Book 4 - Chapter 77 - Dismal News (1/2)
Cloudhawk led the airship they’d stolen toward the expeditionary force.
The old drunk rubbed his dirt-smudged nose as he looked out across the sky. “Fallowmoor’s troops are gathering. They look like they’re preparing a sneak attack against the Elysian army soon. We don’t have much time. If we don’t speed things up, even if we reach the expeditionary forces it’ll just be like adding more meat to their dumplings.”
“You don’t think I want to go faster? First of all, his is fast as this piece of shit can go. Second, we don’t even know where the fleet is. You think it’s easy finding them in this ass-backwards place?”
Cloudhawk didn’t believe Natessa was the sort to act recklessly, but here they were. Fallowmoor managed to repel its attackers, but they suffered more than the Elysians did. Their defenses were practically routed. It was impressive enough that Natessa managed to keep her troops together, much less mount a quick counter-attack.
Crazy bitch!
Then…
A distance in front of them the world lit up like someone had detonated a nuclear bomb. For an instant the blast was brighter than the sun, and even at this distance their ship shook from the shock wave. Shocked faces gaped at the scene.
Selene was stunned by the sheer power of the wave as it passed through them. “What was that? Some sort of weapon?”
“Not a weapon.” Dawn’s eyes were fixed in the direction of the blast. She felt a fear creeping into her heart, an intense sense of foreboding she refused to acknowledge. Gritting her teeth, she growled at the others. “Quick. Something’s happened, we need to get there as soon as possible. Towards the explosion.”
Cloudhawk glanced toward the old drunk, who stood at his shoulder. The warrior’s face was also grave.
He knew right away that it was no weapon. Skye… but how? He was strong, strong enough that he should be able to escape even if the enemy caught up to him. Was it to protect the fleet, or was there something else they had to worry about?
They continued forward at full speed for over an hour. At last they reached the site of the blast, along with the rest of the Elysian fleet. They appeared to be in the midst of a search.
The second the wasteland ship arrived through the dust storm they were surrounded. He and the others quickly revealed themselves and were escorted the rest of the way to the other ships by Skycloud soldiers. The group disembarked and gathered with the other officers at the bridge of the fleet’s flagship. There, the Grand Prior Phain Mist, and the former Warden Roc Polaris were waiting.
Phain’s hand was wrapped tight around the pommel of his sword with a white-knuckle grip. The look on his face was one of barely contained fury. It was a strange change to his typically polite facade. Roc was crestfallen, and so frightened he hardly seemed to know what was going on. He stared into the distance with a far-away look. Even as people walked back and forth in front of him he didn’t seem to notice a thing.
Everyone stood around in dumb silence.
Cloudhawk didn’t know what happened, but everyone’s reactions and the conspicuous lack of the General led him to a dreadful conclusion.
Dawn stormed toward the two men who’d been with her grandfather. “Am I insane or are we still in the middle of a battlefield? Why are you standing around with that dumb look on your faces?! Where’s my grandfather! Get him out here immediately!”
No one dared answer.
This only made her angrier. “We’ve just come back from killing the Crimson One. We’ve completed our mission, with flying colors I might add. I bet never in his wildest dreams did he think we’d actually be able to do it, and to tell the truth it wasn’t easy. Why isn’t he out here kissing our feet?!”
It was Phain who eventually broke the stillness with a quavering sigh. “From what we have been able to gather, the General… may have been killed.”
The sheer rage that exploded from Dawn threatened to burn their whole fleet down. “I will not suffer such outrageous bullshit! Who the hell in this ragtag bunch of wasteland trash could harm my grandfather? Don’t you dare stand here and lie to me!”
Vulkan, Selene, Barb and the others felt the breath stolen from their lungs when they heard it. How could it have happened so fast? Even at his age General Skye was as strong as a Master Demonhunter. He was dead? Just like that?
Cloudhawk was having a hard time accepting it. But he had to, no one would joke about something this terrible.
As the news sank in Dawn was on the cusp of totally losing control.
Cloudhawk walked over to her and placed a hand on her arm. She spun around, and the moment she saw Cloudhawk’s downcast face she could no longer control her tears. They tumbled from her eyes like a dam had burst. Skycloud’s intractable, unassailable she-devil broke down into inconsolable tears in front of everyone.
Seeing her like this, hearing this news – it was almost more than Cloudhawk could take as well.
Young, new to the world, ignorant… he’d flown around Skycloud like a headless fly. If not for Skye Polaris, he would have drowned in the intrigue of the Elysian lands.
All of his interactions with the stubborn old man flashed through his mind at once.
His voice.
His bearing.
The time in front of the lake when they talked about Aegir’s life.
Skye Polaris had been one of only a few men in Cloudhawk’s life that looked on him kindly. He’d jumped at the chance to take him under his wind, train him, protect him… Cloudhawk could still see him clearly in his mind’s eye. How… how could he be gone?
The old drunk’s hoarse voice gave voice to his internal questions. “The General was strong, at least among the top four strongest in Skycloud. There is no one among the wastelanders who should be a threat to him. How could this have happened?”
“Simple: False friends are much deadlier than open enemies.”
The voice came from the door of the bridge. Two figures entered, the first being a slightly plump man with an amicable face. Behind him was a heroic looking young man in splendid white armor. Both looked a little battered, nicks in their armor and stains on their clothing. Both had visible bruises.