The mindshifter nodded and took the lead. She peeked up from under her long eyelashes to give Beck a demure smile.
He smiled politely to her and led his mother to one of the small benches that lined the square.
“I’m worried, Beck,” she admitted as she sat down.
“We all are, Mother,” he said putting his arm around her shoulders and hugging her close to his body. “But, I will protect you. I won’t let anything happen to you or Father.”
She stared up at him as if seeing him for the first time. Again, she looked like she wanted to say something to him, but wasn’t sure how to put it into words. He remained silent while her internal struggle took place.
At last, she reached out and cupped her hand under his chin. “Where did my little boy go?” she whispered. “The mother in me just wants to pick you up and run with you as far from this place as possible.” Beck grinned inwardly at the mental picture in his mind. “But, the shifter in me knows that not only can I not keep you from harm, but I fear you are our only hope.”
“As Savitar?”
He felt her stiffen. “Where did you hear that?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he confessed. “What does it mean? Why have I been called Savitar?”
Her gaze roamed his face as though measuring him up in some way. “Do you remember when I told you Mage Galen Starr visited me when you were a baby and he left you that pendant?”
“Yes.”
She stood from the bench and turned her back to him. “He also told me at that time that you had been born with enhanced shifting abilities that would be needed in the future to ensure the safety of the island. He told me…” She paused and choked back a sob. “Dear Highworld, he told me that you had inherited a future filled with danger and combat.”
Beck quickly went to her. “Mother…”
She spun around to face him, tears coursing down her cheeks. “Do you know what it felt like to be a new mother and be told that about your baby son?” she cried. “After that visit, I vowed to give you the best childhood possible to make up for the life you were destined to lead. I had no other children so I could devote all my time to making you happy.”
Beck felt taken aback by her sacrifice. “I do have a great life, Mother, and that’s why I treasure it so much.” He gave her a small smile. “If, as you say, I will play a role in this battle, I have you to thank. You have given me more tools for this day than either the academy or the legion. You taught me to appreciate life and to fight for life.”
She grabbed the front of his shirt. “Don’t you see, Beck! Without your knowledge or consent, an unbelievable burden has been thrust upon you.” She laughed resentfully. “I guess I always hoped that it wouldn’t come to anything, but it has, and I’ve put you on the front line of a war. I should have taken you and ran, Beck. Hidden you from harm! Oh, why didn’t I?” she moaned. “I had years to do something and now it’s too late! What kind of mother am I? What kind of mother deliberately puts her son in harm’s way?”
Beck dropped to his knees in front of her and hugged her around the waist. “A mother who cares for the people of Massa. A mother who did not have any other choice because she is bound by a blood oath to protect and defend.” He looked up at her tenderly. “A mother I am proud to call mine.”
She made a pitiful sound low in her throat and wrapped her arms around his head. “Oh, Beck. I am so sorry.”
“I’m sorry, Mother, that you didn’t have any more children because of me.”
Through her tears and pain she said, “I didn’t have any more children because of me, not you. My heart was so full of love for you, that there wasn’t room for another child. It was my choice.”
Beck held her for a long moment before finally letting her go. “Where can I learn more about why I have been named Savitar?”
She shook her head, sniffling. “You could seek out Galen Starr in Haventhal, but no one knows where he is or if he is even still alive.”
“Airron also has the same pendant. Is he Savitar as well? What about Rogan and Kiernan?”
“I honestly don’t know, Beck. All I know is what I did to you.”
“You did nothing to me, Mother,” he said firmly. “And, I’m going to prove that to you by keeping us all safe. I promise.”
Chapter 11
Enemy Invasion
Kiernan heard them coming with her heart in her throat as she lay between Beck and Rogan in a furrow atop one of the fortifications created by the earthshifters. As the strongest magic users in Pyraan, the council ordered that they position themselves at the top of the barricade for the higher vantage point that would allow them an unobstructed view of the battlefield.
The ominous sound of thousands of feet rushing toward her in the pre-dawn darkness was as frightening as it was meant to be. Jaimes Atlan warned them that Adrian Ravener would try to intimidate them. He would want them to make mistakes out of sheer terror.
I am with you, Princess, said Bajan, crouched behind her. Do not be afraid. Any creature that gets close will have me to deal with.
Bajan, just in case—
Do not make it sound like the end, because it is not. You will have time to torment me for many years to come.
I don’t mean to torment you.
I would not have it any other way.
Despite her fright, she smiled at the Draca’s words.
Her gaze slid over the shifters down below organized into a U-shaped tactical formation. The earthshifters were stationed on the ground in front of the center bulwark and the fireshifters lined the top. Bodyshifters concealed themselves on the western flank in the Grayan Forest, and the mindshifters were scattered along the eastern edge of the U in hastily created earthen domes that would offer a bit of protection as they produced their unique form of mayhem. The advantage of the formation was in its solid defensibility against a larger opponent. The Grayan Forest and Lake Hawthorne created two natural barriers that would make it impossible for Ravener to send his entire army at one time. He would be forced to funnel in smaller units on the road west of the lake where the shifters would be waiting to dispatch them.
Regardless, thought Kiernan, every person there knew that the greatest threat came from Adrian Ravener and not the Cyman Army.
The long, sinister blare of an enemy battle horn wrenched Kiernan back to the present in a rush. Every fiber of her being urged her to run, to get away from there. Death was coming, and she was right in its path.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and drew on the power of her magic to calm her mind. She was a warrior, she chided herself. A protector. If death was coming for her, it would have a fight on its hands.
More composed, she opened her eyes and glimpsed the Cyman Army as it appeared on the northern horizon like a black stain against the brightening sky. She was again staggered by the speed with which they moved. The huge, thick-skinned bodies charged into view with ear-splitting howls and did not slow their breakneck pace until they reached the shores of Hawthorne Lake.
Kiernan held a range finder to her eye.
She spotted Adrian Ravener immediately as he was the only one mounted. He rode through the center of the Cyman Army and stopped at the edge of the lake. She idly wondered which farm he had stolen the animal from along the way.
All was still as the Mage sat silently appraising Parsis and her defenders.
Kiernan’s eyes widened in shock as his body abruptly lifted off the horse and rose into the air. The Mage flew over the lake toward the shifters, black cape billowing out behind him.
The sun picked that very moment to peek up in the east, but the light could not compete with the inky blackness emanating from Adrian Ravener. He wore death and darkness like a mantle wrapped tightly around his shoulders.
How does he fly?
Once past the lake, the Mage flitted down effortlessly to land on the south shore. Dressed in all black with his dark hair secured at the nape of his pale neck, he paced the water’
s edge with the dangerous grace of a predator. His youthful visage was a bit of shock as Kiernan expected a three-hundred-year-old wizard to look ancient and withered.
“So,” drawled Ravener, magically magnifying his voice and spreading his arms wide, “this is the Magical Kingdom of Pyraan.” He looked around at their quickly constructed defenses and laughed scornfully. “I can sense where every shifter in this city is hiding, and I can tell you that it is not enough.”
Kiernan tensed as Beck pushed angrily to his feet. “What do you want, Ravener?”
Adrian shot forward in a blur of black and hovered directly in front of Beck.
Kiernan had to give Beck credit. He didn’t flinch.
Neither did the fireshifters next to her as they collectively rose from their positions, the sound of their simultaneous shifting of fire a chilling warning that hung in the air.
Adrian completely ignored them.
“What do I want?” the Mage repeated. “I want the island of Massa, what do you think I want? You people have had hundreds of years to rule this land and what do you do? You accept banishment as a way of life. You sit hiding away in a corner of the island like naughty children who have misbehaved.”
“This land should be of no concern to you,” Beck declared.
Adrian laughed with contempt. “This was my land long before yours, young shifter, and it appears that I am the only one strong enough to rule it. You people are weak! You allow yourselves to be treated like servile bodyguards by peasants. It’s absurd. You are magic users!” he roared, the clouds in the air above him roiling in response to his dark emotions. Lightning lit the sky and a sudden peal of thunder boomed causing the shifters to duck involuntarily.
“Where is the Cyman that you kidnapped from me?” the Mage asked.
Jaimes Atlan spoke for the first time from his position on the ground with the earthshifters. “He is far from here, but unharmed. He will be returned as soon as you agree to depart.”
Adrian rolled his eyes. “This is really pitiable. You are even bigger fools than I imagined if you thought I would turn around and scurry back to Nordik simply because you hold the son of the captain of my army.”
Kiernan glanced at Beck at that piece of information.
“I am not the sniveling coward that the shifters have proven themselves to be.” Ravener swooped down to Master Atlan. “Who are the Savitars?”
Master Atlan shook his head in confusion.
“Think hard, sir! This is a very important question. Your answer will dictate succeeding events!”
“I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Very well.” Ravener darted back up to Beck. “You have proven yourself to be an outspoken young man, so you must have half a brain at least. I have a task for you. As my emissary, you are to travel to the lands of Men, Dwarves and Elves and demand their surrender. In order to avoid a war, the three Kings must appear before me at Starfell Keep in Haventhal and declare their unconditional relinquishment of power.”
Beck snarled. “Why would I do your bidding, Mage?”
“Because if you do not do as I ask, shifter,” sneered Adrian, “you will be personally condemning the people you have sworn to protect to death.” He shrugged. “Your choice, of course.”
Kiernan put her hand on Beck’s arm to restrain him from being goaded into action.
Ravener glided close to her, but addressed Beck. “If the Kings do not surrender to me by Earthshine, I will kill every single man in this land and keep the women and children for my slaves. I have found that the women are much more enjoyable to have around anyway.” He reached out to touch her hair.
In the space of a heartbeat, she unsheathed the dagger secured to her thigh and screamed with effort as she swung the weapon in a deadly upward arc toward the Mage’s throat. Bracing herself for the biting impact of the dagger on his flesh, her body spun off balance as the weapon sliced nothing but air.
“Kiernan!” Beck screamed as she slid down the embankment.
On instinct, she rotated her body around and dug her sandaled feet into the wall to try to slow her descent. The fall would probably not kill her, she had time to think, but it would hurt her. Hurt her bad. The earthshifters wouldn’t be able to disturb the earth to soften her fall or they would risk toppling hundreds of shifters.
She still had her dagger in her hand and she used all of her strength to stab it into the hardened earth below her. As she slid by, she reached out with her other hand and grabbed the dagger, stopping her fall. Legs swinging beneath her, she struggled to find a crevice with her feet to relieve the strain on her arm muscles, but could find nothing. She groaned with the exertion of trying to hold her entire body weight with the tenuous grasp she had on the small dagger. Sweat poured into her eyes and her slick palms began to loosen their grip. Mentally, she braced herself for the inevitable plummet to the ground below.
And then, he was there. Her white savior.
Grab my neck. Bajan, poised above her on the wall, lowered his head within reach. She let go of the dagger first with one hand and then the other to wrap them around the cat’s thick neck. She clung to him as he turned and scaled the wall, sharp dragon talons piercing deep into the earthwork with each step.
As they neared the top, Beck reached down and hauled her to safety as if she weighed no more than an infant. Breathing heavily, she flung herself onto her back on the barricade.
Beck knelt down next to her. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, trying to catch her breath.
The shifters, incited by the Mage’s dire threats and Kiernan’s fall, exploded into action now that she was safe.
The bodyshifters emerged from the Grayan Forest running at top speed, arms and legs shortening, muscles bulging outward, mouths elongating into snouts, teeth lengthening into deadly fangs as the majority of them shifted into wolf form.
The ground roiled dangerously, creating tremors and fissures from the fury of the earthshifters.
The night sky lit up as the fireshifters released their deadly arrows at the Mage and then sprinted for the crude stairs at the back of the bulwark to rush to the aid of their friends.
Kiernan staggered to her feet and Beck held on to her arm for support.
All the while, a maniacal laugh spewed from the figure that hovered over the middle of the lake. Ravener’s voice boomed over the shouts and snarls of the angry shifters. “I did not want it to come to this, but you have proven that you are of no value to me. Assuming that the four Savitars you hide from me are shifters, I can take no chances. The Magical Kingdom of Pyraan must be destroyed!”
Ravener glared at Beck still standing on the rampart. “Go!”
With that, he spiraled straight up into the air, arms waving as he prepared a dark conjuring. The air and earth responded in tandem to his sorcery making it difficult to stay upright. The clefts opened by the earthshifters widened and people screamed as they teetered on the edges and then tumbled into the deep voids. A ferocious cyclone of blowing wind touched down in the square and sucked people, trees and property into its deadly funnel, spinning them violently and spitting out the broken pieces.
Kiernan cried out, but stood unmoving, uncertain what she could do to stop what was happening.
Over all the screams and furious winds, another terrifying sound of destruction hammered unstoppable toward the city of Parsis.
Kiernan blinked in horrific realization.
Death had finally arrived and there was no way out.
A tidal wave of water close to a hundred feet high appeared on the northern horizon, rushing over the land and destroying everything in its path.
“My parents!” Beck screamed, launching himself off the rampart in an impulsive attempt to get down to the ground to save them. As he jumped, he slammed into an unseen obstacle and the collision threw him back down onto the rampart.
She reached out her hand. There was an invisible barrier in front of them!
All she could do
was watch helplessly from behind the shield as the water poured in over the city of Parsis and all of its inhabitants. The shifters tried to flee, but there was nowhere to go. By constructing a semi-circular shield in front of Beck on top of the bulwark and another for his Cyman Army, Ravener transformed Parsis into a virtual water bowl from which there was no escape for the shifters of Pyraan.
People were swept from their feet as the water crashed over their heads. Arms and legs flailed frantically in an attempt to reach the surface, but a swirling eddy dragged them down, preventing them for getting to the air they so desperately needed.
The basin filled quickly.
People were dying.
“Help me break this thing!” Beck shouted, slamming his fists against the shield with all of his super strength. His skin broke under the repeated contact, leaving blood stains streaked across the barrier. Rogan shifted and struck at the shield with a club of fire, and Kiernan battered it with her sword. They worked together obsessively, and all three were covered in sweat, blood and tears as they tried to save the shifters.
The water was up over the top of the bulwark now and rising, the city totally submerged.
Then, the bodies came.
Kiernan covered her mouth with her hand as they floated by with eyes and mouths open in silent screams. Jorge Owen’s body bumped up against the barrier, and she flinched in revulsion.
Beck rushed down the back stairs of the rampart and uprooted a tree. In anguish, he ran back up to the shield and swung the trunk with all of his might, struggling to find a way to create a rupture. He growled and screamed, endlessly battering at the barrier.
Suddenly, the tree dropped from his hands and he stood still.
Kiernan gasped as Constance and Jaimes Atlan appeared before them. Both were still alive and holding hands.
Beck pressed his face to the shield and wailed. “I promised her! I promised!”
The elder Atlans reached out to him and Beck tenderly touched their hands through the barrier, tears leaving dirty runnels down his face. His mother had just enough time to mouth that she loved him before the eddy spun her away, arms outstretched to her son as she sank down into her watery grave alongside Beck’s father.
Beck threw his head back and howled, the barricade listing dangerously.
“Beck!” Rogan warned.