As the sun continued to fade and the relief of the shadows increased, the vibrating stone broke the fragile peace. SJ removed it from her inventory and held it in her hand, pressing the gem.
Cristy's voice cut through the silence, broken and laced with static.
"SJ! They're he..." Cristy's voice cut out, and the stone fell silent.
The urgency in Cristy's voice had sent an immediate shiver like the grasp of winter down her spine. She quickly pressed the gem again, trying to reestablish the connection.
The stone thrummed, vibrating gently, the gem glowing as it always did when establishing a call. "Come on," SJ said as dread crept up her spine.
Again, Cristy's frantic voice answered her call, "SJ! The plateau is compro..." The connection dropped again.
Cursing, SJ reactivated the gem. Fas had been disturbed by the frantic voice that carried over the oasis.
"What's wrong?" Fas asked, stirring.
"Cristy is trying to get in touch, but it keeps breaking up. It sounded like she was saying that the plateau is compromised." SJ stared at Fas, her eyes wide, filled with panic.
Kibble, who had been sleeping soundly, was also disturbed and nudged her elbow.
The stone continued to vibrate until the connection was made again.
"Breached defences... retreating from town... it's lost..." There was an audible screech and a cry, followed by an ear-piercing scream.
"Cristy!" SJ bellowed.
Panting could be heard over the stone. "I'm okay," Cristy's voice cut through.
SJ could hear the sounds of swords clashing. "How? What happened?"
"They came through the tunnel created by the Rock Gobbler. Don't know how. We didn't notice until it was too late. No one expected an attack from that area. All eyes and scouts were on the ridge to the valley. Beetles have carved a path through the forest."
"Cristy, move," Jay's desperate voice cut over the call.
"I have to go. We need to retreat. Everyone is heading for the crags."
"Zigferd, Kerys, Fhyliss, the others?" SJ asked in desperation.
All SJ could hear again was panting, it being clear that Cristy was running. It took several moments before Cristy spoke again. "I'm sorry. I don't know. We need hel..." Again, the call dropped.
SJ's blood had turned to ice. The stone fell from her shaking hand, her fingers numb, onto the soft luminescent grass. The calmness of the oasis and its newfound beauty was a desperate contrast to hearing her friends panic. The community she loved and cherished as her home, which she had fought to protect. Images of the giant beetles and lizards flooded her mind. She felt a dread worse than anything she had experienced before; it pained her, crushing her like a weight.
"We have to get back there now!" SJ's words were broken as they caught in her throat, the raw desperation flooding from her.
Fas groaned as he pushed himself upright, his muscles trembling to a sitting position. He was clearly exhausted.
"We have to fly back!" SJ said.
Fas looked at her, his eyes pained. "I can't," he choked out, almost a whisper, his face filled with shame. "I'm too drained, I won't be able to transform or do anything for several hours. I'm sorry."
SJ stared for the briefest moment before turning to Aletheia. "Can't you help him?"
Aletheia, who had just been sitting listening to the conversation, blinked, her inner lids flicking across the surface of her eyes. "No. This is not something mana can heal. He has aligned strands; he just needs time."
"Time we haven't got," SJ hissed angrily, "What good are you if you can't help us?"
Aletheia smiled, a calmness to it that was unnerving. "Conflict is chaotic. Violence only brings violence. Any healing this world needs requires time and sacrifice. For every strand that is healed, another remains broken. Only time will heal the wounds of this world."
The tone in which Aletheia replied was detached, perhaps even philosophical, but for SJ, it was too much. The fear, exhaustion, trials, and tribulations she had been through since arriving on Amathera, and the weight of the unknown responsibility that had been placed on her unwilling shoulders, erupted in rage.
"My friends may be dying, beings I care for, and you sit here talking about sacrifice," SJ had stood and stormed towards her. "Most of them are innocent, never having done a bad deed in their lives. What good are you, if you are unable to help?"
Aletheia didn't flinch from SJ's tirade and just looked at her, still smiling calmly. "I'm a cure, not a resolver. Restoration is my purpose, not intervention. I can't stop chaos."
SJ turned away, screaming into the night air, her frustration at a boiling point. This was too much; her new life, with the love and joy she felt, was constantly being challenged and broken by others and forces beyond her control. She stood with her hands on her hips, breathing heavily as her mind raced. Her eyes fell on Kibble, his small form looking almost fearful.
'Dave, can you tell me anything?' SJ thought.
"Sorry, SJ. I have nothing; we are blind. Even if I wished to attempt to break protocol and speak to Darren's AI, I wouldn't be able to discover any details."
SJ again cursed as she punched her palm. She whirled around to face Fas.
"I'm going back to Killic. I will portal to the cottage. At least I can see what is going on. I can update you through the stones." As she turned and stared at Fas.
Fas looked at the desperation in her eyes. His shoulders slumped in resignation. "If you must," his voice rasped. "I will return as soon as I am able. Go stay safe and find your friends."
SJ crouched by Fas, reaching out and placing her hand on his shoulder. "Return when you are able. When you do come..." she glanced over at Aletheia, where she was again stroking a plant's leaf lovingly, and in a harsh whisper continued. "Leave her behind. I don't trust her. If she can't help now, what help can she really bring?"
Fas's jaw tightened as he glanced at Aletheia. "Don't let your emotions rule possibilities. We still have much to learn," his eyes pleaded.
SJ closed her eyes briefly as she took a shuddering breath, trying to calm herself. With an almost imperceptible nod, she released his shoulder and stood.
"Kibble, come," SJ said.
Kibble hopped, taking off and flying to her shoulder, as SJ opened her map and focused on Killic, zooming in until she could see her portal at the cottage on the north side of the town.
"I'll be there as soon as I'm able," Fas said as SJ disappeared through the portal.
As SJ appeared in her bedroom in Killic, the scent of lavender flooded her from the flowers on her side table. It was a stark, homely reminder after her recent excursion. As her eyes focused, she shivered at the immediate temperature difference. Killic was never cold, but compared to the desert, it could never compete.
She moved to the window, peering out. Torches flickered in the distance across the field, and she opened the window, letting in the night air. As soon as she did, her nostrils were flooded with the stench of burnt oak, oily smoke, and copper. A smell usually associated with Zej's forge shouldn't be noticeable where she lived.
A shriek tore the night, and SJ flinched as the colossal head of a lizard appeared in her peripheral vision. She slowly turned, looking sideways through the bay window. It was moving out towards the cornfields that stretched out from where her cottage was at the edge of town. SJ's heart hammered in her chest as she moved slowly to close the drape. The lizard didn't pay her any attention as it moved further towards the fields, its draconian rider barking guttural orders, holding its serrated blade, which gleamed in the moonlight.
If the lizards had already got this far through town, then she may already be too late. Kibble let out a low growl as he hopped from her shoulder onto the ledge of the window, watching the lizard as it and its rider passed. The skies were cloud-free, and the moon shone down brightly, its peaceful appearance contrasting with the chaos she could hear coming from the town behind her.
With the drapes now closed, she let out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding, and after removing her cooling cloak, shrank, adjusting her dress to accommodate the night.
"Nexis, are you here?" she called suddenly, thinking of the god.
A voice spoke quietly next to her.
"Welcome back. Although welcome may not be the greatest word."
SJ bit her lip as she spoke in a harsh whisper. "Why, with all your foresight and potential outcomes, did you never mention the Rock Gobbler tunnel. Cristy told me that's how they reached the plateau."
Nexis sighed, his voice sounding weary, unlike his usual charismatic and charming persona, of his favoured appearance. "The chances were so small I didn't even think it would be a consideration. I offered all the advice I thought relevant. You know I cannot interact directly with whatever is happening. Also, where have you been?"
"What do you mean? You know I was in the desert."
"Yes. For a while, but I lost sight of you," his voice was almost confused, as though it shouldn't have been possible.
"That's a story for another time. I know you can't help, but can you at least tell me what is happening?"
Another sigh. "Killic has pretty much fallen. There are pockets of resistance where townsfolk are fighting still, but most have fled. I would suggest you do the same."
"And my friends?"
Nexis didn't reply immediately. "Many beings have lost their lives. The attack was unexpected. I didn't even sense its approach until it was too late. I should have been able to, but something strange happened, similar to my losing sight of you."
SJ's heart sank as though a lead weight had been attached to it. If Nexis had been able to see normally, would he have warned Killic? There could, after all, be only one reason they had approached unfettered, and that had to be because of Aletheia. She wanted to scream, but held back, knowing that the enemy forces were so near.
A scream cut through the night, high-pitched, terrifying, and SJ couldn't help but flinch. Again, she repeated. "My friends?"
Nexis didn't reply. The silence was deafening.
SJ cursed under her breath. If Nexis wouldn't tell her, she would find out for herself. She quickly shrank and then took off flying towards the rear of the cottage. The rear window was open as always, leading to the enclosed garden, and she flew through. Kibble followed hurriedly. As soon as she lifted above the trees in the rear area, she saw the flames and smoke. Several buildings were on fire; thankfully, they were towards the south of town, a long distance from where her cottage was. In her miniature form at night, with so much focus on the streets of Killic, she doubted anyone would even notice her, and she headed with immediate urgency towards the Hogling Arms.
The scene as she approached was chaotic. Not only were several bodies lying still in the town square in front of the inn, but a crowd of townsfolk had been herded together, surrounded by gnolls. Crying and wailing filled the night air, alongside harsh and angry cries from the would-be captors. The inn was in darkness, its doors wide open, and gnolls moving inside. SJ could see a trail of possessions in the inn garden, where it was obvious that several had fled in a hurry to head to the crags. She swooped low and scanned the area. She could see no signs of Kerys, Fhyliss, or Floretta. Prior to her leaving, she knew Bert had been going back to the troll village in the mountains, so she doubted he would have been present. Her heart ached, yet she was also grateful that there was no evidence of them.
A large draconian on a lizard was across the square at the main street that led south. The draconian calling orders to the gnolls, who filtered through the streets. They were breaking down doors as they flooded into nearby homes or businesses. The sound of broken glass, pots and screaming as those who had decided to remain hidden rather than flee were discovered and dragged out onto the streets.
A cry erupted from the direction of the smithy, followed by the sound of fighting. SJ looked over from where she hovered above the inn's roof before, with determination, flew towards it.
Flying over the rooftops, the cries and shouts of anger continued. The streets were in chaos.
Zej's voice reached her ears before she saw him.
"You'll never take me!" His voice was heavy.
As SJ flew over the last roof before the smithy, she was met with the most glorious vision. She had seen Zej in his armour before, when they had fought the necromancer and at other times, but tonight his armour appeared to glow, a faint green light encompassing him. That was when SJ noticed another familiar face standing behind him. Lythonian. The cleric contrasted drastically with the dark blue of Zej, with his brilliant white robes and shining chainmail. A gnoll's body lay cleaved almost in two at Zej's feet.
There were three gnolls slowly approaching Zej, who held his great axe menacingly as Lythonian chanted softly. Whatever spell he was casting was directed at Zej.
He growled as he swung his axe with such force that SJ wondered how he kept hold of it. The gnoll nearest jumped back out of its path before darting in and striking at him with a blade. The blade clanged against his armour, and Zej grunted, but the sword didn't penetrate.
SJ had to help; her friends were in mortal danger, and without a second thought, she flew directly at the nearest gnoll who had his back to her. With her claws equipped, she triggered puncture, and as Zej fought off the two closest to him, she struck. The gnoll wore a pot helm on its head, only half covering it, and she angled her path so as to strike beneath. As she did, she heard Kibble squeak and the flash of blue light in her vision, temporarily blinding her as a bolt of lightning laced towards one of the gnolls by Zej.
As her claws penetrated the gnoll, she grew. Not even giving a thought for her safety, and as she did, a whimpering cry left the gnoll's mouth. She yanked her claws back out, and even as it reached up towards where it had been struck, she attacked again. Her anger stemmed from her as a white rage. Visceral and uncontrolled, vicious swipes of her claws raking against its weakly armoured form. The gnoll may be a much higher level than she was, but it wasn't well-armoured. The pot helm was the only metal armour it wore apart from loose leather and skins. SJ was in a frenzy, screaming with anger as she tore into it.
It was only Zej's voice cutting through that stopped her relentless assault.
"He's dead," Zej said.
She turned, looking at him, as she panted heavily. If a fae assassin could go berserk, she believed she might just have. The other two gnolls lay dead at Zej's feet, one with a clear gash across its torso where his great axe had torn it asunder, and the other smoked as blood leaked from where an arm had been. Kibble's lightning may not have killed the gnoll, but it had given Zej the edge that he needed with the confusion.
"Zej!" she said as she gasped. "You need to leave."
"We were doing when we got trapped."
"Then go now. I will watch over your departure. Be warned, though, there was a lizard by the cornfields."
"We aren't leaving by the fields. We are heading to the docks and out onto the lake. We wouldn't make it through town now."
Lythonian had stepped forward, SJ noticing that his chainmail was covered in splashes of crimson.
"Lythonian." SJ nodded.
"SJ. You also need to leave," Lythonian said.
"No. I am going to check on the others before I do."
"No!" Zej said. "Run, and then fight another day."
"I'm not leaving before checking on my friends."
"Okay. Okay, but be careful. These beings are strong; I would have fallen if it weren't for Lythonian here."
SJ nodded as the pair turned and started off at a run down the street towards the docks. SJ shrank again and took off, Kibbles still hovering above the street.
"Good job," SJ said as she joined him. "Let's head to the barracks. I need to check on Zigferd and Alice." Kibble squeaked in response before growling and following SJ across the town.
