Heretic Spellblade 6 - Ch20

Chapter 20

The threat of cascades remained one of the oldest and greatest threats to Doumahr. Even before the invention of the wireless, an eruption of wild magic that tore through the leylines and prevented all forms of magical communication could end nations overnight.

Militaries relied on leadership and communications. Even if a Bastion defended their own portal, that mattered little if one twenty miles away fell and an army of demons spilled out across the land. Every nation developed methods to protect themselves. If they hadn’t, then they’d never have succeeded.

Most of those in operation dated back to the age when Omria had still walked among the Empire. Cascades barely occurred these days, reducing the knowledge of their countermeasures to little more than footnotes in history and expertise that was often passed on verbally to the next generation. Complacency had set in, particularly with the development of the wireless and defensive barriers around towns and cities.

Yet not every nation fell victim to folly. The Spires used fireworks to coordinate defensive measures across Forselle Valley, ensuring that any fort that was in danger from a foe—internal or external—was obvious to all. Much of the defensive line along the Houkeem Desert relied on signaling towers that worked day and night.

And in Trafaumh, the Inquisition never allowed their defenses to fail. Perhaps they had once. But Baudelaire ensured the Order maintained the many protections set in place centuries prior by Omria herself. Trained messengers with fast horses, automated response plans for battalions, fireworks and signal towers in high density areas.

Near Fort Arrinsy and the mountain range by the Pearlescent Canyon, a series of ancient smoke beacons stood to pass information to the many defenders and citizens along the heavily inhabited south-eastern stretch of Trafaumh. Hermit monks maintained them, responding to either a signal being lit from a failing fortress, a visible breach, or any sighting of demons.

Once Nathan and the others rushed outside, they confirmed the sight of plumes of smoke rising into the clear blue sky. It was late afternoon by now, as the sun began to fall behind the nearby mountains, but the smoke stood out as a black cloud marring Nathan’s vision.

In the distance, he saw another plume. No doubt more rose, stretching across the range.

“By Omria,” Ysabelle uttered, covering her mouth with her hands.

“Do we know where it might be coming from?” Narime asked. “This system seems too crude.”

Nathan shook his head at the same time as Deverese. Although most eyes fell on Nathan, he allowed the local Bastion to explain matters.

“The signals merely tell us direction, using the order they were lit,” Deverese grunted out. “The source of the breach might not even be one of the mountain forts. If anyone spotted demons roaming the countryside or if a fortress sent off a message before it fell, we’d light the signals. All we know is that we must go north-west.”

“That’s all you know,” Nathan corrected. “I have the ability to confirm the location far faster. Are you willing to actually work with me, or will I go put down the demons myself?”

“I’ll gather my soldiers and do my duty, Revered Bastion.” Deverese refused to look at Nathan. “My orders are clear. There’s a breach somewhere and Fort Arrinsy is secure. I need to ensure my own binding stones haven’t fallen.”

“You can feel your Champions, can’t you?”

“That doesn’t mean they aren’t about to fall. I won’t allow a breach from my portals while blindly responding to another.”

That answered that. Nathan knew he’d get no help from his old rival.

Honestly, did Deverese even count as his rival anymore? The man barely resembled the Bastion he’d known in his old world. The changes that Nathan had wrought had warped Deverese beyond recognition.

Shaking his head, Nathan turned to leave.

“Deverese, you can’t be serious!” Ester snapped. “We know what the Imperial Spymaster can do. All of Trafaumh is in danger. This isn’t what the Inquisition or the Regal Council would do. I… Please, for the sake of the villages and towns here.”

“We have our orders,” Deverese said robotically.

Utter confusion warred with anger on Ester’s face. Her gauntlets clinked together as she gripped her sword so tight that her knuckles surely whitened beneath the armor.

Then she shook her head, her brown pigtails flying around her face. Her red and black plate clanked as she darted over to Nathan.

“Then I’ll represent the Inquisition,” she declared. “You have your orders, and I have mine, beaten into me since I could barely talk. As a soldier of the Inquisitorial Corps, I serve the Goddess, then the Inquisition, then you. And the desires of the first two are screaming in my ear.”

“Ester, you can’t—” Deverese began to say, before stopping himself. “Fine. Go. I’ll get a report from you later, and it will be in the hands of the inquisitors then.”

Déjà vu struck Nathan. He’d heard Deverese say something similar to Jafeila countless times in the past, whenever she’d charged off on her own or found some excuse to join Nathan somewhere.

Had it ever been loaded with so much bitterness? Nathan suspected he might have missed the undertones in the past. Particularly given Jafeila’s divided loyalties and tendency to return late due to cornering Nathan somewhere for sex after a mission.

“Let’s go,” he said, pushing the idea of sex firmly from his mind.

Ester nodded, although her face had paled following Deverese’s words. None of her comrades followed her.

Although, once again, Nathan knew Ysabelle’s mind churned as she considered following Ester. But if both of Deverese’s best Champions left him, there’d be hell to pay. Either Deverese might be done as a Bastion, or the Inquisition might back him and punish his wayward Champions once all was said and done.

Nathan checked his link with Reine and saw that she was close to where they’d been earlier.

“This might feel a little weird at first,” he told Ester.

She gave him a half-hearted smile. “I’ve seen you do this a couple of times now, and heard all about it in the Inquisition reports. Um. It’s not heretical or anything, right?”

“I’ve teleported Fyre like this, so I think that’s a no,” he said, hedging around the reality of the situation.

Because he definitely was committing heresy by any standard. His teleportation magic came right from Messengers, after all.

His words comforted Ester, and she sheathed her longsword. As Nathan prepared his teleportation spell with a golden spell frame, Ester held her hands against her diamonds.

Then his spell finished. Tarako flitted ahead again. Once again, she knew exactly where he’d appear.

“How do you keep doing that?” he asked her, a little annoyed.

“Teleportation magic isn’t instant,” Tarako said. “You’re a beginner at using spatial magic, so you probably don’t really understand, but you’re sending a signal in the open to where you plan to teleport to.”

“I’m what?” he asked.

A memory nudged his mind. Didn’t he use a similar trick to work out where Sunstorm teleported to using her monogem ability? He could sense her an instant before she appeared.

“Think of the world like a map. When you want to teleport, you first draw a line between you and your destination. Then you’re ‘crunching’ the space along that line to entangle your current position and your destination—although I’m oversimplifying here, because you’re not actually—”

“You lost me already. Don’t go into that level of detail.” He rubbed his temples. “Entangle?”

“Uh…” Tarako looked at the Twins, who rolled their eyes.

“Quantum entanglement is the idea that two objects or locations are the same,” Laura said. “Although the goat would probably flip her shit if I said that to her face, given this was her field of expertise.”

“I just got more confused,” Nathan said.

“When you teleport, you’re connecting two spaces. For the briefest of instants, you’re in two locations at once—your origin and your destination. Then you remove yourself from your origin, so you’re only at your destination, and end the spell. That way you’re not actually in two places at once. Gateways create a permanent entanglement,” Laura droned. “And yeah, there’s a tiny signal before anyone teleports. You need to send magic to the destination, after all.”

“The weird part is that the fluffball can detect it that fast.” Maura glared at Tarako.

“I’ve forgotten more about spatial magic than you kits have ever learned,” Tarako said.

“Given you’re a hag, I can actually believe that.”

Both sides of the argument bared their teeth at one another.

Nathan decided he had his answer, but didn’t need to let this argument go on any further. Any enemy sufficiently skilled in spatial magic could predict where he might teleport and use that against him. That might get him killed one day if he wasn’t careful.

Knights milled around him, if far fewer in number. He saw no signs of fortifications, which given the late hour meant that Sen had chosen somewhere else to set up camp.

Speaking of which, she trotted up to him, a pair of officers from the knights in tow.

“Where’s Reine?” Nathan asked Sen. “I assume you can see the smoke as well as us.”

“Already on it.” Sen half-turned and pointed down the road, where a circle of knights stood. “I’ve been working with Reine to dispatch everyone. We have a camp to the north and we brought some regular soldiers through to set it up. Almost everyone else is either with Fyre or responding to the breach.”

He nodded and began walking toward Reine. Everyone else followed, although Ester took a few moments to follow suit. She looked around with an uncertain expression, as if expecting somebody to question her presence among the Imperial Army.

“Do we know where the breach is?” he asked.

“Reine says there’s at least two, but she’s worried more will start popping up. There must be invasions hitting almost every fortress in Trafaumh.”

“That’s exactly what’s happening.” Nathan checked the leylines as he walked.

Little had changed, as they remained a complete mess.

But he did notice that more energy had washed up against Prophet’s Hope. Enough to bring it dangerously close to an invasion.

Ordinarily, he’d say it couldn’t be invaded, but would that apply against Artemis?

If she could invade a second time in as many days, how could he hope to win against his enemies? This onslaught was becoming obscene, even by the standards of his old world.

Cascades stacked upon cascades, far larger than almost anything he usually dealt with. Messengers hitting everything from minor fortresses to portals that had remained open since the times of Omria.

By Nathan’s count, starting from Artemis, there’d been four Messenger invasions in the past 24 hours.

Artemis, Tomoe, the one invading the Spires, and now this dominion. Not to mention that Soreaux had likely fought one off. Nothing of this magnitude had ever occurred in his old world.

“We should have been ready for this,” Ester muttered.

Sen shot the woman a strange look, then raised an eyebrow at Nathan. Most likely, she’d felt some pang of recognition. The two had known each other in his old world from way back. More than a few times, they’d fought as a pair when Nathan battled alongside Deverese due to how well Ester’s gem abilities paired with a sorceress in need of protection.

“I don’t think anyone was ready for this,” Seraph said. “Not even Nathan, and he’s been preparing for the worst.”

He grunted affirmatively.

Ester bit her lip. “Really? Then why are all of you up here and not battling in the Empire against the same threat?”

“Because Nathan can teleport across Doumahr with a flick of his wrist, has all of us, and is a bottomless well of energy,” Sunstorm said. Her eyes seemed to sink with exhaustion. “I still have no idea how you’re still going all out after all this.”

“Everyone else is doing most of the fighting,” he said.

Which, while true, didn’t speak to the real cause.

Namely, that Nathan barely felt tired at all.

Sure, he felt mentally and emotionally drained. A whole whirlpool of nightmarish thoughts threatened to overwhelm him at any moment. This could be the moment he failed, after years of preparation and effort. A lifetime of mindfulness techniques to keep his worries at bay enabled him to operate normally.

Mostly normally, given he’d exploded at Deverese.

But physical exhaustion eluded him. Not to mention his unknown source of magic.

They finally reached Reine and the knights around her parted. Astra stood beside the wolfgirl, staring up at the mountains with a face formed of stone.

“Bad,” Astra said.

“It’s not,” Reine corrected, turning to face Nathan. Her mask remained in place, although he saw her hood moved as her ears twitched upon his arrival. “Lord Nathan, I found the location of the breach shortly after the first beacons were lit. Ordinary demons are pouring forth from the remains of Chateau d’Polierre.”

Nathan mentally mapped out where that castle was, while almost everyone else seemed clueless.

“That’s nearly 100 miles to the north-west,” he said once he did the internal math. “It overlooks one of the major tributary rivers that feed into Soreaux.”

“Indeed. The damage being done is unfortunate, but the beacons were lit rapidly. I’ve dispatched most of our knights to the surrounding area along with Fei, as Fyre claimed to be capable of handling portals by herself.”

Nathan frowned. “Where’s Fyre now?”

As if to prove that the prophet could spy on him, he felt her ping him along their mental link. He traced the connection to a fortress only a few dozen miles away. Then he ordered her to return.

“I’m calling Fyre back,” he said aloud. “We’re changing our plans. Suppressing the breach is the highest priority. Now that Deverese doesn’t plan to help, it’s less productive to focus on the fortresses if we’ll face opposition from the defenders.”

“You’re giving up on us?” Ester stared at him in shock.

“Let him speak,” Tarako said.

Ester winced, then bowed her head in apology.

“By now, I expect almost any portal that was going to fall, has fallen or is about to. Defeating the Messenger and dealing with Deverese has taken too long.” Nathan pointedly looked at the sun. “I probably should have moved out sooner.”

“The plan would have worked if we’d just run in and crushed a bunch of demons,” Sunstorm said.

“But we didn’t, and instead got caught up battling a nigh-immortal Messenger. This is triage.” He sighed. “In any case, I need Fyre to close the portal. If I do it, I’ll claim the binding stone and I have something in mind.”

Seraph shot him a look, as if she instinctively understood his meaning.

He continued, “We’ll need to split up in any case. Those of you that excel in horde combat will focus on the breach, while the rest of you can continue once we get Rosewald’s assistance or Fyre returns.”

“We’re back to using Rosewald?” Seraph asked.

“There’s no choice. In any case…” He looked at the Champions around him. “Sen and Narime, I want both of you to help Fei. Seraph, you’ll help me shut the portal and then take command of the knights. Ciana, you’ll remain with me. Sunstorm, work with Reine to scout out any binding stones that we’re not sure are still battling an invasion, as you can sneak inside them easily. Tarako, you can teleport Rosewald around. Stop using your disguise, too. You’ll awe people with your tails and gems.”

“That’ll be annoying,” Tarako muttered.

“And me?” Nurevia asked, her fists balling as if she expected a certain answer.

“The moment Fyre returns, you’re with her. You’re a trigem and can easily handle whatever demons a portal will throw at you. Not to mention most soldiers of Trafaumh will recognize you.”

She choked back a laugh, but he saw relief in her eyes. “Oh, they will. I slaughtered a bunch of them under Tharban a few years back.”

“And now they’ll be happy you’re slaughtering demons for them. Recognizable Champions means they’ll be more trusting. I’d send you with Rosewald, but…” He looked at Tarako.

The fox shrugged. “Can’t your wolf just teleport everyone around?”

Reine hesitated. That told Nathan plenty.

“She’s pushing herself enough as is. Both you and Fyre can teleport, and we don’t know how many fortresses are still in danger.”

Relief washed over the wolf, while Tarako bowed her head in acknowledgement of his words.

“Um, what about me?” Ester asked. “Or do you not… need me?”

Nathan blinked, then bit back a curse. “Sorry. I was running down a mental list of my own Champions. The soldiers and people near the breach are yours, and your gems allow you to fend off demons while protecting others. If you fight alongside a company of knights, including local defenders, they’ll be able to cover a lot of ground without taking losses.”

That was almost certainly how Ester had fought Siv’s horde, although she would have had Ysabelle to lend fire support at the time.

But Reine shook her head. “There may be something else to worry about, Lord Nathan. I have confirmed that there is a breach to the north.”

“… it’s not—”

“Tortoffen remains intact. Rather, the issue is that patch that was eerily unchanged. Demons began emerging from it shortly afterward, only to be met by the Inquisition. Champions have emerged from Tortoffen to battle them and I believe more soldiers are on their way there.”

Nathan looked at the Twins, who shrugged.

“Spatial magic isn’t the only way to hide stuff,” Maura said. “It’s not like everyone works like Atlas.”

Ciana tilted her head. “Could it be an illusion? A Messenger has breached and cast one across the entire area?”

“Um… Maybe?” The succubus scratched her head. “There’d be a lot more destruction if there was a Messenger. Plus, I reckon the goat would be bleating something fierce if one broke through. They leave signs. More so than some damn demons shitting up the place.”

Before she’d even finished talking, Fyre buzzed him with a negation.

“Fyre doesn’t think so,” he said.

“Man, you’ve really come far to be talking to us and chatting up the horsie in your head. Do you sext her as well? Tell her that you put on your robe and wizard hat?” Maura’s grin dripped with lewdness.

Ignoring her, Nathan made a decision. “Do we have enough knights to spare up north and deal with this breach? I get the impression that the Inquisition is already on top of that one. The old soul in Tortoffen is a tough customer, even if he’s no Dominic.”

Ironically, both of them had been “disappeared” during Baudelaire’s rise to tyrannical power.

Uncertainty marred Sen’s face and she looked to Seraph and Narime for support.

The two strategists in Nathan’s camp shook their heads. This time, Seraph nodded at Narime.

“Me first? Aren’t you the one who has been making all the preparations?” Narime’s lips quirked upward. “But the problem is obvious. We have fewer knights here than when we dealt with the breach at Mortiswatch. Most of our soldiers are busy dealing with the cascade or are exhausted from battle.”

“We’ll need days to recover. Do you think we have that time?” Seraph asked.

“Breaches take weeks to resolve. I want to shut this one now, but…” Nathan frowned. “I’ll have Fyre close that portal as well, but given the risk of a Messenger she’ll need support. Otherwise, the Inquisition will need to fend off the demons. Ester, go with Sen and Narime to suppress the nearby breach.”

Ester nodded.

In the distance, he saw soldiers begin to emerge from Fort Arrinsy. Far fewer than he’d hoped for under Deverese’s command, and that likely spoke to the immense casualties the Bastion had suffered fighting off two invasions back-to-back. Ester followed Nathan’s gaze.

For a long moment, he expected her to apologize to him and dash back to join her actual Bastion. He couldn’t read her emotions. She’d always been openly in love with Deverese, so he knew that walking away from him like this—even to defend her country—must be tearing her apart.

“You don’t have to—” Nathan began to say.

Ester cut him off with a sharp look, her usual fire returning. “I’m doing what I’ve been trained to. Maybe you don’t understand who and what I am, but if I can’t help protect my people then what was it all for? I grew up around here.”

He resisted the urge to say that he knew.

Memories of a party in Soreaux filled his mind. Ester had been as bored of the soiree as him, while Deverese preened under the attention of nobles for reasons that had nothing to do with his abandoned birthright. At some point, she’d dragged him out to a balcony in that glittering dress that proved how beautiful she could be, and then dumped her past on him. Plus her unrequited love for Deverese.

“You’re one of the Inquisition’s child soldiers,” Nathan said.

“Maybe. But I’m also one of its Champions. Like you said, we serve Omria and that means I defend her people. Just as you are.”

When Ester looked back at Deverese, her complicated emotions returned.

Yet Nathan struggled to reconcile her words and actions with the puppy love he’d always known her for. She hardly acted like someone deeply in love with her one and only Bastion.

The Twins giggled nearby.

“In that case, everyone has their orders. Narime, can you teleport Ester and Sen to the front? Reine and Sunstorm, you know what to do. Everyone else—”

“We get it,” Nurevia drawled. “We’re Champions. Don’t repeat yourself ten times.”

They all went their separate ways. Reine provided portals as necessary, especially as they had no reason to remain here. Their camp was elsewhere, so it was important to head there.

Which left only him and Seraph.

“Am I right to assume what’s happening next?” she asked.

A small smile graced his face. “I didn’t plan things this way, but a breach is a golden opportunity. It’s time to give you your first binding stone.”

- - - - -

Commentary: By now, you've probably noticed the lack of sex. Well, that's due to the awkward way this book has played out. I've had to rework the structure so many times while maintaining the overall plot that major events have moved around. A lot of this is due to how events ended up being paced.

So there's going to be an added Sen/Sunstorm chapter around Ch10 that will both explain the Sen stuff and add a sex scene. This was supposed to take place around now, but certain events have been crunched because of how much time I spent before getting to Trafaumh. There's another sex scene coming up soon.

Also, I'm going back to my original plans of maybe moving Ester out of Deverese's orbit. This was part of the plan in Book 5, back when I was torn over who should get the PoV chapters. I'm still unlikely to give her too much focus, due to how many characters there are, but I think this is important for story reasons, even if I decide against harem membership.