Zion: Light of the New Moon Part 3, The Imperial Palace Ch 4
Zion - Light of the New Moon, Part 3 The Imperial Palace Ch 4
Zeke had promised himself that things would change. He had told himself that he was done running; he had told himself that he was done always being afraid; he had told himself that he would start making a difference to his traveling companions; ihe had told himself lies. The fox's eyes were blurred by tears as he picked his way through the escape tunnel in near-darkness, the only light by which to see was the soft glow from his necklace. He halted his retreat when the amulet came to mind.
Gazing down to the cold metal dangling from his neck, Zeke reached up to grasp it, closing his eyes as he let out a soft prayer, desperately calling for courage. What he first noticed as the visual echo of the necklace's glow after closing his eyes remained to his vision when he opened them again. Startled, the fox watched as the ephemeral aura of light slowly coalesced into a shape... a humanoid shape... a female fox.
"Oh, my child..." she called softly. Zeke knew immediately that it was his mother. It had been so long, he realized, that it wasn't her face that he recognized, for that, in itself, was nothing more than an indistinct glow above her shoulders. He didn't remember her voice either; he could only recall the faintest tune of a song she used to sing to him. It wasn't her posture or her shape or any scent she might have had-- he simply knew it was her. "You are in such pain." she spoke softly, a ghostly paw reaching down to stroke the side of his face.
"I don't know what to do." he whispered softly, gazing up into the cool, bluish-white glow where her face should have been, "I'm scared, mama."
"It's alright, Zeke... it's alright." though her shape held no substance he could still feel her comforting embrace, "I know you're afraid... I know... sshhh..." she rocked him back and forth quietly even as he sobbed. The fox didn't know how any of it was possible or what any of it meant-- he only knew that he hurt and, no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise he couldn't help but realize that the pain in his life was his own doing.
"No.. oh no, my child..." the figure noted, moving him to arm's length as her faceless guise gazed at him, "what has passed has passed... you can no longer change it any more than you could move the world."
"But..." he swallowed, wiping at the tears on his cheek, "Everything I did... everything I didn't--"
"Were decisions you made at that time, Zeke." she spoke softly, floating through the air several inches away from him, "We make mistakes when we are young... we didn't know then what we know now... we did not have the benefit of being able to look back as we do now. Zeke... we do as best we can in the present so that we need not look back on ourselves from the future."
"I've too many bad things to look back on." he murmured, no longer able to gaze at her.
"All the more reason to start creating good things, Zeke." the apparition spoke softly, "You may learn from the past..." her voice died down as the glow began to fade, "and the only thing you cannot be forgiven for is if you do not let it help you shape your future." by the time the fox looked back up, she was gone... and the only glow in the tunnel with him was muted by his tight grip on his necklace. Wiping the tears from his cheek, Zeke stood up once more, and proceeded back toward the Palace.
* * * * * *
Yearl acted quickly, putting Sebastian, Dillan, and Josh to work dragging the dead guards into a very obvious pile at the bottom of the steps. Thera, Narissa, and Tolen were caring for the party's various wounds and Jasper was watching the escape tunnel where Zeke had disappeared.
"Come away from there." the lion stated to the rat.
"He'll be back." Jasper said, "We just need to wait... he'll be back."
"If we're going to wait for him then we need to find a way to keep the guards out of our fur until he returns." Haldyn spoke up; Yearl felt a moment of pride that his son could focus onto what he had in mind. "What's the plan?" the young lion asked.
"I need three people to head up the stairs... bloody your feet and make tracks away from here." the Captain suggested.
"Hmm..." Dillan came over to assess the discussion, "And you don't think they'll check the dungeons anyway?"
"If they're worried about an attacking force they'll be more worried about trying to find out where the infiltrators went, not where they came from." Haldyn ventured.
"True... but not completely." Yearl acknowledged, resting a paw on his son's shoulder, "They'll send a few guards down to see if they can find out how the attackers entered... but we're better facing a few guards than a whole company."
"I dunno..." Jasper shrugged with a grin, "We did pretty well a few minutes ago." his tail motioned toward the huge pile of bodies.
"We can't always count on luck." Yearl countered quickly, "You two..." he looked first to Haldyn then Jasper, "Get Kell and make some tracks... just get back down here before you're seen."
Jasper nodded and went over to where the assassin was being inspected by Tolen. "His bodyguard is unreal." Haldyn spoke quietly to the older lion, eyes focused on the Tamaskan standing beside the busy healer.
"No matter how skilled he is, Allin is still mortal." Yearl explained, "I can't in good faith expect for one soldier to carry the rest."
"These people aren't soldiers, Father." Haldyn noted simply.
The Captain let out a tired breath, "Old habits... talking about people as resources." he shook his head, "Most commanding officers say it's easier leading men to their deaths if you think of them as a resource."
"Is that how you made it through so many battles?" his son questioned him.
"No." Yearl shook his head, removing his paw from Haldyn's shoulder, "I made it through by remembering the name of every man and woman that died under my command... every victory is a testament to them."
"That must be a lot of names." the younger lion noted.
"One hundred and nine." Yearl stated, taking a seat as he began to feel his age catch up with him. He let out a breath, "One hundred and nine." he repeated.
"Ready." Kell spoke up, pulling Haldyn's attention away from the discussion. It couldn't have been soon enough for Yearl. The older lion nodded to the group and let them depart without another word.
Sitting to the side of the stairs, Yearl passed the time regaining his will, firming up his composure as he ran through his litany of names, their rank, and in what engagement they had died. Of all commanders, Doenian or Myrhean, Captain Yearl Rakken had one of the lowest death counts and one of the most active careers. Many would have seen that as something to brag about but all he could think of was the one hundred and nine failures he'd had... and that didn't include the names of those he'd lost on the trip to Zion. He reinforced his commitment to succeeding within the city; their deaths would not have been in vain. His thoughts came to an end, however, when Narissa opened the secret passage and Zeke emerged.
"Good of you to join us." Dillan stated flatly.
"I don't want to live with regret." Zeke spoke with surprising calmness.
"You'd rather die with horrible, agonizing pain?" Sebastian offered, feathery ear tufts raised and a wide beaky grin on his face.
"Sebastian!" Josh chastised, "That's really--" he didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as an enormous blast of flame emerged from a brazier near the end of the dungeon block. The party spun immediately to address the newest threat, only to have the fire go out a moment later, revealing a debonare, well-dressed red fox, and--
"Artemisia!" Thera announced, moving toward the dragoness.
"Your highness." she responded flatly.
"Ah... so YOU'RE Empress Thera De'aveen." the fox beside her acknowledged, taking a half step forward before grabbing his wide-brimmed, feather-plumed hat and going into a deep bow, sweeping it down before him, "I can see I have my work cut out before me if I am to seduce you, bed you, and then make off with half of your treasury."
"You're kidding." Narissa spoke back from behind Yearl, "If you REALLY planned on doing all that the last thing you'd do would admit it the first time you met the woman."
"What can I say?" the fox shot a winning smile, sliding the hat back on his head, "It just isn't as much of a challenge if she isn't on guard."
"I'd be more worried about me... funny man." Yearl was not interested in seeing the humor.
"So you know the dragoness, Captain?" Dillan questioned.
"You know these people, Yearl?" Artemisia asked as well.
The lion took a moment to go through introductions, then glanced back to the dragoness, "And who's the fox?"
"Ah... yes... of course." he stepped forward past the dragoness, "My name is Palo." and he repeated his earlier courtly bow, though he elected to keep his hat on the second time.
"Palo?" asked Josh, "Just Palo?"
"Yes, Josh-just-Josh... I go by Palo." the fox confirmed.
"How did you get in here?" Zeke asked of the pair.
"In a method much less violent than your own, I would dare say." the fox noted, glancing at the pile of dead bodies.
"This is just the start." Dillan announced, "Is it too much to hope you're skilled with that needle you have?" he motioned to the thin fencing foil at the fox's hip.
"Oh, Goddess no." Palo laughed, "I despise violence."
"Ironic that we spent so much time together then." Artemisia stated flatly to fox; the two shared a subdued laugh at that.
Yearl spoke up to get the discussion back on track, "We're going to be heading into the Great Hall once--" and he paused as Kell, Haldyn, and Jasper came quietly back down the stairs. "Anything to report?" he asked the three, realizing after the fact that he sounded just like he was asking for a field situation report from scouts.
"They're swarming the Great Hall." Haldyn announced, "They're gathering their force there, anyway."
"More of them than I thought." Jasper mumbled, "I've never seen so many Sun Cultists at once."
"Sixty men at arms." Kell elaborated, "One captain."
"Five dozen?" Dillan demanded, "Curse them to the Eternal Flame! That's practically an army."
"You're over exaggerating." Haldyn spoke calmly, "If we can get the drop on them they won't do much better than those guys." he motioned to the corpses.
"We have to get through the Great Hall if we're going to get to the throne room." Thera stated.
"Then we need a plan." Artemisia announced and glanced toward the Captain, "Yearl?"
"We have mages." the lion stated immediately, then glanced to Jasper, Kell, and Haldyn, "Did you see any magi?" He looked at each of them, taking comfort in the acknowledgement that none of the three saw one, "Alright... then we start with prayers to Tah'Aveen and follow up with a magical volley before closing in."
"Closing in?" questioned Dillan, "Why not just catch them in the stairs and make them fight us a few at a time again?"
"Because once they know we're here they have enough men to keep us busy long enough for reinforcements." Yearl stated, "Once we're up there we have to move fast, and that means we go on the offensive."
"So we kill as many as we can before we subject ourselves to their numbers." Haldyn proposed.
"Right." Yearl confirmed, then glanced around, "Mages?"
Narissa raised a paw, "I'll do what I can."
"I can if I need to." Tolen offered.
"YOu have me!" Josh announced.
Artemisia glanced over to her side at Palo and elbowed him in the ribs. "Oh!" the fox acknowledged, "I suppose I could try a spell or two."
"Four." acknowledged Yearl, "That should be a good start." and he glanced toward the stairs, "If you know prayers, use them... we can't delay." and, with that, he started up the steps. "We'll want to spread out from the steps so they can't push us back down... make them spread out their numbers too." he elaborated, "Front line will be myself, Artemisia, Jasper, Sebastian, Josh, and Allin. I want Narissa and Zeke ready to back us up if we're overwhelmed."
"I can fight on the front line." Zeke announced, his voice uncertain but firm.
"I want people in the front I know will stay and fight." Yearl spoke. He left out any sense of judgment or condemnation in the tone, "It's a matter of tactics, and I have to stick with known variables." he left that as the only apology, "Everyone else, bows, daggers, spears, or anything else you may have." he turned to Thera, who was about to speak, "In the BACK." he talked over her objection, "Known variables... your Highness."
The group was, all the while, ascending the stairs, leaving little room for objection or argument. Josh murmured from behind Yearl, his prayer bathing everyone with a powerful pulse of light; a sense of comfort and protection filled him. The Captain murmured his own prayer, which he heard taken up further toward the back of the group by Thera and Narissa; everyone was infused with stamina and vigor. Despite all of the benign, protective prayers, the lion was astute enough to hear some of the darker ones, but it wasn't until they emerged on the first floor into the Great Hall that Zeke, Artemisia, and Jasper let the cultists feel the wrath of the Moon Goddess.
Five cultists nearest the party all stumbled, immediately struck ill by the Sickle Moon prayer. Artemisia released the divine energy of her own, tapping into the ebbing life force of those same cultists and snuffing it with but a word. All five fell to the ground, dead. Jasper's target was chosen much more carefully. Yearl noticed a single individual up on a raised dais holding a hammer for the gong situated next to her; at Jasper's final word the human woman grabbed her chest, turned paler than a corpse, and fell. By then, the cultists obviously knew they were under attack.
"Sound the gong!" shouted the only soldier present dressed in full plate armor. He motioned to the party, "Kill the Moon Worshipers..." he motioned to the raised dais, "You three... ring the gong!"
What happened next was a swift flurry of magical energy. An enormous blast of fire erupted from the ground itself at a simple word from Palo, "Res!" the fox announced, and, in a matter of seconds, over a dozen charred skeletons fell where once stood cultists.
Narissa shouted several words of power and remnants of the fire flickered off of the skeletons, blasting like a wave up onto the dais to kill the three cultists scrambling for the gong.
"AGH!" Palo gasped and gagged from beside Narissa, "STOP!" he barked at her, "No fire spells!"
"But YOU just cast a-" her objection began.
"NO FIRE SPELLS!" he snarled at her.
Tolen, beside and behind Narissa, took a step to the side to ignore their argument and he separated both paws, flakes of frost spreading across his fur and an enormous blast of arctic air released a thunderclap of power as it burst into existence amidst the cultists. They broke ranks and hurled themselves aside as the cold-snap struck, freezing almost a dozen in solid blocks of ice.
"Well... you've succeeded in separating them." Dillan spoke up from the back, downing another cultist with his bow as the man reached for the gong, "Now what?"
"Now," Josh noted a split second before his head peeled back and his body enlarged, "We put that ice to good use." his new, feral head spoke, and the frozen soldiers cracked and sizzled, sending superheated steam out around the ice block in a circle, blistering and cooking the surrounding cultists.
"Good alternative." Palo acknowledged, and pulled out a crossbow. The fox drew the string back without an arrow but, when he released the string a solid blast of fire shot out instead, drilling a charging cultist through the eye.
Zeke drew his sword with his off-paw even as he hurled a dagger at one of the other cultists. The cultist evaded the blade only to get caught by a dagger darted by Kell. Thera released a throwing knife of her own at the armored soldier, but he batted the attack away with a gauntlet. Behind enemy lines, Sebastian came down in a pounce, tearing into a retreating cultist.
"FORWARD!" Yearl roared, and their front line charged to meet the approaching cultists. To his side, Artemisia reached their foes first, not even stopping as she cleaved straight through them, cutting two soldiers clean in half. The next line of enemies met her, striking at her fron different angles, but she simply stepped to the side, redirecting her momentum as she spun clockwise, catching all three with her backhand after 270 degrees of spin, adding another three halved bodies to the first two, all without missing more than one step.
Yearl locked blades with a soldier, only to have Jasper dart by, the rat's tail burying a dagger in the back of the cultist's neck. The Wild Lander spun as he met the next two men, easily dancing past their strikes as he parried with each of his own blades; Yearl moved forward and killed one of them while a knife thrown by Zeke took the second in the chest. Everything slowed down however when Yearl realized that not everyone was following his orders.
Narissa passed him as a streak of black and orange, her flute blade dancing lightly in her grasp as she tested the defenses of the armored leader of the cultists. She struck like a woodpecker, forcing him back with a flurry of blows. They were chaotic, and unsure; Yearl realized they would not be enough; the enemy leader ended her attacks with a strong shield bash, knocking her off balance and to the ground. He followed up the attack by bringing the edge of his shield down on her knee. The tigress screamed out a roar, almost drowning out the sickening crack of a broken bone.
Yearl pushed past the two cultists charging him, dispatching one and pushing the second onto the first's blade. "Narissa!" he shouted, drawing other party members' attention to the embattled performer. Captain Rakken shouldered into the opposing leader, pushing him off balance before he could stab the tigress. The enemy turned and regarded him, launching an off-balance attack that Yearl easily parried. Narissa put the distraction to good use, unleashing a blast of ice at the armored man. He fell with a 2 foot long icicle sticking out of his head... several inches on of it protruding from either side.
Once the party's initial surprise was played out the remaining cultists quickly reorganized and combat was joined. Two of the cultists struck at Sebastian, but the gryphon was much too quick, dodging both strikes only to launch back at both of them, putting the point of his beak right through one's skull. The other fell back quickly only to be finished off as Haldyn sliced into him with a backhand strike. The young lion quickly fought off two more attackers, managing to avoid being injured and even killing one of them in the process.
Several cultists charged the party's back line, but they were met by Allin. Two paused to attack him, but were dead before they could even draw their weapons back. The Tamaskan sliced them even as he went to his knees, spinning around to strike one of their falling swords with his elbow, sending it flying into the back of a cultist about to attack Tolen. He continued his spin, tripping two more with an outstretched leg, and ran them through once they were prone. Josh stepped forward, cracking his enormous paws. He grabbed one of the cultists and used him to parry the other cultist's attack, and then used the newly slain cultist to beat the other to death.
Yearl felt the fur all over his body stand on end the moment he recognized the eerie feeling of Artemisia giving in to her power. Glancing to the dragoness, Yearl watched as her entire body turned to shadow, only to grow brighter a moment later as the dead and dying life force of the fallen around her was collected and used to imbue her.
"It's the Demon of Ashlai!" Palo screamed, though Yearl unmistakably heard it from over near the cultists. The lion glanced to the fox, who, among other things, was apparently a ventriloquist. With a wave of his paw, Palo's newest spell took effect, and Yearl's gaze was drawn right back to Artemisia who, in a blast of flame, was covered anew from snout-to-tail in glowing, flaming armor, with enormous fiery wings sweeping back behind her. "And now..." the fox chuckled, "they run."
As if he were a Diviner, Palo knew exactly what was on the cultists' minds. As the last of the order among the soldiers fell to pieces their ranks broke and they ran for any exit they could find; thanks to a fiery wall of flame from Palo and several powerful icy blasts from Tolen not a single one made an escape. The party was victorious but Yearl couldn't help but feel that they had also somehow lost something. But what they lost, he realized, it was too early to tell. As he looked to the still blazing Artemisia siphoning the dying life essence from the rest of the fallen cultists a few thoughts came to mind.