The Heartstone Saga by Archibald Bradford (short novels in english .TXT) 📕

“I will have my peace when all is dust!” She threw one arm out to the side, her fist wreathing in shadow as she cast out another bolt.

The Valkyrie raised her shield reflexively, blocking the wild attack with careless ease.

“There is a word for what you have become Evadne!” Volka cried out, her tone holding a hint of exasperation; “Evil! You must see that what you are is evil!”

The Chimera let out a throaty chuckle as more black tears streaked down her face, her madness swallowing what little reason the Valkyrie’s aura had drawn out of her.

“I am past caring! I will have my vengeance! The world will burn until there is nothing left! No one can feel the pain I feel if they are all dead!”

A beat of silence hung in the wind between them as Volka accepted with absolute finality that she could not save the dark creature before her.

“The corrupted logic you use to justify yourself is an affront to the memory of your children.” She called out sternly.

Her voice was lower than before, but even over the wind the black creature heard her condemnation.

And she felt it keenly.

“Do not speak of them!” Evadne snarled.

Volka raised her sword and braced her shield again as she committed herself to fulfilling her duty, now using her words as cruel weapons to unsettle her foe.

“The Amazons would call you neucta, but you are beyond even that. Your ancestors would turn their backs on you, of that I am certain, but so too would your precious babies! Petra and sweet Kaylen would fear this thing that their mother has become! As well they should!”

“DO NOT SPEAK OF THEM!!”

Evade surged forwards with a feral shriek, blackness engulfing her entire form as her uninjured fist struck at Volka’s shield.

Her shadow was broken apart by the Valkyrie’s light, but much of it remained, hanging in the air as a dark cloud over the imperilled city.

Silently directed by a frantic demon’s will.

She attacked again and again, but the Dominar was imbued with the power of all of the Valkyrie that came before, and had grown far beyond her.

Once again a part of Evadne craved the release that Volka’s glowing sword offered, craved the peace of the grave, but the darkness inside of her had too strong of a hold upon her soul.

It forced her to pull back from the Valkyrie’s deadly weapon and taunting words, to push down her grief and to fight with purpose.

And when the time came, that purpose was fulfilled.

There was a massive concussive wave as the cloud of shadow that the demon had been releasing throughout her reckless assault detonated all at once.

It was a stronger version of the same attack Evadne had once used against Oldeera and her hive, to devastating effect.

But the Hornets were not imbued with the same divine protections as the Valkyrie, nor were they as cunning in battle as Volka.

Reading the intent of the attack a moment before it came, she folded her golden feathers around herself and crossed her arms behind her shield as she dropped a couple dozen feet in an instant to fall free of the cloud of shadow.

Afterwards she unfurled her wings to regain control of her fall, bringing her shield to bear against any follow up assault.

But the Chimera was gone.

She caught sight of her just as the last of the shadows she wrapped around herself pulled her into the realm of shadow within the veil between life and death, somewhere the living angel could not follow.

Volka ground her teeth together in frustration at Evadne’s escape, but she couldn’t dwell on it long.

Screams of terror coming from Garland far below were calling her away.

“Your death is coming.” She vowed into the wind, the memory of Nina making the same pledge innumerable times before filling her mind.

With a flap of her wings she turned and flew back to face the carnage in the city to save as many lives as she could.

Chapter 39:Triage

Kavanaugh and his team had enlisted the help of several stout folk to carry the goo-bound Ogres towards the supposed safety of the Bastion, and once they reached Divinity Square they found a sea of people, Aegis and otherwise, working around hundreds more wounded and dying streaming in from every part of the city.

A scene from a nightmare.

“Becks?! What the hell are you doing here?!”

Miranda came running towards them with Jan and Kala, Jez preoccupied keeping an Ogre’s wrists and ankles contained with her tongue.

She had beads of sweat on her forehead from the effort it took to keep the Tenebrae from escaping, but she was nothing if not stubborn.

At the sound of her bond-mate’s words, Rebecca tore her eyes away from the nightmare, her ears straightening hopefully in relief.

“Mistress!” She called out as she surged forwards to meet her; “I was at the academy when the call came in! Are you alright?!”

“Am I- fucking hell Becks!”

The grey-haired Aegis operative sighed while pulling the bunny into her arms.

“Helluva girl you’ve got here Holt, your Lapine saved a lot of lives today.” Kavanaugh offered.

Miranda pulled away from her and nodded.

“Yeah, but we’re hardly done yet.” She looked to the two Ogres they had bound; “Nice job with the take-downs, but it will be for nothing if I can’t find our damn Empath.”

“Nameless is missing?” Kavanaugh asked with some concern.

“What? You know him- what am I saying of course you do.” Miranda ran her hand through her hair to gather her thoughts; “Not so much missing as I don’t know where he is yet. His apartment block was one of the first places hit, but I’ve had reports that he made it into the Bastion. Hopefully the kid just has his head up his