“Today, we go to change that. Not just a small elite, but citizens from across the society of Gonki. Powerful Augmenters stand side by side with humble farmers and shopkeepers, because this is what makes us strong, not the single-minded pursuit of our own greatness that the Straight Path exalts but the willingness, the passion even, to lift up those around us.
“Today, we march on Hyng’ohr city. Mahrai’s golem, which for so long was a symbol of our oppression, will now become the tool of our triumph. It will make an opening, and we will seize it. We will fight our way into the city and liberate it from those who have ruined so many lives.
“Remember, we are liberators not conquerors, and these are our own people. Do not raise your hand against any of the population who go unarmed about their business or who are simply trying to stay safe. Seek out only those who would harm you and bring that harm down upon them. Teach them the lesson of what it means for justice to come.
“Our targets are Saruqin and the priests of the Unswerving Shadows Cult. They are holed up in the palace in the center of the city. Our focus is on getting to them, even if that means letting other foes get away. We have surprise on our side, but they have numbers, and we cannot afford to become bogged down. Our strategy is not to destroy the body of the enemy. It is to chop off the head and see the body fall.
“Raise your weapons high and lift your heads proudly. Ours is the true path, and today, our route is clear. We march for Gonki. We march for Hyng’ohr. We march for freedom!”
I stood in silence, a proud smile on my face, while everyone cheered and pumped their fists in the air. The drummers pounded the skins, a wild crescendo of noise that echoed, formless and proud, around the courtyard. Then, at a signal from Ganyir, they settled into a steady beat. The gates swung open, and we marched out to war.
Mahrai and I joined the head of the column, just behind Ganyir. My traveling companions were there, as was Tahlis. His initiates came close behind.
“At last,” Mahrai said, “I get to show that stuck-up prick Saruqin how I really feel.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Kegohr said. “Gonna knock some heads together until they’re ringing, you know?”
“The hard part won’t be getting into the city; it’ll be getting into the palace. Saruqin knows that half the population hates him, so he’s put his best troops between him and the rest of Hyng’ohr.”
“So, we save our Vigor until we’re getting close in, yeah?” Kegohr asked.
“Maybe you can, but mine will be needed before that. I have to summon the golem to get us through the gates. Of course, it can do a lot more once it’s through…”
While Mahrai and Kegohr enthused about the fight ahead, I turned to look at Kumi. She had her butterfly knives on her back and several water skins slung around her on leather cords. There was a twinkle in her eyes.
“You look a lot happier,” I said.
“I found a well in the fortress,” she said. “And plenty of water skins. Now, I can use my Wild Augmenting properly despite the dryness of this place. Lives are going to be saved today thanks to that well.”
“And thanks to you.”
She laid a hand on my arm. “You’re looking very chippery yourself.”
Her gaze darted from me to Mahrai and then back again. She smiled. It was a smile that made me amazed at just how lucky I’d become.
“I guess I am feeling good,” I said. “Good company and a sense of purpose really brightens my mood.”
Ahead of us, Vesma and Tahlis were deep in conversation. Some of Vesma’s earnestness had rubbed off on the lizardman, whose usual impish demeanor was replaced with a stern expression and serious voice.
“Tell me about these priests,” she said. “What can we expect?”
“Augmenting,” Tahlis said. “But not varied. Saruqin doesn’t encourage flexible thinking in his minions—probably afraid of what would happen if they got ideas of their own.”
“And weapons?”
“Some of them. But that’s not what we need to worry about. What we need to worry about is the demons…”
We marched on through the pre-dawn gloom, discussing the battle ahead while the world grew lighter around us. As the sun rose in the east, it cast a warm glow across city, mountains, and desert, and we reached the foot of the city walls.
Ganyir halted us a hundred yards from the mountain gate, then gestured Mahrai forward. She stepped into the open and raised her staff above her head, then brought it down. There was a crash out of all proportion to the weight of the staff as Vigor flowed from her. The ground shook, and the city walls trembled. My teeth rattled against each other.
A stone hand burst out of the ground. Another followed. They flattened against the earth and heaved. Slowly, the golem rose from the dirt beneath our feet, a being of solid stone. Dirt and pebbles pattered on the ground as it emerged, dragging itself first onto its knees, then to its feet, standing like a vast monument as it faced the gate.
Arrows shot out of the towers to either side of the entrance. They bounced harmlessly off the stone beast, and it stomped forward, indifferent to the projectiles clattering off its sides. The projectiles continued to strike it as it grabbed hold of the top of the gatehouse. The colossal minion steadied itself, swung its leg, and kicked the gates.
With a great crack and a shower of splinters, the gate doors gave way. They slammed back against the walls, leaving the way into the city clear. At a gesture from Mahrai, the golem stooped and walked through the portal. Within,
