Echoes

Chapter 28

"Of course. You're the king, you deserve to rule. And if you let me, I'll make sure our people no longer have to live in darkness, fearing the world," I answered.

Farok let go of my arms. "You swear this?"

"I give you my word," I replied.

For the Odaria, word is not enough," Farok said, taking my dagger off his hip. "A blood oath must be made."

I nodded. He took the dagger and cut his palm open, then passed it to me. I copied his motion, wincing in pain. He held out his hand and gripped my forearm.

"I swear by Audral I will uphold our agreement with my life," I said, hoping it sounded like a proper agreement.

"And I too."

We let go, both of our palms already healed.

"Free your companions. To leave the volcano, turn right at keep going until the ground begins to rise. I hope to see you beside me in battle," Farok instructed.

"What about our weapons?" I asked.

"The door to the right, I'll leave it open for you," he answered.

"Thank you," I said.

"Don't make me regret this," he replied, running out of the room and leaving me with my company.

I started with Sanus's ropes first. "As soon as you're free, go get the weapons. You can carry more than anyone else."

The ropes snapped and he fell forward, immediately pulling the restraints around his ankles off. I move on to Pix, sawing as fast as I could. Sanus returned with the weapons, hacking ropes left and right with his sword. In no time, the group of us was free.

"Let's go," I said, sprinting out of the chamber.

We followed Farok's directions, running down the tunnel until it slopped up, leading us out of one of the many holes in the mountainside. Below us in the ruins, fires blazed, warriors dodging and striking, occasionally being dragged off into the darkness.

"How many Beasts are there?" I asked Sanus.

He shook his head, his eyes wide. "More than I've ever seen in one place."

"This is going to be tough, maybe impossible," I said.

"Nisa," he started, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Thank you for saving me, for saving all of us. Especially Shae. You know I would do anything to protect her, and having someone else to look out for her gives me hope that we can work through this."

"Well, you're going to need a lot of hope going into this battle," I replied.

Shae stepped forward, her hand in Sanus's. "Good luck out there you two. All of you. May Audral protect all of you."

The rest of the Guardsmen shifted uneasily, staring at the battle below.

"It's now or never," I grumbled, starting onto the path down the mountain. We clambered down the path, trying to go as fast as possible without falling. The second we hit the ground we took off in all directions, looking for Beasts to take out. Up ahead, I noticed Farok, manning a large catapult. I jogged over, dodging a large fireball that sailed over my head and slammed into the mountainside.

"How nice of you to join us," Farok grunted. "Fire!"

A large chunk of rock flew forward, landing in a ruined building. A distant shriek rang out as the other warriors cheered.

"How many are we dealing with?" I asked over the chaos.

"Well over a dozen. Possibly the most we've ever seen in a horde," he replied grimly.

"Where do you need me most?"

Farok pointed to the edge of the ruined city. "Our front lines are always weakened first. Head over there to to lend a hand. Torika needs it."

"Torika?" I exclaimed. "Maybe that's not the best idea."

"You don't have a choice. Your king commands it," Farok said.

I bit my lip. "As you wish."

I sprinted down the main street, buildings flaming in the night. Through the chaos, I caught glimpses of Guardsmen dashing from crowd to crowd, their purple cloaks streaking in the madness. None of the Odaria questioned their presence, taking whatever help they could get. The closer I got to the edge of the city, the louder the hissing and shrieking became, a head spitting chorus of screeches. Torika stood in the center of the chaos, wielding her ax left and right leaving behind hacked limbs of the Beasts.

Just seeing their pale, thin bodies made my blood run cold, but this many was almost enough to send me running in the other direction. But the need to yell at Torika compelled me forward.

"Torika Kamura!" I called, dashing forward into the madness.

She spun around and saw me, her face contorting in rage. "What are you doing out of the dungeons!" She howled.

"Your king has decided an alliance is in order," I replied, dodging a fireball.

"Without my permission!" She screamed. "How dare he?"
I tucked and rolled, a flaming Beast trampling through the streets. "Mount Wanea is not yours! It belongs to the king, and he will no longer cower in your shadow!"

Torika's eyes burned with the same intensity as the fire around us. "If you live through this, you will perish tomorrow."

I really had the nicest grandmother. The battle in the city had died down, leaving many of the other warriors shifting their efforts to the edge, alongside us. Strike, dodge, roll. I repeated the steps over and over again, warriors of the Odaria leaping past me, embedding flaming spears into the backs of Beasts lefts and right, until the last one stumbled off into the night.

I cheer went up from the city, as both parties congratulated each other on the victory. Both Shae and Farok approached me, thanking me, for different reasons.

"How many did we lose?" I asked both of them.

"No Guardsmen on our part," Shae responded.

"Very few Odaria," Farok added.

I nodded and smiled. "Good. I talked to Torika. She's not happy."

"She doesn't have a choice. She listens to me now," Farok said.

Gavie and Pix came over with Sanus trailing behind, scooping Shae up and embracing her tightly. He had a long gash down his face, but seemed fine overall.

"Thank you, Farok," I said bowing. The others followed suit, almost everyone around us bowing, save for one person.

"Torika, you will bow," Farok commanded.

"Never!" She shouted, hurling her ax at Farok, which promptly lodged into his chest. Blood gushed out as Farok yanked the ax out and threw it on the ground.

"Guards, arrest-"

A shriek cut through the night, leaving us frozen. Suddenly, one lone Beast, larger than all the rest, plowed into the city, charging straight through anyone in its way. It trampled through the crowd, aiming for Farok. Shae yanked his arm.

"You need to run!" She yelled, trying to drag him out of the way, but was now caught in the line of fire herself.

"Shae, move!" I screamed.

Sanus jumped out in front of her, the Beast batting him out of the way, his body hitting a building so hard it collapsed over him.

Torika threw herself in front of Farok, straight into the claws of the Beast, who dragged her out of the city into the night.