Shadow Seed (3 page)

Rona then rolled her eyes. “If you and the
dead want to go charging in, be my guest.”

“Since when are you scared?”

“Oh, I'm not scared,” Rona said.

Annoyed, Hurok covered his ears. “Will you
two halfwits please stop thinking? We’re to skirmish with them,
nothing more.”

Kamala looked back. “I’m not so sure about
that, Hurok,” she said, seeing an army of Prometheans.

Arloff crawled next to Kamala. “Change in
strategy,” he said. “We’re going to hit them now.”

“Why the change?” Kamala asked.

“Even if we got half of them away from here
there’s still more coming through a portal near the camp. Lilith
didn't think so many would be pouring in.”

Kamala gawked at the Pelasgian camp. “So
what, we just do what Doradus said and charge in?”

“Yes, but no matter what, do not get
captured. If you are captured, do whatever it takes to get right
back here into the fight.”

The ravens among them suddenly took off,
almost blacking out the entire sky. They flew low, squawking and
pecking at the Pelasgians.

Badly distracted as they were, very few of
the Pelasgians even noticed the ground slightly trembling, with the
call to arms coming just as the Rheans and Fenrir began to slash
through them.

Arloff punched a Corinthian with such force
that it sent him crashing through several others like a
cannonball.

A Cyclops eager for a challenge, growled as
he ran full speed at Arloff. Both locked hands in a display of
strength, with Arloff losing some ground from the impact.

Everyone around them knew well enough to keep
a distance and stay out of it.

Arloff pushed hard, appearing to have the
upper hand as his opponent fell to one knee.

Knowing that he wasn't going to win, the
Cyclops freed one of his hands and socked Arloff in the gut. As the
Promethean buckled, the Cyclops twisted his other hand as he pulled
and flipped Arloff over on his back.

The ground trembled with dirt and rocks
shooting in all directions.

Arloff quickly turned over and got to one
knee, catching a punch from the Cyclops in one hand and grabbing
him by the buckle. In a burst of energy, he easily stood back up
while tossing the large, one-eyed creature to crush a few
Pelasgians.

When the Cyclops tried to get up, Arloff
jumped on him and snapped his neck with both hands.

Kamala chopped a Satyr down with her
battle-axes before noticing that Darek was having some trouble with
a Corinthian.

Darek swung his sword clumsily, missing the
target and stumbling forward. The Corinthian slashed him across the
back. And though Darek felt no pain, it was still unsettling. He
barely managed to block the next attack that sent him down on his
rump.

Kamala threw one of her axes, striking the
Corinthian in the back. She ran to help Darek up. “Not too handy
with the sword, are you?” she asked.

“Bugger,” Darek said. “Never used one,
actually. Never had to. I sure fancy my final form.”

“Yeah, I miss my bag of tricks, too,” Kamala
said, failing to see an Eriny toss a black ball of slime that
turned itself into a net ensnaring her and Darek.

“Oy! What’s this?” Darek cried, struggling to
break free.

Before Kamala could think of what to do, the
Eriny hauled her and Darek into the air.

Hanging underneath the creature, Kamala could
see the battle raging below, and several others who'd been caught
in a similar fashion. She still had one axe, but it was pinned in
such a way that she could do nothing. With her free hand she pulled
at the net, which didn't give much at all.

The Eriny flew fast, approaching a rocky
field ahead.

“Where's he taking us?” Darek asked. His arms
were free of the net, but it was still difficult to move.

Kamala looked in the direction they were
flying and saw a Pelasgian portal open. “Darek, do you have your
sword?” she asked.

Darek was almost afraid to answer.
“Yeah…”

“Cut the net, or kill this thing!”

“Are you mad? Do you know how high we
are?”

“Do it now!”

Darek swung his sword, slashing the Eriny
across his midsection and causing him to let go.

Screaming in terror as they fell, Kamala and
Darek landed on a huge slab of rock, breaking almost every bone in
their bodies. For several moments neither moved.

Darek opened his eyes. “Kamala?” he called,
barely able to turn his head.

Kamala's body lay just a few feet away. Her
eyes were open with a blank stare, and she wasn’t moving at
all.

Darek became scared. “Kamala?” he whispered.
There wasn't much he could do, being paralyzed from the neck down,
and his fear turned to panic with the sound of footsteps
approaching.

“I hope that never happens again,” Kamala
said, shaking her head in a daze.

“Thank goodness!” Darek cried in joy, turning
his head to see her standing as if she'd just rolled around in
dirt. “Kamala, I'm in trouble. I can’t move. Be a lass and help me,
please.”

Kamala kicked around some of the rocks before
picking up a hefty one and kneeling beside Darek. “Close your
eyes.”

Terror filled Darek's body. “Why? What are
you doing?” he asked.

“Helping you,” Kamala said, raising the stone
above her head.

Darek screamed. “No!”

Like a hammer, Kamala brought the stone down,
crushing Darek's skull. She ran back in the direction she came
from, searching around the boulders until she found Darek squirming
out of the ground, laughing hysterically.

“I'm alive!” Darek shouted, before
remembering otherwise. “Or...close enough, I suppose.”

“Good as new.” Kamala winked.

Darek brushed some dirt off and looked across
the valley where the battle was taking place. “Between you and me,
do you think we can win this?”

“We don't have a choice,” Kamala answered.
“But it sure would be a lot easier if we were alive.”

CHAPTER FIVE

As Nedim and Janah trekked the sand dunes of
Hegira, a constant gust of wind and sand pelted them from the side.
Both were wrapped from head to toe in robes.

Janah smacked Nedim on the arm. “We should
have reached the city by now!” she yelled.

Struggling with each step, Nedim reached over
and pulled Janah close. “Siriso can’t be far. If it weren’t for
this sandstorm.”

“This is unbelievable,” Janah complained.
“The one time we run out of water, we get hit with this. We should
have brought kalecs with us, at least then we wouldn’t have to
walk.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad?” Janah said, leaning into
Nedim. “When was the last storm you were in?”

“A few months ago,” Nedim answered. “I was
with a group of new trainees coming in from the north. Now that was
a storm.”

When they reached the top of a dune they
could see the enormous, triangular silhouette of Siriso filling the
horizon.

Dismayed, Janah fell to her knees scowling.
“This is going to take forever.”

Nedim grabbed Janah’s arm. “An hour…and a
half,” he said, pulling her up. “Maybe.”

“Sure…” Janah said, before quickly falling to
her knees again.

Nedim raised his hand above his head and
formed a protective sphere of energy around them. “I can’t hold
this for long, so listen. You’re just tired, Janah. You need to
gather your wits. That’s not some mirage out there. It’s Siriso.
What will people think when they hear you died within reach of the
city?”

Janah only thought about it for a few seconds
before quickly getting back to her feet.

“You can do this,” Nedim said. “Before you
know it, we'll be inside the city.”

Janah clasped her robes tightly around her
body. “Just keep going. I’m right behind you.”

Trudging onward, they eventually came to one
of the great doors of Siriso. A hundred feet high and wide, there
was no moving it by force.

Spotting Nedim and Janah, a keen eyed Persian
guard signaled from his high post to several Anubians standing
below.

One of the Anubians placed his hand on a
star-shaped glyph on the wall and charged it with energy, causing
the door to slowly slide open.

Nedim and Janah ran through into a long, dark
corridor lit by torches.

Two Persians ran up and handed over canteens
of water. One had a muscular build with the skin of a tiger, while
the other resembled a black panther.

“Kadir, Talik. Thank you,” Nedim said.

Janah leaned against a wall, drinking as much
as she could.

“You two went out to Vesuvia, right?” Kadir
asked.

Nedim took a quick drink before answering.
“Yes.”

“Congratulations,” Talik said. “You must have
been successful. Vesuvian emissaries left not long ago and we
haven’t had any undead trying to pass through here for almost a
week.”

Nedim wiped his chin. “I'm sorry to say we
weren't.”

“What do you mean?” Janah snapped. “You know
the alliance is going to be reformed. Lilith is probably gathering
her forces, and by tomorrow we’ll have the Vesuvians, the Fenrir
and the Khothu in our front line ready to kick the living daylights
out of those wretched Pelasgians!”

Janah threw her canteen and stormed off
further into the city.

“I want to marry her,” Kadir whispered.

Nedim handed the canteen back. “Typical,” he
said, before moving on. Exiting the corridor, he looked around as
he stretched his slender arms and legs.

Though it was midday, inside Siriso it may as
well have been midnight. The only source of light within its closed
walls came from torches.

The city sounded busy enough with people
chattering, animals whining, and construction going on.

“Good day,” a merchant said as he passed by,
pushing his cart of bread down the street.

“To you as well,” Nedim said. “If only it
looked that way.”

A low humming sound kicked in as a streak of
daylight pierced through Siriso’s large crystal cap. Slowly, huge
sections of the city’s walls began to open, letting in more of the
sun’s brilliant rays. After almost a minute it looked like large
square sections had been carved out of the walls.

Outside, all was calm.

Nedim could now see some of the multiple
tiers and support structures, as well as Anubians and Persians
mingling about. Looking to his side, he was startled to find Janah
standing right next to him chewing some bread.

“Figures,” Janah said flatly.

Nedim sighed. “I’m going to the Palace. Are
you coming?”

“Yes,” Janah answered. “But I’m just going to
be nosy. If the Vesuvians were here, then something big is going
on.”

“Don’t get your hopes up. They come here as
much as the others. You just don’t see or hear of them because it’s
usually at nighttime.”

A loud squawk in the distance could be heard
as two Khothu on wyverns flew through an opening in the city’s
wall, and landed in a wide-open area surrounded by shops.

Janah watched as the Khothu set their store
up. “I wonder what they’re selling this time.”

“Probably the usual,” Nedim said. “Overpriced
items you’ve never heard of that you’ll never need…like those
things that float around.”

Janah clasped her hands. “Oh, I love
those!”

Nearby was a corral with several kalecs, a
desert creature similar to a two-humped camel, but with a broader
head and longer hair.

Janah took Nedim’s canteen. “You get the
rides. I’ll be right back,” she said, running off to an oasis.

There were lots of people at the corral. It
took Nedim a minute before he found the rancher. “Excuse me. Do you
loan these out?”

The rancher held two fingers up. “Yes, two
silver coins.”

At the oasis, Janah filled both canteens with
water before running back.

“Go easy on this one,” Nedim said, passing
the reins of a kalec to Janah.

It was a relaxing ride as they strolled
through the almost empty streets. People walking on foot mostly
used the upper tiers to get where they were going.

The Palace was located at the center of
Siriso. It had a step design with outside gardens on every level.
None of the tiers connected with it, only a few surrounding support
beams for the ceiling of the city.

Nedim and Janah dismounted from their kalecs
and found an Anubian woman and a Persian male talking in a garden
on one of the lower steps. Like most Anubians, the woman was tall
and slender, dressed in wrappings of cloth and gold jewelry.

Janah hardly looked at them as she sat on a
bench. “Hello, Amarna, Sayar.”

Amarna bowed. “Welcome back.”

The Persian, Sayar, resembled a half-human
half-lion. He stared disappointedly at Janah.

“Greetings,” Nedim said, bowing. “We heard of
the Vesuvian emissaries. I can assume you know what happened.”

“Yes,” Sayar said suddenly. “You should have
told us about it before accepting the quest. We must be careful
when dealing with the other races.”

Janah smiled. “We didn't accept anything. We
volunteered.”

“You've got a smart mouth,” Sayar
snickered.

“It was I who volunteered us,” Nedim said,
“I'm sure we can all agree that considering we-”

“It was necessary,” Amarna interrupted. “Time
is another factor to consider, a luxury we don’t have.”

“Everyone has to gather their forces,” Sayar
said. “And it may take a few days. Tomorrow we'll submit our battle
plans to the others so we can coordinate our attacks. Both of you
are to continue your current task.”

Janah threw her hands out. “But we're
done!”

“You're done when I say you're done!” Sayar
snarled.

Amarna handed a letter to Nedim. “The
Vesuvians have also informed us that Pelasgians have been sighted
in Rhea.”

“What?” Janah said in disbelief. “Why would
they come back to Rhea?”