Chapter 73

Vs. Silver

The sun beat heavily upon the travelers as they made their way through the desert. Each step they took sunk deep into a pool of warm sand. Beyond the distant haze of heat, Sonic could just make out the silhouettes of tall rocky spyres. He knew that upon one of them lay the fortress of Masada.

They avoided any and all roads that cut through the heart of the dunes. Occasionally, Silver would raise his hand and force them all to crouch low as the distant sound of engines echoed from beyond their sight. Without the cover of the trees, Sonic felt exposed and anxious, a sentiment shared with the rest of the group. It was obvious that Silver meant to go faster, but Darren and Maren were already barely keeping up. The former was still limping on an injured leg and Maren often lagged to assist him.

Silver refused to cut the pair loose, still set on some suspicion that they would give away their mission to the empire. Instead, they were all subjected to a miserable day's march in the heat, that seemed to barely get them any closer to their destination. When the sun dipped, Silver tried to keep them going with the light of the moon and stars. However, soon this proved an unjustified risk. Clouds veiled the night sky and they nearly lost each other in the darkness. A panicked hour was spent trying to get everyone back together before they could even set up camp for the night.

Everyone was in too bad a mood to speak that night. Their food supplies had dwindled as Silver was not so cruel as to deny the newcomers provision. Yet that only meant that everyone ate less and were left with empty stomachs. Sonic cradled himself on his mat and tried to ignore the pain in his gut.

Sonic and Silver's attitudes towards each other devolved rapidly with the inclusion of the prisoners. They clashed constantly about what to do with them and how to treat them. Gawain had lost the energy to intervene and took to flying above the company to serve as a scout.

"Get up!" Silver snapped. Darren had collapsed onto a sand dune and was breathing heavily. Maren sat beside him and was checking the bandages on his leg. "We don't have time for this."

Sonic rolled his eyes and walked over to them. Darren looked utterly exhausted. His wound was gray and filled with yellow puss. Maren wiped it aside with a cloth and then bound it tighter. "I'm no healer." She said. "He can't go on like this."

"That's not my fault," Silver fired back. "If he can make it where we're going they will have people who can help him."

"And where are we going?" Darren asked.

"What does it matter? Are you ready to report our task to the empire?"

Darren smiled grimly. "Always so suspicious. Have it your way then." Darren used Maren's shoulder to push himself up. He staggered immediately and had to hold onto Maren to not fall.

"We should stop," Sonic suggested. "Let him get some rest and we'll move quicker once he feels better."

Silver ignored him. "Come on, let's go."

Darren took a few hobbled steps forward. Sonic reached out and caught him by the arm. "Rest."

Silver whipped around and glared at Sonic. "We rest when I give the order. Right now, we march."

"Darren needs to rest. If you're going to insist on making him our prisoner then it's your responsibility to make sure he lives."

Silver took two aggressive steps towards Sonic. "My responsibility? You are the one that brought him here. If he dies then it is on your head. We march." Mystic silver green light flared in Silver's eyes. "It's time you learned your place."

"I know my-"

Wham! A blast of energy struck Sonic in the chest and knocked him backward. The others let out a cry and scattered. Silver was floating a few feet into the air, his hands enveloped in green energy. Rocks ascended into the sky carried by Silver's mind. With a thrust of his hand, a dozen zoomed at Sonic like thrown spears. Sonic evaded them with ease. He attempted to dash towards Silver, but the ladder shielded himself by creating a barricade of rock and sand.

"Your feeble speed means nothing!" Silver raised his arms and his energy expanded outward. Rocks, and sand exploded in every direction. Sonic covered his face and ran for cover. He dashed up and over a dune and waited for his chance. His opening came when Silver paused to retrieve more ammo from the environment. Sonic rolled into a ball and dashed down the slope of the dune.

Silver countered by propelling more stones and uprooted cacti. Sonic wound around the projectiles before suddenly uncurling and leaping into the air. He used Silver's weapons against him, jumping from stone to stone and closing the distance. When he was close enough, Sonic leapt at Silver, curled and prepared to strike like a falling rocket.

"It's no use!" Sonic's momentum died. His entire body seized up and he floated helplessly in the air. Silver's hands were raised, the same mystic energy that swirled around them now entrapped Sonic. Silver smirked and tossed Sonic aside. There was nothing Sonic could do but close his eyes and brace for impact. He smashed hard against the hot sand, the air was driven from his chest and his head rang.

"Are you really so full of pride you thought you could take me on!" Silver mocked. "Will you fall in line now, or do I need to teach you some more?"

Sonic picked himself up and brushed the sand off his face. He looked and saw that Gawain had landed and was standing between Sonic and Silver. However, the Knight of the Sky said nothing. He simply watched the battle with muted interest. Sonic understood that as a kind of bergurging permission.

"Why are you smirking?" Silver snapped. "Is defeat so amusing?"

Sonic shook his head. "No, I just love a good challenge."

Silver readied himself to continue the fight. "We'll see how much you enjoy it once I've knocked you out! That speed of yours is impressive, but it won't do you much good if you can't get close."

Sonic lowered himself into a sprinters stance. The quills on his back stood on end. He felt the energy within him expand into all his limbs. His senses slowed as everything around him seemed to hold his breath. The ground trembled as Sonic unleashed. His body vanished in a blur of motion. Silver drew back in surprise and quickly created a shield of sand and stone.

It seemed for a moment that Sonic had truly vanished. He reappeared to Silver's left and Silver fired a stone at the movement but it passed straight through the image. "What the-" Before the words could even leave his mouth, Silver gasped. He was suddenly surrounded by a dozen Sonic's. They were racing around him in a great circle. Sonic's speed was so great that a dozen afterimages were left in his wake.

"That's a neat trick. But it won't fool me!" Silver spread his arms and his projectiles spread outward. They passed through the transparent images like mist. A moment later, a dozen more afterimages replaced the others. Silver raised himself higher into the air to escape the net, but that way was closed as well. There was a loud crack and Silver recognized the trap. The afterimages vanished and Silver whipped around to see Sonic careening straight at him. Silver raised his hand in a last moment of self defense. That was too close. To his shock, his energy passed straight through it. Another afterimage? SMACK!

The real Sonic slammed into Silver from behind. Together, they crashed into the desert. Just before impact, Sonic uncurled and drove his legs into Silver causing him to sink deeper into the sand. Silver was almost completely buried in the loose sand and Sonic used that moment to stand back and wipe his hands clean. "Well what do you think of-"

The sand exploded upward. Silver let out a roar of fury as his energy lifted him back onto his feet. He turned towards Sonic. His eyes had completely changed. They were orbs of pulsing silver energy. White fire seemed to be burning out of them. "Enough!" Gawain landed in front of Sonic and held out his wings. Silver tried to push past him, but Gawain held him firm. "That's enough."

The voice of his fellow knight seemed to reach Silver. He took a deep breath and his eyes slowly regained their former color. With his anger abated, Sonic could see Silver's true emotion. His eyes darted to the ground and he refused to meet either of their eyes. He's embarrassed. At once, Sonic felt deeply ashamed of himself.

"We will rest." Gawain said. "Take an hour and then we will continue."

Silver did not argue. He hung his head and walked away, not even bothering to check if anyone was keeping an eye on the prisoners. Sonic turned to Gawain to apologize but the falcon simply shook his head. With a great gust of wind, Gawain took back to the sky.

Sonic buried his guilt and returned to Maren and Darren. The echidna was propped up against a sand dune with his injured leg outstretched. Maren poured an oily gray liquid upon the wound and Darren threw back his head in a silent howl of pain. When he saw Sonic approaching he smiled grimly at him. "Our savior for the second time. I grow deeper into your debt."

"And now it's time to pay." Sonic stood above the echidna and folded his arms. "I kept quiet the other night while you spun your little story. But you haven't told us everything, not by a long shot."

Darren's good eye narrowed and he shared a quick glance with Maren. "I-"

"Don't bother trying to deny it. I heard you the other day. We have to finish the job first. You two weren't just fleeing the city to save yourselves, you were on some kind of mission."

Darren grimaced and shook his head. "Well, I suppose there is no use in pretending. But I couldn't tell the others. They don't trust us and if they knew what we carried they would steal it." Darren pulled out his small golden case and unfastened the clasps. The lid popped open and a pink light streaked out.

Sonic gasped. "A Sol Gem?"

"I took it from the refinery before I left." Darren closed the lid and hid the case in his cloak.

"What are you doing with it?"

"Giving it to the Tralagians."

Sonic did not understand. "The Tralagians? You mean the empire-"

"No!" Darren snapped. "The empire might go on calling itself the Tralagian empire but that is just a cover. I'm talking about the true Tralagians, the remnants who survived Robotnik's war." Darren pulled his leg out of Maren's grip and sat upright. The movement caused him pain, but it seemed he wanted to look Sonic in the eye. "After the Summer of the Hidden Blade, the Civil War came to a sudden end. Many who were loyal to Zertian were forced to fall in line or were purged. Only a few were quick enough to flee and hide themselves. At first, they did not intend to resist, only to survive. Robotnik had won the throne as many emperors had done throughout history. However, it was clear after only a short while, that his reign would not be like the others. He dominated Arvana and enshrouded the entire world in the empire's shadow."

"But that's what the empire did before." Sonic pointed out.

"Yes," Darren agreed. "But there was this one difference. Past incarnations of the empire wanted to rule Arvana. Robotnik wants to control the entire universe. Once he discovered Sol Gems and began to create them, Arvana ceased to be anything other than a means to an end. The empire of old may have been cruel and tyrannical, but at least they didn't want to destroy the planet."

"So that is your mission? Bring the Sol Gem to exiled imperials? What's the endgame?"

"War." Darren whispered. "Just like Mesto did before, this will be a war formed in the shadows. The truth of the emperor's intentions will spread slowly, and our forces will grow. Once we are strong enough, we will launch an assault upon the city of Sol and seize all the refineries and put a stop to the creation of Sol Gems. From there, it is only a matter of winning back our planet."

Sonic sighed and sat down in the sand. "But you can't tell Silver this, because he won't believe you."

"Of course not. You've heard him. These Thirteens loathe imperials, whether they be connected to Robotnik or not. He will want to stop me. Our battle against the city is not about national identity or connections to some religion. We must stop Robontik or the entire planet will be destroyed." Darren scooted closer to Sonic. "Sol will need to be destroyed. Do you honestly think the Thirteens will be able to make that sacrifice?"

"I….I don't know," Sonic said honestly. "Nor could I make them."

"If it is your desire to see Robotnik defeated, then you must help me escape. When the time is right, Maren and I will slip away. Better there be two forces at work against Robotnik."

"Why not one, working together?"

Darren chuckled. "That day will not come. Arvana will die before the Thirteens make peace with imperials. It is better that we at least have a common enemy. I won't ask you to help me directly. Only keep your silence and do not use your speed to track us down once we escape."

Sonic studied Darren, wondering if he could trust him or not. The echidna had an ugly face. His features were stretched too far, and even his smiles were menacing. His one good eye was dark and slightly twisted. Sonic felt torn between the impulse to trust his eyes, and the desire to see the good in everyone. At last, he reached out his hand and shook Darren's.

"Trust is rare these days. I will bear yours with honor."

They spoke no more and Sonic left Darren alone to rest. After an hour, Silver returned and ordered them to continue the march. Silver did not so much as look at Sonic for the rest of the day. For several dull hours they marched through the dry hot desert. The distant rocky spyres hardly seemed to draw any nearer.

Their road became more hazardous as the deep dunes were replaced by stretches of cracked dry earth. Deep crevices opened at their feet, forcing them to navigate around unpassable stretches.

Gawain returned to them as the sun dipped behind the western mountains. The falcon was out of breath when he gave his report to Silver. "Masada is surrounded. A legion of soldiers camp around the walls with at least two thousand sentinels."

Silver ordered them to halt for the day. He sat with Gawain to discuss strategy and didn't acknowledge Sonic at all when he went over to join them. Gawain drew an outline of the fortress in the sand and then drew a circle around it. "The only way up into the fortress is the winding path that goes all around." Gawain indicated a point at the base of Masada. "Besigers would have to win the stairs while taking each barricade one by one."

"Can't the sentinels just fly?" Sonic asked.

"They can. But Masada is covered by rocks and stones. The defenders can shoot them down while barely exposing themselves at all."

"So…why not blow it up?"

Gawain frowned. "Any ordinary commander probably would have. Masada is too difficult to take by siege and starving the priests out will take time. However, that isn't Mesto's style. A pile of charred corpses doesn't suit his purposes. If I had to guess, he wants to bring them back alive and half starved. He'll want to present them to the public, shamed and defeated, even better, perhaps some will be so desperate for a release from pain they will join his side."

"That won't happen," Silver insisted. He pointed at a spot on the drawn fort. "There is another way into the fortress. A well that dives deep underground. The entrance from outside is hidden, but it is a secret known to the royal court." Silver stood back and spoke only to Gawain. "Tomorrow, we'll inspect the imperial camp and at nightfall sneak into the fort."

With that, Silver rushed over to his sleeping mat and laid down. Sonic sighed and walked over to Gawain. "I am sorry about earlier."

"He won't want to hear that." Gawain advised. "But don't worry about him. You humbled him and it will take Silver a while to recover from the shock. But in the end, he is a true knight, and he understands that every defeat is merely a lesson. Rest easy tonight Sonic the Hedgehog, I feel we will need you strong and ready for whatever tomorrow may bring."

Sonic did fall asleep easily enough. Exhaustion washed over him as soon as he laid his head down. At first his dreams consisted of badly connected and confused images that all blurred together. But then the confusion took shape and Sonic found himself running down a long green sward. The rolling hills of South Island stretched out on either side of him. Wind whipped against his face as he ran.

Slowly, his pace increased. The beauty of the world around him dimmed as his speed made the outside world turn into a blur of motion. What had been a pleasant cool wind turned into a harsh sting, pricking his skin like the sting of angry bees. Sonic tried to slow down, but his feet moved against his will. Color faded, sound distorted, all his senses burned away in a furnace of speed. Images appeared beside him, fading glimpses of a world he could no longer touch. The green hills turned red and burned away. Industrial cities rose in their place spitting purple fumes into a fiery sky. The cities wore down and rusted. A wave of liquid metal brought them low. New buildings rose in their place. These glinted like crystals as a city made of blue steel emerged from the sea.

Sonic tried to turn back, to return to the green of the past, but he could not stop himself. The blue city crumbled and shattered like glass. Floating numbers and digital code exploded outward like the emergence of a moth out of a cocoon. Physical reality morphed into a series of repeated digits. Fear overwhelmed Sonic. The digital world did not die and fade away. It replicated itself endlessly. His speed was not enough. Everything around him digitized and he felt a flash of white hot energy at his back. Something…some presence was inside the code, a malice of intent that hunted Sonic. The presence felt familiar and also strange. Sonic felt as if he had been running from it for all his life, that it had been pursuing him from the dawn of time and once it swallowed him, once he stopped running, it would all end, life would end.

"Sonic!" He heard his name and tried to turn towards it. A barrier erupted in front of him, causing Sonic to turn away. Again and again the voice called his name. It was a friendly voice, it was trying to bring him to safety. Sonic followed until he saw a figure from beyond an expanse of liquid light. It was Tails. His friend held out his hand towards Sonic and urged him forward. "Sonic! Run!"

But Sonic couldn't run. All at once his momentum halted. The track beneath his feet that had forced him to move now locked him in place. Sonic couldn't even turn around to see his pursuer. All he could do was feel the presence getting closer and closer. Tails held out his hand. "Wake up! Wake up! It's him! It's the Realm Lord!"

Sonic woke with a start and jumped to his feet. He was breathing heavily and sweat clung to his fur. It took him a moment to realize where he was. The others all slept soundly except for Gawain who sat nearby as a lookout. Sonic's hands trembled as he approached the falcon.

"Nightmare?" Gawain asked.

"Something like that." Sonic sat down. All fatigue had been driven out of him. His heart was racing and adrenaline was pulsing through his veins.

"The thought of battle often disturbs the dreamer."

"It's not that." Sonic closed his eyes and tried to remember what he had seen. However, the images were fading away, leaving only the sensation of fear and a deep existential threat. "I just…I hope my own world is alright while I'm gone."

"You should focus on the task ahead. Worry will not do you any good."

Sonic nodded. He sat with Gawain for the rest of the watch. When dawn came, the camp woke and they returned to the march. By midday, they finally came into view of Masada. The great fortress of Soleanna was nearly completely concealed by stones and heavy boulders. However, Sonic could just make out its tallest towers and the great stone keep atop the rocky spyre. Around the base of the rock, in a great ring lay the imperial encampment.

Red tents spread out for miles. The imperial army appeared like tiny red ants from their current distance. Black sentinels zoomed all around and Sonic saw many heavy vehicles which he took for this world's equivalent of tanks. "It won't be easy to sneak through that." Darren said, coming beside Sonic. "Perhaps you should leave Maren and I behind while-"

"No." Silver interrupted. "We all go." There was no point in arguing. Sonic followed as they made their way towards the spyre.