The Shadowbearer (An Aegis of the Gods Book)

Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

Stefan lurched to a stop. Warm air, too warm for Seti, bright light, and the smell of grass, greeted him. Frowning, he peered around.

A wall rose behind him, spanning several hundred feet into the air. Steel, feldspar, and white alabaster shone with an ethereal glow that lit up the surrounding landscape as if it were daytime instead of night. The Vallum of Light.

Then, like a bucket of freezing water splashed over a man while he slept, the shock of what happened hit him. “No, no … what did you do?” Tears streamed down his face.

“I did what I had to,” Galiana’s voice said from a few steps to his right.

“T–the children … I … I was going to save them.” Unable to hold back, he broke into sobs. “Thania, Celina, Anton … dear Ilumni, why? Why? WHY?” Before he realized, he was on his knees, pounding the ground with his fists.

“I tried,” Galiana said, “but we couldn’t breach his barrier once he erected it again. We only managed to save you and Thania.”

“What?”

“Your wife is over there.”

Stefan’s gaze followed to where she pointed. An Ashishin fussed over his wife, trying to get her into a gold robe. Her bruised face was already mended. He stood on shaky feet and stumbled toward her.

“Thania, love,” he said as she glanced up when he approached.

She scrubbed at her cheeks, her eyes puffy and red. She broke into a wail. “Stefan … the children … they’re …” Thania clutched at the pendant around her neck.

“No, you’re wrong,” Stefan said.

Even as he said the words, he remembered Kahar and his sword dripping with blood. The pendant told the story too. The metal felt incomplete, almost as if a part of him, a part of his soul was missing.

His children were dead.

He took his wife into his arms. Together, they cried.

******

Several days later, Stefan stood upon the battlements of one of the two Bastions of Light. The tower and its twin looked out over the lone passage through the Vallum here in Felan. His heart ached in ways he never dreamt possible, but his need for revenge was a salve for his pain. Below him, a massive army gathered. The Lightstorm banners flew in too many places to count. A cool wind ruffled his cloak and brought him the scent of perfume.

“If he knew you lived, he would come after you,” Galiana said from behind him.

Stefan didn’t bother to turn. He couldn’t bear to look at her face. “You knew all along he intended to kill them. Why didn’t you get them away from Seti?”

“He would not stop hunting all of you if we did,” Galiana said. “He was not going to harm Thania, but there was no way to stop him. If he forced you to release the sword to him, he could use the same divya we command during our age Forging. Only the gods know what he would be capable of then.”

“Do you really think he’ll believe I’m dead?”

“The bodies the Sven left cannot be affected in any way. Not even to sense if they are fakes. The power Nerian released made it impossible to identify them beyond a doubt. The man so believes in his own strength I am willing to bet he will convince himself you died.”

“And the sword?”

“He will believe we have it.”

“How could one man be so strong?” Stefan asked.