The Wielder and the Source

Chapter 22

Kitaya flashed from cape form as soon and she and Aldeheid appeared in front of the castle. Castle guards were back and forth, swarming the main vestibule like a hive of angry bees. The air was buzzing with fear and anticipation.

She glanced around, one hand over her fluttering heart, somehow feeling lost in her own home. People ran by her, mere blurs amongst the chaos, their footfalls booming through her head. Someone grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd to an empty hallway.

"Kitaya." Aldeheid's face appeared before hers. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gave them a small squeeze. "You're supposed to be the level-headed one."

Kitaya squeezed her eyes shut and sucked in a breath. "Right. We need to find Eriani."

"I asked one of the guards. They said she's in the war room."

"Alright" She took Aldeheid's hand and pulled him down the hall at a jog. Her strides were long, but there was no confidence in them. Red smoke meant the city was in eminent danger. Never in her life had Kon been threatened. The prospect of it was unfathomable; no one was that bold.

Kon was a veritable fortress with one of the most feared armies in the realm. Then why was she shaking? Why was her breath hitching in her throat? It was Nylarah, her warning hung like a dark cloud of doubt over Kitaya's head. Warn Eriani. The thought rang through her head over and over, quickening her gait.

Deeper and deeper they went into the belly of the castle through the maze-like halls and down several flights of stairs until they got to the catacombs. The network of halls and chambers were another castle under the castle. It had been used as a bunker in wartimes before. Never did Kitaya think they'd have to make use of it again. At the end of the main hall was a heavy metal door.

Kitaya held her hand up and uttered a string of ancient words. The droning and tumbling of gears filled the hall, and the door swung inward, revealing the war room beyond. It was packed with Shujaa, army personnel and castle guards. Eriani was at the head of the long table that dominated the room with Kemah.

Leandyr was pointing at the map of Kon and its surrounding territories carved into the table, and relaying some information to the soldiers surrounding him. Something about a speedy ground unit that would flank the enemy and teased them. "In and out quickly," he explained.

Kitaya's mind raced. Ground units? Flanking enemies? What in damnation was going on?

"Good, you're here," Eriani said, as she looked up at Kitaya. "We're preparing to mobilize."

Kitaya left Aldeheid to hover around the Swormaster and squeezed into a small space at Eriani's left. "What's happening?"

"Those disgusting masked degenerates have showed up at our eastern border." The words dripped from Eriani's lips like venom. "Our scouts estimated around two thousand."

"Is this an attack? Is Kon going to be under siege?"

"At last report they hadn't moved. I don't know what they're planning, and I'm not waiting to find out. I'm mobilizing a team of seven hundred. I've asked Maliki to gather an aerial unit of Kons best flyers and I need you lead them. The ground unit will move in first, then send up a unit when they're ready for you to join them."

Kitaya planted her elbows on the table and rubbed her eyes. Too much was happening at once, and her mind was not keeping up. "Seven hundred against two thousand? And you want me to lead a unit on my own? You're sending us to our deaths."

The Queen narrowed her eyes. "You're the last person I would expect to err on the side of caution. Were you not outnumbered ten to one in the Lake war? And you flew in there with all your grit and gumption."