Shadows Book 1 in the World of Shadows (19 page)

Commander Jashen nodded. “Good call.”

He motioned toward the doors. I paused a
moment and took a calming breath to collect myself, then stepped
onto the balcony next to Axon and King Adexo. My heart stopped at
the sight of Duskies filling every available space in the gathering
square and flowing past the gates into the street beyond. Though
Commander Jashen said the Duskies had never fought, he had either
forgotten the need for weapons, or knew that since they supplied
the soldiers there would be plenty of weapons available. Metal
glittered from every corner, swords, spears, knives, and battle
axes were held by Duskie men and women, some barely older than
children.

It was the expressions on their faces that
caught my attention the most. I didn’t see any trepidation or fear,
just expectancy and excitement at being able to finally defend
themselves. They no longer had to wonder if the next day would
bring about the destruction of their families and homes without the
chance to do something about it. Hope and smiles were exchanged
between husbands and wives who looked anxious to fight side by
side. Brothers and sisters twirled swords and looked more
experienced with the weapons than I had expected. The atmosphere
was one of enthusiasm, and the roar of the courtyard rushed with an
intimidating thunder to our balcony.

King Adexo looked back at me and gave a
reassuring smile. I swallowed and stepped up between him and his
son. Several Duskies looked up at me and their eyes widened. They
whispered to their neighbors and I watched as word spread like
ripples in a pond. When the news reached every corner, the Duskies
fell silent as a whole and I felt every eye in the courtyard turn
to me. My heart clenched. I glanced at King Adexo, wondering what
he would say, and my breath caught in my throat when I found him
watching me with an expectant expression.

I had never addressed a crowd in my life. I
didn’t know what to say, how to begin, or even if I was loud enough
for my voice to reach those below. I tried several times to speak,
but my throat was dry and the words wouldn’t come. The audience
below glanced at each other, and I could almost hear them asking
why a mute Duskie was standing up with their King and Prince.

Commander Jashen stepped onto the balcony
beside me and held up his hands. The murmur that had risen with my
failed attempts grew quiet. “Citizens of Lumini, I am grateful you
have gathered here to fight for your country. It is fitting that
the Duskie who rallied for your opportunity to join us in battle is
now your Commander, and I have been given the honor of introducing
her.”

I glanced at Axon and he gave an amused
smile. I turned back with a rise of trepidation to where Commander
Jashen continued, “Duskie Commander Nexa has journeyed to us from
Firen Caves where she fought hordes of Sathen on a daily basis,
trained beside hardened warriors with countless weapons, and served
her days protecting the Luminos, Nathos, and Duskies within the
Caves.” Voices rose below as the gathered Duskies whispered to
their companions.

Commander Jashen’s voice lifted and he
leaned against the balcony, clearing enjoying himself. “Duskie
Commander Nexa traveled the harsh desert sands, protecting Prince
Axon and his guards by herself at night when the Nathos in their
party were killed. She slew numerous Sathen taking on grievous
injuries without concern to herself as she protected our Prince
with her life.” The murmur rose to an excited buzz below us.

I raised an eyebrow at the King to ask
whether the Luminos Commander should be allowed to continue, but he
merely nodded with a satisfied smile. I sighed and listened as
Commander Jashen continued, “Duskie Commander Nexa is a stalwart
warrior, a trustworthy soldier, and a Duskie in whom I would
entrust my own life.”

I stared at him and a silence of
astonishment met his words from below. I opened my mouth, then
closed it again. Commander Jashen swept his arm back to indicate me
and pull me forward at the same time. “I give you your Commander,
worthy of the title, worthy of your trust, and ready to lead the
Duskies into battle!”

A roar met his words. I looked down at the
Duskies and saw that the woman in the marketplace had been right.
They wanted to fight. I felt almost bad for the Lysus. They had no
idea what was coming. I took a breath and tried to think above the
pounding of my heart. The expectancy in the eyes of the Duskies
below sent a small shard fear through my chest that I wouldn't be
able to meet their expectations. I fought back the urge to leave
the balcony and run away. “I am Nexa from Firen Caves,” I said.
Whispers arose, but quieted quickly. The chink of metal on metal
was soon the only sound in the courtyard.

The Duskies before me were ready to fight
for their families and for each other to defend their homes, all
things that I had never had. I didn't belong in Lumini, I didn't
have a family, and I had no one to fight for. Hopelessness welled
in my chest, but then Dathien's voice came to my mind and I saw the
certainty in his eyes when we walked through the Lysus castle.
“You’re one of us now, Nexa. Don’t forget it. No one can tell you
that you don’t belong.”

I fought back a pang of loss at his death
and lifted my chin. I would make Dathien proud. “Despite Commander
Jashen’s very generous introduction, you may wonder what right I
have to stand before you.” A small spattering of laughter arose,
then quieted as they waited for me to continue. Inspiration
clutched at my heart and I smiled. “The right I have comes from
being a Duskie, from belonging to a race created solely from love
that defies boundaries. The love of my parents and yours went
beyond the limits of culture and color; we are here because love
exceeded social standards and tradition. Duskies are a race born of
pure love, and as such we are a loving people. We love our city, we
love our trades and crafts, and most of all, we love our friends
and family members and will do whatever we must to protect them.”
Duskies around the courtyard nodded and several shouted in
affirmation.

Their agreement boosted my confidence and I
raised my voice, “The soldiers from Lysus have come to take away
what we love, and we have a chance to defend ourselves. In order to
destroy this city, they will have to go through us. We will not let
them attack our homes or kill our loved ones. Together, we will hit
the Lysus where they are weakest because they underestimate us.
They don't believe that the Luminos and Nathos trust us because
they think of us as inferior.”

I raised my sword. “But we are not inferior,
and we will use their presumptions against them! We will take this
fight to their very core. We will chase them back to their ships
and not give way until they have no choice but to flee back to
Lysus and lick their wounds, afraid to ever attack Lumini again
because the Duskies are armed and ready to defend our beloved city
once more!”

The crowd roared in reply; the cry was so
loud I took a step backward and tripped, but Axon caught me. I
righted myself with a self-deprecating smile and heard answering
chuckles from those closest to me. I stepped back to the balcony
railing. “We are not slaves, we are not servants, and we are not
inferior. This is our city, and we fight not as Duskies fighting
beside Nathos and Luminos, but as one people, fighting for one city
and one love. Are you with me?” The thundering yell that rose in
reply dwarfed the one before.

I grinned and lifted my sword again. “Let’s
show them what Duskies can do!”

From the corner of my eye I saw King Adexo
give his son an approving look, a light of astonishment in his
eyes. I grinned and followed Commander Jashen back through the
hallway, pausing only long enough to put on my armor before I met
the crowd of Duskies waiting eagerly in the courtyard.

Chapter 21

King Adexo, Axon, and Commander Jashen led
the Luminos to battle while I organized the Duskies and prepared
our battle strategy. I met with the ten Duskies I had chosen to
lead battalions in the war room King Adexo had left for our use.
“We leave just before dusk and attack the Lysus Luminos as they
return to their ships. When night sets, the few Duskies that came
with the Lysus will be unable to bring the Nathos to shore because
we’ll be waiting for them. We have to hit hard and fast before they
have a chance to retaliate. If we do enough damage, there won’t be
enough Luminos left to retaliate tomorrow.”

“
What if the Nathos manage
to land?” Pyth, the Duskie who had led me through the marketplace
yesterday, asked.

“
We stay and fight beside
our Nathos warriors. Though we might not have experience, strength
in numbers should give us an edge,” I replied. The Duskies around
the table nodded in acceptance of my plan and I felt the first
glimmer of confidence in my ability to lead them.

We went back to the courtyard where Duskies
waited anxiously for the sun to set. I waited until just before
sundown, then took the reins of a pale gray horse with a black mane
and tail that was brought out to me from the royal stables. The
horse wore armor that covered its face and flanks, and was dressed
in battle robes of gold and green. I swung onto the horse,
remembering to use the left stirrup, and she barely sidestepped
before waiting patiently for me to lead her. I felt a surge of
gratitude that they had given me a horse I could control instead of
the wild war steeds I had seen ridden to the docks.

The sound of battle met us a lot closer than
it had been the day before. Duskies surged through alleys to the
left and right of me, meeting the small skirmishes with a dozen
swords and helping Lumini defeat its foes. The Duskies fought with
great skill, handling their weapons with an ease I knew would make
the Commanders in the King's battle room uncomfortable. If they
guessed their Duskies were so skilled, I imagined they would assign
the weapons-making to a different race.

I continued with most of my Duskie army to
the docks where the heart of the battle was being fought. We
entered the clearing and I stared at the mess of bodies, blood, and
combatants that filled every inch of space. The sun had lowered
below the horizon and exhaustion showed on the faces of the Luminos
around us. I searched the battleground and saw Axon and his father
fighting side by side on their white war horses along the
warehouses that made the far wall of the docks. Lysus soldiers
swarmed everywhere, so many more than I had thought possible. The
Duskies stood to either side of my horse and I saw fear in their
eyes at the realization of what they were undertaking.

“
For our families,” I
shouted down to them, “For our homes.” I turned, stood in the
stirrups, and yelled, “For Lumini!” The Duskies took up the cry and
shouted so loud that Axon and King Adexo turned at our entrance.
Lysus soldiers saw us and their eyes widened. I kicked the horse
forward and we charged into the fray.

I leaned from my horse and cut down two
soldiers on the right and then two on the left who surged with the
Lysus army to stop us. I reined back as I had seen Commander Jashen
do and my horse rose onto her back feet and kicked out with her
front, her hooves catching two more soldiers in the chest. I sliced
in an arch and cut down three more soldiers before the horse
settled back on the ground.

The Duskies around me followed my example
and attacked the soldiers in my wake. Axes and swords blocked and
then the Duskies lunged forward to stab their knives into the
unprotected places under armpits and where the neck and shoulder
armor met.

I rode forward, cutting down the soldiers I
could reach and watching my deadly army take down those I missed.
The Duskies who followed me numbered less than the Lysus we faced,
but the Lysus Lumini were at the end of their sunstrength and put
up only a weak fight as they attempted to flee back to their ships.
I felt a faint surge of guilt for attacking the Luminos as they
weakened, but I had only to remember their ruse at Lysus with their
attempt to hit Lumini by surprise, and the shock and fear in Axon’s
eyes when he realized what was happening, for anger to fill my
limbs and my attacks to renew with fierce fervor.

Several boats of Lysus soldiers leaving from
the docks to the ships turned and landed again to defend their
comrades. They surged out weary but angry at our attack, and they
swarmed against a group of Duskies fighting near the water. My
horse was strong and brave and she obeyed when I galloped her
toward them, her head low and chest barreling Lysus soldiers out of
the way. A small fleet of Duskies followed close behind and cut
down the fallen soldiers where they lay so that they couldn't trap
us between the two groups.

I glanced back once and saw Pyth at their
head. He ducked under the sweeping sword of his attacker, then spun
and, holding the curve of his sword close to his body, used it to
slice through the stomach of the soldier and then brought it back
around to cut his throat. The soldier collapsed lifeless to the
ground. Pyth saw me watching and gave a bloody salute, his eyes
tired but the grip on his sword unfaltering. He motioned to his
group and they continued after me.

I was almost to the docks, intent on
reaching the boats to keep more Lysus soldiers from landing, when
the soldiers in front of me parted to reveal a huge Luminos even
bigger than Dathien. He gave me a toothy grin and swung a massive
axe. My horse let out a shrieking whinny at the sight, but her
headlong progress was too fast for me to stop her in time. She rose
up on her back hooves, but the axe caught her in the side with such
force that she was thrown off-balance and landed hard with my leg
pinned underneath her.

I struggled, but the horse didn't move. A
massive boot stepped onto the horse's side and the giant Luminos
leered down at me. I tried to reach my sword to defend myself, but
the blade had slipped out of my hand when I fell and now lay
several feet away. A Lysus soldier grinned at me and stepped on it;
several other soldiers in red and gold laughed and closed in to
watch their comrade end my life.