by A. K. DuBoff
We ate a simple meal around the fire, admiring the starry sky as the last of the light faded. To my relief, there was no sound of animal activity around us.
“You know, maybe spending a night outside won’t be so bad, after all,” Maris said, breaking the intervening silence. “It’s peaceful out here.”
“See? Told you.” Kaiden nudged her gently with his shoulder as they sat side by side.
An unwanted wave of jealously rose in my chest. He wasn’t actually warming up to her, was he?
Like I was one to talk—even I wasn’t finding her as annoying now that her unique magic skills were coming into play. And, aside from the ‘Pete’ incident and occasional whining, I was probably overreacting to her attitude. I could see how anyone could be drawn in by her perfect figure and desire to nurture.
Meanwhile, I had never considered myself anything special to look at, I had a tendency to slash things with my sword when they upset me, and snark was my go-to mode of communication. When evaluating girlfriend potential, I may as well admit defeat in a competition I didn’t want to have in the first place.
I did my best to suppress the thoughts. Petty distractions. But, seeing Kaiden sitting next to Maris, I knew ignoring my feelings wasn’t going to be that easy.
I rose from the wall and plopped down on my bedroll. The ground was hard, even with the pad, but I’d have to tough it out. “We should get some rest.”
Kaiden drew away from Maris to head for his own sleeping pad. “Yeah, sleep well. We’ll cross to the island at daybreak.”
16
I had a restless night on the cold ground under the stars. I’d always enjoyed camping as a kid, but being on an alien world knowing that creatures who wanted to eat me might only be a dozen meters away didn’t make for restful sleep.
As the first golden light peeked over the horizon, I sat up and stretched.
The last of our peat bricks were now smoking ash, but they’d served their purpose and gotten us through the night.
Maris, surprisingly, was the next to stir. Somehow, her hair was still perfectly styled despite spending a night on the ground with no pillow.
I ran my fingers through my own tangled mess of fuchsia hair, making a mental note to pack a comb for our next outing.
Kaiden stretched on his pad, then cracked open an eye. “Morning already?” He rubbed his eyes.
Toran startled awake. “Toast?” He looked around. “Oh, right.”
I chuckled. “Everything okay over there?”
“Yes, just thinking about my family,” he replied. “Breakfast, anyone?”
My heart dropped as I thought about my own family and how nice it had always been to wake up to the scent of baking muffins on the weekends. “Yeah, sounds great.”
We ate more of the bland rations identical to our meal the night before, then packed up our simple camp.
When everything was stowed in our backpacks, Kaiden took a deep breath and turned toward the island. “Now we need to figure out how to get over there.”
I had no idea what to suggest. The previous locations we’d visited to access the artifacts had columns or some other indicator to mark what we were supposed to do. This, however, was a flooded bridge, a crystal on an island, and a whole lot of nothing everywhere around us.
“Do we have to swim over?” Toran asked.
Kaiden approached the water’s edge. “That doesn’t seem right. But this water is definitely too deep for us to wade across the bridge.”
“Maybe the landscape has changed over time,” I suggested. “It’s possible everything flooded. Who knows when all of this was built—a lot can change in a few hundred or thousand years.”
“That’s a good point.” Kaiden turned around and looked at the paved area we were standing on. “What do you think this was?”
I took a step back and examined the area more objectively in proper lighting. At first glance, it reminded me of a boat ramp, though I knew that was unlikely.
Then, it hit me. “What if all of the ground settled and the columns fell over?”
“These walls we were sitting on?” Kaiden returned to our campsite and rubbed the layer of sediment and moss off of a top segment to expose the stone underneath. “This does look like the stone that was around the crystals on the other planet.”
“I touched the crystal to activate the stones on the other world,” Toran pointed out.
“Doesn’t mean it will work the same way here.” Kaiden nodded toward the other stone wall. “Maris, try touching that one. Maybe they need to be activated by casters at the same time.”
“Wouldn’t the system be designed to work with one person?” I asked.
Kaiden stretched out his hands toward each column, falling a meter short to either side. “Definitely can’t reach both of these at the same time. I guess it’s possible that someone is supposed to cast magic at them from a distance—or maybe they fell down farther apart than they were when standing.”
Maris glanced at the column than to Kaiden. “So, do you want me to touch it or not?”
Kaiden looked to me and Toran.
I shrugged. “This is your discipline. Follow your instincts.”
He nodded. “You’re right—this is different from the other one, but that could be done by one person so this should be, too. Must be related to casting.”
“Makes sense,” Toran concurred.
“Stand back.” Kaiden raised his hands.
I cleared the vicinity and stood with Toran and Maris four meters to the side of the stones.
Kaiden took a deep breath and extended his hands, holding his staff in his right. A warm glow danced across his fingertips and to the end of the staff, and then a dazzling tendril of yellow light snaked through the air toward the stones.
The stones emitted a blue glow in response to the magic, which radiated through the ground toward the water. Blue light traced all the way to the island at the center of the lake. The light intensified as the ground began to tremble.
I broadened my stance to keep my balance in the shaking. “That seems to be doing something.”
The water above the path through the lake churned as the stones beneath began to rise. The ramp leading down to the water leveled out to meet with the newly raised path, and when the stones were on the same plane, the trembling ceased.
Kaiden lowered his hands and the magical ribbons dissipated. “Well, that wasn’t so hard.”
“Neither was activating the other columns,” Toran replied. “There is likely still a trial ahead.”
“Walking through that bog wasn’t enough of a trial?” Maris sighed.
“Tolerance for wet feet isn’t the test.” Kaiden looked at the puddles on the stones along the path to the island. “Despite all evidence to the contrary.”
“Well, my feet are toasty and dry in these boots,” I said, heading for the path. “Are we going to do this or what?”
Kaiden pointed his staff ahead. “Let’s go.”
I followed him onto the stone walkway with Toran and Maris close behind. The rock was slick from algae growth, so I had to keep my hands outstretched for balance, since my weight was thrown off by the heavy pack.
It was just over two hundred meters to the island. The crystal at its center gleamed in the early morning sun, and for a minute, I could almost convince myself that it would be a straightforward task to retrieve whatever artifact awaited us.
As we approached the island, I focused on the crystal with the hope of seeing what kind of artifact it may be; nothing obvious was placed inside the crystal, as with Toran’s gauntlets. By the time we were almost to the land, however, I could discern a faint shape within the four-meter-tall crystal.
“Is that the artifact?” I asked.
“I think so,” Kaiden replied, “but I can’t make out what it is.”
We reached the land and walked up the gradual incline to the crest of the hill. Standing in front of the crystal, I re
alized that the object embedded inside it was a silver circlet, which explained why its delicate shape hadn’t been visible from a distance.
“You get to be king?” I joked.
Kaiden grinned back at me. “Only a prince.”
I drew my sword.
“And you’re… staging a revolt?” Kaiden questioned me.
I laughed. “No. Just have a feeling that the moment you touch that crystal, this is going to turn into a battle zone.”
He nodded. “Well, it started out as a nice, quiet morning.”
“Those never last.” I turned so I could see both the crystal and the lake, taking a defensive stance.
Maris and Toran took up mirror positions on Kaiden’s other side.
“Okay, here it goes.” Kaiden extended his hand toward the crystal.
A singular chime sounded, as though a bell had been struck. But, rather than fading, the sound intensified. The ground began to tremble underfoot again, this time agitating the entire lake. Water surged toward the island, a solid wave moving as one from all directions around the island.
Panic set in. I dropped my backpack, bracing for the water to hit. I wondered if I should ditch my coat, too, to have a better chance at swimming. But, when the mini tsunami reached the island’s shoreline, the water shot straight up for ten meters and then arched overhead to form an aquatic dome.
I looked at my comrades with confusion. “Wasn’t expecting that.”
“We’re trapped in here,” Toran stated the obvious.
“What do we do?” Maris asked, more than a hint of concern in her tone.
Kaiden glanced down at his pendant; it was glowing brightly. “There’s something here.”
Maris’ pendant was glowing, as well. “I feel it,” she murmured.
My spine tingled and a pressure filled the back of my mind. I hadn’t sensed anything like that around the rock giant, but this was a different artifact guardian with its own unique properties—that is, assuming it was its presence I was feeling. I couldn’t see anything in the water beyond faint light shining through the thin dome overhead.
“Where are you?” Kaiden called out. “I’m here to claim the artifact.”
The water swirled in response, a distinct wave rippling around the circumference of the island. When it had completed the circuit, the wall of water swelled in front of us, taking on a lighter iridescent sheen compared to the darker water surrounding it.
“You think you are worthy?” a musical voice spoke all around us, as though coming from the water itself.
I swallowed and tightened the grip on my sword—like that would do any good against a wall of water.
“I hope to prove that I am,” Kaiden replied.
“Your companions are driven by might, but that will not win you your prize.”
“I will meet any challenge you present me.”
In response, an arm of water reached out from the wall and knocked Kaiden to the side. His staff flew from his hand and clattered to the stones at the shore.
“And you call yourself worthy!” the voice taunted. “This lake will become your grave.”
The wall swelled inward to envelop Kaiden where he stood.
“No!” he bellowed. “I am here to prove myself.” He raised his hands. In the direction he pointed, the water froze to ice. The ice crystals shattered and dropped to the rock like chimes.
I’d only seen fire and lightning before, but if there was any time for him to add a new spell to his arsenal, this was it.
“How can we help?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Kaiden shook his head. “I haven’t figured out what it wants me to do yet.”
A blob of water launched from the wall and landed two meters from Kaiden, standing as an oblong column on the ground.
“Uh… what?” I scowled at it.
Kaiden shook his head. “I have no idea.”
The blob shuffled toward him.
“Ideas?” Kaiden asked.
“Smash it,” Toran suggested.
Kaiden frowned. “Pretty sure that’s not it.”
“Casting. This whole challenge is about Spirit, right?” Maris said.
“But casting what?” Kaiden stared down the blob. “What do you want me to do?”
The blob leaped forward and dropped down onto Kaiden’s shoulders, completely enveloping his head.
His eyes widened with obvious panic. He clawed at the water, but it flexed around his fingers and it couldn’t get any purchase.
“Maris, do something!” I shouted.
“I can’t fight that!” she exclaimed.
Kaiden gasped, a flurry of air bubbles escaping his mouth.
“He’s going to drown.” I dropped my sword and ran to him, not sure what relief I could offer, but I needed to try something.
His eyes pleaded to me.
“This is a test,” I told him. “There’s a way out using your magic. You can do this.”
He shoved me back from him and brought his hands to his face once more. This time, they glowed red and the water vaporized where he touched it.
The blob around his head burst, drenching him.
Kaiden took a gasping breath, coughing and sputtering.
“Are you okay?” I asked while bending down to pick up my sword.
He nodded, though he was still coughing. “What was that?”
“You were just attacked by a blob of water,” I replied.
“Yeah, I got that. But… what was it?”
I shrugged. “Angry water?”
He rolled his eyes. “I have no clue what we’re supposed to do here.”
“I liked the rock giant,” Toran interjected. “We just had to smash it.”
“That was a lot more straightforward,” I agreed. “But only after we found it. There was a lot of sciencing to locate the correct location.”
“That’s true,” Toran replied. “We wouldn’t have been able to find it so quickly if I didn’t have my engineering background.”
I nodded. “Maybe there’s more to these challenges than the main engagement itself.”
“Either way, I feel like I’m missing something really obvious here,” Kaiden said.
Another blob emerged from the wall and landed near Kaiden. It scooched toward him.
“Oh, no. You’re not going to try to drown me again!” Kaiden blasted the blob with a fireball. The water vaporized.
“Progress, maybe?” I shrugged again.
A moment later, another blob appeared.
“This is going to get old really fast,” Kaiden muttered.
“Maybe a different spell?” Maris suggested.
Kaiden conjured an orb of electrical energy in his palm and lobbed it at the new blob. The pillar of water burst apart, leaving only a puddle behind.
I placed my sword tip-down on the ground and crossed my hands on the butt of the hilt. “Okay… Not sure where this is going, exactly.”
“That makes two of us,” Kaiden huffed.
Another blob leaped from the wall and formed a column of water near Kaiden.
He rolled his eyes. “You have to be kidding!”
“Have any other spells you’ve been meaning to share?” I asked.
Kaiden took a deep breath. “It doesn’t work like that. Things just… come to me sometimes.”
“Like the ice earlier?”
“Yeah.” He examined the blob. “I guess I could try that one again.” He held up his hand, and the water column turned to ice crystals. It shattered.
“Well, looks like you have that one down now,” I commented.
“It’s toying with you,” Toran said. “Maybe we need to try to break down the wall.”
In response, the walls and domed roof began swirling and crashing as the enclosure turned into a turbulent whirlpool.
“I don’t think it likes that idea,” I observed.
Three water blobs launched from the frenzy and landed
as glistening columns in front of Kaiden.
“Okay, that’s new.” Kaiden launched three fireballs in rapid succession.
The columns vaporized, but the water became more frenzied.
Another three blobs emerged from the wall.
Kaiden shook his head. “Was that the wrong spell?” He tried freezing them instead.
The swirling water rose to a roar.
The three blobs appeared again.
“The three appeared after you’d cast three different types of magic,” I observed. “Maybe you need to hit each of these with something different?”
Kaiden stared at the blobs. “I think you’re onto something.” He frozen the first, cast a bolt of electrical energy at the second, and vaporized the third with a fireball. Then, a new, solitary blob appeared.
“What do I do with this one?” Kaiden asked.
“Does the pattern start over?” I wondered.
He shook his head. “No, that doesn’t feel right.”
“The other side of yourself,” Maris suggested. “You have destroyed, now you must heal.”
Understanding passed over Kaiden’s face. “Yes, that’s it. But I’ve never used that kind of magic.”
He stepped closer to the blob. Though featureless, I couldn’t help but get the impression it was looking up at him with a kind of helpless innocence, wondering if it was about to be helped or destroyed.
Kaiden placed his hands to either side of it ten centimeters from the water’s surface. He closed his eyes.
A soft green glow appeared between his palms, passing through the water and radiating within it until the entire blob glowed with the green light.
Then, without warning, the blob collapsed into a puddle.
The deafening roar of the waves stopped, and the water stilled.
“You have mastered the challenge,” the voice said. “You have shown a balanced spirit worthy of wielding the power bestowed upon you. Use it well.”
The wall of water encircling the island dropped back into the lake with a splash, and then all was still.
I took a deep breath, wiping my damp hair back from my eyes. “I think we’re getting the hang of this.”
