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

a twinge of embarrassment and even remorse at her memories distracting them from their purpose.

“It might be actually.” Queen Julia declared with a nod as she looked around, no longer bothering to hide her tears; “If my daughter stumbled upon something down here that put her and her colony in danger, she could have ordered her workers to seal them in, to spare the rest of the world.”

Her throat closed as emotion overtook her, meanwhile her soldiers advanced into the darkness on either side of them and set their shields against the unknown threat.

Nina took her hammer in both hands and rudely elbowed past the defensive line.

“Alright then. Let’s assume it’s something like those Seekers and be super-duper-extra careful about it. Jan, you find any more blood? If there were any survivors it could tell us which direction they went.”

The Wolfen nodded.

“I was about to suggest that actually.”

“Too bad I beat you to it, so I get all the credit.” The Gigas declared bluntly; “Which way?”

A bit sullen, Jan resumed her tracking efforts and soon found more blood, moving towards one side of where they entered.

Finally she pointed into the dark tunnel heading to the right.

“That way, whatever hit them seems to have come from there; this is where the signs of combat are the heaviest.

“My daughter.” The Antlion Queen sobbed; “What nightmare did you uncover down here?”

“There is only one way to find out.” Volka declared as she drew her sword of light, her wings spreading wide as her aura extended outwards to bathe the tunnel in angelic radiance; “Lead on, Jan. And let us seek out this nightmare for ourselves.”

“I will stand with you against it Dominar.” Kala pledged as she readied her spear.

“And me.” Milly agreed as she took up position on the other side of the angel.

“Guess that means you and me are stuck guarding Master.” Erica quipped towards Ophelia.

At the oblique reference to him, Miranda turned to order Nameless to prepare some lost-tech countermeasures just in case, but had to bite back the words when she saw he already had a canister ready in either hand, having handed off his light orb to Ophelia.

She felt weirdly proud of him, but quickly looked to Jan.

“Alright then, you follow your nose Jan and we’ll follow you. Nina, could you-”

“I’ve got her back, you just keep one eye on my man in case shit gets serious.”

“I will protect him myself if it means finding my Avita!” Queen Julia swore; “But please, let us hurry!”

They proceeded like that into the darkness: Jan crouching low in front with Nina at her side, followed by Volka, Milly and Kala and a wall of Antlion shields.

Barely ten minutes later, they encountered what Kala feared earlier: a wide open space with a number of tunnels branching off into different directions.

The cavernous chamber was easily forty yards across, with a half-dozen other openings leading out of it. Each was identical in size and structure to the underground boulevard they had come in from.

“If that archeology guy from the desert were here, I think he’d shoot in his pants.” Erica observed as she looked around; “Because this is pretty incredible.”

While they spoke Jan sniffed around the massive room.

“Yes.” Volka agreed, though she seemed sad; “The Divine Republic always excelled at construction. The fact that the Bastion in Garland wasn’t the tallest structure they built is testament to that!”

“You getting anything puppy?” Miranda called to her bond-mate, her voice echoing around the open space.

Investigating one of the passages nearby, at first the Wolfen shook her head, but suddenly she stiffened in place.

“No.” She breathed out; “Oh no.”

Nina stepped in front of her to protect her from the darkness, not looking away from it as she spoke.

“Gimme more than that. What do you smell?”

Jan turned to face the main group, now a circle of forty Antlion soldiers around a squishy core of humans, not to mention the Katje, Gripau and Flutterby.

“We were wrong. It’s not Seekers.”

Erica flinched beside Nameless, and suddenly she had a knife in each hand.

Jan had a much better sense of smell, but her hearing was superior.

“Something’s coming!” She hissed out in warning.

“Where?” Miranda replied tightly.

Erica’s eyes reflected the light of the orb gripped in the older woman’s fist as her ears swiveled on her head.

“Everywhere!”

“What is it dearheart? Seekers?” Ophelia whispered.

Queen Julia slumped as they all heard the chittering cacophony of the approaching mob.

“No.” She lamented with yet more tears; “It is my Avita.”

Seconds later the chamber was flooded with Tenebrae.

Chapter 23:Fallen Monarch

The well-trained legion of ant-girls brought their shields to bear, forming a solid circle to protect their queen and her allies.

Meanwhile Antlion workers swarmed out of the various branches of the tunnels, seeming to be never ending.

From behind the wall of shields Queen Julia’s heart was broken.

“Give me back my daughter!” She cried irrationally.

“We will save her!”

She looked down and to the side to see Nameless watching the dark-eyed workers with his jaw set in determination.

Every time he encountered a Tenebrae, every time he entered the mind of a girl so tormented by negative emotions, his resolve grew. To the point that now he showed no fear at all for the workers about to collide with the queen’s soldiers and his bond-mates.

“Them being here means that she is still alive! Hold them. Subdue them where you can. We will save your daughter!” He repeated as his face turned upwards to meet hers.

His eyes were glowing gold as his bond-mate’s divine might reacted to his resolve.

It was a surprising turn, but Queen Julia regained her royal dignity as she reached down and set her hand on his shoulder.

“Thank you, young Aegis.” She whispered.

“Thank me when