Stormforge (Rise To Omniscience Book 5) Read online

  “Hilda has won, as expected. I expect you to honor your end of the bargain and leave now.”

  Morgan slowly rose to his feet, the shock of losing still not completely sinking in just yet. Hilda stood before him, her chest rising and falling evenly, strands of her light blonde hair clinging to her face and neck. In that moment, he felt as though she were towering over him, her presence overbearing and crushing.

  This was something else he’d never felt before, and in his current state of mind, he couldn’t think clearly enough to identify what it was.

  “How?” he asked, his voice a half-whisper.

  “How did I beat you?” Hilda asked with a cocked eyebrow.

  Morgan simply nodded, unable to articulate much further than that.

  “While you are pretty fast and strong, your movements were far too obvious, simplistic even. The only reason it took me this long to win was because of your speed. Had you been any slower, you’d have lost in the first exchange.”

  Hilda turned her back on him then, the ultimate insult to any fighter. This was the final straw for Morgan, who felt the overwhelming feeling he could not understand rob him of all sense of self-control. He activated his flight, rocketing up and smashing through the castle ceiling. Morgan didn’t know why, but he felt that if he stuck around any longer, his emotions would boil over.

  The entire castle shook as he smashed through one floor after the next, finally emerging into the mid-afternoon sky. For some reason, he’d expected it to be dark out already, however the sun was still a couple of hours away from setting. His mind was still in turmoil, and not knowing what to do, he took off toward the west, flying as quickly as he possibly could to escape the city and the woman who’d so handily defeated him.

  ***

  “He didn’t take that well,” Hilda said, looking up at the series of holes the supermage had left in his bid to escape.

  Le’vine laughed, a mocking sound that didn’t at all suit her.

  “What?” she asked as Hilda glared. “You won, so what are you angry for?”

  “There’s no need to laugh at someone else’s expense,” Hilda replied.

  “Oh, come on,” Le’vine said. “Did you see the look on his face? It was pathetic! If Katherine wanted to send someone to try and convince us to join her, she should have sent someone more suitable. Not a crybaby who runs away the second he loses.”

  Hilda just shook her head and turned to leave the room.

  “Where are you going?” Le’vine called after her.

  “To go tend to my brother,” she called back. “In case you’ve forgotten, he’s injured.”

  That shut her up, leaving Hilda free to leave the throne room unopposed. As soon as the doors closed behind her, she allowed her composure to disappear. Her shoulders slumped, her breath came more rapidly, and her steps sped up as she ran for the castle’s exit.

  While what she’d told Morgan was true, that fight had been far closer than she’d cared to admit. His fighting style was unorthodox, and had he spent more time fighting humans, rather than beasts and monsters, he likely would have won. The match they’d just had, with those specific rules, was the only way she’d managed to come out on top.

  Not only that, she thought, running around a corner and entering a small room.

  The door slammed, and Hilda placed it to her back, sinking to her knees. She knew Shul needed her help, but she needed a few moments to compose herself. Aside from Morgan’s skill, there was another major factor that had nearly cost her the fight.

  Damn, he was hot! Hilda thought, her cheeks flushing at the mere memory of the man.

  He was the most perfect-looking boy she’d seen in her life! That was literally the only word she could use to describe him. Perfect. There wasn’t a single blemish on his smooth, lightly tanned skin. His face held an almost wild intensity that had taken her off guard, and the way his body had felt under her blows was incredible. She’d seen plenty, due to the tightness of his uniform, but when she hit him, it was like punching a wall of steel!

  Get it together, Hilda! she scolded herself.

  She’d almost allowed a boy’s looks to get the better of her in a fight. That had never happened before. In fact, she’d almost been sure that she didn’t like anyone at all. As the oldest living member of the royal family, she was set to inherit the throne, should she so choose. Therefore, she’d been subject to dozens of dates, balls, and gatherings involving boys her age. None of them had impressed her.

  It wasn’t only Morgan’s looks that had gotten her so worked up, though they hadn’t hurt either. It was his sheer intensity. The way he fought seemed almost familiar to her, though she was sure she’d remember a face like his if she’d ever met him before. That was the reason she’d reacted so poorly to Le’vine’s scorn for him.

  “Way to go, Hilda,” she muttered, forcing herself back to her feet. “The first boy you like, and you had to scare him off.”

  20

  Katherine sat atop the wall on the border of City Eleven, chest heaving for air. The last flurries of the raging storm drifted past, landing on the bodies around her and melting upon contact. They were still warm, it seemed, though she was too tired to even acknowledge that much, the blessed silence after the storm being the only thing on her mind. Well, that, and getting into her bed and sleeping for the next week.

  This last battle had been one of the toughest yet, lasting a long thirty-two hours and fifty-eight minutes – she’d kept count. They’d lost well over two-thirds of their remaining forces. It was as though Arnold had somehow known Morgan was gone and had pushed as hard as he possibly could before retreating. Why he’d called for his army to retreat was a complete mystery to her, as it seemed that the North was just on the cusp of defeat.

  Only once they were almost fully up the wall had they begun a full retreat. She wasn’t sure of how many Arnold had committed in that last attack, but estimates had their numbers near seven-hundred and fifty troops. The North had given as good as they’d gotten, though Katherine had yet to hear the full report. She herself had racked up a body count of well over ten thousand and had exhausted herself to near collapsing toward the end.

  Even supers of her caliber could only fight full-out for so long before falling to exhaustion, and she’d just about reached her limit. Had the fighting continued for even a few minutes more, she’d have been forced to pull back. Seeing as she was one of the main front-line fighters, that would have spelled doom for all those under her command, not that they’d have lasted much longer either way.

  “Your Highness, your presence is required at the briefing.”

  Katherine looked up, her mind sluggish and unwilling to work properly. It took her a few moments to focus on Bell, looking haggard and half-asleep in the gloom atop the walls.

  “Is that really necessary?” she asked. “We already know it’s bad.”

  “They need to see that you haven’t given up, my Queen,” Bell replied. “If you don’t make an appearance, they’ll begin to panic, or worse, become disheartened.”

  Though Katherine wanted nothing less than to get up right now, she knew that Bell was right. As a ruler, it was her responsibility to make an appearance. If not for herself, then for her people.

  “Help me up,” she said, holding an arm out to her general.

  Normally, she’d never show such weakness in front of anyone. But Bell was one of the most trustworthy people she knew, and Katherine knew she’d never betray her.

  Taking Bell’s outstretched hand, Katherine pulled herself to her feet, noting the strain on her general’s face as she did so. She did not apologize, as it would be unbecoming of one in her position. Besides, had Bell not wanted to help her, she’d simply have admitted her inability to do so. And, seeing as how she remained on her feet and wasn’t pulled off balance by her pulling herself up, Katherine assumed she was fine. Or as fine as one could be after a massacre like that.

  She nodded gratefully to her general, then set off walking down
the wall, doing her best not to look at all the death surrounding her. The gloom was growing ever deeper, the storm clouds gathering once more. Katherine wasn’t worried about this one, though, as it didn’t carry with it the same type of chill from the Pinnacle King. This would be just a regular snowstorm, though she wasn’t exactly thrilled to be facing another so soon after the last had petered off.

  The stairs behind the wall were thankfully clear of bodies, so Katherine didn’t have any trouble navigating them. It took just a minute to reach ground level, and once there, she finally mustered up the strength to open a portal.

  “We can’t go directly to the briefing, Your Highness,” Bell said as she was about to step through.

  Katherine paused, turning sluggishly back and giving her a questioning look.

  “Your state of dress is hardly appropriate for one of your station,” her general explained.

  Looking down at her tattered and blood-soaked uniform, Katherine could see why. Besides the fact that she looked like she’d waded through a pool of blood and dirt, the amount of skin showing was almost obscene, and not in a good way.

  She never stepped right into the briefing room from a battle, always exiting into the corridor outside first before entering to give her subordinates a chance to stop whatever they might be talking about in her absence. She’d done this after being forced to execute one of her captains for talking treason when she’d accidentally overheard him. Luckily, no one saw as she closed the portal, then opened another to her bedchambers.

  The warmth hit her as she stepped through, followed by Bell. The portal snapped closed an instant later, Katherine no longer having the strength to hold it open. She then simply stood there for a few moments, swaying back and forth on her feet as Bell ran over to get one of the servants.

  Katherine felt a firm hand on her shoulder and turned to see Neece, her personal servant. She was an older woman, perhaps in her sixties, and very much looked her age. Neece had never grown past rank 3, so she would only live a normal span of years. If they even survived that long.

  “Come now, Your Highness,” the servant said. “Let’s get you out of those clothes and washed up. It wouldn’t do for a Queen to look so unbecoming in front of her subjects.”

  “Can you have her ready in fifteen minutes?” Bell asked.

  “Not to worry, ma’am. She’ll be right as rain in just a few minutes.”

  “I’ll let them know when to expect her then. I’ll see you soon, Queen Katherine,” she said, bowing before turning to leave.

  “Thank you, Neece,” Katherine mumbled as her servant helped her out of her clothes and guided her toward the bathroom.

  “No problem at all, ma’am. Just a few minutes, and you’ll be feeling refreshed and ready.”

  “I feel ready to drop,” Katherine muttered.

  “You can drop, but only after you’ve met with your commanders.”

  Though Katherine wanted nothing less than to fall asleep as soon as she settled into the warm bath, she kept her eyes wide open. Knowing her time was limited and that if she stayed too long, she just might fall asleep unintentionally, she made it a quick one. Neece already had an outfit prepared when she stepped out just five minutes later, soaking wet and dripping water onto the carpet.

  “Would you mind helping me?” Katherine asked as Neece bustled forward.

  She hadn’t asked a servant to help her dress in years, but she was just too worn out right now to manage on her own.

  “But of course, ma’am,” Neece said without hesitation.

  It only took a few minutes to get her into the flowing blue dress and dry her hair with the hot air dryer – a most marvelous invention. There wasn’t much time to do anything fancy with it, so she just left it as it was.

  “How do you feel now, ma’am?”

  Oddly enough, Katherine felt as though she’d caught her second wind. The bath and change of clothes had been just what she’d needed. Though she was sure she could crash and sleep for hours on end if given the chance, she felt as though now she could keep going for at least a little while longer. Before, she had felt like collapsing on the spot.

  “Much better now, thank you, Neece,” she said with just a hint of a smile.

  “It’s my pleasure to serve,” the woman said with a bow.

  Katherine turned then and headed towards the doors. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she passed. She saw a tall woman with honey-blonde hair falling in slightly-damp waves down her back. The elegant dress she wore was clinging to her, yet it gave her an air of refinement and nobility. She’d decided to forgo the crown for this meeting, though her head felt oddly light without the adornment. Instead, she wore the pendant containing the beast core Morgan had given her so long ago.

  It gave her strength, and despite the weariness, she could see in her eyes, she felt ready to face the bad news. Right before she stepped through the door, a portal appeared, taking her to the door outside the meeting room. Her heels clicked loudly on the stone, echoing down the corridor. She gave it a couple of seconds, allowing the portal to close behind her before pushing the doors open to reveal the current remaining leadership of the North Kingdom.

  It was a grim sight. Katherine noted half a dozen empty spots as she entered, showing who had perished during their latest battle. Bell and Fuza sat at the head, Bell looking much the same as before, and Fuza looking stoic as ever. Katherine could tell he was hurting, as shown by how stiffly he sat and the bulge beneath his tunic from the mass of bandages covering the wounds he’d sustained.

  Aside from them, Sarah stood against the far wall, arms folded and looking grim. She had her four remaining captains, and five of her eleven most powerful fighters there as well. The casualty reports hadn’t even begun, and already she felt the pain of such a loss.

  “I’m sure you’re all tired after the battle,” Katherine said. “Let’s make this brief, then we can all go and get some rest. I won’t sugarcoat it. The battle was a massacre. We lost…” she paused, taking a proffered sheet of paper from Bell and doing a quick scan.

  She had to work hard in order to keep the horror off her face as she read over the report. But she was a ruler, and everyone here would be looking to her for strength. If she began to panic, it would soon spread and likely cause the casualties to rise even further.

  “We lost ninety-three thousand two-hundred and forty-seven soldiers. Five were above rank 40 and twelve above 30. Our available forces at the moment, accounting for those too injured to fight, stand just above twenty-thousand. The enemy lost over a quarter of a million in the attack, and it’s estimated that they only gained back about five thousand from our fallen, so our precautionary measures are working.”

  Katherine laid the paper down and looked about the room, making sure to make eye contact with each and every one of her commanders.

  “I know it seems grim now, but we have a plan in progress to get help. Morgan has gone out personally to convince the other Kingdoms to join us. So, all we must do is make sure there’s something left to save once he returns. You’re all dismissed. Please, go get some rest.”

  No one said a word, the creaking and scraping of chairs being the only sounds as everyone rose to leave. Though someone may have expected there to be outrage, anger, or a mixture of both due to their situation, everyone here knew the truth. There was little Katherine could have done to remedy their situation.

  They also knew that their best chance at survival lay with her. She was their most powerful fighter, and should she fall, their Kingdom was well and truly doomed. Bell and Fuza rose last, Fuza giving her a light pat on the shoulder before leaving. This left Katherine alone with Sarah, the very last person she wanted to deal with at the moment.

  Sarah had been an integral part of the battle, holding back hordes of monsters with walls of ice and flattening entire sections by dropping massive glaciers on top of them. She was still very angry about Morgan’s sudden departure, though, and even angrier that she’d been left beh
ind. Their conversation earlier had been interrupted by the battle, and it seemed Sarah was going to continue it now, of all times.

  “I know what you’re going to say, and I honestly don’t want to hear it right now,” Katherine said, rising to her feet.

  “Well, I honestly don’t give a shit,” Sarah replied. “You sent him away without me because you were afraid that if I went with him, he wouldn’t come back. Admit it! You’ve always been trying to get between us, but now it seems that you’ve begun to put in a real effort to steal him from me. If you hadn’t…!”

  “Shut up!” Katherine yelled, finally losing her composure and rounding on the girl. “Don’t you ever think about anyone other than yourself? Do you honestly think my sending Morgan away was some desperate bid to steal him away from you, or do you think it had more to do with the fact that my Kingdom is dying?

  “Yes, I sent him away without you due to your incessant complaining about staying here. I needed to keep an eye on you to make sure you wouldn’t try and convince him to run off and leave the hundreds of thousands of citizens in City Twelve to die due to your selfishness!”

  Sarah was taken aback by the sudden outburst, not having expected something like that from the Queen, who was usually so in control of herself. She was so shocked that she didn’t know what to say, not even offering a retort as Katherine opened up a portal.

  “And, for the record,” Katherine said, turning back to fix her with a withering glare. “You’ve hardly been treating Morgan well lately. You seem to think you own him, and he’s finally catching on. All I have to do is wait. I don’t need to make any effort to ‘take’ Morgan from you. You’ll drive him straight to me yourself.”

  Then, she stepped through the portal, leaving Sarah to contemplate what she may already have lost.

  21

  Morgan flew non-stop through the night, the echoing jeer of Le’vine’s laughter and the hard, accusing eyes of the woman who’d defeated him driving him ever onward. He didn’t know where he was going or when he was going to stop, but their staring eyes kept driving him on. The fight replayed over and over, showing him the moment he’d lost. That was the problem with remembering everything. He couldn’t just shutter it out, and with his emotions, as well as adrenaline flooding his body and sending a confusing mix of signals to his brain, Morgan found that he simply couldn’t stop.