A Time for Revenge
Chapter 20

The steel of the blade inched backwards, pulling itself back through the trackers chest. As it left his body, a low gurgling sound coming from the tracker as bubbles of air came from the wound, Sehto began to fall to the side. Mach could only watch in horror as his friend fall over, lifeless to reveal a sight that made his blood broil.

Rubious stood within the crater, his arm extended, the blade that had been inside of Sehto’s chest returning to his hands, fully clad in the same armor that the beast had summoned for his leg earlier in their fight. “I told you, child,” Rubious panted, “you are no match for my Power. There is no Power in this world that will defeat me!”

“No more.” Mach said quietly, his grief making it hard to speak.

“What was that? Did I hear you surrender?” Rubious mocked.

“No more! No more death!” His rage was building, fueling his Power. “You have taken enough from me!”

“There is nothing that you can do, child!” Rubious chortled. “You are no match for my Power!”

No more! He will not take a single life again! He reached behind him, unlatched the one thing he had hoped he would not need. As the clothe fell off of the Staff of Kings, revealing the Stones of Magic embedded within the wood of the staff, he spoke again. “I said, no more!” Spinning the staff around, he planted the bottom into the ground, burying it far enough where it would hold itself up. The sudden fear in Rubious’ eyes was evident and the blast of fire that erupted toward him was enough to show his alarm. White light flared around him, rising up between him and Rubious.

“We need time! Distract and protect!” Miatsu’s voice echoed in his mind, a call throughout the allies. Yes, give me time and I will end this! He closed his eyes and focused, ignoring the world around him as he set the spell. He did not need much time, but he needed to concentrate. He was never good at the elemental magics, but he let his rage and hope guide his mind with this spell. He felt the energy rise around the Staff, swirling to life. He released that Power that lay within the Stones, releasing them from the Staff and sending them up into the air. “HE IS MINE!” Mach screamed in his rage, opening his eyes and seeing Rubious before him staring at the Staff and him in fear.

No knife, no dagger, no sword. He rushed at Rubious, his rage beyond anything he had ever felt before. His rage would be his weapon. Rubious slashed his sword at him, aiming for his head. He dropped to the ground, spinning on his knees and sliding along under the length of the blade, pumping Power into his arm he struck Rubious in the side of the armor with his elbow. He could feel the armor crack under the blow. The force of the hit sent Rubious skidding along the ground.

He used his momentum to continue his pace, returning to his feet, coming around and charging at Rubious like a mad bull with his rage the fuel for his Power. Fire erupted in his hands, he let that Power loose and sent it through the air. Snapping it before it reached Rubious, the ball of flames exploded in a wave of fire, blinding his enemy of everything in front of him. He leapt through those flames, feeling his way through them as he landed his feet onto Rubious’ shoulders. Clamping his feet down tightly, he forced them downward with all the strength he could muster. The force of his legs and his forward momentum brought Rubious to the ground in a bone jarring crunch. He could feel the shards of armor fly off of as he jumped away.

Rolling head over heels to keep his momentum, he rose back to his feet and ran, turning around and returned to continue his attack. Rubious was rising to his feet as Mach neared him. With a pull of Power, he reached within the earth and pulled. A spike of earth rose from underneath Rubious, slashing into the weakened armor, sending the man spinning on his side. Mach hit him a moment later with his shoulder, putting as much force into the blow that he could. Blood spit from Rubious’ mouth, the beast hit the ground and rolled over dozens of times unable to regain his balance.

He leapt up into the air, summoning the Power to his hands, he fell toward Rubious. As he landed on his enemy, he slammed his fists into the man’s chest, lightning sparking around his fists, and each strike hitting with a furiousness that was equal to none. Blow after blow he struck Rubious, ripping the black armor off to expose flesh with each charged strike. With every blow he delivered, Rubious screamed in pain, crying out in agony unable to move his limbs quick enough to prevent the next strike.

An explosion of fire sent him backwards, his armor smoking from the impact as he hit the ground. The spell had been a last resort, barely powerful enough to do any harm, a last ditch effort to get him off of his enemy. I will not let him off easily! Mach looked at where Rubious was, as the beast was attempting to rise to his feet with the aid of a wooden staff.

“It is over.” Mach said. He reached out with his Power and pulled, not just with what was within him, or those five that were bonded with his own soul, but on the Power of the Stones that surrounded him now. “The Power of Seven, controlled by One, Five Guardians of Power together. I summon the Souls of the Thirteen, the Thirteen of our Mother to protect this world from the evil that has risen. As one who is willing to sacrifice his Power, the Power of Thirteen are summoned to cleanse this world of your evil.”

Above him the Stones flared to life, their soft inner light no longer, they glowed as brightly as the suns themselves as Power radiated from them. From within him he felt the life of the five who had joined with him during the coronation release themselves. As if they were shades from the OtherSide, they materialized in front of him and moved to surround Rubious. He looked around, below each of the Stones were the forms of the Elves who had sacrificed themselves for the Mages three hundred years ago, standing in their true form below their own crystal, their heads bowed in mediation. “I summon the True Power of our magic, the Power of our Great Mother, She who granted us our strength and Soul at the time of our Creation. Our Mother who rebuilt our world and gave rise to our Power. You are judged and sentenced, Blood Mage.”

Light flared around Rubious, ever changing in color as the Power of all thirteen Souls enveloped Rubious in a sphere of light. The screams of pain and agony echoed over the vibration of the Power. Power flared to life in Mach’s sword, golden flames erupted as he poured Power into it. This is his end, by all the Heavens I swear to the Gods and Goddesses, his life ENDS “NOW!” He charged forward, running with everything he had left to spare and he struck, his blade piercing the sphere of light where he knew Rubious would be, where he knew the beast’s heart would be. He felt the sword connect with flesh and cut through bone. He forced his Power through the King’s Blade and into the tip, putting everything he had left into that one spot. He felt weak as he drained himself of everything that he had, pouring it into the sword. The colored sphere that surrounded Rubious turned pure black, swirling evilly as he continued to pour Power through his blade into the heart of Rubious. “This is the END!” He snapped the Power as he screamed in agony, the explosion that blazed sent him soaring backwards.

He hit the ground hard, rolling and sliding along the earth. He could not hear anything, nor could he see anything. Once again he felt as if the world had vanished from around him. His lungs hurt horribly and his skin burned as the cooler air touched it. Tears burned his eyes and his skin felt as if it had been cut a thousand times as the tears fell. Slowly he rolled over and lifted himself up to his feet, gasping for air. Blinking his eyes to clear them of the pain, his sight returned little by little.

His knees fell to the ground as his strength gave out. There was no sign of Rubious, no sign of the beast anywhere. Mendoll knelt beside a body, armor that Mach recognized. He scrambled on his hands and knees over to the Adept, Sehto’s body laying upon the floor, his armor soaked completely in blood. A shadow of the smile that had been on his face still there, frozen in time. Tears poured down his face as he stared down at the lifeless form of his friend. He looked up at Mendoll, a half hoped prayer in his eyes as he looked into the Master Adept’s. However, that hope was shattered with the tear that fell from those silver grey eyes.

The price that had been paid for the death of his enemy, it was all too much. Why could he not have paid for it himself? Joshua, George, Sehto, who knows who else has been lost during this battle. So much death because of one man, because of one beast who wanted more Power.

He screamed his anguish over the field of bodies, the tears flowing freely. A hand fell to his shoulder as he knelt there in agony. “King Derune, I know that you don’t want to hear this, but there is much that needs to be done.” Mach looked up into the face of Miatsu, blood mixed with tears that were flowing down the Guardian’s face as his green eyes looked upon the body of Sehto. Miatsu closed his eyes tightly, holding back his own pain. “Mach, there is a lot that needs to be done.” The Guardian repeated.

He looked around him, the faces that surrounded him were all covered in black ash and hardening blood. All he wanted to do was to fall asleep and never wake again. This pain was too much, his heart felt like it was torn apart, ripped to shreds by Rubious. But Miatsu was right, there was still a lot to do. He rose to his feet and looked around. Those creations that had fought for Rubious were still kneeling on the ground, passively kneeling where they were.

“They have been like this ever since you locked blades with Rubious.” Rajat said, the Guardian was standing beside him, red blood falling from a wound that was above his eye. “It was as if their obedience only went as far as Rubious’ concentration.”

“What should happen to them?” He asked, it would be a question that Sehto would have asked. George would have asked the same thing if he were here.

“You mean how should we execute them?” Bastra snapped angrily. He had numerous wounds that were freely bleeding, he was holding a piece of cloth over the largest of them to staunch the flow of blood.

“Not exactly.” Mach answered. “Se…” he choked on the name for a moment as he attempted to answer. He closed his eyes and focused his mind. “Sehto always told me to think with my head and my heart, he would ask whether or not these creations were really our enemy or not. Rubious controlled them. It could very well be that they were forced to fight. You said that they stopped fighting the moment I took Rubious on, when I got Rubious’ so focused on me that he couldn’t think of anything else?” He asked Rajat.

The Guardian nodded. “If we don’t execute them, what do we do with them?” Bastra demanded. It was clear that he wanted to do.

“We guide them.” Miatsu said, looking to Mach. “Some lives come from pasts that are not perfect, some of us have demons within us that should have been destroyed. But it is the paths that we decide for ourselves that make us who we are. Those that followed Rubious had no choice, when his control was broken, they showed us what they wished to happen with their actions. They wished the fight to end. It is only right to see where they will take their own lives.”

“But you call them Soulless, how can they even be alive without his magic?” Bastra asked.

“What is a soul?” Mach asked. “What is it that makes it so special? They live, they breathe and they have enough of their own will to surrender when presented the chance. Are they not alive?”

“Well said.” Mendoll commented. “I believe that King Derune is right. As is Guardians Rajat and Miatsu. We will guide them, allow them to live so long as they can live by the laws that are to be laid out for the people of the new Empire.”

“A new beginning.” Mach replied with irony.

“A new beginning for many of us.” Mendoll added. “We will all begin a new era together.”

Time slipped by, the suns moving toward the eastern horizon. There had been no time wasted in preparation for what they all knew needed to be done. The Soulless obeyed whatever orders they were directed to do without hesitation, complying with the simplest immediately. Many of them acted as if there was true regret within them, a feeling that should not exist in something that had no soul.

The pyre platforms were built with the combined efforts of those with the gifts to move earth. Both sides were given equal respect given the path to the future they were all taking. Despite the idea that the Soulless may be without the need for a Sending.

Mach sat on the ground, the Staff of Kings cradled in his lap. He had retrieved the Stones shortly after the battle had come to a close. They now rested within their positions in the Staff. He was not sure about the five who had resided within him since the coronation. Ever since they had left his body to help with the spell that ended Rubious’ reign, he had not felt them. That is not to say they were no longer with him, or that they were gone completely. It was just that he no longer felt their presence.

He fiddled with Sehto’s sword, the only thing that he would take with him from this day. A reminder of what he had lost.

“Mach, it is nearly time.” Mendoll announced. “That is, if you still want to do it today. We could always do it tomorrow.”

“No.” He answered. “The men deserve to return home soon. And we should send those lost off to the OtherSide before the end of today. They deserve it.”

He rose from the ground and walked toward where the ceremony would be. The platforms that were set up were created and the bodies were laid out with no regard to race. Someone had craft a stone pedestal for Mach to stand on, putting him higher than the others. He took his spot and looked around, the last sunset was about to begin.

“I don’t know what to say.” He spoke as loud as he could without screaming, hearing his words being carried by others down both sides of him. “To say that we won, that is not true. We defeated Rubious, which is true. We ended the life of a madman. We stopped the rise of an Empire that could have destroyed the world if left unchallenged. That is true enough. But we did not win. I see before me the lives lost today,” tears flowed down his face, “we did not win. These men and women, these brave souls who will not return to their families after the setting of the suns this night, to them, we did not win and so I say that we did not either.”

Mach turned around, looking around at the whole of those who had survived. “Every one of us knew what was at risk when we left to fight this battle. We knew that there was a chance we would not come home at the end of this day. But the fact remains, we have lost many loved ones and friends and those facts do not change. We must accept that fact, we must embrace that we failed. And we must pick ourselves up from that failure as we work together to rebuild. A new era begins, the new Empire is founded with the loses that we all have faced today. Our failures have shown us that we all are the same, that no single race is perfect. But it is our strength together, our individual failures that we had to overcome with each others strengths, that made what we did today possible. All of us, working together can bring the rise of the Empire Seas to life. As we go forward, we must remember those who lost their lives for us. Those who gave their life so that we would have this future. We must never forget, we must always remember their sacrifice.”

Mach turned to the pedestals that were laid out before him. He remembered the song, it rang in his heart even as he began to hum the tune. The voices of the army joined in with his own, rising in pitch as he watched the Dragons of the Valley step slowly up to the pedestals. There would be no magic needed for this ceremony. Not this time.

As he sang the words, he heard the voices of the rest of the army start, perfectly in sync with his. As they sang, the Dragons breathed out flames as bright and hot as any magic could produce, engulfing the whole of the area in a gentle wash of flames. Mach closed his eyes to the flames and sang, praying the Goddess would hear them.

’My Goddess we pray, we call out to you

Please guide us all, guide the lost back to you’

’Please hear our plea, join us in our song

Bring these words, bring them to our fallen Kin.

Let them hear our song, ‘til we meet again.’

We pour out our hearts, sing with all our soul

We call out their names, deep in our song

Please Goddess now, won’t you let them hear

Our Kin have fallen, we cry out to you.

You’ve followed the Path, of our ancestor’s deeds

Remember well, the life you will leave

Our families wait, to embrace you now

Go on and fly, to our mother’s side

There you will wait, ’til we meet again.

So long my friend, my fallen Kin

Your tales will be told, never you fear

As it will be known, through the ages come

You’ll always will be, a true hero here

Go now and wait, ’til we meet again

Between all that there is, and all there ever was

I will stand guard now, to protect the ones we love

In honor of you, I hold my head high

Never will I fail, to give it my all

To Honor your death, I will honor your life

Protect those that are here, ’til the day that I die,

If you will wait for me, I promise you this

I will live my life, ’til that day we meet again

Farewell my Kin, my heart goes with you

Though we may mourn, we will stand strong for you

Your honor’s our guide, we can only hope to replace

A way of replaceing, our strength from your loyalty

We will continue on our path for soon we will meet again.

The last rays of sunlight faded from the sky as he opened his eyes. The flames of the Dragons fire burned low and bright. He continued to watch as the flames died out, leaving behind nothing but ash and rock before walking away from the dying embers.

“Now what do we do?” Bastra asked as he walked by.

Mach looked around for a moment. “We begin to rebuild, like I said. And we can start with this city that these new additions built. Perhaps that could become the center of our Empire.”

“A promising beginning to the next stage of our story.” Mendoll commented.

A promising beginning to our story? That sounds almost poetic. The thought went through his mind as he laid his head down that night. Tomorrow they would march a part of the army toward that city, allowing those who wish to return home to their families the chance to leave. For those who had a life to return to, it was time to return home. To hold their families closely, thanking the Gods and Goddesses for the gift of surviving. The war was over and for those that remained, the morning after they returned to their homes, that next sunrise would be spectacular.

Life goes on as it should.