Part 36 (1/2)

Simon stood to one side, almost frozen, wondering what to do. Steel coursed through him and he held Azura in one hand, but he wasn't sure he should attack. Especially without a doll, he would likely get in the more experienced Travelers' way.

Drawn by the noise of the battle with the Avernus Travelers, groups of soldiers had begun to show up. They froze, though, at the edge of the clearing, apparently not sure which side to support. They murmured among each other, but*maybe because of the bodies*n.o.body called out. They just stood among the tents and watched. A few dragged some of the wounded Travelers out of the way, but none seemed eager to interfere.

That reminded him: Leah was in charge here. Had she known about Lysander's ambush? No, she had warned him to look out for Talos. In that case, she would have to find out about this battle sooner or later. Maybe he could go to her for reinforcements.

He kept an eye on Lysander, who was now hobbling away from the fight by leaning on the shoulder of one of the troops. He didn't seem like he was about to help the Incarnation, but he might be on his way to Leah.

Simon had all but decided to find Leah and tell her what had happened, at least before her brother could do so, when something occurred to him.

Where was Talos?

He hadn't seen the Heir since his duel. During the fight with the Avernus Travelers, Talos had apparently managed to slip away.

That decided it: he would have to talk to Leah before Talos or Lysander had the chance to feed her a lie.

He edged to one side, trying to slip away unnoticed.

As soon as he moved, all three of the other Valinhall Travelers exploded into action.

Kai jumped over Valin's head, bringing his hammer down on the Incarnation like a collapsing roof. At the same time, Denner rushed forward, slas.h.i.+ng at Valin's ribs.

Valin raised one hand to catch Kai's hammer-blow on his forearm, simultaneously thrusting his blade one-handed at Denner's chest.

Denner spun around the Incarnation's sword, striking for the neck, and the force of Kai's blow drove Valin to one knee.

Kai landed, releasing his enormous hammer in favor of a pair of daggers, which he moved as if to plunge into Valin's back.

The Incarnation's form blurred as he summoned more Nye essence, and even his breath escaped in a blue-white cloud. He ducked back to avoid Denner's slash, bending so far that the top of his head almost sc.r.a.ped the earth, and then reached up to grab Kai's wrist, pulling him forward.

Denner had to pull back to avoid skewering Kai, and Kai had to turn his awkward stumble into a jump. He spun around as soon as he landed, catching Valin's return blow on his crossed daggers.

And that was as much as Simon caught of the fight, because at that moment a blinding flash of light and a furious explosion turned many of the nearby tents into bonfires.

A wall of heat pressed on Simon from behind, weighing him down more than his cloak. A shadow pa.s.sed over the sun, and he looked up.

A silhouette flew overhead, a serpentine shape the length of a wagon train with six sets of wings, each the size of a s.h.i.+p's sail. The draft from the creature's flapping wings fluttered Simon's cloak around him, scattering clouds of dust at his feet.

The huge serpent twisted in midair and let out a roar. Its mouth glowed with a bright, vivid blue, and with a sound like tearing stone it blasted lightning from its open jaws.

A thunderbolt hammered the ground nearby, and another clutch of tents burst into flames.

The Damascan soldiers had been shocked into action now, forming into ranks and calling for their own Travelers. But Simon fixated on only one thing: he had seen a creature like that before, although not so vast and without all the wings. He couldn't forget seeing a giant snake with fangs full of lightning. The last time he had seen one, it had killed his mother.

Simon looked back, at the tents that had first been burning.

Grandmaster Endross strode from within the flames, one of his two swords in his hand, the other hand holding a swirling thunderstorm the size of a dinner plate. His dark hair and skin, the same shade as Simon's own, turned him almost to a shadow against the backdrop of flames.

When he saw Simon, he smiled.

”Saints above, Valinhall, I'm glad to see you,” he called. ”Now I can bring Eliadel your head.” Absently, the Grandmaster fired a pale bolt of lightning down a row of tents, incinerating something or someone Simon couldn't see.

Quickly, Simon considered and discarded a number of responses. Come and take it, then! No, too obvious. Besides, he was doing that already. I'll bring it to him myself! That seemed like it implied suicide, somehow. Only if you can take it. No, that wouldn't work. Too obvious.

Simon struggled mentally for another moment before he resorted to his usual tactic: he said nothing and attacked.

Nye essence surged into his lungs, bringing with it a burst of cool clarity. Grandmaster Endross moved his storm into position, the tiny flickers of lightning within it gathering up for one solid bolt.

Just as the light built to a crescendo, Simon threw himself to the ground, sliding under the lightning that thundered above him, just inches from his head.

Again, Simon suspected that if it were a real bolt of lightning*or one of the huge heavenly blasts thrown by that serpentine dragon overhead*he would have been cooked, deafened, and blinded all at once. As it was, his skin felt scorched, his vision seemed uncomfortably bright, and there was an odd ringing in his ears.

But when the lightning faded, he was crouched at the Grandmaster's feet, still alive.

He grasped Azura's hilt in both hands, swinging his blade into Grandmaster Endross' midsection.

Endross barely managed to get his sword between Azura and his own stomach, just in time to save his life.

Simon had hoped that the Dragon's Fang would slice straight through the Grandmaster's sword, as it did ordinary metal, but the two blades merely rang like a pair of struck bells. He had picked up, from the Enosh Travelers and from Erastes, that the Dragon's Fangs were made of Tartarus steel, which*if treated and forged in the right ways*was all but indestructible.

They would pierce ordinary metals without any trouble, but they could be stopped by another Tartarus steel blade. Apparently, being a Grandmaster meant you had access to such rare and expensive materials, because his sword held up admirably.

Having an all-but-unbreakable sword, however, did not grant Grandmaster Endross any extra strength.

Simon's steel-infused blow launched the Grandmaster into the air. He pa.s.sed over the peak of one tent entirely, falling to the ground on the other side.

Cautiously, Simon crept backwards, wary of some attack. He had seen an Endross Traveler tossed an enormous distance before, and Cormac had survived. It stood to reason that a Grandmaster of the same Territory would have access to equal protection.

As it turned out, he didn't have long to worry about that.

A deafening roar from above turned his attention back to the flying serpent, which had twisted to dive straight for him. Its emerald scales shone in the midday sun, but Simon didn't think he would have a chance to appreciate the sight. The snake's fangs had parted, and a twisting ball of lightning gathered in its mouth.

Evidently, it wanted to thank him for his kind treatment of its summoner by way of a lightning bolt to the face. Simon threw himself away, falling hard on his side. He was afraid that he was too late, that the blast would be too big to dodge in any case.

Then Denner stood before him, and the lightning bolt caught the other Traveler full in the chest.

Armor of spectral green light flickered around Denner's body, as though he had been wearing invisible plate armor that had been suddenly outlined by the lightning. The bolt slammed into the Traveler's chest with as much effect as water slamming into a boulder.

Denner turned and offered Simon a hand up, as the winged snake flapped hard to gain alt.i.tude.

”So that's ghost armor?” Simon asked, as he let Denner pull him to his feet.

”You see why it's so useful?” Denner responded. ”Heads up.”

A chill wind engulfed Simon, and for once he was glad that he was wearing a cloak. A s.h.i.+mmering white portal*a Helgard Gate*hung in the air nearby, and from its depths walked a handful of bearded men in heavy jackets.

Their leader, Grandmaster Helgard, laughed as he saw the squad of Damascan soldiers who were marching up to meet him at the Gate. He gestured, and a blue giant's fist reached out of the blizzard behind him and smashed the first few soldiers backwards.