; the V'Saar were scrambling over the monstrous machines, stingers striking the thick glass that protected the Ursids from attack. Zeus located Laeretes's yellow form. At some point in time, Europa had joined him. The two of them moved quickly, taking out the V'Saar efficiently, but even with their help, Zeus could see that given time, the V'Saar would overwhelm his small army through sheer numbers alone.
The Terrens who had not escaped the sting of the V'Saar retrieved dropped weapons and fired at the Monticore, but only sporadically. Zeus did not know if the humans fought the effects of the venom or if the siren's song affected them still.
He wondered what Laeretes and Europa were doing. They fought their way straight into the middle of the mass of V'Saar waiting to replace those who fell to the Monticore. Even though the battle mechs peppered the thrashing crowd, no measurable dent could be discerned. Laeretes and Europa halted within the horde. They were white and yellow figures amongst a mass of black. With their backs to each other, a pace or two apart, Europa and Laeretes held off the V'Saar.
Unexpectedly, a Feteine appeared between them. Zeus could not tell if any words were spoken before the new arrival launched into the mass of V'Saar. Again and again, more Feteine arrived to do the same. Some fought. Others mirrored Europa and Laeretes, creating a doorway or maybe a location beacon for more Feteine to leap to. Zeus did not care how they managed the feat, since their arrival took pressure off of his warriors.
Canry's voice faltered, drawing his attention. His worry increased when he noticed the strain around Canry's eyes and mouth. He seemed beyond weary, and Zeus suspected his brother would have already collapsed if Zeus did not hold him. How long did his brother need to sing?
Zeus glanced at the People standing in the sea, singing along, but the power behind the words seemed to come from Canry. He did not understand how it worked, but he was sure that just as the first song lured the humans, the war song bolstered the fighting Monticore. Not knowing what else to do, Zeus hummed along, pressing his forehead against Canry's temple. The strength of the song increased perceptibly. Zeus concentrated on the words, remembering what he had been taught about the meaning behind the words or phrases. The lyrics were on the tip of his tongue as he hummed, feeling the weight of the statement behind the song, until he could no longer keep quiet and began to sing along softly.
Canry's eyes opened and though they still were surrounded by lines of weariness, his voice grew stronger. Time froze as they sang together; gazes locked, each with an arm wrapped around each other while their free hands held the staff together. Zeus sang the song of war with his brother in an effort to lend Canry strength. His body felt heavy and his legs grew numb from standing still and yet he refused to rest. If Canry did not stop, he would not, either.
Nethus appeared in his periphery, speaking too quietly for Zeus to hear. He tuned it out. They did not need Nethus's distraction if they were going to keep singing for their people.
Zeus frowned as Nethus's agitated movements caused Canry to startle, almost pulling him from Zeus’s embrace. Clutching his brother closer, Zeus did not realize his mistake until it was too late. In attempting to keep Canry from falling, he over-compensated. When he stepped back to correct the movement, his numb legs buckled. He and Canry crashed to their knees, their fists slid down the shaft. But they did not let go, their hands remained clasped jointly around the column above their heads.
The Monticore guard surrounded them. They had stopped singing, and for the first time Zeus realized his mouth felt dry and his throat raw. Canry breathed heavily, his green eyes glassy.
"I care not who you are. If you touch either of them again, I will tear your arm from its socket." The savagery in Sohm'lan's voice made Zeus smile tiredly.
"It was necessary for them to stop. The battle is over," Nethus snapped.
Canry breathed a sigh, closed his sunken eyes, and leaned his forehead against Zeus’s shoulder. At one time, Zeus had been unsure if Canry would return home, much less imagined he one day he would hold Canry in his arms. Zeus silently vowed he would hold onto Canry for as long as Canry allowed.
"Now if you will allow me by, I will gather Canry and return home."
"Prince Canry will not be going anywhere with you unless he desires to. At the moment it appears, he cannot state his wishes so he will stay with his family until otherwise." Content to let Sohm'lan argue with Nethus, Zeus remained silent.
"You cannot—"
"Nethus, you are called home," said someone sounding very much like his sister, Shaneva.
"I cannot leave without him."
"Right now he is where he needs to be." The steely edge in the woman's voice brooked no argument.
Turning his head took more effort than Zeus anticipated. He smiled at Shaneva's stern expression as Nethus complied and strode past her into the sea. With a graceful dive, he disappeared under the waves.