Hiromy waved her hand, and in an instant a clear dome of ice covered her father. Another ice block encased her nana and the two assistants.
Dokua growled under her breath. “Foolish, Princess. Once I deliver yer father to the Blood Empress, she be revealing the location of that holy wielder. Nothing is going to stand in my way.”
“Wrong. I’m in your way,” said Hiromy. She took out both of her bladed fans. “And you’re not taking my father.”
Dokua banged her chest and rushed forward.
Hiromy stood in place and took aim. Both fans took to the air and slammed into Dokua’s forehead. But instead of digging into the bone, the way Hiromy had expected, the weapons bounced off.
Dokua reached Hiromy and took hold of her. She pulled her in, squeezing her into a bear hug. She applied pressure, forcing the life out of Hiromy.
Hiromy closed her eyes. A layer of water forced itself in between the princess and her attacker. The water grew and grew, forcing the poison wielder to widen her grip.
“I will not allow yer to break free,” declared Dokua between hisses.
“I wasn’t asking for your permission.”
The layer of water pushed Dokua back. She let go of her grip as she stumbled back.
Hiromy took a deep breath. The poison wielder’s strength was inhuman. She’d been forced to use much more energy than expected.
“Yer be dead!” Dokua crouched and drove at her.
Hiromy water wielded her weapons back into her hand. She threw them directly into her foe’s eyes.
“Too predictable,” said Dokua, stopping to slap the weapons away.
“Good,” answered Hiromy. “I was hoping it was predictable so you wouldn’t see what’s coming from your right.”
“There is nothing on my rightttttt…” The creature yelped as a spike of ice drove into her left eye. Misty green liquid burst into the air.
“Unlike your skin, there is no armor in those eyes of yours, huh?”
“Hiromy!” Dokua ground her teeth. “No one has ever bled me. Yer will pay for this.” The poison wielder opened her mouth and chanted. An unnaturally long tongue rolled out.
Hiromy brought up her arms to block the unexpected attack, but it proved futile. Dokua’s blistered tongue wrapped around Hiromy’s neck. Her nose cringed as she took in the aroma of carcasses.
Her vision blurred as the tongue squeezed.
Through shaky hands she willed a layer of water above the poison wielder. The liquid took the form of a long, thin spike as it moved down.
The poison wielder’s pupils darted upward in panic. “I’ll kill yer before yer can finish yer weak attack.” A thick dark gas poured out of Dokua’s skin pores.
It flowed into Hiromy’s mouth. She felt the tongue’s grip loosen ever so slightly. Her chest ached as she forced the spike down with all her might.
There was a loud pained scream. The tongue crashed to the ground, as did Dokua. The ice attack had traveled through the top of her head and out through her torso.
Hiromy stumbled to the floor. The intermingled shouts of her father and nana echoed in her head.
“My little girl!”
“This can’t be happening!”
“Someone find the medic!”
The wobbly image of her father came into view. “Don’t you worry, baby. Help is on the way.”
Then her nana appeared, worry etched in her face. She said some words, but Hiromy understood none. Her heart slowed as her mind grew hazy.
A scream burst in her ears. The image of Sheridan flashed in her mind. A second later, her mind went blank.
CHAPTER 25
“But why would he seal K’vitch?” Falcon asked. Even from the cave he made out the imposing dome.
Shal-Demetrius nodded. “I don’t know. There is nothing of value in there that I’m aware of.”
“There has to be something,” said Faith. “He wouldn’t waste time if there wasn’t something he craved.”
“True,” the chaos wielder agreed. “You two need to get in there and find out what happened. Meanwhile I will search for Volcseck out here. Time to finish what I started all those lifetimes ago.”
“How can we break into that shield?” Falcon asked.
Demetrius tapped Falcon’s emblem. “You’re a chaos wielder too, remember? Travel around the dome, looking for the weakest spot on it. Faith will aid you. Now go!”
Falcon and Faith nodded and took off toward the dome. Once they reached it, Falcon steadied himself and concentrated. The grey emblem grew dark with red cracks.
Faith’s eyes blinked rapidly as they crept around the dome. “Since we’re not sure what we’re looking for, keep your eyes open for anything suspicious.”
Falcon’s hands trembled. “Hey, Faith. Do you think you can do that touch thing you do? I’m having a hard time keeping my composure.”
She shrugged. “Sorry. I’m your mentor now, remember? I need to push you a bit.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You heard what Demetrius said. You need to learn to control it yourself during difficult times. At the lake you made some progress, but you must do it when confronted by adversity. I won’t always be there.”
Falcon sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Besides, you’ve done it before. Against your fight with Lao you kept the chaos under control.”
The thought of Lao made his chest tighten. “That was different, though. In that fight I took control of water, wind, fire, mind, void, and earth at once. They were all basic elements. I didn’t use chaos.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You maintained composure. That’s an excellent step.”
Falcon forced a smile, wishing he had as much confidence in himself as Faith did. As his smile left him, he noticed a red mist emitting from his emblem and flowing to the crack in the dome.
“What is it?” asked Faith, obviously noticing the red trail as well.
“I think I found the opening.” He took hold of Faith’s hand. “Here, I’ll lead us in.” He moved forward, easily walking though the wall as if it wasn’t there. They came out in a stone-paved road behind a wooden building. Barrels of what appeared to be wine were stacked five rows high. Above, the entire sky was gone as the dome cast a shadowy glare.
“We’re in,” said Faith, studying her surroundings. “Now what?”
“We go to the town square.”
“How about you don’t,” came a high-pitched snarl.
Falcon turned, recognizing the voice.
Lakirk stood, covering the only way out of the alley. He had an unnaturally long smile that stretched from ear to ear. His right arm was missing, replaced by an octopus-like tentacle. His pupils were yellow with drips of blood. Moist strips of skin hung from his mouth.
Faith gasped.
Lakirk glared at Faith. “Oh, shut it. I’m tired of you, you bucket of rainbows. Life isn’t as pure as you make it out to be.”
“What on Va’siel did Volcseck do to you?” asked Falcon, covering his nose to suppress the stench flowing from the mayor’s son.
Lakirk raised the tentacle to the air. “A gift from Lord Volcseck. I may have been a bit…misguided in believing that Demetrius was the true chaos lord. But now I see the light.”
“You’re a monster,” said Falcon. He couldn’t believe some would actually worship Volcseck.
Lakirk’s entire body shook as he emitted a strange combination of laughter and sickly coughs. “Funny, that’s what Father said right before I…” He licked his blooded lips. “Made him part of me.”
Faith clutched her chest. “Your own father…?”
“No. The old imbecile fled after the first bite. But I’ll get him. Then I’ll get everyone else in this miserable town. It is my reward for being a good servant.” His manic eyes stared at Faith. “And I think I’ll start with the beautiful one.”
Falcon readied for the attack, but it didn’t come. Instead, he watched in horror as a tentacle grew where Lakirk�
��s left arm had once been. Blisters bubbled out of his body, shredding his tunic apart. A large eyeball erupted from his chest, darting around without focus.
“Yes!” Lakirk laughed. “This is the power of chaos.” Half of his face melted. A thick, yellow liquid oozed out of his skin and dripped on the stone. “Now die!” He pounced.
Falcon called on his water wielding as he froze the floor under the chaos creature, sending it skidding into the barrels. It crashed loudly, sending wood splinters and red wine flying through the air.
A second later, Lakirk emerged from the wreckage. His one remaining eye raged with anger.
Falcon broke the ice apart. He sent every cold block toward the mayor’s son.
Lakirk wrapped his tentacles around his body as a shield. The ice bounced of it harmlessly. “My turn.” He shot the tentacles forward.
“Fire lance!” At Falcon’s command a fire-infused lance appeared above him. It drove forward, pinning one tentacle down. From the corner of his eye he noticed Faith’s staff materialize in her hands.
Faith parried the second tentacle. She weaved under it and rushed at Lakirk.
Falcon watched nervously as Faith danced between countless attacks. She’s fast!
“Cleanse,” said Faith. She brought down the staff on the creature’s chest.
Lakirk’s body convulsed. His head dropped.
“What did you do?” asked Falcon. He dissolved the fire lance.
“I cleansed the—” Faith’s eyes widened. “This can’t be.” A second later she flew back with tremendous force. Falcon caught her before she hit the ground.
A loud squeal screeched through the alley. “You see?” Lakirk’s voice was deep with rage. “Not even holy wielding can handle chaos.”
“How are you, Faith?” asked Falcon.
With the staff, she supported herself to her feet. “I underestimated the amount of energy he possessed. Watch out!”
Falcon blocked the tentacle with the broadsword. With his free hand he took out his katana. He sliced upward. The tentacle fell uselessly to the floor.
“How dare you damage me?” Lakirk advanced toward Falcon.
Both warriors locked in a series of blocks, parries, and counterattacks. They continued like that for a minute, neither able to gain the upper hand.
Falcon hopped back. “Lightning dance.” The air sizzled as countless moving streaks of lightning moved around the battlefield.
Lakirk screamed as the attacks coursed through his body, lighting his chest with yellow energy. He crashed to the floor.
Falcon took a satisfied breath as he dissolved the lightning.
“You did it!” said Faith.
“Yes, we finally—” The sound of bones snapping in half drenched the air. Falcon wiped his eyes as a giant scorpion pincer burst through Lakirk’s back. It was made of palpitating flesh.
The pincer drove down. Oh no! Falcon’s skin tingled as he threw himself to the side. The attack switched course and dug deep into his shoulder. Stars burst in his eyes as he dropped to the ground. He tried to move, but his body refused to obey. I’m paralyzed.
The pincer came down toward his chest.
“Celestial Leech!”
A bright light engulfed Falcon’s eyes. When he opened them, a large leech had made its way over his chest, shielding him from the attack. He felt the energy from his body slowly return as the white animal tentacles latched on to his arms.
“She will heal you,” said Faith. “Stay there for a few minutes.”
Faith beat the pincer back with her staff. She created a shield. A second later, it broke apart as the pincer muscled though it.
Faith blocked the attack again. She was breathing heavily. Her hands shook.
Falcon steadied himself as he realized he had to do something or Faith was going to die. She was going one-on-one against the power of Shal-Volcseck. There was no surviving that.
He struggled to his feet.
“No!” cried Faith. “You’re not healed yet.” An attack came down on her, pushing her against the wall. “If you don’t allow the slug take out all the poison, you’re going to die.”
Another attack forced the staff out of her hands. She wobbled back but remained on her feet.
Falcon gazed at her as he swallowed hard. Regardless of what happened to him, he wouldn’t let her die.
“Time for a heat exchange,” he mumbled under his breath.
Lakirk looked up, his bloodied eyes wide. “It cannot be. Only Shal-Volcseck possesses those kinds of chaos levels.”
The pincer moved toward Falcon.
Before the attack could make contact, Falcon focused on thoughts of Aya and Faith, just as he had practiced. A surge of energy rocked his body. A second later, he felt his body move through thin air at lightning speed. With a puff of smoke, he materialized inside the pincer. Ignoring the rotting stench, he pierced the chunk of meat with his katana. He moved it in a circular motion. The pincer tumbled down, piercing the head of its master.
Lakirk gurgled indistinguishable words. Blood poured out of his mouth. Then his eyes closed.
Falcon teleported out of the pincer. His vision blurred as he stumbled forward. A pair of arms caught him before he fell.
“Falcon. Falcon!” A soft hand ran through his hair as darkness took hold. His body froze. He smiled inwardly, glad Faith’s voice was the last voice he would hear.
~~~
His eyes closed, and his body went limp in her arms.
“Falcon!” called Faith. She shook him.
Nothing.
Her voice cracked. “Falcon, wake up!”
Despite her efforts, he remained unmoving.
No, no, no. I will not lose you. I will not! With a determination she’d never felt before, she placed her trembling hand on his forehead. She concentrated on thoughts of Falcon as she unleashed her power.
Thoughts of his strong hugs.
Memories of the childhood games they’d played.
Images of them training together.
Suddenly, Falcon’s eyes snapped open.
She willed another beat of holy energy through her hands.
Falcon opened his mouth and breathed deeply.
“Don’t you ever do that!” she cried. Tears streamed out of her eyes as she held him close. “Ever.”
“I won’t,” mumbled Falcon. “I promise.” He remained quiet for a moment. “Faith, you’re kind of choking me.”
Realizing how hard she was holding him, she released her grip. Her face burned with shame. “Oh, sorry.”
“Falcon. Faith!” cried Iris. “You guys did it. You broke the prison wall.” Father Lucien ran behind her.
Faith looked up. To her pleasant surprise, the dome was nowhere to be seen.
Father Lucien patted Falcon’s back. “I see you figured out my little riddle.”
“Err…no, actually, I did not.” He coughed loudly. Faith might have healed him, but he still did not feel one hundred percent.
“I think you did. Maybe you did it subconsciously, but you did.”
Falcon stared down at Iris, who was now holding both Faith’s and Falcon’s hands. His eyes widened in recognition. “It’s childhood.”
Father Lucien nodded. “Yes, it is indeed. Childhood is a phase that seems to last a lifetime, but once we pass it, slips away quickly. We can’t get it back, but we can always learn from its innocence and unconditional love. You showed this unconditional love.” He looked over at Faith. “I’m sure I know who it was that made you see it.”
Falcon shuffled his feet and smoothed down his jacket. His eyes darted from side to side. “So, has anyone seen Demetrius?”
“No,” said Iris.
“He’s probably back at the cave,” said Faith. “We should go tell him what happened.”
“Yes.”
Both wielders took off in a light jog. Through the town and up the hills they ran. In a few short minutes, they entered the dark cave. Not until they reached the end, did they stop in their trac
ks.
Faith gasped as she took in her surroundings. The hard wall was broken in a hundred places. All the tubes lay on the floor, broken and useless. “What happened here?”
A pained grunt reached her ears. She dragged her feet toward the noise, fearful that she already knew what it was.
“You!” cried Falcon.
Faith cringed back at the horrible sight. Demetrius lay on the floor, a sword sticking out of his stomach. Volcseck stood over him.
“Yes, me,” said the overly calm voice. Volcseck faced them. A grin was the only thing that could be seen under the hood of his dark robe. “I must thank you both.”
Faith forced her mouth open. “Thank us?”
“Yes. I needed a chaos element. I couldn’t use mine, of course. That would have killed me. But now I have one.” He caressed the dirt-stained chaos element he held in his hands. Thank you for leading me to it.”
“You will never get away with this,” mumbled Demetrius.
Volcseck looked down at his former master. “Oh, I think I will. You should have stopped me when you had the chance. Now it’s too late.”
“What would your mother say?”
Faith staggered as Volcseck’s grin turned stern. There was a long silence. “She is of no matter. Now all I need is one element.” He pointed at Faith. “Holy.”
Falcon stood in front of Faith, sword drawn.
Volcseck’s smirk returned. “Don’t you worry, Falcon Hyatt, is it? I’m not taking her yet. But soon, very soon.” With those last words, he disappeared in a mist of dark smoke.
Faith dashed toward Demetrius. Maybe there was still time to save him.
“No,” said Demetrius weakly. “Let me go. I’m tired of living. It’s time I join my love.” He looked over at Falcon. “It’s up to you to keep her safe, youngling. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
Demetrius took Faith’s hands. “Keep an eye on him. You must guide him. He’ll be lost without you.”
Faith nodded, unable to form words.
“Watch out for one another.” His lips ceased moving as his eyes slowly closed.
Faith’s chest ached as she looked down at the lifeless master they’d barely known. She didn’t say a word. She just held Falcon’s trembling hand, wishing she could do something to make him forget about his pain.
Legacy of Chaos (The Void Wielder Trilogy Book 2) Page 18
