Chapter 88 * Weaver’s Road *

“Take the Daughter of the Sun and run,” Alice barked as she stepped over the debris of the destroyed wall. “I’ll deal with her.”

Wayne nodded, needing no second bidding. Though he was worried about Sharanel and Henry, he knew he couldn’t do anything to help them. Hopefully, Alice would be successful in putting a stop to Tabatha.

Wayne took Ashley by the hand and pulled her out of the room past Alice, with Franklin close at his heels. Part of him wanted to ask Alice not to kill Tabatha, but he said nothing. At this point he knew that the guardian needed to do whatever it took to protect them.

The trio raced down the stairs and when they reached the foyer they ran into Becky and Bernie who had just arrived from the core. Becky had fully recovered from Tabatha’s attack and was finally able to move on her own, without help. She quickly realized something was wrong when she saw her friends.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Ashley couldn’t get the book, and Tabatha’s after us. We’ve got to get out of here,” Wayne explained quickly as he wrenched open the door, only to be met with the sight of Amber slumped against the wall. He immediately revived her using mandamus.

“Wayne,” she said groggily. “I’m sorry; I let Tabatha—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Wayne said quickly as he helped her up. “We need to go; can you run?”

“Uh…I think so,” she said, though she still seemed unsteady.

“Where are we going?” Bernie asked.

Wayne quickly ran the options through his head. “The old Warrior Guild gym. We can barricade ourselves in there. Contact the others mentantly and let them know what’s going on,” he told Bernie before turning to the others. “Everyone run as fast as you can; we have no idea how many monsters might be in the city.”

The group took off together down the dark empty street.

***

Alice never lowered her guard, even as she checked on the two quickeners. Once she confirmed that they were still alive, she cautiously moved to where Tabatha landed. There was still a small cloud of dust hanging over the area. Though it took her almost a minute, Tabatha emerged from the rubble, unharmed, her aura still palpable.

She shook the dirt from her vivid red hair as she raised her sword, clearly unphased by the unexpected blow. “All right, fine; you want to fight? Let’s do this.”

With those words, Tabatha rushed forward, and the two blades clashed so loudly that the sound of each strike reverberated over the sound of the following one, making for a cacophony of noise as the two danced around the room. Alice had studied combat longer and had superior guardian strength on her side, but Tabatha’s energy-sapping aura was eating away at her opponent’s stamina little by little. As a guardian, Alice was resistant to the melder’s abilities, but she was not completely immune, and Tabatha’s power was more potent than usual. This allowed the melder to keep pace with her guardian foe, parrying each strike with one of her own. Even as Alice sped up her movements, Tabatha matched her.

“Not bad for a rookie,” Alice taunted. “I’m almost having the put effort into this.”

“From what I see, we’re evenly matched,” Tabatha countered.

“Then you see very little,” Alice smirked.

She swung hard and fast, her moves like lightning, stepping in close as she did. Tabatha managed to parry but pulled back instinctively to regain distance. As she did, Alice used the momentum of her swing to spin and with her left foot she caught the melder square in the chest, sending her flying. Completely caught off guard, Tabatha dropped her sword.

Alice then grabbed Tabatha by the hair and forcibly slammed her head into the ground, causing the floor to crack. The blow knocked Tabatha out immediately, and there was a small trickle of blood from the back of her head.

“Mittius Mentenus Bind.”

With Tabatha’s energy-draining aura gone, Alice was able to use mandamus to bind her, wrapping her entire body from head to toe in the thick, amber-colored barrier.

“You were never a match for me,” Alice muttered vindictively.

Satisfied that the melder was dealt with, Alice walked over to the unconscious quickeners. She put a hand on Sharanel’s head. “Mittius Resepco—” Before she could finish, her body lurched forward in pain.

Unfortunately for Alice, binding mandamus used pure energy, and that was exactly what Tabatha needed to revive herself. Once restored, she wasted no time in grabbing her sword and stabbing it in Alice’s back while the guardian had her guard down. Alice dropped on her side, blood pooling beneath her still, unconscious body

“Looks like you underestimated me,” Tabatha spat viciously as she took the guardian’s sword for her own and quickly left the room.

She could still sense the Sun Stone nearby, which meant it hadn’t left the city. She quickly raced down the stairs and out of Council Hall before heading in the direction she felt the stone. At the same time, she reached out to Davron telepathically through the mentant realm.

***

The Warrior Guild’s old gym was far enough away from the main battle that the people inside were relatively safe. Salov and other volunteers kept a lookout for monsters while Terri, Veda Guardman, Sherrilynn, and a contingent of healers tended to the dozens of wounded that were brought to them. Lizzy also helped where she could, though Mrs. Guardman made a point of keeping the young girl from any serious cases. The open gym was filled with people sitting or lying on mats. Most had injuries that they could recover from, but some had severed limbs or other body parts, which couldn’t be restored, even with mandamus, and several had passed away from severe injuries.

“They just keep coming,” Mrs. Guardman said as she wiped her brow. “I’ve seen far too much death and destruction today.”

Sherrilynn walked with her as the two of them moved through the myriad of mats and handed out special elixirs to people who had light to moderate injuries. The potion would give a temporary boost to their adimus immune system in a similar way to mandamus healing, although it was far less effective.

Salov entered the gym with Wayne, Amber, Becky, Bernie, Franklin, and Ashley. All of them looked worn out. They’d run all the way to the gym. Fortunately, they only saw a few enemies along the way, which they were able to avoid.

When Terri saw them, she ran forward. “What happened?”

“Well, it looks like the plan to have Ashley summon the Book of War was a bust,” Becky said. “Also, the barrier’s down, which means those monsters are in the city.”

Terri’s hand shot up to her mouth. “So now what?”

“Well, for now, we need to hole up here and rest. Tabatha’s after us, we just need to stay away from her long enough to—”

“Unfortunately, it won’t be that simple,” Franklin said gravely as he leaned against the wall, exhausted. “I believe she’s drawn to the Sun Stone; she can sense it’s energy.”

“What?” Becky said, distracted by this new piece of information.

“It just occurred to me that she mentioned something similar with the seal,” Franklin revealed, “and it would explain how she found us the first time.”

“Oh no,” Wayne said as he looked around at all of the injured fighters. “This was a bad idea then. We can’t lead Tabatha here.”

Ashley looked horror struck. “All these people…they’re going to die because of me.”

“We’re not going to let that happen,” Becky said stoically.

Mrs. Guardman stepped forward. “Perhaps it’s not too late to reason with Tabatha.”

Wayne shook his head. “I think she’s beyond reasoning. She tried to kill me to get to Ashley.”

“I agree; getting her back is a lost cause at this point,” Becky added. “I’m not saying we have to kill her, but…”

Mrs. Guardman looked torn. She knew she had to prioritize the safety of the city and Jandor’s group above trying to bring back one lost soul, but she still wasn’t ready to give up on Tabatha yet.

After a few moments, she finally nodded. “I believe that there’s always a possibility for redemption, but it’s not on you to make that happen. Tabatha’s chosen her path. If an opportunity comes to bring her back, I’ll take it, but I want you to do whatever it takes to stay alive and protect the city.” She hugged Wayne, Becky, and Amber in turn.

Bernie, however, wasn’t listening. He gestured to the center of the gym. “What’s Ashley doing?”

Ashley was standing with the Sun Stone floating placidly above her upturned hands. Her gaze was fixed, as if she was looking at something the others couldn’t see.

Wayne stepped up to her. “Ash?”

“All of these people were hurt because of me, because I brought Davron’s army here,” she said solemnly

“Ash, that’s not—”

“I owe them. I owe them so much,” she said in a determined voice. “So, if I can help them even just a little, I want to do it.”

“Okay but—”

She closed her eyes and the Sun Stone pulsed with energy. There was a sudden flash of golden-yellow light, and then Ashley dropped like a stone.

Wayne caught her reflexively and lowered her to the ground just as the others ran up.

“What happened?” Becky asked.

“I have no idea,” Wayne said. He used healing mandamus on her but this time it took several seconds before Ashley stirred.

“Hey, my injuries, they’re gone!” called a soldier.

“Mine too! My wound is completely healed!”

“Even the fingers I lost are back!”

“It’s a blessing from the Almighty!”

All around the room people were standing, removing bandages, and celebrating their sudden recovery. Even major injuries and missing limbs that wouldn’t have been fully restored with mandamus were instantly healed.

“Did Ashley do this?” Franklin asked in a whisper.

Wayne nodded slowly. “I think so.”

Franklin stood tall and cleared his throat. “Everyone listen; it is the Daughter of the Sun who has healed all your injuries!”

The entire room exploded with cheers which was enough to bring Ashley back around.

“Did it work?” she asked Wayne.

“You’ve got to stop doing stuff like this without telling me,” Wayne admonished even as he hugged her.

“Sorry,” she said weakly.

Wayne slowly raised her to her feet and as she did, everyone in the room immediately fell silent, staring at her. Finally, one of the men closest to her stepped forward.

“Your Grace, thank you for healing us,” he bowed his head.

Every other fighter in the room kneeled or bowed as well.

“Please don’t bow to me.” Ashley’s voice was soft, but the room was so silent that it carried. “All of you were injured because Davron’s after me. This is really the least I could do.”

“God bless the Daughter of the Sun: caretaker of the people!” someone in the back shouted.

“God bless the Daughter of the Sun!” the entire room echoed in response.

“Wow, they really love her,” Becky said in awe.

Wayne nodded slowly. “Which is all the more reason why we can’t stay here. If Tabatha can track us, we’ll just be putting all these people in danger again. Chief Stokenshire, is there anywhere we can go to keep Tabatha off Ashley’s scent?”

Franklin put a hand to his chin, thinking, but the answer came from someplace unexpected. “Excuse me, if I may humbly offer my services, perhaps I can be of help.”

Wayne turned to see a familiar face. He was a stocky man with sand-colored hair and a matching mustache. “Wait, I know you.”

He gave a small bow. “Indeed, I had the pleasure of meeting you and the Daughter of the Sun yesterday, though I had no idea who she was. Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Cid Pottersmith and if you need transportation, my sand ferry is at your disposal.”

***

“Is it just me, or are there less monsters coming now,” Jandor said as he used the bo staff to knock back another pog. Despite the fact that he’d been fighting on and off all day, he still had energy to spare. He and Lori seemed to have perfected their team-up and fought flawlessly together as if they could read each other’s minds.

“Noticed the same thing,” Lori agreed, her back to Jandor so she could watch his blind spot. “Almost like they’re givin’ up the battle.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Derrick called. He wasn’t too far away from the two, but unlike them, he was running low on stamina and had to heavily rely on his warrior guild companions so that he could take brief breaks. Despite Zormon being a martial arts style of small movements, it required a lot of concentration, and he felt worn down after nonstop fighting for so long.

“No it ain’t,” Lori called back. “Means we’re missing something.”

“She’s right,” Ace agreed from Jandor and Lori’s other side.

He was fighting alongside the two guardians who were using mandamus to push back the hoard of monsters trying to force their way in. Ace was fighting with a short sword, his robe stark white, indicating that he’d almost depleted his adimus energy. Between the constant fighting and his body trying to heal from the injuries he sustained when he fell into the chasm created by the rockwalkers, Ace was exhausted, but he pressed on relentlessly.

Daniel’s voice rang in his companions’ heads. He was still on what was left of the northern ramparts and had a good view of the battle from both sides of the wall.

“What’s he after?” Jandor asked aloud since he couldn’t respond mentantly.

“East…” Derrick pondered as he stepped back from the battle to rest. “Wait, Bernie said he and the others were heading to the old gym. That’s on the east side of town. Davron must know.”

“We’ve got to get there and head him off.” Jandor tried to force his way through the ranks of monsters but there were too many. It was clear Davron left just enough creatures to keep them busy while he went after his true objective.

Jandor growled in frustration. “We need a way to get through all this!” he slashed angrily at the pog at his side but almost struck Lori in the process.

“Oi, calm down, mate; it’s all taken care of,” Lori said. The reason why she suddenly wasn’t moving as smoothly with Jandor wasn’t just because he’d lashed out in frustration. She’d also been distracted because she was communicating mentantly with Stephanie.

Within a few seconds, Stephanie rode up on one of the large, white blanca wolves with four others trailing her.

“Come on,” she shouted to the others.

“Ace, Derrick!” Jandor called as he and Lori mounted two of the wolves.

“Do everything you can to hold them off,” Ace told Pathos and Karmandrian.

“Take care of yourself,” Pathos answered, clearly worried that Ace was pushing himself too hard.

“Don’t worry,” Ace held up his hand, showing the glowing gold symbol that was the mark of the seal. “We’ve still got the advantage.”

The group rode off, Stephanie in the lead.

“Do you think he really believes that?” Karmandrian asked as he redoubled the safe shield that was blocking one of the giant holes in the outer wall.

“What do you mean?” Pathos knocked back several monsters with wind mandamus.

“We can’t stop this horde; it’s endless! Even as monsters are defeated, Davron just summons more. The Fantasmal Forces are decimated; Fantasmal Mountain is lost; it all seems hopeless. All that’s left is twelve people using the last remaining power of a long-broken seal. How do they think they’ll ever defeat the Book of War?

“Look in front of you Karmandrian. The two of us have constructed a barrier that, so far, has successfully held back hundreds of monsters trying to beat their way into the city.”

“Yeah…?” Karmandrian gave him a confused look.

Pathos smiled knowingly. “If the two of us, with just our guardian granted abilities can beat back hundreds, how much more can twelve do with the supernal power of the heavens flowing through them?”

***

Salov led a large group through the silent streets of the southeast district toward the east gate and the sand ferry port beyond. The plan was that he would take Ashley into the desert. He would guide Cid to the translift cave that was near Breakworth and they’d use that to transport even deeper into the desert, far out of Davron and Tabatha’s reach.

Terri and Sherrilynn opted to stay and continue helping the injured, but everyone had insisted that Mrs. Guardman go with Ashley, and Salov decided to take Lizzy as well. Franklin also opted to go, since he was neither a seasoned fighter nor could he help with healing the injured. He held the Sun Stone as they walked.

Though only five would be joining Cid on his sand ferry, the group traveling to the east gate was several times larger. Wayne, Becky, Bernie, and Amber went with them. They planned to rejoin the main battle after making sure the others got away safely. In addition, a contingent of twenty fighters came as well, wanting to help protect the Daughter of the Sun and her allies in case there were enemies around.

Fortunately, it seemed that the bulk of Davron’s forces hadn’t penetrated that far south into the city, so they encountered no enemies along the way. Despite the large size of the group, they moved stealthily through the dark, quiet streets as they headed for the east wall. The only sound were the occasional low hisses of a few hushed conversations.

“I don’t want to go without you,” Ashley said softly. She was holding Wayne’s hand tightly as if determined not to let go until he agreed.

“I need to stay here,” Wayne told her. “Jandor and the others need as much help as they can get if we’re going to have a chance at stopping Davron. Besides, I’ll be pretty much useless in the desert once my adimus is drained.”

“But I…” Ashley trailed off.

What she wanted to say was that she needed him, not just because he would protect her, but because she was so used to relying on him. She felt safest when she was with him. But she couldn’t bring herself to sound so selfish or needy, no matter how she felt.

“I don’t want you to die,” she said finally. Though these hadn’t been the words she started to say, they were just as true. The thought of Wayne dying made her stomach twist in knots.

Wayne gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll be fine,” he said with a smile.

It wasn’t a forced smile just for her sake. She could tell he really meant it, and somehow his confidence made her even more worried.

The group safely reached the east wall and started north toward the gate.

“I’m more worried about you,” Wayne said after several seconds of silence. “It’s just going to be you and mom. I know Salov can fight, but I’d feel a lot better if you had more protection, just in case.”

“I’ll go.” Amber had been silently walking at Wayne’s other side until this point when she suddenly inserted herself into the conversation.

Wayne looked down at her. “What?”

“I’ll go,” Amber repeated. She tapped the sheath that held her dagger, which Wayne had given back to her earlier. “I can protect Ashley and Mrs. Guardman if something happens, or at least buy enough time for Ashley to send you a message through your bonding stones.”

Wayne smiled as he rubbed her head affectionately with his free right hand. “Thanks. I always know I can count on you.”

“I’m not a dog,” Amber muttered, but for once she didn’t slap his hand away.

However, in the next second, her eyes went wide, and she threw herself as hard as she could into Wayne and Ashley. In that same moment, there was a deafening explosion, and a massive section of the wall was blown to pieces.

It was pandemonium. Several soldiers were knocked unconscious by the force of the blow, but the fastest among them threw up makeshift mentus barriers to protect the rest of the group.

Amber’s keen hearing and quick thinking had saved Wayne and Ashley, but she’d been caught in the blast. Wayne was quickest to rise, and he ran to the giant pile of rubble to find Amber but was knocked backward by dozens of incoming pogs who immediately encircled the group.

Only half of the contingent of soldiers was still standing and they rushed forward to attack, but they were easily beat back by the pogs. Still, they valiantly stood once again and surrounded Ashley and Mrs. Guardman.

Wayne got to his feet, looking around frantically. Aside from the few remaining soldiers, he, Salov, Lizzy, Becky, Ashley, and Mrs. Guardman were still standing. Franklin, Amber, Bernie, Cid, and several soldiers were lying unconscious, some half buried in rubble. He was desperate to reach them but knew it would be impossible to try to fight when they were so vastly outnumbered.

Davron walked to the top of the pile of rubble and stone with Gamdon close behind. The mind mage surveyed the scene before him with a weary sigh, scepter in one hand, the Book of War in the other.

“All this work, just to capture one girl,” he said. “One pitiful, useless, stupid girl.”

“Protect the Daughter of the Sun!” one of the soldiers surrounding Ashley shouted before rushing forward recklessly, his sword held high as if he planned to strike at Davron.

A pog easily intercepted the young fighter, grabbing him by his neck and squeezing tightly. He dropped his sword, clutching futilely at the pog’s slimy arm to free himself, his face turning red.

“Stop it!” Ashley screamed in terror, and Mrs. Guardman had to hold her back.

“See what you did,” said a familiar voice.

Tabatha came strolling into the midst of the chaotic scene, having just arrived. She pointed to the man still being choked by the pog as she glared venomously at Ashley. “This is all your fault.”

“I…” Ashley tried to squeak out a rebuttal but couldn’t. Instead, she hung her head in shame.

“They fight for you; they’re willing to die for you.” Tabatha’s tone was accusing.

“Tabatha—” Mrs. Guardman called desperately but Tabatha forestalled her.

“I wonder if he has a family,” she said in a silky voice. “He’s young, has his whole life ahead of him, but today all of that could be snuffed out, because you continue to fight, because you want to play at being the Daughter of the Sun.” She turned to the pog. “Let him go.”

The pog complied by chucking the soldier away. He landed hard on a pile of stone rubble, unconscious, but still alive.

Tabatha walked up to Ashley, her aura visible once again. “Give me the Sun Stone.”

Ashley gulped, her eyes shifting from side to side. “I don’t have it…it’s not here.”

Only part of that was true. She didn’t have the stone. Franklin had been the one who was carrying it, but it was nowhere to be seen, presumably buried in the debris.

Tabatha grabbed Ashley by the hair forcing her away from the others. “You’re lying,” she barked. “I can sense it. Tell me where it is, or I’ll have the pogs search everyone for it, and they won’t be as gentle as me. How many deaths do you want to be responsible for today?”

Wayne ran forward but was blocked by a pog.

Ashley winced in pain. “I can’t,” she said.

Tabatha threw her to the ground in frustration and Wayne finally made it to her side, helping her into a seated position.

“Why are you being so stubborn!” Tabatha roared in frustration as she paced back and forth in front of them. “Do you really think you’re these people’s savior? Just because you got some orphans a place to stay, doesn’t mean you can fix the whole world. How are you going to stop the wars, end the famines, stop slavery, and force the hoarders to give to those who have nothing?”

“You can’t,” Davron said as he descended the pile of rubble to reach his wife. “No one can, not you, not the Fantasmal Government, not the epouranals. You’ve all had your turn; it’s now time for someone else to take the world into a new era.”

“And that’s you?” Becky stepped forward boldly to confront Tabatha and Davron. “You’re the one who’s going to solve all the world’s problems? What makes you any different?”

“Because I have the will and the means.” Davron gestured to the surrounding monsters. “With my army, I will be able to enforce peace and equity across the world and I can make that a reality far faster with that stone.”

“So, you’re just going to force people to do what you want by using your monster army?” Becky moved to stand in front of Ashley and Wayne.

“People respect those with power. The creatures of the Book of War can’t be defeated, they cannot be bribed or manipulated, they can only serve me. Once people realize that they have no choice but to obey, they will acquiesce to my rule and then—”

Becky folded her arms. “Wow, you’re really dumb.”

Davron was so taken aback that he faltered.

“You think the solution is to just force people to obey,” Becky continued. “If it was that easy, don’t you think the Fantasmal Government would’ve done it already? They have the largest army in the world, plus a bunch of super powered guardians, plus a ton of incredible resources, and that’s on top of having Fantasma.”

“You’re making my point for me,” Davron said, now completely caught up in the debate despite himself. “All those resources and yet they do nothing to stop the endless war—”

“Because the Fantasma knows you can’t rule people by fear.” Becky was practically shouting now. “All you’ll do is make people rise up against you.”

Davron matched her tone. “That’s only when they think there’s a chance of—"

“Dear,” Tabatha called, her voice cool and calm, “she’s baiting you. All she’s trying to do is stall for time.”

Davron seemed to come to himself. He took a step back from the smirking skillmaster. At the same moment, Jandor, Stephanie, Lori, Ace, and Derrick rode in from behind on their white wolf steeds.

“Are you guys okay?” Jandor called as he quickly took stock of the situation.

But before they could do anything, more pogs swarmed in from outside the wall, and Jandor’s group was soon surrounded. The two sets of monsters formed an almost perfect figure eight as they completely encircled both groups. No one could run, and there were far too many to fight. In the end, the reinforcements did nothing to help.

Davron chuckled. “So, this is what you were waiting for? A few extra fighters and animals won’t help you. I have thousands of creatures at my disposal. This little farce is over; you’ve failed. I know you were trying to bind the Book of War, but it didn’t work. Now that you have no other options, you’re going to run away and leave these people to die for you. How pathetic.”

“These people aren’t fighting for us,” Becky countered, “they’re fighting against you, and your forced rule, just like everyone in the world will if you keep this—”

“Enough!” Tabatha moved so quickly that Becky had no time to react. In an instant, the melder had the skillmaster by the throat, a dark aura now surrounding them both.

Becky started to feel weak. It was like something was sucking the life force out of her and she struggled against it as Tabatha slowly lifted her off the ground.

“You can’t talk your way out of this; it’s over. Hand over the Sun Stone and maybe I’ll send you all home instead of locking you in some dungeon under Fantasmal Mountain.”

“Becky, no!” Ashley tried to run forward but Wayne stopped her. “Let me go; I’ll give her what she wants.”

“Tabatha, stop this!” Mrs. Guardman screamed at almost the same time.

Jandor jumped from his wolf, prepared to fight, but then stopped once he saw the look in Becky’s eyes. She’d only given him a quick glance, but he immediately understood.

Becky grinned maliciously at Tabatha even as she fought against the draining effect of her aura, her rapid recovery as a skillmaster serving her well. “You idiot,” she said hoarsely

“What did you say!” Tabatha reinforced her grip on Becky’s neck and shook her forcefully.

Despite the pain, Becky still managed to speak. “Did you really think I was stalling for Jandor to arrive?” Her eyes fell on Davron, who was watching the scene impassively.

“What?” Tabatha was so jarred by this statement that she let Becky fall to the ground, and her energy draining aura dissipated. She turned to Davron, comprehension dawning immediately. “Where’s the Book of War?”

Davron looked down at his now empty hand. He hadn’t even noticed that the book was gone.

Becky scrambled to her knees, panting heavily, but she looked triumphant. “How many times do I have to tell you, Tabatha: I always have a plan B.”

In that same moment, there was a flash of bright yellow light and all the monsters around them shrieked in anguish before simultaneously disappearing.