Echoes of the Past

Chapter Forty Four - Part One

Chapter Forty Four: A New Day - Part One

A solemn air filled the study, carrying the weight of the events that had unfolded. Sam sat in a soft armchair, trying not to move too much. He was bruised, battered and mentally exhausted, having spent the night recovering in the infirmary with James and Evan. He had lost track of the time of day but guessed it was late morning, judging by the light streaming in from the open double doors that led to a balcony.

Liana stood across the room, looking over a screen in her hand with a concentrated frown. Jorak and Den had been discussing the newscasts coming from what was now the remains of the iron forge, while Evan and Melida were sat quietly on a sofa opposite Sam. Evan looked as rough as Sam felt - a bandage showing under his shirt and bruises on his face - though he seemed to be recovering well, and had been the first to get out of bed. One of his pointed ears had been cut open and was now covered with a padded wrapping. Sam's thoughts went to James, who had yet to awake. James was alive and his vital signs looked relatively normal, but he had been in a light coma since they found him in the ruins of the forge. Sam swallowed a lump in his throat, still shocked at the bloodied, wounded mess James had been in.

"We have Jaxx in a hold," Liana said, looking up from her screen, responding to a question from Den about security. "Under armed guard. He won't be going anywhere."

"How long until the Avancheon get here?" Jorak asked. Having filled a cup with water, he sat down on the second sofa beside Den, who had his braced leg outstretched.

"Their official word is several hours away still," Liana said. "The representative and a small squadron should get here during the night. I've updated them regarding the iron forge."

"So much for the cavalry," Jorak grumbled.

Liana frowned. Sam knew what she was thinking. If they had convinced the Oneron military that Jaxx posed a greater threat, they could have received help when they needed it. And they wouldn't have lost nine soldiers. She swallowed and said, "They'll be taking Jaxx away, to deal with him, and that will be the end of the matter for us."

"Do we know what caused the tower to fall?" Evan asked.

Liana shook her head. "We can guess Jaxx had a back-up bomb somewhere. Something we missed. We're still looking into it."

Evan looked unconvinced, his head tilting in thought. "I have given my report that I felt a sorcerous presence. It was no mere explosion."

"Can you expand on that?" Den asked him, his voice soothing and understanding.

"I am not fully sure how to say it," Evan said. "Except that I felt a power on par with the presence of a god. The way it disorientated me, almost causing me to vomit. It is a quite distinct sensation."

Since Evan had mentioned what he'd felt, back in the infirmary, Sam had wondered if he had really felt such a thing. No one else seemed to have sensed such a power. But then Evan had been closest to the forge at the time. And he had always been more in-tuned with magical forces.

Sam grimaced as a slight spasm of pain forked through his side. A few times now, he had tried sprinkling some Restoration magic over himself, but in his exhausted state it had only served to drain him more than it could heal. He could have done with some sagka, but they had drunk some earlier and had to wait some time before they could have more to avoid overdosing.

"It was not a traditional explosion," Liana said. "We could assume it was a strange bomb devised by Jaxx to bring down the forge, perhaps for him to spin a story to the newscasts after it had blown."

"That sounds like a stretch," Jorak said.

"I know," Liana said, also looking unconvinced as she cast her gaze back to her screen and avoided their eyes.