SWNOVELS Chapter 29: "Our Time is up."
Meanwhile back inside the war room of the keep of Kaal Bek, Nathanael, Nicodemus, Joshua, Harry and his recon team, Xavier, Corso, and the remaining Elders were in a decisive meeting, deciding what to do next. As they discussed the pros and cons of moving such a large mass of people through the portal, three scouts burst in the room, fresh from the battlefield and they showed it. Their clothes and armor were shredded and bloodstained, their faces displaying the gravest of looks. Nicodemus and Nathanael immediately saw the scouts when they entered and rose to greet them, prompting the others to do the same. The lead scout staggered to the table followed closely by the other two. When Nicodemus saw them, he immediately rushed forward, taking the leader by the arm and helping him to a chair that was immediately provided. “What happened?” Nicodemus asked the man with great concern as he helped him sit down.
“Our time is up,” the lead scout replied. “The army in Kasa Bek has gathered and moves on us as we speak. We barely escaped with our lives.” This didn’t set well with anyone there, especially Nicodemus and Nathanael. Nathanael handed the man a glass of water and he drained it with one draught.
“What kind of time do we have?” Nathanael asked.
The lead scout looked up at the great cat and said gravely, “We have a day and a half at the most; probably less than that. I have never seen such a vast army move so quickly and with such precision. They’re plowing through the forest as if it weren’t there, destroying everything in their path.”
“All right,” Nicodemus said to the man, who was still a bit tense. “Relax. You’re safe for the moment. What kind of numbers are we looking at?”
The lead scout’s face became very grim and said, “I estimate over fifty thousand alone coming from Kasa Bek. It was so many of them that it was hard to estimate. Over half are Zarukar and many of them are much bigger than any Zarukars I’ve ever seen before. They are fast and don’t seem to tire. We barely escaped from them. The advance parties are already approaching the gateway Master Harry sealed with the carite explosives.”
Nathanael looked at Nicodemus and Joshua with a very solemn, concerned look. “There are more than just Zarukars with them,” the second scout blurted out. “At least a third of what wasn’t Zarukar were these strange creatures that looked like demons. They appeared to be part machine as well and they moved with as much speed as the Zarukars.”
Corso’s face fell and he growled, “They’re Xenians, my friend; much more dangerous and lethal than the Zarukars.”
The third scout spoke up, saying, “It also appears that the 1st and 2nd Divisions have already linked with them, bringing their terrible war machines. There were giant metal men, gigantic metal spiders, and crawling machines the size of houses plowing through the forests, destroying all that were in their path; and that was just what we saw. Who knows what else they may have at their disposal.”
Nathanael looked at the man who spoke of the machines and asked, “Are those machines capable of crossing the mountains?”
The third scout sighed and said, “I believe so.”
“Things have just gotten much more serious,” Nathanael told Nicodemus.
Nicodemus’ face fell greatly with the news and he leaned against the table heavily as he replied, “Yes, it has. May the Ancient of Days be merciful because the Emperor won’t.”
“I think now would be a good time to bring everyone to the keep,” Nathanael suggested. “Joshua, how’s the securing of the city coming?”
Joshua leaned back in his chair and said seriously, “It’s taking longer than we thought. But we have a half mile perimeter pretty much secured and cleaned up inside the city and out.”
“Do you have a place to store food and supplies?” Nathanael asked bluntly.
“Yes,” Joshua replied. “We have already begun placing supplies there.”
Nicodemus looked at Joshua and said, “Good man. The time has come for us to make our move. We must take whatever we can and destroy the machines and the Archives so the Emperor cannot have access to them. Harry, do you think that you can take the remaining carite bombs and set it up so that we can bring this place down?”
Harry looked at the group, saying, “Absolutely.”
Nathanael rubbed the side of his face with a grim expression. “Well, looks like the time has come,” he declared. “We all have much work to do. Gather the people as quickly as possible and get as much of the supplies into the square as quickly as possible.”
As they were preparing to disperse to their respective tasks, two more men came in and announced, “Nicodemus, Joshua, Nathanael; word from Argus: the 5th Division is less than a day from Draken Pass and they have more of those war machines. Moreover, he says the 8th is six hours from Khmer Shek. The advance parties of the 8th have already reached it.”
Nathanael nodded and said, “All right. Thank you for informing us. Come on, people. We have a purpose. Let’s get it done and quit this place before they get here.” At that, they left the room with a mission.