Keys of Candor: Trilogy

by Casey Eanes

  Kull scanned the crater for his guide but he had disappeared. The ground shook with a new violence that caused Kull to stumble. He straightened himself, securing his pail of water and sprinted for the horizon. Kull had nothing more than memory guiding him as he tried to remember which direction led to the cave. The dry, soft sand underfoot became wet and viscous, and the shallow waters grew behind Kull, roaring with unnatural life as the pool developed into waves that smashed behind him as he ran.

  With each step, the water grew with raging fury and crashed to the sides of Kull, splashing dirt and water in his face, threatening to cut him off. The crystal clear water transformed, darkening as it grew more chaotic. Kull wiped his face clear and sprinted with all he had, his hands gripping the pail the elder had given him. A wave swelled several meters behind him, threatening to crest over him entirely as the sound of thunderclouds crescendoed in the air.

  The desire to look back tempted Kull as he fought to free himself from the pursuit of the flood, but he kept his eyes locked on the horizon.

  “Come on. It can’t be that far.” Kull screamed as he sprinted. “Where is the cave?” He glanced around him and screamed, “Where are you?!”

  As the words left his lips, the black wave broke and crashed down on top of Kull. The water hit like an onyx sledgehammer, leveling Kull with its fury and throwing him across the ground. Kull wrapped his arms around the bucket and balled up as the waters swept around him, enveloping him in a void of turbulent darkness. Kull flipped end over end and smashed against the sandy soil time and time again. He kicked and tried to catch his footing, but he could find no foothold. He was surrounded, the water was too much for him to fight, and he was helplessly consumed by its assault. Fear choked him as he realized that this was no normal water. It was the dreaded Sea. The Sea of Souls was breaking into Mir. It was after him.

  “YOU ARE DEAD. YOU ARE MINE.”

  The voice of an untold memory filled his mind as the waters constricted around him with an incalculable weight. Kull felt the waters shift as a massive force passed by him. Something was in this tempest, something familiar and threatening. Amidst the panic, Kull whispered a simple prayer within his mind. Aleph, please.

  Kull kept himself balled around the wooden pail and tried to brace himself as he tumbled through the deepening waters. In an instant, his body crashed against solid rock. He reached out and clamored for the surface, forcing himself up the rock face. Finally, the waters rolled back as Kull gasped for breath, lifting himself out of the water, up onto the rocky crags. He had made it; he had found the cave. He staggered to his feet and felt a shadow fall over him. The stranger stood before him.

  “Kull, get inside the cave.” The man’s voice was calm, yet stern. “We are not alone.”

  Kull had barely stumbled past the threshold of the cave when he saw it. Cresting out of the water was the immense serpent, the leviathan that had nearly brought down The Hunt and all who were trapped onboard. The beast emerged from the inky depths, its long, thick coils lapping up on the furthest rock from the cave’s mouth. The beast’s scales shimmered as the black water dripped from them. His long snout was lined with jagged fangs, and sharp spines protruded from the flesh of his back. Kull shrunk back, retreating as far from the beast as possible. The dark, churning water had swallowed nearly everything in Mir, and the sea had turned the mountain into a tiny island, the summit being the only bit of land remaining.

  Spider webs of lightning lit up the sky, and a symphony of thunder sounded. The serpent’s eyes bent down and locked on Kull, burning red with rage, as hot steam flared from its nostrils. A ragged maw of teeth lined the strong jaws of the behemoth's massive head, and Kull felt like all he could do was scream, but no words would dare come out from his mouth.

  The beast sneered at the stranger who stood in front of the cave’s entrance, blocking Kull within. “You. You are out of bounds. The boy is mine by right.” The sound of the beast’s voice made Kull’s body go cold with fear, as his mind filled with thoughts of throwing himself into the sea and giving himself over to his pursuer. Anything to make the voice stop.

  “Are you sure of this, Ma’et?”

  The serpent roared, his mouth filling with golden venom. Kull shuddered as long fangs fell from the cavernous mouth and dripped with amber death. “Do not call me that. That is no longer my name. It never was. Not since you abandoned us.”

  Lightning crashed in the sky as the stranger walked to the giant beast, indifferent to its showcase of power. He leveled his gaze on its crimson eyes, standing only feet from the venom that poured out of its mouth. The golden bile pooled at the man’s feet. The beast recoiled from the man’s presence, slithering deeper into the black waters.

  “Abandoned you? Is that what I did? That’s not what I remember.” The stranger shook his head, his face bearing an unknown puzzle in his mind. “You...you and those that followed you…” The stranger’s face ignited with the memory. “You left me here alone. There is still so much work to be done.”

  “I did not come here to revisit our history.” The snake growled, the sound of it rumbling over the island like an avalanche. “I haven’t much time. Give him to me. He is mine.”

  Lightning flashed and Kull stared out to the surrounding sea that filled the horizon. The lightning illuminated numerous bodies within the dark waters for an instant. They were bound, chained below the surface of the Sea, bobbing like submerged buoys anchored below the black depths. The serpent’s red eyes locked onto Kull’s and it laughed.

  “The boy himself knows this to be true. He belongs in the Sea. With the others, just as you have willed it for millennia.” The leviathan sneered at the man, as its massive jaws spewed venom, curses, and rage. “Have you not told him yet? Have you not revealed your master plan to this little soul?”

  The viper cut his eyes to Kull. “Of course not. You never show your true intent. You offer these morsels false hope and grace only to cast them all into the darkness. Into my Sea.”

  The stranger glanced at Kull, his face stern and stoic. “Ma’et, I have never forgotten those in the Sea, just like I haven’t forgotten your true name. The boy...he is not under your care anymore. He is under mine. I’ve claimed him for myself, though I must thank you for bringing him to the other side.”

  The beast thrashed in the water and slammed his tail against the rocks to the side of Kull’s guardian. The blow rattled the ground and shook the walls of the cave, causing a small landslide of debris to break free, threatening to seal the cave.

  “Save your thanks for one who does not hate you. GIVE ME THE BOY NOW!”

  The man waded into the murky waters and stood within feet of the leviathan towering over him. He folded his arms and sighed. “No. You have your answer. Now leave us.”

  The serpent bellowed and lifted higher into the air, swelling to a monumental size. It spouted smoke from its lips as it rose into the darkening sky, roaring with fury. It whipped its tail with hurricane force and hammered it against the black waves. “You have stolen from me for the last time. Why are you hiding this small soul? Does he know what you intend of him? Does he know your cruelty? Your indifference? Your lies? I know who you are!”

  “All this time, and still you don’t know me.” The stranger sighed as he turned his back to his adversary and walked toward the mouth of the cave.

  “I know you all too well, A...”

  “Do not speak my name.” The stranger spun on his heels in an instant and held an open palm toward the serpent. “Leave us, Ma’et. Now. Do not come back.”

  The serpent growled and snapped his razor sharp teeth together, releasing a thunderclap. He turned from the high place, swimming on the surface, whipping his massive frame from side to side. Soon his gigantic body disappeared beneath the midnight waves, but his head still towered over the dark water’s surface. “Fine. Waste your time and steal a single soul. Soon he will be of no difference to me. I will have my revenge against you. My agents will soon fill the Sea full of the
Forgotten, and I will gorge on them for an eternity. There will be nothing you can do, so enjoy your victory today. The boy you stole from me will soon be forgotten. An afterthought.”

  The stranger smiled and turned back to the beast. “No, Ma’et. You will never forget him.”

  The serpent paused, his crimson eyes flickering with an instant of surprise. Or was it fear? Kull couldn’t tell, but his mind swirled at the conversation he had just heard. The beast huffed as it disappeared into the Sea and soon the monster was out of sight, descending beneath the dreadful waters. The black water followed, rolling back and receding, transforming the island back into a mountaintop, causing Kull’s mouth to drop as everything was suddenly put back in place. Mir was restored again, its tall pine trees swaying proudly in the wind, lining the rocky mountain that now jutted up in the sky. A breeze rustled through the trees as songbirds returned to their singing, joining a chorus of song. It was as if nothing had ever interrupted their melody.

  Kull’s eyes turned to the man, finally understanding the truth as his mouth tried to find the words. “You’re him. You are him.” Kull’s eyes grew wide and he fell to his knees, trembling.

  “Who?”

  Kull stammered, chasing the idea that darted off in his mind like rabbit from the brush. “How could you not be him? I mean...you must be. You are.”

  The man’s hands grasped around his, and his eyes flared with a power that Kull could not comprehend. “I am.”

  “Aleph,” Kull’s lips said the name, and his body seized with both fear and awe. His heart hammered wildly in his chest and stole his breath away. The whole world felt as if it were melting away, and Kull thought he might lose himself in the gaze of the Divine.

  Kull’s body trembled as he hid his eyes. “What do you want with me?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Grift peered through the muddy windshield of the truck carrying him and his few allies to the safety of Preost. Luken sat at the truck’s wheel, dutifully maneuvering the clumsy vehicle over the rough dirt road. Grift had been silent since the group escaped Henshaw, his pained gaze fixed on the oncoming forested terrain. His face was as cold as a statue’s. Grift glanced back into the covered bed of the truck at the two miniscule bodies neatly wrapped in white linen.

  Emotions rushed in with each heartbeat, a dreadful reminder that he was still alive in his own living hell while the curtain of death hung between him and his loved ones. Rage stung his veins as he balled his fists and clenched his teeth, but the anger eventually shifted into a flood of complete indifference. He took a deep breath, hoping to fill his hollow chest, but there was no relief. Sorrow, instead, filled the void.

  Tears broke free from the corners of his eyes as he tried to shield his face from Adley sitting across from him. The kaleidoscope of emotions twisted and churned inside of him, tossing his battered soul like a helpless toy boat in an oceanic hurricane. Grift turned his face from his wife’s body and fought to focus on something different, anything. He leaned into the cockpit again and tried to discern how far they were from Preost’s border.

  “I’m sorry,” Luken whispered as Grift eased into the driver’s compartment. The soft whisper thudded against Grift’s ears like a mallet. Grift fought the urge to recoil into the cargo bed and drew in a deep breath. He exhaled and a new calm broke over his soul as he stared at his old friend. He wanted to reject the apology and spit in the Serub’s face, but his heart refused. The words were sincere and he knew it. He didn’t want them to be real, but they were.

  “Why, Luken?” The words escaped from Grift’s lips as he pinched his eyes shut. “Why are you...sorry?”

  Luken sighed and dropped his head. “I’m sorry for all your loss, Grift. I’m sorry for your pain.” He paused and forced out the words. “And I’m sorry I was not there to help you save her.”

  Grift grimaced at the mention of Rose but buried the torrent of rolling chaos within. Hot tears streamed from Grift’s eyes. He wiped them away and spoke, his voice and countenance grim. “Me too, Luken. I can’t speak of this now. We need to get into the forest.”

  Luken nodded and exhaled, saying nothing. Grift focused in on this person, his friend, whose true nature and origin had eluded them all. Grift tried to force himself back to his seat, but the questions clawing within pulled him to Luken’s side and Grift finally let the words slip from his mind, sharp and barbed.

  “Where were you? How could you leave us to all this, Luken?”

  “Grift, you saw what happened to me on that ship.”

  “Yeah, that’s why I’m asking the question. You were dead, but now...you’re here.” Grift ignored the uncomfortable expression painted on Wael’s face. “And now I learn that you are one of them. One of the Serubs. How do we know we can trust you?”

  The question surprised even Grift, and Wael put a hand on him, whispering, “Grift…”

  Luken’s face drifted, his face looking like he was recalling a long-forgotten memory. “It’s alright, Wael. It’s a fair question.” He glanced up at Grift through the rearview mirror and spoke plainly. “I was a Serub, but please don’t call me that again. Yes, I am different from you and your friends, but being hurled into the Endless Ocean via grenade does a number on anyone, even on me. As far as trusting me, Grift, I would hope that our friendship would be enough...”

  “My son is dead, Luken. My wife is dead.” Anger drew Grift’s face back into a snarl. “My home is destroyed and my town is burned to the ground. Why? Because of Seam and his affinity for your kind.” He threw his hands up in the air with mock reverence, his voice laced with sarcasm. “The gods. What wonders the gods have worked. What kind of god are you that you can’t take a grenade?” Grift’s voice broke, giving over to the dark fire within him. “Everything around you dies! My family has taken the lion’s share of punishment from your kind, and now for all we know Willyn is dead too! How many more people are you not going to be able to save?”

  The mention of Willyn’s name cut at Luken. He shifted in his seat and cleared his throat before choking out his words. “Listen to me, Grift. There’s a lot you don’t understand, which I don’t know how to explain to you.”

  “Well, why don’t you give it a try? Or are you afraid that a mortal can’t understand?”

  Wael spoke, his voice trying to balance the conflict. “Grift... please.”

  Luken chimed in, “I wanted to be there. Do you actually think I didn’t want to help you, to help Rose, to help Kull?” Luken cleared his throat again before continuing. “To help Willyn? Once I healed enough to be functional again I knew to reappear too soon would cause more problems, more chaos. Eventually I knew I had to come out of hiding.”

  Grift tilted his neck to the side and tried to get a good glimpse at Luken as the man-god leveled his gaze back on the horizon. “Chaos and confusion? Well, that sounds really bad, Luken. What changed your divine mind? What was finally so important?”

  The vehicle was silent as Luken squinted into the setting sun, obviously hurt from his friend’s barbs.

  “What was it, Luken? You at least owe me that much.” Grift growled as he stood in the back of the truck’s cockpit. “WHY? Why now?”

  “I could hear them speaking, Grift, and I didn’t like what they were saying. They always call out to one another.” Luken struck the dash and wrung his hands over the steering wheel. “There were only two who never spoke.” Luken stared at Grift, his eyes weary. “Me and the only one that is left in the mirror. Isphet is hiding something. He has tapped into some power...I can’t explain it, but I can feel it. It is worse than any power a Serub could wield. A power I can’t even begin to understand. Isphet...Isphet can’t be released.”

  “What about the others?” asked Adley from the backseat. “What about them? Can you still hear them?” She glanced up from the datalink that she had been fumbling with since escaping Henshaw.

  Luken’s expression sank. “They’ve gone silent since their release, which worries me more than ever.”


  “You still haven’t explained why you stayed hidden for so long, Luken.” Grift would not relent.

  Luken spat back, “Don’t you get it, Grift? Haven’t you put the pieces together yet?” Luken stared at Grift, his gaze flashing between him and the Mastermonk. His voice went grim, but it was full of authority. “I am just as vulnerable to the Keys as the rest!”

  Luken slammed the brakes down on the truck and turned to face Grift. He pointed out into the distance and spoke through clenched teeth. “For me to just reappear would be to invite Seam to put me under his foot and use me to rip people that I love apart. People like you, Grift!” A tear rolled down Luken’s cheek as he looked past Grift into the cargo hold and his eyes landed on Rose’s body. “For all you know, had I come back earlier it would have been my own hands that took Rose from you. Present or absent I am cursed, my friend.”

  The words knocked the breath from Grift’s chest. He sat back into his seat and glanced at Luken with pity in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Luken, but that still doesn’t answer why you returned. Why now?”

  Luken wiped his cheek and returned to the driver’s seat. “I had to try. Too much pain. Too much death. I couldn’t take it anymore, Grift. I could feel them killing, gorging themselves. And if I can feel it, Isphet can too. I had to at least try, regardless of the result.”

  “So Seam can control you too?” Adley searched Wael’s face as she questioned Luken.

  Luken put the truck back in gear and eased the gas pedal to the floor. “You’ve been warned. Just know I am on your side, no matter what happens.” Luken glanced at Wael and Grift in the rearview mirror. The smudged glass revealed the creases next to his eyes softening. “I am not like the rest. I promise. I made my choice.”