The Ocean Siege | Vol.2, The Eldenarian Artifacts ✓

19.

Just as the guard had said, Thania's portal had been deactivated. After Sebastian, Sirus, and his companions traveled to the city's portal control center, the technician there informed them that their magical transporter had shut off on its own.

Despite the island's warm weather, Sebastian couldn't help but feel a chill against his skin. Something was about to happen. Portals didn't just go out like old lightbulbs. The only way that would happen is if magic disappeared from the world. Considering Remy kept conjuring up chocolate bars to curb his nervousness, he realized that wasn't the case.

No. Something else was at play here.

As Sirus and his men tried to get their portal back online, Sebastian looked around the buildings there nestled in. Barracks belonging to Aegeon soldiers and armories surrounded them. The sun was approaching the east's horizon. It'd be nighttime soon.

"Do you think it's Thorian?" Ajax asked.

Sebastian nodded. "It has to be." He walked up to Sirus, who was standing in front of the stone podium with a handprint pressed into the top.

"He's coming, isn't he?" the man asked with an air of nonchalance. Or was that masked fear? He couldn't be sure.

"We have to prepare."

Sirus didn't say anything.

"I know you don't want to fight, but if we do nothing while he plans his assault, this city will be overrun," Sebastian told him. "He doesn't only have Shades and House Doragon on his side. He has werewolves, vampires, hellhounds, ghouls, and gargoyles allied with him from Nordor."

"How'd he manage that?"

Sebastian wasn't sure how to answer. His father never told him the specifics of how he garnered the trust of so many dark creatures. Apart from the werewolves and vampires, the other groups weren't anywhere close to civilized. They had no coalition or community. They were wild and chaotic and savage. Yet his father had them at his beck and call.

He always assumed it had something to do with the mauvue charm his father had in his eye. There was little to no material on the ancient charm, but the small amount of information he had found said the mauvue gave the user powers linked to Mauvorin—the god of darkness and death—himself.

"It doesn't matter how," Sebastian said. "What matters is that you need to prepare for a battle."

Sirus stroked his goatee. His brows were furrowed, and the skin of his forehead creased like an accordion. The black-haired boy stared at him, silently hoping the man was planning on doing something.

With the portal down, they were all trapped on the island. Evacuating everyone via ships would take hours and they had no idea when Thorian was planning on attacking. For all they knew, he could've been sending his forces their way that very instant.

They needed to act sooner rather than later.

"I'll have my soldiers guard this sector of the city," Sirus said. "If they come through the portal, we'll be able to deal with them immediately."

Sebastian hoped it would be enough.

"We need to get you back to the palace," he said. He pointed at the gauntlet on Sirus' arm. "If Thorian gets his hands on that, then we've lost."

"Agreed."

Sirus informed the portal technician on his plans of securing the area before leaving for the palace with Sebastian, Remy, Ajax, and Olivier. As they walked back to the palace, surrounded by a small battalion of guards, Sebastian remembered something.