‘As much as I wish to be involved in defending the entire realm, our focus must remain on Condii,’ Commander Varal was saying.
One of the strategists threw up his hands. ‘No disrespect to our king, but if Centan cannot oversee the activities of all our armies, then we must do it.’
‘They are doing it,’ Tyba replied calmly. ‘They are simply distracted at the moment. They are experiencing other difficulties relating to the sky kingdoms. Several sky kingdom shrouds have already fallen due to the deaths of shrouders in other cities. If too many of the skyearls who maintain those shrouds are killed, it leaves too much of a burden for the others.’
‘Prince Tyba, if I may speak openly, being distracted by this problem with the sky kingdoms is hardly an excuse,’ the strategist replied. I could see Tyba’s usually-cheerful countenance darkening. ‘If it weren’t for my own family being hidden on the coastline east of Lokshole, we would not have found out about the 6,000 Zeikas that are now heading in this direction. It is Centan’s responsibility to have adequate scouting parties out—’
‘Saned you are out of line,’ Commander Varal told him sternly. ‘We are in a war. Scouting parties are sometimes discovered and killed. Instead of questioning our leadership and wasting time trying to correct our procedures, why not be thankful that your family are indeed in the vicinity and able to warn us? Please tell them to take cover and stay hidden should they be needed to spy upon the Zeika entry-point again.’
‘Yes sir,’ Saned mumbled.
Commander Varal turned to me. ‘Welcome back Talon. I’m sure you’ve heard of the advantages your little plan has afforded us here in Condii.’
I nodded. ‘But you say more Zeikas are already on their way here?’
‘It is true,’ he agreed. ‘We will not have long to rebuild our defences. Estimates have the 6,000 Zeikas arriving here no sooner than 179 faraday, seven days hence. But more good news has reached us. Even against higher numbers, the Defenders at Highford have turned back the Zeika invasion. Air combat squadrons and cavalry have ridden down most of the survivors.’
‘And has Ciera finished off the Zeika survivors near Lokshole yet?’ I queried.
Tyba gestured broadly out the window. ‘I take it you have not regained use of the waves. The Condii Defenders have killed many of the fleeing Zeikas and take advantage of a sluggish watch over Lokshole as we speak. The Zeikas were not expecting the battle to come to them. Lokshole has never been an easy town to defend.’
I swallowed, trying to reach out with my mind as I always had. There was a strange void all around, making me feel like a blindfolded person in broad daylight. I sat down on a chair proffered by one of the strategists and fiddled with one of the bandages on my arm.
Their conversations continued on through the night and I tried to pay close enough attention to make sense of the battle as a whole. As the night deepened, Varal and most of the strategists retired. Others came to fill their place. Captain Dathan relieved Tyba. Although we had now reached a lull in the fighting, there would always be a team of commanders and strategists in the Vista.
They focused mainly on coordinating repairs throughout Condii and building new fortifications around the towers that had been taken. Architect Furlorny had been called into town to advise the head masons and oversee all the structural and engineering work that was going on. With the vast number of citizens in the city, labour was not a problem. Farmers and hunter-gatherers were sent out into the fields and forests of Condii to collect food and fodder. Supplies from other towns had all-but ceased. Nearly all the major cities, except for Centan, were at war and few could spare the time or resources to send help to the others.
Furlorny and his men had packed up the strike force camp near his manor and brought most of the supplies into Condii. My gear was jumbled up in a pile in the Vista with the belongings of many of my fellow strike force comrades. Some of whom were no longer with us. I wondered where Corypha was being kept and what information, if any, he had revealed about the Wavekeeper plot.
After I’d taken my gear to the suite, I returned to the Vista with Fyschs’ scabbard on the Jarian Anzaii belt. It felt better to have both about my person for some reason.
In the early hours of the morning, when I was finally starting to feel awake, we heard that a Zeika stronghold had been discovered on the high side of the border, to the south west of Lantaid. In the craggy granite canyons at the base of Fireflow Mountain was a hollow some four hours walking-distance across. Thousands upon thousands of Zeikas had gathered there.
My heart sank as I realised Sarlice and the Rada-kin would face yet another overwhelming army near Lantaid very soon. With little defensive capability in the town, the civilians would have nowhere to hide if the Lantaid Defenders fell.
‘You must tell them to start getting supplies ready to flee through the chasm,’ I said to the messenger.
To my surprise, Dathan nodded. ‘Yes, that is wise. The barrier will allow them through, but not the Zeikas, not straight away. The civilians would have more chance of getting to the chasm than reaching Condii.’
‘That is not all,’ Treya said. ‘The counters also received news from scout skyearls near Highford that three legions of at least 9,000 each have gathered south west of Ruhor Lairs. They surely mean to take Highford and gain a foothold in that area.’
I shook my head in exasperation. ‘If they have so many warriors, why not hit us all at once, in one place, and then move on to the next?’
‘They attack us on multiple fronts,’ Dathan replied. ‘We have no choice but to remain divided. As I understand it, there is considerable effort involved in breaching our barrier. It wouldn’t surprise me if only a few thousand can enter, before even the biggest hole closes over.’
‘Why not attack their bases on the upper side?’ I asked. ‘Stop them from making human sacrifices and calling up all those demons that empower them to break the barrier.’
Dathan nodded. ‘I believe King Crystom has several flying archer teams attempting just that, but it can’t be easy. We haven’t had any solid reports of Zeika numbers up there. They must be using spirit circles to hide themselves and kill any scouts that come within range.’
I hung my head in sorrow. What could we do? Hopelessness welled up in me. Had Krii abandoned us? No, never that, I told myself, but what was to become of us? A frightening thought crossed my mind—that it was somehow me bringing death and destruction to my people wherever I went. That’s what the Wavekeepers had predicted.
Of course not. Krii had given me certain abilities, and I simply used them the best way I knew how. I found myself staring at my palms, the scarred and battle-worn hands of a warrior or a killer? Was there a difference?
Dawn broke across the city, sending shafts of sunlight through the mists that curled around the buildings and towers. In the distance, outside the walls of Condii, were many pillars of dark smoke. The body pyres burned in all directions, but most were to the south near the Zeika encampment.
I pressed my head against the almost-transparent glass of the Vista, wishing I could hear a benevolent voice in my head. Despite the mood, I marvelled at the vastness of the waking city. What a shame to have war come here. The smoke of many kitchens and inns rose up like flags of triumph throughout Condii. I tried to imagine the many thousands of people out there. Without the waves to connect me with their kin, I could only guess at their thoughts and emotions. Though some had been injured or lost loved ones, they would press on.
Battalions of cavalry walked and trotted down the cobbled lanes from the direction of the front gate. Many of the horses were riderless, some limped horribly. Cattle, goats and sheep were herded through the streets by groups of children on foot. Elsewhere, pigs and chickens were shoved into smaller and smaller pens while makeshift huts and tents were still being erected for the refugees. Some slept on pads in the open air.
Rada-kin of all kinds moved about the town, some following their human-kin purposefully, others wandering aimlessly, grief-stricken. In the distance, if I strained my eyes I could see the builders labouring at the tops of the gate and towers. Wooden scaffolding had been erected in some spots, but in others they simply had the larger skyearls at work, lifting stones and putting them high up in the castle wall. The skies were strangely devoid of skyearls.
‘They must return,’ someone was shouting. ‘Trees! Tell them to return!’
‘We could take Lokshole back,’ someone else retorted angrily.
‘And lose many hundreds more of our people? To what end do we take Lokshole now? There are 6,000 Zeikas headed that way. You must bring back our troops before there are no troops to bring back.’
‘I don’t think you realise what—’
Captain Dathan slammed his stone cup down on the glass tabletop. The sharp ‘ching’ stopped the cascade of voices abruptly. A tiny chip appeared in the thick, milky surface.
‘Haden is right. Recall them,’ he said simply.
‘Ciera refuses,’ someone said. ‘He is in a berserker rage and cannot be stopped.’
Suddenly all eyes were on me. Even though Ciera and I weren’t presently linked they still thought I was influencing his mood.
I licked my lips. ‘I cannot reach him. If I could I would send our soothing song to him…’
‘It is your anger that corrupts him,’ Saned accused me. ‘Before you came along, Emperor Ciera never lost control.’
The entire room fell silent, staring at him. Had he simply spoken the words that others had not been bold enough to speak? did they really see me that way?
When their eyes darted towards me, shame and hurt welled up. My chest tightened. After all I had done… After all I had been through did they expect me to not be angry with the Zeikas? Tiaro had once told me my hatred for the Zeikas ran deep, and that was not a good thing. Well—why not? They are the enemy—they are killing Kriites by the thousand. With no kindred around to respond to my thoughts, my emotions boiled and whirled violently inside. Tiaro was there in my ear, but without wave communication between us she might as well have been a thousand leagues away.
‘Saned has not slept in days,’ Dathan said carefully. ‘Do not misunderstand his words, Astor Talon.’
Suddenly I wished I was with the strike force and the reassuring presence of other Anzaii. If it hadn’t been for Corypha, there would be dozens of Anzaii still around, people who could understand others; people who could understand me; people who could help me to reopen myself to the waves. Now that I didn’t have access to the waves these people no longer had respect for me. They did not know me any more than my people in Jaria had known me.
‘No, I understand,’ I replied without malice. ‘All too clearly.’
I turned and walked from the room.
Chapter Twenty-two—Expansion
J
aalta found me sitting by the banks of the enormous moat around Condii Fortress. Plucking another pebble from the garden bed behind me, I allowed it to roll down into the water. Although I could not be anywhere outside without someone in Condii’s many towers being able to see me, it felt good to be away from the Vista. The fresh air soothed the pounding of my head and the morning sun dried the sweat from my skin.
Jaalta, unable to speak at more than a whisper, chose to sit next to me in silence. She moved cautiously, trying not to tear her recent wounds. We sat for some time and I appreciated her quiet presence.
After a while I glanced down at her.
She closed her eyes at me, like a cat offering its trust. Instinctively I relaxed and closed my eyes back. When I opened them she offered her hand, palm up. Gently I placed my hand in hers. She lifted her other hand to the sky and closed her eyes again—praying for me.
Krii, please restore me from isolation, I prayed.
I strained against the cloistering walls I had erected around my mind. While part of me had found solace in them another part felt trapped and isolated by them.
I had built the walls to protect myself and my fellow wave-users.
Now that the danger had passed I needed to overcome my fears.
Suddenly I remembered the bird that I had faced, in my vision, passing through the Tanzan barrier shield. I had given myself over to Krii completely—to do with as he would. My fear of birds seemed silly now, and there were no butterflies in my stomach when I thought of them.
I give it all to you, Krii, I prayed.
‘Thank you for your almighty plans,’ Jaalta’s thoughts came clearly into my mind. ‘Thank you that even when all hope seems lost, you are still with us.’
Regaining the waves was like walking out of the shadows on a winter day. I turned my face to the sun, revelling in the light and warmth. Krii’s love hit me like a torrent of warm water, washing me clean. There was no sensation in my physical body, but my soul knew Krii was there, just as he had been from the very first day I invited him to be part of my life.
I sensed Tiaro too, sending her own prayers to Krii. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the earring flash with blue light as my wave senses came alive once more.
‘Talon!’ she celebrated.
‘Welcome back, Talon.’ Jaalta’s wave was calm and trusting. She prayed, ‘Glorious Krii, we thank you.’
There were voices and pinpoints of light all around me, but it was easier to keep my focus on just a few now. Jaalta’s prayers were all the more meaningful to me considering she had just lost her Sleffion-kin. The death of Reen was like a gaping wound in her wave-presence, causing the sort of pain I knew from my childhood, yet she praised Krii.
‘I praise him no matter what,’ Jaalta said, sensing the gist of my thoughts. ‘The world is not as it is meant to be, but one day Krii will make things right again. For now, we each have the opportunity to worship him through the good and the bad, and grow to help our fellows on Chryne while yet we live.’
‘I’m so sorry for your loss,’ I said, sending every ounce of empathy through the waves that I could. I felt Tiaro join her sorrow with mine. Tears ran down Jaalta’s face but she made not a sound.