Marcus stared at the pile of rubble that had once been a huge stone snake. Turning to Hanna, he took her hand. “Is she okay?”
Hanna gave his hand a squeeze. “She’ll be alright, though it’ll be some time before she’ll have the energy to do that again.” She grinned. “At least she had fun.”
Even as Marcus turned back to the rubble, he caught sight of a regularly sized Akara slither her way free, give him a happy little wave of her tail, then slip off out of sight. He also heard Bonnie whispering to her own elemental, “Can you do that?”
“Your timing was most fortunate. The Unmaker was proving himself a rather cranky target.”
Marcus looked over to see the two Panthras approaching. They looked a little worse for wear but otherwise intact. “So I see. I’m guessing the whole stealth approach didn’t work, given the state of things.” He pointed to the glowing crystal atop the tower.
Bageera nodded. “It seems our friend on yon rubble had far more extensive security than our early examinations could determine.” His ears flattened. “That may actually have been our fault.”
Theron’s ears cocked forward, though he remained silent.
Marcus blinked at the Shadow Dancer. “Oh?”
“We knew they had increased security before we pulled back. It’s possible they continued to bring in more guards and another berserker in the time between our last observation and the mission.”
Running his hand through his hair, Marcus sighed. “Yeah, seems like it.”
Hanna broke in, “At least it’s all over.”
The pile of rubble shifted.
Marcus pulled Hanna to him and teleported near the tower as the stones went flying in all directions. He managed to see a fist sized rock catch Bonnie in the side of the head and her crumble to the ground. One of the other mages managed a shield for himself and the other two mages, though it seemed to drain him under the earthen barrage.
The two Panthras seemed to dance around the flying debris.
A sphere of energy could be seen through the dust, veins of lightning coursing over its surface. Within the sphere stood a bloodied Feron, his eyes aglow with power, his robes fluttering in an unseen wind.
“You insignificant mites have cost me more this day than you can possibly comprehend.” The mage’s voice seemed to reverberate in the air. “I can feel my subjects escaping, hear the cries of my children as they are torn from the only home they have ever known.”
Feron and his sphere rose into the air. “There are powers at work beyond your understanding. You think this is about the Empire? I could care less about who controls the people, as long as my research remained inviolate. That you are even here proves the weakness of the Empire.”
The floating mage pointed at Marcus. “As for you, traitor, I should have expected you to be trouble. That you survived what we caused at the Leyline Project already defied belief, yet here you are, killing your fellow mages and seeking to stop the advancement of the world.
“What you have wrought here shall be returned one hundred fold.” Feron chuckled, the sound low and ugly. “Were I not so furious I would thank you, Marcus. You have shown that there is no point to hiding what needs to be done.
“The entire world will feel the consequences of what you have done this day.”
Feron rose suddenly as a burst of air rushed beneath him, followed by stone spears, the projectiles impacting his shield. He continued rising until he reached the top of the tower, settling next to the glowing red crystal.
Marcus watched him place his hands on the crystal. Circles of magic swirled around the base of the tower.
Eyes wide, Marcus teleported himself and Hanna back to the group of mages, then turned to watch as even more complicated spellwork blazed to life along the outside of the tower.
Suddenly, the entire tower winked out. There was a rush of displaced air that tugged at Marcus’s robes. He continued to stare at the empty space where a ten store tall, hundred foot wide tower had just been. There was even an empty place in the ground, probably from a basement.
“He teleported the building? You can’t teleport an entire building! I’m the prodigy and I can’t teleport an entire building!”
Marcus felt Hanna’s arms wrap around him, then she said, “We’ve got bigger issues. He saw us and the Majestix. No doubt he knows who else was here. Everyone involved is in danger. Typhonus, my family, and anyone associated with us. We need to warn them!”
Bageera spoke up. “The Khan Council needs to be informed as well. We cannot stay to assist you further here.” Without another word, the two Panthras turned and started loping away.
Marcus watched them for a moment before whirling towards the mages, who were gathered around a crumbled body. “Bonnie!”
Kneeling at her side, he looked to the other mages, who shook their heads. “It’s no good. Her neck’s broke. At least she went clean.”
Fighting back tears, Marcus pushed back to his feet. “No one was supposed to die. That’s why we had double their numbers.”
Hanna caught his face by the cheeks, gazing into his eyes. “We must mourn later, love. Feron has already gone ahead. More people are in danger.”
Marcus struggled to reign in his emotions, nodding to Hanna and covering one of her hands with his own. “You’re right. You’re right.” He took a deep, steadying breath.
“Hanna, head to my study, then get to your parents and get them out of the city. I’ll warn Ty.” Turning to the other mages, he sent one to tell the rest of the rebels the situation, and the other two would return to Terrace and warn the other mages they thought they could trust.
“Time is against us. Let us hurry.”
***
As Palcon exited the barracks, Evalyn close behind, he noticed that the red glow had disappeared. The mages appeared to have finally dealt with Feron. Many of the people gathered outside were looking in the direction of the tower at the back of the compound. A tower that seemed to be missing.
Several groups were discussing the significance of the banished building, though none knew exactly what happened. Someone told Palcon that some people had headed that direction to meet up with the mages.
Palcon was working with Nic Becosea to get people organized for leaving the compound when the tower group came rushing back with one of the mages in tow.
The mage looked panicked as he arrived. “Feron got away! We need to get everyone out of here and warn your father.” That last part was directed at the younger Becosea, who immediately nodded at his friend. Makae seemed to vanish, no doubt on the way back to the estate.
Palcon considered the mage for a moment, then glanced at the crowds, who, while murmuring to each other, still seemed to be watching him. One, Leon, the former village councilman he’d been introduced to, appeared especially intent in his focus.
Turning to look at the groups still leaving the barracks, Palcon caught sight of the towering Raze standing with his fellow Tyrans. He also saw both Shadow Mages talking to Evalyn’s people. Both of those groups were to have sent people to the Majestix, while others were going to integrate into the Rebellion.
Nodding resolutely to himself, Palcon turned back to Nic Becosea. “There doesn’t appear to be time to get everyone separated into the settlements like we originally planned. I say we all head to the Majestix and then regroup there. If we go all together, we’ll have an armed escort along the way and then a safe place to reconsider our options.
“Once we have more time we can see about slipping people back to the settlements. We can also prepare for the attacks of the Empire. They know about us now so there is no more need to keep our existence secret, only who and where we are.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“We’ll call on the people to rise up with us.”
Nic watched Palcon for a moment then nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. Turning away, he began bellowing orders.
Palcon began issuing orders of his own. There were thousands of people to get moving. Not to mention provisions. He set several groups to raiding the compound for supplies, especially food, clothing, and anything that could be used as a tent.
All the while he could feel eyes on him. Evalyn was easiest to see, given her proximity. Raze was also easy, given how he stood a head taller than almost everyone else. At least the Tyran seemed to be organizing his own people.
Palcon wasn’t sure how he felt about Evalyn’s people following the Shadow Dancers.
“You’re doing the best that can be done. Don’t fret.”
Palcon turned to see Leon approaching with a group of elderly gentlemen. He nodded greeting before saying, “Hard not to fret with this many lives in the balance.”
Leon offered him a gentle smile. “You’re handling things well. We’re here to help as well. These are some of the remaining village elders and council members. We plan to make sure people are organized on the march south. We’re used to thinking of village logistics. Breaking things into village sized groups will help.”
Palcon bowed his thanks and gave his blessing, though it felt strange to be in charge of people older than his parents. Worry for his parents rushed over him for a moment.
“You are a natural leader.”
Palcon turned to look at Evalyn, who regarded him with a level look he was coming to consider her only true expression. She continued, “These people follow you because they can see your strength. Not the strength of your arms, but of your heart.”
“Is that why you follow me?”
Evalyn cocked her head ever so slightly. “I follow you because it is right.”
Palcon nodded. Of course she did. Why had he expected any other answer?
***
“But why do we need to leave our home? Help me understand.”
Hanna puffed away a strand of hair that had come free of her braid in her mad dash from the Academy. “Daddy, there really isn’t time for that. I need you and Mommy to come with me. We’ll meet up with Marcus outside the city.”
Mommy wrung her hands and looked around the house. “What about our things? We need time to pack, to let people know we’re going. There are so many things that need to be done first. You can understand that, right dear?”
Daddy crossed his arms and tried to look stern. “We can’t just up and leave with no explanation.”
Hanna looked between her parents, wondering when they’d grown so stubborn. Taking a deep breath, she refocused. There was no way to rush this without some of the truth. “We need to go before the Imperial Guard gets here.”
Mommy gasped and Daddy’s look turned stern. “Hanna, what have you gotten yourself into?”
“Daddy, I can’t go into details. Just know it was the right thing to do, just like joining the Academy was the right thing to do.”
Mommy reached out to take Hanna’s hand. “I’m sure whatever you’ve done we can fix it. The Empire is about making things better for everyone. They’ve united humanity together!”
Hanna gave Mommy’s hand a squeeze. “But at what cost? Do you know what they’ve done to unite us all?”
Daddy stepped closer. “Whatever they’ve done, it was what needed to be done!”
Hanna stared at her parents. “You really believe that, don’t you?”
Mommy looked confused. “Of course we do, dear. Why wouldn’t we?”
Pulling free, Hanna stepped back from them. Before she could speak she felt a spike of danger from Akara. She spun towards the door just as it was kicked in by an armored boot. Turning around, she ran for the back door in the kitchen only to see it shatter into splinters.
An armored figure stepped through the wreckage. Hanna focused, pulling a piece of the stone oven free and hurling it at the guard, who was catapulted back out the door.
A scream from the front room snapped her attention back to her parents. An Imperial Guard stood over the crumbled body of Father, blood dripping from his sword. Mother’s scream cut off as another guard ran her through.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as Hanna reached up to touch the sapphire necklace. She spared a single moment to burn the image of her slain parents into her mind, then focused on her destination, teleporting away.
The last thing she saw was an enraged Feron stepping through the doorway, then she was in the cave, collapsing to her knees.
***
“Ty, did you hear me?”
Typhonus looked up from his work bench, a frown on his face. Setting down the amplification crystal, he reached up to rub his eyes. “Yes Marcus, I heard you and I disagree. You need to go. I need to finish what I’m working on.” He turned away from the look of disbelief on his friend’s face.
“They’ll come after you. They know we’re best friends.”
Typhonus sighed. “Of course they will, once they remember that fact. Knowing Feron, he’ll be too angry to think about anything but the direct people involved. He’ll most likely destroy your study, which is petty and a waste of resources, but he’s never really been concerned about costs.”
Turning back to Marcus, Typhonus gave him a level look. “Which is why you need to get back there and grab all your teleportation research so it isn’t lost again. I’ll have a day or two to finish up what I’m working on, which is critical to our long term survival.”
Marcus appeared to stop fretting for a moment. “Really? What are you working on?”
Typhonus offered his friend a smile. “Go. We both have things to do.” He gave Marcus a gentle shove towards the door.
“Ty? What are you working on?”
Chuckling, Typhonus gave Marcus another shove. “Go! I’ll show you when we meet back up again.”
Marcus looked like he was going to object for a moment, then nodded and hurried out the door.
Shaking his head, Typhonus turned back to the crystal on the table. Picking it up, he examined it quickly. It was too bad he couldn’t show Marcus what he was working on. His best friend really was a genius when it came to teleportation.
This though. This was a departure from traditional magic. If everything worked out he would be able to buy everyone the time and space they needed to organize a true resistance.
Opening the front of his robes revealed a series of identical crystals embedded in his chest. Reaching up, he drove the newest one into his chest, gritting his teeth against the pain.
The crystal slowly shaded to red, filling with his magic and leaving him feeling drained and panting, knees shuddering with the effort to stand.
Besides, if Marcus learned what he was truly up to, he would try to stop it, or worse, try to do it himself, the selfless fool.
Only one of them needed to be sacrificed.