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

meet them; she would fly to wherever the fighting was fiercest and the Tenebrae would quail as her aura seeped into them, making it that much easier for her to lay into them with her shield and a narrow baton.

The first of the captured girls was soon brought to Nameless, but a problem emerged when the Amazons carrying her arrived.

“We cannot find her heart! She doesn’t have it on her!”

Booker’s expression soured as he looked around the field, the ever increasing pressure on their legions keeping the Antlion queens occupied.

“If she swallowed it than these girls are as good as dead!”

“No.” Nameless disagreed immediately as he set his palm against the struggling Lapine’s exposed belly; “I think I could still reach them if that were the case. Her heart isn’t with her at all.”

“It can’t be far though.” Milly reasoned.

Her black spear was gripped tight in her hand, and she very badly wanted to be fighting amongst her Amazon friends, but without Nina to protect Nameless…

“How are we supposed to reach them all anyways?!” Erica cried out in frustration; “It’s not like Volka’s aura is doing anything more than making them sort of… woozy!”

She was amongst the most desperate to save the Tenebrae, her memories of being in a similar state still able to haunt her if she dwelled on them to long.

Nameless chewed on his lip as more and more captured Tenebrae were brought to him, until the Myrmidons had to shift their formation around to better protect their queens.

“Don’t panic Erica.” Sadie Essig urged; “The heartstone have to be here somewhere.”

But panic seemed an appropriate response.

Yes, the Aegis had them outnumbered, and a great many Tenebrae had been subdued already by its skilled members; but the problem was keeping them that way, because every girl that they captured tied up more and more of their resources. The stronger the girl, the worse it was.

The Longinus line couldn’t help with it either, too preoccupied ensuring that there still was a line.

Like a drowning person pulling the one saving them under, the captured Tenebrae were a weight around the waist of the Aegis forces and the effects were starting to show, with increasing numbers of wounded needing to be taken to the medics behind the command group.

“We’re drowning.” Nameless mumbled as he looked over the girls, while the people in charge fretted as they sought to find a solution.

“What? What did you say?” Booker demanded.

At this point, Nameless and Sadie were the experts when it came to Tenebrae, and the senior Aegis councilor was desperate for them to prove it.

“We’re drowning!” Nameless repeated, eyes wide.

An idea had struck him and he all but threw his thoughts at Volka, heedless of the fact that she was a little bit busy.

Her wings beat several times as she was forced to withdraw from the fighting to process what he was suggesting, the roiling mass of Tenebrae was emboldened by her departure.

“Will it work?” He called out with his voice and his mind as she landed at his side.

“I… I don’t know! Such a thing has never been attempted!”

“We have to try!” He said.

“What do you need?” Commander Morrow barked.

She was in charge of their evac units, and things were getting desperate as the wounded piled up, so her patience was nonexistent.

“Time! And as many Undines as you can give me!”

Booker was listening and immediately turned to Juni, who nodded and used her magic to put out the call.

“What are you going to do?” Sadie asked as Xalanth kept a pair of Katje subdued.

The temporary ties that held them had come undone and the Dragon held them immobilized so that Milly and Erica could redo them.

“What do you think?” Nameless smiled like a maniac to show more confidence than he felt; “I’m going to save the world!”

It had been a promise he and Volka had repeated many times, but for once he actually believed it himself.

Water was already forming around him as several Undines heeded the call and a minute later he was explaining the plan.

“Listen up girls! We’re going to use your Sacred Current! We need rain, lots of it! Volka, I’ll need you, because I’m making this up as I go!”

The Valkyrie made a noise in her throat as she looked back towards the fighting, but she had to trust that whatever her husband was proposing was their best option.

“I am yours, my love. How shall we proceed?”

Abruptly there was a harsh scream from not far away as the barbed tail of a Manticore tore into someone’s unguarded flesh.

The sound served to remind Nameless of the weight of his choices.

What if he was wrong?

“Focus! My Husband! You have chosen a path, let us walk it together!”

It took some doing, but at her urging Nameless was able to push down his emotions, to ignore the sounds of the mayhem around them, a must if he wanted to have a shot at stopping it.

Once in control of himself again he had the Undines and Volka join hands around him, then sat in a crouch and reached out with his thoughts.

Immediately he felt the steely warmth of his Valkyrie’s mind against his.

I am here Husband.

It chafed her greatly to be away from the conflict, but it was what was necessary.

Unfortunately, it was also what Evadne was counting on.

When it became clear that Volka wasn’t returning to the fight a dark tornado appeared above the Tenebrae, and suddenly the Chimera was there; flapping her wings as she watched the chaos unfold, her arms spread wide and the sound of her laughter drowned by the din of battle.

And the moment that she spotted her, Xalanth leapt into action.

“Queens of Longinus! I leave my lady in your care! I