Izikiel (34 page)

Pandemonium erupted on the surface of
Vesta
. Some of the special operatives fell back. The majority stood their ground and fired blindly into the dark veil closing in around them. They had been trained for this. They knew the risks. They knew what to expect. But no simulation could have prepared them for the reality of facing thousands of void spawn protected by a dark veil.

Half of the human forces died within
minutes of the sun shield failing. The rest fell back into a defensive formation orchestrated by Xavier and Jonas. Their combined barrage kept the void spawn at bay.

‘We need to get out there,’ Izikiel said. Turning to Cassandra and Jenevieve
, he motioned for them to follow him.

‘What about us?’ Te’Anne asked.

‘Stay in the ship. Vorn get the
Valiant Crusader
back into orbit. Use what munitions you have to disrupt the dark veil from above. Co-ordinate your fire with the remaining forces on the ground.’

Vorn nodded as he activated the engines. A reassuring rumbl
e of power ran through the ship as it reached flight readiness.

‘
We cannot survive an assault of this magnitude,’ Cassandra said.

‘I know but we’ve got to do something. We can’t simply leave them to die. Not again
,’ Izikiel said.

‘History is repeating itself,’ Jenevieve said. ‘I can feel the moments in time aligning. This was meant to happen.’

‘If that’s true, then this is good news. The last time this happened we were successful in defeating the Void Lords,’ Izikiel said.

‘There is no certainty of the outcome being the same. All I know is that events have reached this point because they were supposed to. What happens from here on out is up to us.’

‘I understand. It’s been an honour to fight by your side.’

‘No, disciple. It is we who are honoured,’
Cassandra said.

‘Let’s go.’

They stepped out onto the sand. The ramp slid back inside the
Valiant Crusader
and the ship lifted up into the sky. Izikiel surveyed the carnage before them. Bodies, both human and void spawn, were piled up all across the desert. A couple of hundred human soldiers remained standing. Their weapons glowed red hot from the sheer volume of projectiles they were discharging. While the human forces were almost depleted, the void spawn seemed to be limitless.

‘We need to get over there and shatter that dark veil,’ Izikiel said.

‘Lead the way,’ Cassandra said.

Sprinting across the hot sand they reached the defensive formation just as the dark veil closed in around them. The three true believers unleashed wave after wave of scorching heat, burning through the dark veil. Each time the tear healed faster and faster as more void spawn joined the fray. Xavier and Jonas materialised next to
them.

‘We can’t hold them much longer. Our weapons will shut down soon and we’re dangerously low on
ammunition,’ Xavier said.

‘Can we make it back to the ships?’ Izikiel asked.

‘No chance. Even if they could land, we’d be overwhelmed trying to get on board.’

They were surrounded on all sides by a sea of oily black creatures. The ships above continued their relentless barrage but it was having little effect.
Izikiel could sense the fear and desperation in those around him. Their weapons were on the brink of shutting down. It could end only one way.

‘I’m so sorry, this is all my fa
ult. I wasn’t strong enough, I -’

The flaming object hit the ground with such
force that it disrupted a large section of the dark veil, knocking hundreds of void spawn aside. The shockwave threw a mountain of dust into the air as both sides turned to look at the crater that had materialised in the centre of the battlefield. A twelve foot tall being made entirely of flame was climbing out slowly.

Izikiel looked at Cassandra who nodded.

‘The Elementals have arrived.’

Dozens of the flaming shards struck the battlefield dissolving the dark veil entirely.
The void spawn were no match for the Elementals in their true form. The towering beings of burning flame devastated the oily black creatures. Striding across the battlefield, the Elementals quickly turned the tide of the battle as the remaining human soldiers pushed forward. Soon, they were fighting inside the New Babylon star port.

The
Valiant Crusader
landed near the eastern entrance. Vorn led Te’Anne and the little girl down the ramp. Izikiel, Jonas and Xavier, along with the two true believers, joined them.

‘Are those
…?’ Vorn asked, deliberately avoiding looking at Cassandra.

‘Yes,’ Izikiel said. ‘The Elementals have honoured the alliance forged by Lady Serafine.
’

‘What finally convinced them?’

Now it was Izikiel’s turn to avoid looking at the human-form Elemental standing next to him. Instead, he said, ‘They acknowledged that it was time to end the stalemate that had persisted for nine hundred years. They will fight alongside us until this is over, one way or another.’

‘I’m just glad
that they’re here, without them we would have -’

A
void spawn sprang up before them without warning. Lashing out with its razor sharp claws, it sliced Vorn across the chest half a dozen times.

'No!' Cassandra cried out.

Vorn clutched at the fatal wound. He tried to say something but managed only to cough. Then he collapsed to the ground. Xavier and Jonas unleashed a volley of dense plasma at the void spawn forcing it back.

Dropping to her knees
, Cassandra cradled Vorn’s head in her hands.

‘Cassandra, I…’ Vorn struggled to speak.

‘It’s ok. I know and I do too,’ the human-form Elemental whispered as she caressed his face. A smile slowly spread across Vorn’s face. Then his entire body stiffened and he was still. Cassandra closed his eyes.

‘
Is he...?’ Izikiel asked as he knelt beside Cassandra.

‘
There is nothing you can do, disciple,’ the human-form Elemental replied. ‘He is with the Flame now.’

‘
Are you alright?’

‘
No, no I'm not. This is the risk we face when we take human-form,’ Cassandra said. ‘But I am not human. I am an Elemental.’

Standing up
, she turned to face the void spawn.

‘
Hold your fire,’ she ordered.

Xavier and Jonas hesitated but seeing the look of determination on her face
, lowered their weapons. Seeing its chance, the void spawn rushed at her. Just when Izikiel contemplated calling forth the power of the Eternal Flame, Cassandra reacted.

Shedding her human guise
, her figure flowed upwards and outwards. Where before had stood a slender human female now stood a towering twelve foot tall being of pure flame. Lashing out with her flaming arms, Cassandra cut the void spawn in two. Grabbing the two flailing parts, she set them on fire. Only when the void spawn finally ceased twitching did she release her hold. As the two charred pieces landed in the sand, Cassandra’s voice spoke directly into their minds.

(‘Follow me
.’)

The towering Elemental ducked through the eastern entrance, its flaming body flowing like liquid yet burning with the intensity of a distant star. Izikiel absently noted that the sand crystalized wherever Cassandra stepped and the sides of the star port walls melted where she brushed against them.
He was also aware of a faint crackling sound. It reminded him of a fire burning on a cold winter night.

‘The remaining human forces have advanced through the northern and southern entrances. It looks like the void spawn are falling back towards the space platform,’ Xavier said. The tattoos on his face glowed brightly as he interfaced with his suits communication channel.

‘Why are they guarding the space platform? It’s not like they have any ships. This makes no sense,’ Jonas said.

‘I agree,’ Izi
kiel said. A sudden thought struck him. ‘Xavier, can you establish a link with the ships in orbit?’

‘Yes. Hang on.’ The silver tattoos flickered and dimmed. Finally
, they glowed with a steady ambience. ‘Interface established.’

‘Ask them to scan for any sign of the citadels that landed inside New Babylon.
’

‘Alright, give me a moment.’

Three void spawn came bounding across the rooftops towards them. Before Izikiel could react, Cassandra had lashed out. Once. Twice. Three times and three severed bodies landed in the sand. Izikiel was glad once more that the Elementals fought with them, although a part of him was taken aback by the sheer savagery displayed by the powerful being. It was as if her humanity had been stripped away with her disguise. She was now a truly alien being.

‘The ships have completed their scan. There is no sign of any of the citadels
anywhere near New Babylon,’ Xavier said. ‘One of the ships in high orbit has detected something which could be the anti-matter quantum signature of a dark citadel at the northern polar cap.’

‘It’s them. They’ve moved to the
site of the Great City,’ Izikiel said, convinced of his deduction. Turning towards Cassandra, he said, ‘We’ll need the
Valiant Crusader
.’

The towering figure of flame strode towards him. Izikiel could feel the intense heat as she approached. The others fell back several steps. Then the heat dissipated as Cassandra resumed
her human-form. The transformation back was even more remarkable as the figure contracted and the flames disappeared.

‘Let’s go
,’ she said.

The
Valiant Crusader
accelerated upwards. Its gleaming metallic hull glistened in the reflected light of the twin suns as it rotated and aligned on the northern polar cap. Three plumes of superheated plasma stabbed out propelling the ship through the atmosphere. All around them the remaining ships of the human fleet changed course and converged on their destination.

‘The
void spawn at New Babylon are in full retreat. The Elementals are hunting down each and every one of them,’ Xavier reported. ‘All of our ships are heading for the northern polar cap. Once there, they will hold position in low orbit to prevent any of the dark citadels from lifting off.’

‘
When we get there you drop me, Cassandra and Jenevieve off. The rest of you take off and re-join the fleet in orbit,’ Izikiel said.

‘Excuse me?’ Te’Anne asked in disbelief. ‘You expect us to fly around while the three of you risk your lives to confront the
Void Lords?’

Izikiel looked at her for a long moment before replying.

‘This is the final confrontation that I’ve been dreading since the moment Da’Amo told me that I was a disciple and that my destiny was to challenge the Void Lords. Everything that we’ve been through, everything that we’ve suffered and lost has led us to this moment. This is the final part of my journey to becoming one with the Eternal Flame. I have to do this but I cannot bear the thought of losing any more of my friends.’

Xavier and Jonas stared at each other while Te’Anne looked out at the surface of
Vesta
through the forward view screen. The little girl stood beside her.

‘No, that’s not going to work for me,’ Jonas said. ‘What about you
, Xavier? Are you happy to sit this one out and let these three risk their lives to save us?’

Xavier shook his head as he hefted his gauss rifle.

‘No way. We’re coming with you.’

Izikiel let out a deep breath. Turning towards Te’Anne, he asked, ‘I suppose
there’s no way that you’ll stay aboard the
Valiant Crusader
?’

‘I told you before. I have faith in you. I know you can defeat them.
Besides, I have no idea how to fly a star ship.’

The little girl moved to stand between Te’Anne and Xavier. Izikiel stared at her incredulously.

‘You too?’

She nodded, unable to sp
eak. Despite his trepidation, Izikiel smiled. In his darkest, most difficult hour, he was surrounded by those who would stand with him until the end.

‘Alright, let’s get down there and finish this.’

The
Valiant Crusader
detached itself from the rest of the human fleet and decelerated into the northern polar cap. They touched down between several large rock formations. The four dark citadels, embedded into the remains of the Great City, dominated the horizon.

An external
vent released its pent up waste gas and the
Valiant Crusader
settled onto the soft sand. Cassandra switched the power off and stood up.

‘
The ship is secure,’ she said.

‘Right,’ Izikiel said. ‘Every
body ready?’

As one they nodded.

Xavier opened the rear hatch and they filed out through the main compartment onto the soft white sand. The heat beat down upon them as Izikiel remembered the first moment when he had woken up on the northern polar cap of
Vesta
. That seemed like a life time ago now. He was different. Stronger. Wiser. His command of the Eternal Flame’s abilities was almost complete. And he was not alone.

To his left stood Cassandra, an Elemental
. She was dazzling in her human-form but her true appearance was the thing of dreams. On his right, Jenevieve, a Guardian of the Eternal Flame, so powerful that she could manipulate the very fabric of time. Behind them were the three natives of
Vesta;
Xavier, Jonas and Te’Anne. Resourceful and determined, they were highly skilled at surviving any situation.

And
then there was the little girl. Izikiel was almost certain that he knew who she really was. The pieces were all falling into place. Her presence on the surface of
Vesta
, not far from the geo-planetary elevator. Her inherent ability to call upon the Eternal Flame. Cassandra’s suspicions. Soon, he would be strong enough to undo the temporal flux surrounding her.

Reaching into his pocket
, his hand closed around the photograph of the dark haired woman with blue eyes.
Soon, I promise
.

‘It’s a little hot,’ Te’Anne
said as she shielded her face from the sun.

‘Sorry, I forgot,’ Izikiel said. Lifting his arm up, he channelled the heat into himself.

‘Thanks’

Izikiel nodded absently as his attention turned to the four dark citadels. They were embedded into the white sand about two hundred paces in front of them. He could sense the
cold and emptiness of the Void permeating through them. He could also feel the dark creatures moving within. One in particular stood out.

‘
Caligo Dominus is here,’ he said.

Jenevieve shivered slightly as Cassandra’s eyes glowed with an inner fire.
Xavier and Jonas gripped their weapons tighter as Te’Anne moved in front of the little girl.

‘Look!’ Jenevieve called out.

A dark veil had begun to creep out across the white sand expanding around the four citadels. Within its depths, they could just make out a horde of black shapes moving towards them.

Holding his hand up, Izikiel channelled the power of the Eternal Flame. His entire form began to glow as he turned his mind back to the first time
that he had heard the ancient language. Images of a spiked red desert wolf impinged on his awareness as he opened his mouth and spoke.

‘
Aduro
’

Both his arms erupted in blue flame as he turned and sprinted across the sand towards the closest citadel. Behind him
, Cassandra shed her human-form and launched herself across the sand with gigantic flowing strides. Jenevieve called upon the Eternal Flame to establish a flaming shield around them as Xavier, Jonas and Te’Anne armed their weapons and opened fire.

The little girl, the silent one,
began to walk slowly towards the largest of the four dark citadels.