Incarnation | Wandering Stars Volume One

Chapter 28

MUDENA DEL-EDHA

"Ad a tarn! Aftan varnir!"

Danduel's command rang out clear. Now that Semjaza's Vidirym were occupied beneath the water, the peninsula was no longer a dreaded road, but a clear passage to his objective. With the low and bright rays of the morning sun casting long shadows across the water, Danduel's disciplined ground force began to advance, changing their defense structure to protect the rear of their formation.

"It's time," Sariel announced to the remaining Iryllurym. Then he leaped from the shadows of the cliffs.

Half of Semjaza's Iryllurym peeled away from the conflict and rose into a wide, staggered line formation. Clearly, the hours of constant battle had sapped their energy and it was beginning to show.

The soldiers flying with Sariel began to spread out to meet the line of defense.

The sounds of battle below fell into the distance, replaced by the wind rushing past Sariel's ears. As he looked forward, his gaze settled on the enemy soldier directly in front of him.

His hands clenched the hilts of his vaepkir.

The muscles in his arms tensed, readying for the coming impact.

Closer and closer the two forces sped toward each other.

Each soldier eyed his counterpart in the opposing line.

Just before impact, Sariel's horizontal formation pivoted, with the left flank banking upward and right while the right flank dropped and banked left. The abrupt change was mimicked by the enemy, but with a slight delay. As the two forces spiraled into one another, Sariel and the right flank were too quick for Semjaza's soldiers and passed beneath them without contact.

The piercing ring of metal on metal sounded behind him as Sariel and eight other Iryllurym left the diversion and raced for the peak of Semjaza's fortress. They quickly exchanged glances; there was no time for words now. They'd worked out the plan ahead of time and all that was left to do was carry it out. Sariel had hoped for a few more Iryllurym to make it through the initial charge, but the group of nine would have to do.

Reaching the southern face of the fortress in just seconds, Sariel pulled his wings inward and dove toward the triangular window that sat just above the crown of turrets encircling the apex. Hoping that the Myndarym had given an accurate description of the building, he banked to the left until his wings were vertical, then dropped through the window.

Flying more by instinct than sight, Sariel felt a rush of stone and soldiers pass quickly by as his body plunged through the open shaft running down through the center of the tower. As the shaft widened, he spread his wings to slow his descent, noticing several of Semjaza's guards descending the spiral staircase which ran along the inside walls.

Making a quick correction, he paralleled the staircase and rammed into two of the soldiers, knocking them from the stairs and into the open air. Down below, and approaching quickly, the floor of the throne room was filled with more enemy Anduarym. Having already passed several guards on the way in, Sariel was now surrounded. But his fellow Iryllurym would have to take care of the enemies above him, because his attention was focused below.