52. Callum

fifty-two

Callum

Twenty-two. That's the number of soldiers we were able to fit into the portal that finally opened where Tairyn said it would be. Cor'than was not easily convinced the passage was safe, but he sent the rest of his army to walk back to Valenfall with orders only to stop to water the horses.

We pause to catch our breath after running at full speed from where the portal dropped us a few miles away. As we crest the hill and pass through the tree line and set eyes on the city of Valenfall, twenty-two feels impossibly small.

"Gods help us," Cor'than whispers under his breath beside me. He's not the only one to gasp or curse at the sight of several breaches in the city's fortifications. Like a colony of ants tearing into a much larger but vulnerable prey, they swarm the city from all sides. Huge swaths of black move and undulate as the main gate now opens for the bulk of the forces left outside.

I glance at Tairyn, his brow furrowed in deep thought. Bruises and cuts still dot his face, despite Bobble's hasty healing. He's already calculating, planning. His fingers tap on his thigh, a sure sign that he's deep into his scheming mind.

"No god is going to save us now," he quips behind me, his voice carrying an edge of insidious rage. I stop myself from murmuring my agreement.

"What's the plan?" Bobble asks, eyes darting between Cor'than and the Shards. "Twenty-two channelers isn't going to be enough."

His voice is edged with panic and for the hundredth time, I sense the bond to Mira. Still alive. When we all felt her grow calmer, more focused, earlier we thought maybe we'd made a mistake. But seeing this hopeless scene unfold across the meadow, I can only imagine what she's doing in there to stay so composed.

Tairyn clears his throat, eyes on the blades of grass beneath his shoes, before meeting my eye. "Twenty-one." When we question him, he reluctantly says, "I broke my bonded bargain when I let Mira leave. I have no Chroma."

The news hits me like a pile of stones, leaving me stunned and reeling. He's supposedly the strongest of us all. A chorus of interjections, arguments, and accusations fly through our tiny group. But he remains silent. His once confident stance now crumples under the weight of the city before us.

"We have the advantage of surprise. And by the looks of those explosions in the city, there's still a resistance fighting them. We'll flank them from the rear, a battle of two fronts. It's our best chance."

Cor'than nods along with Tairyn's assessment before adding, "Once we're in the city, we'll find our allies that are still fighting and join them. There's hope yet. Most of those creatures will not be able to touch the source."

Sunder growls, "Enough talk. Let's move."

But before we can descend the hill, a huge column of inky black Chroma bursts from inside the city straight to the heavens above. I shield my eyes as I stumble backwards, like lightning striking at my feet.

The screams in the city are so loud, we can hear them over the rumbling ground. Then the world goes silent.

"It's happening," Tairyn says, barely above a whisper. Or maybe he screamed it. I can't tell. Time stands still.

The midday sky rips like a popped seam. White, fluffy clouds disperse as if running in horror. The sky fractures, a tear in reality itself, and the air reverberates with an ear-splitting crack. A torrent of energy shoots through the tear, hitting the city below with such force it makes my teeth rattle.

This is nothing like the enchanting Chromatic shimmer of a portal opening the pathways between realms. The air feels thick, like the gaping hole is oozing a sense of wrongness into the world.

Heavy rain drops the size of squirrels begin to fall around us, splattering with a noise that is more like a cry for help than a splash. Only after I blink my eyes, catching one of these drops with focus, do I understand what is happening. Before I can even react, an enormous, deformed face appears in the sky over the city. A booming voice surrounds us, as if coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

"People of Valenfall, the souls of your ancestors fall from the Great River. Soon the Underworld will stir, lured by their scent. Surrender the Vessel, and I will stop the massacre and razing of this once-great city."

The voice fades, leaving an echoing silence in its wake. I swallow hard against the surge of rage that sweeps through me. This ferocity inside me is nothing like I've felt before.

Beside me, Sunder snarls, his chestnut eyes flashing with pure rage. "That bastard!" he roars, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "Move!"

He roars out a battle cry, racing down the hill as the rest of us follow. Emboldened by the threat to their families, the soldiers behind us charge at our backs. To save the city. To save their families. To save the world.

But all I can think of as we slaughter blindly to break apart the stragglers of Yurghen's army is getting to Mira. Seeing her safe is the guiding strength of my sword. The strength of my Chroma, rolling across the landscape to rip apart earth and stone.

For Mira, I fight with this vile verdant magic I loathe. It pulses through me, a raw and destructive force filling every corner of my body with its power. As I lunge forward, the city's gates loom larger, its damage now clearer. The once shimmering towers are now smoldering ruins; the once lively markets are now desolate and abandoned.

The deafening sounds of battle echo around us; the metallic cling of swords clashing, the animalistic cries of men and creatures alike. We forge our path, bodies falling around us in a grisly dance of violence. I can't see her yet, but I can sense Mira's presence, like a magnetic pull guiding me deeper through the city.

Every fiber of my being screams in protest as I reach for the repulsive Chroma. It goes against everything I stand for. But her safety is worth more than my own principles. I would sacrifice my broken soul for her. Even if it means becoming a monster myself.