Page 53 of Spectral Seas (Spectral Worlds #2)

T HE GRIP ON Abby’s skull lightened as, one by one, the reptoid warriors attacking the four shifted their attention onto the encroaching reinforcements.

With the Indici confronting each other, the debilitating assault on the four abated, leaving only the dull psionic blast of the huge spinning machine. Abby rolled his jaw to ease the tension built up defending against the psionics. His inner ears popped with a whooshing vacuum release and his chin-chip came alive with the faint growls, barks, and howls of the distant Lupo.

The Viridian Guards that had held back on three sides moved in, electro staves arcing blue. But as the clamor of the lycan grew louder, the Viridians slowed their advance. They appeared confused. Scanning the embattlements, they backed away from the four and the edge of the plateau. Tridents out, they spun left to right to left, as the cacophony of the baying wolves seemed to come from every direction at once. No longer distant, the barks and howls of the pack swelled to a battle cry crescendo as loud as the revolutions of the great gyroscopic machine as the Lupo erupted over the edge of the rim and poured onto the plateau in a flowing wave of gnashing teeth and gnarled claws.

Locked in psionic battle, the Sss’kali’s liberated Indici and Sss’kallion’s rebel warriors stood frozen. The lycan tsunami rushed around and between the stilled reptoid pillars, friend and enemy alike. They surged across the plateau engaging the Viridians in bloodlust battle.

Yelps, barks, and screams penetrated the air, as the Lupo thrashed and gnashed and clawed and cut through the Viridian Guard, but beyond them Abby could sense the psionic forces of the rebel priests powering the chasmic bridge regaining strength.

The walls of the great mist cyclone above darkened under the shadow of the wide sea of writhing black tentacles filling the sky and in turn cast the plateau into a dark indigo night.

From the mist came a deafening, long, low mournful wail.

WOOOOOOOOLMMMmmm.

Abby and the Umbra threw their hands to their ears.

Another wail followed.

WOOOOOOOOLMMMmmm.

The wide hoods of the Indici, priest and warrior, friend and foe, shriveled down and retracted into their necks as one by one they ceased the psionic attack and gazed upward.

Without the focus of the rebel priests to power it, the great spinning gyroscopic machine rapidly decelerated.

The pulsing psionic energy blast burrowing into flesh and skulls of Abby and the Umbra, dulled, slowed, then went altogether silent. The oppressive weight of the psionics pulled from them, they too looked up toward the direction of the great blaring beast.

WOOOOOOOOLMMMmmm.

Abby had never cast eyes on one of the great leviathans that floated and fed in the highest stratus of the Indici sky. He had little knowledge of them other than that they fed in herds on the vast fields of cloud krill. It would make sense if they were attracted to the chasm. Perhaps they too, the great floating beasts from up high, had a relationship with the Great Ones.

With the others, Abby gazed upon the billowing inner walls of the cone cyclone that surrounded them. He expected one of the beasts to drop from above the chasm or burst through the dark thick mist.

As if to answer his query a massive shadow blackened the side of the spinning wall.

WOOOOOOOOLMMMmmm.

The call sounded out again, immediately followed by another to the far side from the first.

WOOOOOOOOLMMMmmm.

That portion of the racing cyclone wall went black as well.

The spinning wall of fog at the first black shadow swelled inward then split open as the black domed nose of a massive beast pierced through. The wall of fog fluidly raced around the penetration as the beast continued forward into the center of the cyclone. But it was not one of the great leviathan goliaths, nor was it any other planar beast, rather it was the bow of a massive Bureau battleship—a warship direct from the Alpha Plane.

Another battleship entered the vortex from the second shadowed spot.

The mist blackened to either side then two large Bureau destroyers emerged beside it, then another and another, surrounding the plateau .

Soren helped Sss’kyrone to his feet. “They’re usssing dampenersss,” said Sss’kyrone, “to nullify the Indici and the masss-chine.”

“We better run,” yelled Abby.

The klaxon sounded again.

WOOOOOOOOLMMMmmm.

The foghorn wail of the massive battleship hung heavy in the air then faded slow, leaving only the rhythmic revolutions of the great spinning gyroscopic machine.

For a moment the plateau was still, as were the six Bureau fleet ships hovering beneath the dimensional breach.

All six of the Alpha Plane warships opened fire.

A barrage of flaming ordinance rained from the bows of the fleet ships onto the ancient machine. Explosions peppered the surface of the spinning sphere, triggering a rapid succession of larger blasts, sending crystals flying and vaporizing the five rebel priests at its base.

Metal screeched, creaked, and moaned as the huge broken outer rings of the massive gyroscope collapsed inward, disintegrating into hurling shards. But despite the destruction of the outer rings, the inner orb of the sphere, already fully charged by the crystals and the priests, still burned brilliant—and the rift above remained open.

Again, the klaxon blared.

WOOOOOOOOLMMMmmm.

The hull of the lead battleship glowed bright, and a wide beam shot down onto the still burning orb.

A ripple engulfed the machine then intensified in distortion. There was a great crumple of metal as the orb rapidly collapsed into itself, shrinking in size to a finite point. Then it vanished altogether.

There was another instant of calm, then a protracted shrill banshee shriek showered down from the breach above, the scourge of the ancients. The elongated tentacles receded; the rift tightened then closed. The seam that had cracked the sky continued to glow bright white against the darkness. The scar faded faint, then vanished; so too did the dark indigo clouds, leaving the clear blue sky and sun.

~*~