Shadowborn Page 34

  “I can try to use my fire near the base of that tunnel,” Bree said, pointing toward the great ice spire. “I’m not sure if it’ll be enough, but we have to try before there’s too many supports near the top.”

  “They’ll be ready for us,” Kael said. “Look at how many stormborn and fireborn are waiting. There’s not a chance you make it there safely.”

  “There is if you lead with your shield.”

  He shook his head.

  “I can block some attacks, but what am I to do when they dive atop us? I’m not a miracle worker here.”

  “Liar,” Clara said. “You both are miracle workers, so act like it. We collapse the tunnel, we end the entire invasion, yes?”

  Kael shrugged.

  “I believe so,” he said.

  “Then we go for the base, danger be damned. And you’re both wrong. This time, I’ll lead. I have a plan.”

  Clara angled parallel to the ground and fired up her wings. Kael knew he could overtake her with his stronger wings but he kept a safe distance behind. If she wished to lead, then so be it. He’d trust her, just as she’d so often trusted him.

  The wide platform with the connected bridge steadily neared. Stoneborn waited ready to defend it, an additional two dozen stormborn cackling and zipping about their feet as well. Clara kept their path directly toward them, with no attempt to weave or dodge to potentially confuse their attack approach. Kael frowned, yet to see Clara’s plan.

  Clara slowed just outside reach of boulders from the stoneborn. Her gauntlet weaved a magical dance, creating wall after wall of ice before her. They varied in size, height, and closeness to the bridge, a veritable maze of them all high above and starting to fall. Realizing what she was doing, Kael created a few more walls of his own and then fired up his wings. With so many chunks of ice falling, the eternal-born would struggle to see their approach. The stoneborn flung boulders but their power weakened with the contact of each wall. The three of them split for different walls, dropping with them to use them as a screen for their flight. Kael chose the highest of the plummeting walls, flying closer and closer while the sky filled with explosions of ice, stone, and echoes of thunder.

  Kael braced his shield and flooded it with light. The ice wall directly before him blasted apart, granting them passage. Desperate stormborn lunged from their perches. Kael batted them aside with his shield, then followed it up with a wall of ice of his own. It fell to the bridge, blocking another salvo from the stormborn. Clara lofted volleys from afar, slamming her own ice boulders against the defending eternal-born on the bridge, forcing them to scatter.

  The way clear, Bree shut off her wings and stabbed a sword deep into the ice to grant herself a hold. Her right hand pressed against the surface. Kael formed a circular wall around her, granting her time and protection. Red light swelled beneath her palm, releasing in a tremendous explosion. Bree drained her prism dry, her fire rolling through the center of the bridge. Water flowed in a torrent from cracks that split in all directions. It didn’t break, not immediately, but the bridge connecting Weshern with the frozen Fount was severely weakening.

  The fire suddenly ceased. Bree’s forehead slumped against the thin ice. Stormborn raced to close the distance, their mouths dripping with electricity. Kael’s heart seized with horror when Bree didn’t flee. She looked too dazed to even move. Desperation overtook him. He grabbed his gauntlet and fired a single lance at the ice directly beneath her. It crashed through, cutting off her chunk with her sword keeping her connected to the bridge. She fell, demons diving after her in chase. They cared not for the fall so long as they might slay the Phoenix. Kael imagined his speed growing, not needing his throttle to propel himself downward at a maniacal clip. He curled at the last second, undercutting the demons and grabbing hold of Bree’s waist. The two banked away, the demons’ impotent howls their only weapon as they plummeted to the ocean far below.

  Kael gradually slowed his speed as he waited for Bree to recover. He felt her body shudder, followed by light trickling into her wings as she turned them back on.

  “I’m fine,” she said, gently pushing him away. “Did we succeed?”

  He gestured to the bridge.

  “I’d say we did.”

  No iceborn were nearby to repair the damage she’d caused with her explosion of flame. The cracks continued to spread, the noise like a thunderstorm. The long arm reaching for Weshern began to crumble chunk by chunk, eternal-born falling with it. Kael let out a whoop, one that turned out to be premature. The collapse ceased halfway, the support beams linking to the island’s underside keeping the Weshern half aloft. Even worse, Kael saw that the bridge had finally reached the surface, curling up and around Weshern’s edge and onto the lands above. They’d cut off any potential for reinforcements, but a new battle now raged.

  “What do we do?” he asked.

  “We have to flee to the surface,” Clara said, joining them. “The civilians are our new priority.”

  “Wait,” Bree slurred. She pointed. “We’re not alone.”

  Golden wings screamed as knights of Center appeared from above the surface, their approach unseen due to Weshern’s sheer size. Their gauntlets flashed with power. Fire and lightning slammed into the lone iceborn in the middle of the tunnel, melting its frozen flesh. Stone and ice boulders broke limbs and shattered fingers. Kael felt hope spring anew in his chest. Had Marius shown a change of heart? Unlike their response during the fireborn invasion, the knights had not left them to suffer and fight on their own.

  “Take out the iceborn giants first,” Kael said. “End any chance of more demons joining the fray.”

  The stoneborn joined the stormborn in racing to Weshern’s surface. The few fireborn that had accompanied the invasion remained defensive, little globs of fire flying from their hands as they cackled and howled. Two iceborn giants remained, their efforts focused on strengthening the remaining tunnel’s connection to Weshern. Center’s knights raced toward one while Bree led their group toward the other giant swarming with Seraphim, bathing its body with lightning and flame. It roared as two of its arms flailed, the other four clutching the tunnel. Ice flowed from its grasp in great sheets. It kept its head down, its body curled inward so its back endured the brunt of the blows.

  Bree flew a direct collision course. Fire lashed from her swords, traveling in a long line toward the giant. It melted a thin groove into its back, seemingly nothing compared to the iceborn’s size. Kael readied his ice, unsure of its effectiveness. They closed in, nearby Seraphim gathering, their gauntlets eager to destroy the beast. Elements bathed its body. The long blue arms shuddered. Cracks spread from its spine in all directions. Kael rushed closer, thinking it ready to die. He thought wrong.

  The iceborn reared back onto its hind legs, all six arms flailing outward. Chunks of ice flew in wild directions, overwhelming in number. Seraphim frantically scattered. Bree’s formation broke. On instinct, Kael curled and weaved, convinced every second could be his last, until suddenly the creature was in front of him. The giant towered ahead, arms spread wide and grabbing at nearby Seraphim. Silver wings crunched between its fingers. Kael searched, but every direction led into the reach of its hands.

  Well, all but one.

  This is insane, Kael thought, his arms crossed behind his shield. You’re insane, Kael, you’re fucking insane …

  He felt the twin crystals in his shield burning, eager for release. Kael granted them their wish. No slowing. No hesitation. Kael closed his eyes and released every shred of power into his shield with a frantic scream. The impact struck his shield but far softer than expected. Ice cracked. Armor gave. Mist enveloped his body. He screamed louder, protesting the pain and resistance with all his might. The ringing of the shield broke the demon. The breaking of the demon overwhelmed his cry.

  Kael blasted out the iceborn giant’s back in an explosion of blue blood and a thousand shards of ice. He spun into a hover, fists at his sides, adrenaline pounding through his veins. The iceborn fa
ltered, a waterfall of blood flowing out the gaping hole in its chest. Its hands slipped off the ice bridge. Its death cry was a pitiful wail.

  The knights swarmed the final iceborn giant near the edge with plumes of flames. The stone wielders smashed the bridge again and again, each boulder focused on the exact same spot. The walls of the tunnel collapsed. The nearby supports crumbled. Kael pumped a fist and let out a whoop as large chunks of the bridge broke and fell in huge sheets. No more eternal-born would reach Weshern’s surface.

  The formation of knights broke away and flew toward Center now that the underneath battle was won. The Weshern Seraphim flew together around the lip of the island to the surface. Kael waited until he spotted his sister flying in to join him.

  “Top that, Bree,” he said, grinning ear to ear.

  “The day’s not over yet.”

  Kael’s easy smile faded at the sight of an angelic knight flying their way. Bree noticed his displeasure and turned.

  “Is that … him?” she asked.

  “I think so,” he said.

  Their father’s golden wings easily crossed the distance. Neither sibling spoke. What might they even say? Liam eased into a hover before them. Tears wet his eyes. Hesitation graced his lips. None of that emotion reached his voice.

  “It’s good to see you again,” he said. “My squadron flies to aid Sothren but I will remain here until the Weshern threat is defeated. Might I join you in formation?”

  Bree wiped at her face, and she looked to Kael for an answer.

  “The last I saw you, you were dropping me to my death,” he said. “And now you wish to join us?”

  Their father struggled for words, all the while unable to meet their gaze.

  “Turn me away if you must. It is your choice, my children, but I offer amends in the only way I know how.”

  Was that an apology? Kael didn’t know, but he clung to that hope nonetheless. Innocents were dying upon the surface. He would not turn away aid to soothe his own wounded pride.

  “Welcome to Phoenix Squad,” he said. “Consider yourself a temporary member.”

  He smiled, so briefly, so fleetingly, but it gave them a glimpse of the beloved father they’d lost.

  “Very well. Lead the way, Phoenix, and I will follow.”

  CHAPTER

  30

  Bree curled up and around the edge of Weshern to discover the battle unfolding. A hastily assembled force of Varl Cutter’s soldiers fought against a veritable tide of eternal-born. Lightning crackled across their heavy shields. Chunks of earth slammed through their tightly packed lines. They thrust with their spears and slashed with their swords, killing what they could of the fast stormborn. But nothing stood up to the stoneborn, and their lines quickly broke when one lumbered through.

  “Focus on the giants!” she shouted to her formation. “Keep them from the soldiers!”

  Bree, Kael, their father, and Clara sailed overhead, weaving occasionally to avoid a thrown boulder. She readied her swords, their grips clutched tightly in her hands. Her angle tightened. Their formation dove in for a strike. Bree ducked underneath its fist, twisted ninety degrees, and slashed across its chest with her swords. Her arms ached from the jarring resistance but her fire bloomed, slicing open the stone. Liam blinded it with fire on the follow-up. Kael and Clara swooped farther away and shifted their legs to reverse their momentum. They blasted lances of ice into the stoneborn’s cracked chest from their hovering position, ripping it open. Verdant blood spilled upon Weshern soil.

  Stormborn swarmed the corpse, using it for leverage to leap skyward for vengeance. Bree zipped through the air between them, her swords cutting down two or three at a time. Liam followed, an extended blade from his arm ripping into the bodies of the stormborn. The other two followed, taking up the tail as Bree led them to the next giant. The stoneborn stood in a circle of soldiers, swinging wildly as the men tried to keep it penned in. It was only a matter of time before the giant picked a direction and stampeded through.

  Bree kept her formation circling until they dove like birds of prey toward the back of the stoneborn. Her eyes widened, her swords dripping fire to her either side. She flew straight between the giant’s legs, each sword ripping into a calf. Twisting her body about, she circled the stoneborn, her right blade continuing to slice a curling pattern up its leg, across its side, and up its spine. Ice battered the giant’s form. Soldiers buried their swords into the weakened skin at its ankles. Liam took advantage of the distraction and sped straight for the giant’s head. His blade punched through the stone, and then caught. Liam screamed. Fire exploded from his cannon at point-blank range, engulfing the stoneborn’s entire head.

  A wave of stormborn surged toward the group, the last of the soldiers holding them back, massacred. Bree and Liam dipped low, releasing their fire together in a tremendous blast that washed over the crackling army. The monsters shrieked and howled but they could not escape it. Bree fought a momentary blackout as she curled upward. So much of her element drained. So much left to do.

  Bree scanned for the rest of the squadrons. Stoneborn continued to fall under the combined attacks of the Weshern Seraphim. The stormborn fared no better, though they made up for it by tearing into the soldiers with gleeful abandon. Bree spotted a group of twenty trying to break for a nearby stretch of homes. If they escaped the battlefield they could take countless lives with them before they were hunted down and destroyed.

  Give chase, Bree signaled to the others. She punched her throttle and soared after the group of stormborn. Kael fanned out to the left, Clara the right. Should the demons attempt to split up, both would be ready. Liam flew just shy of Bree, carefully watching for her orders. The sparking group of stormborn ran faster, little bolts of lightning crackling across the ground before fading away, racing headlong through the town.

  Pulling us away from the battle, Bree realized. They’d have to deal with this threat immediately. Her eyes traced the stormborns’ path. The road gently curved to the east, homes packed tightly on either side. Bree signaled to the others, pointing out a slightly narrower stretch of road ahead.

  There, she signaled.

  Kael flew lower, gauntlet spreading a steady stream of ice. A wall formed from house to house, sealing off the street. Clara similarly blocked the other side. Trapped in a small square, the demons could not escape the torrent of flame Bree and Liam unleashed during their pass overhead. The beasts burned and broke into ash and crystalline blood. With that threat ended, Bree brought them back around to rejoin the battle proper.

  Only three stoneborn remained, surrounded by an army of the stormborn. They ran without attacking, their path now toward the lip of the island. A retreat. Bree guided her squad overhead, ice from Kael and Clara forming walls to prevent their escape. Walls of stone and fire quickly joined theirs, sealing the eternal-born into an elemental prison. Bree readied for another pass, expecting the demons to assault one of the sides. Instead they drew in closer together, and then, without apparent reason, they turned wild.

  The stormborn attacked the trio of stoneborn, their power ripping open chunks of their hard flesh. Bree watched with detached horror. Such brutality, and for what? Now that loss appeared inevitable, they would turn on their own? Green blood flowed across the empty street, sparking with electricity. One by one the stoneborn collapsed against each other, their bodies crumbling apart into a singular pile. The blood beneath them became a river. The stormborn sank into it, their bodies turning fluid.

  Kael dashed in front of her, panic in his eyes.

  “I’ve seen this!” he shouted. “We have to destroy it now before—”

  The ground rumbled as a thunderbolt shook the heavens, striking the center of the eternal-born mixture. Bree’s skin tingled and her hair stood on end. The mass of creatures shifted. Still moving. Still alive. Fresh horror awakening in her breast, she gaped at their newly formed enemy.

  One single creature rose to its four feet, a swirling mass of stone held aloft by enormous
streams of electricity. The stone hovered and shifted, creating a loose body with vague representations of arms, legs, and a head. Simply looking at it hurt Bree’s eyes. A constant crackling roar emanated from the hybrid giant. Sparks of lightning flickered off it in all directions as it took its first few steps. Its arms lifted heavenward. The very air swirled into it, building, gathering, breaking.

  The eternal-born monstrosity slammed its arms into its chest, exploding its essence outward in a tremendous eruption of lightning. Seraphim weaved and dodged in a futile attempt to avoid its touch. Bree screamed as a bolt ripped through her right arm. Pain ignited in her nerves. Her mouth locked open in a scream she could not release. Her heart hammered in her chest, her muscles tight, her mind a whirlwind of pain.

  It passed as quickly as it came, the lightning retreating into the creature for a moment before swirling around like a shield. Bree gasped in air, relieved beyond all reason. Her arm ached but otherwise functioned normally. She looked to the others, thrilled to see they too endured. The other Seraphim swarmed in a circle above the giant, bombarding from afar.

  Bree motioned for Kael to take lead with his shield. She followed, her and Liam on either side, Clara taking up the back point of the diamond formation. The Seraphim’s bombardment continued, but they still hadn’t made any real damage to show for it. The swirling beams of lightning forming the demon’s shield lashed out whenever anyone dared come near. Elemental attacks found themselves intercepted with overwhelming beams. Kael dove right as the creature turned their way. The shield swelled, building into a single bolt of lightning that shot straight into their path.