by Lori Hyrup
Only a handful of seconds had passed since the new attack had begun, and already another kruusta lay dead. Aria wanted to crumple where she stood. It was her actions that had allowed them to go free; these deaths were her fault.
The two krumetuses turned as one toward Aria. They strode in her direction slowly, menacingly. Aria glanced about the quad, seeing the fearful, tear-filled, hopeful eyes that stood witness to the evening’s battle. Pity and guilt could wait. She needed to keep fighting. Aria prepared herself for their charge, but nothing came.
Instead the two hulking monsters lifted their claws and began shooting spines—not one or two at a time but dozens. Aria fought on the defensive, deflecting each spine that came near. They flew faster and more frequent, and she willed her arm to speed up in response. She became her blade. The crystal began to sing, and she swam in its melody.
Suddenly the spines stopped though the krumetuses had not halted their attack. They snarled but not at Aria. A few moments passed before she noticed Kharra moving past her. “Sorry we’re late,” said Kharra, sad but determined. The concentration behind Kharra’s eyes indicated she was holding the creatures at bay with her mind. “We were fighting three of them over on the west courtyard. We killed one, but these two fled.”
From the corner of her eye, Aria caught a streak of white and blue. Zephyron’s energy blade spun into view. The two krumetuses whipped around to face the new assailant. One charged Zephyron, but he leaped not to the side but over the top of the creature. Flipping head over feet, Zephyron landed on the run and continued on to the second beast. Not expecting the assault, the creature failed to protect itself from the approaching blade. The weapon connected with the creature’s thick crystalline arm, creating a shower of sparks that lit up the entire quad.
The beast moved backward slowly. Unusual behavior for a krumetus, Aria noted. Suddenly Kharra crumpled. Beside her stood Priest Kilgor, holding what looked to be a long crystalline knife.
Before Aria had time to react, the krumetus Zephyron had jumped over scooped Kharra up in its glass-like claws and in a bound, leaped up to the roof and continued on out of sight.
Sensing something wrong, Zephyron spun around. As he did so, the krumetus he was fighting sliced him across the shoulder and down along his back. Zephyron fell, his crimson blood spilling out upon the gray flagstones.
Kharra’s deflection and Zephyron’s interception of the krumetuses had given Aria enough moments to collect herself. She whirled her sword around in her hand and approached the beast. It watched her warily. The creature sidestepped, circling her as she circled it. Finally the monster struck, jabbing directly at her and causing the shards on one of its claws to extend unnaturally far. The action came so fast that Aria did not see the motion, but she sensed it, giving her just enough time to twist away. The other claw swung horizontally from the right, and her twist collided with it before she could correct her movement. Luck was with her though, and the strike landed against the shards in her own shoulder. The attack cut through her new tunic, but she remained unharmed.
Aria retaliated with attacks of her own, ducking under the creature’s left arm and slicing where the arm connected with the torso. Human or shard beast, that area hurt. In pain, the monster’s inhuman reflexes brought its jagged elbow down on Aria’s back. She staggered forward before being thrown off her feet. She rolled with her momentum to avoid injury but found the creature already beside her as she attempted to stand. Its longest claw, somewhat resembling a krusword, stabbed through her just beneath the collarbone. A collective gasp echoed off the area’s stone walls. The krumetus lifted her off the ground with its swordshard and flung her to the opposite side of the quad. She landed on her shoulder and tumbled a number of times before coming to a stop against the wall.
Before she fully regained her senses, flames of pain shot up through her leg as the beast slammed its claws down on her hamstring. She screamed. Once again the creature lifted her up and threw her. This time she was ready for the landing, but her injured leg failed to respond to her. Unable to catch herself, she collided with the fountain.
Dazed, Aria ignored the sting of blood dripping into her eyes. She saw the beast’s reflection approaching her from behind, walking deliberately toward her. Between her head, her leg, and her shoulder, she struggled to get her body to respond as she wanted. The creature knew she was finished. She managed to twist herself around to face the monster and meet its eyes, eyes that just a few hours ago had been that of a young boy. Now those eyes were cold, calculating, and inhuman.
The krumetus lifted its claw to finish her. Aria steeled herself for the blow that never came. Instead the distinct ting sound of something colliding with the crystal, with its head, drew the creature’s attention away. To the side of the quad, awkward yet fearless, youthful but possessed with the determination of a seasoned warrior, stood First Acolyte Dolson. He held a crossbow, one designed to fire crystal-crafted bolts.
Dolson reloaded the crossbow and fired again, this time hitting the krumetus in the chest. The beast broke the shaft protruding from its chest and threw it aside. The bolts were designed for much smaller shard beasts, not krumetuses. Dolson knew that. The creature stomped one of its clawed feet in his direction, thrust its chest forward, swung its arms wide, and bellowed at the acolyte. Dolson reloaded and fired again. The shot hit the creature’s arm.
Dolson was buying her time, distracting the beast so she could get free. He did not know how bad her injuries were, but she was not about to let him throw away his life for her sake. Aria closed her eyes and pulled deeply on the power of her crystal. It answered her, giving her all the power it had, but it did not end there. Her crystal called out to the shard, the one with which she had connected earlier, and the shard responded. She drew the shard’s power into herself, drinking it even deeper. Every fiber of her being came alive. The pain overwhelming her just moments ago disappeared. She could hear the breathing, the heartbeats, and the tears of all those who watched. She could smell the blood of the fallen kruustas and the wet stones that had been splashed by the fountain’s water. Aria opened her eyes.
The creature charged Dolson. The young man never flinched. Instead he held his crossbow steady and faced down the menace that rushed at him, knowing he would die for his actions. Aria could not let that happen. She clutched her sword in hand, and with speed she never knew a human could possess, dashed over to Dolson. Aria pushed him out of the way and took the full force of the krumetus’s charge. She clung to its head and beat down on it with her weapon. The beast grabbed at her and flung her aside. She landed lightly on her feet and ran back at the creature. Not expecting such a tactic, the beast attempted to deflect her blow, but she adjusted her attack at the last moment, striking its arm in the same place Zephyron had struck earlier. Her blade sliced through cleanly. The arm, from the elbow down, fell to the ground.
The krumetus howled in pain and swung at her with its other arm. It was too slow. Aria moved around behind the beast, slicing its knee as she went. The knee buckled. It swung at her again, and again it missed. Its movements had slowed so much that Aria had no problem reading them. She danced around the creature with practiced steps, her sword swirling in a blur of motion. The song of her crystal harmonized with her movement. The beast had difficulty following her. It attempted to shoot a spike at her, but she swiped it aside with little effort. In the same motion, she lopped off its other arm. Before it even realized the second arm was gone, Aria leaped onto its head, and with a two-handed grip, she drove her krusword down through its skull. She heard the crunch of the crystal and the squish of its brain as the sword sank down. The creature toppled over, and Aria jumped free before it hit the ground.
Nearby a cacophony of shrills and shouts assaulted Aria’s ears, challenging the song of battle to which she danced. With the rage of the shard still flowing through her, Aria turned and took three steps toward the noise. Colors—blue, green, and yellow—swirled in front of her. Unsure of what they meant, Ar
ia paused. The sounds assaulted her ears once again, and she shouted in response. The colors faltered, and the sounds disappeared. Something touched her arm, giving her pause. Slowly the world came back into focus. The sounds she had heard had been students cheering for her success. They were silent now, all staring with mouths hanging open, confusion and fear evident in their eyes.
Aria glanced around. Blood splatter dotted every part of the quad’s stone walkways. The fountain’s masonry spread out across the quad, shattered into hundreds of pieces. Several walls were now nothing more than piles of rubble. Aria peered at her arm and the hand that touched it. It was Priestess Pleria. Her face showed a mix of fear, relief, and disbelief. Dolson, a short distance away, dusted himself off from her rescue. Aria saw the bodies of her fallen companions, and a heavy pang of sorrow and guilt for the loss of their lives assaulted her heart. Then a moment of elation coursed through her body when she saw a pair of healers move an explicative-shouting Zai’il onto a stretcher. Aria blinked, finally allowing herself to breathe but not daring to allow herself to relax.
As quickly as it had flooded into her, the power of the shard seeped away. As it withdrew, she felt herself falling, but she could not summon the will to catch herself. That was when the blackness overcame her.
16
THE MONSTER WITHIN
Kharra watched the man who paced just out of her kicking range. She was hanging by her wrists in rusted wrought iron shackles. Their chipped edges scraped on top of the abrasions she had already acquired from the monster that had brought her to this place. She had been unconscious during the trip, only waking up after arriving, and she had no idea where she was or how far they had traveled. When she awoke, she had found a crystalline collar around her neck. It was not unlike the ones used on the Vadari, leyoen users enslaved to serve Xareen, except this one was much cruder. The device blocked her mind moving ability but not her other abilities, for which she gave a silent thanks.
The floor and walls looked to be made of a natural cave, though shaved and smoothed down by the hands of men. The air was cool but not cold. There was only one way in or out of the room, through an arch made from a natural crystal formation and no door. On the far side of the room stood three crystalline statues. They were tall and humanoid in shape but with arms and legs too skinny and spindly for any human. Illuminated crystals provided plenty of light for the area. Crystal-powered technology had been common in Marimon, but this was the first Kharra had seen of it since coming to Tanoria.
The man stopped and eyed her. He had a lean face with a hawklike nose, fine cheekbones, and blond hair. “Why are you here?”
“Because you brought me here,” Kharra replied neutrally.
The collar around her neck sent shocks through her body. Unprepared for the assault, Kharra screamed. “Don’t play games with me, girl. I meant in Tanoria. How did you get to Tanoria? You used mind moving while fighting my krumetuses.” He moved closer and rubbed his finger along the collar. “I’m glad I saved some of these. It’s been so long, I don’t think I could recall how I made them.” He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. Bringing his face close to hers, he said, “You are not someone I know, and the people in Tanoria do not possess leyoen. So I know you’re not from here.” He released her hair and began pacing again. “Tanoria is protected by ancient powers far greater than you could ever comprehend, making it impossible for humans to find this land, even if they knew where to search.” He waved his hands off to the side to indicate some far-off location. “So how did you get here?”
“Why do you care?”
The man stepped closer, and his eyes narrowed. “Because this is my land. Your kind does not belong here. So I ask again, How did you get here, and why are you here?”
Kharra met his gaze. With a snarl she said, “I am searching for a family heirloom.” Not the truth but not entirely a lie either. She needed to share just enough to convince him that the artifact only held value for herself.
The man studied her. “That must be a valuable heirloom for you to come so far, to a land most do not even know exists.”
Kharra glanced down, allowing him to witness a sadness only partially feigned. “My family died a long time ago. I don’t know why. I learned that they died in part because of this heirloom. If I find it, I may be able to find out why and how. I need closure.” Some truth.
“And the white-haired man who was with you? Why is he here?”
Kharra’s heart thudded in her ears. She had no idea if Zephyron had survived the attack. He was a Guardian but not unkillable. “He is a teacher and a friend. He would not allow me to come alone.” All true.
“Why do you travel with a kruusta?” he pressed.
“As you guessed,” she began, “we are not from this land. We hired her to be our guide.”
“Unfortunate for you.”
Kharra screamed as shocks lashed out through the collar.
Voices, muffled and unclear. Scraping of slippered feet. The strong but pleasant smell of balsam filled the air. It was accompanied by the not-so-pleasant stringent odor of alcohol. Aria’s head pounded, throbbing with her pulse. For a moment she felt as if she had been floating. Her muscles tensed, and the floating sensation disappeared. As her consciousness clawed to assert control, she recognized a bed and pillow beneath her. Slowly she sent the impulse for her eyelids to open, but they were heavy. A crack was all she could manage before light assaulted her, racking her in dizzying pain. She closed her eyes, but she was too slow. The throbbing in her head intensified. She had never had a hangover before, but she imagined this was what one felt like.
“She’s stirring,” said an unfamiliar voice.
“Aria,” whispered a gentle, fatherly tenor. Something warm pressed against her cheek and then her forehead. “The fever has gone.”
Aria worked her tongue, but her throat was dry and swollen. Cold metal touched her lips. Her tongue responded. Cool water dribbled down her throat. She swallowed, savoring the moment. She drained the entire cup in a matter of seconds.
Aria forced her eyes open a second time, slower than the previous attempt. The light was not as intense and much less painful. Her head continued to throb. Aria blinked several times. With each blink more and more things came into focus—faces, the window, tables, shelves, jars, canisters, and bowls. Beside her sat a middle-aged man with warm brown eyes and graying hair. He smiled when she looked at him. Two priests stood nearby, their blue robes hanging loose around their feet. They both appeared to be in their third or fourth decade. Neither had gray nor thinning hair, but each watched her with dark eyes that spoke of experience. The creased brow and pursed lips of one of the priests told her of his concern. She could not even recall his name. The other, Rensin, studied her but fingered a long dagger he held in his hands.
Aria inhaled deeply, but an unpleasant pressure built in her lungs, so she stopped. She struggled to sit up. The kindly-looking man assisted her while saying, “You should probably continue to rest. You’ve been through a lot.”
“Where am I?” she asked weakly. “How did I get here?”
“You are in the infirmary. You have been the talk of the academy for days. Forgive my manners. I am Shardhealer Fehrun.” Shardhealers were widely respected among the order. Many priests and kruustas learned how to concoct medicines with herbs, create salves, or treat injuries, but those who had the calling to become shardhealers used crystals in their treatments, though not embedded ones like those of the kruustas. Shardhealer talents were rare and valuable. “These two are Priest Rensin and Priest Tronnick.” Fehrun gestured to the other men.
Aria studied the elderly man, trying to recall what events may have driven her to the infirmary. As she beheld him, she noticed a faint wisp of color, yellow, swirl about him, but it disappeared as quickly as she saw it, leaving her to wonder if she had seen anything at all. She closed her eyes, trying to force the throbbing to subside.
“How do you feel?”
Aria opened her eyes. “
Like I’ve been trampled by a stampede of zegus. I think my head will split open at any moment,” she groaned.
Priest Tronnick’s face grew alarmed, and Priest Rensin gripped his dagger tighter. Healer Fehrun put up his hand, and they relaxed. Aria glanced at the two priests and back at the healer. “What’s wrong?” she inquired.
“Do you recall any of the events that happened the night you were brought here?” Fehrun asked.
Aria leaned against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. She recalled coming to the city and meeting with the other kruustas. As she stretched her mind and forced herself to dredge up whatever she could from its depths, the memories came back to her, slowly at first and then faster. She remembered investigating the basement, discovering Pleria and Dolson, and interrupting some experiment that turned trainees into krumetuses.
First there had been one krumetus, one she had accidentally allowed to escape. The memory and guilt of Rauss falling to the beast bubbled up. They had avenged his death by slaying the creature. They had thought they were done there, but two more attacked. She remembered seeing them in the room where she found the priests. She had been so focused on catching the one that had fled she had not considered the other three. Visions of Tual’s death and Zai’il’s near death flashed before her eyes. Then Kharra and Zephyron had shown up when the creatures had threatened to overwhelm Aria. They had already killed one of the beasts and were pushing back the remaining pair, but one took Kharra after she was somehow disabled by Priest Kilgor, which distracted Zephyron from his fight. Aria recalled seeing him fall in his moment of vulnerability.
Tears welled in Aria’s eyes. So many deaths lay at her feet. At first she thought the memories ended, but no. There had been one more krumetus for her alone to face. It had hurt her so severely she could neither stand nor swing a weapon. She remembered seeing Dolson, armed with only a crossbow and firing at the creature without concern for his own safety. Inspired by his courage, she had called upon the crystal to give her strength. Her crystal had responded. In her need, it had not been just the crystal she touched but the academy’s shard as well. It had loaned its vast reservoir of power to her.
