The Savior's Throne

Chapter Thirteen

The air is stagnant as hundreds of us move silently across the Northern Society. I cast a quick glance around the Society and remind myself that I am ready for this. I have two knifes sheathed to my leg, a sword across my back, and a gun sheathed to my waist. The weapons weigh me down and make this war seem more deadly than I anticipated.

Including Tulsa, we have four veils on our side. With their combined power, they were able to shield all of us in invisibility. While this does mean that the second we detach ourselves from each other, we become visible again. My left hand grips onto Arlo's arm and my right hand is clutching onto someone I've never met before.

Dissolving into invisibility was the weirdest sensation ever. It introduced me to what having a veil's gift might be like and it felt so unnatural to me. It started at the root of my fingertips and spread through the rest of my body. It was not unlike the feeling I had when Sahil healed me.

I look at the expanse of land before us and watch as the muddy land slowly becomes large grassy fields. The advantage to having all our soldier's invisible is that everyone can see everything. My eyes are glued to palace grounds that are so close to our reach. The gates to Sahil's palace tower over us, leaving large shadows in its wake. They are built of pure gold, and have beautiful vines that crawl up them and cling to the bars.

The gates open up to the palace grounds which hold a large variety of fountains and plants. It's a beauty that's never overlooked and I don't want to think of the blood that will pool on the lands or the bodies that will fall, destroying all the elegance. This day will end decades of peace and kill all the beauty in the palace grounds.

The one thing blocking us from the gates is the city. The city is full of short, but stout buildings that are slowly crumbling due to weather and time. Though they are standing firmly now, in a few decades, they will be long gone. There will also be civilians we have to look out for, but this was already planned out. The city forms a circle around the palace, but there's only one way through the gates.

As my eyes are roaming across the land, I squint when I see something off in the distance. Perhaps they are villagers and citizens, people walking through the city, living their lives according to their regular schedules. As we get closer, we section off into four parts, each part with one veil. Awaiting ahead of us are no towns people, but warriors. My hand tightens on Arlo's arm as I mentally prepare myself for the battle ahead.

I don't bother to think of how they knew we were coming, instead I put all my energy into not passing out. I watch as our enemies search the land before them and await orders from General Kai. Sahil is either locked away for safety or on his throne, waiting for his army to crush ours.

A swift flinch of my head has my focus returning to the battle that is minutes away from commencing. When we get close enough to see the numbers we are up against I nearly faint. Fighting on our side is about two hundred men and women, fighting on their side is triple that.

Surprise will be our only advantage against the numerous amount of advantages they have. Who knows how many different gifts are hidden among that huge mass of warriors. If this is our weakest enemy, what is our strongest enemy like? Our chances of winning this war are landing down on me like hail. Our next battle, if there is one, will have to be more strategic then a head-to-head fight.

The panting of air being inhaled and exhaled by my allies soon starts to muddle with those of my enemies. I risk a glance at the sky and see that the weather may not be on our side today. Or it actually might be, considering racers have difficulty flying in the rain. Hopefully it hails rocks on us, making it impossible for them to take flight.

I search the people in front of me and watch as the front section vanishes, leaving only half of their army visible. I manage not to let out a gasp of surprise and keep my feet steady. They must've heard us or someone's invisibility could've slipped, but they're coming.

They are coming. I feel everyone stiffen around me as the knowledge spreads throughout our army. A sudden bell tolls, ending the deathly silence of the battle that has yet to begin, and Sahil's army shifts like a tidal wave. I quicken my pace as our army rushes to meet theirs in the middle. A second bell rings and the sounds of soldiers clashing fills the morning air, ending the peace that was once fought for, on the same grounds we're fighting on now.