Chapter 108

The Battle of Castle Town

Blaze set up her command council in the upper chambers of the tower. Torches blazed from a ring of sconces around the room, filling the chamber with hazy smoke. It was a dour setting, and none the more because of what they were there to discuss. Across the circular table, the priest Roran fidgeted with a heavy gold chain that he now wore over his chest. Silver was laid up on a cot just beside the table, though he rested on cushions and was attended by a healer, he looked the most uncomfortable.

There was no head of the table, but everyone's face was turned towards Blaze. Her crown was set before her, the Sol Gem inside it sparkled with pink light. The princess had her eyes closed and was deep in thought. A heavy silence filled the room broken only by the crackle of the torches. A door opened and closed softly as Rayne quickly slipped into his chair beside Gawain. Upon his arrival, Blaze opened her eyes and addressed the room. "We have much to discuss. Sonic, tell the others what you told me."

Sonic cleared his throat. "When Levi and I entered the city we heard some soldiers talking about Mesto. They seemed to believe that Eggman isn't happy with him, and that once the rebellion is crushed, Eggman will remove him."

"Lord Mesto is rounding up our countrymen in the city into ghettos," Blaze continued. "It will not be long until he attempts to execute a purge."

Roran inhaled rapidly. "Solaris above! We cannot let that happen!"

"Mesto is trying to force your hand," Rayne interjected. "He wants you to do something bold in order to stop him."

"I agree," Blaze said tactfully.

"But we cannot sit on our hands and do nothing!" Roran insisted. "We must march on the city at once!"

"We don't have the means to lay siege to Sol," Gawain countered. "It will take months to isolate the city, and even if we manage to do that, we don't have the firepower or the numbers to take it."

"Unless the city is taken from the inside," Rayne turned to Blaze. "Send insurgents into the city, rally our people against Mesto."

Blaze shook her head. "I do not believe our people are capable of that. Those in the city are already marked with the persona. To them, the empire is a stabilizing evil."

"Can't you convince them of the truth?" Sonic asked. "Didn't everyone feel that earthquake the other day? Levi and I saw the ground split apart." The others paused and turned to Sonic. "Levi said something about the Flames of Disaster, can't the other Thirteens be convinced that something must be done or all of Arvana will be destroyed?"

"Not without sufficient evidence." Gawain said. "We felt a slight tremor when we were back at the Sanctuary but nothing that would alarm us. Is this fissure still open?"

Sonic slunk back in his chair. "No…Imperial scientists arrived and closed it up. It's just like Darren said, the empire is hiding the truth…but still…maybe they could be convinced."

"That won't happen." Silver pushed himself up on his cot. "Mesto made that perfectly clear to me. The rest of our country will not fight until they believe that we can win."

"It is not cowardice to want to live," Blaze said softly. "Our kingdom has suffered under the yoke of tyranny for many ages. No one wishes to die for a cause that is lost. Many welcomed the change in the empire and wished to build new lives. Now that Mesto has turned on them, many will direct their anger back at us, not recognizing their true enemy until it is too late."

"But what can we do?" Roran pleaded. "If Mesto purges the city then what will this all be for?"

"We can't defeat Mesto in an open battle," Gawain said. "But we can try to force his hand. If Sonic's intel is correct and the emperor is growing impatient, we can force Mesto to come to us." Gawain turned towards Blaze. "We must risk a critical move, one that will prompt Mesto to come out himself."

"And if he does?" Silver asked. "With Titan in the skies, we can't risk an open battle."

"The battle is merely a diversion," Gawain explained. "Bring Mesto into the open, and we launch an all out assault on Titan. If we can bring it down, or better yet, take it over we can turn the tide."

"How do you suppose we do that?" Rayne wondered. "As soon as the trap was sprung, the ship could just fly away."

"We have to trap it in place…or…somehow get onboard it before it can escape."

"I will trap the ship," Blaze declared.

"How?" Roran and Rayne asked in unison.

"With this." Blaze pointed to her crown. "If I power myself up with the Sol Gem, I can lock Titan in place long enough to land a strike team on board. Any volunteers?"

Gawain placed his wing on the table. "I believe I am best suited for this mission."

"I want to go," Sonic said firmly.

"Me as well," Silver added. "I owe Mesto one."

Blaze shook her head. "You are not ready. We must act quickly and you are still healing."

"I can fight!" Silver insisted, but even the effort of raising his voice seemed to drain him.

Blaze did not need to rebuff her brother. She simply turned away and continued to address the others. "That is our plan then. Gawain will take Sonic and a team of his best flyers onto Mesto's we must decide on the best way to force Mesto out into the open."

"We should launch our attack on Castle Town," Rayne suggested. "There is no point in trying to inch our way there. We should attack as soon as possible, if we threaten the town, perhaps that will be enough to force Mesto out of hiding."

"How…how soon are you suggesting?" Roran asked timidly.

"Tomorrow." Blaze answered. "We march at first light."

"But…princess, if we march straight there we will be leaving ourselves vulnerable. It will be impossible to secure a retreat."

"There will not be a retreat," Blaze said sternly. "Our entire camp must be emptied."

"But…what if Mesto doesn't take the bait?" Roran pressed. "We could be risking complete destruction."

"Now you get the point of war," Rayne answered with a grim smile. "The die is cast, priest, you had best pray to Solaris that it lands in our favor."

Blaze stood up. "Rayne, prepare the troops for the march. You will be in charge of the main infantry. Gawain, take over Silver's scouts and incorporate them into your sniper corp. Leave tonight if you can. Harry the garrisons of the nearby forts, and do what you can to divert troops out of the town."

Her knights rose, bowed and hurried to obey her orders. Blaze placed a sympathetic hand on Roran's shoulder. "If you wish, you may ride back to the Sanctuary. I appreciate your intentions in coming this far."

Roran shook his head. "No…I…I must go with you. Someone must attend to the fallen." He rose unsteadily and filed out of the room.

Sonic caught Blaze's eye and inferred that she had something else to discuss with him. When they were alone, Blaze sat back down. Her intense demeanor faded slightly, and she quickly appeared more vulnerable and undecided. "There is more for you to tell me," She said after a pause.

"A lot more," Sonic admitted. "I just don't know what it all means."

"Anything you remember could be helpful."

Sonic leaned back and tried to remember. The events of the previous few days were difficult to sort through, a problem further compounded by the added element of grief. Every memory was now stained with the ghost of Levi. "There was something about Solaris…" Sonic said, willing himself to remember. "I've been hearing the name everywhere, but not from priests." Sonic wrapped his knuckles against the table in frustration. For the millionth time, he wished Tails was with him. He would have picked up all the little details that Sonic kept missing.

"When we were on our way to Masada, I rescued Marren and another imperial. He said he was a scientist, and that he was working on something called the Solaris Project."

"Yes, Gawain briefed me on that. That is the name of the emperor's plan to suck Arvana dry of its energy in order to forge his array of Dyson Spheres? Although, I admit, I cannot even conceive of a machine capable of harnessing the power of a sun."

"You'd be surprised what Eggman can do. Back on earth, he'd create massive space stations all the time. His grandfather even created a weapon capable of destroying entire planets."

Blaze shivered. "Your world…it seems a dangerous place. And Eggman is just one of the these…humans you call them?"

Sonic smirked slightly. "They aren't all like Eggman." He sat up in his chair and folded his hands in front of him. "We know about the Solaris Project, and other parts of Darren's story have proven to be true. He told me that the empire was sending out teams to mitigate the seismic activity caused by abuse of the Sol Gems, and Levi and I saw that first hand."

"But you think there is something else?" Blaze prompted.

"I'm not sure," Sonic admitted, his frustration clearly evident. "When I was saving Silver, something popped up on the terminal I was using. There was a symbol…something I swear I recognize from earth, I just can't place it. When I clicked on it, it displayed blueprints for some kind of megastructure. In the design, it looked as though the machine was pulling energy from a sun, but when I looked closer I couldn't tell." Sonic looked at Blaze intently. He could not even tell himself what exactly he feared, or guessed, but his instincts were triggered and Sonic never ignored them. He tried to express his strong, but poorly defined feelings to Blaze with a look, and something in her expression told him that she understood.

Blaze rose and walked over to him. "I need to see it." She said.

"See it?"

Blaze took Sonic by the hand and led him to his feet. "This thing you saw in Mesto's prison. Bring it to the front of your mind. I must see it." Blaze raised her hand and a small flame traced around her fingers. Sonic drew back, but when Blaze held up the fire, he felt only comforting warmth. "This won't hurt." Blaze placed the palm of her hand upon Sonic's forehead. As soon as she made contact, Sonic felt the ground beneath him slant forward. Everything went black, and the next thing Sonic knew, he was clutching onto Blaze for support. "Sit back down, you may be woozy for a while." Blaze guided him back to his chair.

Sonic sat down and shook himself. He felt as if he had just woken up from a long nap. "What happened?" He stopped his question when he saw the expression on Blaze's face. Her eyes were dilated in fear, and her hand was shaking. "What's wrong?" Sonic tried to stand up, but he immediately felt dizzy and had to fall back into his chair.

Blaze turned away from him and walked back towards her own chair. She pressed her hands against the seatback and lowered her head. "I…I am afraid." She said at last. "I don't understand what I saw. This whole time, I thought the emperor was using the term Solaris as a means of insulting us. It even made some sense, his machines would pull power from the sun, and Solaris is often represented as a sun. But now…" Blaze paused. "No, there is nothing we can do about that now. We have to focus on Mesto and liberating the city." She turned back to Sonic. "Thank you for telling me this, you've given me a lot to think about. For now, go and rest, you and Sir Rayne will lead the vanguard tomorrow."

Sonic put a flippant hand behind his back. "With me in the lead, you won't even need the rest of the army."

Blaze smiled and let out a girlish giggle. "Hold on to that optimism Sonic the Hedgehog. Hope is one of our few advantages. It is the one thing that a tyrant can never have."

Sonic started slowly for the door. He felt slightly awkward about leaving. Neither of them had mentioned the kiss they had shared in the forest, and it seemed they had reached a silent agreement to leave the moment there. After a brief hesitation, Sonic left the room.

He took a winding stair down the base of the tower and at the bottom he found a rebel soldier waiting for him. The young hedgehog put his arm over his chest and inclined his head. "Sir Sonic, I am ordered to show you to the Knight's tent."

Sonic followed the soldier across the camp, in the direction of one of the larger pavilions. "Sir Sonic? I'm not sure I'll ever get used to that," Sonic mused.

"I heard stories about Masada," The rebel said, his voice trembling with nerves. "Is it true you were able to hold back an entire army?"

Sonic smiled faintly. "Well, I'm not one to brag-"

His casual admission sent the young hedgehog into a tizzy. "I also heard that you can command the wind itself! Just like the princess can command fire! They say that you brandished your sword and created a tornado!"

Sonic stopped. "What? No, I didn't even have my sword then. I can't control the wind, I just run really fast in a circle and-" While he spoke, he noticed the naive spark in the rebel's eye. Though everyone else around passed by with hoods drawn, and their heads bent, this young soldier was still clinging to hope. Sonic's expression softened and he put a hand on the rebel's shoulder. "You'll see for yourself tomorrow."

The promise made the rebel's expression light up. "Really? Then we do have a chance? The others…they're saying we've reached the end. We have to make a stand, but there it's not to try and win."

"As long as I'm here, the fight is always to win," Sonic insisted. The rebel stiffened and inclined his head in a show of respect.

"Rest well, Sir." He said, before turning and heading away.

Sonic watched him go before walking into the pavilion. Two banners were raised outside the entrance, each displaying a diamond sword. The inside of the tent was surprisingly spacious and comfortably furnished. Each of the Knights had been assigned a corner, and a space had been made for Sonic beside Silver's cot. Gawain was already gone.

Sonic withdrew Caliburn's sheath and laid it gently beside his mat. Silver rolled over to face him. "I…I understand why my sister wishes me to rest. But if we fail tomorrow, then there won't be a point."

Sonic laid down on his mat and placed his arms under his head. A surge of weariness immediately rushed over him. He could not even remember the last time he had gotten to sleep, it had been before he and Levi had entered the city, but Sonic could not say how many days had passed since then. "We will win tomorrow," Sonic said with a yawn. He closed his eyes and sleep followed almost instantly.

Sonic was transported to a world of void built on a foundation of repeating checkerboard patterns. He tried to move through it, but his feet felt as though they weighed hundreds of pounds. After a few slow steps, Sonic heard a maniacal laughter echo overhead. A second later, he heard the voice of Doctor Eggman. "How do you like your new shoes, Sonic?" The conniving doctor asked mockingly.

The checkerboard floor suddenly rose up and folded in on itself to create a high walled labyrinth. Sonic tried to navigate his way out of the trap, but every path looked the same. Anxiety slipped into Sonic's blood and sent his heart pounding. He needed to escape, but he couldn't run. Sonic took a random turn, and the walls of the maze fell away to reveal the center. Blaze lay face down in a puddle of still water. Sonic cried out and tried to rush forward, but a black mist descended in front of him to block his path.

The phantom-like figure who had destroyed the Underking and his army materialized in front of Sonic. A great red ruby shimmered on his chest. It raised a sharp clawed hand and Sonic felt his entire body seize up and he was lifted up into the air. Unable to move, Sonic was brought forward face to face with his attacker. Its mask left one eye uncovered and it was so full of hate and malice, Sonic felt a darkness enter his heart. The phantom raised its hand and a blade of pulsing red energy materialized in his grasp. There was a triumphant sound from above and the phantom plunged his weapon into Sonic's gut.

Sonic jerked awake with his heart pounding. He sat up in the tent to see Rayne had entered the tent and was dressing himself in armor while Silver watched enviously. "I should be going with you." He said disheartedly.

"Rest, this will not be the last battle." Rayne strapped his sword belt around his waist and turned to Sonic. "You'd best prepare, we leave soon."

Sonic took a second to collect himself. Already, the specifics of his dream were starting to fade, leaving him only with a sense of colossal dread.

Sonic slung Caliburn's sheath over his shoulder. "How long will it take us to reach Castle Town?"

"Less than an hour if we hurry."

Sonic's stomach fluttered with nerves. He would have usually felt excited at the prospect of a fight, but now he felt only anxiety and fear. Unwilling to display these emotions in front of the others, Sonic hurried out of the tent.

The rest of the camp was wide awake and quickly preparing itself to march. Light snow drifts fell onto the silver cloaked rebels, partially concealing them as they formed themselves into squadrons. Sonic walked alone to the edge of the camp. He tried to suppress his building anxiety. Worrying will only slow me down. And Sonic had a feeling he would need ever ounce of his speed and energy. He reached back and wrapped his hand around Caliburn's hilt, and he felt a surge of warmth seep into his arm. With his other hand, he held the Chaos Emerald.

Sonic wondered if these weapons would be enough if he had to face that masked figure. Something about him had unnerved Sonic. It wasn't just the ease in which he had killed the Underking and his army, but the aura of darkness that encased him. Sonic tapped his foot anxiously against the grass. If he faced that fighter again, would he seize up like he had last time?

"Are you ready?" Sonic looked up to see Blaze approaching him. She wore a modest set of silver steel rings beneath a light metal breastplate. Heavy gauntlets covered her hands with a matching set of metal greaves over her shins. Her head was uncovered save for the crown set with the Sol Gem. Her cape trailed behind her, a red stain against the white snow covered ground. Blaze stood out starkly against the colorless, gray morning, an ethereal light of color and warmth seemed to surround her, defiant against cold and shadow. The sight of her, quickly put Sonic's anxiety at bay.

"Yes," Sonic answered. "I'm just a little…"

"Scared?" She prompted. Blaze stood beside him, the warmth radiating from her shielded Sonic against the cold morning.

"I suppose, but not of the battle itself. I just feel confused. When we spoke last night, I forgot to mention something else that happened. When Silver and I returned from the Underking we were betrayed."

Blaze nodded. "Yes, Silver told me all about that. Apparently, you encountered a new enemy. One that was able to even get the edge on you."

"It wasn't just that," Sonic continued. "There was something else, I've fought plenty of tough opponents in my time, but I've never felt something like this before. He had some sort of ruby connected to his body, and whatever it was…it just felt evil."

"Perhaps this newcomer is a new invention of the emperor, or Lord Mesto. My guess is that it is the ladder. Mesto has been known to dabble in necromancy and other dark magic." Blaze put a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "Don't be worried, if you face him again, I am sure things will not go the same."

Before Sonic could answer, a horn blew. Blaze turned back towards the tower. "We must leave now." She said, her voice shifting suddenly back to a commanding tone. "Sonic, you run ahead and see if you can make contact with Gawain and his scouts. We may as well put your speed to good use." She pointed towards the north and Sonic didn't wait for further instructions. He leapt over the camp gates and sprinted across the grassy plain.

It struck Sonic as odd that not so long ago, he had traveled near this exact spot with Simon and Flip, now he was coming at the head of an army to launch an assault upon the town. Sonic felt a pang of guilt, and resolved that he would try and find Simon and get him to safety.

As he ran, Sonic spotted a stream and he followed the blue ribbon across the grass fields. The farmhouses that Sonic had seen on his first visit were now abandoned. It seemed that the citizens of the village had retreated behind the walls. Sonic stopped at the bank of the stream, roughly five hundred yards away from the village.

"Did Blaze send you?" There was a rush of wings behind him and Sonic whipped around to see Gawain landing behind him along with two other falcons.

"Yeah, she wanted to know how things are going."

Gawain shrugged. "As well as it can be. We attacked a few forts to the north, hoping to divert the imperials. I can't say for certain whether or not they'll take the bait. Another one of my regiments is burning farm houses all along the western march. That will force the empire to act."

Sonic was appalled. "Burning farmhouses?"

"This is a war. Those homes were built on Soleanna's land. We need to spread out the imperial forces if we are going to have a chance to take the town."

Sonic shook his head. "That isn't right."

Gawain huffed. "It doesn't matter what is wrong or right. We did not try and kill, the fires were only meant to serve as a distraction. Imperial supplies will be redirected, and with any luck some of our soldiers will live because of what I've done.'

Sonic had no answer. Who could say which lives mattered and which one's didn't? His hands closed into fists. These were the kinds of choices forced by desperation, a desperation brought on by Eggman and his relentless machine of destruction. "Tell Blaze to go on with the attack. We will not have a better chance than this." Gawain leapt back into the air and soared away, his scouts following behind him.

There was nothing left for Sonic to do, but race back towards camp. Blaze and her army met him a third of the way there. Sir Rayne led the vanguard at a brisk run, tearing down the open grass field. A heavy fog hung over the sky, veiling the dawn light and concealing the gray clad rebels amongst the snow and mist. Sonic formed up beside Blaze. "Gawain says everything is ready."

She inclined her head. "Then may Solaris be with us." Blaze raised her hand and shot forth a ball of fire. "Come the day, may the shadow of tyranny be erased from this kingdom forever more! There is only one God of the sun, and His throne shall be restored!" The other rebels cheered and picked up the pace.

Sonic drew Caliburn from its sheath and headed up to the front to run beside Rayne. Adrenaline coursed through Sonic's limbs, he felt both terrified and exhilarated all at the same time. He was unnerved and afraid at his body's willingness to fight, with the eagerness in which it craved battle. All around him, the rebels' faces were set with anger and with bloodlust. They were on the side of justice, yet in that moment, they seemed as merciless and unfeeling as Eggman's badniks. Sonic's heart thumped strangely in his chest, a drum beat that was matched with the blaring of a loud trumpet.

They were almost four hundred yards away from the gates of Castle Town, and they had finally been spotted. Horns blared along with sirens. Hordes of Sentinels rose into the air and cascaded down into the snow covered field like a black mass of spilled oil. The two armies drew nearer just as the clouds moved overhead, casting a long dark shadow over the battlefield. A vengeful red glow illuminated the far side of the field as the Sentinels prepared to fire. Sonic braced himself to spring forward. WHOOSH! A huge blast of fire rushed forward and exploded into the front rank of Sentinels. The blast shattered their front line and a cheer sounded from behind Sonic.

Consumed by the moment, by the rush of battle, by the blood thumping in his ears, by the smell of smoke, fire and fear, Sonic raised Caliburn and charged. And for the first time in his life, he ran into battle with the intention to destroy.