by Ky Tyrand
With that, Ki’ara pulled her Blue Energy blade free from his chest and stepped away as Sylor’s head suddenly snapped straight back, pulling his body over the edge of the cliff.
Another flash of light from the bottom of the crevasse marked Sylor’s impact with the crystals far below.
That was the end of Sylor.
Only after did Ki’ara realize why Je’nna had tapped her forehead earlier.
She had been calling her shot.
40
“Ewe, gross!” said Petch, as he kicked the gloved hand over the ledge. His voice was a little hoarse, but otherwise the boy seemed okay.
The energy bands had released their hold and fizzled away the moment Sylor’s hand was cut free.
Ki’ara couldn’t stop herself from trembling. The relief of Sylor’s death was overwhelming. Never again would she have to fear the man getting his filthy hands on her. Or on any of her friends.
Having to worry about attacks from assassins and monsters and robots was bad enough. But Sylor was so much worse.
Her legs felt weak to the point that Ki’ara needed to sit. She plunked herself down on the edge of a big rock – the very rock that the Dark Matter sphere had rolled behind a few moments ago.
“Are you okay?” Petch asked her.
Ki’ara flipped open her helmet and wiped her eyes. She looked up at her friend as goosebumps made their way from her spine all the way to the tips of her fingers and toes. “Yeah,” she expelled. The Princess took a huge breath, and repeated, “Yeah, I am.”
She rose to her feet and hugged the boy.
“We did it!” she said, holding her friend’s hands as she hopped up and down. “We did it!”
Petch couldn’t help but laugh as Ki’ara bounced with glee.
She closed her helmet so that she could repeat the words to Je’nna.
“Yeah, yeah,” muttered the other girl. “Are you going to come and get me, or am I going to have to climb back.”
“Okay,” she said, before reopening her helmet to tell Petch, “She’s happy, too.”
With a hard kick, Ki’ara launched herself into the air, elated that she no longer had to worry about that stupid Dark Matter messing with her Grav-Regulator.
She reached Je’nna in one long jump. And before her friend had a chance to fend the Princess off, Ki’ara grabbed hold of the pink-haired girl and hugged her with all her might.
Je’nna didn’t exactly hug her back, but she didn’t do much resisting, either. “Okay, okay,” said Je’nna. “I don’t know what you’re so excited about. We had it in the bag.”
“Of course we did,” agreed Ki’ara, though they both knew it wasn’t even close to the truth.
When they broke away, Je’nna was wearing her usual scowl, but Ki’ara could tell that her friend’s cheeks were straining, like she was forcing herself to not smile.
It didn’t matter. The Princess was smiling enough for the both of them.
“Let’s go then,” chuckled Ki’ara.
With a few solid hops, they were back with Petch near the end of the bridge.
“Nice shooting,” said Petch.
Je’nna nodded. “I know,” she agreed, before adding, “nice kicking.”
“I know,” said Petch, trying to mimic her tone.
Ki’ara tried her best not to roll her eyes or shake her head. Oh, now she’s smiling?
A noise behind them brought guns and energy weapons snapping up, and helmets clicking shut.
“Whoa, just me,” said a familiar voice. To’mas emerged from the mouth of the passage that Je’nna, Petch and Sylor had used. His hands were in the air until the girl’s lowered their weapons. “Don’t shoot,” he urged, only half in jest.
“To’mas,” said Ki’ara. “I’m glad you made it.”
“Me too,” agreed the man. “What did I miss?”
The other three looked at one another and shrugged.
It was Je’nna that spoke up. “You missed a schooling in creep-killing,” she said. “The likes of which has never been taught before, and probably never will again. At least, not until the Princess finds a way to tick somebody else off.”
“Oh. I see,” said the man. “Wait… who did you kill?”
“His name way Sylor,” said Ki’ara. “He was not a good person.” She wondered if she needed to add that part in order to justify what they’d done to To’mas. But the man didn’t seem fazed.
“Oh, that guy,” he said with a frown and a shake of his head. “Someone should have done away with him years ago.”
Whether she needed his approval or not, Ki’ara felt relieved to hear him say that.
“So,” the man added, “Where does that leave us?”
Sylor was dead, but their quest wasn’t over.
Happy to get right back to business, Ki’ara pointed to the cave at the far end of the stone bridge. “We’re on the right path. We have to go through there.” She then told To’mas about the giant lizard and his den. But, after seeing the monster’s reaction to Sylor’s glowing bands, she no longer feared the beast. Not now that the Dark Matter had been destroyed and her Niksuru were as bright as ever.
In fact, she didn’t have much fear of anything at this point. After finally dealing with Sylor, Ki’ara felt like there was nothing she couldn’t do.
Of course, that wouldn’t last forever.
41
Getting past the giant lizard was easy.
With Ki’ara’s Niksuru lit up on her wrists, and To’mas conjuring glowing spheres that hovered above their heads, the group entered the monster’s lair, trusting in Ki’ara’s confidence.
“Uck!” said Je’nna, as she covered her nose with her forearm, which muffled her words as she began rattling off all the nasty things this place smelled worse than. A moment later, she shut her helmet and told the others that she would rather die than smell baked dragon farts any longer.
The hissing beast let them pass, just like it had in the Angel’s memory.
Beyond the creature’s den was another tunnel. It was smooth and flat and easy to move through. And, as a major corridor for the cave-dwelling monster, there were no traps to slow the searchers down.
Ki’ara did, however, check the Inuwuru whenever they encountered a fork or intersection, of which there were several.
When Je’nna pointed out that Ki’ara was slowing her pace after every time she used the device, the Princess brushed it off and resumed her normal speed.
Ki’ara knew that what loomed ahead shouldn’t frighten her as much as it did. Though she had yet to follow the memory in its entirety, glimpses were enough to warn her that she would not like the sword’s resting place. You just have to get over this, Ki’ara told herself. But she was certain it wouldn’t be that easy.
The Princess didn’t need her goosebumps to tell that they were close. She could feel the humidity in the air.
A small passage that branched away from the main tunnel brought them the rest of the way. The tight fissure was too narrow for the resident reptile to fit through and, based on the glow coming from up ahead, the light-fearing creature probably wouldn’t want to.
The gap opened to another massive, high-ceilinged, crystal-illuminated cavern. But this chamber was much different from the others. The bottom was taken up almost entirely by an enormous pool of the most breathtaking water any of them had ever seen. Not even the Traveler – who had been to different worlds – had witnessed a lake so beautiful.
Tiny ripples on the vast surface shimmered and sparkled, reflecting the ceiling’s crystals with a kaleidoscope of vivid colors, causing the iridescent water to gleam with vibrant, polychromatic light.
In the distance, several small waterfalls could be seen entering the pool – some from high rock walls, others trickling in from adjoining fissures, and at least two that dropped straight down from the high ceiling, splashing onto rocks far below.
Rich green foliage skirted the irregular-shaped shoreline, surrounding the vast pool almost entirely.
One of the few exceptions appeared to be the little rocky beach directly in front of the foursome, where the group happened to enter the gigantic cavern. There was little in the way of greenery here, but a clear path down to the shore.
Ki’ara recognized a spot near the water’s edge from fragments of what the Inuwuru had shown her. This was the place where Excalibur was taken into the water.
“This is it,” Ki’ara said with a sigh. “The sword is in there.” She retracted her bright blue blades, which were no longer needed for lighting or monster-repulsion.
The Princess took a deep breath and forced herself forward.
To’mas caught her by the arm before she reached the shore. “Let Je’nna go,” he suggested.
“Why?” asked Je’nna, raising the side of her lip. “Do Princesses dissolve when they get wet?”
To’mas gave the pink-haired girl a sharp look. “She had a bad experience after that fall,” he explained. “She nearly drowned.”
Je’nna’s sneer softened and her head dropped a little. “I’ll do it,” she said.
It took a moment for Ki’ara to acknowledge her. “No, Je’nna, you’ve been through enough.” There was an unsteadiness to her voice.
The other girl nodded. “So have you.”
Ki’ara turned to To’mas. “You can do this.”
With a shake of his head, the man told her, “It can’t be me.”
“Why not?” demanded Ki’ara.
“I am… Unworthy.”
Je’nna nodded. “It’s because he’s a guy,” she decided. “They’re all unworthy.” She turned for the pool, but stopped, as if something had occurred to her. With a semi-gentle backhand to Petch’s shoulder, followed by a finger pointing at his chin, the girl added, “Except you, Clicky. You’re worthy. You just don’t know it, yet.”
With that, she handed the blushing boy her rifle, and stepped into the water. There was no need to remove the rest of her gear, for her Mu’turi would keep it sealed and dry. She did, however, retract her armor – all but her helmet, which she kept on her head to access the inter-dimensional air supply.
“Je’nna, wait!” said Ki’ara, frantically fumbling to open the Inuwuru container. “We don’t know what’s down there!”
“Relax, Princess,” Je’nna called over her shoulder as she descended into the calm water, cautiously stepping across slippery stones until she was up to her chest. “I’ve got this.”
“Je’nna!” shouted Ki’ara.
Without looking back, Je’nna dove, disappearing below the surface following a kick that splashed water all the way up onto the trio standing at the shore.
With a sharp curse, Ki’ara touched her finger to the triangle. The girl tried to rush through the memories as quickly as she could but was so frazzled that she kept jumping too far for any of it to make sense. Ki’ara had to force herself to calm down and filter through it without losing her cool, which wasn’t easy when her friend was facing another potential trap.
The colors were just as spectacular from below the surface. But, instead of the radiance from the ceiling’s crystals reflecting and shimmering, it bent and refracted, curving in little horseshoe-shaped arcs of sparkling light. It felt like she was swimming within a prism, surrounded by hundreds of little rainbows.
Long ago, Je’nna had discovered that she was able to stretch her Mu’turi between her fingers, forming wide pockets that allowed her to practically grab hold of the water and propel herself along. That, combined with an adjustment to the shape of her boots – flatter, longer, and wider – allowed Je’nna to slip through the pool with surprising speed.
Unfortunately, the movement reminded her of the deep slash on her arm, which stung with every stroke. Though her Mu’turi held it tight and kept the cut closed, Je’nna was forced to favor her one arm and adjust her motions accordingly. She had no idea how long the wound would take to heal, or what kind of scar it would leave. Just knowing that Sylor was dead would surely lessen the recovery time. That in itself made the awkwardness of a one-sided swim something she could ignore.
The water was clear, with nothing but smooth rock on the bottom, allowing her to see a fair distance. But there was no sign of a sword.
Je’nna began to wonder how long it would take to scour the entire lake to find this thing. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if this took a while. The water was nice – the temperature just right – and it truly was beautiful here. Je’nna had always loved to swim, and she’d never been in a more perfect spot.
Though the air supply wouldn’t last, it would recharge quickly when she surfaced. She may have to make a series of dives, but Je’nna was okay with that.
Her hopes of lounging in the water were dashed when she spotted an anomaly up ahead, where a cloud of murky water swirled about its otherwise clear surroundings.
With a disappointed sigh, Je’nna swam for it. Of course the magical sword would be hidden in the least appealing part of the lake.
As she neared, Je’nna could tell that the cloud was caused by the stirring of dark sand, churning up from the bottom like a volcano ready to erupt. The water was deeper there, dropping off sharply at the edge of the haze. Je’nna could barely see into the fog. And her scanners didn’t seem to have any more luck at determining what lay ahead than her own eyes, giving her no indication of how deep the area was, or what was causing the disturbance.
Unlike the bright beauty all around, this spot was shadowy and ominous, stealing the moment and drawing away any pleasure from the swim.
Je’nna wondered if she should go up and recharge her air supply before entering the unknown. That would be the smart thing to do, she told herself as she looked to the surface. It didn’t appear to be more than twenty feet up. She could swim up for air and back in no time at all.
She moved to kick her feet, but a faint sound from within the cloudy water prevented her from following through. Instead, she listened intently, trying to identify the noise…
It was soft and gentle, barely audible.
Her curiosity overpowered her sensibility. Je’nna kicked her feet and swam – forward, not up – straight into the silty cloud.
She felt the temperature drop the instant she crossed the threshold, and it took the visibility right along with it.
The sound grew louder, increasing with every stroke and kick. There was a melody to it, one that Je’nna felt all the way to her bones.
With her finger on the triangle, Ki’ara watched as tiny waves appeared on the surface of the pool. While she had no idea how long ago this memory took place, it happened near where Je’nna had just jumped in.
Dark hair emerged from the shimmering water, slicked back and stark against the pale skin that followed. A woman’s face rose from the glistening ripples. Though stunningly beautiful, it was stoic and held little expression. She stopped when her shoulders broke the surface, locking her turquoise eyes with Ki’ara’s.
The woman remained silent; watching and waiting.
The Angel took hold of the unadorned hilt protruding from the hi-tech mesh sheath that she wore at her hip, and she drew them apart. The sleek blade smoothly emerged from a scabbard that was only a fraction as long as it should have been. The weapon continued to slide out, little by little, until it was ten times the length of the hi-tech case that had held it.
The silver steel glinted under the multi-colored light from the crystals above, reflecting an array of shimmering flashes bright enough to hurt the eyes.
There was no questioning that the sword was powerful. Ki’ara could sense its energy through a memory that was not even her own. If there was a blade that rivaled the power of her own Niksuru, this was it. For all she knew, the magical edge of this weapon could cut right through Blue Energy.
That thought was enough to cause her to question whether she was doing the right thing. If a weapon this formidable fell into the wrong hands, it could be catastrophic. Perhaps it was best to leave it here, protected in the safety of this unknown place.
; You’ve come this far, Ki’ara reminded herself. You need to see this through.
You need to save your Guardian.
“Lady of the Lake,” – Ki’ara jumped when she heard the voice coming from her own throat. “I ask for you to protect the Sword of Avalon.”
The woman in the water tilted her head with a single nod. When she spoke, her voice was smooth and clear; strong, yet gentle. Not unlike the Angel’s. “With what shall you bind it?”
Ki’ara’s eyes returned to the sword. Her heart sped up as the blade moved to her palm.
As if it were her own flesh, Ki’ara felt the sting of Excalibur cutting into her. Though her own body flinched, the hand in her vision held steady as the sharp blade traced a crimson line across her palm. Despite clenching her own fingers, the Angel’s hand was slow to close. But eventually Ki’ara willed it to curl into a fist.
Unable to speak, the Princess watched as blood dripped into the sparkling water; both from her fist and from the tip of the blade.
“As you wish,” said the Lady of the Lake. “The sword is under my protection.”
Upon hearing her words, Ki’ara felt the weapon being pulled into the water. She released her grasp and watched Excalibur skim through the clear water, just below the surface, before vanishing into the colorful waves.
“Only your blood shall be allowed to retrieve it,” said the Lady of the Lake. “These waters shall keep any others who try.”
42
Ki’ara’s head snapped up as the box dropped from her fingers. She didn’t even question whether she’d heard that correctly. “It has to be me,” said the Princess, breaking into a mad dash for the water.
“Ki’ara wait…!” To’mas’s voice shouting from behind wasn’t enough to slow the girl as she leapt out over the lake. Lifted by her G.R., the Princess rocketed far from the water’s edge.
This time, she thought to pull her long hair up over her head as she sealed her helmet tight – which she did while flying through the air – before diving into the prismatic pool with barely a splash.
