Keys of Candor: Trilogy

by Casey Eanes

  Most units must have pressed for the exterior to set up a perimeter before retreat. She pressed the elevator button rapidly. The light on the fixture lit up, and Willyn bit her lip as she thought to herself. At least we’re safe. Just as the thought had time to die, one of the doors to Willyn’s left burst open and a swell of bodies pressed through the opening, clawing for the void, competing for entry.

  “Fire!” Willyn screamed as she opened fire on the doorway, quickly emptying her pistol’s magazine. The two soldiers lifted their assault rifles and sprayed a barrage of bullets into the horde, leveling a never-ending series of morels, one after another. The soldiers surrounded Luken, shielding him from the hoard threatening to pour through the door. Willyn took one brief glance and saw Luken’s eyes were like dark, vacant pools; completely black.

  A thunderous crack snapped the fear out of her mind. A mass of fallen bodies littered the entryway, nearly blocking the doorway, but three morels slipped through the mass and scattered like insects. Her hands flew to reload her weapon. Willyn drew a bead on one of the morels and fired, quickly downing it, but she lost sight of the others in the chaos.

  “Keep your fire on the doorway, men!” Willyn screamed over the sound of their rifles. She reloaded, chasing the two who had eluded her. A body flashed to the right of her vision.

  Willyn dashed forward and dove, twisting in air, opening fire as the morel came in her sights. The monster slumped to the floor as Willyn slammed into the concrete.

  Her face was turned upward to the ceiling. Directly above her were the white clouded eyes of the third fiend. It had once been a woman, but now it hung to the ceiling like some demented cat. Long ringlets of blood-streaked saliva poured out her maw, smacking against the cool concrete floor. The beast leapt from its perch, its claws extended for the kill. Willyn’s hands reached for her combat dagger. In a flash she swung high and met her mark, allowing gravity to do its job on the extended blade. The beast whimpered as it took a few weak swipes at Willyn before she flipped the monster’s carcass to the side. The elevator dinged, its happy chime muffled in the cloud of gunfire, and the doors slowly rolled open. Willyn raced back to Luken’s side.

  “Men! In the lift. Now!” Willyn pointed at the elevator bank as she lifted Luken. The two infantrymen fell back to the elevator’s open door all while continuing to fire on the open door as more morels clawed for entry. “Fall in, men!” Willyn shouted.

  “After you, my Sar!”

  Willyn set Luken on the floor as he broke out into a guttural scream, shuttering and clasping at his temples. One of the two soldiers ceased fire and stared at Luken, his mouth hanging open. “We should leave him, my Sar. He is too far gone.” Willyn shoved both soldiers into the open elevator. “I said no one dies on my behalf today... no one.”

  Willyn slammed her hand down on the elevator console. Then she snatched a grenade from the ranking soldier’s belt and slipped out into the lobby just as the elevator doors slammed shut. “My Sar!” Willyn could hear the two men scrambling inside, trying to open the doors as the lift creaked to life and sent them down to the lower shafts.

  Willyn accessed an adjacent elevator while firing on the open door. The carnage filling the open space made the opening nearly impenetrable but the morels were relentlessly screaming and slashing their way through, brutally slicing through the remains of their fallen kin. The chime sounded as the lift opened behind Willyn and she dragged Luken by his shoulders onto its cold metallic floor. Luken howled like a wild beast and continued to claw at his scalp. Willyn pulled the pin on the grenade and lobbed it at the doorway where the morels were pouring through.

  “Brother Luken,” Isphet whispered. The Lord of Chaos stood like a watchtower observing the walls of Rhuddenhall as they crumbled under his hive’s force and power. Upon Hangman’s Pass, the Serub lord could see everything, relishing the advancements he made upon the Groganlands capital. The dead in Zenith had proven most useful for this task, and Isphet congratulated himself on his accomplishment. The screams of thousands filled the air and brought a twisted smile to Isphet’s face. All of this was a pleasing offering to his dark master.

  Even from here, he could sense that his brother was not far. He whispered, pushing his presence into his broken mind. “You cannot hide from me, Luken. I can smell the blood lust within you...you are now like us all, aren’t you? Come out to me. Join me. Only I can release you from your pain.” He held out a long, clawed finger to scrape the air, clawing against the defenses of his kin’s mind. “All will fall, brother. You will fall just like this city. Give up and join me…go ahead and bring me our red-headed friend.”

  The elevator door slid shut, quickly followed by a deafening explosion that sent the elevator thundering down the shaft. The lift shuddered under the eruption’s pressure, pausing momentarily, but the gears quickly found their fit, and Willyn and Luken slid to temporary safety. The deeper they descended, the quieter Luken became. His screaming and flailing slowed until he lay on the floor, panting and covered in sweat. “He knows, Willyn. He sees. I can’t—”

  “Stop. Just rest.” Willyn checked Luken’s vitals and felt her own heart settle a bit as she found a steady pulse. “I have a plan.”

  “Willyn. I can’t be anywhere near you or your men.” A tear broke free and streaked Luken’s dirt-stained cheek. “He will find us all.”

  Willyn leaned over Luken and offered a wry smile. “No one dies today, Luken. I know what we need to do. Trust me.”

  Luken sighed and laid his head back, panting in exhaustion, his hands trembling on his chest. “Please, Willyn—”

  The words died off as Luken slipped out of consciousness. The elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. Willyn checked her pistol and scanned the lobby as it came into view. The flickering fluorescent lights revealed a large group of people gathered outside the elevator door, and a great cheer rang out as the soldiers applauded their commander’s arrival.

  Rander ran to Willyn’s side and helped her move Luken to a nearby bench. “Men are arriving by the minute. We stand ready to obey your orders, my Sar.”

  Willyn scanned the room and met the gaze of the men and women of arms, all eyes on her as the sound of muffled explosions lightly shook the corridors despite the tunnel’s depth.

  “Everyone should travel to Doril’s Bane east of Legion’s Teeth. Take whatever you can but waste no time. We must leave now.”

  “You heard her. Board the rail lines now!” Rander’s voice rang out and men and women quickly shuffled for nearby railcars while others punched at consoles, calling every available car toward the subterranean station.

  Willyn pulled Rander to the side and glanced back at Luken, making sure they were out of his earshot before whispering, “Go nowhere near Doril’s Bane. I can’t explain, but head for the caverns beneath the Serpent’s Spine and reconstitute there. Reroute all cars to the station at Damrall over the datalink coms. There should be supplies enough there.”

  Rander nodded and started to turn for the central control when Willyn grasped his shoulder.

  “One more thing, Rander. Have your men light every explosive they can in this station once the last car leaves. I don’t want to give them any chance to follow. I imagine we have no more than ten minutes before those things figure out how to make their way down the elevator shafts.”

  “It will be close, but I think we can do it.” Rander bolted for the console and screamed out over the crowd. “We must hurry! Fit as many in each car as possible, no one sits, not even the wounded, we all stand so we can fight another day!”

  Willyn watched as the crowd of soldiers pressed into the first railcar, filling it to capacity before it left. It was then replaced by another line car, then another. Rander’s closest guards ran lines from one charge to another, wrapping the concrete pillars in high-grade explosives. Every man and woman went to work, moving as fast as possible, each person determined to avenge the loss of Rhuddenhall.

  A third railcar pulled into the stat
ion and the final contingent of soldiers pressed into the car, filling it halfway. Rander stepped aboard and turned for Willyn, motioning for her to bring Luken aboard.

  Willyn shook her head. “I will be the last to leave, Rander. No questions.” She reached out her hand. “Hand me the detonator.”

  Rander stammered and protested. “But, my Sar, you—”

  “Now.” Willyn’s gaze was as sharp as a blade and her response was quick. “That’s an order.”

  “Aye.” Rander released the detonator and bowed his head as he stepped back into the railcar. The doors slid shut and the last of the line cars rolled out of sight. Willyn could still hear muffled explosions overhead, but she knew she didn’t have much time. The Shambling were coming, their screams echoing down the old elevator shafts. The pound of their bodies falling down the shafts began, each fall becoming more and more rapid. Soon they would be prying through the doors. As the explosions thundered overhead, Willyn drew in a deep breath and steadied herself, trying not to think about the fact that she had ordered the demolition of the Groganland’s proudest city.

  Strange reversal of fortune isn’t it, Lyn?

  “Focus,” she told herself. She tugged at Luken, loading him into a small rail line service car. She paused and took in the scene. Despite the destruction and despite the retreat, she felt a sense of victory as she thought of all the men and women still alive. Her people were safe, riding away to fight another day.

  Willyn slumped Luken’s large frame into one of the bucket seats in the small cart and positioned herself at the controls. She dialed in the coordinates and sat down as the small car slid onto the main track and pushed for Legion’s Teeth. Fifty yards into the tunnel Willyn flipped the cap on the detonator and depressed the ignition. A bright orange fireball flashed behind Willyn as a barrage of crumbling concrete and stone fell apart behind her. A cloud of roaring dust chased Willyn’s car but was lost in the darkness of the tunnel as the small cart pulled her and Luken deeper into the depths of the Groganlands.

  As silence set in, Willyn sat down and turned her chair to face Luken. His breathing was calming from its frantic pace and from what could be seen under the glow of her flashlight, his color seemed to be returning. “Rest. We are safe for now.”

  “What happened back there, Willyn?” Luken rubbed at the crown of his head and sat up, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dark. “And, where are we?”

  Willyn poured a canteen of water onto a cloth and offered it to Luken. “We survived. Now wash up, you look terrible.”

  “Glad to know my looks are of top priority,” Luken quipped as he wiped the dirt and blood from his face. “Seriously though, where are we? It’s so...quiet.”

  “In the deepest mine I know of. I figured perhaps Isphet couldn’t reach you here.” Willyn stopped and locked eyes with Luken. “Can you still hear him?”

  Luken paused and closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath through his nose and slowly exhaling. His eyelids flitted and softened as he opened his eyes again. “No.” His voice echoed through the dark cavern. “Thank Aleph…no.”

  “Good,” Willyn quickly replied. “That means we have time to figure out our next move.”

  Luken shook his head and slowly stood to his feet. “Our next move? What can the two of us do? You saw what he did to me and I don’t even know where he was. He didn’t even have to see me to—”

  “We will figure something out. We have to.”

  “You don’t understand, Willyn. Ever since...well...ever since the desert...something happened to me.”

  “We can figure it out, Luken.”

  “No. We can’t!” Luken shouted. “You saw what I became. Ever since Abtren gave me your blood my connection to them is stronger than ever. Your blood did something to me.”

  Willyn’s eyes flashed with anger and frustration. “What?” Willyn stepped closer to Luken. “What did I do to you?”

  Luken sighed and shook his head before slumping back down into the cot. “You saved my life. Multiple times. It wasn’t you...it....it wasn’t your fault.” Luken’s voice softened and he wiped the cloth against his face before exhaling and sitting back. “I just. I don’t trust myself anymore and I don’t think you can trust me either.”

  Willyn furrowed her brow and shook her head as she sat next to Luken on the small canvas cot. She spoke in a low whisper.

  “You are the only person I trust, Luken. If I can’t trust you, then who can I trust?”

  Luken’s gray eyes softened and he offered a quaint smile. “Yourself.”

  Willyn tried to laugh as she fought back images of Hagan morphing into Isphet in her head. “I am having more trouble trusting myself than anything else right now if I am honest. It seems Isphet has us both doubting ourselves.”

  The two sat in silence, staring at the floor as the sound of a small drip of water fell from the cave ceiling, methodically echoing in the distance.

  “I need you, Luken,” Willyn whispered, breaking the silence. “I think you’re the only one who can help me know what’s real and what’s not.”

  Luken smiled and nodded as he touched her arm. “I think I can handle that.”

  “Good.” Willyn smiled and nodded. She felt her pulse quicken and her lungs tighten as a warm flush covered her. She bit her lip and exhaled as she tried to fight the magnetism drawing her closer to Luken’s side. The pair sat in silence as Willyn ran her hand across Luken’s cheek, wiping the last spot of dried mud from his face.

  Luken’s hand slid across Willyn’s back and he pulled her closer. Willyn’s lips hovered inches from Luken’s as she tried to catch her breath, teetering between her duty and all she wanted most.

  Luken inched forward, cautiously, but Willyn plunged in, her lips locking against his. She held him there for what seemed to be an eternal moment where everything else—the war, the fighting, the fear of death—seemed to vanish in the darkness.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “Forty miles to the border.”

  Adley’s voice could barely be heard over the roar of Cyric’s jeep ripping through the thick brush of Preost’s forests. Carefully, she wound the vehicle through the rough trail that served as their road out of the Realm. On their journey they encountered long tracks of burned wilderness, evidence of Seam’s mad conquest for Taluum. Wael’s face was visibly pained with each new outcropping of ruined land they encountered, but he said nothing. The forest and the conclave of Aleph followers would regrow in time, stronger than ever. Kull sat in the back, admiring a Realm that even in its current state still bore the air of a majestic wilderness.

  The Lottian border was fast approaching, and with it an unknown future. Adley spoke, her face painted with worry. “So, let’s go over the details again. We are going into Lotte to reconnect with the Resistance, right?”

  Wael nodded silently.

  “My question is why don’t we use Cyric’s datalink to contact Ewing? To at least confirm that Vale is safe to approach? Since the attack on Taluum we have been totally cut off and have no clue what we’re driving into.” Adley shook her head and peered into the rearview mirror, waiting for a response. Adley continued, “We have no idea what we will encounter. If Henshaw was so easily invaded by Seam, who can say that he hasn’t sent whatever forces he has left from Zenith into Lotte? We may be heading right for a trap.”

  “I would not use Cyric’s datalink if my life depended on it, Adley.” Wael’s voice was firm. “We have no idea who is watching and monitoring the feeds. We will be careful upon the border crossing, and we will travel at night. With all that Kull has told us we have no idea if Seam is even alive.”

  Kull sat in the back seat next to the monstrous Rot, who looked rather pleased to have the cool forest air blowing through his layered, drooling jowls. Kull glanced back in the cargo hold. Cyric lay gagged and bound like a sheep heading for the slaughterhouse. The bounty hunter had long since given up struggling, but his eyes shot daggers at Kull. Rot did not take kindly to the look and bore a single
fang at the bounty hunter, his one yellow eye locked on him as a stern warning. Kull smiled, happy to know that Rot was not as distracted as he looked. He turned back to Wael and Adley, his voice somber. “I don’t know what happened to Seam. All I know is that Zenith was destroyed and then the Spire fell. All in all, this should make me glad, but Seam’s defeat only brought the coming of Isphet.”

  They fell into silence at the mention of the Serub’s name. Kull continued, his voice grave, “Isphet is more than enough to worry about.”

  Wael broke in, his voice uplifted. “You are correct, Kull, but don’t forget that Seam’s defeat also brought you back to us. Aleph’s working is evident since you now are with us once again.”

  Kull sat silently, his mind heavy and his emotions distant from Wael’s positivity. He held the Mastermonk’s advice in high regard, but it did not match what he felt in the pit of his stomach. What are we going to do? Kull could not shake what he had seen in the ruins of Taluum. The morel had spoken to him in the Serub’s voice, “What are you doing here, boy?” The encounter had made his skin crawl...and it proved that the Serub could have spies everywhere. Yes, Isphet was more dangerous than Seam had ever been, even when the High King bore all the Keys.

  Kull felt a thought pierce his mind, clear and powerful. You were able to fight Isphet. To match him in both tenacity and strength. Do not underestimate the power that has been bestowed upon you and the Key you now guard.

  Kull’s eyes flew to the Mastermonk, who casually looked at Kull from the rearview mirror of the jeep. Wael stared brightly at him in the mirror.

  There has never been such a sign in Candor’s history. You truly are the Keeper.

  Kull stretched his mind back toward his friend. But what am I going to do, Wael?

  Wael smiled and his voice was audible over the rumble of the vehicle. “We...we are going to train you, and I will guide you in all that I know of my Order. You will be taught in the high arts of soul stretching and spirit walking, and you will be able to answer that question yourself.” Wael threw his head back and laughed, his voice thundering up to the sky. “Yes, this is our next step.”