Consensus Breaking (The Auran Chronicles Book 2) (32 page)

Barach was right. Seb didn’t argue the point. He joined Cade at the elevator and lowered himself through the service hatch.

The descent took twenty minutes. The air noticeably cooled, and Seb felt the pressure on his ears as they plunged deeper underground. There were sheol here too. He felt Cian’s staff on his back, its presence reassuring.

The shaft opened up into a small receiving area with a plain sofa, a table and a plastic plant. The technicians were obviously not people for decor. The group spilt out in silence, Cade moving to the sealed door that led into the Manyway chamber and pressed his ear against the cold metal.

‘Seb, you pick anything up?’

Seb
sensed
.

Not good.

Cade registered the expression. ‘How many?’

‘I reckon about thirty ferals. The portal is distorting Sentio though so I can’t get it nailed down.’

‘Okay. We go in loud and fast. Phosphorous first. Mop up what’s left. Understood?’

The group nodded in ascent. Seb gripped his staff, the Weave flowing now.

Cade keyed in the security code that the technician had provided. The panel turned green. The door slid open.

And all hell broke loose.

The sheol were crouched, hidden behind ruined pillars and crumbling masonry. The nearest howled as the door slid open, their cries echoed by those further back inside the massive cavern. They were already charging before Cade had even stepped out, eating the distance between the two groups at a terrifying pace.

Cade tossed the phosphorous launcher to one side. Firing at that distance would be lethal to both parties. His hands blurred and a trio of silver throwing stars tore into sheol flesh. One dropped, its throat melting, the other two stumbling but their charge continuing.

Seb bundled out with the others. He ducked and moved to the side as at least five of the sheol narrowed on him, his Weave-aura drawing them in. He flung up a shield of force as they leapt towards him, the first two smashing into the barrier at pace. Bone crunched and the fiends fell.

The others learned quickly and came round the side. Seb’s staff materialised in his hands, purple energy rippling up the shaft. The three sheol circled him, aware of the damage the weapon could do.

Alongside him the rest of the team battled for their lives. Sylph vanished into the shadows, the sheol nearest her scraping nothing but air with its razor-talons. She popped into existence for a brief second, her dagger plunging deep into her opponent’s exposed flank, before vanishing back into the safety of darkness.

Cade was a devil. A whirling force of steel that sliced through sheol like they weren’t even there. The creatures backed away from him, learning quickly that this wasn’t an opponent that could be quickly overrun. Behind him the four brothers fanned out, picking off those sheol they could with their firearms.

Barach surged ahead, barrelling into the swarm of sheol. His skin seemed to ripple with Weave-fire, burning any sheol that came within reach. He spun his staff around at speed, cleaving through the daemons, leaving a pulping mass in his wake.

One of the sheol nearest Seb became impatient. It lunged forwards, a rusted short sword clutched in one hand. Seb dodged as the blade struck rock, snapping halfway down its length. He sent a bolt of purple fire straight into the creature’s face, melting its head into a liquid stump as the creature fell to the ground.

A cry from behind made him turn. One of the other brothers, Lee, was collapsed against the wall, his arm limp by his side, blood pumping from an open wound between his shoulder and neck. Two sheol converged on him, sensing victory.

Seb threw himself amongst the pair. He swung the staff around his head like a ball on a chain, the weapon catching the nearest of the sheol on the head, cracking its skull. The other scrambled away, joining the rest of a group that had turned their attention to the other brothers.

‘You okay?’ Seb shouted.

‘I can’t fight. I can’t feel my arm.’

Lee’s face was the colour of ash. He was going to bleed out if something wasn’t done. On instinct, Seb placed his free hand on the open wound.

‘I think this will hurt.’

‘Think?’

Seb called the two Scripts almost at once.
Force
pushed the torn wound together, and then he called
burn.
Lee screamed as smoke puffed from the wound, the stench of burning flesh nearly overpowering. Seb stepped back when he felt Lee couldn’t take anymore.

The wound no longer bled.

‘You okay?’

Lee clutched his wounded arm and managed a quick nod.

‘Stay at the back. Don’t do anything stupid.’

Then Seb was off, back into the fray.

The last of the sheol were falling back. They’d scattered under the combined onslaught, scurrying for cover. It had allowed the Brotherhood warriors to draw their firearms. The sheol fell under a hail of silver bullets, their bodies bubbling and melting away into nothing.

‘Come on,’ Cade shouted. ‘We can’t be far now!’

They hurried through the vast chamber, following the thick power lines that followed the walls, vanishing through a wide archway up ahead. Through the archway Seb could just about make out the bone arches that surrounded the Manyway. The Weave pulsed from the room in waves, but it was a strange variance of it, almost alien.

Such was the group’s enthusiasm to get to their target that they didn’t notice the shadows nearest the arch as they began to shift and morph. Seb’s
sense
screamed at him and he skidded to a stop.

No.

‘Magi!’ he screamed.

There were six of them, clad in the black and blue smocks of the Ninth, their faces obscured by hoods. One stood out amongst them, his hood drawn back. The mage’s lips curled into a wicked sneer as Cade and the rest skidded to a halt.

‘This is where your ad --’

Cade fired. The mage
shimmered
. Most of the bullets hit nothing but air, but at least one made the tell-tale
thunk
as it struck flesh.

‘I don’t have time for talking,’ Cade hissed.

They charged into the magi, who
blinked
and vanished into the shadows. Seb spun, flicking his vision through the different spectrums as he tried to find them.

A mage appeared behind Marie, one of Cade’s warriors. Her own
sense
kicked in and she pivoted, her gun arching round to fire.

Too slow.

The mage’s staff punctured her back and thrust out of her chest. Her eyes widened as she saw the blade, her hands rising up to grab it before the mage yanked the weapon out, Marie sagging to the floor. The mage twisted the staff into both hands, readying to strike her again.

Seb
blurred
, striking the mage at speed. Ribs cracked as the mage flew backwards into the wall, his spear-staff clattering to the floor beside Seb. Before the mage could rise again Seb flicked up the weapon with the tip of his foot, caught it, and then hurled it with the full force of his Avatari behind it. The spear pierced the mage’s chest and pinned him to the wall, unmoving.

Five magi left.

Three had converged on Barach, sensing where the greatest threat lay. They leapt and vaulted around him, their bladed staffs trying but failing to find their target. Barach was a blur amongst them. He caught one in mid-air by the throat and smashed her into the ground. One leapt towards his back but Barach
shimmered
and the Ninth mage thrust his spear into his own companion on the floor. The Ninth mage only had the briefest of seconds to comprehend what had happened before Barach appeared behind him. A neck snapped, and the Ninth mage dropped to the ground.

Cade had emptied his weapon of rounds, firing into a moving mass of shadow that flew around him like a Chinese dragon. When his weapon clicked empty he drew his twin swords, dropping to a crouch as he pivoted, his yellow eyes scanning the gloom. Something lanced out and the warrior grunted in pain as he fell forwards, a deep wound showing through his armour.

A mage appeared behind Cade, his weapon ready to finish the warrior off. Seb could sense the other magi, the unhooded one, nearby, but he hadn’t shown himself. Seb had his shield up,
sense
focused, ready to receive an attack. If he stayed still he’d be ready, but Cade was vulnerable.

Screw it.

Something disturbed the air behind him, but he ignored it. He
blurred
again, not quite reaching Cade but getting within reach. He slid to one knee and threw a bolt of
force
that staggered the mage behind the warrior. Before the mage could readjust, Cade recovered, and he twisted and lunged up with one of his blades, impaling the mage, who slid downward onto the weapon with a sickening squelch.

‘Seb behind you!’

The shout was from Sylph, but where she was he had no idea. Not that it mattered. He
teleported
backwards, reappearing just as the unhooded mage had sent a bolt of black fire that scorched the ground where he’d had been standing a second earlier. Sylph appeared from the shadows too, blood pouring from a wound on her head, but the other mage now lying dead by her feet.

They surrounded the unhooded mage, who spun about, his bladed staff constantly changing angle and direction. He was strong in the Weave, but angry, full of rage. Seb doubted if he had the ability to control it for long periods.

‘You think you’ve won?’ the mage said in accented English. ‘You think you’ve defeated us?’

‘It’s looking pretty promising from here,’ Cade said.

‘You have no idea what you’re facing!’

They attacked as one, converging on the mage before he could react. Instead of defending though he smashed a dull, amber stone on the floor. He vanished with a flash of light.

‘A home stone,’ Seb said.

‘Guess he didn’t fancy his chances.’

‘Guess there goes our element of surprise,’ Barach said.

‘How are we?’ Cade said, looking around the room.

‘Ah, no,’ Seb said, ‘Cade, over here.’

Lee, Marie and another warrior, Veerman, all lay dead, the Ninth magi able to secure killing blows during the skirmish. Only one of Cade’s force remained alive. The young warrior was slumped against a pillar, nursing a nasty gash on his face.

‘Are you okay, soldier?’ Cade said.

‘Yessir, just a surface wound. It’ll heal.’

‘Good lad.’

They all turned as one towards the open arch. That strange, corrupted Weave energy still pulsed from it in waves.

‘I guess we go in?’ Sylph said.

‘You ready for this?’ Seb moved to Sylph. He wiped her head with a rag ripped from a fallen mage. She flinched but let him remove the blood, exposing a deep gash on her scalp. He placed a hand there and called a simple
heal,
the wound healing instantly.

‘Yeah, I am, and thanks.’

‘How about you? Your head holding up?’ Cade said.

‘I think so.’ Seb said. He’d been channelling near-constantly for the past couple of hours. The familiar ache was there, but none of the throbbing pain that he’d normally associated with prolonged Weave use. He had capacity left, that was for sure.

‘Then let’s get this thing over with.’

They had all stepped through the arch, the massive halves of the door chained to the walls on either side, when Seb noticed that Barach was still standing, not following.

‘What’s the matter?’ Seb said.

‘Sedaris will know we’re here now. He’ll follow us.’

‘Let him come. It beats skulking around in the dark.’

‘No. This is not your battle. If he intercepts us now, then we have no chance. I must confront him. Alone.’

‘I’ll come with you. I’m a mage. He’s wronged me as much as you.’

Barach’s mouth lifted in a wry smile. ‘Thanks, but no.
They
need you. I’ll meet you after I’ve dealt with Sedaris.’

It was pointless arguing. Barach didn’t invite negotiation.

It would also be the last time they’d see each other.

‘What’s going on?’ Cade said, re-joining the pair.

‘You’re not going to change your mind, are you?’ Seb said.

‘No chance. I must do my duty, as you must do yours. Understand?’

Seb nodded.

‘Good lad,’ Barach said, ‘make Danu proud.’

‘What?’ Cade looked between the two of them. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Barach isn’t coming.’

Cade’s face creased into a frown. He drew breath, some expletive no doubt about to follow. Then something clicked in his mind.

‘Sedaris. He is coming.’

Barach nodded. ‘Go. I will hold him up as long as I can.’ He took something out of his coat. A small pouch, tied at the top with string. He passed it to Cade.

‘The Home Stone I created earlier. You know how it works?’

‘I do,’ Cade replied. He slid it inside his armour.

Everyone knew what Barach remaining behind meant for the mage, but none spoke it aloud. A silence fell upon them, only breaking when Cade stepped forward and held out his hand. Barach accepted the gesture, and the two men clasped arms.

‘Good luck, Barach,’ Cade said.

‘You too, Cade. I wish we could’ve known each other under different circumstances.’

‘Likewise.’

Barach turned and stepped back into the chamber. He raised his hands wide. The Weave groaned, and then the chains on either side of the door snapped. Seb eye’s never left the mage as the massive doors slowly rumbled together, eventually closing with a loud bang.

***

Sedaris held the drink, half raised to his mouth. A frown furrowed his brow.

‘Problem, Archmage Tarmyr?’ he said, draining the last of the wine from his goblet.

The uneasy expression on Tarmyr’s face vanished, replaced by his normal, unconvincing smile. ‘No, should there be?’

‘Your men are anxious. A security detail has not reported in,’ Sedaris added, letting Tarmyr know that he couldn’t be deceived.