by Alyssa Breck
Alayah sat close to the flames and unwrapped her head from the cotton cloth. “I officially hate the desert.”
“You and me both,” Xavier replied as he tossed some tumbleweed into the fire then took a seat beside her. “Is the samurai stealing you again tonight?”
Alay took a sip of water and looked around. Silver was talking with his men, and she knew that it was important to keep their morale up. She didn’t mind, and she would spend more time with her sirens if they weren’t inside the tent, saving energy.
“I don’t know.”
“Shouldn’t he be letting you save your energy instead of tiring you out at night?” Xavier asked, playing with the sand between his fingers.
“We just sleep.”
Xavier’s eyebrows knitted together. “That doesn’t make me feel less jealous. I could also sleep with you.”
She smirked. “Do you remember everything we said to him that night in his bedroom?”
Xavier shrugged. “We were pretty wasted. He hasn’t said anything to me about that. Did he talk to you?”
Alayah shook her head. “I honestly don’t understand his actions.”
Xavier chuckled. “Humans sweat and probably more when they are sleeping. That’s why he’s sleeping with you. He’s protecting you.”
“Oh, that’s why I don’t feel as weak as the others.”
“It’s not just because of that.” He breathed deeply and rested his hands on his knees. “I could sleep with you and do that, too. He doesn’t need to drain himself.”
“It’s dangerous at night. We are safer if we sleep together,” Silver said, arriving from behind.
Xavier looked back. “I guess you don’t like me and want me to be taken by the beasts.”
Silver sat beside Alayah and placed his arm around her waist. “One of us needs to be strong enough to protect our group from the Titans if they attack.”
“Alayah has been practicing her fire powers,” Xavier said. “She can help, too.”
“I know. You were a good teacher.” Silver rubbed his forehead. “It’s late. We should go to bed.”
The wyvern cry from above had them looking skyward. Then, a hissing on the ground brought their attention to a snake with unnaturally large fans slithering close to their feet.
Xavier jumped and unsheathed his dagger. With one quick chop, he decapitated the silver-scaled animal.
“Hopefully, we don’t have to endure this much longer,” he said. “I really need a shower and a decent night’s sleep.”
“That’s one more reason why I don’t invite you to our tent. You smell,” Silver said, getting up and grinning at him.
Xavier got up. “I don’t smell.” He sniffed his clothes. “Much.”
“We all smell,” Alayah retorted.
Silver looked at her. “You want him with us?”
His question made her widen her eyes in surprise. “Are you okay with that?”
“You like him, don’t you?”
Alayah nodded.
“Then, I’ll have to accept it.”
Xavier leaned closer to Silver and sniffed him.
“What are you doing?” Silver pushed him back.
“Checking how much you have drunk.”
Silver rolled his eyes. “Just follow us before I change my mind.”
Alayah grabbed Xavier’s hand while her arm circled Silver’s waist. Grinning, she felt her insides burn from happiness and excitement.
“Does that mean I can kiss your girlfriend now?” Xavier teased.
“I guess it’s our girlfriend now,” Silver said.
“If she wants,” Xavier added, looking at Alayah.
“Two gorgeous and protective mages? Who would say no to that,” she teased them and winked at Xavier.
Chapter 39
After traveling through the Badlands, Thalassan was as much a disappointment as the previous desert. The sirens and samurais strolled into town just after sun up. Bits of gold shined through the cracked exterior walls of what must have been a beautiful temple once. Tall alabaster columns topped with red lotus flowers flanked the wide staircase in front. Egyptian images had been carved into the stone but were barely recognizable now. Time had not been kind to the city.
“What is this?” Alayah asked no one in particular. “This town is deserted.” After the journey through the Badlands, Alayah wasn’t sure how much more disappointment she could handle.
Silver approached her. His white clothes were stained with dust and sweat from the trek through the wasteland. Hers weren’t much better.
His lips curled into a smile, the one he always gave her when she was disappointed.
She smiled back. “I’m just tired.”
“We need your necklace again.”
She nodded. He was right. The high priest had told them her pendant was part of the Legacy Stone. The small chip she possessed would act as a GPS to find its home.
Alayah unclasped the necklace and handed it over to Silver. Xavier was not far away, but he seemed concentrated on something else as his eyes roamed north and south.
She looked back at Silver when he closed his eyes with the red stone in his hand and said a few words.
The wind kicked up in the ghost town. It whistled between the vacant buildings, if they could even be called that. Dust and chunks of plaster lined the perimeter of the ruins. They were literally crumbling. It was hard to know if the town was dying because the people left, or the people left because the town was dying.
He made a fist, and red glow seeped out from between his knuckles. Silver turned around and started to walk, almost trance-like.
Alayah motioned for the sirens to follow. Silver was nothing more than a conduit at the moment. He was the vehicle that the stone was using to find its origin.
As they moved deeper into Thalassan, a pyramid appeared like a desert oasis. A pyramid that shouldn’t be there.
Silver seemed to be himself again. He turned to look at Alayah. His mouth dropped open, and Xavier stepped in front of her just as an orb of fire shot past them.
“What the hell is that?” Alayah inquired, turning to look behind her.
“Look out!” Silver yelled.
Alayah focused on the pyramid where ancient etchings of griffins left the stones and turned into real bird-lion hybrids.
Xavier grabbed her by the shoulders. “Now is when that fire thing we’ve been practicing would come in handy. There’s no water here.”
Alayah’s heart beat like a tattoo, threatening to leap from her chest. In the water, she’d have no trouble handling this.
Silver was deflecting orb after orb of fire that was rapidly coming their way. Xavier ran toward the pyramid where more griffins materialized.
A large beak came too close to Alayah’s head, and she jumped into a roll to avoid being decapitated. Another one ran with the speed of a lion, coming straight for her. She held her hand out, and her fingers trembled. The burn was there in her stomach.
“Come on. Come on. Come on,” she pleaded.
While she focused on her hand, a flaming orb hit her shoulder and caught her hair on fire. Alayah shook her head and slapped at the tresses until they smoldered. The scent of burnt hair stuck in her nose while she summoned the fire again. This time, it lit up in her palm.
A smile played on her lips as she turned on the approaching griffin. She pulled the pin from her hair and used the trident to throw the flame. The feathers on the wings of the griffin caught fire, and the animal made a sickening bird-like cry before it evaporated into thin air, not even leaving a feather behind.
“Take that.”
Hearing a woman scream, Alayah spun around. Rose was running toward her with a griffin in pursuit.
“Duck,” Alayah yelled.
Rose dropped into a roll in the dust, and Alayah set the predator aflame.
The sunlight glinted off the samurais’ swords as they swung the heavy metal at the mythological beasts, lopping off heads and tails, legs, and wings. Blood spray
ed like a fine mist in the air.
One by one, the hybrid birds disappeared.
Alayah’s stone told them to enter the pyramid. Everybody waited for someone to say something.
“Alayah and I go inside. The rest of you wait outside,” Silver proposed.
“Why can’t I go with you?” Xavier protested.
“Someone with fire power needs to be here if new beasts attack our group. You need to protect the sirens and my men.”
Xavier sneered and brushed Alayah’s cheek with the tip of his fingers as he held her hand. “Be careful. Call for me if anything goes wrong.”
Alayah nodded.
Xavier looked at Silver. “Be careful, brother.”
“We’ll call you if it’s safe,” Silver said.
Nodding, Xavier let go of Alayah’s hand.
Turning around, she moved in pursuit of Silver as he marched to the pyramid.
She looked back, one last time, at Xavier, and he looked at her with a worried expression.
Her lips curled into a smile to reassure him that she would be fine. Her heart beat hurt with the idea of leaving him behind. It didn’t please her. Three of them together would be safe. Plus, she had a bad feeling about that place.
Running to catch Silver, they walked toward the entrance of the pyramid. In contrast to the dry wasteland outside, the interior chamber was dark, cool and damp.
A large stone sat on a pedestal in the center of the space. Alayah looked at Silver and held her hand out. He placed her necklace in her palm. Her eyes were drawn to a small hole in the wall. Instinctively, she pushed the stone into the hole, and the chamber began to quake. The stone wall separated, and a bright light spilled into the chamber.
Alayah’s heart skipped a beat with what happened next. She secured the stone against her chest and placed the necklace around her neck for safekeeping.
“I guess we need to go inside,” Silver said. “I’m with you. Don’t be afraid.” He grabbed her hand, and they stepped inside.
In the back of the room, a beautiful woman with obsidian skin and dark brown eyes sat atop a throne fit for royalty. A bejeweled staff was clutched in her fist. A golden band wrapped around her head and her gold dress shimmered as she rose to her feet.
“Welcome.”
“Who are you?” Alayah asked.
“I am Amunet, Goddess of Creation.” The goddess inclined her head and thick braids inlaid with more gold fell over her sleek shoulders.
Alayah glanced at Silver but neither of them said anything.
Amunet extended her hand and beckoned them forward. “We’ve been awaiting your arrival.”
“What is this place?” Silver asked as he took a step closer to Alay.
“This is the Pyramid of Legacy.”
The walls inside the throne room were covered in black and red drawings depicting frogs and snakes and ankhs. Alayah had no idea what it meant. She had never seen anything like that.
“As in the Legacy Stone?” Alayah inquired.
“Precisely. My people are descended from the stars, from the inception of the universe. We are a conduit to the other worlds. We hold the portals and the stones. We took a special interest in earth and made a commitment to not let it die despite its inhabitants’ penchant for self-destruction.”
Amunet walked down the marble steps from the throne to stand before Alayah. “We have been going back and forth to earth to preserve the technology developed here. We have it all in the portal now.”
“The portal?” Alay echoed.
“Yes, follow me. I’ll show you, and you’ll understand it better.”
Alayah didn’t move. “We are here to find the Legacy Stone. We don’t have time to visit your pyramid.”
“I’ll take you to it once I assess your worth,” Amunet said. “We need to talk before you take the stone with you.”
Alayah and Silver exchanged looks.
“It’s safe,” Amunet assured.
Silver arched an eyebrow. “Your beasts attacked us, how can we trust you?”
Amunet smirked as she leaned closer to him. “Only brave warriors are allowed here. You beat my sentinels, and you bring the piece that is missing from the Legacy Stone, you have no reason to fear me. You are the heroes that I have been waiting for.”
“Can you take us to the stone?” Alayah questioned.
Amunet nodded. “Once we talk, I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”
Silver grabbed Alayah’s hand, and her heart stopped beating for a brief moment. She had missed his touch.
“Let’s go,” he ordered with a closed expression as he followed behind Amunet.
The self-proclaimed goddess led them through a perfectly square yet narrow hallway that took them deeper inside the pyramid.
“With the resurgence of black magic after the Big Crash, we have been determined to restore order to the ones who are worthy to have the power and won’t abuse it. There is too much corruption and denigration on earth now. The Legacy Stone would create the conditions to bring new life into the world and cure the earth from the black magic that has been ripping apart the fabric between worlds.”
After trekking through a few maze-like halls, they emerged in a vast open area, teeming with activity.
“Computers,” Silver spoke with a surprised expression.
“What are those?”
“Ancient powerful technology that can process and store information. It’s hard to explain to someone who’s never seen or worked with one,” Silver said. “What are they doing in front of the computer screens and what type of information are they typing?”
“They are compiling important data about the species that existed on this planet before the Big Crash.”
On the opposite side, Alayah saw men and women in white lab coats using eye droppers to mix substances and monitor incubators.
Alayah wondered what they were cultivating?
Amunet opened her mouth to speak when an earsplitting alarm sounded, and red lights began to flash in the portal. All activity came to a halt, and the workers looked to Amunet for guidance.
Glass walls dropped, separating the workers from Amunet, the siren, and Silver.
“What’s happening?” Silver asked, grabbing Alayah’s hand and pulling her closer to him.
Alayah looked up at him and squeezed his hand.
Amunet frowned. “There’s been a breach by an unauthorized faction.”
Alayah pulled the pin from her hair and immediately summoned the fire to the tips of the trident. She didn’t have to try as hard as before. But she had to protect Silver as much as he would protect her.
“There are too many,” Silver mumbled closer to her ear. “We can’t deal with all of them.”
“Who are they?” She looked at Amunet. “Can’t you do something?”
“They won’t be able to breach the glass walls.”
Looking back, Alayah noticed that Amunet’s people were entering the portal and taking whatever they could.
“What about us? Can we use the portal to run from here?”
Amunet narrowed her eyes at the invaders and moved her hands to summon her electric powers. “Whatever happens, don’t let them know how to get the Legacy Stone.”
Silver and Alayah nodded as the footfalls sounded and grew louder and louder, closer and closer, until men in black clothing, carrying swords and torches, emerged from the hallway that led to the portal.
Instead of attacking, the men stopped with their swords raised at them. An old-looking, tall man with caramel skin pushed through the army and stopped in front of Alayah. He reached out to touch her hair, and Alay slapped his hand away.
“You are beautiful like your mother.”
His words shook her to the core. Her voice trembled when she asked, “What do you know of my mother?”
“I know that she loved you.”
“And who are you to know that? I’ve never seen you in my life. What do you want from here?”
The man’s lips curle
d into a smile. “You were too little to remember me. Still, I was hoping that you could feel it in your heart who I am to you.”
Alayah furrowed her brows. “Why would I feel it in my heart? I’ve never seen you before.”
“We have met, child. You were just too small.”
“You have no business being here,” Silver interrupted the conversation and placed Alayah behind him. “Do you know who I am?”
The man spared him a look. “This is between me and my daughter. Stay out of this Prince of the Depths.”
“Father?” Alayah gasped, burying her fingers into Silver’s back.
“He’s also the Dark Emperor,” Silver warned her. “I should have told you, but I thought we had more time to talk about this once we found the Legacy Stone and returned it to the Sacred Temple.”
“You knew this?” Alayah shrieked, but she stopped her thoughts when fear chilled her to the bone. “Where’s Xavier and the rest of the people that were outside? Did you kill them?”
“They are my prisoners,” the Dark Emperor said.
The pressure in Alayah’s chest subsided, and she was able to breathe again. “You better not harm them, or you’ll have to deal with me.”
“You should be more worried about your own safety, my child.”
“I’m not your child,” she spat.
The Dark Emperor stepped forward, and Alayah took another step back.
“Don’t be afraid. I wish you no harm. I just need the Legacy Stone.”
“No.”
“Let’s try this another way. You love Xavier, do you not?”
“What does Xavier have to do with anything?” Silver interjected.
The Dark Emperor smirked. “He’s the son of the White Mage. He wants you to survive this, as do I.”
Alayah’s stomach roiled. She had a feeling she wasn’t going to like this conversation.
The army behind the Dark Emperor appeared restless as they shifted their weight from foot to foot and waved their torches, casting sinister shadows on the walls.
Amunet stayed behind Alayah, no doubt listening to the exchange between Alayah and her father. The workers continued to pack behind the glass and jumped into the portal.
