Dreams of Fury: Descendants of the Fall Book IV by Hodges, Aaron (most important books to read .txt) 📗

Heart beating hard in his chest, Lukys clenched his spear tight and lifted his shield from where it rested. Sophia and her brethren did not carry any weapons, and he gestured for her to take shelter behind his shield. Keria, Isabella and the other Tangata did the same with their human partners.

Only then did Lukys have the chance to assess the damage to the rest of their forces. Those soldiers nearest them had been able to heed his warning, but he saw many others slumped on the stone battlements, great dents in their steel armour revealing how they had fallen.

Fists clenched, Lukys stepped back to the edge of the ramparts, shield raised cautiously in preparation for another volley.

Instead, a flicker of movement was the only warning he had before a Tangata launched itself over the crenulations. It would have had him then, if not for Sophia. The creature seemed almost surprised as she leapt forward, moving with unnatural speed to place herself between them. Cast all in steel, it would not recognise her Tangatan eyes, and her appearance gave it pause.

But only for a moment, as with a snarl, it charged the Sovereign. Sophia met the Tangata with an iron fist that stopped the male with an audible crunch. Then it was tumbling backwards, disappearing through the gap between the crenulations.

And as it fell, Lukys sensed a scream, a shriek from his mate’s mind, even as a sharp sob rent the air. He stepped forward quickly as she stumbled, a groan rumbling from the depths of her soul.

Sophia! He forced the words into her mind, and within he found a terrible pain, a shock at what she had done. Sophia, are you okay?

I…I killed him, she gasped, and Lukys gritted his teeth.

You did what you had too, he replied, pushing her behind his shield and aiming his spear at the gap in the crenulations. He would not be taken unawares again, would not force Sophia to… This is not you, not us, he said to her, embracing her mind, shielding her from the horror. We wanted only peace.

But even as he spoke the words, he saw the aura rising from the tops of the ramparts, the emotions of his fellow humans. They matched the dark hues of the Tangata below, a roiling squall of anger and hatred.

Lukys recoiled from the sight, though he felt the same emotions within, the war between his desire to reconcile—and the part that had feared and loathed the Tangata for so long. He had almost forgotten those emotions these past weeks, but now they came rushing back. And with them came a terrible realisation.

There could never be peace between their peoples.

Humanity would never tolerate Sophia and her kind, would not break bread with the creatures that had haunted their nightmares for a generation. Even if they could end this battle, it would only postpone the inevitable, would only delay the darkness…

Lukys…something is happening.

He shivered as Sophia’s warning whispered into his mind, struggling to free himself from the dark thoughts. They clung to him, seeking to draw him back into their depths, but he resisted, clinging to the light of Sophia’s consciousness.

As he rose, withdrawing his senses from the greater battle, Lukys turned his consciousness to those nearest him, on Isabella and Travis and his friends. Their aura shone with red and yellow, with fear and anger, but there was no hatred amongst them, no darkness.

This was the hope he clung too, that if these men and women could surrender their hatred, so too could the rest of humanity. That was the truth, not the whispers of his despair…

…or perhaps it was not his despair at all.

Looking out across the walls of the city, Lukys finally saw the pattern to the auras, the swirling of darker forces, and knew they were not the only Melders influencing this battle.

Maya’s mind was at work here.

Panic touched Lukys and he scanned the surging bodies below, seeking the Old One, fearful suddenly she had not taken their bait at all, that she had remained with the Tangatan army. Without their strongest warriors, they would be helpless if she came against them, unable to match her strength, her speed…

…but no, her touch was present on the battlefield, but it remained faint, where before it had been a radiant glow at the centre of the Tangata, corrupting all it touched.

Where then? he whispered.

Sophia stirred alongside him, and he sensed her joining in the search for the Old One. The creature had disappeared from their view the day before, after their message, but surely if she were working her influence here, they could find her.

Perhaps if they worked together…

Reaching for Sophia’s aid, Lukys shivered as their consciousnesses overlapped, the lifetimes of knowledge they possessed uniting within their twin minds.

And looking to the sky, they saw finally the darkness of the Old One, the tendrils of aura criss-crossing the battlefield, feeding the base emotions of the warring men and women. They rose from the gathered ranks, trailing towards the distant horizon.

Their hearts beat quicker, and as one, the Sovereigns set out after those threads. They could see the truth now, that Maya was far from this place, still somehow able to influence the battle, but…that influence was wanning. With their united power, they just might…

There!

The Sovereigns touched the Old One’s consciousness, but recoiled from what they sensed there. Not anger or fear, not even desire. Within Maya’s mind they found only darkness, only a hatred that consumed all it touched. This creature’s sanity had fled long ago, leaving only the husk of a person, a remnant with but one goal, one desire.

To destroy.

What is this?

The Sovereigns shuddered as a Voice grated upon their consciousness. They drew back, seeking to escape, but it was already too late. The Old One had sensed their presence. Their hearts twisted as her attention fell upon them.

Is that a human I sense? There was curiosity in her voice, confusion too. No…something else? Not one of the Tangata…nor even