Meta Gods War 3 by B. Miles (the ebook reader txt) 📕

Cam knew it was over. It was only a matter of time before they killed every last wolf. It was hard, exhausting work, and the men around him were drenched in sweat, grunting with anger, and looked ready to drop at any second. But they fought on in the hot sun, fought on because the fate of their entire world rested on their shoulders. If they gave up now, if their spears faltered when victory was in their grasp, all would be lost.

They reached the midway point, and the tree line felt within reach. Cam thought he could hear Elvish singing coming from the woods. Their battle hymns floated over the wind in strange and looping cadences. It sent chills down his spine and made his resolve harden into steel.

His hands gripped his father’s sword and he sent a prayer toward the heavens, where he hoped his father watched with pride in his heart.

This was the end, what they’d worked so hard for.

Just across the field, right at the edge of the trees, a blinding flash took him by surprise.

Men let out grunts and groans and the army ground to a halt.

“What in the hells was that?” Arter said.

Cam blinked, trying to clear his vision. Something glowed as bright as the sun. It floated just above the field and began to rise higher into the sky.

The light it gave off felt like a warm, gentle caress. Men began to lower their shields and spears. The wolves before them turned to stare up at the glowing orb, then they cowered downward, bowing their heads to the ground.

Cam stared in horror as the glowing orb’s light dimmed and it resolved into a figure.

A beautiful woman with long hair that curled around her like smoke appeared above them, wearing a gossamer gown that rolled off her perfect pale skin like mist. She spread her hands out wide.

“Lycanica,” Cam said.

ENOUGH, the goddess boomed. It sounded like her voice was stuck inside his skull. The men around him moaned, shouted, and some dropped to their knees.

ENOUGH OF THIS MADNESS. ENOUGH OF YOU SWINE. ENOUGH OF MY CHILDREN’S BLOOD. THE DAYS OF STANDING ASIDE ARE OVER. I WILL NO LONGER BE IDLE. I WILL NO LONGER ALLOW MY CHILDREN TO BREAK AND DIE.

Lightning crackled around the goddess and the sky dimmed. Clouds rumbled from nowhere in dark swirling patterns.

“Hold!” Cam shouted. “Hold together. We’re almost there. We have to keep moving! Keep going!”

But nobody listened. He stepped forward, out of line, and turned to face the men, to exhort them to kill every last wolf—

The men stared into the sky with wide child-like eyes.

Cam turned back to Lycanica, and he could have sworn she stared right down at him.

BURN, her voice boomed. BURN FOR WHAT YOU’VE DONE.

And lightning burst from the heavens, smashing into the front line of men ten feet to Cam’s right, scattering blood and bodies like clay.

38

The wind picked up as flashes of lightning tore into the men around him. Bodies shattered and splintered. Blood splattered the earth. The smell of sizzling ash filled his nostrils as Cam let out a scream. The lightning struck wildly and in dizzying numbers, killing, slaughtering, destroying.

The wolves remained prostrate before their goddess.

Lycanica’s arms spread wide and mist streamed off her skin.

Cam screamed at his men. “We have to move!” he yelled. “We have to go forward. Come on, damn you, come on.”

He grabbed Arter and tried pulling the man forward. But Arter threw his hands up, his eyes wide with an insane mixture of horror and delight.

None of them moved. They stood, dumbfounded, giddy, foolish, as lightning struck around them, killing them by the scores.

Cam let loose a savage roar and turned to face Lycanica. He reached for his magic—

And a lightning blast smashed into the ground before him, throwing him off his feet.

The power felt like a hammer slamming into his knees. He landed on top of the men behind him in a heap. His head swam and he felt electricity tingle down his teeth. He pushed himself up and to his feet—

When another bolt struck nearby. More bodies broke into ash.

Screaming erupted as the army seemed to wake around him.

The back lines broke and ran. He watched them scramble, but it was too late. More lightning struck, slaughtering any that tried to get away.

The wings suffered just as badly. The heavy divisions were mangled, smoking messes. Cam’s mind screamed for Brice and Key. He clawed at the men around him, trying to shove his way through the mass of panicking people.

Lightning slammed all around him. Another bolt threw him off his feet.

He landed against a rock on the ground. His ears rang.

BURN FOR WHAT YOU’VE DONE, the goddess screamed. Her voice sounded giddy. BURN FOR THE SINS OF YOUR FATHER.

Cam rolled to his side and pushed himself up. He wouldn’t give up. He wouldn’t lose Key, or Brice, or anyone else.

He reached for the magic within him and found the ice Urspell Sirrin had taught him. He formed the ice into a thin, translucent, diamond-hard barrier and cast it around the army as far as he could. It shimmered into existence twenty feet above them.

Lightning hammered against it.

He felt every blow like a punch to the skull. But he kept pouring more power into the barrier. It cracked in places, but he filled those cracks as fast as he could.

The lightning came faster, harder, a cacophony of strikes. The power was overwhelming, and it didn’t matter how much or how fast he channeled.

The ice cracked around him.

“No,” he yelled. “No, damn you.”

YOUR MAGIC IS STRONG, the goddess said, staring down at him. BUT YOU ARE AN ANT TO ME, LITTLE HUMAN.

“You can’t have the world,” Cam said. “I don’t care why you’re doing this. You can’t have it.”

I TAKE WHAT I PLEASE, she boomed. I KILL WHAT I PLEASE. I REMAKE THE WORLD AS I SEE FIT. THAT WAS THE WAY OF THINGS ONCE, BACK