The magitech chronicles.., p.117
The Magitech Chronicles- Complete Series Box Set, page 117
part #1 of The Magitech Chronicles Series
Aran couldn’t always pick up Nara’s emotion from her voice, but this time the quaver was unmistakable. She was terrified. They all were.
The remaining pair of black ships turned and slowly departed through the membrane. The Guardian of Xal—she could be no one else, Aran realized—had her chance to destroy them, but she landed gracefully amidst her own ranks, and merely watched them go.
It didn’t take the Marines long to realize their rides were leaving, and their ranks broke almost as one. They started sprinting for the Talon en masse. It was the only remaining ship, and thus the only thing worth defending.
“Bord, Kez,” Aran said, thinking aloud, “get down there and organize the retreat. Pack everyone in that you can. Crewes, Rhea, get the Talon warmed up and in the air the second we’re done loading. Let’s move.”
“Uh, sir, you ain’t doin’ nothing stupid, are you?” Crewes demanded over the comm. His armor was already in motion, and he feathered his thruster as he made for the safety of the Talon. The rest of the company quickly followed suit.
“I am, actually. Nara and I are going to go have a little chat with our new friend.” Aran rose over the Talon and studied the membrane. “Be ready to flee, as quickly as possible. If this goes south, you’ve got command, Crewes.”
“I don’t like it, sir, but I trust you.” The sergeant had already landed near the Talon, and was directing Marines inside.
“Well, here goes.” Aran piloted his armor toward the demons, gliding slowly over their ranks. He stopped a good three hundred meters away, and used air to activate the external speakers. “Hey, there. Sorry we got interrupted, and thank you for letting the survivors leave. As I was saying, we’ve got a common enemy.”
“You speak of Krox.” The woman’s eyes flared a deep, terrible purple, and the song inside Aran’s chest answered. “You and Nara may approach. No others. I will grant you an audience, and I will hear why you have violated this place, in your own words. Then, I will decide your fate.”
It wasn’t really a decision at all. Aran sent a missive to the company. “Follow the rest of the plan. Get the Marines in, and retreat to a safe distance. Sounds like Nara and I are going to a demonic tea party. You good with that, Nara?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
Aran sent a missive directly to Crewes, and the sergeant’s face popped up on his HUD. He frowned at Aran. “You don’t think you’re coming back, do you?”
“Why all the doom and gloom? Of course I’m coming back,” Aran countered. “If she wanted us dead she could accomplish that right now, so I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that. If it does you’ve got some choices. That puts you in charge of this outfit, and I know how much you hate being in charge. Voria will need you if I don’t make it.”
“And she’ll have me.” Crewes frowned at Aran. “But not today. You gotta crawl for this bitch, then you crawl. Come back alive. I can’t do this shit like you can. We need you.”
“I’ll do my best. Take care of them, Sergeant.” Aran killed the missive, and drifted a little higher. He looked past the membrane at the two black ships that had retreated. One contained the governor, and Aran thought he probably should check in before going with this demon. Then he reminded himself that the Ternus forces had just abandoned them.
He faced the demon, who’d walked closer. She now stood no more than a dozen paces away, and that afforded him his first good look at her. She was beautiful, oddly. If you took away the barbed tail hovering over her shoulder, and the leathery wings, and the horns curling from her temples, then what you had was a lithe, athletic woman with violet-hued skin. She topped two meters, making her slightly taller than him.
“Lower your magical defenses, and I will take you to see my father,” the demon intoned in a melodious voice. She raised a delicate hand, and sketched a void sigil. Then another.
Aran relaxed when he recognized the teleport, and a moment later he and Nara appeared atop a wide ledge not far from their host. A broad throne cut from bleached bone sat behind him, and stairs wound down from their perch, all the way to the valley where they’d just been fighting.
The vantage provided a great tactical view of the Skull’s interior, and he realized they were somewhere above the ocular cavities. Probably right behind the demon’s forehead.
Below pulsed a blazing, violet sun, a mini-star that Aran knew from experience contained a vast, vast sea of void magic. That magic still contained part of the mind of Xal, and Aran shivered as he remembered his brush with the dead god. Somehow, after all he’d seen, the death of Xal was still the most tragic event he’d witnessed.
“Yes,” the demon whispered. “It was a tragedy.”
Aran shifted away from Xal’s lingering magnificence, and faced her. Nara had quietly moved to stand behind the demon, but if having an enemy at her back concerned her, Aran couldn’t tell.
“Do you have a name?” Aran asked. He was very careful not to make it a demand.
The demon nodded, but didn’t speak until she’d ambled to the throne. She took her time sitting, like a cat finding a place on the mantle, and only then did she lick her delicate lips and offer a reply. “The name I was born with is Malila, though there are few still living who’d remember it, or my species. My title might better help you understand who I am. I was known as the Hound of Xal. My father loosed me to harry his enemies, and to slay them.”
Aran glanced down at the blazing violet Catalyst, then back at Malila. He didn’t like that she could apparently hear his thoughts. “I’ve only experienced a fraction of Xal’s memories, but he showed me his death. He knew Krox was a threat, and he was right. He predicted Krox’s rise, and I’m betting you know it.”
She frowned at the mention of Krox. “I am aware. To address your…irritation, yes, I can detect everything both of you think. I am in your minds, listening, and I have been since you first touched my father.”
Malila raised a hand, and a thin sheen of void danced along the outer edge. It called to Aran, and he felt something answer in his chest. A similar answer came from Nara’s chest, inaudible but unmistakable to those who bore the mark.
Aran blinked, then cocked his head as he realized something. “The kind of military precision we saw below is unparalleled, except maybe by Ternus elite units. There’s no reason anyone should ever reach that Catalyst. You let some through, don’t you? People like Yorrak make runs at the Catalyst, because you want spies out in the galaxy.”
Malila tilted her head back and gave a deep, throaty laugh. It went on for some time before she beamed a smile at Aran, then at Nara. “You aren’t wrong, but the two of you are so much more than spies. You are more than the tools of Neith. Nor do you belong to Marid, or even to Virkonna, though she touched you before I did. You belong to me, Aran. And so do you, Nara. Even your names are of my creation. A reflection of each other. Fellow pack mates, destined to be hounds, as I am.”
Nara’s helmet hissed as she removed it. She took three steps closer to Malila, then glared up at the much taller demon. “So we’re just a game to you? Everything we’ve endured…you find it amusing?”
Malila threw a leg over the arm of her throne. Her tail curled around her legs, almost of its own accord. “I sometimes forget how…urgent things are as a mortal. And how limited your perspectives are. I do not see you as playthings. Rather, you are my attempt to end a cycle that has been going on for over a hundred millennia. Krox and Nefarius have risen again and again, each trying to rule the sector. And each time the sector is torn apart, and we are lesser than we were. All while the true threat lurks in the darkness, growing stronger. Feasting on our apathy and ignorance.”
Nara moved to stand next to Aran. “Then it sounds like we want the same thing. Are you strong enough to protect me from Talifax?”
Malila’s posture changed, though subtly. Her eyes widened a hair, and a breath caught in her chest. It was minor, and gone quickly, but Aran knew those physical responses. She’d experienced fight or flight. She was afraid of Talifax, as it seemed everyone they’d met was.
“I cannot,” Malila admitted. She straightened on her throne and fixed Nara with an intense gaze. “But I have given you the tools to do it yourself. Time will tell if that will be enough. The possibility you will fail, or give in to temptation, is as great…perhaps greater. Just remember—when you reach that fateful decision, that there may be a way to do as you are bidden without capitulation.”
“We’re straying into cryptic god-speak,” Aran broke in. He’d been down this route with too many gods now. “I’m just going to lay this out tactically, so we can get out of your hair. Krox is coming for Shaya. Voria is going to attempt to resurrect a goddess to fight him, but even if she succeeds we all know it won’t be enough. We need an army, and we have to work with what we have. You said we needed to explain why we’re here, but if you can see through my eyes you already know why. We need those ships powered up, so they can help us take down Krox.”
Malila heaved a sigh of parental disappointment. She rose languidly from the throne, and walked to the edge of their perch to stare down at the mind of a dead god. “You’ve stumbled into the godswar, Aran. It isn’t like any other war you’ve endured. Each decision we make must account for the distant future. This is why Neith empowered both Nara and Voria, so that they would be able to see the long ranging consequences of their actions.”
“I get it.” Aran moved to stand next to Malila’s throne, and found her altogether too…normal somehow. Far below, Xal’s magic called out to him, and he longed to fly down into that light, to claim more of it. “Those ships are tainted by Nefarius. Using them could potentially give a powerful weapon to our enemies. If we somehow finish Krox, then we’re left weakened and unable to deal with Nefarius. Here’s my problem. If we don’t stop Krox we’re all dead. Isn’t it better to beat the enemy, and hope we can tackle the next one? If Krox wins, it’s game over. Maybe he stops Nefarius, but will it matter to us?”
“No one benefits from Krox destroying Shaya,” Nara interjected, lending weight to Aran’s argument. “At least allow us to make mages. You don’t want to power up the ships, and for good reason. But the ships are powered by mages. If you give Ternus void mages, they can power these ships, but they still have free will. They won’t willingly serve Nefarius.”
“Not at first.” Malila sighed, then stalked back to her throne. She glared at Nara, as if the suggestion made it her fault. “But over time they will be corrupted and then consumed. Giving you this strength might help you prevail in this battle, but it will ultimately empower Nefarius, and that may prove to be all of our undoing.”
“I’m so tired of hearing about hypotheticals,” Aran said. He tightened his grip on his rifle. “I’m working with certainties. We take down Krox, or we lose. It’s a simple equation. We might not like the consequences, but we need this cost if we want any hope of victory.”
“Very well.” Malila’s tail flicked in clear agitation. “One hundred mages may approach the light. No more, and none of those blasted ships. I have but one stipulation.”
“Name it,” Aran said.
She leaned closer, giving a slow, predatory smile. “You and Nara must be among those chosen.”
31
Bootes Void
Nara hovered in her spellarmor a few meters above the bleached stone, not far from where Aran waited. It was the first time they’d been alone since…well since it didn’t matter. If being surrounded by demons counted as being alone.
Rank upon rank of horned monstrosities stretched into the distance, toward the sloping walls of the ocular cavity. Her enhanced senses made counting them easy, but she’d stopped when she reached ten thousand.
Today had still been the best day she’d had in a while. It was the first time any of her old friends had treated her like a human being since she’d been confined to that cell. It was the first time she felt like she was a part of something again.
How ironic then, that she badly longed to be back inside that cell, or in any cell really. She’d run events through her head over and over, and the conclusions were terrifying. She was meant to kill Voria, and Talifax was supremely confident that she’d do it. Assuming they survived what was about to happen, then the next place Aran was likely to head would be Shaya.
That put her alarmingly close to Voria, and within arm’s reach of fulfilling Talifax’s plans for her. She couldn’t let that happen. It might even be better if she died here, removing herself from Talifax’s twisted toolbox.
“You’ve got that look on your face,” said Aran, interrupting her thoughts. His helmet hissed and he removed it, shaking sweat from his dark hair. His beard had thickened, but he’d been keeping it trimmed. It looked good on him. Aged him, in a positive way.
“I was just thinking about what comes next,” Nara admitted. She faced the light—the Catalyst she’d dragged Aran into against his will. She remembered that now, and it shamed her. “I should be focused on Xal, but I can’t help but worry about…after.”
Aran tucked his helmet under his arm and turned to face the membrane covering the ocular cavity in the distance behind them. She followed his gaze and saw the Talon drifting through. It glided rapidly in their direction, expertly guided by Crewes. It stung that the sergeant so clearly disdained her now, though it was hard to blame him since it had been her actions that had caused all this.
“We’ll have time to get it sorted. The flight back to Shaya’s going to be long.” Aran’s deep brown eyes reflected the Talon’s approach. “I can’t help but remember the last time we were here. A lot of the people going in aren’t going to make it out. I hope the volunteers were told that.”
“I’m starting to wonder.” Nara replaced her helmet as the Talon’s sleek, golden form glided to a near silent landing a few dozen meters away.
Nara’s armor sealed shut with a click, and her HUD came to life. The warm, rubbery feel against her skin was comforting, and no matter how much Voria and then Eros had tried to beat the tech mage out of her, it was here to stay. She loved spellarmor and the protection it afforded, even if it did limit the use of true magic.
A ramp of azure magical energy extended from the Talon, and well-armed Marines began trotting out in four even columns. They carried spellrifles, which was a smart investment. Those who survived would emerge with a void-empowered weapon, making them all the more valuable.
Crewes exited the Talon directly behind them, like a sheepdog guiding his flock. Kezia emerged a moment later, her massive silver armor so at odds with the diminutive pilot. The drifter carried her hammer easily in one hand, the surface of the metal glinting violet against the backdrop of the Catalyst.
Bord huddled behind her in his smaller scout armor, peaking over her shoulder at the swirling ball of magic they were all here to enter. None of them addressed Nara as they began marching toward the light. The Marines’ commander, someone named Kerr, paused near Aran and the two began chatting. Nara tuned them out, and focused on Kez.
Before she’d met and befriended Frit, she’d have called Kez her best friend. She and the drifter hadn’t known each other well, but they’d fought together, and saved each other’s lives. It hurt to see the indifference, and Nara wished there were some way to bridge the gap she’d inadvertently created. Of course, doing that would only make Kez more vulnerable to whatever Talifax ultimately had planned.
“Nara,” Aran called in his confident voice, “can you bring up the rear with Kez and Bord? I’ll take point.”
Aran rose above the ranks, the purple light painting his armor violet. He moved at a steady clip toward the light, and the ranks of Marines crunched their way across the bone in a rhythmic march.
Nara trailed after, near Kezia and Bord. They weren’t really talking to her, but she still liked being near them.
“I don’t think I can do this,” Kez panted over the internal comms. “That light is…wrong. I don’t want that kind of magic living in me.”
“Don’t go, then,” Nara ventured. She drifted down to hover next to Kezia, no more than a few dozen meters from the hellish light. “Aran and I learned something from the Guardian. She can see through us, because we’ve been touched by…that. Void magic is powerful, but there are other ways to get power.”
“You’re on dangerous ground, Nara,” Crewes snapped, his voice taught over the comms. “Don’t be giving my people orders. You’re still a prisoner.”
“I was just—”
“Enough.” Aran cut off everyone. “No one has to go in the light who doesn’t want to. I know better than anyone the risks entailed. I’m going to walk in first, so I won’t even see if you go, and I can promise you it will never be spoken of again. Make your own choice.”
Aran’s armor drifted into the light, and then disappeared. As soon as he entered, Marines began following him into the light.
“Yeah, I’m not going in there,” Bord said as he poked out from behind Kez. “Kezia, my love, you do what you need to do, and I’ll support you. Stay here, or go in the light—I got your back…side. I know you can’t see it inside my helmet, but I winked when I said that.”
Kez snorted at him. “How you can be such a bad mix of chivalrous and lecherous I will never know.” She hesitated, and her armor turned to face Nara. She wished she could see the drifter’s face. “It means a lot that I’ve got your support too, Nara. That light is joost wrong, and I’m not letting it touch me.”
Crewes stomped his way over to stand next to Kez, then turned away from the light. “After that dream shit there’s no way you could get me in there. I don’t care how much you paid. These things get in your head, and they don’t ever leave.”
They stood silently after that as rank after rank of Marines trotted into the light.
Nara took a deep breath. She couldn’t put this off any longer. She’d promised that both her and Aran would enter. “I’m already touched by it, and entering a second time probably won’t make it worse. I’ll see you on the other side.”
