* * *
Sarah held the torch high above her head as she turned down yet another row of Solance bottles and inventory. Or was it the same one? There was no way to tell. Each row looked like the last. There was complete silence; the warehouse had been built under the dungeon beneath layers of rock. Nothing could penetrate the warehouse’s thick walls. There was no doubt in Sarah’s mind that Valek made the warehouse further underground so he could avoid hearing the wrenching souls’ screams of agony as they were compressed into his high-priced Solance.
She had completed searching one aisle of bottles. When she turned yet another corner, a flash of bright green light almost blinded her. As she opened her eyes, she bumped into Amana.
“Amana?” Sarah scanned the shadowy gloom behind her for Valek. Her sister had deceived her before; it was a mistake she did not want to make again.
“Yes. Sarah?” Amana responded. “What are you doing here?”
The dullness had faded from her eyes. Sarah wondered if she had escaped Valek’s control…and how?
“Amana, what are you doing here?” She lowered the torch for a better look. Amana’s honey-colored skin lacked shine, but other than that, it was her.
“I escaped.” Amana reached out and hugged her.
She stiffened, and then despite the warning voice that had begun to shout inside her, she gave in to Amana’s hug. Her family reunited again.
“I’m glad. Now help me find Marion,” Sarah said.
Her grip tightened around Sarah’s waist, forcing her to drop the torch. It fell hard to the floor, but retained its flame.
“No, you’re not!” Amana growled.
Amana squeezed her; crushing her internal organs together and making her cough and gasp for air as she tried to break free. Her sister was never this strong.
Without warning, her sister released her and with her hands balled into tight fists, punched Sarah in the face with alarming precision.
She reeled back against one of the shelves and it tipped over backward, sending bottles of Solance crashing to the floor.
Amana walked over the broken glass and spilled Solance as if nothing had happened at all. Her eyes remained focused on Sarah and her hands clinched and opened in regular intervals.
Sarah groaned as she felt her cuts and stinging gashes burn as pieces of shard glass lodged further into her back and hands. She struggled to sit up, ripping the palms of her hands on the debris.
Amana gathered a fistful of Sarah’s hair and yanked her to a standing position. She pulled back her fist and then punched Sarah hard in the stomach, knocking the breath out of her. She collapsed to the floor again, this time slicing her knees on the glass and sliding on the mixture of blood and slick, wet Solance.
Sarah could feel the blood trickle beneath her shirt and down her legs. Her nose throbbed and her left eye felt puffy. She could still see out of it, but it was closing rapidly.
If she fought back, she might hurt Amana. Amana had no idea what she was doing. Sarah struggled against the blackness that threatened to over take her. She had to stay conscious and aware.
“Fight back! That’s right, you don’t want to hurt your sister!” Amana laughed hysterically as she reached for a nearly unconscious Sarah.
Just then a zinging sound sliced through the air as a dagger slammed into Amana’s shoulder where it lodged itself.
“Owww!” Amana cried as she tried to snatch the dagger out of her shoulder.
Before she could free it, Zykeiah had clobbered Amana and the two fell to the floor. They wrestled as Zykeiah proceeded to kick, punch and cut, while receiving blows and bites from Amana.
“No!” Sarah called and began to crawl to the spot where they fought. “Zykeiah –”
A flash of bright, green light shocked Zykeiah and sent her flying across the room as Manola fought to stand where Amana had once been. Her face and shoulders had ripped pieces of flesh and deep cuts, yet no blood trickled or flowed from the open wounds.
Sarah blinked in disbelief as Manola hurried from the warehouse.
Zykeiah landed against one of the shelves and it, too, crashed to the ground from the force of the blast. Moaning, she stood up and said, “She escaped. But I’m not done with her yet.”
“Marion,” Sarah picked up her torch and limped down the remaining row of shelves. This row was shorter than the others and Zykeiah hurried along beside her. It ended in a little alcove where a small crystal-stained jar rested on a desk.
“Zykeiah!” Sarah called and she quickly approached the desk with her two daggers drawn. “Marion!” She picked up the jar and peered inside. “We’ve found him!”
“Great! Now let’s find Kalah and get out of here,” Zykeiah muttered as she took Sarah’s torch.
With bloodied hands, Sarah created a sphere and placed the crystal jar inside of it. “This should protect you until we get to Veloris.” This last thing they needed was to lose his soul or smash the jar during a battle.
She saw his soul smile, but his eyes were tired and weak. He needed to be reincarnated and fast.
“Let’s go!” Zykeiah ordered as they hurried down the aisle toward the warehouse’s entrance. She led the way, but slowed to a crawl when they reached the front of the warehouse.
“Manola could be anywhere or anything,” Zykeiah said softly as she opened the door to the warehouse and pressed the button to call for the elevator. “We must be extremely careful.”
She stepped back from the elevator’s doors and crouched down with both daggers drawn. Sarah held Marion in one hand, leaving the other hand free.
The elevator’s doors slid open and Zykeiah held her breath, as did Sarah. No one pounced or rushed to attack them, still they entered the elevator cautiously.
“We lost Orono,” Zykeiah confided. “That means he still lurks about. He is injured, but he remains a threat. We have him, Manola and quite possibly Valek, to contend with.”
Sarah understood and placed Marion in the sack. She tied the sack tightly and slung it onto her back. She needed at least one hand to throw spheres if she needed to. From what Zykeiah had just said she needed to be ready.
“He’ll be okay in there?”
“Yes, the sphere will protect him,” Sarah said.
“Good.”
Zykeiah pushed Sarah to the rear of the elevator as it came to a halt at the dungeon. As the doors opened, she bolted out slicing the air with her daggers.
“Watch it!” Kalah shouted. “I’ve been waiting for you! What took you so long?” Despite his irritation, he seemed relieved that they were together again.
Zykeiah asked, “Did you not see Manola pass by here?”
“No, I just came from upstairs where I was searching for that Orono creature. No such luck, but I did find your sister, Sarah.”
“Are you sure it was her? Manola was disguised as her in the warehouse,” Sarah asked.
Kalah shrugged and said, “She was chained to the wall in Valek’s bedchamber. I cannot forget her face.”
Zykeiah swore beneath her breath, and Sarah gasped. “Did you free her?”
“No, because I heard Valek returning.” He turned to look back to the stairs, as the faint sound of footsteps grew louder.
“Someone’s coming.” Zykeiah stepped in front of Kalah and Sarah. “Get ready.”
Kalah whispered, “Why wait for them, let’s get out of here!”
“What about Amana?” Sarah asked.
Zykeiah shrugged and said, “Give him your sack.”
Sarah removed the sack and handed it to him. She looked back to Zykeiah with a look of doubt.
“Go to Veloris, now, Kalah!” Zykeiah ordered.
“I don’t know the way to the Circle,” he said as he took the sack and contemplated which path to take.
“Stay to the east when you come to the fork in the tunnels. The tunnel that is the furthermost east, take that tunnel and follow it to the Circle of Allerton. It will take you directly to it.”
She patted him on
the back. He climbed into the middle tunnel and disappeared into the blackness.
“It’s just you and me now,” Zykeiah said wearily.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sarah felt her heartbeat increase and her hands were sweaty. Her left eye had completely closed, thus limiting her visibility on that side. She owed Manola. When next they met, she swore to avenge herself without mercy.
“Get ready,” Zykeiah said as she kept her eyes focused on the dungeon stairs.
Within moments, Orono’s chubby feet were seen as he lumbered down the stairs.
She wasted no time. She threw two daggers, one after the other, towards Orono’s feet, striking him in the toes. Each dagger struck their target.
“Oh! Oww!” Orono growled, lost his balance and fell down the remainder of the steps crashing to a stop at the stairs’ bottom.
Zykeiah raced over to the twisted Orono and kicked him hard in the face. Next, she lifted her sole remaining dagger and stabbed him several times. Her arm was a blur of slicing jerks and plunges.
Not that Sarah could stand by and watch. She had her hands full with Valek, who had gingerly come down the steps following Orono’s landing.
“You!” Valek sneered upon sight of her.
He leapt from the third step, leaving Zykeiah and Orono to settle their own battle. Once he landed, he removed his sword with fluidity and gestured it toward her.
“It seems you’ve already had your share of a beating today. Allow me to finish by relieving you of your suffering!”
He twirled around, swinging his sword and chopped off the top of Sarah’s torch.
She quickly rid herself of the wood and just like the day in the hallway with Queen Zoë’s guards, she created a shield made of the same orange substance as her spheres. The battle was on. As they fought, their shadows danced alongside them. Their shouts and grunts could be heard echoing throughout the tunnels. Sweat and fear scented the area.
Sarah’s shield protected her from Valek’s blows, but she was extremely weak. She had lost more blood than she realized. And he knew it.
“You are weak. I can smell death upon you,” Valek spat as he again smashed his sword against her shield.
She cowered beneath her shield, but her mind raced about. She had to do something. Without thinking, she lifted her hand and threw one of her sticky spheres at Valek.
The sphere flew past him as he sidestepped it with the grace of a practiced dancer.
“I see you have powers, albeit an awful aim,” he mocked.
Her left eye made it difficult to see him for he kept to her left. She could smell the fresh rosemary in his hair, but if he stayed to her left, he vanished from view.
His shadow revealed his hiding place, but that was not an exact location.
“Who the hell are you?” Valek spat.
Sarah peeked over the edge of her shield to see Kalah emerge from the tunnel’s mouth. He had his sword drawn and immediately swung at Valek, the blade ripping through his upper arm.
“I’m Kalah, son of Zoë and brother to Marion whom you kidnapped!” Kalah bellowed as he swung at Valek again.
With Valek and Kalah engaged in a sword battle, she dissolved her shield and turned her attention to Zykeiah and Orono, who were still swapping punches. Zykeiah seemed to be losing strength.
Sarah lifted her palm to the heavens and called, “Zykeiah! Move!”
Zykeiah glanced over her shoulder and saw the pulsating sphere in Sarah’s hand. Stepping out of the line of fire, she bowed just as Orono swung a left-handed punch.
He missed, but Sarah did not. She threw the sphere at Orono, who was completely unaware of her. He was so consumed with defeating Zykeiah that he neglected Sarah’s presence in the room.
The sphere smashed into his stomach and soon began to spread up his arms and down his lumpy thighs. The more he tried to wipe it away, the faster it spread. Soon, the sphere’s material had covered all but Orono’s neck and face. He struggled all the more as panic threatened to overtake him. He fell to the ground, twisting, and fighting.
Not too far from the spot where Orono struggled with the sphere’s substance, MaxMion, nothing more than a cocoon of tightly coiled material, lay dead; smothered to death by the thick substance of Sarah’s sphere.
“Valek, look around you. You are defeated!” Zykeiah called as he took another swing at Kalah.
Kalah’s arms had been nicked by Valek’s sword more than once. His mouth was drawn into a hard flat line, his face was covered in sweat and his arms decorated in thin streams of blood. He did not stop; he fought on.
Valek quickly scanned the dungeon and found himself surrounded by Kalah, Zykeiah and Sarah.
“Surrender!” Zykeiah ordered as she lifted her two blood-covered daggers and aimed at him.
He lowered his sword and said, “It would seem that would be best.”
“Hands up, Valek.” Kalah gestured with his sword. “In the air.”
“Sure.” Valek lifted his hands slowly in to the air, but did not release his sword. His thumb flicked the sword’s hidden button. Several small, secret cannons slid out of hidden panels around the dungeon. The tiny cylinders started spraying a mist-like gas into the dungeon area.
“So long, idiots!” Valek called as the dungeon filled with smoke and he disappeared.
“Where did he go?” Sarah coughed as she asked. The room had billows of smoke and she could not see in front of her.
“I don’t know!” Kalah called through the dense smoke.
“Upstairs, now!” Zykeiah coughed.
With their hands extended in front of them, they felt and tried to peer through the white, chalky smoke. They stumbled to the staircase.
“Ouch!” Orono moaned as Sarah stepped on him accidentally on her way to the stairs.
She could barely make out Zykeiah’s sack in front of her on the stairs as they climbed up.
Coughing and hacking, the three gathered at the stop of the stairs. The hallway led into the main part of the castle. The clearer air allowed them to see each other.
The burning and irritating sting from the smoke in Sarah’s throat appeared not to be easily quenched. She swallowed then coughed and neither alleviated the sensation.
“He escaped,” she said coarsely.
“Kalah, what are you doing back here? You should be halfway back to the castle by now,” Zykeiah said angrily.
“I had to come back to make sure you made it out,” Kalah said and shrugged. “It didn’t seem right to leave my companions behind.”
Sarah was speechless. Kalah had performed a selfless act.
“Fine. Right now I’m not worried about Valek or your return. Let’s find Amana and get out of here,” Zykeiah said.
Kalah raised his hand and the two followed him down the dimly lit hallway to Valek’s bedchamber. As they entered the room, they found it abandoned except for one person.
Chained and naked against the wall, dressed only in goosebumps that blanketed her body, Amana groggily looked up and smiled. “Sarah!”
Kalah quickly searched for the keys to the chains, being sure to avert his eyes from her nakedness.
Sarah hugged her sister, this time for real, and kissed her cheek. As she tickled Amana behind her ear, she erupted into laughter and Sarah knew that this was indeed her sister.
“Here, I found the keys.” Kalah came back into Valek’s bedchamber and unlocked Amana’s shackles.
Zykeiah watched, but remained silent.
He handed Amana a blanket. “I got this from Richard’s advisors.”
Amana blushed but said nothing as he draped the blanket around her shoulders. She did not look him in the eye, but his eyes never left her face. He smiled softly.
“Come, we must get out of here before Valek or Manola comes back.”
The four of them crept out of Valek’s bedchamber and into the hallway. Walking quickly, but not running, they reached the stairwell to the dungeon.
Kalah led the way after giving Sarah bac
k her sack, and giving his own personal belongings to Amana. He placed both hands on the handle of his sword, ready to strike.
Zykeiah went next, followed by Amana, and then Sarah who brought up the rear. Somewhere out there, Valek and Manola were waiting to attack.
They had to be ready.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The air had cleared, but smelled strangely of death and burnt wood. Sarah made it to the bottom of the stairs without incident, and the four of them continued on to the tunnel that would guide them to the Allerton Circle and eventually home.
Kalah turned back to look at them as he climbed into the tunnel. Zykeiah followed shortly after him and Sarah helped Amana, who was barefoot and naked beneath the blanket, into the tunnel.
The torches and candelabras lazily lapped as the group made their way through the tunnel. None of them spoke, but Sarah could feel the sense of relief and excitement that coursed from one to the other. They had been reunited. Battered and bruised, they would be home soon.
They reached the end of the tunnel faster than she remembered. As they each hopped down from the tunnel’s mouth, they saw General Cullen climb down from the opposite tunnel.
“General Cullen,” Zykeiah called to him.
The General’s eyes met hers. His eyebrows rose in surprise, but he quickly closed him mouth. For just behind him General Ogroth came through the tunnel followed by several of his soldiers and Valek.
An awkward silence spread and no one spoke as Sarah and the Minister Knights stared back at the two Generals and Valek.
“General Ogroth, we have no issue with you. Allow us to pass on our way home to Veloris,” Kalah said.
The hefty General pushed through the soldiers and General Cullen to the front of the group. He walked over to them and inspected each face as he made his way back to his group.
“It would seem there has been a misunderstanding.”
“You block our path, General,” Kalah repeated, his patience ebbing away.
“We have captured Valek, and we plan to extract the money and lives we have lost due to his selling of Solance to both my kingdom and Earth 3012,” General Ogroth said.
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