The Heretics

42: Echos

Dante and his officers scoured the skies as soon as word reached them that Kintar had arrived, his dark presence touching Polla'Nisian ground with a chilling wave of danger. His illusions had already once been able to invade Dante's mind and controlled it, but Kintar's physical presence, the aura of darkness that his soul was bathed in, was felt by all of them down to their bones. Dante wouldn't allow Kintar's illusions to move his unwavering resolution to destroy every abomination that he could see.

Being made up of the same magic that powered nature, the presence of such an abhorring creature fouled everything of nature that he touched. Dante was flying up the coastline, already spotting the first ships that sailed towards the shore.

Though Kintar was the embodiment of evil, with his repugnant self came an incredible power. And Dante was afraid that they wouldn't prevail against him, even if they would against his army.

But Dante didn't let those thoughts take over his actions. They'd worked hard on mapping out everything that they were able to control in a situation where things could easily go haywire. Dante was surprised that many of the best traps ever set had come from a shifter-mind. A shifter related to another that, a few months ago, had set his teeth on edge.

He nearly grunted in thought at how drastically things had changed.

What he did not appreciate, however, was the war that they were now forced to face. The most terrifying aspect of it all was that they fought against genocide. Losing it meant wiping out an entire race. The pressure they endured was unbreakable and so immense that Dante tried to steer his thoughts and attention back to what he physically saw.

The Immortals and humans on the ships didn't stand a chance against the ocean dragons that were attacking them from beneath their vessels. Though Immortals were generally hard to kill, not even they could breathe under water.

And so, the ships sank with cries of many sounding through the sky, drenching Dante's soul in a satisfied glow that he made sure surrounded and filled him out. He would draw strength on the demise of his enemy, and he reveled in seeing them drown.

The ocean, however, had never been the real threat. Dante anticipated an attack from the shore, but he knew that the attack was focused on entering Polla'Nisia through its gates on land. That was where their fate would be decided, and his promised was in the middle of it.

As far as he could tell through their link, she was still physically almost unharmed. Mentally, it seemed, she'd completely blocked out everything, including Dante. If he wanted, he would be able to reach her, but knowing from experience that seeing death changed a person, he wanted to give her space. Besides, she needed maximum concentration and if he invaded her like that during a fight it could cost her, her life.

So, as difficult as it was not to contact her, he wished more than ever that they'd completed the last stage so that he could see through her eyes.

But Kendra enjoyed torturing him way too much.

Flying away from the western and towards the northern coastline, Dante was pleased to see that they were not being attacked by all sides. It confirmed that the enemy's forces were primarily focused on one front.

Still, as a precaution, he sent the water dragons he knew to be stationed in the north the message to remain alert and prepared for anything. He didn't dare move them and re-station them, for if the Heretics were planning on sending a part of their army that way even if they weren't there now, it could end badly.

Dante wasn't one to make hasty decisions and in those moments, he was glad to be in charge of their forces. Whenever they were in battle, not even Reagan could oppose him.

Dante enjoyed that part the most.

Feeling the wind touch his scaled skin, he flew in a triangle formation with five others, now heading towards the east, where the gates were.

"Ivak, you attack first," Dante said calmly.

Ivak's reply came quickly, which Dante heard easily despite the hissing sound of the wind. "Yes, Kar Dante. With lightning as we said?"

"Yes. Then Koder with fire and Zula with ice."

Dante didn't need their verbal confirmation; he knew that they'd understood him. As soon as Dante let his gaze wander across the lands again, the lot of them drawing nearer to the eastern border, Dante saw from afar already how many dark hooded figures stood against all the differently shaped and coloured shifters. Though the shifter community had grown immensely over the past centuries, the Defileds numbers shocked Dante as he took in merely the difference in the colour that contrasted strongly from afar. One side was quite literal dark, while the other was light, mixing in the middle where the two opposing sides collided.

It filled Dante's heart with dread knowing that his Kendra was down there amongst the bloody fighting, and he was roaming the skies, not even remotely close to her.

But he reminded himself to stick to the plan.

Dante watched for a moment first, trying to scan the area. Out of his officer's, Dante's eyes were the sharpest. He didn't just have the ability to speak with animals, he could call upon any individual skill specific animals possessed. Eagles, for example, had exceptionally good eyesight. But what helped him now with the task of picking out the right location for his Officer Ivak to direct his lightning was not just his sight. Echolocation enabled him, with excellent precision, to pinpoint the enemy by letting high pitch soundwaves come off of him. Using the echoes to define the location of his prey like bats did during the night, he could even differentiate between animals and humans since two pair of feet made a different sound than four. And in a spot where only one out of the two different sounds bounced back, Dante told Ivak exactly where to hit.

And countless Immortals shot up into the sky, fried by the electricity's heat and returned lifeless to the ground as worthless pieces of charcoal.

Dante was pleased.

Scanning the masses below, Dante called out where to strike next.