CHAPTER 815: A MATTER OF SECONDS

I waded around the segment of fallen wall just as Gayron landed beside a floating body. My heart lurched as I recognized the blue and white ribbons of Korra’s sash adrift in the water, streaming like seaweed. He cradled her, lifting her and revealing her face. She was pale and pasty, blood smeared across one cheek despite the lapping waves.

"Korra," I gasped, grabbing her hand.

She gave me a weak smile, squeezing lightly. "Not bad, huh?"

"Your soul..." I trailed off, tail stiffening with shock. "It’s...okay. NO, more than okay. You broke through?"

Gayron gasped, but not in awe or excitement, but horror. "You idiot!" Gayron growled.

She started to speak again, but winced, breaking off in a cough. It was then I noticed the jagged icicle protruding from her side, running just beneath her ribs and emerging from her back above her hip. The flesh around it was white and frosty. Streaks of frozen blood sealed the ice in place, likely the only reason she hadn’t bled out already.

"R’lisssea! She’s hurt!" I cried through the mind link.

"Bring her to me. We’re cutting it close, and I can tend to her as well here as there," R’lissea replied.

Gayron tensed, gathering his strength. With a controlled, almost gentle leap, he soared over the wall, leaving me to wade back on my own. As I pushed through the water, something nudged my leg, and I glanced down to see the mage’s wand floating in the water. Glancing around, I found no sign of the man or his corpse, and slipped it into my spatial ring. Nothing wielded by someone that powerful had to be good, and we were severely lacking good equipment.

As I crossed the wall and struck out the last fifty feet to the shard, the hair on my arms rose, and my soul tingled. A low thrum filled the air, causing the surface of the water to vibrate, erratic ripples spreading everywhere. I turned, looking over my shoulder, as a massive skyship soared over the harbor, heading directly toward us.

The ship was about the same size as the ones we’d faced in Blacksand, over three hundred feet from bow to stern. Its design was totally new, seeming more ship than any we’d encountered before. Water dripped from the hull, and it had actual sails flying on three masts. There were four visible mana cannons, mounted on the sides of the ship instead of the bottom, like in Blacksand. They sat on swivels that allowed them full access to everything on their side of the ship. From the mana radiating from the ship, I estimated there were at least four more mana cannons on the upper decks, as well.

The sails and rigging were torn and in tatters, and more than a few planks were missing from the hull, exposing the darkness of the underbelly of the ships. Damage from Korra’s shockwave? Or had they just come from another battle? Either way, soldiers scurried around the vessel, patching up damage and charging the crystals. They were still very much a threat.

"Xiviyah! Hurry!"

R’lissea’s frantic voice spurred me to motion. Fable nudged my side, and I climbed on, only to cry out as whatever I stepped on for support sank into my foot. The water was dark and murky, so I had no choice but to grit my teeth and jump, tearing my foot off whatever impaled it. Blood dripped from the wound, but I had no time to feel the pain. The instant I was on, Fable took off, leaving a wake behind as he ran through the barrier, depositing next to my friends.

My vision swam with pain as I landed on my foot, dropping to my knees. Whispering a Life magic spell, I healed the jagged puncture and crawled to Korra’s side.

Gayron knelt beside Korra, holding her hand tightly while R’lissea poured life magic into her. The icicle was gone, as was the terrible wound it punched through her gut, but Korra was pale and barely breathing. Her eyes fluttered as I reached them, but didn’t open.

"She’s stable, but going to be unconscious for a while," R’lissea said, standing and looking up between the cracks in the trees at the approaching ship. "Her soul needs time to recover after the strain, not to mention consolidating power after breaking through."

"Let’s get to the circle," Gayron said.

No sooner had I scrambled into the golden circle than a distant boom sounded. Three heartbeats later, the entire plant barrier shuddered. Brilliant sunlight streamed through the cracks, hissing and crackling like fire.

"A curious weapon," Emlica said, glancing up as the light retreated. "A mana cannon, you called it? Bring me one when you get the chance. I’d like to study it."

"Not the time," I sighed.

Another boom, and another impact on the wall. This time, an entire section of plants blackened, crumbling almost entirely. R’lissea’s face whitened. She rose from where she’d been kneeling beside Korra, clutching her staff in both hands.

"How long do we have?" she asked.

"About thirty seconds. It’s not going to hold, by the way."

"I know," she muttered.

"Then I’ll cut them down," Gayron said, lifting his sword.

R’lissea shook her head. "No, you’re exhausted already. And don’t tell me you’re not; I can literally see your life aura."

"Wait," I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. "This is too dangerous. Let me share Adaptive resistance. We can weather whatever they throw at us together."

Emlica clicked her tongue. "I told you not to waste mana. At your current strength, you can link with one, maybe two of your friends, before putting the teleportation at risk. And besides, those cannons are strong enough that they might threaten you anyway. That last one was at least at the beginning stages of eighth-level, and they’re still distant. Who knows what they’ll be like when they get closer."

"But I–"

Another explosion, and the

"It’s fine." R’lissea shook off my hand, giving me a comforting smile. "I can stall them for a little while, at least. And that’s all we need. Fable, come with me."

I watched helplessly as she stretched her wings and rose into the air, turning and casting a spell on Fable. He, too, sprouted translucent green wings and jumped after her, the two flying through a gap in the barrier. After a moment, I ran to the doorway, watching as they streaked toward the ship.

A brilliant green magic circle appeared around R’lissea, summoning a seventh-level life dragon. As it clawed through the summoning gate, the ship banked to the side, bringing up its port mana cannons. They released twin beams of light at it, but Fable intercepted them.

I was surprised to see that the two mana cannons weren’t identical. One was standard, with a seventh-level charge, vanishing the moment it came into contact with Fable’s Adaptive Resistance. But the other was what had hit our plant barrier before, an eighth-level attack of pure, attributed sun magic. While it should have overwhelmed him, the explosion fell flat, even less potent than the seventh.

R’lissea’s dragon roared as it emerged fully from the gate, taking to the skies with massive wings. The ship banked to avoid its first charge, only to run right into Fable. His claws tore gaping holes in its hull. He lashed out with his haws, ripping one of the unattributed cannons off and sending it crashing into the city below.

As he prepared to attack the other one, a powerful aura surged, matching that of the mage from before. Fable leaped away, the force of his departure causing the ship to spin wildly, nearly flipping over. As it stabilized, the source of the aura stepped onto the prow, a man with a gleaming silver spear.

He raised his hand, conjuring a silver barrier around the ship. The Life Dragon slammed into it, but its claws sparked off, leaving nothing but scratches behind. Under his protection, the ship righted itself and adjusted its course, heading directly for the shard.

Fable and R’lissea circle the craft, launching experimental attacks, but nothing left a mark. What they did do was draw the ship’s fire, baiting arrows, cannon fire, and spells, which passed through the barrier with ease. Fable deliberately blocked the stronger magic, while R’lissea conjured barriers and weaker elementals to tank the rest.

The seconds ticked by, with neither side doing any real damage to the other. The silver barrier held strong and true, and Adaptive Resistance kept my friends from suffering any hurt. A few arrows nicked Fable’s pelt, but they weren’t big or strong enough to do more than draw a prick of blood.

"Call your friend," Emlica said suddenly.

I hailed R’lissea and called to Fable through my soul. In a matter of seconds, they disengaged and retreated to our side, leaving the life dragon to harry the ship as best it could. They touched down and joined us in the golden circle. R’lissea had expended almost all of her mana and was leaning against Fable for support. My wolf, for his part, panted lightly, but hadn’t truly exerted himself.

"Good job," I said, hugging her quickly.

She smiled and patted my shoulder, dismissing her staff. "That warrior is tough. I have a feeling I wouldn’t have fared half as well against him as I did the mage."

"Good thing we’re leaving. We won’t have to find out," I said.

Emlica rose, floating a few inches into the air. Her magic circles resolved, coming together and overlaying over the golden runes encircling us.

"My time is up, but the spell will continue on its own," the remnant said. "Give it ten seconds, and you’ll be free. Remember, I want one of those mana cannons."

With that, she disappeared, leaving us alone in the shattered cathedral.