AO 4 Ch 40 (Patreon)

Chapter 40

“It has to be taken back.” I stated without an ounce of room to do anything else. “That fort is the backdoor into our kingdom. Saving the kingdom aside, the Garrish forces would roll right through half our country. If you think they are turning our soldiers into mage-forged, then the horrors of fighting the farmers from every village here to the capital is the reality if we don’t take it back as soon as possible.”

I felt strongly about what I was saying.

It wasn’t a hero complex, and I honestly wasn’t sure if we’d all survive.

But the massive loss of life and the sheer pain that would be inflicted on the populace if we did nothing was staggering. I couldn’t ignore it and live with myself.

“You didn’t see any mages?” Emlyn asked, sounding hesitant.

“None, but where there are mage-forged there are mages.” Zuri clearly thought we should report and wait. In fact, the report was already riding out.

Meanwhile, the people driving the supply and the guards around it grumbled something about me being so green I was jumping at shadows.

I trusted Zuri’s assessment without a doubt. She was more seasoned than most of the caravan.

“I could go in another body.” Maribelle offered.

“It makes some sense.” Zuri offered.

I wrinkled my nose at the idea. “Not my first option please.” The idea of her experiencing death again bothered me.

“We could try and use the night to do something stealthy.” Emlyn gave me another option. “It would be me, Zuri and Maribelle with you nearby on support, and Aurelia guarding you.”

The Virel frowned.

“Your hair is far too flashy.” Emlyn shrugged with a thin excuse. “That, and we’ll leave our best to defend Ard.”

“I’m going to be there. Make a big shadowy box on the top of the fort and send Cyam out to help.” I said.

“Your dark magic is not your best.” Zuri pointed out.

“Too bad.” I shrugged. “Time to learn.”

Emlyn let out an exasperated sigh. “He’s not going to back down. Let’s have him come with Aurelia rather than do something stupid.”

“I knew you loved me.” I flashed her a smile.

“You are lucky I love your stubbornness in most things, so that I’m okay putting up with it here.” She scowled back. “I—as much as I hate it— think sending in Maribelle is the right idea. You can put her back together.” Emlyn sighed. “Before we go, I’m going to try and do the same thing.”

There was a quiet pause in the planning group.

Uncle Valken and Eva had been quiet, but he spoke up. “I am unsure if what she’s done can be replicated.”

“I damned well won’t be outdone by her.” Emlyn grumbled.

“I thought you two were getting along.” I said.

Emlyn scowled at Maribelle who was making tea without a care in the world. “That was when I thought I had a lead, but she sneakily has been a step ahead this whole time.”

“It’s not a competition.” I cautioned.

“Yes it is.” All of the ladies spoke at once.

That they all agreed didn’t necessarily mean I was wrong, but it certainly meant that I shouldn’t keep arguing. There was little point in it.

I’d just quietly hold onto my rightness.

“Will you join us?” I asked Uncle Valken. “By the way, do I get to know what was in that sack you brought with you?”

“Food.” He lied, because food didn’t thump or have square corners.

“Be that way.” I was fairly sure he had collected a number of books.

“I will join you, but stay near Eva for this assault. Her protection is still my top priority.” Uncle Valken assured me. “Perhaps you could learn a thing or two of dark magic from her.”

“I’ve seen his epiphanies. If I teach him two things, he’ll learn the rest.” Eva sighed. “Still, I have no desire to see Avente crushed and Garrish’s aggression to turn towards Zenovia with all the momentum of two countries in a few years. If Chillwind opens for Garrish to invade, I might as well find a ship and explore the world.”

“Then it’s agreed that my plan is the best. We’ll go tonight.” I nodded to the group. “Rest for a few hours so that we are as fresh as we can be.”

Somehow in the short time I’d become a mage, combat had become something I was now qualified in.

Zuri pulled me aside as everyone started to mill about. “Ard, I know we’ve been in a few scrapes, but this is a fort and we are going up against trained soldiers and military mages with far more experience than you.”

“That’s why I have you.” I flashed what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

It wasn’t lost on me that we were assaulting a fortress on our own. If it was this easy, then the war would have been won or lost long ago.

“Whoever did this beat Melida. Do you think you could beat Melida in a duel?” Zuri asked me, searching my eyes.

“A duel? Not a chance. In a life or death struggle? Absolutely.” I grimaced. “Besides, we have an ace like Uncle Valken with us. Pretty sure he could thrash Melida.”

“Ard.” Her tone held warning.

“Yes Dear?” I blinked innocently. “You said it yourself. They are unlikely to have a huge group or they would have been missed with all the intelligence reports. So, they came in recently with a group of elites.” I repeated back her own estimates. “That, and they might not be in the best conditions after facing off against Melida and Faith.”

“I just…” Zuri trailed off.

“You worry.” I kissed her head trying to remain confident. “But we have this. And honestly, I’m going to stuff your soul back into your body if something happens to you.” I flashed her a guilty smile. “Sorry, not losing any of you.”

She sighed and pulled my lips down for a more solid kiss. “Then promise me you’ll keep yourself safe so that no matter what happens, you can reunite us.”

“Promise.” I nodded.

Someone in the supply train called for Zuri and she gave me a lingering look before rushing off to solve another problem.

I let out the tension in me and stared down at my hands. They were trembling. It wasn’t that I was afraid of dying, I was afraid of leading one of the people that I loved to their death.

Even if Emlyn was pissed at me for the rest of her very, very long life, I was going to stuff her back into her body.

The prerequisite for that to happen meant I needed to stay alive.

Think of the devil, Emlyn came around the carriage, grabbed me by the shoulder and led me into the carriage we’d traveled in. “Cuddle me. We are taking a nap.”

She wasn’t alone. Aurelia and Maribelle were inside making a spot for me as they folded out the bench to make the carriage interior just one big bed.

“I’ve got something before that.” Emlyn said. She grabbed me and kissed me deeply. She wiggled against our bond like Maribelle trying to shove herself through. “I love you so damned much Ard.” She broke the kiss but didn’t stop pushing. “Once, I lost sight of you and regretted it every damned day. Never again.” She kissed me fiercely, pinning me to the floor and pushing her soul against mine.

I went dizzy with the pressure and tried to open myself up.

My feelings were similar. If nothing else, I never wanted the heartbreak of losing Emlyn again. No, she would be stuck with me for the rest of her life.

I squeezed her tightly, taking in her everything from the feel of her body pressed against me to the scent of her hair.

The bond between us nearly sucked her inside and she went limp on top of me.

“Is she okay?” Aurelia watched curiously from the side.

“She’s fine. Watch. Boop!” I poked her nose as I stuffed her soul back into her body.

Emlyn sat up with a gasp. “Fuck me.”

“I think we need to sleep.” I shot back quicker than she realized what she had said.

“Damnit Ard.” She glowered at me and then kissed me. “Stuck with me for the rest of your damned life.” She grinned. “We’ll have plenty of time for sex later.”

“Zuri will join us when she’s done.” Maribelle nodded. “Now rest, Sir. We all need it, but you need it most of all.” She pulled me into the pile. “Rest.” She insisted.

I didn’t last long with Maribelle as a pillow, sandwiched by Emlyn before I faded off into sleep.

***

The sun was fading behind the trees when someone roused me.

“Five more minutes. It was just getting to the good part.” I grumbled and tried to roll over.

“Oh? What's the good part?” Emlyn asked, her breath hot against my neck.

“The part where you make a fool of yourself thinking your time in my soul is a lewd dream.” I opened my eyes fully and stuck my tongue out at Emlyn.

She smacked me lightly on the shoulder. “Damnit Ard.”

“You quite literally started this one.” I shot back and rolled away before she could choose real violence. “Don’t blame me for being so good at finishing it.” I managed to roll into Maribelle who defended me.

“One of these days you’ll be more clearly able to manipulate your soul.” Maribelle smiled. She was clearly better at it than Emlyn and a tad smug that she was closer to me.

“Whatever, let’s get going.” Emlyn strapped her sword back to her hip and stepped out of the carriage.

Maribelle helped me to my feet and guided me out. “We’re ready when you are.”

My anchors, Eva and Uncle Valken were arrayed before me.

“For old times sake, want to try and convince me to not go through with this?” I asked Emlyn.

“Never worked before. Why keep trying?” Emlyn huffed and crossed her arms. “Besides, we’ll be fine. Aurelia’s got your back, right Manticore?”

“Don’t call me that.” She glared at Emlyn. “We’ve been through enough fights that I’m not going to be a mother hen. You’ve shown you can handle yourself.” She nodded to me.

“Come on, my Manticore, your carriage awaits.” I used the pet name as Cyam and his carriage came out of my shadow.

“Thank you.” She took my hand as I helped her up.

“He gets to call you that now?” Emlyn teased.

“Of course he does. He’s my mage.” Aurelia tossed her hair and entered the carriage.

I winked at Emlyn and followed as they filed in one after the other.

“You just like to tease her.” Zuri said.

“Which one?” Eva asked.

“Both.” Maribelle joined the carriage and we were all inside except for Uncle Valken who shook his head.

“I’ll meet you there. My own two feet carry me well enough.” He shot off into the darkness.

“Does he get motion sick?” I asked the carriage as Cyam kicked off the air and pulled us up into the rapidly darkening night.

“Yes, the ancient Vel’shae is foiled by motion sickness.” Emlyn rolled her eyes.

“Who knows? Maybe they didn’t even have carriages when he was a kid.” I was nervous.

“He’s not that old.” Eva shook her head.

Even in the dark, the outline of the fortress with the torches lighting the walls was obvious once we moved above the treeline. Beyond that, the pass was in the gloom of night.

“It’s a big fort. Think Big Bertha would like a new home? That would solve all our problems. No one is going to cross the pass in any season if she makes a nest here.”

“Yes, well we can send you to go convince the wyrm later. For now, we have a war to save.” Zuri had her bow out and ready.

Emlyn and Zuri were drawing all the magic they needed from me and I kissed Aurelia to fill her up with fire magic before moving to Zuri and filling her up with dark magic for the night battle.

We grew closer, and I pulled the carriage higher.

No one looked up to see us. The sun had set and the dark magic blended in with the night, or perhaps Missy, as the Mistress of the Night had blessed us.

“Oh goddess. We pray to you to protect us this night.” Maribelle said aloud. “We venture forth into danger and could use your guidance.”

“There’s a dark spot on the second roof there.” Zuri pointed over my shoulder. She was right, of course. There was a point where the top roof met a lower one and cast a deep shadow that no torch banished. “Emlyn, Maribelle would you mind being a distraction while Ard slides into place?”

From this vantage, I could see damage to the fort. There had been a sizable fight in the courtyard that hadn’t been patched up by an earth mage yet.

“We’ll go in.” Emlyn kissed me on the cheek and the door to the carriage vanished before she jumped out like some sort of dance routine, holding her legs together as she flipped and twirled.

I felt her draw briefly on my wolf sphere and soak up earth magic for a second as she accelerated down towards a guard tower.

The roof collapsed in with her landing and the whole structure fell apart.

It was a successful distraction. Shouting went up and down the walls and into the fortress as the Garrish soldiers raced without thinking into the collapsing guard tower.

“My turn.” Maribelle flipped out, her maid dress flaring as she dove straight downwards.

I couldn’t watch and covered my eyes before curiosity got the best of me and I peeked between my fingers.

She hit the fortress itself and rolled for a dozen feet before popping up like she’d just jumped off a bed and several stories.

There was a flash of bluesteel before she disappeared into the fort.

“Rather than the shadows, how about we take the roof?” I asked and pointed as I gathered my dark magic.

Eva’s magic pooled around her. “There’s only six of them.”

Zuri put an arrow of darkness on her bow. “Left to right. Each of us gets one in the two groups. Ard, Eva, me.”

“Fire away.” I told her as I grabbed hold of the shadows beneath my target.

Zuri lined up and let loose a shot that took out the first target.

Eva’s dark magic twisted shadows into a piercing drill that went right through her target’s head.

Mine on the other hand was less sophisticated. Dark tendrils leapt up, wrapping around the guard’s mouth and dragging him to the ground with a thud before ripping him apart with several tight bands of dark magic.

“Twist it around itself to make darkness hard.” Eva instructed and pointed to the next group that had clearly heard the noise and raised their torches.

Zuri’s bow twanged before one lurched back with a muffled cry and Eva’s second target rose higher off the ground, impaled by twisting darkness.

I went with my proven method of lashing the guard’s mouth and dragging him to the ground before I focused and twisted a cord of darkness around itself before driving it through the mage-forged’s heart. “Oh. Interesting. It’s already more flexible than the other magics, now you can make it hard.” I set down the carriage with Cyam.

There was the clanking of swords in the distance. Likely Emlyn letting loose; Maribelle tended to make far less noise.

Aurelia stuck to my side like glue.

“Dark magic is compared to a type of reed in Zenovia. It’s somewhat flimsy on its own, but if you twist it together it becomes a tough cord and if you keep twisting it becomes nearly as strong as a bull's horn. It also seems to be the most receptive to soul magic.” Eva quickly explained.

There were shouts down below, but those were fine. Up here we could pick off priority targets.

A look down, and I saw Emlyn using both Earth and Lightning in quick bursts. She’d move quickly with lightning before switching to Earth and cleaving through a group of mage-forged.

Meanwhile, Uncle Valken hadn’t been left behind and was fighting a group by the main gates that were currently swaying open.

A thick group of mage-forged rushed out of the fort proper for Emlyn.

“Them.” I pointed and twisted the shadows. I strung them along the path at ankle level.

The first few in the group tripped and fell, before the second row bowled over the first.

It was the third row that had enough time to react and jumped clear of their allies, rushing Emlyn with reckless abandon.

Zuri’s bow sounded next to me a soft thump with each shot as arrows of darkness found their mark one after the other, cutting down those that were still after Emlyn.

Twisted shadow rose up behind the fallen mage-forged and quickly went about piercing their skulls.

There were plenty of mage-forged, but not nearly enough to fill a fort.

“Efficient.” Aurelia murmured.

“The roof!” A shout came up, and the corner of the roof suddenly gave way as a wolf mage tore the stone out from under me.

Aurelia caught my coat and pulled me back before I fell.

Zuri’s arrows tried to find him, but walls of stone burst forth to protect him.

But the mage’s magic was not enough to stop Uncle Valken. He darted behind the wall and blood splattered around the edges before the Vel’shae moved on.

“Brutal.” I commented. “Alright, let's play ‘how many can you kill’. I’ll compete with Aurelia. You two can have separate matches. We’ll then choose the victor by whoever has the greatest difference with their partner.”

Eva frowned at me. “Aurelia isn’t going to get much while she’s guarding you.”

“That’s the point. He set it up so he’d win.” Zuri sighed, but strummed her bow with quick efficient pulls. Each time, the string let out that flat note another Garrish soldier died.

“What fun is playing if you don’t know with certainty that you’ll win?” I laughed and twisted the shadows into a branch of darkness that swept half a dozen soldiers from the wall as they raced to the fortress.

Several more screamed as they were thrown out of a window, one of them wearing an officer’s uniform.

“How about you compete with Maribelle?” Eva offered.

“No thanks. She’d let me win.” I shrugged and two cords of dark magic ripped apart a mage-forged.

The door to the roof banged open and more spilled out towards us.

Aurelia’s axe lit on fire as she jumped into the fray.

“Nevermind! I don’t want to play against Aurelia. I’ll go with Maribelle.”

“But…” Eva paused. “Oh. You must be a horrible Keeps and Mages player.”

“He plays with stone pieces so he can cheat.” Zuri offered.

“I don’t cheat! I’m just a little rusty is all and I need to redo some of my moves.” Huffing, I filled the door to the roof with a dozen stone spikes before three manticore claws ripped through the air and shredded those trying to get to the roof.

Cyam threw his head back and bolted out of my shadows and into the mass.

“His kills count for me. What a good boy.” I praised him before turning my attention to those down below. Emlyn was having perhaps too much fun.