Message fifty-five, the voice said, echoing in Qadar's head. The Indolines betray you. Deal with the general then run, don't bother with the inhibitors. At the branches, go right, left, right, straight. Then enemies, two on your left, one on your right. Kalarau needs to duck.
"Qadar?" Ratih asked, reminding her of the situation at hand. They still had General Atullicus to deal with. "Did you get—"
"A message," she said, crouching down next to the general. "We'll deal with it after we deal with him."
"Fuck you," the general spat. "You think I'm going to deal with you savages? After everything you've done?"
"You have very little choice in the matter. With the High Command dead, it won't be long before Torna descends on this place."
"Let them. I'd rather surrender the whole damn Titan to Torna than let some Weaver's pet tell me what to do."
"Your pride will not serve you here, general. If you refuse to cooperate, then you'll condemn our people to die."
"Do you think the Indolines will protect them? All they care about is rebuilding the Praetorium. They don't care about Judicium or its people. They'll betray you at the first opportunity."
"I know." She glanced back at Kalarau and Ratih, who exchanged worried looks. "But they're our problem to deal with. Right now, you should be worrying about us."
"They called you Ascendeds, but you're just Blades. And I won't bow to a Blade."
"I'm not asking you to bow." Qadar stood up. "Unlock the shelters, let people evacuate, and we let you live."
"And if I don't?"
"We cut the Devastator's aether regulators and level the whole fortress. It'll be a painless death compared to what Torna has in store for them."
Qadar stepped back, letting the general get to his feet. After a moment's hesitation, he limped over to the control console and flipped one of the switches. The fortress began to groan as chemical signals flooded the Titan's systems.
"It's done," the general spat. "Now leave—"
Another groan echoed through the Titan, this one much harsher. Sphincters along the walls opened up, slowly drawing in the atmospheric aether.
"We've been played," Kalarau said. He drew his knife and brought it up to the general's neck. The man tried to fight back, but he wasn't strong enough, and after a moment, Kalarau split him open like an ardun.
And with that, the last of Judicium High Command was dead. Now they just needed to make it out alive.
"It wasn't him," Qadar said. Not that she really cared about Atullicus. "This is the Indolines."
"They're breaking the truce?"
"I got a message," she reminded them.
Immediately, the two of them fell into step behind her. She hated being a leader, but the moment a message arrived, there was no room to doubt or question. They knew that as intimately as she did.
She threw the door open and the three of them took off down the hallway. At the forks, she followed the instructions she'd given herself. Left, right, left, straight. After the fourth fork, they entered the Devastator's chambers. The massive scarab-like Titan sat dormant above them, but that wasn't her goal. The hangar was. The others would be waiting for them there, and though they weren't taking a straight path, she would have let herself know if the rendezvous point was compromised.
"Are we—" Kalarau started to ask, but Qadar grabbed his collar and pulled him down before he could finish. She pointed to the right, and a moment later an Indoline soldier entered the room from that direction.
"Stay down," she muttered, letting go of Kalarau and whipping out her chain at the soldiers to her left. Since she didn't have a Blade weapon of her own, she made do by transferring aether into what she could get her hands on. For now, that was her chain. It struck the first soldier in the chest, and she sent a pulse of aether down it, enveloping the soldier in a gout of flame.
The second soldier had a bow, and she loosed an arrow before Qadar could get to her. With Kalarau on the ground, however, Qadar was her only target. It struck her harmlessly in the shoulder, and she whipped the chain up, striking the soldier across the chin. The woman reeled back, and Qadar closed the distance, driving a knee into her stomach. The moment the soldier collapsed, Qadar drove a foot through her helmet, caving her skull in. She detested killing, but when put in a situation like this, she would do whatever was necessary to survive.
"How long do I stay down?" Kalarau asked.
"This is as far as I take us," Qadar said. "Which way to the hangar?"
"Through here." Kalarau scrambled to his feet and ran to the far side of the room. It took him a moment to get one of the doors open.
"Ratih!" Qadar shouted. "We're going!"
"Coming!" she said, pulling her arrow out of the third soldier. They were lucky enough to be able to manifest a weapon, but it didn't come with ammunition. They'd forged that on their own, hewing a set of large, twisted arrows from the scrap iron that often littered the ground after a battle. But they only had so many, and firing them from the bow took aether, which was in limited supply now too. From this point on, they had to make every shot count.
While Ratih watched the rear with her bow, Kalarau led them through the corridors. He'd been stationed here before the Weavers selected him for experimentation, but it still took him a moment to figure out the best path to take.
Message fifty-six, Qadar thought, composing the message she was going to send back in case they didn't make it further. Something had stopped them up until now. The Indolines betray you. Deal with the general then run, don't bother with the inhibitors. At the branches, go right, left, right, straight. Then enemies, two on your left, one on your right. Kalarau needs to duck.
"It's locked!" Kalarau shouted, slamming his fist against the next door. They were stuck, with no clear path forward.
"Well unlock it, then!" she replied. "This is as far as we usually make it, so work fast!"
"Let me see," Ratih said, sliding next to Kalarau and passing him the bow and arrow.
How many times had they tried this path before? Hopefully it wasn't a dead end. If it was, she would have said so in the message. Probably.
Voices began to echo from further behind them. Indoline soldiers closing the net.
Follow Kalarau, she thought, finishing the message, just to add something new. New information was important for getting new outcomes. If they didn't get moving soon, she'd send it and start over. It wasn't a good solution, but it was a fallback. One she'd used fifty-five times already, if the message was to be believed. Until then, though, she had some aether to spare. She forced some into her chain and stepped back into the hallway.
She managed to catch the Indolines by surprise, and before they could bring their spears to bear against her, she whipped her chain out. It wrapped around the closest spear, and she wrenched it to the side, driving it into the wall. It struck with enough force to pierce through the hallway's lining and sink directly into the Titan's flesh.
Aether sprayed from the wound, and for a moment, all the soldiers panicked, stepping back in case the whole hallway ruptured. But Qadar wasn't so nearly concerned. With aether inhibitors active, there was very little risk of an accidental overload. So she pressed forward, wrapping her chain around the soldier's neck. Right between the folds of his armor.
The barbs along the weapon dug into his flesh, and his eyes went wide with panic. But before he could even scream, she pulled on the chain and tore his throat out.
The other soldiers took another step backward at that.
She broke the dead soldier's spear in half and threw the shortened weapon down the hallway. One of the soldiers had the presence of mind to block the attack, but she moved with it, grabbing his neck and slamming him into the wall. Fire danced along her fingertips, burning through the man's flesh, and she used her chain to strike another soldier in the head, forcing them back before they could come to their comrade's rescue.
The man in her hand screamed, thrashing around in a futile attempt to free himself, but she put a stop to that before it became a problem. With a little effort, she dug her fingers into the man's neck and tore through his windpipe. Immediately, he went limp, and his friends stared at her with fear in their eyes.
Before she could decide whether or not that was a good thing, she heard the sound of the door swinging open behind her.
"Got it!" Ratih shouted.
Qadar took a step back, trying to rejoin her friends, but that motion seemed to stir the soldiers back to reality. They advanced on her, spears quaking in their hands, prepared to fight despite what they had just seen her do. She could have torn through them with very little effort, if she wanted to. But she detested killing, and it would be best to conserve her aether as much as possible, given the situation.
Rather than stand her ground, she threw the body at them and ran. That broke their composure again, and before they could untangle themselves from their comrade's corpse, she ducked back through the door. Kalarau slammed it shut, and she drove the other half of the spear through the handle, pinning it to the wall.
"We should go," he said. Once again, they took off running through the hallways.
"How'd you get it open?" she asked. If they'd come this way before, they hadn't managed to open the door. This was progress.
"I forced the wall to grow," Ratih replied, running her hand along the organic mass that surrounded them. "Eventually the door came out of its housing."
Ratih grows the wall, Qadar thought, reformulating the end of her message.
"Shouldn't be much further now," Kalarau said. "With any luck, the others will be waiting for us."
"Don't—" Ratih started to say something, but the door burst open behind them. "—Jinx it," she sighed. "Damnit."
"Not much further," Kalarau insisted. "One more door."
"Do you have the aether to get another door open?" Qadar asked, glancing at Ratih.
"I don't want to risk it," she replied. "Not while we're being drained like this."
"I'll handle it," Kalarau said, holding up the arrow Ratih had given him. It would do.
The soldiers caught up with them as they reached the last door. That meant they were moving slower, now. The walls were getting to them, and it wouldn't be long before they weren't able to move at all. They needed to clear this door now.
"Break it," Qadar said. She ran back, chain drawn out in front of her face, and the soldiers panicked, raising their spears and scrambling back to get clear of her attacks. But she didn't attack. She just needed to keep them occupied, and she didn't need to expend any effort to do that, at this point.
But that didn't last. More were coming down the corridor, carrying a portable aether cannon. Tornan weaponry, like the one they'd used to destroy the garrison in Candoris. Already, the Indolines were ingratiating themselves with the new powers that be.
She drew the aether back out of her chain and wrapped the weapon around her waist. It would mean expending most of her remaining supply, but they needed the defenses badly enough that she risked it. She bound the last of her energy up into a shield and projected it across the hallway. Immediately, the walls began to eat away at it, starting from the edges. But the center was still intact, and that was all that mattered.
A moment later, the cannon fired, and a blast of heated light struck the shield, immediately driving a crack through the whole thing. If her constructions were already this fragile, then they wouldn't last much longer.
Behind her, Kalarau planted his bow in the ground and nocked the arrow, drawing it back until it pressed against his Core Crystal. The walls would take less if he transferred the aether directly. After a moment, light erupted along the arrow's length, and he fired. It tore through the door, dragging the air in the corridor with it and nearly knocking Qadar off her feet. Her shield began to waver too, and she ran, practically shoving Ratih and Kalarau through the door.
A handful of their comrades were waiting on the other side, but so were the Praetorium soldiers. She'd given herself warning of the Indoline ambush, but her allies hadn't been so lucky. They were fighting over the one Titan left in the hangar, and they were losing.
As they stumbled into the hangar, her shield broke, and the cannon fired. Qadar tried to shout a warning, but the blast arrived before the words left her mouth. It tore through Kalarau, carving through his chest and tearing his core in half in the blink of an eye.
Destroy cannon, she thought. She didn't have time to fit anything else into the message. Frantically, she sent it back in time, hoping she'd be able to do more with it next time.
Message sixty-three, Qadar thought, looking around the Titan's deck. Temperantia was already fading on the horizon, but she wanted to be prepared. The Indolines betray you. Deal with the general, then run, don't bother with the inhibitors. At the branches, go right, left, right, straight. Then enemies, two on your left, one on your right. Kalarau needs to duck. Follow Kalarau, then Ratih grows the wall. Destroy the cannon. Break the left circuit, spill the aether. They have more arrows. Start the Titan immediately.
"Are we clear?" Ratih asked.
"I don't know," she said. "If we aren't, we've got until sunrise for things to go horribly wrong before my branch point resets."
"How many messages did you send this time?" Kalarau asked.
"Sixty-two, assuming I didn't lose count or skip ahead."
"Technically, you only sent one," Ratih said. "Or zero, depending on how you want to look at it."
"That kind of thinking is counterproductive."
"I have no idea how you do it," she sighed, leaning against the bridge's wall and sinking down. "I can barely get a handle on powers I have ample practice with. I can't imagine putting that much trust in an ability I've never used before."
"Ascendeds really are a cut above," Kalarau said. "Even the ones that can't manifest weapons are untouchable."
"Those of us that survived," Qadar noted. "And for our power, the Praetorium has now branded us heretics."
"Fuck 'em," Ratih said. "We finally free Judicium from the army's grip, and this is the thanks we get? Unbelievable. Some revolution this turned out to be."
"Torna's power scares them, as does ours. It is disappointing, but not surprising. I should have foreseen this outcome. Done something to prevent it."
"You didn't warn yourself about this sooner?" Kalarau asked.
"If I could have sent my messages back further, I would have. I can't control my branch points."
"Right, right," he sighed. "I guess if we can't rely on prophecy to save us, then we need to figure out what we do next."
"Indol won't stop just because we escaped once," Ratih said. "They'll keep coming. I say we take the fight to them instead, before they get the chance."
"We need to rest and replenish our supplies," Qadar said. "We'll ask the others what they think we should do after."
"Getting people out of the army's grip was a stopgap, not a solution. The Praetorium controls the continent, now, and with Torna closing in, they're likely to abandon Temperantia and relocate everyone to Indol. And so long as they're in charge, then the way I see it, Judicium isn't really gone. We haven't finished fighting. Our people aren't free."
"Indol is backing Torna's rise to power," Kalarau noted. "Do you want to fight them too?"
"If we have to," Ratih said.
"Titan's breath. You never slow down, do you?"
"Fighting Torna is ill-advised, but we may not have a choice," Qadar said. "Indol will carry on Judicium's legacy, and they have made powerful allies. To fight them, we must gather allies of our own. Judicium had enemies, and they will have no love for the Praetorium."
"Sthenos," Kalarau said. "You want us to go to Sthenos."
"The remnants of the Judician military likely still occupy the continent. If we wipe out the garrison, they might lend us aid."
"They might. Or they might attack us. I volunteered for the Judician army, and the rest of you are Judician Blades. If they realize that, they won't listen to anything we say. We're better off finding allies elsewhere."
"Elsewhere?" Ratih asked. "Like where, Coeia? Spessia? Osiria? One of the undeveloped Titans? The only people who are going to help us fight one of Torna's allies are people too angry or stupid to care about what they're getting into. Other than the Sthenosi tribes, do you know any groups that fit the bill?"
"No," he grumbled. "It doesn't mean I have to like it, though."
"Oh, lighten up will you? Besides, I deserve to see the village where my Driver grew up. After we kick Judicium out, you should show me around a little."
"Only if the others agree," Qadar reminded them. The others had placed her in charge of battlefield decisions for the duration of the uprising, but their rebellion had no leader. All decisions off the battlefield were made collectively. Even now, Qadar had no idea where they were sailing. She trusted the others to have settled on a good short-term solution.
"We don't have any better options," Kalarau sighed. "I'll talk to Chandra, see if he has any ideas."
Kalarau stepped inside the Titan's bridge, leaving Qadar and Ratih by themselves. The others were giving them a wide berth, as usual. Well, the humans were, anyway. Even if they'd all been oppressed by Judicium, the Praetorium's attitude toward Blades was a hard one to shake. Qadar often wondered how many of them considered her a person at all.
"Do you think we can do it?" she asked.
"Do what?" Ratih asked.
"Defeat the Praetorium."
"We already smashed the whole Judician army. The Praetorium's got, what, a few mendicants? They shouldn't put up much of a fight. It's Torna we need to worry about."
"I don't mean their army. Even if we march on Indol and kill the Praetor himself, it won't change how people think."
"What are you getting at?" Ratih asked.
"They're afraid of us," Qadar said. "They have been ever since we started manifesting weapons. Before, we were slaves. Fodder for the Weavers' experiments. Now that we're armed?" She pointed to Ratih's bow. "We're a threat. I'm worried that, no matter what we do, we won't be able to shake that perception. Humanity is always going to be afraid of us."
"Meh." Ratih shrugged. "I'm not concerned. They're afraid because the Praetorium tells them to be. When we take down the Praetorium, we're going to show them they don't need to be afraid."
"The others still avoid us, though. I can see it in their eyes, and I can't help but wonder whether they're only here because they hate the Praetorium more than they hate us."
"They're here, aren't they?" Ratih motioned around at the humans milling around the deck. "That means they already rejected the Praetorium once. I trust that they'll be able to do it again."
Qadar nodded. Part of her hoped, maybe even believed, that Ratih was right. That their comrades would come around. But a larger part of her was afraid they wouldn't. That no matter what any of them did, humans would always be afraid of them.
Kalarau felt a pit in the middle of his stomach as they entered Culaith. The original plan had been to route the remaining Judician troops and convince people they were here to help. But by the time they arrived, the Judicians had abandoned their garrisons, so there went that idea. Now Qadar hoped she could talk to someone in charge and convince them to join the cause. Kalarau was less than optimistic, but she hadn't led them wrong so far, so he kept his reservations to himself.
According to the few people who would talk to them, the chiefs were all meeting here to reestablish the old tribal government. None of them were going to be happy to see a group of Judician Blades show up in the company of an exile, but hopefully that was something Qadar could work around. She did always have a way with words.
A few of the others had joined them for the expedition. He was the closest thing they had to a guide, so he'd come despite his reservations. And of course, Ratih had insisted on tagging along. Chandra and Soma had decided to come this time too, rather than remain with the others. They weren't nearly as powerful as Qadar, but they were still Ascended. They had more than a few tricks up their sleeves.
Clíonadh and Pandora rounded out the group, dragging their Drivers with them. Just about the only "normal" people in the group. All four of them had been Judician soldiers, once upon a time, but they'd taken up the cause now. They were powerful Blades, and Qadar trusted them, but Kalarau didn't want them here. It was bad enough he was breaking his exile to guide them here. Bringing four more Judician soldiers along wouldn't help their case. But Clíonadh was their only healer, and Pandora's ability to converse with Titans could prove useful. So here they were.
"How much further?" Pandora asked. "If we don't find some food soon, I think I'm going to starve."
"Starve?" her Driver Elpis asked. "We ate five hours ago."
Kalarau resisted the urge to say something. Elpis claimed to be the son of a general who got fed up with how corrupt Judicium's ruling caste had become. It was kind of true, if he twisted the definition of "general" and "fed up" a little bit. The two pulled their weight in battle, so he didn't raise a fuss, but the man was an opportunist by nature. Kalarau was still suspicious he'd betray them eventually.
"And we've been walking ever since," Pandora said. "It builds up an appetite."
"We crossed into town a ways back," Kalarau said, motioning around. There were scattered buildings set up beneath the trees, and they got closer together as the trees thickened.
"We did? I'll be damned, I couldn't even tell."
"Be nice," Ratih said. "This place has seen a lot of death."
"A lot of buildings for a Sthenosi town," Clíonadh observed. "The places we moved through during the occupation were never more than a handful of tents. This is almost a city."
"A city of mud huts and rundown shacks," Pandora said, shrugging. "Not really much of a step up."
"What did Ratih just say about being nice?" her Driver asked. She rolled her eyes.
"They can hear you, you know," Kalarau said. Did none of these idiots listen? "I distinctly remember telling everyone to watch what you say."
"Big deal," Pandora said. "The Titan can hear us. What else is new? It's not like anyone else can understand them anyway."
"The Handmaidens can. And Sthenos will tell them just about everything it hears."
"That's…" Pandora narrowed her eyes. "You're bluffing. There's no way humans can understand a continental Titan."
"Do as he says," Qadar said. She'd been quiet for most of the trip. It wasn't unusual, but she was about the only person everyone here listened to, so she could stand to be a little more assertive. There was only so much he could do to keep everyone in line.
"Yeah, sure." Pandora shrugged. She looked like she was going to say something else, but she paused. After a moment, she closed her eyes, and her core began to glow.
"Sthenos saying hello?" Elpis asked.
"Not in such nice terms. The Titan seems about as friendly as its inhabitants. But I'll plead our case. Hopefully one of us will make some progress."
"Good luck," Kalarau said. Maybe Sthenos would be more willing to listen to someone who could speak its language, but he doubted it.
"Heads up," Chandra said, drawing everyone's attention. He was pointing up at the trees, which were beginning to fill with insects. Shit. He hadn't even noticed.
"Fuck me," Kalarau muttered. "Everyone stay calm, alright? I'll handle this."
"What are we even looking at?" Clíonadh asked.
"A Handmaiden. If we aren't very careful, we're going to have one hell of a fight on our hands."
"Sthenos says we should move slowly," Pandora said. "They won't attack until they're provoked. It's a defense mechanism."
"At least they're willing to talk," Qadar said. "Soma, any word from the others?"
He shrugged and, after a moment, shook his head. Becoming an Ascended had given him the ability to send and receive thoughts under specific circumstances. Unfortunately, it had also taken his voice, so communication was limited at best. It also tended to fail over long distances, or when the aether refused to cooperate. It was unfortunate, but they'd just have to work around it.
"I say we go for it," Ratih said. "We came this far; we might as well try."
"Ever the optimist," Clíonadh said, sighing. "If we walk into a trap, though, you're on your own."
"No," Qadar said. "If we do this, we do this together. If you don't want to contribute, you're free to leave."
"We'll pull our weight," Clíonadh's Driver said. Aibell was a brute of a woman, pragmatic to a fault and capable of holding a grudge seemingly indefinitely. But of the four of them, Kalarau trusted her to keep her word. They'd served in the same unit for a long time, and she wasn't the kind of person who ran from danger.
"That won't be necessary," a voice said.
A young woman emerged from behind a nearby tree. She was clad in white robes and wore a wreath of vines and branches. Her hair was long and brown, and unlike most Sthenosi, she had no fur. He'd really been hoping to avoid running into one of them here.
"My Lady," Kalarau said, bowing his head and quickly getting down on one knee. He needed to remember his manners. "Forgive me. It's been too long since I've been home. I have forgotten much of the custom."
"We are aware, young Kalarau," the woman said. "Do not trouble yourself."
She stepped past him, moving like she floated just above the ground. Apparently, she was more interested in Qadar. Which didn't really surprise him.
"You're a Handmaiden, I take it?" Qadar asked.
"Yes. I am Aingrom, attendant of Sthenos." She spread her arms. "I am here to evaluate you."
"I assure you, we mean you no harm. We only want to talk."
"And yet you bring an exile here. To sacred lands. Accompanied by Judician soldiers."
There it was. Unlike most of his countrymen, he'd joined the Judician army by choice. Back then, he'd been fed up with this place. He'd been lured in by the promise of a bright future. But he wasn't that person anymore. Hopefully he'd be able to convince her of that.
"My Lady," he said. "Forgive me for speaking out of turn. I was exiled for my foolishness, but my time in Judicium has taught me many things."
"Do you renounce your transgressions?" she asked.
"No," he said. There was no point in lying to a Handmaiden. "I still cannot abide the doctrine of the elders. But I see now that there was no future in what Judicium offered. We all here have dedicated our lives to fighting their tyranny."
"Interesting." She turned and floated back to Kalarau. "Stand up."
He did as he was told, and she placed a hand on his chest. He could feel her aether coiling around him. Exploring him. Reading him. After a moment, her hand sunk into his chest, and she gripped his Core Crystal. It felt cold as it passed through him, but for some reason it didn't hurt.
"Explain to me, then, why you have this in your chest."
"Kalarau!" Ratih shouted. She manifested her bow, and the others drew their weapons. But Kalarau put up a hand, willing them all to stand down.
"It was not my choice," he said. "Judicium conducted many experiments on the unwilling. Several of my companions suffered similar fates. But we took what they gave us and used it against them. Judicium has fallen. Only the Praetorium remains now. But there are too few of us to fight them on our own."
"So you turn back to the land you scorned, with no remorse in your heart, hoping we will come to your aid?"
"We share a common enemy," Qadar said. "We do not wish to disrespect your customs, and we have no desire to repeat the crimes of the past. All we ask is that you lend us aid in eliminating the Praetorium. The people who would see us both cast into shackles."
"Sthenos will endure," the Handmaiden said. "As we always have. We do not need the help of miscreants who would spit on our customs."
"If you want to punish me, then fine," Kalarau said. "I broke my exile, so you have every right. But I am begging you. Please. These are good people, and they need your help. If you do that, I'll do whatever you ask."
"You never had a choice. From the moment you returned, you knew what fate awaited you. We will not be lenient a second time."
If he was alone, he probably would have let the Handmaiden kill him. If it meant getting the others passage to the elders, he'd have given his own life in a heartbeat. It wasn't like he had much left to live for anyway. But he wasn't alone. He was a Driver, and he had to think about Ratih. If he died, so would she. He couldn't let that happen.
The Handmaiden released his Core Crystal and slide her hand further, toward his heart. But before she could grab it, he grabbed her arm, pulling it to a stop.
"No," he managed, despite having her arm perilously close to a lung. Then he reached up and fired a blast of aether from his hand, engulfing her head. It wouldn't be enough to kill a Handmaiden, but it would probably get her to back off a little. Instead of back off, however, the image simply dissolved, and the unnatural cold left Kalarau's chest.
"Kalarau!" Ratih shouted again, running up to him. "Are you alright?"
"I'll live," he said. "I hope."
"You wasted that thing," Pandora said. "Damn. I didn't think you had it in you."
"It isn't dead. It's not even hurt, that was just—"
The Handmaiden appeared behind Elpis and grabbed him by the back of his head. Before Kalarau could warn the others, though, he drew his sword and stabbed her, forcing her to let go. As she stumbled back, the swarm of insects descended. Ratih put up a shield around them, keeping the bugs out, and Kalarau began searching the aether. Handmaidens were masters at manipulating it, but his Core Crystal was very sensitive. If her real body was nearby, he hoped that would be enough to locate it.
"Chandra," Qadar said. "Clear the area, please."
"Right." Chandra stepped forward and clapped his hands together, forcing out a massive wave of aether. It cascaded across the forest, burning the insects from the sky and eliciting a scream from the Handmaiden. A real scream. Apparently, Chandra's bursts could hurt it.
"What did you do?" Aibell asked. She grabbed Kalarau by the shoulder and shook him, breaking his focus.
"He pissed it off," Pandora said. "Sthenos isn't too happy with us either. It's demanding we leave."
"No," Kalarau said. "Sthenos made up its mind about us the moment we arrived. All of this was just fucking posturing."
"So, what?" Clíonadh asked. "Is that the whole mission scuppered?"
"No," Qadar said, at the exact same time Kalarau said "Yes."
He would have argued, but she looked confident. Or committed. Either way, there wasn't any stopping her once she'd decided on a course of action. More often than not, it was the correct one anyway.
"We need allies," she said. "Sthenos may have made up its mind, but the people and their Titan are not one and the same. They could yet be swayed."
"Very low odds on that," Kalarau said. "Customs are about the only thing Judicium didn't take from this place. The people won't let go of them so easily."
"We still have to try." Qadar unfurled her chain. "Soma, try to contact the others again. Warn them they may be in danger. The rest of us are going to show this Titan we won't be intimidated so easily."
She stepped forward, sweeping her chain out with utter confidence. She was good at that, even in the most desperate situations. They could be facing down a Devastator, and she'd still be wearing the same dispassionate expression. Seeing the future probably helped with that. Even if she hadn't had a vision yet, they could scrape through just about anything as long as they had her.
"Handmaidens are capable sorcerers," Kalarau said. "They have a lot of magic at their disposal, but their illusions are the strongest. They affect Blades less, but no one's entirely immune. Call your shots before you do anything—"
"Incoming!" Ratih shouted. A moment later, he felt it too. A large wave of aether cascading toward them. He threw up a shield to reinforce Ratih's, but it didn't make much of a difference. They both shattered under the immense pressure, and everyone was thrown to the ground. Well, everyone save for Aibel.
Somehow, that brute of a woman stayed standing. She lunged, moving through the onslaught of aether and slamming into a nearby tree. She hefted her axe and swung for the trunk. Before the weapon could strike the tree, however, something struck her from the side, knocking her back. A wave of aether, thrown from one of the nearby treetops. He'd have to thank Aibel later. A handmaiden's job was to protect Sthenos first and foremost. Now Kalarau knew where she was hiding.
He stumbled forward, barely on his feet as he reached out for a weapon. The first one he could grab was a sword, but it didn't really matter what it was. Just so long as it was metal. He hurled it, pushing as much aether as he could into it before it left his hand. As it soared through the air, it burned, glowing red-hot as the energy tried to escape. It struck the place the Handmaiden had been, and she screamed again. There was an explosion of light, and the tree caught fire.
"Chandra!" Ratih shouted, lurching to her feet. She nocked an arrow. "Hit it!"
She fired, striking the Handmaiden with an arrow of light, and Chandra immediately followed it up with a blast of his own. He snapped, and a bolt of lightning struck the Handmaiden to the ground.
Qadar rushed forward, swinging her chain and forcing the Handmaiden back. She moved, disappearing and trying to mask her presence with the aether, but Ratih could track aether even better than he could. She fired another arrow just as the Handmaiden stopped, pinning her to a nearby tree. A moment later, Aibel slammed into it, propelled by a wave of Clíonadh's water.
"I've got two left," Chandra said, stepping back. "Kalarau, can I get a hand?"
"Sure." Kalarau put his hand on the man's back and began transferring him aether. Ratih had better eyes, but somehow he'd ended up with the larger well. So it usually fell to him to give people boosts.
As he recharged Chandra, he felt a hand tap him on the shoulder. It was Soma. Why did he have to get Kalarau's attention at all? He could just cast a thought to everyone if he really needed to say something. Unless—Fuck.
"You can't reach me, can you?" Kalarau asked. Soma shook his head.
"What?" Chandra asked.
"Soma can't cast!" Kalarau shouted. He moved past Chandra, trying to get Qadar's attention. The Handmaiden had begun moving the trees and vines, now, and she and Qadar were busy tearing into each other. "Qadar, something's blocking Soma's—"
Something struck Kalarau from behind, knocking him to the ground. For a moment, his vision exploded, and his brain went white. No sight, no sound. Just pain. Then, slowly, it returned, and he could feel heat all around him. He looked up to see Elpis, ringed by flame, drive his sword through Chandra's gut.
"Traitor!" Kalarau screamed. He scrambled up and swung a punch for Elpis's head, wreathing his fist in aether. But Pandora got between them before he could land the blow, knocking him back with her shield.
"Elpis?" she asked. "What's going on?"
"Bitch was right," he muttered, glancing down at Kalarau. All too late, he realized what was wrong. Elpis's eyes had gone hazy. They'd been so busy focusing on fighting the Handmaiden that they hadn't noticed what she'd been doing. Working her fell magic on Elpis from afar. And now, he was firmly in her grasp.
"Pandora!" Kalarau shouted. "Stop him, he's compromised!"
Realization dawned on her, and she reached out to take her sword back from her Driver. But he moved first. He shoved her back and slammed the sword into Chandra again.
"Pandora!" he bellowed. "Kill them!"
Her eyes went wide with terror, but she didn't have a choice. He was her Driver. She had to obey. The braziers on her shoulders ignited, and her tail whipped around, striking Kalarau to the ground. He could feel his skin burn as she struck him. If he wasn't bound to Ratih, he probably would have died right then and there.
Clíonadh struck Pandora with a wave of water, throwing her back, and Aibel rushed forward, swinging her axe to take Elpis's head. He met her strike with his sword, and a blast of fire erupted from the edge. It blew Aibel back, driving her into the ground. Clíonadh washed Pandora aside and rushed to her Driver's side, trying to heal her.
Kalarau glanced over at the fight with the Handmaiden. Qadar was still holding her own, and she had Ratih to back her up. Their two best fighters, with their full attention focused on burying Aingrom. They had that situation handled. He should focus on the threat in front of him. He had to break the Handmaiden's hold on Elpis somehow.
Kalarau lunged, catching the sword before he could drive it through Chandra's body again. In all likelihood, Chandra was still alive. He was Ascended, they were even harder to kill than normal Blades. But Kalarau wasn't going to take the chance. He lurched to the side, hooking one leg through Elpis', hoping to pull them man off balance. But the man was an experienced fighter, even without his wits about him. He shifted his weight and stayed standing, giving Pandora the perfect opportunity to skewer Kalarau.
Before she could, Soma vaulted over them and tackled her. He slammed his forehead into hers, the wind rushing around him, and aether passed between them. Her eyes rolled back in her head, the flames subsided for a moment, and Elpis's sword lost power. Immediately, Kalarau grabbed Elpis's head and forced aether through him, too. There was no time to be gentle. The Handmaiden had put a spell on him, and he needed to lift it fast.
After a moment, Elpis's vision returned, and he lowered his sword. Pandora lurched up, throwing Soma off her and lashing out again as her fires flared up, but Elpis put out his hand.
"Whoa!" he shouted, putting himself between her and Kalarau. He… Honestly hadn't been expecting that. She stopped, and after a moment, her flames settled down.
"Can I stop?" she asked. She sounded like she was on the verge of panic.
"Yeah," Elpis said. "Yes."
Immediately, Pandora collapsed.
"Titan's reach, what's gotten into you?"
"It's not her fault," Kalarau said. "The Handmaiden got to you."
"She…" Elpis looked down and went quiet for a moment. "…Please tell me I didn't do that."
"Get it together." Kalarau smacked him on the shoulder, shaking him back to reality. "Clíonadh, we need help over here!"
"Kinda busy!" she replied. He glanced back at her, and she was frantically pouring water aether over Aibel. The burns were extensive.
"I'll live," Aibel grunted, sitting up. "Look after Chandra."
Reluctantly, Clíonadh stood up, leaving her Driver's side to check on Chandra. Soma got to his feet too, drawing his knife. He nodded at Kalarau.
"Everyone on the Handmaiden!" Kalarau shouted. "And try not to get taken in by it. They're crafty, you can never tell—"
He felt a movement in the aether, but by the time he looked, it was too late. The Handmaiden had knocked Qadar back, driving her into a tree, and Ratih was out of arrows. Instead of going after either of them, however, she looked at him. There was a cold sneer on her face.
"Kalarau yen Vilam!" she screamed, though he couldn't be sure if anyone else could actually hear her. "You have broken the ancient laws of our people. Exile was too kind a punishment. Sthenos wills your end, and I shall see it done!"
She rushed forward, aether coiling around her. Kalarau had time to move, but he couldn't. His legs felt like jelly, and he could barely string a pair of thoughts together. All he could see was the Handmaiden's face bearing down on him. The weight of his people's hatred.
The feeling in his legs wasn't real. He knew it wasn't real. The Handmaiden was distorting his perception. But there was a vast gulf between knowing he was under her spell and actually doing something about it. He had to clear himself of her aether, somehow. He began forcing aether from his Core Crystal through his muscles, hoping it would make a difference, but it didn't.
Dimly, he was aware that someone was shouting at him. There was movement. Exchanges of aether. But he couldn't see or hear the particulars. Just broad strokes. Like streaks of water on glass. He only had enough awareness to see his impending death. Just before she reached him, though, something slammed into him, knocking him out of the path. That seemed to jostle him enough to clear the aether around him.
He almost wished it hadn't.
Ratih had shoved him aside, but she hadn't been quick enough to move out of the way herself. She stood where he'd been, the Handmaiden's arm speared clean through her chest. It clutched her Core Crystal, fingers dug in firmly. Cracks began to spread.
"You're back," she said. She smiled. "Good. I thought I'd lost you there for a minute."
He tried to say something, but he was still too disoriented to form words. He reached out, hand trembling, trying to touch her. But he couldn't bring himself to. He felt like she might shatter beneath his fingertips.
She opened her mouth to say something else, but before she could, the Handmaiden clenched her fist. Ratih's Core Crystal shattered, scattering pieces across the forest. Her voice died in her throat, and she went limp.
Immediately, Kalarau's vision went white, and he lunged forward. He could feel his hands burning with aether as he tore through the Handmaiden, but he couldn't see anything. And the only thing he could hear was screaming. He didn't know if it was his own, or the Handmaiden's, but he didn't care. He kept tearing and tearing and tearing into the monster until the screaming stopped.
When his vision returned, they were moving. They'd left the forest and were moving for the beach. He was draped over Soma's shoulder, and his hands were covered in blood. Pandora and Elpis were gone, and Aibel was unconscious. Chandra wasn't with them either.
"Fuck me…" Clíonadh muttered. "This isn't happening."
"No," Kalarau said. "It isn't."
He moved, forcing Soma to stop, and managed to struggle out of the man's grip. Immediately, he marched up to Qadar. All the confidence was gone from her face, now. Something had her spooked.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I should have known this would happen."
"Don't be sorry," he said. "Fix it. Do whatever it is you do and undo this, right now. I know you've done it before."
"I…" Qadar looked down. "I can't."
"What!?" Kalarau shouted. He slammed his fist into a nearby tree. "What do you mean you can't!? You can talk to the past, can't you? Tell them this is going to happen! Fucking save her!"
"I can't," she said, quieter this time. "The Handmaid was blocking my abilities. By the time you killed her, the window moved. I'm cut off from everything that happened before we left the forest."
That… No. That had to be a joke. Or she was refusing, for some reason. But there was no way she couldn't. Not after everything he'd seen her do. He stood there, waiting for her to explain further, but she didn't.
"Fuck you," Kalarau said. "No. I refuse to accept that. You've dragged us through too many fights with your stupid fucking Oracle bullshit. Now you fucking bring her back."
"I can't!" Qadar shouted. "I've tried a thousand times, but I can't!"
Kalarau punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground. She didn't even try to fight back. Idly, he wondered how many times he'd had that conversation with her. Ten? A hundred? Did she know what he was going to say already? Did it matter? All the power in the world, and she couldn't do a fucking thing when it counted.
He looked toward the shore. Their Titan ships were still moored where they'd left them. Slowly, he started trudging toward one.
"Now what?" Clíonadh asked.
"Sthenos won't work with us," Qadar muttered. "In terms of options we have left—"
"We?" Kalarau asked. He whirled back around again. "No. There is no 'we' here, Qadar. I'm done."
"I know," she said.
Of course she fucking did. Before she could say anything else, he started walking again. He commandeered one of the Titan ships and set sail while they kept plotting, leaving Qadar and her cause behind. She and the others could keep up the fight all they wanted, but he didn't want any part of it anymore. Without Ratih, there wasn't much point in doing anything. The only thing on his mind was her. And how he'd let her die.
If he believed in an afterlife, he probably would have gone to join her there. But he didn't buy the Praetorium's horseshit theology. Ratih was gone, and dying wouldn't bring her back. So with no reason to live, and no desire to die, Kalarau just kept sailing. Moving as far away from Sthenos as possible. Hoping that distance might do something to dull the crushing emptiness building inside him.
