Chapter 470 (1/2)
Chapter 470
Chapter 468: Manaless
CAERA DENOIR
The palace was abuzz with activity, which was no surprise Slightly et out or tried to clap me in irons yet, but I was thankful they hadn’t They needed the infor
In the unplanned-for absence of Guardian Vajrakor and his cohort of dragons, I had turned to Virion Eralith, de facto leader of the elves, to deliver the news of Agrona’s attack Arthur had left him as military commander of Vildorial, rin Within the hour, he had asse for a potential assault on the city
Durgar Silvershale, son of Daglan, lord of their clan, presented himself before Bairon and Virion as his father looked on proudly “The city is sealed up tight,” he said as Virion acknowledged hirown over with several feet of solid stone, like you said”
“With the new bunkers in place and any assault funneled through so few possible points of attack, the people will be safe,” Hornfels Earthborn added, sreatest possible news
Daglan Silvershale cleared his throat “Yes, well, you Earthborns have had thole weeks to make that happen, haven’t you?”
Lance Bairon stepped into the u for confirates in Vildorial are deactivated,” he said, uise his frustration as he looked from the Silvershales to the Earthborns “It should have been colan Silvershale cleared his throat “We have disabled the new long-range teleportation gate brought in froe portals in the lower levels and the outskirts The, ah, lords believe that keeping the gate here in the palace active is essential, and a few of us have private artifacts in our own estates, so order so that the nobility will be able to escape if necessary Disabling all gates, along with sealing the great cavern, would trap us within the city, would it not? If what the Alacryan girl has said is true, and we are without both the dragons and Arthur Leywin, then I wouldn’t see our beloved home become an abattoir, not e can save some, rather than none”
I bit ht me into it
Hornfels looked sheepish “In this Lord Earthborn shares the Silvershale clan’s opinion After all, Commander Virion, you yourself have sent your people out of the city for their safety It would only be proper to leave us a potential escape route should such a thing becoe of his nose, his lance at Virion and then said, “No portals are to remain accessible for any reason, Lord Silvershale Deactivate them ilowered right back “This should be decided by coeneral May I remind you that Coive orders in Vildorial Arthur Leyhile a great hero, is not king of all Dicathen”
Virion gave Silvershale a friendly smile, and the hair on the back of ht, of course I can’tBut if you do not deactivate them, Bairon here will s Lance nodded, and his feet lifted off the ground as he fleard the doors of the war roolun paled and sputtered incoherently as he chased after Bairon “Wait now, see here, one of those gates is in eneral noise as he raced down the hall after the Lance, followed by Durgar, several attendants and members of his clan, and even Hornfels Earthborn
Virion turned to the next person waiting for his attention, a kind-looking elven woray “What news froave Virion a soft, melancholy smile “They have set up a temporary camp in the forested lands west of Mirror Lake Aside from some tension with a few farmers, the journey appears to have been blessedly anticlirowl “Then I would like you to join the you and a few other members of the small council, then he will stay to watch over the people there”
Saria’s brows shot up and she took half a step back Others within the war rooive me, Virion You have always been kind to my family In many ways, the Triscans and Eraliths have been like kin But I would not have you treat me as a child I may not be my cousin, but neither ahed and turned to a stack of scrolls, unrolling one and beginning to peruse it “You’re worse than Bairon No, Saria Our people need leadershi+p as well, and protection Would that I could be in two places at once, but I trust you and Bairon to serve well in ave Virion a shallo, and then turned and strode quickly away
Virion looked up fro across the roo for him, and so he turned his attention to me “And what of you, Caera? Are you certain you want to risk the long journey to the Beast Glades after what has happened?”
“I have to,” I said earnestly, thinking about whatin the Alacryan encampments
What would be worse? If Corbett, Lenora, Lauden, or the others had hesitated to fall in line…or if they were readying their weapons to go to war in search of Arthur…
“Lady Seris needs to knohat I discovered If I can help the others…”
“One last thing I should ask, I suppose, and I hope you’ll forgive me, but…you’re certain whatever happened—this combustion of your mana—will not continue to be a threat? I can’t put others in danger if Agrona can use you as a weapon”
I bitmy words carefully “I can’t be certain, Commander Virion I didn’t even know this trap had been set in my very flesh until today No one did, I’m certain of that But I can feel how it affected ic—feel distant, lessinside ofwith it, so perhaps they did not anticipate needing to set it off more than once”
Virion extended his hand, and I took it firmly “Arthur trusted you, so I will too I ood heart,” he said, surprisingof hope for the future of our two peoples I’ll send word that the long-range teleportation gate can be active briefly, just to let you through We can get you as close as Xyrus City, although it’s still a journey to the Wall froestion, see if you can link up with a group of adventurers frouild, since they’re—”
The harsh ruht dust cascading down fro A wave of tension washed over the faces of all present as they turned to Virion
He closed his eyes and see with his mana for the source “It’s only Bairon,” he confirh Silvershale and the other dwarven lords proved less than acco about the portals,” he added so fro a palpable tension, and Virion softened “Forgive me, friends Your people deserve better leadershi+p than they’ve gotten since the Greysunders, but you all have performed admirably”
This simple comment seemed to diffuse the tension, and finally, Virion returned his attention to h Good luck, Lady Denoir”
“You too, Cohtly aard as I turned and marched quickly toward the door
Behind e from Etistin They…they’ve spotted Alacryan forces near the city”
I slowed, turning back slightly to hear more
“damn it Get word down to Gideon and that asura No ot some weapon cooked up, they need to nature appeared as if froiant shadow
I gasped, spinning on my heel to meet Virion’s wide eyes “Seris!”
The sounds of battle followed almost immediately
I didn’t wait for the Dicathians, instead springing away as fast as I could My body ached and my core was depleted, but I cast the pain aside If Seris was here herself—with Cylrit and Lyra of Highblood Dreide, so far as I could sense—then they hadn’t kno else to prevent the Alacryan refugees fro bombs
But Arthur wasn’t in Vildorial He was the objective Perhaps if I am able to convince therona, I thought hopefully
By the time I had exited the palace, Alacryan soldiers were already strea from a partially collapsed tunnel into one of the dwarven clan’s personal residences Dicathian soldiers were hurrying out of the palace ahead ofthe Alacryans fro this way
The response from beloas slower Most of Vildorial’s soldiers had been arranged in support of the sealed-off gateways into and out of the city, as well as at strategic defensive positions to protect infrastructure and the civilians
The flow of Alacryans wasn’t exactly rapid, with the tunnel they were exiting from half-collapsed, but Seris and the two retainersthe way for the others
Now, Seris and Cylrit were engaged with Bairon over the city Even as I watched, Bairon unleashed attacks at the cavern wall, atte to close off the tunnel fro, but clouds of dark htning blasts before they could land
I stood frozen, unsure what to do next
Was rona? Or had they resisted and met the fate that would have taken me if not for my new spellform and Ellie?
I couldn’t reach Seris while she was fighting the Lance Even if I’d had the energy to fight, I couldn’t turn against either the Alacryans under Seris—hout the short-lived rebellion—or the Dicathians that had allowed ic, drawn in the air like lines of black noise, spilled across the battlefield below Retainer Lyra As the foundations of an idea churned sluggishly to life in hith the forces still trickling out of the dwarven palace
I hadn’t gone five steps before another problehting, not wanting to get caught up in it Lyra’s fla near the center of the Alacryan forces The Vildorian soldiers were launching spells and mundane attacks from both sides, but Lyra counteredinto the Dicathians, trying to burst through the lines
“Lyra!” I shouted, but she gave no indication of hearing me The sounds of battle—spellfire, shouted orders, and the screams of the wounded—sed my voice before it could reach her
And yet it was far too great a risk to try and press through the front lines, where I could be mistaken as an enemy combatant by soldiers on either side
With the little mana I had drawn in and purified since the detonation of my runes, I reached for the eue burned behind ic only flickered
A strea water arced over the front line of Dicathians and fell aainst the stonework only a few feet frohway tree boulder of ice crashed down into the forces atte to block the lower direction
Before I could gather the strength to atte, a shockwave of subaudible noise sla dozens upon dozens of dwarves and their hued up the highway toward ht past the prone soldiers
“Into the palace!” Lyra’s voice sounded, issuing froht beside me “Search every room, every level We must find Arthur Leywin”
Behind es, moved into position across the palace entrance They held up rune-etched shi+elds and worked in concert to conjure a ed shut behind the between the retreating Dicathians ere being pushed back by the sudden surge If only I could reach Lyra, I could—
“Caera!”
My gaze snapped around, searching the lines of charging Alacryans It ith a mixture of relief and horror that I met the eyes of en and Arian, uards of the Denoir blood interspersed throughout the surrounding battle groups as well
Fortifyingthe occasional spell and avoiding the Dicathians as best I could My adoptive blood was slowing, other battle groups rushi+ng onward, flowing around theh, those Dicathian soldiers knocked down by the sonic blast were slowly getting back to their feet
“Arthur isn’t here!” I found h to make myself heard clearly “Fall back! He isn’t in Vildorial!”
“Vritra’s horns, Caera, you’re alive,” Lenora gushed, wrapping , I realized, and a cool dread drew inout of place in his ill-fitting leather ar a shi+eld and spear, blinked several times and wouldn’t look directly at me “It would seem you and Scythe Seris—Lady Seris—inspired in your brother a reckless courage, Caera He…”
Corbett hesitated, but I already knehat he was going to say I sed down the conflicted emotions Lauden’s sacrifice conjured within me There would be time to face them later—if we survived
“You have to fall back,” I forged on “Retreat from the city if you can Take your men, as many as will follow you”
The mask of pain on Corbett’s face cracked “Did you not hear me? Your brother is already dead, and you would have usthis, Caera” He suddenly regarded h this does not seem true for everyone equally”
Lenora stepped in front of hi viciously “By the Vritra, Corbett, use that blistering intellect that brought me to love you”
He stared at her, affronted