The Spade Chronicles Book 0: Eagles Rising
Climax

I twirled and spun to the beat as Flock musicians played their final song before going on break. I took deep breaths, waiting until my breath calmed before pulling out my communicator and called Lance.

“Anything yet?” I asked once his red painted face came into view. He was in contact with the other Eagles in their respective locations.

“Nothing so far.” He admitted, “I just finished calling Daedalus, everything’s fine on his end, so I’m going to check in with Kennedia in a minute.” He ended the call and I scanned the plaza for any suspicious figures. As was tradition, almost everyone attending the Festival had painted every bit of exposed skin in various hues. Some painted themselves with elaborate designs and symbols, whereas others opted for a single color. I was a dancer, so my paint had to be cohesive with my costume. My getup was asymmetrical, with one shoulder bare and the other covered by a sleeve that flared at my wrist. My skirt billowed around my heels and flutters slightly in the wind, the deep blue fabric rested at my knees in the front and tapered down at my sides. When I didn’t replace anything out of the ordinary among the brightly colored stalls and decorated streets, I sighed and strode over to a Guild member so they could touch up the paint that had smudged with sweat.

The girl working with me was a girl named Anna and she was one of the best painters in my year. I shivered a bit when I felt the brush dipped in cold dark paint touched my ribs. Not wanting to be a blob of blue, I had requested to have the symbols of my Eagles and I painted on different parts of me. I had a raven painted over the left side of my face, and my arms depicted an owl on one and a python on my right. My legs were painted with a wolf and a tiger, until finally a dragon coiled around my torso, similar to the one around my neck.

After fifteen minutes, I was repainted and free to move about and I made my way to the refreshments laid out for performers. I looked around again, worried that I would miss something, or maybe that we were wrong about this whole scheme being real and we did all that work for nothing. I took a sip, trying not to mar the paint on my face. Lance, who must’ve been on break came up beside me.

“They seem to be taking their time.” He noted, crossing his arms to take in the Festival with me.

“They said they would attack during the peak of today’s festivities, but we don’t have a concrete idea as to when that is.” I responded thoughtfully before the call was sounded for the Dancers to gather for another number.

“Keep your eyes peeled and don’t hesitate to call the Eagles if you see something off.” I called out as I hopped up on the stage and stepped into position. I held my stance until a cacophony of drums resounded throughout the plaza and we leapt into action.

I spun around the stage, kicking up my feet and turning on my heel as we wove around one another. Together we were a nonstop tapestry of motion, each dancer one shining thread as we captivated our audience. I landed a roundoff at the front of the stage, completely in time with the music and with Fey as we began to execute a series of layouts, back handsprings and back walkovers before spinning our way back to center stage. The drums came to a lull as we paused, creating a tense sense of anticipation for our final sequence. Then, just when we were about to resume our movement, my vision turned red, and the unmistakable clang of clashing blades forced its way into everyone’s ears.

I straightened and immediately spotted Lance locked in combat with a gargantuan Viper. I formed khopesh and passed it to Fey before taking out the flare that had been safely stowed in a pocket Ms. Pendragon sewed in my skirt that held my communicator. I took off the safety cap and tossed it aside, firing the flare into the sky in a burst of violet sparks, quickly followed by the streaks of colors the other Eagles sent up. The color and size of the flare looked almost identical to the fireworks fired at night, so the crowds weren’t alarmed until more Vipers revealed themselves by shedding bright cloaks to reveal the silver uniforms with the Diamond insignia on the breast pocket. They drew their weapons, but I was only a step behind. I couldn’t throw anything and risk hitting bystanders, so instead I shouted an order to both the Raven and Dragon Squadrons.

“Dragons, block off the Plaza exits, don’t let anyone wearing a Diamond military uniform through. Ravens, engage hostiles, don’t let any of them to spread throughout the city.”

I leapt of the stage toward the nearest Viper, drawing my arm back above my head while forming a halberd before I swept it down as I landed, slicing through Viper’s clothes and slashing at his arm, causing him to drop his sword with a clatter. He backed away, cradling his shoulder and keeping out of reach of my halberd. I decided to move on to other threats, moving my halberd to my right hand so I could hold a sword in my left. I frantically searched for a hostile not already engaged in combat and spotted a woman running unchecked toward the Plaza’s west exit. I dashed to intercept her, thrusting my blade into her side before she could move her own to block. My sword cut into her side and I grabbed her arm before she collapsed on the ground. I dragged her over to one of the building lining the common and dumping her there. Given that she could barely stand I wasn’t worried she would cause anymore trouble, but I couldn’t just leave her in the middle of a battlefield either. I took her weapons nonetheless

I heard a cry of pain and turned to see Lance cornered by three Vipers, one had cut into his arm. He didn’t look too shaken though, so I went past him to another hostile, cutting at one of his assailants on the way in hopes of making things easier for him. I saw the man I cut fall away out of the corner of my eye as I moved to take down another Viper. I landed a blow at his knees, and scanned the crowd for more enemies. To my horror, I found one running towards the Dragons guarding the plaza from an outside street, a few of them engaged by hostiles. Her sword was drawn, and she was going to be at their backs in seconds.

I sprinted through the crowd, dissolving my sword and increasing the length of my halberd as I ran. I wove between battles and planted the lower end of the halberd into the pavement, using my momentum to vault over the line of Dragons to intercept the Viper. I reformed my sword on landing, and sliced at the inside of her favored wrist. She dropped her weapon and ran. I slipped between two of my soldiers before drawing my communicator. As per Robin’s suggestion, Daedalus had added a function similar to that of a megaphone. I put the raven image to my lips and called out an order.

“Dragons, switch formations! Chain immediately!” My voice boomed, and all at once half of the soldiers blocking the streets turned, so every other Dragon faced the road instead of the plaza. The chain formation was a maneuver I had created when Atalanta had expressed concerns regarding Vipers moving throughout the streets. A moment later a Raven approached me and brought his fist to his chest.

“All Vipers have within the plaza been incapacitated Allie, none of the hostiles escaped.” He informed, Looking at my inquisitively for orders. I sent him and two others to track down the runaway Viper and made my way back to the stage. Once I was standing in the center I brought my communicator to my lips once more.

“Dragons, maintain your positions. Ravens, bind all Vipers and care for the wounded, civilians first. Take care of yourselves and your fellow soldiers before evaluating any Vipers’ condition. Bring the hostiles to the stage. Bind their ankles tightly and then link them together with those of the other Vipers, I want them sitting in a circle facing each other, and tie their wrists behind their backs so they’re always visible. Once that’s done the Dragons currently facing the plaza can assist the wounded. Ravens will guard the prisoners in a chain around them.”

I hopped down from the stage only to feel a tug on my skirt only a moment after. I looked down to see a little girl with caramel skin and a mass of curls clutching my skirt, her other hand held tightly by her mother who looked pale and too shocked to speak.

“Are we in danger?” she asked, letting go of the fabric in her hand. I knelt to her level and put her little hand in mine.

“Not anymore. You’re safe, I promise.” I straightened and looked to her mother.

“If you need anything go ask anyone with a dragon or a raven painted to their cheek,” I informed before walking away to call the others. I contacted Kennedia first, and her face came into view, slightly flushed and out of breath from exertion.

“Things are settling down here, how are things on your end?” I began.

“We’re all wrapped up here too,” She answered. “But the Queen wants to see you as soon as you can.”

I felt a weight fall in my stomach, not sure how I would explain all this to Queen Rhiannon. Nonetheless I finished my call with Kennedia and made my way to the Celestial Plaza after checking in with Atalanta. I walked towards the western road, only to pause as I reached the street and moved past the Dragons. Someone had cut my left ankle sometime during the battle, and with fading adrenalin came a difficulty walking.

“Get my horse from the stables, please.” I asked one of the Dragons standing guard, and she ran off, returning with Peppermint fifteen minutes later, Belladonna in tow. With some help from the Dragon and a step up by Belladonna I was safely mounted and headed down the length of the road , following the red canal that I knew would lead to the Celestial Plaza.

On my way, Kyrie landed on my shoulder.

“There you are. Sorry I couldn’t return sooner but I have information.” She said, brushing my cheek affectionately in greeting.

“Glad you’re back, I’d love to hear it, but it’ll have to wait, I’ve been summoned by the Queen.” I explained.

“The attack happened then?”

“Yes, but we managed to hold down a defense. As far as I know there were no casualties.”

We wouldn’t know for absolute certain until we did a headcount back at the Bastion though. I didn’t have much more time to mull over the matter, because I caught sight of the Celestial Plaza down the street. As Peppermint entered the plaza I could take in the aftermath of the attack. All the Vipers were under guard, in a similar setup to the ones at Dawn. I had all of the Eagles to tie them up that way so if any one them tried anything, we would know immediately. On one end there was a grand stage where Guild members had been performing a play of some sort where the Wolves now stood guard. I saw Owls running around with bandages and various ointments for the wounded combatants. Miraculously, no civilians had been hurt, because the Dragons engaged the attackers so quickly enough they became the Viper’s main focus.

“Allie Sage.” The voice I now knew belonged to Queen Rhiannon rang over the din of the crowd, drawing my attention to the raised dais where her and her heralds had been seated. Peppermint walked over to her without my instruction, coming to a stop right in front of her. I saw that Kennedia and Robin stood slightly behind her, and made the assumption that they had already been questioned.

“Yes, Queen Rhiannon?” I responded, waiting for the interrogation.

“Imagine my surprise when I replace our very own students drawing weapons and going into combat at the one event that’s meant to be unarmed.” She began, voice quiet and unreadable. “I expect an explanation, and for your sake I better like your answer.” At the edge in her voice, I took a breath, and after steeling my nerves, began to speak.

“We intercepted a message a few months ago when we brought in a hawk that had attacked Kyrie.” I went on with my explanation, and she interrupted with questions every now and again.

“Why didn’t you come to me? Or to the teachers?” She demanded.

“Kennedia did go to the teachers with our concerns, but we were brushed off. Not only that, but shortly thereafter we came across another note naming Kennedia and I as targets. I was also abducted during the Gathering banquet, and they went after Kennedia in her own home, so the Eagles and I felt that it would be better to keep it quiet from that point on.”

“Then how did you organize this . . . defense?”

“We started off by organizing get togethers for the students, but after I was abducted we revealed to them our true intent. After they heard the reason for our efforts, they were more than happy to help us,” I explained. “But It was ultimately my idea.” I added, wanting to minimize any punishment of the students if this didn’t go well. After I went over the final details of our work, she had some of her heralds fetch other students from the different plazas. Once they were gathered she regarded them one by one. First she turned to Fey.

“Is Allie responsible for the quick reaction to the threats posed to the Festival today?” Queen Rhiannon asked, and Fey straightened.

“She’s the one leading us all.” She answered calmly, and the Queen asked about the battle and various maneuvers until finally she asked her last question.

“Would you follow Allie’s lead in the future?”

“Without a moment’s hesitation.” She looked the Queen in the eye as she said this, and I felt a rush of gratitude and pride. I didn’t have much time to savor the moment, though, because right then I got a call from Atalanta.

“Has something happened?” I asked, concerned that reinforces came in.

“I’m not sure yet, but we’ve been trying to call Lance and he isn’t answering.”

My eyes widened, and I recalled with a sickening feeling the image of him being surrounded by Vipers. I urged Peppermint to whip around and take off back where we came. We tore down the street, Belladonna hot on our heels. The canal lighting our way with the color of blood to match that of the sunset sky.

“Kyrie, see if you can replace Tide and help us search for him. Belladonna, go back and have Kennedia coordinate a search of the city.”

Once we reached the Dawn Plaza I did a quick once over around before asking everyone whether they had seen Lance.

None of them had.

“Allie!” I heard a call from overhead and I looked up to replace Tide and Hawthorne moving toward me. With great care, Tide came to a rest on top to the buildings and extended a clawed foot toward me. I managed to gain a firm seat inside his claws and allowed him to lift me to his shoulders where I could climb on. With that, we took to the skies, combing through every street and canal. We searched hour after hour, until the moon had reached his peak, but Lance Pendragon was nowhere to be found.

Tide brought me back to the North Wing and I immediately made my way to the Observatory, where only Robin remained. I ran over to the map table, knocking over chairs in my haste, and ran my hands frantically over the surface, desperate for a clue as to where he could have gone. My fingers flew from one edge of the glass to the other as tears began to form in my eyes. I only stopped when Robin placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Try to calm down for a minute.” He soothed, only to step back as I whirled around.

“Why?” I accusingly asked. “Why should I calm down? Lance was abducted right from under my nose and you expect me to simply take it in stride. What am I supposed to tell his mother? That she trusted me with her only child and I let him get snatched away to some unknown fate? I can’t just let it go.”

“I’m not asking you to.” He reassured. “I’m asking you to plan before you go charging into the night. You’re not going to do this alone and if we think this through we have a better chance of bringing him back safely.” As he finished the rest of the Eagles entered the room. Kennedia carried an old looking map, which she spread out on the table.

“When we couldn’t replace anything on the table that might be a Viper hideout, I started looking into old maps and books to see if they might give us a hint.”

The map detailed the Valley of Avalon, and the most notable difference was a cluster of buildings that rested on the Spade border of the valley. Kennedia circled the area with her index finger.

“These buildings were built during the War for Ivaline, they were destroyed during the final battle, but I did some digging and most sources agree that these buildings were connected through tunnels, and most of the structures went deep underground. If I wanted a secret headquarters that was hard to replace, that’s where I would put it. ” She concluded and sat back in her seat.

“It’s a three week’s ride just to get to the border,” Daedalus interjected. “What if we get there to late?”

It was a genuine concern, when going to the Gathering we used the portal to get from the palace to the edge of the Forest of Trials, but that was with supervision and I doubt Queen Rhiannon would be too keen on letting five students leave right after an attack on the biggest festival of the year. Tide had gone to look for Lance, so I couldn’t ask for his help.

“There’s a secondary portal in the stables.” Atalanta stated thoughtfully. “We might be able to use it, I watched the guards activate the one in the palace, so I might be able to get it to work.” She finished, and Robin was next to give his input.

“We should probably bring enough supplies for a two weeks, it will take us about two days to get to the edge of the Forest of Trials on horseback. That gives us about ten days to look for and rescue Lance.”

“I don’t think all of us should go.” I spoke up, and everyone turned to me.

“Explain.” Atalanta requested, and I took a breath before elaborating.

“I do think we should go together, but I also think it would be unwise to leave without having someone hold down the fort. I think one of us should stay behind to gather information and keep track of our progress on the map.” I turned to Kennedia. “Out of all of us, you can gather the most information and have the greatest understanding of how the map table works, could you stay here and tell us anything that comes up?”

“Of course.” She replied, and we began to make plans for our departure.

I shuffled into my room with a heavy heart as the rising light of dawn began to paint the sky above my window. I was exhausted, and wanted so desperately to sleep as much as possible before we would head out, but there was something I had to do first. I walked over to my vanity and paced my compact in front of my mirror.

“Guinevere Pendragon, Pangaea.” I commanded, and after a few moments I saw Ms. Pendragons face come into view, her face groggy.

“Allie, what is it? It’s past one in the morning.”

“I’m so sorry.” I broke down, and I saw her straighten.

“What’s happened? You look you’ve seen death.” Her eyebrows drew together when she saw tears made paths down my cheeks.

“Lance’s gone,” I whispered, but she heard me, and her face fell, eyes widening with onset panic.

“What do you mean ‘gone’?” Her voice shook as she sat up, and I hunched over.

“He’s gone, someone took him. I left him alone in battle and now he’s paying the price for it.” My words came out in a rush of oncoming hysteria. “It’s my fault! How could I even consider leading an army when I can’t even keep my closest friends safe? You trusted me with your son and I let you down and I am so, so sorry.” I wrapped the jacket tighter around myself, and her eyes sparked a bit with recognition. A silence dragged on before she spoke.

“Bring him back,” she demanded, much to my surprise. I had expected to be yelled at, cursed, scolded at the very least.

“What?”

“If you can fight off a group of terrorists you can replace my son. Bring him back.”

“I will,” I replied, drying my eyes and fixing my diadem so it sat straight on my head.

“I promise.”