Culmination

by Selena IR Drake

  “Heile esso!” A ball of violet fire shot out from Thera’s hand just in the nick of time. Both spells struck each other and erupted in an explosion that leveled several surrounding area. Soldiers caught in the blast disintegrated into nothingness while others were thrown meters away from where they were standing.

  Thera’s knees shook and threatened to give out as her wards sucked away the energy needed to deflect the blast. She placed her palm flat against the tree, drawing in energy from its life force as she peered around its girth again. She located Pox a few meters from where she had been, blown away by the force of the blast. She was shakily crawling to her feet and trying in vain to reapply her own wards. An idea suddenly occurred to Thera and she quickly moved towards her sister.

  Pox was too drained at that point to stop her sister from whatever she schemed. She fell back on her backside and hugged herself with her ebony wings as she trembled, both in fear and from the immense drain of energy. Thera stopped in front of her and cast a sphere around them for protection lest the soldiers try to interfere. Pox resisted the urge to cry as she looked into Thera’s violet eyes. A look of pity crossed the older Feykin’s features and she sighed.

  “Pox,” Thera’s voice was as gentle as a kiss, “Piper, please tell me, did Dimitri give you anything when you met?”

  Pox slowly nodded.

  Thera knelt. “What did he give you?”

  “This.” Pox gingerly touched the ancient necklace draped around her neck.

  “Take it off.”

  Pox refused. “The Shadow Keeper will brainwash me if I do.”

  “He already has, Piper.” Thera whispered. Slowly, she reached out to grasp the necklace. She uttered a spell, gave a good yank, and the necklace fell to pieces. Pox gasped and looked about confused.

  “Wh-where am I? How did I get here?”

  Thera smiled in relief and hugged her sister tightly. Pox fought the embrace and begged for answers. “Your mind has been under the control of the Shadow Keeper for the last year and a half, but I finally managed to free you from him.”

  “Year and a half?” Pox was aghast. Before the sisters could exchange any more words, another presence burst into the clearing. Thera peered over her shoulder as soldiers rushed in. Shazza quirked an eyebrow at the Feykin and loosed arrows into the soldiers. She slapped several more away with the arms of her bow as she knocked and loosed more missiles.

  “Kitfox needs help.”

  Thera glanced at Pox. “You ready?”

  The younger Feykin nodded.

  Together the three of them raced through the forest as fast as they could, taking out several soldiers along the way.

  ◆◆◆

  I dodged several low branches as I sprinted through the perpetual white forest. A horde of soldiers followed in my wake, making quite a ruckus in their haste. I could almost laugh at their clumsiness. Almost.

  A vision in lavender and black flashed between the trees to my right. Recognizing who it was, I whooped in joy and promptly changed directions. As if sensing something was about to go terribly wrong for them, the soldiers redoubled their efforts to catch me.

  An arrow whispered past my cheek and dug into a tree trunk with a loud thunk. I chose to ignore it, for retaliating the attack could prove a problem should the soldiers manage to surround me in the time it took to kill the archer.

  The trees thinned at last, but the soldiers did not. I sped through the blockade with a frenzy of flashing steel and blood. Kitfox gaped at me as I came to a stop directly in front of him. Visler chirped happily as he landed on my shoulder and nudged his small head against my cheek. I stroked his body to calm him while I looked Kitfox over. The Demon was a mess of bloodied cuts and mud and his clothes had been torn, yet the disheveled look somehow flattered him. I whispered a few healing and warding spells and he sighed in relief.

  “Thank you.” He said and darted around behind me to block a blow from a soldier. Visler hissed and took flight to spit lightning at a few soldiers. Kitfox and I stood together, our backs facing each other as we sunk into fighting stances, ready to defend ourselves against the swarms of soldiers closing in around us.

  “Have you seen Shazza or Thera?” I asked over my shoulder.

  “We got separated.”

  Before anything else could be said between us, the soldiers surged forward. I charged the first wave of soldiers in a short encounter, killing or incapacitating at least four in the first few seconds. Still more rushed forward, and more again. Every one of them met a similar fate as those who had come before. Soon, a few dozen men were slumped and lifeless around me and still more were moving in.

  Gods! How many are there?

  A flare of violet light exploded from the trees and a huge fireball tore through the ranks of soldiers. The inferno burned itself out in seconds and a black ash fluttered to the ground like snowflakes. The stench of untold numbers of burnt corpses stung my eyes and burned my nose. Most of the few remaining soldiers haphazardly retreated further into the woods. I took a moment to rest and check on Kitfox. He was a few meters away, desperately batting at the purple flames clinging to his tail. It was several seconds before they were finally extinguished.

  “Thera!” He shouted at the trees. “You burned my tail!”

  “You’ll survive.” She laughed. Visler dove for her as she entered the clearing with Shazza and Pox in tow. Upon seeing the younger Feykin, Kitfox sunk into a defensive stance and glanced at me as if asking for help.

  “You need not fear me, Demon.” Pox said quietly. “Thera broke the spell which held my mind hostage.”

  “Dimitri used an ancient necklace as a catalyst,” explained Thera, “and when I broke it, Piper was freed from its influence.”

  Kitfox slowly relaxed his guard.

  “Do you know how many soldiers Dimitri sent against us?” I asked.

  Pox shook her head. “I’m sorry. The last thing I remember is being in the Elders’ Chamber in Thorna. Everything after that is a complete blank.”

  “I know how you feel.”

  “So,” Shazza coughed and waved her hand in front of her face to clear the smoke, “what is the plan now?”

  I let my eyes close. Focusing on the remnants of my dreams from so long ago, I pieced together a memory. “We have to get to the Temple.” My brow furrowed as I recalled the building. “It’s secluded from the rest, surrounded by trees…” I opened my eyes, “… on the western edge of the city.”

  “Let’s get going before those soldiers decide to come back.” Shazza said as she knocked a pair of arrows.

  A deep baritone guffawed in the darkness. “Too late.”

  The five of us flourished our weapons in a flash. The shadows of the forest closed in all around us and with them came countless soldiers. The grotesque Judge, Vincent, strode confidently from the trees, passing between lines of soldiers until he was just meters away from me. He stabbed the handle of his giant axe into the ground and smirked as he leaned against it.

  “Well, well, well.” Vincent chuckled. “What are you going to do now, little girl.”

  “Oh, I can think of a few things.” I grinned. “For starters,” I pointed a folded tessen at him, “I think I’ll take a few kilos off your backside. Kinda lighten the load for you.”

  His smugness evaporated with a snarl. “Kill them!”

  In an instant the countless hordes of soldiers surged forward; shields up, swords drawn, bloodthirsty. I bellowed as they engaged me and lashed out right and left with my war fans. I felt the flesh of their necks shred as the many blades sliced through. They fell away, clutching their throats and gurgling for only a second before their lives were snuffed out. More soldiers moved in and the dance was repeated.

  Blood soaked the earth and the glowing, white trees turned an eerie crimson. The hordes of soldiers continued to throw themselves upon our blades. There were no painful hollers. No cries of anguish. No pleas for mercy. Just silence. Death. Massacre. Slaughter.

  Dimitri, what
have you done to these men?

  I wept. For every blow I landed, a tear was shed.

  Baféjo ni Heile.

  I gasped at the familiar, spectral whisper. I kicked the corpse of yet another soldier away and dared a glance deep into the white forest. A red light danced between the glowing trunks as if beaconing to me. Memories of the nearly forgotten dream that started this whole quest suddenly came flooding back.

  “Come on!” I shouted. I launched a spell to clear a path between the soldiers and took off after the red light. Kitfox called out to me, asking what was happening as he, Shazza, Thera, and Pox took off after me. I didn’t answer; there wasn’t time to.

  Behind us Vincent bellowed, “After them!”

  The soldiers, of course, obeyed without question.

  We raced through the forest for about thirty meters when, out of the corner of my eye, a crimson and gold bird launched off a branch. The phoenix burst into flames with a screech and streaked through the trees. A wall of crimson fire roared to life in Her wake and promptly took up chase.

  She screeched again as She passed in front of me and I smiled. She sped off with the fire close on Her tail, disappearing into the thicket. I kept running, onwards, towards the wall of fire. My friends hollered for me to stop, and I yelled back, “Keep up with me!”

  I sped through the crimson flames without hesitation and without injury. As I had anticipated, the inferno was nothing but an illusion meant to throw off the soldiers. I finally slowed to a stop just as my teammates crossed over the roiling barrier. I could tell from the look in their eyes, they had no idea what had just happened. Before they could utter a word, the first wave of soldiers came face to face with the inferno. For them, the fire was as real as the ground they walked on and they ignited in an instant.

  I turned my back on the massacre. With a whispered prayer for the dead, I calmly lead the way towards the Forgotten City.

  The white cloaks were getting to me – actually to all of us. Xyleena had mentioned one of them helping a maiden in Monrai, another was spotted in Vronan, and yet a third was recently observed in Jetep. Who was under those cloaks? Were they helping us or…? More riddles. Just when I had had my fill of them.

  – FROM “THE SECOND KEEPER” BY THERA ONYX

  The silver mist roiled as I lead my teammates through the forest. The shadows of the trees had grown even longer, stretching eastward as if trying to touch the horizon. The darkness gave the impression of midnight, and I had to summon a light by which to see.

  Over an hour had passed since we left the soldiers to burn. The damp, uneven ground we strode on had finally taken to a steep incline. I knew then, our destination was drawing nearer. Another hour had passed with the six of us plodding along through the muck and branches. The muscles in my legs burned from the exercise and begged me for rest.

  I pushed on.

  The soggy earth soon gave way to ancient stones, and the city loomed out of the trees before us. I paused beneath a half-standing archway to admire the ghost of a memory.

  The Forgotten City had been built in multiple tiers, carved into the sides of the surrounding hills. Everything was centered around a trio of huge, rectangular yards which stepped gradually down until the lowest one nearly touched the rolling sea. The first level of the city above the yards was vast and overgrown with foliage that, at one time, was part of a luscious garden. Many walkways and stairs that once led to the upper levels had been reduced to nothing more than gravel. The second tier contained the majority of the buildings, most of which were nothing but piles of rubble now. The third and fourth tiers were similar to the second, but with more room for gardens. A fifth and even a sixth tier had been carved into the hills in a few places. Both of those levels were barren save for foliage and a few large chunks of stone.

  The city had had a proper name once; I remembered speaking it. But like so many things in the distant past, it, too, had been forgotten. Only ghosts and legends remained.

  “Why was this place abandoned again?” I jumped at Thera’s sudden and loud inquiry.

  “I heard a plague wiped out the entire population.” Kitfox replied.

  “Not quite.” Shazza and I chorused. We exchanged a look while the others looked on in a mix of confusion and awe.

  I took several steps into the city and turned to face my friends. I raised my arms as if to catch rain and smiled. “Behold the first Hume city of Ithnez.”

  “We Dákun Daju called it S’vil-Tokai, City of Intruders, but the Hume’s named it Arcadia.”

  I snapped my fingers and pointed at Shazza. “That’s it! That was the name! I couldn’t remember.”

  “Ironic.” Mumbled Kitfox. I blew a raspberry at him, turned quickly on my heel, and started off through the city. He and the others were quick to follow.

  “The Humes were forced to leave S’vil-Tokai because of Agasei.” Shazza explained. “During the time of his ascension to Dragon Keeper, his newborn Dragon of Venom attacked the island. When she was done having her way, the trees had turned stark white and the mist rolled in; proof that the area was no longer able to sustain life.”

  “But the Humes stayed anyway.” I added, hopping over a thick root that wove its way across the stone walkway. “They stayed until famine and sickness claimed most of the population.”

  “After that, the Humes fled to Mekora Lesca, and settled in the area which would later become Bakari-Tokai, City of Survivors.”

  “Yeah,” I sighed, “then Agasei up and attacked again, claimed an easy victory, and declared himself King of all Ithnez.”

  “I confess a curiosity,” said Pox. “You said the cities’ names, Bakari- and S’vil-Tokai, meant City of Survivors and Intruders. I thought those were Earther words. What language is it?”

  Shazza smirked at the young Feykin. “It is the real Ancient Tongue of Ithnez, Daihindi, Holy Language of my people. It was combined with the Earthers’ Standard dialect and transformed into Kinös Elda.”

  “Thanks for that interesting history lesson.” Kitfox said cheerfully. “I am a bit surprised that you knew so much about it though, Shazza. Pay attention in school?”

  She scoffed, and ducked under a mess of dangling tree roots as we passed through an arch. She paused to look around. “Are we leaving S’vil-Tokai?”

  “I told you,” I said, casting a glance at her over my shoulder, “the Temple is on the western edge of the city.”

  “Are we close to it?” Asked Pox.

  I nodded.

  “What’s so special about this Temple anyway?”

  I smiled. “You’ll see.”

  ◆◆◆

  I led the way around a bend in the path and the trees thinned. I smiled as I came to a stop and my teammates gathered around. The Temple of Arcadia towered over us.

  The Temple was made of white quartzite blocks, polished as smooth as glass. The forest had overtaken much the building in the centuries since the city’s abandonment. Thick vines and roots crept along the walls, competing for room and cracking the pristine shell like an egg. Great portions of the rock had crumbled away; the ground was littered with evidence of the decay.

  A gate of golden lattice marked the entrance. Perched just above the gate was a black dragon statue. Unlike the others, this one had its wings outstretched as it stood on all fours. Its head was bowed as if in respect to the holy area it had been placed in. Between the doorway and my team, a narrow bridge spanned a tranquil stream.

  “Follow me.” I softly said. I took the first steps onto the bridge. When the ancient stones didn’t crumble away as I had expected, I moved a little more confidently over the bridge. My teammates walked single-file behind me.

  I pulled the gold gate open, surprised that the hinges did not protest the movement after centuries of disuse. My teammates filed into the Temple. Kitfox lingered beside me, taking hold of the gate as he ushered me over the threshold. The gate slipped shut with a resounding clang. Birds roosting in the remains of the Temple rafters squawked and took fligh
t on a thunder of wings. They rushed through the gaps in the Temple roof in hopes of escaping whatever disturbed them. Finally everything fell silent.

  I took a breath and moved past my teammates. I stepped down the five stairs, into the body of the Temple. I stopped in the middle and looked about while the others joined me.

  The main room was circular and large enough to fit at least three dragons abreast. A raised platform ran the circumference of the room. Upon the platform stood five statues, placed at specific intervals to create a pentagram. The statues each measured about five meters high and depicted the Hume-forms of the Gods or Goddesses for which the Temple had been built.

  They were the Five Souls of Creation. I bowed my head in respects to each of them, pausing longest in Zahadu-Kitai’s direction to quietly thank her for her help escaping the hordes of soldiers.

  Directly opposite the entrance, behind the formless statue of Régon and between two crumbling staircases that once led to the priest quarters above, a door was hidden.

  Anyone else who would set their eyes on the door would think it nothing more than decoration, but I knew better. The door was craft from the same stone as the Temple making it appear as nothing was there, but inlayed into the bricks, in a pentagram pattern, were gold plates; five in all. Each plate was about the size of my hand and had an elemental seal embossed upon it. And every so often, a light representing the element on the plate would radiate outwards before fading away.

  “It’s locked.”

  My teammates shot me a quizzical look.

  “The Path of the Gods is locked.” I pointed at the five radiating seals.

  “What exactly is the ‘Path of the Gods’?” Asked Kitfox as he peered around the statue of Régon to look at the door.

  “The Path is the only way for a living person to reach Havel.” I watched, bemused, as my teammates seemed to grow evermore impressed by the doorway.