Web of Aeons - Chapter 42: The Dragon’s Throat Part 2

Relia staggered forward. The world spun around her, and she lost all sense of up and down. She collapsed on the street, and phantom pains surged through her arms and legs. Her condition was long gone, but her brain forgot that little detail whenever she exerted herself too hard.

“Over there,” Kalden’s voice said from somewhere nearby.

Two sets of footsteps jogged closer, but Relia couldn’t make out their forms. Dragon blood covered her eyes, darkening her vision. The sulfur scent still clung to her nostrils, and she tasted it on her tongue.

“Hey,” Arturo said. “You good, spira?”

Relia nodded, and Zukan’s muscular arms pulled her into a seated position. Azul’s ashes. She felt like she’d been thrown into a meat grinder and then tossed out of a moving airship. That wasn’t too far from the truth, come to think of it.

“You need healing?” Kalden asked.

“I’m not hurt,” Relia said. “Just tired.”

Someone handed her a wet cloth, and she wiped the blood from around her eyes. Her whole team had gathered on a sidewalk somewhere in Westtown. Arturo and Zukan knelt on the ground beside her, while Kalden stood closer to the street with a half-conscious Akari leaning on his shoulder.

Finally, Elise’s body lay beneath a shop awning, a few paces to the right. The storm clouds had finally parted up above, and her hair shone golden in the afternoon light. Relia’s heart still ached for her but she reigned in those feelings for now. Koreldon City was still an active war zone, and they had to focus on their next move.

In that moment, her hair grew suddenly lighter as the rest of the blood evaporated. Relia glanced down at her clothing and found it much cleaner than before. “Did we get her?”

“She’s a Master,” Kalden said as if that answered everything. He glanced at Akari, but she barely acknowledged his words. They’d feigned exhaustion when they’d set the trap for Valeria, but now that feeling was real. Akari would probably pass out if she shot even one more Missile. She might even risk permanent damage to her channels. 

Kalden turned back to face Relia. “You know better than this—both of you. You never attack a superior force while they’re retreating. We had nothing to gain, and everything to lose.” 

Arturo cleared his throat. “Shouldn’t we find cover, shoko?”

Kalden let out a long breath and looked around. “Does it matter? Akari can’t make another portal. We’re all dead if the dragon comes back.”

“I’m sorry,” Relia said with a wince. She and Akari had discussed this tactic weeks ago, but only as a last resort. They’d chased Valeria in a storm of blind rage, but that had been incredibly stupid in hindsight. She didn’t even feel better now, just different. The anger was still there, but the adrenaline had faded, replaced with the bitter taste of regret.

Kalden must have been saving the rest of his lecture for later, because he didn’t reply. 

Relia glanced back down at her clothes. “So . . . where’d all the blood go?” 

“Valeria turned back to her human form,” Zukan said. “A smaller body is easier to heal.”

“Also easier to hide,” Kalden muttered.

“Speaking of hiding,” Arturo said. “I still think we should find cover. Nihilism’s no excuse to forget our training.”

“Point taken,” Kalden said. “You and Zukan lead the way.”

“Wait.” Relia glanced back at Elise’s body. “We can’t just leave her out here.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than a portal split the air in front of them. Relia and Zukan stepped forward to shield their teammates, and Kalden and Arturo shifted behind them. This was more of a symbolic gesture in Relia’s case because she couldn’t imagine more fighting right now. Moonshard didn’t use ordinary mana, but it still had a way of exhausting her body and mind.

 A man stepped out from the portal, covered in dark gray armor from head to heel. Relia took a peak with her Silver Sight, and the man looked like a Master—maybe even a Grandmaster. Most high level artists kept their souls veiled, so it was hard to say for certain.

The man removed his helmet, revealing his pale skin and dark red hair. He scanned his surroundings before finally settling his gaze on Relia. Father.

“Elise.” His boots clomped against the street as he approached. “Where is she?” It was the first time he’d acknowledged her existence, much less spoken to her. Relia straightened her posture and stepped aside. The others did the same, and Ashur Moonfire ran over to the spot where Elise’s body lay.

He knelt there for several long seconds, keeping his expression carefully hidden. All the while, Relia’s team held their breath as they exchanged glances. Were they safe now? Or were they in more danger than before? If Elise was right, then their father might be responsible for Storm’s Eye’s sudden appearance in the city. But he was still the senator of Koreldon. He couldn’t attack them in broad daylight, could he?

A second portal opened in front of her father, and Elise’s body floated gently inside. The portal snapped shut, and her father got to his feet, unleashing a cloud of mana and intent. Relia braced herself for pain, but this wasn’t directed at her or her teammates. Instead, the power surged outward in every direction—probably stretching on for several miles This wasn’t an attack, or a show of strength. He was searching for someone.

A space Missile flew out from his hand, soaring over the rooftops to some distant target. Then the air warped in front of him, and Valeria Antano staggered forward in her human form. Crimson dotted her throat, as if she’d been stabbed by a dozen small needles. The wounds had also scabbed over, and she’d clearly been healing herself.

Kalden was right before; they’d never come close to a lethal blow.

Valeria glanced around like a cornered animal, cycling mana in her palms. Her gaze settled on Relia’s father, and all the color drained from her face. “S-Senator Moonfire. I . . .” She must have seen something in his expression, because she cut off her own sentence. Bursts of flame flew out from her palms, propelling her body toward the sky.

Space warped around her, tossing her back to the ground like a rag doll. She recovered quickly, raising a defensive Construct of flaming orange mana. It stretched for two dozen yards until it filled the whole street.

Relia’s father didn’t move, but Valeria’s shield twisted and warped around her at unnatural angles. It surrounded her like a tent, leaving a small gap between her and her attacker. 

Finally, Ashur Moonfire raised two fingers in a slashing motion.

Until now, the whole exchange had happened in a blur, and Relia could never have followed it without her Artisan eyes. But this next part happened even quicker, as if her father had been in a daze this whole time and had just now woken up. Relia never saw his technique, or even Valeria’s reaction. One second, the dragon was cycling her mana in a defensive stance. The next, her body fell to the ground in several pieces, and the fight was over. 

A small device appeared in her father’s hand, and he tossed it on Valeria’s corpse without ceremony. Her remains burst into flames, not unlike how Kalden’s brother had died that morning. The fire was still burning when he turned around.

Relia’s blood froze, and how mind went as blank as fresh paper. What would happen now? Would he turn his wraith on them? Would he try to finish what Valeria had started?

Their eyes met, and his gaze softened. “I’m sorry.”

Relia didn’t dare to breathe. She understood those words, but her mind struggled to grasp their meaning here. His tone sounded so earnest as if he actually regretted something. When he didn’t explain further, Relia opened her mouth and forced out the obvious question. “Sorry for what?”

“Everything,” he said. “What I put you through these past twenty years. I can’t say I regret it all. This path helped you survive—it made you the person you are today. Still . . . I deeply regret how I treated you along the way.”

A shiver ran down her spine. This could’t be real, could it? Her father was a politician—a professional liar. This had to be a trick. It was all a show for her teammates, or the onlookers farther back. Some calculated move in a larger scheme she couldn’t see or comprehend.

But no . . . until this moment, her parents had gone to great lengths to hide their relationship. Now here he was, drawing attention to it. 

“I understand if you don’t believe me,” her father said. “But I want to make things right between us.”

Relia was spared the need to answer when a second portal opened down the street. Elend and Irina stepped out, followed by Grandmaster Sterling, and several more people she didn’t recognize. They all wore expensive-looking armor like her father’s.

Elend rushed over to their group, and Relia hurled herself into his chest. Elend wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. 

“Is everyone alright?” he asked.

Relia shook her head, and her voice came out in a broken whisper. “Elise . . .”

A short silence followed as Elend took in the scene, from the remains of Valeria’s body, to where Ashur Moonfire stood beneath the shop awning. Finally, he pressed his hand to the back of her head. “It’s alright, lass. You’re safe now.

Relia believed him, and for the first time that day, she felt some of her tension drain away. Valeria was gone, and they hadn’t heard from Storm’s Eye since the Solidors went off to fight it. Her whole team hadn’t survived the battle, but at least it was finally over.

Elend finally let go of Relia and turned to face Grandmaster Sterling. “First thing’s first—we need to get the kids out of here. Can you open a portal?”

“Sure thing,” she replied. “Where to?”

“Anywhere but here.”

Relia stiffened at that. “You better not leave us alone again.”

“I won’t, Elend said. “I promise.”

Mana flowed out from Sterling’s hands as she got to work on the portal. It took her a few seconds, which probably meant they’d be traveling several hundred miles.

“Stop.” Ashur Moonfire unleashed a wave of power and intent, and Sterling’s portal turned to vapor. They all rounded on him, and some of Elend’s team looked ready for battle. 

Elend shifted his body to stand in front of Relia, while Irina moved to shield the others. The whole street seemed to hold its breath as they watched each other, cycling their mana.

“The rest of you can go,” Moonfire said in a calm voice. “But I’m taking my daughter home with me.”