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    FORTY-SIX


    <h2 style="text-transform: uppercase">SARIEN</h2>


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    As they drew closer, loud thumps thudded through the air. The wall and the ground shook with each powerful blow from Wyndemir’s fist.


    People screamed in terror and many fled from their defensive positions atop the wall. A throng of soldiers waited inside to intercept the monsters the second the Prime of Chaos destroyed the wall.


    “Who are those on top of the wall?” Sarien asked.


    “Geomancers,” Goslin said, gesturing for them to follow to a set of stairs leading up to the parapet. A young officer shouted orders to junior officers and runners. He nodded to Goslin, who put a hand on the officer’s shoulder as they passed.


    The stairs were open to the inside of the wall to allow archers to fire on any attackers who made it up to and over the wall as they descended into the city. A fine defensive construction, but it made Sarien’s knees weaken when he saw the long drop down.


    Each step was covered in grime and blood. The weather was turning chilly, and the wind battered them on the way up. Once ice formed on the steps, it’d make the passage more perilous.


    As they reached the top of the wall, the wind began to blow fiercely in all directions. A line of Kin stood facing the enormous hand, reinforcing a tower of earth and stone they’d raised before the wall. Each blow from Wyndemir shook their creation, but they repaired it with enough haste that it had yet to crumble.


    From the pale and gloomy looks on their faces, they were weakening quickly. Time was truly running out.


    Sarien tilted his head up. On the other side of the gateway, Wyndemir’s purple eyes shone with a ferocious hunger. His eyes flickered restlessly over the scene before him.


    “Now what?” Goslin asked.


    Sarien sat on the cold stone. “We prepare.”


    Kax pointed into the distance. “Incoming.”


    Huge, winged beasts soared through the sky, approaching at frightening speed.


    Goslin swore, drawing his blade. “I’ve seen these before.”


    Lightning struck through one, setting it ablaze as it tumbled through the air. Sarien searched the skies but found no sign of Wade. Another bolt struck, killing two of the flying monsters in one attack. The others scattered but soon regrouped and headed toward where they stood on the wall.


    “Can you do something about them?” Sarien asked Kax.


    Kax’s arms turned into swords. “I’ll do my best, but I don’t know if I can pull myself back.”


    “You’ll do fine, dear friend,” Goslin said as he moved to stand in front of the geomancers. They’d spotted the approaching monsters.


    Sarien shut out the world around him and focused on opening a gateway into the space where Wyndemir dwelled. His gray flame responded eagerly to his call. It failed.


    Instead, Sarien turned his mind to searching the wayfaring for Daisy. She was nowhere to be found.


    Discouraged, Sarien sought out Eld. The Halvgud busied himself with burning incredible swathes of monsters on the other side of Fyrie, proving to all why he was once their god.


    “Come to me,” Sarien whispered to him through the wayfaring.


    He also sensed Ocea, who was somewhere north, about halfway back from Vatnbloet, riding in front of a massive army of Vatners.


    “Come to me,” Sarien ordered. Ocea followed him back to Fyrie, radiating annoyance but unable to disobey. Not because he was able to command her, but because her very existence hinged on them finding a way to stop her Prime.


    Taera radiated fear as she battled a priest of Wyndemir. Sarien saw that it was Qieza.


    “Come to me,” Sarien whispered.


    As he immersed himself in the wayfaring, Sarien sensed another presence. Each individual, be it man, monster, or deific being, was represented by a spot of light glowing against the dark. No one spot of brightness was like another. The brighter they shone, the stronger their power.


    Most humans and rhinn shone with a steady, but dim brightness. A few, like the firemagi, shone brighter, but not by much. Travelers and Wayfarers were brighter still, and the Slayers fighting by the west wall looked like a flood of light in the wayfaring. There were those who shone like suns, so powerful that the wayfaring twisted around them.


    The Halvgudar.


    Eld, Taera, and Ocea appeared beside him. To his surprise, others began appearing in Maydian. Many were already present. They hid among the soldiers, sat on thick branches in the forest nearby, or lounged unseen on the very wall where Sarien stood.


    One bright light stood out from all the others. Wherever it flitted, a strong brightness appeared. Something was pulling Halvgudar into Eldsprak by the dozen. More and more of them appeared, and Sarien sensed their power. Enough light to blind.


    “Little Eldian, we have answered your summons despite the way it grinds my very soul to dust. What do you wish of us? We must make haste before all is naught.”


    Sarien found himself forcefully drawn back into his physical form by the sheer power behind those words. When he came to, his chest was heaving, like he had been submerged underwater and was just now coming up for air.


    “Sarien, are you well?” Goslin asked, glaring at Eld, who stood tall and imperious staring out at the Prime of Chaos.


    “I’m fine,” Sarien said, standing. Ocea and Taera kept a watchful eye on each other, as well as on Sarien’s spear. He wondered if they knew that it housed their sister, Anea.


    Sarien pointed to the gateway. “My friends and I need to climb into the Prime’s domain, and we’ll need your help to do so.”


    “Have you slain the Spawn?” Eld asked, still not taking his eyes off Wyndemir.


    Taera’s vines and leaves twitched nervously. “I made an attempt but was rudely interrupted by the whelp over here.”


    “You attacked Daisy? She’s on our side. We need her!”


    Taera ignored the horrified looks from the geomancers on the wall. “You saw the battle through my eyes. Do you call that creature your friend?”


    “What? Qieza? No! I’m speaking of Daisy.”


    “There is another,” Ocea said. “Not here, but not far.”


    “A runt, nothing more. The one you name Qieza witnessed our birth,” Taera said.


    Eld turned to regard Sarien. His eyes smoldered. “A foul creature with ill intentions for us all.”


    “A bastard, that slimy bastard!” Ocea barked.


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    “Yes, little sister. We knew the Prime would awaken once we were released from our bondage, but an equal concern was ever present. The nefarious Spawn. It is now clear to me that we should have put our differences aside to deal with this miscreant. Now, we might be too late.”


    Eld pointed up into the sky. “See the violet haze in our Prime’s visage?”


    “We see it everywhere,” Goslin said.


    “It is a byproduct of that worm’s touch. To think he’s grown powerful enough to influence the Prime itself.”


    “The wrinkly little bastard could never become this powerful by himself,” Ocea spat.


    “Wait, you’re saying Qieza is actually in control of the Prime?” Sarien asked, stunned. He’d suspected the priest of being the one in power over the Wayfarers, but this?


    “You cannot control a force of the universe.” Eld’s face turned thoughtful. “But perhaps you might steer it in a direction of your choosing, if you have the means.”


    “Why would Qieza want Wyndemir in Maydian?” Goslin asked.


    The Prime had grown increasingly agitated following the Halvgudars’ appearance on the wall and smashed into it with renewed vigor.


    One of the geomancers cried out, and another crumpled in a heap. Goslin caught her before she tumbled over the side.


    “Who can predict the unpredictable mind of a Spawn?” Taera asked as Emeryn and the growers arrived. They threw fearful glances at the Halvgudar but then turned to the task at hand on Emeryn’s command. They hurried to reinforce the wall.


    “Do you mind helping them, Taera?” Sarien asked.


    She gave him a level look. “Powers are gathering in Maydian, more in one place than ever before. Once the task is completed, don’t be surprised if new forces take an interest in this little world.”


    “Our world,” Eld corrected as Tomford came up the stairs, panting hard with sweat running down his face.


    “We won’t be able to go in there, understand?” Ocea said, nodding to the gateway.


    “No?” Sarien asked.


    “Not without coming under the influence of the Spawn. It is a creation of corruption, not Chaos. A domain such as that is no place for us, unless you’d prefer to face us as well, along with the Prime and the Spawn,” Eld explained.


    Eld pointed down to where a massive force of monsters was gathering, the tallest of which nearly reached Wyndemir’s elbow. It looked human, except for the wings on its back. “I’ll make sure you are not interrupted.”


    The former god of Eldsprak stepped off the parapet, hurtling down to face an army of monsters by himself.


    “I’ll help the bastard,” Ocea said, following. However, she mistimed Wyndemir’s attack and caught the full force of the Prime of Chaos’ fist, crushing her against the wall of earth and stone.


    Everyone on the wall ran to look, except for Kax, who remained sitting, and watched as Wyndemir grabbed the Halvgud in the palm of his hand and squeezed. A loud pop sounded, and when the hand opened, blood and gore rained down over Eld’s head.


    Taera’s face turned as pale as snow. That, and touching the wayfaring, told him everything he needed to know. The Halvgud was crushed out of existence with frightening ease.


    “Still want to climb Wyndemir’s arm?” Kax asked.


    “Emeryn, Taera, can you hold the arm down?”


    Below them, fire erupted from Eld, spreading outward in an arch. Before long, the whole field was ablaze. Monsters died in the hundreds and a few purple eyes in the attacking force winked away as well.


    Emeryn looked to the growers. “We can do this.” The growers were frozen with terror.


    “Do not be frightened, children,” Taera said. “Follow my lead and all will be well.” Walking past Sarien to stand by the edge of the wall, she said, “Someone should find and deal with the Spawn, but don’t be fooled, he will not be easy to kill.”


    Sarien blinked, looking up to the gateway. “Qieza is already in there.”


    “That’s ominous,” Goslin said.


    “We’ll need to get in, now,” Sarien said. Taera nodded.


    Holding her arms before her, Taera raised them slowly as if commanding the earth to rise up in answer to her call. In a glorious display of life, vines and bushes sprouted from the ground and began a relentless climb up the wall.


    Blossoms sprouted and died, then sprouted again as it grew with incredible speed. The growers gasped and looked on in reverence. Massive trees grew from the ground in seconds and vines wrapped around them, using the trunks as anchors.


    Wyndemir’s arm swatted at the growth, but more grew in its place.


    The canopy of wild growth darkened the sky as it expanded in all directions.


    “Any moment now,” Taera said. Her face tensed with strain. “Those of you looking to chase your deaths, prepare to climb.”


    Wyndemir drove his enormous fist through Taera’s creation. The mass of plants folded in on itself, dodging the brunt of the attack and moving as if alive. It wrapped itself around Wyndemir’s wrist, trapping it against the wall. Thick vines climbed rapidly up Wyndemir’s arm up the Prime’s shoulder.


    Wyndemir jerked his arm back, causing several vines to snap, but Taera’s plants held. The remaining growers quickly created a bridge of sturdy branches for Sarien and the others to cross.


    “Go! Now!” she cried as Wyndemir pulled back again, uprooting several trees that held him anchored. Taera groaned and the trees regrew, their roots digging deep into the earth. “Go!”


    Kax rushed forward, climbing onto the restrained hand then Wyndemir’s forearm. Despite the sharp incline and Wyndemir’s thrashing, Kax leapt effortlessly up the Prime’s arm.


    In the distance, lightning struck a huge beast, turning it into mush.


    Goslin reached out for Emeryn, who nodded and took his hand. She pressed a kiss to it before stepping away. Sarien strapped his spear to his back. Tomford readied himself.


    All three leapt onto Wyndemir’s trapped hand then began scrambling up his arm. Not as surefooted as Kax, Sarien and the others relied on the vines as handholds as they climbed.


    Wyndemir shook wildly and Sarien grasped tightly on a vine as his footing slipped. When Wyndemir stopped, Sarien dug his feet into a root and pushed upward.


    Winged beasts swooped down to attack, but Eld and Wade plucked them out of the sky with bouts of lightning and fire. The dizzying height meant they could see the entire field of battle below, but Sarien focused solely on putting one foot in front of the other until he stumbled into Goslin.


    Sarien lost his balance, and with a scream, he fell. The downward tumble along the length of Wyndemir’s arm was short-lived. Tomford tried to catch him but was knocked loose as well. Together, they fell.


    Sarien was sure they were about to meet their end and squeezed his eyes shut. When he was certain he should be dead, he opened his eyes.


    A brilliant, white disk held them afloat. “You oafs are heavy! Climb back up!”


    Sarien saw Lana standing on the wall, holding both arms over her head as her entire body shook. The disc was being carried by a constant gale of wind.


    Tomford grunted and did his best to reach up to grab hold of a dangling vine. He failed and fell again. Thys disappeared in an instant and then both he and Tomford appeared back on top of Wyndemir’s trembling arm.


    Thys reached a hand to Sarien, who gratefully took it. The moment he did, the disc disintegrated into a thousand brilliant motes of light.


    “Why didn’t you just blink back up?” Thys asked, his mouth right next to Sarien’s ear so the words wouldn’t be carried away by the wind or drowned out by the cacophony of sounds coming from below.


    “It doesn’t work for me here,” Sarien shouted back.


    Thys shrugged, then blinked back to Lana. Both of them raised a fist.


    “Oh burn it, I thought you were done for,” Goslin said, glancing back at them over his shoulder.


    “Why did you stop?” Sarien asked, panting.


    Goslin pointed further up the arm. “Reze.”


    The boy’s eyes glowed purple. Behind him, Wyndemir stared at them with the same eyes.


    “Reze?” Goslin shouted, but his voice was carried away by the wind.


    There was no reply.


    “What do we do?” Goslin asked. “We can’t fight him. Not here.”


    “We have no choice but to keep going,” Sarien replied. “He is Qieza’s creature now, no matter his own intentions.”


    Goslin gave him a helpless look, then nodded and turned, continuing their climb. Each tug from Wyndemir dislodged his arm a little more. It wouldn’t be long now before he was free.


    As they approached, Sarien noticed that something was wrong. Reze shook violently, swaying back and forth while hugging himself. He kept repeating something over and over again.


    Sarien thought he heard, “Don’t want to,” but he could not be sure.


    Goslin stopped a few paces in front of the boy, reaching a hand out to him. “All will be well, Reze. Please take my hand.”


    Rage broke through in the boy’s face, twisting his visage into an unrecognizable mask. The emotion did not touch his eyes. They still shone with terror, tears streaming past the purple glow.


    Reze crouched then jumped, arms stretched out toward Goslin. He bared his teeth.


    Sarien watched helplessly as the young Halvgud reached for Goslin’s face, his fingers crooked into claws. Something hurtled through the air and crashed into Reze.


    The boy was gone, but a single word lingered in the air.


    “Did I just hear someone yell ‘asshole’?” Tomford asked.


    “Wade!” Sarien yelled, following their fast descent. They soon disappeared among Taera’s newly formed forest, the flying apparatus a tangle of rope and canvas in the branches.


    “There is nothing we can do for him now,” Goslin said, tugging at Sarien’s arm.


    Sarien cursed, then nodded.


    The three of them clambered on, climbing with frozen limbs and fingers toward the massive opening in the sky. Wyndemir continued to glare at them. A sea of white appeared behind his corpse-like head.


    His arm broke free from Taera’s grasp as they neared the entrance to the other realm. They righted themselves and ran for all they were worth as the Prime of Chaos withdrew.


    Sarien tripped and fell into the white abyss. Goslin and Tomford falling alongside him.


    They’d made it to the other side.