Part 19 (2/2)

The Incarnation simply twisted his blade to the side and caught Azura's edge. Without a word, he turned Simon's strike and stepped forward, launching an attack of his own.

Above you! Angeline screamed. Simon had left her sitting on the gra.s.s nearby, in order to have both hands free, but she still had more than enough of a vantage point to both see and sense the entirety of the battle.

Between the doll's warning and the speed of the Nye essence, Simon had counted on having enough time to gracefully dodge Valin's first strike, stepping to the side and launching another attack of his own.

But, even after watching Indirial's battle earlier, Simon had never expected the Incarnation to be so fast.

By the time Simon heard and processed the doll's warning, Valin's blurring blade was only an inch from his neck. He hurled himself to the side with so much strength that he overcompensated, almost launching himself into the trees at the edge of the clearing.

Simon twisted in the air and landed on his feet, skidding along the dew-wet gra.s.s.

He's coming, Angeline sent. Simon barely managed to get Azura up and in front of him before Valin followed him, seemingly flying forward, blade flas.h.i.+ng.

Azura rang like a cracked bell in Simon's hands as he somehow matched the Incarnation's strike. Even the steel flowing through his blood seemed somehow strained to the breaking point, like a sword bent so far that it was about to shatter. Valin did not seem to pause, flowing gracefully from attack to attack as though practicing.

Only desperation and panic blocked the second attack, and the next, and the next. Simon felt as though his arms would tear apart, and he couldn't seem to get enough breath. Sweat trickled down past his eyes, and some part of him knew that if his sweat blinded him for even an instant then he would die.

More strength, Angeline called. You need to be stronger.

It's a little late for that, Simon sent, but he knew what she meant.

He could call steel all at once, instead of drawing it out as he normally did. He seemed to remember that he could do the same thing with Nye essence too, though both powers would burn out even more quickly.

The first time he had called all his steel in such a way had been back in Orgrith Cave, where he had done so to save Andra Agnos' life. After that incident, he had been able to call more steel than ever, and it seemed to last longer. But would it be enough now? More importantly, he wasn't sure he would survive the first second after burning his powers out.

You won't survive if you don't, Angeline pointed out. Do it!

Simon managed to push back against Valin's sword, giving him enough of an opening to take a single step back. Without giving himself enough time to think too much about it, Simon drew deeply on the Nye essence. The world seemed to stop around him, gra.s.s blown back by a breeze made solid, stars hanging in the night sky, soldiers paused with their swords held above taut black chains. At the same time, Simon called a torrent of steel, which crashed through his body in an icy flood, pressing against the inside of his skin like a sack stuffed to bursting.

All the while, the chains slid up his arms. He had never been as conscious of them as he was now, face-to-face with the chain-shrouded Incarnation. Though the chains of Valinhall looked like living tattoos of black, crawling up his arms, they felt like real chains, cold and rough against his bare skin. He could only imagine the pain of having them wrapping tight around his entire body; like being draped in a heavy, pressing blanket of rigid metal.

Simon righted his stance, balanced on the b.a.l.l.s of his feet, and gathered both hands on Azura's hilt. Then he struck, with all the strength and speed he could draw from his Territory.

Valin's eyes widened in surprise, but he still turned Simon's strike. Simon didn't let up, attacking again and again, the chains crawling faster than they ever had, wrapping his biceps and shoulders. The Incarnation moved as swiftly as he had with Indirial, speeding up to match Simon, their cras.h.i.+ng blades sending out spray after spray of bright sparks.

While their blades rang together like the pounding of the surf, while he moved faster than anything in a human body had any right to do, Valin laughed.

”Not bad, little dragon,” he said. ”I'm glad to have you along.”

His voice didn't sound warped, like most other sounds Simon heard through the Nye essence. Nor did he sound strained, as Simon himself felt. He sounded casual, even amused, as though they were playing his favorite game.

”Destroy Damasca with me,” Valin said idly, blocking an overhand strike from Simon that would have sliced a boulder in half.

”What happens after?” Simon said, through gritted teeth. He was putting all of his power into attacks, and they were barely fazing the Valinhall Incarnation. He didn't think he'd given the man a single scratch.

”After?” Valin sounded confused, as though he'd never considered the concept. ”We would need to protect the innocent people, of course,” he said. ”Test them. Make sure they're strong enough. If we use all thirteen swords, we can spread out. Finally, the strong will not oppress the weak. Everyone will be strong.”

He means killing everyone, doesn't he? Simon sent to Angeline, thrusting Azura at Valin's chest.

He means what he said, Angeline said sadly. He doesn't see a difference between attacking someone and making sure they're ready for an attack. In his mind, he'll be doing the world a favor.

So the power does drive you mad, Simon thought.

Not mad, the doll responded. Madness comes when a mind is broken. Incarnation does not break a man; it changes him. Just never into anything pleasant.

No matter what Angeline or Valin said, that sounded like madness to Simon. He stepped forward in a combination attack that Kai had taught him, striking once, twice, three times in a single, continuous motion. The first was supposed to force the opponent on the defensive, the second to throw his guard wide, and the third to strike home.

It worked. Valin's Mithra was knocked aside just enough for Simon's third attack to reach him.

Simon surged forward with all his strength, Azura's tip resting against Valin's bare chain-marked chest. A trickle of blood flowed down Valin's flat stomach as Azura pierced his skin.

For a moment, Simon dared to hope.

Then he realized that all of his strength, everything he had drawn from Valinhall, was just barely enough to scratch the Incarnation's skin.

Simon pressed harder, leaning on Azura with everything he could draw, trying desperately to call another sc.r.a.p of liquid strength from his Territory. But nothing came.

Valin didn't seem bothered by his single wound, and he didn't bring Mithra in to take advantage of Simon's distraction. He leaned closer, a smile on his lips, his black-and-silver eyes amused. ”You've done well, boy. But you've barely seen the surface of what Valinhall has to offer.”

The Incarnation released his sword, letting it s.h.i.+mmer and vanish in midair. Barely had it vanished when it was replaced with a gleaming silver warhammer, wider than Valin's torso and standing taller than his head. Simon would have had to use two hands and all the steel he could call to even lift such a weapon, but Valin held it in his right hand.

In his left appeared an enormous, double-headed axe.

Valin's muscles flexed as he brought both weapons down, converging on Simon's position.

Roll back!

Simon followed the doll's instruction, tossing himself backwards and down the little hill. He had almost rolled back to his feet when the weapons. .h.i.t the ground.

The resulting shockwave knocked him onto his back. The ground quivered with the impact, the gra.s.s and soil*and perhaps even the stone beneath*shattering into a tiny chasm at Valin's feet.

Valin released these weapons, too, instantly summoning another. This was a longbow even taller than the hammer had been earlier, its shaft made of some deep black wood, and its string of a metal that shone silver in the starlight.

The Incarnation pulled the string back, the wood flexing with an audible creaking, and a gleaming white arrow of solid light simply appeared on the string.

”You should dodge this,” Valin suggested. Then he let the arrow fly.

Simon wasn't fast enough to dodge the arrow of light. Not even close. But with a whispered warning from Angeline he managed to throw himself into the treeline at the edge of their clearing. He fell into underbrush, branches and leaves scratching his skin as the arrow blazed overhead with a heavenly light. It struck a tree above Simon and burned straight through. When he stood up and looked, he could see through the hole in that tree...and through the hole in the tree behind that, and the tree behind that one, all the way to the edge of the woods.

Worse, the world around him was back to normal speed. The soldiers once again clashed with Nye, although they seemed to have gotten even farther from Valin after his earth-shattering display with the hammer and axe.

Simon still clung to the steel power with just the edge of a fingernail; he barely had enough strength to keep holding Azura in both hands. But the Nye essence was gone.

Valin had brought the silver string back to his cheek, another white arrow loaded in the bow.

”Duck, Simon!” Valin called.

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