It was amazing, Bron reflected, how quickly the atmosphere in Omniphrax had changed.
Once Nate's dire warnings got out, the celebrations immediately ended. People were no longer celebrating their tremendous victory against the Empire. Now, everyone in Omniphrax walked through the streets with the same haunted, ashen look in their faces. The Mother Storm was coming, and she would extinguish all life on the Edge.
For a few days, nothing was done. People were so horrified that they couldn't do their work. The city began to suffer for it. The constant harvests from the Farmers Academic stopped coming. The scholars and librarians in the floating districts no longer pursued their studies. And the Pirates Academic had stopped embarking on missions.
And then, Tesener Burlix called a meeting of the leaders in Omniphrax in Senate Hall. Naturally, Bron and his friends were once again invited to participate.
The mood in the hall was even more somber than last time. Now, it wasn't the tyranny of the Empire that they so desperately feared. This time, they had a much larger concern. Even a week ago, this would have seemed impossible. But things had changed.
Tesener Burlix strode to the center of the platform, and began to speak.
"Fellow leaders of Omniphrax, I understand your fear. The situation for the Edgeworld is grim. But I have been reflecting on it in length…and I believe that there is one last, desperate hope for salvation."
The crowd muttered. Salvation? What madness was this? What harebrained scheme could the High Senator have cooked up?
Tesener Burlix's face was grim, but determined. "For the past few days, I have heard nothing but talk over how horrible the return of the Mother Storm shall be. But it is not the Mother Storm we must fear. She is not what threatens the Edge."
More muttering. What was he talking about?
Tesener Burlix continued, "It is the Great Phraxtower that we must fear…and the Phraxguardians."
A senior librarian stood up. "Well, sure, the Great Phraxtower is to blame, but it is the Mother Storm that will spark the apocalypse."
"True." agreed Tesener Burlix. "And yet, if we are to avert this catastrophe, it is the Great Phraxtower we must target."
Silence fell. Nobody spoke. Nobody even fidgeted.
Then, a voice from the back of Senate Hall piped up, "Have you lost your mind, High Senator?"
Murtus Lodd got to his feet. "We have to keep things in perspective," he said. "Yes, destroying the Great Phraxtower seems impossible, but if we have no alternative, and if failure to act means the end of all life on the Edge, I think we should seriously consider it."
"It is completely futile!" snapped Philbus Venvax. "We have studied the designs of the Great Phraxtower. It cannot be destroyed. And the city of Riverrise is fortified with the greatest defenses the Empire can institute! Besides, if we launched an aerial assault, we would have to go over the Thorn Forests. The turbulent storms and gusts in the western skies would tear any first-age sky galleon or phraxship to pieces!"
"Any ordinary sky galleon or phraxship," corrected Raziel, getting to her feet. "Remember, Pirate General, there is one ship which is capable of battering through the turbulence using the little wind that travels in the direction of Riverrise. The Edgesaver."
Silence fell again.
Philbus Venvax stroked his chin, considering. "Captain Tollinix speaks the truth," he said. "I didn't think of that. And the rest of whatever armada we assemble can ride in the slipstream of the Edgesaver."
"That doesn't solve the problem of the Phraxguardians' defenses, though," said Thurt Grayle. "And the impenetrability of the Great Phraxtower."
"There is a small chink in their armor."
Everyone turned to face Verticule. He was so small that nobody had noticed him stand up, but his thoughts had flashed through the minds of everyone in Senate Hall.
"How could you possibly know that?" said Arnix Filatine, nervously fingering the Great Seal of Office around his neck.
"I have spent a great deal of time in Pirate Landing during the past few days. And I was particularly intrigued by the elaborate blueprints for the Great Phraxtower stolen by the Pirates Academic long ago, which hangs in the upper conference chamber. I couldn't help noticing one critical spot that, if attacked, might bring down the whole structure."
"Out with it!" exclaimed Philbus Venvax excitedly, clapping his hands together. "What did you see?"
"It is called the Support Tunnel. It was created back when the original foundations were being built, to allow easier access to the interior. It leads into a chamber containing crucial structures known as Bracing Pillars. They are not only load-bearing, they also keep the Great Phraxtower from swaying."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" said Tesener Burlix.
"I am saying that you would only have to send a small party into the Support Tunnel to take out the Bracing Pillars. The Great Phraxtower would become vulnerable to the slightest gust of wind. It would fall over in a matter of minutes."
A small, grim smile plucked at the corners of the nightwaif's mouth. "If you succeeded, it would mean nothing less than the total rebirth of the Edge. Not only would Riverrise be saved, the Phraxguardians' regime would topple as fast as their tower. Vartolius Xax would be finished…but there is a bit of a hiccup in this plan.
Verticule paused, evidently trying to choose the right thoughts.
"There is a reason why the Phraxguardians don't believe the Support Tunnel is worth guarding. The entrance is constructed on the far side of the Riverrise Mountain. Clearly they never believed anyone would ever find the tunnel at all, but even if you know exactly where it is, it can only be reached by traveling through the Empty Range."
Bron felt an ice-cold chill sweep through him. The Empty Range! Bron couldn't imagine what it would be like to journey through the cold, pitch-black mountains beyond Riverrise, untouched by the Mother Storm's life-giving energy. It was the last unexplored place in all of the Edgeworld, and for good reason. There was nothing to be found there but darkness and monsters. Nothing lived there except for Nameless Ones…those misshapen mistakes of nature created in the earliest times of the Edge.
A few of these creatures sometimes strayed into the Nightwoods, where they were frequently captured by the enigmatic dwarf tribes and enslaved as beasts of burden. These domesticated Nameless Ones were as tall as lullabee trees and could crush a fully-grown hammelhorn bull underfoot. But these were the weaklings…the pathetic specimens which lacked the strength to survive in their natural environment and fled for the relative fecundity of the Nightwoods. According to legend, the largest Nameless Ones stood fifty strides tall and ate boulders, though they would never miss an opportunity to prey on more succulent treats that strayed into their territory.
The entire hall remained silent for several seconds as everyone contemplated what Verticule had told them.
Finally, Philbus Venvax said, "So…while this small group journeys through the Empty Range, the rest would engage the Phraxguardians?"
"It would be necessary," said Tesener Burlix before Verticule could answer. "The Phraxguardians would only fail to notice a small craft sailing past Riverrise if there was a much larger conflict going on right in front of them. The key is to hold off the Phraxguardians long enough to complete the mission."
"We can do that," said Philbus Venvax. "We would never be able to defeat them, but we will be able to buy plenty of time."
Tesener Burlix strode to the front of the stage. "Everything appears to have fallen into place in our struggles. The Empire is at its weakest point in hundreds of years, at the same time that their very existence threatens to destroy the Edge. Even without the Mother Storm's arrival, what good will our victory against the Vilnix Pompolnius do in the long run? Vartolius Xax would find more governors. He would build a new and more terrifying flagship. He would reclaim everything, and we would be back where we started. Now, we have a new chance, a tiny window, to do more…to soundly defeat the Empire. I don't know our chances for success, but I do know that they have never been as high, and nor have the stakes. If we fail, then we shall fail with dignity. And if we succeed…then the Edge will be reborn, never to be shackled by oppression and slavery again!"
Senate Hall erupted in cheers. After a few minutes, Tesener Burlix managed to restore order. "The only remaining question is who shall be the ones to carry out the plan."
He gazed around the hall, and his eyes were drawn to three raised hands. "Yes?" he said.
Bron, Raziel, and Nate rose to their feet.
The High Senator considered them for a moment, and then said, "You are volunteering to carry out our most crucial plan?"
Then, three more hands rose into the air. Celestia, Durix, and Leris stood up.
"We will be the support party…in case they don't make it," said Leris. Durix and Celestia nodded seriously.
"Very well." said Tesener Burlix.
"We must depart at once!" shouted Arnix Filatine, rising from his seat. "The Mother Storm will strike in a matter of days…even if we set out immediately, we will arrive only hours before the Mother Storm herself."
"Assuming ideal wind conditions," added the Professor of Wind, rising from his seat among the sky-scholars.
"And that we do not encounter any storm clouds," cut in the Professor of Cloud.
"We will leave immediately, and begin to formulate our plans onboard," said Tesener Burlix.
The trip proved to be even more hectic than the preparations before the battle against the Vilnix Pompolnius. The city of Omniphrax was virtually deserted, as nearly everyone had volunteered to join this final battle. The original setup was implemented, with the Edgesaver swarmed by an "escort" fleet and with the Pirates Academic following behind, but this time the system was even more elaborate. The Farmers and the Librarians were frantically repairing the damage from the previous battle, even as the ship sailed on its way to Riverrise. They hung down from ropes on the side of the deck and sealed up cracks and holes in the hull, while the sky-scholars and the Twilight Marines effected repairs to the weapons.
The fighters, too, were preparing themselves with a far grimmer outlook than before. In the previous battle, it had been all about defeating the enemy. Here, the enemy was too powerful…the only objective was to distract them for as long as possible. This battle would be far bloodier; the Phraxguardians had a spectacular arsenal of devastating weaponry, including hundreds of glisterbeams, each one as powerful as the one that had been mounted on the Vilnix Pompolnius. Since there was no hope of taking out that many glisterbeams, the Edgesaver was going to favor a very long-range assault strategy. The problem was that, stationed at a safe distance from the glisterbeams, the Edgesaver would not have a great deal of accuracy.
The Pirates Academic, on the other hand, were going to dive-bomb the city while the Edgesaver fought from afar. This was the most dangerous role in the main battle; they would be within range of the glisterbeams, as well as several other kinds of deadly short-range counterattacks.
Through all of this, Bron, Raziel, and Nate were going to carry out the most crucial task. They would journey through the Empty Range to reach the Support Tunnel. They knew the general location of the tunnel through the stolen blueprints of the Great Phraxtower, and these blueprints also showed a crude map of the small sliver of the Empty Range that they would have to travel through.
Bron's anxiety was agonizing. There were so many things to worry about. What if they crashed? Or got lost? Or got attacked by Nameless Ones? And what if they got into the Support Tunnel, only to be captured, or if they failed to find a way to destroy the Bracing Pillars? And if they fail, what if the backup party failed too?
So many clear paths led to failure. And only one winding, uncertain path lead to success.
It didn't feel like it had last time. In the last battle, Bron had been nervous, but full of angry energy. He had been itching to fight. But now…so much more depended on victory. It seemed incredible to think that something like the destruction of Omniphrax seemed so insignificant compared to the concerns they now faced.
On the third day, Tesener Burlix made an announcement from the helm of the Edgesaver. "We are approaching the Thorn Forests. The only air which is safe for flight is the air in our slipstream. All ships must now sail directly behind us…if you wander off course, the turbulence will tear your ship to pieces."
As one, all of the ships, even the "escort" fleet, positioned themselves behind the Edgesaver. The Nimbuscleaver was positioned behind the top of the aftcastle, and Bron could see the figures of Tesener Burlix and Philbus Venvax through the back window of the enclosed helm. What was going through their minds? Were they just as anxious as Bron?
Below the Omniphrax armada, the sea of trees gave way to an endless, tangled bed of massive thorns. The wind grew more violent; even within the Edgesaver's slipstream, the currents battered and shook all of the ships. The sky began to grow dark as well. Bron originally thought that the sun was setting, but then he realized they had actually entered a part of the Edge where no light penetrated. Before long, they were flying through total blackness. Phraxlamps winked on all around the deck of the Edgesaver, and the smaller sky ships were illuminated by their flight-rock burners, but the darkness in the surrounding air was impenetrable. Soon, they would be flying over the Nightwoods, and then…
Riverrise.
The battle was going to begin soon.
Several hours later, the air around the fleet grew calmer and heavier. "We have left the zone of the greatest turbulence," boomed Tesener Burlix's amplified voice. "Resume your previous formations."
The "escort" fleet swarmed the great flight-rock once again, and the Pirates Academic took up positions ahead of the Edgesaver. Bron, Raziel, and Nate, however, did not join this group. It was time for them to split up from the main ranks…and begin their mission.
"Good luck," Bron whispered with his head turned towards the receding lights of the Edgesaver, as he opened the sails of the Nimbuscleaver, Nate tended the flight-rock, and Raziel expertly steered the sky ship through the eternal night. "Earth and Sky protect us all!"