Romney Balvance and the Katarin Stone

by J Jordan

  Andrea stopped in her tracks and gave Romney an exasperated look. She reached into her robes and pulled out an envelope. Romney took it, opened it, and read it aloud in the light of her torch.

  “To find the stone. What stone? What are you talking about? Is this how you talk to people?”

  He took her second message and opened it.

  “The Katarin stone. Videra’s Katarin stone,” and then, in bold, “Learn to sign.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t know. She had a Katarin stone? You can just nod.”

  Andrea nodded, but motioned to the new letter in her hands.

  “Find the stone and call the goddess. The Matron still pursues us. Keep going.”

  “Who is the Matron? What is she doing here?”

  He looked up from the dimming message to see Andrea’s torch disappearing around the next corner. Romney followed after her.

  It was odd to have only one passageway in a temple. Sure, it was a long path with its share of splits and sudden turns. But give it enough time and a map, and you could eventually find the treasures hidden within. A good temple needed dead ends and traps. Security measures. How did they hide anything in a place like this? He had found the Matron easily enough. Maybe that was their security. A flaming demigoddess.

  Andrea made a sharp right, then took the leftmost path of a three-pronged fork, then picked up the pace down to another sharp right turn. Romney was right behind her, taking the right, and nearly cannoning into her when she stopped. The path ahead was lit once more by the strange blue light. But this time it radiated from the walls in complex patterns. They were like sputtering neon lights that gained strength as Andrea and Romney moved down the hall. Andrea offered another message over her shoulder.

  “Almost there. Stay close.”

  They traveled down the glowing corridor in silence. Romney tried to make sense of the patterns on the walls. He had seen them before on the hems of Katrese’s robes, but their exact meaning was beyond him. Perhaps this was a signature, her personal mark on the temple. She had a hand in building Hirna Andrea, there was no doubt about that. That part made sense from a magical standpoint. The world didn’t shiver here, despite the mind-bending magical forces at work. The pharaohs had said this was her magic, a magic perfectly balanced.

  Romney pondered the tomb as a whole. This didn’t seem like a place to keep the honored dead. For one, he hadn’t seen one sarcophagus since they first arrived. Not one elegant statue attributed to a beloved pharaoh. No inscriptions on the wall. Just flat, featureless surfaces. Hirna Andrea had a different purpose. Maybe, he thought, it was a place to keep magic. He decided not to ask Andrea for her take on its purpose. It would likely involve more envelopes than they had time for.

  And besides, the answer was around the next corner.

  This glowing corridor ended in a massive central chamber, built from the same mirrorlike stone, and covered floor to ceiling in the same phosphorescent patterns. The pulsing lines converged at the center of the room, where a clutter of various trinkets sat in a pile on a raised platform. Romney recognized it right away. Those were the gold rings and the platinum bangles from his dream, along with a few extra mithril chains and accoutrements he couldn’t place. There were staffs poking out from under wads of majestic silk garments, and a few staves in a similar fashion. There were also enough swords, daggers, maces, and spears to start an enchanted uprising, complete with a few steel helms and shirts of mithril mail. The pile of enchanted gear hummed with unseen power.

  “Hang on,” said Romney. “Does all of this belong to Reyna and Reysa?”

  Romney opened the proffered envelope.

  “More arrived since then. We keep them here. To hide them from the world.”

  “And you don’t sort them or anything? You just leave them in a pile?”

  Andrea made a “V” with her right hand and smacked it against her forehead. Romney missed the meaning.

  “I’m gonna need an envelope for that one.”

  She shook her head in dismay and beckoned him farther into the chamber. As they passed the heap, Romney could feel the intense heat of the magical energy, along with a slight tingling on the back of his neck. But, again, there were no quakes or shudders. In fact, he hadn’t heard the grinding of worldly gears in the Matron’s world either. And that place was practically made of the stuff. There was enough magic there to bring down a hundred worlds. He ventured that this had something to do with the glowing magical symbols running up and down every surface in the chamber. Andrea was right. This wasn’t a tomb. It was a repository.

  “So, you found a way to trap all that magic in here. And, somehow, it’s insulated from the outside world. And that’s how you keep the world from falling apart. But how does it work?”

  There was an envelope waiting for him when he caught up to her.

  “No idea,” it said. “Ask her.”

  She pointed to a pedestal that rose from the floor in a single, featureless column. The column was made from the same glass-like stone, but there were no magical lines running along its body. Sitting on top of this boring dais was a smooth, round stone on a leather strap. It shimmered blue as Romney approached.

  Romney lifted the Katarin stone from its pedestal and held it in his hands. Its surface was warm and gentle. The simple act of holding it brought a peaceful serenity, as if every problem he had ever faced was being lifted off his shoulders. He stared down at it, smiled as it flashed once more. Like it was saying hello. Romney basked in the fuzzy feeling, until it was shoved aside by an awkward pause. He wasn’t sure what to do with it. He turned to Andrea.

  “Now what?”

  She shrugged at him. And then she scratched her chin. She reached into her robe and fished around for a moment, still engaged in thought, then came up with an envelope.

  “Ask the stone.”

  Romney wasn’t sure how one talked to a stone, especially a magical stone, and a stone with direct service to a goddess. He raised it to his face and whispered.

  “Hello?”

  The Katarin stone made no response. He coughed nervously and then tried again, this time above a murmur.

  “Hello? Anyone there?”

  Again, no response. Cold-calling a deity felt exactly as awkward as it sounded. He looked to Andrea, who had prepared her shrug ahead of time. She made an upward motion with her hands, indicating him to talk louder.

  “Katrese?” he asked the stone. “Are you there?”

  No response. The stone kept its comforting aura, but now it wasn’t flashing. Romney looked to Andrea for guidance. She tapped her chin in the effort of thought. Then, with a rush of insight, she made a motion to drape something around her neck. Romney followed along with the Katarin stone, looping the leather strap over his head. The Katarin stone rested on his chest and the comfort rolled through him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

  “Katrese?”

  There was a terrible noise from the entrance of the chamber. The magical protections flared. Romney could see the blue flames pouring in. One such flame leapt into the room and glared with two bright stars. The aura of comfort did little to suppress his rising panic.

  “Katrese, we need help. Please pick up.”

  A voice drifted into Romney’s ear, calm as a babbling brook.

  “Your request is very important to me. Please hold on and I will be right with you.”

  Andrea’s surprised look was upsetting the magical serenity. She made a gesture with her hands that clearly said, “Well?” This time Romney shrugged.

  “We’re on hold.”

  Andrea’s expression seemed to say, “What does that mean?” Romney moved past her to the pile of magical artifacts. He freed a staff from the pile and started putting rings on his fingers. Andrea punched him in the back.

  “What, you got a better idea? She’ll be all over this place in no time if we don’t do something. Now is not the time for reading!”

  She emphasized her point by shaking the envelope in his face.
He tore it open in one move.

  “Won’t work. She is too powerful.”

  “Well, I don’t see a better solution anywhere. Do you? We have to try something,” said Romney, discarding the message. He moved between the growing fires and the pile of enchanted detritus. The starry-eyed flame was growing with each moment, as the chamber entrance was engulfed in her wake. Romney aimed the staff’s head in her direction. He assumed it worked like a rifle, where the front end dispensed whatever was inside. He also assumed there was a trigger of some kind, though it probably wasn’t a physical one.

  Romney waved the staff up and down in an attempt to “shoot” it, but the assumed business end remained inert. The Matron was building momentum with each advance, gaining two long arms and a head of rippling hair. She pointed to him with a burning finger.

  Andrea snatched the staff out of Romney’s hands, wheeled it over her head, and struck it against the floor. A shimmering wall of green light rose from the ground, stretching to either wall, and rising until it reached the ceiling of the chamber. It stood in stark contrast to the blue flames, a complete barrier between fire and the two defenders.

  The Matron approached it and bashed at the wall with a fireball fist. The wall shimmered from the blow but remained intact. Romney turned back to the pile and searched for another enchanted implement, as the flames of the Matron continued to strike the barrier. He unearthed a familiar wooden wand with a red gemstone at its tip. He waved it in the air at the Matron.

  “How do you use these things?”

  Andrea made a flicking motion with her free hand. Then, with another elaborate swing, she created a second magical barrier. The first was fading under the Matron’s onslaught. Romney mimicked Andrea’s gesture with the wand, but nothing came out. He flicked it several more times, to be sure. Nothing happened.

  He discarded the wand and searched for something more his speed. A short sword with a bluish mithril blade. He brandished his newfound weapon toward the Matron, who was making short work of the second wall. Andrea raised a third barrier, then looked to Romney as he moved to her side. She frowned at the sword.

  “What? It can cut too.”

  The second barrier dissolved in a sputter of green light. The third began to wane under the fiery might.

  “She would sap the enchantment right out of the blade. Then it would melt in her fire aura.”

  The familiar voice came from within Romney. It gained an accusatory tone as she spoke.

  “Romney, I have no idea how you got down there or how you managed to pull a demigoddess out of her ethereal prison. And now is not the time to explain anything.”

  “Katrese! Help us!”

  “I need you to listen very carefully and do what I say. Do not question any of it.”

  “Anything. Just get us out of here.”

  “All right,” said the Goddess of Creation. “Have Andrea make another barrier right behind you. Don’t let that flaming diva anywhere near the pile of magic. I cannot even begin to tell you how bad that would be.”

  He turned to Andrea, but she was already at work. She raised the next barrier around the pile of enchanted objects and then stepped back to add another for good measure.

  “Good. Now, listen to me and do exactly as I say. No matter how crazy it sounds, do it.”

  “Okay,” said Romney.

  “Let her break through that wall in front of you.”

  “Okay,” said Romney, much less convincing.

  Romney and Andrea backed away as the green barrier began to sputter out. The Matron cut through the magical shield with a chop of her hand. And with a murderous nova in her eyes, she advanced on the two defenders.

  “Last thing,” said Katrese, “and I really need you to trust me on this. You are going to use the Katarin stone to absorb her power. It can draw all of that magic out of her and disperse it before any harm is done.”

  “So, I throw the stone at her.”

  “No, it’s powerless without you. You have to wear it for the transfer to work.”

  “Okay, I can’t throw it at her. So, what are you asking me to do right now?”

  The Matron approached. The azure fires rose around them, bringing the numbing electric buzz. Tendrils emerged and tapped at the magical barrier behind them. Andrea held the staff square, her stare fixed on the fiery apparition. Romney raised the dripping remains of his short sword and held it out.

  “Romney, I want you to go up to her and give her a hug.”

  The empty hilt fell from his grasp. Romney gulped and gave the Matron a hard look. He stepped away from the barrier and, with expert precision, wrapped his arms around the flaming body. He pulled her in close and hugged her with all of his might. The sudden violent buzz was cut short. The Katarin stone made contact.

  The Matron’s bewildered eyes flickered as her raw magical fire seeped into the stone. Its spherical shape became a whirlpool of blue light and flame. The Matron warped and writhed in the vortex, before falling into the unrelenting pull of the Katarin stone. Her accompanying flames tried to scrabble for purchase. She cast a final murderous glance at Romney before sinking into the stone’s shimmering surface. Her fires rushed after, unable to resist the force of the ethereal vacuum. There was a final roar as the last flames were pulled in. The magical seals dimmed as the vast amount of magical energy dissipated from the chamber. A cautious silence returned. Katrese’s voice rose once more from within.

  “Okay. There is one more thing.”

  “She’s not dead, is she.”

  “Of course not. It’s super difficult to kill a demigoddess. But you did manage to separate her from our world. And that’s good. Great job, Romney. But here’s the thing.”

  Romney could feel the divine weight of the world shifting in its seat.

  “You pulled all of that magical energy out of her physical form, but that power isn’t gone. That’s not how energy works, right? Right now, all of that magical power is inside you. And that’s fine in here, thanks to all the Katarin surrounding you. But it’s not going to be okay when you step outside.”

  “So, here’s what we’re going to do. Andrea will make a portal to take you outside. When you’re out there, all of that energy is going to come rushing out and it’s going to get really bad. But don’t worry, because I’m going to take care of that part. Romney? Are you with me? I know that’s a lot at once, but I need you to stay with me right now.”

  Romney nodded. When he stepped out into the world, the magical power inside him would discharge like static. He was going to be a lightning rod for magic. Again.

  “Yep. Got it.”

  Andrea was standing by the pile, a crystalline wand held in both hands. Her expression said, “I can’t lie to you, this is going to suck.” She waved the wand in circular motions in front of her. The still air moved like water circling a drain, then produced a small tear in the space between them. The tear grew with each circle of Andrea’s wand, until it was tall and wide as Romney. The air from the mountains spilled into the chamber in cold plumes.

  Romney stepped up to the ragged window and peered out at the entrance to Hirna Andrea. He could hear loud pops coming from somewhere beyond the winding pass. The beachhead, most likely. It was Lorna introducing visitors to her new friend Joyce. He took in a breath of crisp mountain air and sighed it out.

  “You’re going to be fine,” said Katrese. “Everything will be fine, okay? It’ll be just like a bandage.”

  He looked to Andrea. Her smile wasn’t reassuring. She gave him a pat on the back and then placed her hand on her chin and moved it toward him. She shook her head at his reproachful look and thrust an envelope into his shirt pocket. Then, with the deepest kindness, she turned him toward the portal and shoved him out into the world.

  Romney stumbled onto the stone pathway and wheeled around to see the hole closing behind him. The entrance to Hirna Andrea sat quietly in the gray midmorning light. He took in another breath of fresh air, then plucked the envelope out of his pocket and
opened it. There appeared to be messages on both sides of the letter. The front side was a quick read.

  “That was ‘thank you,’” and in bold, “learn to sign.”

  He flipped the message over. Another short message. If he had to give anything to Andrea Lucana, it was her brevity.

  “Those stones are Katarin. Step on the grass. Best of luck.”

  Romney stowed the message in his back pocket. Of course, no one would believe he had just stopped a fiery demigoddess with Andrea Lucana or that she had produced several of these letters from her robes without writing anything. This was more of a personal memento. He stepped off the stone path and onto a patch of grass.

  His feet locked to the ground. The buzzing, roaring fires exploded through every nerve ending, coursing down through his legs into the earth. No one could hear Romney’s screams of pain. But they did hear the magical discharge.

  The Lanvale Quake of 2015, or A Sudden Discharge of Magical Energy

  Perhaps you remember the Lanvale quake of 2015. You would remember. It brought the entire metropolitan area to a standstill. Maybe you remember the cars and the pedestrians stopped in their tracks, everyone shuddering under the terrible seismic force. And you probably remember that the event wasn’t registered by the Seismology Labs of Lanvale Prime’s North Campus. The little needles drew straight lines, even as students and professors huddled under desks and clung to doorframes. The quake raged through the city for three minutes and left it shaken for fifteen. Perhaps you heard the terrible grinding that day, like a giant clock slowly falling apart. As if someone had jabbed a screwdriver between its gears.

  Or maybe you don’t remember. The Ontaran Intelligence Bureau listed the many firsthand accounts as “episodes of mass hallucination,” likely spurred by funny drinking water and diesel fumes.

  Perhaps you do remember the big Lanvale quake. But maybe you don’t remember the massive quake that shook the city of Gonford at the same time. Maybe you didn’t know that a similar catastrophe rumbled through the hilly plains of western Tambridan, rattling the city of Lundra and bogging down its emergency services. You likely didn’t know that similar events were also reported to the Ministry of Citizen Safety in Azerra’s capital, Vangaro. Those living on the Isles of Desridan were hush on the matter.