Return to Mare

Evening had fallen by the time the Blue Sky approached Mare. A few lights glowed from windows in the town, but they were drowned out by the sickly green pall of the extraction machine.

Still, it was enough for Darian to make out the flurry of activity in town. The Blue Sky had been sighted. As they came closer, a small crowd gathered around the southern wall.

Even from this distance, Darian could tell one of them stood far taller than the others, horns spreading wide around his head. Her nerves prickled, but she forced herself not to look away.

Eventually, Amaro began easing the Blue Sky into its descent. The island grew larger, its forbidding face rising up to meet them. When the craft was level with the island, Kress and Nevy released the ramp. The metal struck rock with a resounding thud.

Her head held high, Darian made her way down the ramp. Guntar, Meg, and Lodo came close after her, followed by Kress and Nevy. To her surprise, a few globe-fish drifted down alongside them. It wasn't necessarily – the Infernal Legion troops had plenty of globe-fish of their own – but it touched her nonetheless.

Too soon, she stepped onto the island's rocky ground. Now only a couple of meters separated her from General Hellebore.

He loomed from the mist like a monster in a nightmare, towering so high Darian had to crane her neck to meet his gaze. She had never seen such a huge demon before; not even Greisen came close. But far more formidable than his size was his Levia, pulsing so heavy in the air Darian had to fight with all her will not to bend her shoulders.

No matter what, she would not allow this man to intimidate her.

"So you actually came," Hellebore gloated, his deep voice rumbling in her bones. "A pleasure to finally meet you in person, Prince Darian."

"I didn't come here to exchange pleasantries," Darian snapped. "The townspeople. Are they safe?"

"Of course, of course." Hellebore gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "I still can't believe you decided to surrender for the sake of these useless bumpkins. Couldn't possibly be me. Well now, take them in."

Several soldiers melted out of the mist behind him and approached Darian and her crew. Well, of course. One would hardly expect an Infernal Legion general to do his own dirty work.

As the soldiers surrounded Darian, she calmly held her hands out and let them cuff her. Didn't even twitch when they removed her rapier. Guntar fluffed his feathers indignantly, but didn't protest any further.

"That's not everyone, is it?" Hellebore said once they were all cuffed. "Where's the homunculus knight?"

Darian's heart beat faster, but she kept her face neutral. This was the same as hitting up the tables at the Golden Royale. All about playing her cards close to her chest.

"They're still aboard the craft," she said. "I didn't see the point in having everyone come with me."

"Is that so?" Hellebore's eyes narrowed. "All right, troops. Board the craft. Drag out anyone who might be hiding."

As the troops marched forward, Darian never tore her gaze from Hellebore. Even when the thud of their boots on the ramp made sweat prickle her nape, she didn't look back.

One minute passed, then another. Shouts drifted from the craft – the soldiers barking orders, crew members indignantly snapping back. The sweat prickled colder than the icy mist.

Then a flash of light tore through the mist across the island, so bright it sent her stumbling. With it came an earsplitting boom, followed by a plume of smoke spiraling into the sky.

Just like that, the machine's sickly green glow winked out of existence.

Hellebore whirled around with a feral roar. "What the hell is – "

His troops' confused shouts were like music to Darian's ears. A smirk tugged up her lips. The hard part had only just begun, but at least they'd gotten step one out of the way.

~*~

As the waves tossed the skiff back and forth, Theo couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this sick. Maybe when he'd ridden the amusement park's scariest roller coaster as a kid.

Too bad, he'd have to deal with it. Keep his wits about him, because in the end the plan depended entirely on him. Even as each roll and bump sent his dinner lurching back up, he forced himself to visualize the elemental dream-spell.

Which wasn't that hard, actually. He'd spent so many years drawing this spell he could picture it in his sleep. The hard part would be channeling his Levia into it.

Meanwhile Fia steered the skiff as if it was an extension of their own body, easily riding the crest of every wave. Water splashed over the sides, soaking through Theo's oilskin cloak, but they never seemed in any danger of capsizing.

And each wave brought them closer to the island's northern face, a stone behemoth in the misty night. At its top, the extraction machine glowed like a neon crown – but it was almost drowned out by the light blazing in the tubes stretching down to the sea. Even with goggles on, Theo couldn't look at them directly.

This close, he saw each tube had to be as thick around as his torso. Their glow painted the entire ocean radioactive green.

With the next forward surge, the skiff almost crashed into the nearest tube. Sam screamed, ducking her head.

"C'mon, Fia!" Ryan yelled above the crashing waves. "Let's do it! Just like we practiced!"

An elemental spell lit up beneath him, though Theo could barely see it through the extraction machine's glow. Still, it was enough. Fia drew in a shuddering breath and squeezed their eyes shut, and the next thing Theo knew a column of water swirled beneath the skiff and rocketed them into the air.

Theo's stomach lurched and Sam's screams reached a fever pitch, but he couldn't spare any attention on his discomfort. As the skiff shot high above the extraction machine, the nearby soldiers shouted in alarm.

Now or never. In front of him, Zenith cast him a significant nod. Even in the sickly green light, his eyes gleamed bright as ever.

Theo climbed onto Zenith's back, wrapping one arm around his familiar's neck while holding his staff with the other. Zenith took off with a powerful leap, making icy wind sting Theo's face.

'Focus, focus!' Gather his Levia, the dawn light coursing through his veins. Send it toward the Star of Miriel.

A familiar night sky swallowed his vision, wiping out every trace of the machine's noxious glow. He released his power in wave after wave of pink light, washing out the vast emptiness between the stars. All the power he could muster….

Now take that power and shape it. The diagram appeared in his mind with breathtaking ease, like it had always been waiting for him. Even so, for a moment he hesitated.

After all, he hadn't gotten a chance to practice this specific spell. What if – what if –

A sudden ray of light pierced the Star's cosmos. Though faint, it sliced through his doubts like a sword of crystal.

Right. Zenith believed in him, so Theo would return his trust. He had only one shot at this.

A scream tore out of his throat as he directed every rippling wave of his power at the diagram. Pink light flared across its intricate lines, erasing the darkness of the night.

And just like that, he slammed back into his body. The icy mist, the stinging wind. His arm tight around Zenith's neck, digging into the cold armor.

But now a diagram glowed beneath both of them, just as bright as it had in Theo's mind. Yet even it couldn't match the white light blazing from Zenith's raised sword. Its rays danced across the ocean, scattering the machine's foul glow in its wake.

With a tremendous bellow, Zenith swung his sword forward.

Dozens of glowing blades arced after the sword. While a couple struck the island, shattering the ground and scattering the soldiers, most found their target. Ricocheting back and forth, they engulfed the extraction machine in a whirling storm of light.

Dimly, beneath his pounding heart, Theo heard a rumbling boom. A shriek of shattering metal. Then a tremendous splash, followed by another.

The Levia was still pulsing through his body, throbbing inside the Star of Miriel. So much of it. But soon, very soon, he wouldn't be able to contain his power.

So he had to stop before it drained him dry. Clenching his teeth, he wrenched his mind away from the vast cosmos of the Star. As he gathered the overflowing power, he tried to siphon it back to the core of his body. Though it struggled against his control, he wrestled with all his might.

The diagram shattered into sparks, drifting around him and Zenith like glowing snow. His head lurched; he tightened his grip around his knight. Zenith's feet hit the ground with an impact that shuddered through Theo's entire body. All he could do was cling to his familiar, weak and dizzy, but gradually his surroundings came into focus.

A hulk of twisted metal loomed in front of him, sizzling with sparks and spitting out smoke. Tubes flapped in the wind like limp strings, while a massive hole gaped in its center.

Triumph hummed through him, almost as bright as the Star's power. They'd done it.