The Witch; Stronghold; Underworld

by Ky Tyrand

  The voices were smooth and silky, like nothing Ki’ara had ever heard before. She felt them resonating throughout her entire body, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. It felt natural to sway her head to the rhythm.

  With a melody so soft and sweet, Ki’ara was reminded of the trickling brook where she would sit with Mark, watching the ripples spread into the pond…

  A sudden flash – a memory of her shouting at the boy, telling him to go back, that something wasn’t right – made her jump, lurching her back to reality.

  The sound of the waterfall thundered back into her head.

  She hadn’t noticed that her entire body had been tingling, or that something was pulling on her ankle.

  “Ki’ara!” The voice of To’mas echoed all around her, making her wonder where it was coming from. It almost sounded like he was directly below her feet.

  When she pried her eyes open, Ki’ara realized that she was not at all where she expected. Face down, her body was horizontal, hovering just above the water. Her nose was practically touching the surface.

  Above and to her sides the Princess was surrounded by curving rock, which glowed blue from the light of her Niksuru.

  Everything suddenly skimmed by as the pressure around her ankle gave a powerful tug. Ki’ara felt scraping against her back as she was dragged along, and realized stalactites dropping from the low ceiling were scouring her armor, threatening to splash her into the water.

  Ki’ara was flung from the tight confines of the passage, back into the cavernous opening beside the waterfall. She didn’t even remember entering the waterfilled tunnel. But she had been a good distance in before To’mas had caught her. What was I thinking???

  The moment Ki’ara was pulled free, To’mas stood before the entrance and began waving wide circles with his hand.

  Ki’ara watched curiously, trying to understand what was going on…

  A red glow appeared from the man’s palm, leaving a hazy trail of light that swirled ahead of the tunnel entrance. His hair rose up as he worked, sending a shiver down Ki’ara’s spine as it reminded her of Sirona and her deadly Witchcraft. The Princess was already on edge from whatever had lured her into that passage; the thought of To’mas using similar magic – magic that Ki’ara didn’t even know he could wield – only made it worse.

  With a powerful gesture, To’mas pushed the spiraling disk forward – straight into the end of the tunnel. The shimmering red magic cut into the waist deep water and took the exact shape of the rocky opening, sealing the passage from top to bottom with a perfectly shaped plug.

  The faint sound of music stopped, blocked by the glowing seal. Letting out a breath, To’mas lowered his hands and backed away from the shield.

  “Uh… What just happened?” asked Ki’ara, after reaching down and kicking the water enough to turn herself upright.

  “Siren’s Song,” said To’mas as he waded toward her. “Most beautiful thing a person can hear. And often their last.”

  “A Siren? You mean, like a bird-woman?” asked Ki’ara.

  To’mas scratched his chin. “More likely a Mermaid.”

  “Way down here?”

  “If there’s water,” To’mas said with a nod, “they’ll find a way to it.”

  “Ah,” said Ki’ara, like she’d just learned something she should have always known. “So, if you didn’t stop me, I would have gone straight to them, and they would have killed me?”

  “No, no. Not likely,” said the man, prompting Ki’ara to let out a breath before he added, “A young, pretty Princess like yourself surely would have joined their ranks.”

  “What???” Ki’ara had never hear of such a thing. “That can happen?”

  “Oh, sure,” said To’mas. “Once they have you under their spell, there’s no resisting. If you ever hear that sound again, plug your ears and get as far away from the water as you can. It’s impossible not to be drawn to their voices.”

  Ki’ara found herself moving upward. Without a push it was a slow lift, but she had no intention of going near water ever again. Of course, that was easier said than done in a liquid-filled cavern. Luckily, she had a Grav-Regulator. Ki’ara decided she would stick to the ceiling from here on out.

  “And what was that… with the glowing stuff?” She mimicked his circular motions with her own hands.

  To’mas glanced over his shoulder at the transparent red plug. “A seal,” he told her, pointing out the obvious.

  “Ah.” Ki’ara nodded. “Magic?”

  Rather than answering, the man gave her a shrug.

  “So, what, are you some kind of… Wizard?” she asked.

  “Something like that,” he confirmed; sort of.

  “The last Spellcaster I met was not a good person,” muttered Ki’ara.

  “Some aren’t,” admitted To’mas. “But many are. I like to think of myself as a good person.”

  “I’m glad,” said the girl, with a nod. “Perhaps you can magic us out of this place.”

  “Uh…” To’mas seemed to consider it for a moment, before stating flatly, “No.”

  Ki’ara caught him glancing over his shoulder, prompting her to ask, “To’mas, is the seal going to last?”

  A simple shake of his head offered her answer.

  “Then we better get going.”

  15

  There was no thinking about the deadly fall beckoning her from both sides.

  No considering the fate worse than death awaiting her if she made it across.

  All that mattered was giving Petch a chance.

  Her footfalls were soft and true as she bounded across the steppingstones toward the man she dreaded. Je’nna’s prey grew larger as she drew near. But his colossal size didn’t deter the girl, or slow her approach. A single great leap took Je’nna from the danger of falling, straight into the clutches of her greatest fear of all.

  She pounced on the animal like a vicious cat. Her claws were daggers, and not unfamiliar with this man’s blood.

  Tossing his light aside, Sylor freed his hands to catch hold of the girl. But he wasn’t expecting her speed or aggression. Or that his hands wouldn’t close around her arms when he reached for them, despite the fact that she’d landed on his chest and was climbing him like a tree. Instead, all he caught was a flurry of slashes as her blades danced around him with remarkable accuracy, each a killing slice were it not for the armored shell around him.

  The girl’s movements were so fast and unpredictable that Sylor found a knife at his throat before he even knew that she’d slipped around his back.

  Je’nna dragged the sharp metal across his neck.

  Feeling her attack should have just finished the fight, the girl’s heart sank as the cutting edge merely scraped against the protective layer around him. Her fine blade couldn’t penetrate the hard materials.

  Muffled by the vents in his mask, Je’nna heard the man’s snide laughter and recognized it immediately. It made her want to kill him. It made her want to turn and run.

  But if he could find Je’nna way down here, there was no place in Avalon to hide from this man.

  Killing him was the only option.

  And the Princess wasn’t here to stop her.

  Je’nna snatched her hand back as Sylor reached for it, nearly catching hold. She pushed off him with a flip that brought her right back to her feet, springing at his knee with a well-placed kick that should have taken him to the ground.

  The powerful strike barely shook his leg.

  There was much more to this black armor than it appeared. Je’nna’s foot felt like she’d just kicked a piece of steel, and her opponent didn’t seem to have even noticed that she’d hit him.

  He swooped around and lunged for the girl, but Je’nna was too quick – diving to the side as his foot stomped down. She tried to sweep his ankle, only to have her foot once again bounce away.

  Fighting him seemed futile. The ineffective attacks were wearing Je’nna out and making her frustrated. How this evil ma
n could have possibly gotten more powerful was beyond her. There were no weak spots in his armor; not even at the joints, where a sinewy, tendon-like substance held the plates together.

  The armor that Je’nna was wearing – which she’d procured from Ki’ara’s secret room – felt stronger and lighter than her previous set. But even it was beginning to retract in places as Sylor’s Dark Matter blocked the energy of her Mu’turi, making her even more vulnerable than she already was. Not even the Angel of Avalon’s tech can defeat this animal.

  Sylor stomped again, triggering Je’nna to roll out of the way and spring to her feet. There was little room to move around in the passage, but Je’nna took advantage of every part of it.

  Without skipping a beat, she sheathed her daggers – which were no more effective against Sylor’s new armor than her guns – and darted behind the man, putting her foot upon a small ledge that protruded from the cave wall, and once again launching herself onto the man.

  With her hands free, Je’nna caught Sylor’s arm as it swatted for her. Hugging his wrist to her chest, she threw her leg over his head and pulled, wrenching his arm back.

  Didn’t he have fewer hands the last time I fought him?

  Sylor growled as the girl straightened, feeling a sharp pain run up his arm as it locked out. He tried to shake free, but Je’nna had him at the most awkward of angles.

  Despite his thrashing, the girl held tight. Though small, she was strong enough to pop any man’s elbow from this position.

  But Sylor wasn’t showing any signs of giving up, and fiercely knocked her about – into the cave walls, and even the ceiling.

  So far, Je’nna’s armor and helmet were protecting her. But she knew that it was only a matter of time before the wrong component gave way to his Dark Matter and retracted. She pulled with all her might, hoping to break Sylor before her own strength or armor gave out.

  Futile.

  Je’nna let out a roar, leveraging with her entire body. But his arm just wouldn’t give.

  Stupid armor is holding him together somehow.

  With a hard drop, Sylor slammed Je’nna to the ground. It was more than her weakening armor could absorb, leaving her rattled clean through the protective shell.

  “Hah – you’re even feistier than your little friend,” said Sylor, as he shook free from her debilitated grip. His voice was clear. He’d slid the panels of his mask open – two that curved around the sides of his face, and a V-shaped panel that pushed up over his forehead. “A couple of little firecrackers, you both are.”

  Even in the shadows of the small opening, Je’nna could see that the man’s face had changed. One side of it was burned beyond recognition, wet and bubbling – like the skin had been melted away, revealing something even more frightening than what had been there before.

  Sylor grabbed Je’nna by the neck, hauling her up before slamming her against the tunnel wall with a jarring thud. The girl’s feet dangled limply below her as Sylor tapped on the face of her visor. “You in there somewhere?”

  “Stop.”

  Je’nna’s heart dropped as she heard Petch’s voice. It was much calmer than it should have been.

  Pinned against the wall, Je’nna could turn her head just enough to see the boy standing at the tunnel entrance. With a shaky grip, he was holding the sword she’d given him, pointing it at Sylor.

  “Let her go,” he hissed.

  No, Petch. Je’nna could barely keep from throwing up. You were supposed to go the other way.

  Sylor turned to the boy and showed him his sick, evil grin.

  16

  Though they couldn’t know for certain if the path was going to connect, the passage To’mas had found was at least leading them upward. And, being that they hadn’t found an alternate route, the fact that this one was taking them up – and away from that troubling water basin – was good enough for Ki’ara.

  The fissure sliced through the ceiling of the water cavern and ascended in the general direction of where they had fallen. At least, that’s what To’mas told her. Ki’ara had gotten so spun around in the wash that she didn’t have a clue which way she’d come from. All she truly knew was that she’d gone the direction gravity had dragged her.

  But To’mas seemed to have a peculiar ability to know exactly where he was in relation to places that he’d been – except on stairs, apparently. Unfortunately, this didn’t necessarily translate into knowing a way out.

  Luckily, he didn’t seem to have any trouble climbing up the awkward terrain, though there were a few places where Ki’ara helped him. Her G.R. proved invaluable through some of the steeper areas where handholds were sparse. But, as she helped lift and pull him, something began to bother her.

  To’mas was tall but lean. There was no doubt that he was heavier than Ki’ara and her friends, yet the Grav-Regulator was able to help him safely over some tricky climbs. This didn’t surprise her – not considering that, back in the Library, she’d been able to jump to the second-floor balcony with the weight of both Je’nna and Petch.

  What bothered her was that, when they had fallen from the stone tiles, Ki’ara had expected the G.R. to slow their descent. With the extra burden of To’mas, she wasn’t surprised that it didn’t stop them. But she figured the device should have slowed the two of them much more than it did.

  So why hadn’t it?

  The only other time Ki’ara had experienced that feeling of plummeting was when she’d fallen from the castle balcony; when Sylor’s Dark Matter had blocked her Mu’turi and ability to control the Grav-Regulator.

  But Sylor was dead. He had to be. I used the purple arrow.

  Could he possibly have survived the blast?

  Or is there a chance someone else found the Dark Matter and took up Sylor’s cause?

  Most likely, I’m just over thinking things, Ki’ara decided. We were dropping too fast for the G.R. to handle the weight. End of story.

  So why didn’t the nagging feeling go away?

  Certain that she could move faster on her own, there were times when Ki’ara wanted to go on ahead. But the thought of separating themselves more than they already were just didn’t seem like a good idea. She needed To’mas to get her to Mark’s world, which meant ensuring the man made it out of this passage safely.

  “So, clearly you didn’t have much trouble getting out of Stronghold’s prison,” said Ki’ara, breaking the silence.

  “Not so much,” To’mas agreed. “Thanks to a Princess who left me a way out.”

  “But you were able to get through the energy barrier on your own.”

  “Yeah, prison cells just aren’t for me,” muttered the man, as they shimmied through a narrow opening between rocks.

  Following the light of her Niksuru through the darkness, Ki’ara asked, “How were you able to see down here all this time?”

  “These red eyes see well in the dark,” he told her. “Plus… magic.” To’mas held up a hand and swiveled his wrist. A glowing yellow orb appeared from his palm. It wasn’t big – about the size of a fist – but it was plenty bright. With a toss of his arm, To’mas lobbed the small sphere into the air above them, to where it stopped and hovered, casting a warm glow over the entire area.

  Impressed by the man’s abilities, Ki’ara asked, “Well, why haven’t you been doing that the whole time?”

  “I don’t know,” To’mas shrugged. “The light from your Niksuru seemed plenty bright enough.”

  Ki’ara found herself looking down at the cylindrical devices strapped to the tops of her wrists. She only had short segments of the Blue Energy drawn out, but they did cast a lot of light. Her thoughts went back to when she’d first met To’mas in the prison, and his reaction upon noticing them. “How did you know that name?” she asked. “Niksuru.”

  “Your mother,” said To’mas, “That’s what she called them.”

  “You knew her?”

  “We’ll, yes,” said To’mas.

  “Tell me about her!” Ki’ara practically shoute
d.

  But her hopes of hearing about her mother – from someone who actually knew her as the Angel of Avalon – were dashed when To’mas suddenly caught her by the arm. The man pulled her to an abrupt halt as he brought a finger to his lips.

  Ki’ara heard something – like an abrasive rustling – from up ahead.

  They waited, silently staring at one another until the noise stopped. It only lasted a few moments, after which To’mas insisted he take the lead.

  Lighting a clear path, the yellow orb hovered above, moving in sync with his steps.

  After climbing a series of rocks, the pair found themselves in a widening of the fissure. Not only did the walls spread, so too did the floor, dropping off to a deep but tight crevasse.

  Along one side, a series of narrow rocky ledges provided a path around the chamber, to where the passage tightened and continued. The outcroppings weren’t very wide, but they looked crossable, with a little care.

  Ki’ara couldn’t tell how far the opening dropped, but she was thankful to have the G.R.

  To’mas, however, had no such safety net. After eyeing the ridges skeptically, he directed his glowing orb out over the chasm, perhaps to get a better idea what might await him should he slip. With no bottom in sight – even after lowering the orb partway down the void – it was evident that a fall would not end well. If it ended at all.

  “Ugh,” sighed To’mas, as he pressed himself to the wall and began the dangerous traverse.

  Ki’ara kept close in case she needed to catch him. Not that it did much good last time.

  To’mas raised the glowing sphere from within the mouth of the abyss, to a place overhead where it might do him some good, prompting another pause when the odd noises they’d heard a moment ago reemerged. It sounded like a shifting of rocks; perhaps something loose deciding to sluff down into the crevasse.

  The pair looked at one another as they froze in place, not daring to make a sound, or shift their weight for fear of the ledge being unstable.

  But this time, the noises didn’t stop.