Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 452: City of Metal

Chapter 452: City of Metal

"Sirona, you should get back inside the palace," Jonah said worriedly as he stared at the rolling wave of sand due to approach the gates of the capital at any moment. "It’s going to be very dangerous."

"And how do you suppose I do that? Fly?" Sirona asked with a raised eyebrow.

The castle had boarded up all exits and openings to minimize the destruction the storm could cause. Civilians had been evacuated to the nearest shelter, but Sirona had taken one look at how packed they were and decided to take her chances outside. If someone coughed inside it, everyone would contract the same illness.

Sirona was supposed to be in the infirmary, but Zephyr’s sudden visit had unsettled her. After she had done her best for him, she went to look for Atticus and Jonah to let them know what happened. They discussed their future plans, and that was when the harsh screeching started to sound.

It was too late to turn back now. Funny how that could also sum up her life so far when it came to her assistance with Atticus’s plans.

"I could send you up," Atticus offered, but she shook her head.

"Don’t bother to waste your energy on me," Sirona said bluntly. "You can’t afford it, since you’re needed to redirect the storm."

Yes, that job was something King Calarian had, in no uncertain terms, given to Atticus. Even if Atticus wanted to refuse to focus his energies on finding Jean Nott and choking the daylights out of him in retaliation for attacking his wife, he couldn’t― if King Calarian couldn’t contain the storm alone, Daphne’s life would be at risk.

The inner chambers used by royalty and the palace staff were safer than the dens used by ordinary civilians, but they weren’t completely foolproof.

So here he was, using his powers to raise earth and sand walls high enough, while Jonah strengthened them as much as he could so they wouldn’t shatter when the storm sent boulders flying in their direction. The mines were full of rocks, and they could be transformed into deadly projectiles when carried along by the strong winds.

"It’s a pity we extracted Nereus’s eyes so early," Jonah said. "He would certainly be useful with his rainmaking ability."

As it was, there was simply not enough water for him to make a dent. Queen Lavinia might actually be a stronger hydromancer than Nereus, but King Calarian would sooner castrate himself than send his own wife out into the danger zone, despite needing every skilled magic user to help.

And of course, he wasn’t going to risk Cordelia either. Nor his oldest daughter. Atticus on the other hand...

How could Atticus fault King Calarian for his decision? He would have made the same choices.

"Such opportunities don’t come twice," Atticus replied simply. He wasn’t going to wait around for Daphne to suffer another crippling loss for him to justify his actions. He didn’t need permission nor forgiveness, not when he was so close to achieving his goals.

"You’d best hope Daphne never finds out what you did to him. You didn’t see her face when she saw Zephyr’s injuries. She nearly lost her mind," Sirona said darkly. "I would not be able to save your marriage."

Before Atticus could argue that his marriage didn’t need saving, thank you very much, the very air around him began to shiver. That was all the warning he got before he heard the screaming of the winds, and the thunderous pitter-patter of sand grains and rocks alike pelting at the walls.

"So far so good," Jonah yelled out, to make himself heard over the noise. They had predicted this.

"This is just the beginning!" Atticus retorted.

True enough, it didn’t take long before the first crack began to appear in the biggest wall. Even the strongest stone could be whittled by a gentle raindrop, and in this case, a hastily constructed wall made out of sand earth could hardly withstand such a relentless onslaught.

Jonah focused, trying to patch it up, but it was a lost cause. Within the span of seconds, the crack had widened, sending a torrent of sharp sand and debris flying through the air. The wind howled with a vengeance, tearing roof tiles apart, and sending them flying in all directions. The sound of shattered clay filled the air as the tiles were smashed into the buildings and on the empty streets, dislodging even more debris that hit even more objects.

It was a vicious cycle, and Atticus knew deep down in his bones that Jean Nott had to be behind it, even if King Calarian had not mentioned names when assigning blame. Jean Nott did love making already terrible things worse.

From a distance, Atticus could see that King Calarian had his arms outstretched, the jewels on his fingers shining a brilliant silverish gray. The linings between the stone tiles began to shift, and Atticus could see silvery streaks float in the air from all around the capital.

Metal. It was metal in between the tiles, metal woven into the very fabric of the city’s design. Marketplaces, sidewalks, homes. All of it was lined with metal.

The summoned metal groaned and squeaked under his command. King Calarian flexed his fingers, and they combined to form a large sheet of metal in an attempt to plug up the existing hole. Atticus understood what he had to do to help; he quickly used his own powers to summon as much random debris as possible to form another layer, while Jonah tried his best to strengthen it.

Atticus couldn’t help but marvel at how King Calarian had his capital city built in a way that complemented his ability, giving him a hidden weapon to use if things got dire. His control was also incredible, being able to summon so much from such a wide range.

Fighting him would be difficult. Thankfully, they were allies for now, even as part of Atticus was rankled by King Calarian’s decision to only use such a useful skill when things had already gone belly-up. The metal would have been an amazing addition to their wall.

"This might just work," Jonah said hopefully, sweat beading down his temples.

"Don’t jinx it! We haven’t reached the end of the storm yet!" Atticus ordered, even as he felt his hopes rise at every passing second. The wind seemed to be slowing down.

For a moment, it seemed like it would work, that they would simply get through this without any mishaps.

Then there was another explosion, shattering all of their hard work into smithereens and setting the city aflame.