Page 106 of Legacy of the Heirs
“For Novisia!” they called.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Elisara
The wind that blew across the sandy expanse below was not Elisara’s. Nature’s winds had indeed been in their favour, with the sand dunes high enough for the militaries of Keres and Vala to stand upon. The wind whistled through the canyons to the east and carried like a war cry to her ears. Nyzaia lowered her arm, signalling for Garridon and Nerida’s armies to advance into position, a ripple that continued down the line to her and Farid’s left and another line to Elisara and Kazaar’s right. There was no army in sight yet; the wind blew too much sand and distorted their view of Myara in the distance. Elisara had tried calming it or pushing it away, but each time she tried, it returned minutes later, as if the spirits or nature warred against her efforts. She thought of Vala’s anger towards her. Could she limit Elisara’s powers? As revenge for her apparent ‘sullying’ of the Vala bloodline? Elisara tucked the flying strands of hair behind her ears and tried to banish her fears.
“I cannot sense anything. Can you?” Elisara asked Kazaar. He shook his head. They had expected to see images of the creatures, as they had in Garridon, but there was nothing yet.
The wind whipped at Elisara’s braid as she turned to Kazaar and reached for his hand, needing reassurance that this would all be okay. He looked down at her as the wind attempted to free his hair, too. She did not need to speak into his mind to know he understood her disappointment after failing to unlock any new powers. The clouds darkened overhead as Kazaar pulled her into him. Elisara hands reached for his matching black leather andgripped his forearms.
“Why does this feel like it is only the beginning?” she asked, searching his eyes.
“Because it is still just the beginning of us. There is more beyond what happens in this battle, angel. There is more for us.” He tucked flyaway hairs behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek. “When this is over, I will give you the world,” he murmured.
She believed him.
“What if my world”—she cupped his cheek, mirroring him— “is becoming you?” Kazaar closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. Lightning struck over Myara. When Kazaar opened his eyes once more, Elisara memorised the look of adoration in them, as though Kazaar’s image would be enough to survive this war. His feelings washed through her, and warmth flooded her veins.
“Then I am yours. If I am your world, then you are my sun, my moon, my stars. I exist only because of you.” He planted a firm and promising kiss on her lips. “If there is no you and I, there is no existence I wish to be a part of.” Elisara pressed her lips to his again.
“There is no I without you,” she murmured. War horns sounded over the wind, and Elisara pulled back. They turned their heads towards the sound, still gripping onto one another. Roars rumbled in the distance. It was time. Panic set in. She needed Kazaar to know that she did not just fight for her realm or her kingdom. She fought for him—their future.
“I lo—”
“I know,” Kazaar said, planting a final kiss on her forehead. “Tell me when this is over.” They both spun to face the approaching army. The dull sword at Elisara’s hip clinked against the Sword of Sonos on Kazaar’s side and vibrated in the moments before they withdrew them.
“Archers!” Nyzaia screamed. Her command echoed down the line until reaching the back of the Garridon soldiers to the west.Hundreds of bows raised. For the first time in a while, Elisara wondered where Caellum was and if he was okay. Elisara turned her head. Sadira stood several rows behind them, hidden among soldiers, the same thought mirrored in her expression. Sadira’s eyes caught hers, and Elisara nodded.
The grey clouds above lifted, yet the sky did not brighten as a black fog emerged in its wake, revealing hundreds of the black creatures with their ragged wings wide and mouths open. They did not dive. The sound of their flapping wings tore above the desert, where they hovered in wait. Elisara looked down for any sign of the soldiers. Nothing. Elisara, Kazaar, Nyzaia, and Farid waited in tense silence, ready to move. They waited for Caellum to make his call and for his best archer to release a single notch on a single mark to test the success of Sadira’s imbuement.
Elisara breathed in when a flash of a silver arrow soared through the air and found its target. A creature screamed and fell to the ground, where it thrashed for mere seconds before stilling. A wave of nausea hit Elisara.It worked. Yet the other creatures were unfazed, remaining in their scattered formation above, not sparing a glance at the fallen beast below them. The war horns sounded clearly in the distance, slowly drawing closer through the desert sands.
“We need as much time as possible to get the creatures before their foot soldiers meet us,” Kazaar called to Nyzaia. She raised her hand again and lowered it with force.
“Release!” she shouted. Elisara stumbled as they let loose hundreds of arrows. Most hit their marks as creatures of darkness fell from the sky. Elisara’s legs wavered, and she extended her arms to steady herself.
“Did you feel that?” Elisara asked, bracing against Kazaar’s arm. He caught her hand and turned towards the city of Myara, partly hidden by dunes of sand. The war horns had stopped. Fallen creatures, pierced by arrows, scattered the sands, creating a maze for the enemy soldiers soon to approach. The wind stopped and thefloating sand fell. The pounding of feet shook the ground.
Thousands of new human soldiers marched forward from Myara, outmatching them at least two to one on the ground. Elisara tried to learn from their formation, but there seemed to be no obvious reason for their positioning. The formation alternated with a soldier dressed in grey between two men in copper armour, the pattern repeating throughout the rows of fighters. She scanned the army in search of their leader. Her eyes paused on several men, who were the only ones with helmets, yet none of them felt right.
Only when the final row of enemy soldiers came into view did she spot him. She could not distinguish his features from the distance, but she knew it was Caligh, and when the tall man on a night black horse raised his arm, the armies halted. Elisara’s chest tightened as she gripped her sword in her right hand and steadied her left in mid-air while preparing to draw on her power.
“That’s him,” Elisara murmured. The man on the horse outstretched his arms, pointing in opposite directions. The soldiers split down the middle, one battalion turning to face Garridon’s army and one to face Nerida’s. Neither focused on the group on the dune.
Elisara was about to ask Nyzaia where they should now focus, but she halted, her mouth dropping open. Wisps of dark smoke suddenly coated the soldiers in grey, similar to the threads that often encircled Kazaar and Elisara. A moment later, the wisps faded to reveal creatures shooting into the air.
“They changed,” Elisara breathed. She had no time to say anything else as the creatures plunged into Garridon and Nerida’s armies. Elisara dropped her sword and turned her palms towards one another, pushing them together; she pictured the air blowing against either side of the creatures, pushing them inward and slowing their pursuit. Arrows flew again, searching for their mark, but their aim was hindered as the creatures pre-empted the movements, twirling mid-air to dodge the assault. Some fell to join the graveyard of others below, but far too many remained, cuttingthrough the air she pushed towards them.
“It’s not working!” Elisara screamed as the wind picked up. It would be seconds before the creatures descended. Nyzaia did not need to call the command this time as the soldiers raised their swords, ready for the creatures’ attack. Meanwhile, the copper-coated soldiers marched forward.Shit.Elisara looked to Nyzaia, waiting for her to command the Keres and Vala armies to intervene. Nyzaia watched intently, leaning into Farid, who spoke into her ear.
The foot soldiers were moments away from Garridon’s first line of defence when green vines as thick as tree trunks shot from the ground, weaving in front of the Novisian soldiers on both sides: a wall of green protecting them from the enemy, and allowing them to focus on the creatures that picked at them one by one from the sky. Elisara spun. Sadira’s brow was furrowed, her eyes glowing the brightest green Elisara had seen. Soren stood by her side, watching, and caught Elisara’s eye. Her hair was freshly braided, and war paint smeared her cheeks. She held the Garridon sword in one hand and a shield in the other. She scanned the soldiers below, but for what, Elisara was unsure.
The foot soldiers hacked at the vines, and Elisara winced at the cries of the Novisian soldiers drowning beneath the creatures’ roars and screams. The screams pierced her mind; there was something different about them—more humane than the previous creatures they had killed. Elisara narrowed her eyes at the beasts in the sky. Their wings were different, larger, and less ragged, and their bodies less haggard. They were the ones that had transformed from human form. Turning from the Garridon soldiers, Elisara watched Nerida’s army. A creature landed beside the armoured soldiers and stood like any person would.
“Half of the creatures are different,” Elisara said to Kazaar. “A different breed or race, or born versus made. I do not know the logistics, but they are different. What if the swords do not work the same?” Elisara’s panic heightened as the creature she had watchedtransformed. Long black hair flowed behind him, and a finely tailored jacket replaced his black leather skin. She discerned a glint of amber in his eyes. He stood still and stared past the vines and lines of Nerida’s soldiers to the queen raised on a dune.
Larelle.
