Shadowborn Read online

  “Take me to Y’vah,” Alexander said. A hard look crossed Kaster’s face, one Alexander could not decipher. The Seraph dipped his arms underneath Alexander’s shoulders and wrapped his hands together in a tight lock across his chest.

  “As you wish, Commander.”

  Together they fled high above the pathetic remnants of Alexander’s army. They left behind dying men who’d thrown down their arms in retreat from the demons swarming them. They left the broken remains of Alexander’s dragoons, the mighty machines turned to wasted junk with massacred drivers. Stony hills and village hamlets replaced swirling shadow as they traveled. The rushing wind was a haunting tone in his ears. They flew, and flew, until arriving at a simple, elegant shrine. Nine stones formed a circle atop a hill, each side carved with golden runes facing east. In the very center, his light visible from more than a mile away, floated Alexander’s only remaining hope for survival.

  Y’vah hovered several feet in the air, his arms stretched toward the ground. Golden mist fluttered into the air from underneath his closed marble eyelids. A great beam of light shone from his legs, steady like a waterfall. The light struck the ground and rolled in all directions in barely visible waves for several hundred feet before rising up to form a newly summoned protective dome over the surrounding area. Eight theotechs knelt between the pillars, heads bowed in prayer, their red robes fluttering in the ethereal wind swirling around the white beam.

  “Y’vah!” Alexander shouted as Kaster set him down. “Our defenses failed. We need you to resummon the wall farther inland to protect our retreat!”

  The lightborn tilted his head toward him, and his eyes opened. No mouth creased his perfectly smooth face, but he spoke nonetheless, his words clear in Alexander’s mind.

  I cannot. I must first rest.

  “Rest? How long?”

  Several days.

  Alexander fought against the steadily growing panic inside him. He felt it flickering, a small fire eager to burst into an inferno.

  “We don’t have several days,” Alexander said. “I doubt we have several hours.”

  The time I have does not change the time I need, Alexander.

  The commander’s mind raced as he scrambled for a solution. Perhaps he could order Y’vah to retreat, but he doubted the celestial being would care for an order given by a human. The only potential reinforcements were in Odeon, but it would take days for them to arrive, not that Alexander believed they’d answer a summons. They’d protect the capital, not die in fields attempting to save a desperate few who’d survived the battle at the beachhead.

  “Kaster, what is your …”

  Alexander stopped, stunned to see his First Seraph no longer at his side. Instead he saw him far to the east, the gold dot of his wings a shining insult of cowardice. Turning back to the west, Alexander saw the first hints of the shadow wave crashing toward them. The liquid darkness bathed the land, covering grass and tree, a demonic flood approaching their meager little shrine.

  “What do we do?” Alexander asked aloud. He spun to the theotechs, maddened by their constant, steady prayers. “What do we do!”

  It seemed even Y’vah would not listen. Panic continued its spread throughout his body, tightening his throat, cramping his stomach, and layering his skin with cold sweat. With a sudden quiver in Y’vah’s protective dome, the shadow arrived. It surrounded them, completely covering the barrier.

  It’s a smaller shield, Alexander thought. Hundreds of miles smaller than the Oceanic Wall. Maybe it will hold. Maybe Y’vah can endure.

  The shadow burst into flame. Alexander flinched despite not feeling a lick of heat. The fire rolled around them, smothering, flooding their enclosed space with crimson light. Alexander watched in awe and then terror as the first of many cracks flickered across the lightborn’s barrier. How many demons were out there? Alexander could almost feel their claws ripping into his flesh. Would their teeth pierce, or would they burn? Would he die of pain before they finished eating?

  “Y’vah!” Alexander screamed at the lightborn. “Get us out of here!”

  There is nowhere to flee. We are surrounded, and my shield shall soon fall.

  The panic burning in Alexander’s veins was now a wildfire. He spun, eyes wide, the spiderwebs of cracks beginning their dance across the dome as the demons flung their bodies against it. The eight theotechs sang their prayers louder, begging for safety and absolution.

  “It can’t end like this,” Alexander shouted. “You’re God’s angel! Do something!”

  The lightborn tilted lower, his arm stretching out at a calm, careful pace.

  I shall remember you, Y’vah said, the smallest tip of his forefinger gently brushing Alexander’s face. And as I remember you, so shall my brethren remember you.

  “Remember me?” Alexander asked. “But what of heaven? Will we not die and ascend?”

  I do not know, said Y’vah. The shield vanished, and his toes touched ground. Let us find out together.

  Liam gasped as the lightborn’s finger pulled away from his forehead. It felt like she’d brushed him for a moment, but the vision, no, the experience he’d lived had lasted hours. The sensation of his own body was welcome, and he closed his eyes while struggling to control his breathing. So much he’d seen. The incredible might of the pre-Ascension armies, and how little it had mattered against the power of the shadowborn and his demons. The breaking of the protective dome. The death of a lightborn. But most painful was the beauty of the old world, the shorelines, the hills, the land stretching far beyond what the eye could see. All lost.

  Marius’s hand rested against Liam’s back, the touch gentle, reassuring, like a father’s.

  “Now you see,” Marius said. “The Ascension spared us from extinction. The dome saved us from the demons’ nightly assaults. But our realms squabble while all we’ve ever accomplished hangs in the balance. There is no measure that goes too far. There is no risk we cannot take. Our islands must be united if we are to be victorious.”

  Liam rose to his feet and wiped the beginnings of tears off his face.

  “I understand,” he said. “No threat is greater. All must be sacrificed.”

  Marius lingered closer, those sapphire eyes piercing deep into him.

  “Even kin,” he said.

  A blasphemous shiver of fear ran through Liam but he nobly banished it from his mind. He fell to one knee, lifted his hands up, and bowed his head in supplication. When he spoke, his words were steady, his heart true. Before his Speaker, and the angels of God, he made his vow.

  “I swear upon our God, who is faultless and mighty,” Liam said. “I swear upon the angels, who speak God’s voice to the chosen. I swear upon the Speaker, who shares the angels’ will with the people. My heretic children must die. Their blood will paint my swords, and their wings shall fall from the sky. So shall it be, until my final breath and the angels take me away.”

  A hand touched Liam’s chin, lifting his head. Marius knelt before him. Pride beamed from his steady gaze.

  “I know of no finer servant,” the Speaker said. “So shall it be, my friend. So shall it be.”

  Liam returned his eyes to the floor to hide the sudden resurgence of tears.

  I am the blade of the angels, he shouted inside his mind. I am the blade of the angels. I am the blade. I am the blade. I am the blade.

  CHAPTER

  2

  Kael stood beside Weshern’s edge, feigning calm. The midnight shadow rolled over the Endless Ocean far below while the stars speckled the nighttime canvas above. Despite the weeks since the dome collapsed, revealing the starry sky, the pale light of the moon remained strange to Kael. He’d grown up seeing red and orange hues of the midnight fire bathe Weshern outside his window. True, he’d never been too fond of it, but it had still been normal.

  A bit of hope struck Kael as he waited alongside the seven other Seraphim calmly watching the two platforms loaded with barrels and crates filled with fish that grew only in Weshern’s lakes. The mi
dnight fire had been normal to him, but once this was all over, his children, and the thousands of children growing up on the other islands, would find the calm white of the moon and stars soothing. Its soft glow would be their normal. Perhaps that was the best result he could hope for as they fought their war.

  “Ready to use that thing again?” Bree asked, leaving her conversation with Olivia West to join him.

  Kael tapped the large shield strapped to his left arm, Weshern’s blue sword vibrant against the painted black interior.

  “I am,” he said. “Though hopefully I won’t have to tonight.”

  Bree smiled a half smile.

  “Agreed.”

  Kael returned his attention to the platforms. They were hasty, ugly constructs compared to the aged elegance of those used by the ferrymen, but the ferries had ceased travels the moment the fireborn fell and the outer islands declared their war. Weshern had already begun to suffer from the sudden halt of trade, with rationing growing stricter by the day. The acres of crops burned by the fireborn assault certainly hadn’t helped.

  Twelve fishermen waited in a group separate from the Seraphim, six for each platform. Their words were quiet, nervous. Should a Center patrol discover their delivery of goods to Candren the fishers would be helpless in battle, fully relying on the Seraphim to protect them. Kael hardly blamed them for their nervousness.

  “Ready up,” Olivia said, joining Bree and Kael by the edge. “Elern’s Seraphs are almost here.”

  Kael looked to the horizon, seeing no sign of them. Bree nudged him and pointed lower. Seven flew along the ocean surface, keeping just above the swirling black mist. There was no hiding the gold of their wings, but keeping low at least made it more difficult for patrols to spot them. Kael felt his own nerves tensing, and he grinned at Bree to alleviate them.

  “See, this is why I keep you around,” he said. “You have the better eyes.”

  Bree laughed.

  “I guess I shouldn’t be the Phoenix then,” she said. “Just call me the Owl.”

  “Makes sense to me. Not quite as intimidating, though. Maybe ‘Fiery Owl’ or ‘Burning Owl’ would work better.”

  Bree nudged his side and shushed him. Olivia stood in the center of their group, addressing all Seraphim.

  “If the night is kind, this trip will be uneventful, but we’ll prepare as if it’s not.” Olivia gestured to the approaching Elern Seraphs. “Elern will form the far outer perimeter of our convoy, engaging any of Center’s knights before they can get close to our platforms. If they do break through, our first priority is protecting the fishermen. Stone and ice wielders, use screens to stop any long-distance shots, then engage our foes hard and relentless. If they’re constantly on the defensive, our fishermen will have a chance. Once our cargo is delivered, we’ll switch roles for the return trip.”

  “What are we taking back with us?” asked Amanda, the diminutive girl lurking at the far edge of group. “If I’m allowed to ask, of course.”

  “Salt,” Olivia answered. “Lots and lots of salt.”

  She broke from the group to join the fishermen. A word from her, and their small, stubby wings shimmered with light. They took up the six thick ropes tied to the sides of each platform, looping them about hooks on the front of their harnesses. The men barked orders among themselves, expertly coordinating the upward rise as if carrying the most important catch of their lives.

  Kael flicked his own wings on, then swallowed down the rock that had formed in his throat. He had accompanied several messengers, even carried a royal decree to Sothren not a week back, but never a cargo delivery of such size. Between the platforms and the accompanying Seraphim, the odds of traveling unnoticed between the islands was worrisomely slim. Hopefully the one or two knights on patrol would be far too outnumbered to consider engaging in battle.

  The Elern Seraphim never landed when they reached Weshern, only circled once overhead and then fanned out. Olivia led the way, her and Chernor the front point of the diamond formation surrounding the platforms. Kael and Bree took the left, hovering side by side, their speed slow enough that they were more upright than horizontal. Elern’s Seraphs hovered high above and below, keeping a watchful eye for golden wings from afar.

  The lumbering pace left Kael feeling like an easy target for Center’s knights. Surely if spotted, the knights would have time to return to Center for reinforcements? Annoyed by his own nerves (he’d fought battles against knights, Seraphs, and fireborn after all), he did what he always did when nervous: ramble to his sister.

  “Do you think we’ll get to visit one of Center’s royal conservatories after the war?” Kael asked as they flew. “I bet they have tons of owls there. Supposedly lions, panthers, and snakes, too. Maybe even a real phoenix.”

  “The closest thing to a real phoenix is a fireborn,” Bree said. “And I pray I never see one of those again.”

  “Always the downer when it comes to these things, aren’t you?”

  Bree laughed. The murky shadow slowly passed beneath them.

  “Fine. If we do ever visit a conservatory, I’m not interested in lions and snakes. I want to see an eagle, especially in flight. I bet we could learn a few things from it.”

  “Like how it’s smarter to use feathers for wings instead of metal?”

  “That’s a start.”

  Elern crept closer, the white of its shimmering Beam a beacon. The soft thrum of their wings formed a steady song as the Seraphim approached. Kael looked to the west, to where no island floated, just seemingly endless waters.

  “Do you think there are any animals out there?” he asked. “Land, even? Given all the other lies the theotechs told us, I doubt the Endless Ocean is truly endless as they claim.”

  “I don’t know,” Bree said. “Would the demons have let any animals live?”

  It was a good question. The demons were such a mystery, and they had limited information to go on.

  “You saw their hatred,” Kael said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they burned everything to the ground just for the pleasure of it.”

  Bree didn’t look satisfied.

  “Then what world do they desire?” she asked. “Why wipe out humanity just to rule a barren wasteland of rock and dirt? Is there even a purpose to such an existence?”

  “Maybe for them,” Kael said. “I don’t even know if they have a purpose beyond hating us. How would we even find out?”

  “We could ask L’fae.”

  This only soured Kael’s mood further. Johan Lumens had barred all entrance into the wrecked Crystal Cathedral, the reason supposedly to prevent any chance the island might fall. Maddeningly enough, the Archon had supported the decision, though Kael suspected his true motive was to keep on Johan’s good side. Right now, the supplies and network of spies provided by the man were too important to put at risk.

  “We’d need to convince Johan first,” he said. “And he’s not one to be easily convinced.”

  A shout from Olivia alerted them to the convoy’s rise. They approached Elern from far below, again hoping to make it that much more difficult for a Center patrol to spot them. Kael and Bree tilted their wings up, beginning their ascension.

  “Johan has no right to bar you from L’fae,” Bree said, her voice dropping softer as if afraid ears lurked even in the air. “I don’t like how much power he’s started to wield. There’s hardly a moment he’s not whispering in the Archon’s ear.”

  “One problem at a time,” Kael said, sighing. “Let’s just get home safely first.”

  Dozens of soldiers armed with spears and shields waited upon the soft grass of Elern’s edge. Nervous fishermen surrounded stacks of small barrels nearby. The delivery exchange was planned at an empty field instead of a dock in the hopes that any Center patrols would be focused elsewhere. The Elern Seraphim landed and shut off their wings, and the Weshern groups did the same. All elements had to be preserved as much as possible. Center certainly wouldn’t be trading them any new ones.

  Kael and B
ree stood by the edge, waiting as their cargo was unloaded and replaced with barrels of salt. Olivia, having spoken briefly with the leader of the Elern Seraphim, walked among the Weshern Seraphs, giving out instructions.

  “Our turn for outer defense,” she said. “You two will take the low point beneath the platforms. Stay just above the water, and whatever you do, do not touch the crawling darkness.”

  “Understood,” Bree and Kael answered in unison. A fisherman had flown down on a dare a week before, dipping his hand into the murky black that washed atop the ocean. He’d returned to the surface vomiting, his hand pale and withered. Kael didn’t want to imagine what would happen if he fell through with his entire body.

  Olivia hesitated, a shadow passing over her pale brown eyes.

  “Chernor swore he saw a far-off pair of wings when we first left Weshern,” she said. “We’ve seen no other sign since takeoff, but be wary. If a knight did spot us, they’ll have had more than enough time to prepare for our return trip.”

  “We’ll keep our eyes open,” Bree said. “No matter what they try, we’ll be ready.”

  Olivia left to join the Elern Seraphim leader beside the loading platforms.

  “Looks like our return trip won’t be as peaceful as we hoped,” Kael said.

  “We’ve fought them before, and we’ve won before,” Bree said. “Nothing’s changed.”

  “Such confidence,” Kael said. “It must come with such owl-like vision.”

  Olivia called out a signal and the Elern fishermen backed away, their job done. Weshern’s twelve fishermen took up their ropes, their wings humming back to life. Together they lifted off, and the Elern Seraphim in their white jackets and golden wings positioned themselves in a similar diamond pattern about them. Kael and Bree took their own positions far below the platforms, skimming above the hidden ocean.

  The shadow must be L’adim’s, Kael thought. They flew closer to the murky black than he’d ever flown before. It shifted and swirled like a heavy smoke, wisps floating off it to vanish in the air. There was a flow to the darkness. Like a river, Kael decided. A shivering thought occurred to him. Was the shadow created by L’adim, or was it L’adim himself? Did a part of the mysterious enemy of all humanity, destroyer of the entire world, creep mere feet below him? And could it reach up to pull him below its depths to drown …