Chapter 11 #2
“No, what? No, Galomp!” I grabbed a pillow and tossed it at his head, and he boomed a laugh, the sound like fire catching in an icy storm. My laughter joined his and I fell into the joy of his company, recalling how I’d once denied his friendship. I wouldn’t do so again.
It had taken three more days to reach Stormfell but finally, I stood at the prow of the White Mare, Voiding the boundary between Pyros and the land of air, the magic dissolving in an archway that would allow us through.
I guided it out to the shore where the cavalry were waiting, the tension in the air palpable.
Father placed a hand on my shoulder, his fingers squeezing firmly. “That’s my girl. We’ll make our mark on the land of sky this very day. We head for Pomair where we’ll gutter out the Skyforgers’ magic and extend Cascada’s empire even further.
“We haven’t even secured Pyros yet, shouldn’t we–” I started, but he cut over me as if he hadn’t heard me speak.
“They’ll know we’re coming; that’s for certain. They’ll have had spies watching us for some time now, but they have no defence against you, my child. This will be an easy triumph.”
I nodded, giving up trying to sway his mind from this path. We were here now, and I wanted to flex my Void and prove I could really win this war for Cascada.
I’d never seen the Skyforgers bow to anyone though; they weren’t going to take this lying down.
I’d heard that a lot of their people often chose suicide over capture, falling on their own swords rather than allowing themselves to become prisoners of war.
I couldn’t imagine them bending the knee willingly.
But then again, my Void had cut through the armies of our enemies before.
They would be powerless this day and we would not.
The ship turned to the east as the river met with the sea, veering toward the towering city of Pomair on the jagged peninsular of land that stuck out of Stormfell like a crooked finger daring Fae to come closer.
They city’s sandstone walls were bright under the high sun and glinted with the fortune of the Skyforger’s land. It was a symbol of the grandeur they were used to, the sharp spires and effigies of the sun and wind combined in the decorative facades of the buildings’ walls.
A fortress sat high up on the hill that overlooked the sea, an observatory doming over the top of it that marked the place where they studied the stars.
But it was more than that. Father had told me of Pomair and the city’s observatory which acted as a watch tower; I could feel the eyes of the Skyforgers from that very structure now.
The city was beautiful, there was no denying that. This first glimpse of the land of air made my lips part in awe at the power woven into every structure. They had clearly built this place to be noticed from the sea, a warning to all who dared traverse closer. But we would not be deterred.
They weren’t hiding from us like the people of Pyros, they were here awaiting their fate, be it death or fortune.
Our ships carved through the calm ocean, the warriors around me controlling the water and sending us toward our destiny upon a rolling wave that carried half of Father’s fleet.
The cavalry were crossing a rocky land bridge to our right, charging on to attack the city from the east while we headed directly in from the south.
“Now,” Father urged and I knew what he wanted.
I let the Void tear from me, sending it out across that city and suppressing any magic it found, stealing it from the grasp of the Skyforgers and leaving them exposed. It was power in its purest form, the Void’s energy flowing from me in a dark and ominous wave.
A cacophony broke out from our cavalry’s ranks and I spotted the pits that had been dug and concealed on the shoreline, waiting for our horses to cross them and sending them tumbling down onto spears awaiting them below.
Our warriors changed tactic, casting ice across the ground to stop any further pits from breaking their ranks and a path was formed, our war horses falling seamlessly in line with one another to follow it.
“Shield!” Father bellowed and I twisted back to look at the sky as giant burning balls of pitch were launched at us from catapults hidden beyond the city walls.
I stared at the ice shield that was being forged above us by my comrades who were clustered behind me, avoiding the null power of the Void.
Despite their efforts a few of the fireballs broke through the gaps before we could close them.
My heart juddered as one of them slammed into the water in front of us while another struck the ship to our right and a bellow of anguished cries ripped the air apart.
I cursed, halting my Void power to aid in fortifying the ice shield as Father stepped closer to me.
“That’s it,” he growled. “Cast the Void again once we’re on shore. Don’t let those dirty Skyforgers get a moment to strike.”
“I won’t,” I assured him.
The wave we were riding guided us to shore and the moment the host of Cascadian ships landed, bridges of ice formed directly from their decks and our warriors poured out onto the white sand.
More balls of burning pitch rained down on them and as Father led the way to an ice bridge, blood-curdling screams carried up from the beach.
I sprinted along one of the ice bridges, spotting the metal bear traps buried in the sand which were closing on the legs of some of our people below.
I kept my Void subdued as more ice bridges were formed, climbing higher to avoid the beach that was now stained with blood.
My heart rioted as the ice bridge lifted beneath my feet and I made it to the street, leaping down onto the cobblestones with Father at my back.
Warriors raced ahead of me and I unleashed the Void once more, cutting off their magic as a line of arrows fell from the sky. Five of them fell dead and I cried out in horror, “Stay back – get behind me!” I pulled the Void away from them, allowing the magic to return to any who still lived.
Father grunted, holding my arm firmly and a tight formation of warriors closed in around me.
“Stay close – as we practised!” he bellowed, then took off, charging away through the throng of warriors who surrounded me.
“Wait!” I screamed trying to break through them. “I can fight!”
I was shoved backwards, forced into the middle of the rows of warriors who were forming a barrier around me and shielding from above.
“Just focus on Voiding our enemies,” one of them called to me and I glared at him.
I tried to get through once more, but they pushed me back and the look in their eyes told me there was no chance they were going to let me escape.
The Void still raced from me, guttering the magic of the Cascadian warriors around me and I worked desperately to wrangle it, pulling it away from them as all hell broke loose.
I couldn’t keep it away from every Raincarver here. It was impossible to be so precise.
“We need to get to higher ground!” I bellowed and thankfully, they listened to me, keeping closer and heading for a hillside to the east of the city where the cavalry were fighting with our enemies.
But as we raced away from the streets and out onto open land, I spotted the hulking form of Ironwrath nestled between two mountains beyond the fray.
Skyforgers were pouring from it on windriders, all of them using the contraptions to fly instead of wings or air magic.
A swarm of them rushed out over our heads and I angled my Void in their direction, growling when my power didn’t affect the runes in their windriders. A flash of pink hair made my breath catch and among the mass of Skyforgers above me, I spotted her. The Sky Witch was here.
Cries of death carried from the battlefield and I forced my gaze onto our path, my brow furrowing at the knowledge that I may just clash with Vesper today. We were standing on opposite sides of a battle after all and only one of us would see victory.
As arrows spilled from the Skyforgers on their windriders, I knew I had to move fast to ensure this fight remained in our favour. But with the Void tearing blindly out from me and affecting my own people as much as it was the enemy, I didn’t know if I could do so in time.