by Franc Ingram
“Calm down, my boy, getting yourself all worked up isn’t going to help anyone,” Daycia said. She grabbed his shoulder spinning him around to face her. Lorn tried to struggle free of her grip but the power in her long slender fingers was beyond normal. “Look at me.”
Lorn looked up at Daycia. The earnest worry in her eyes froze him, brought him to the brink of tears. His anger was nothing compared to her soft voice and warm eyes.
“You say she may be out there, okay I trust your instincts, we can send some people out to be sure, but I can’t let you go. So many have risked everything to get you here. I can’t let you throw that all away. You have more important work to do here.”
“There is much to be done here,” the odd woman said, finally standing up. Lorn had forgotten about her in the chaos. Now with her closer he realized who she must be.
“You're the keeper of the tower.” Lorn smacked his forehead for not thinking of it sooner. The tower was only a safe haven but it was the Keeper who held the power. She would test their fitness to be king. She would crown them if she deemed them worthy. The Keeper of the Crystal Tower was the oldest living being on the face of Euphoria and Lorn had spent much of his life dreaming about meeting her.
The woman nodded. “Kameke, and you are the Master of Skies. I too lament the absence of the Guardian. Her presence would have been much appreciated. I would have loved to finally meet her, but like the half-breed said we have much for you to do.”
“Hey what’s with the name calling?” Lorn said. He looked to Daycia, wondering why she didn’t defend herself.
“That's what she is, is it not?” the Keeper asked looking thoroughly confused.
“Her name is Daycia,” Lorn said.
“Forgive her Lorn, she has been isolated here for some time,” Daycia said.
“That’s no excuse,” Lysander said.
“I am sorry if I caused offense where none was intended. It's important for you three to trust me as we move forward. The trials will be hard and they must be conducted with all haste.”
“Sorry, what bout trials?” Leith asked.
“The trials of the three. Do you not know anything about the legend of the Heirs of Eternity?” Lorn chided.
“I don’t bother myself with tales,” Leith replied.
“Ironic.” Lysander said.
“Did the guardian not prepare you for what was expected?” the Keeper asked.
“We were in a bit of a rush, other things came up,” Lorn said.
“That’s no excuse,” the Keeper said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything he needs to know,” Lorn said.
“The trials cannot be delayed.”
“I know the legends. I can go first,” Lysander offered.
“Is it agreed that the Master of Earth will volunteer for the first trial?”
“Are you sure?” Lorn looked to his brother. He’d had half his lifetime to prepare for the trials and they still made him nervous. The journey to the tower wasn’t exactly easy. They needed time to recuperate but the circumstances around them wouldn’t allow for that. It didn’t feel right to Lorn to let anyone else go first.
“I’ve been here the longest. I know what’s coming. I can do this. Don’t worry.”
“I agree,” Lorn said.
“Me too,” Leith seconded.
“Master of Earth, you will face the trial of Power.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: CAPTURED
Oleana stumbled through the brush, holding tight to the wound on her side. No matter how slowly she moved or how shallow her breaths, pain shot through her middle with every movement. She made it to a small clearing that she decided was as good a place as any to sit and wait to be killed.
From the gathered leaves and broken branches, it looked like some other animal had once called the spot home. The smell of animal musk and urine lingered in the air, mixing with the background aroma of wet leaves and moss. Whatever made its home there left it some time ago. Feeling so drained it was an effort to keep her eyes open, Oleana didn’t care what found her first, animal or enemy.
She lowered herself to the ground, leaning up against a fallen tree trunk that was rotten down the middle. She tried not to think of the community of bugs that must have been calling it home. As long as they stayed inside and away from her, things would go smoothly.
Her still lit torch was clutched tightly in her free hand. It was the only thing she had left. No food or weapons, just an oversized lit match. Oleana pushed some leaves and sticks together, setting the torch in the middle of them to start up a fire. She knew it would draw attention.
That was what she wanted, needed. After finding a narrow exit out of the cave and being careful to hide the way back to it, Oleana had stomped her way through the forest, breaking every branch she had the strength to. Setting a couple small fires along the way. She needed everybody’s attention to be on her and only her. Mason was going to be furious, but she wouldn’t live long enough to be yelled at.
Oleana wondered if Cornelius would show up. She didn’t want her last life to end the same way as her first. There were worse things than dying at the hands of the wannabe god. Sitting back and doing nothing while Lorn and the others got killed was at the top of her list. They were so close to Evermore, so close to becoming the kings the world needed. Oleana couldn’t fail them now. If it took her life, then she would gladly give it to see that they succeeded.
Oleana heard a crunch and nearly jumped out of her skin. When she turned, and saw that it was a leaf blown by the wind she knew she had to find something to do to take her mind off what was coming. She lifted her shirt to check on her wound. The bandage was stained red, her injury reopened with all her exertions. She grabbed the pocket of her pants, thinking to rip it off and use it to trap the bleeding, but she felt a bulge there.
She remembered Kaithlen handing her a slice of cake as a reward to keep her going on the road. It was no bottle of whiskey, something she really could have used at that point, but it would do nicely. Oleana abandoned her wound care and sat back as comfortably as she could manage on the hard, cold earth, to eat her treat.
Oleana pulled back the paper wrapping, swiping every bit of precious chocolate off before turning to the cake itself. Taking the first bite, Oleana remembered the first time she had cake. It wasn’t until her second lifetime. That first go around her training and searching for the others dominated her life to the point she had no room for those simple things a lot of people took for granted.
With her mind on more pleasant things, Oleana’s eyes drifted close. She didn’t know how much time passed when a noise startled her awake. Deep in the brush a branch snapped. Oleana strained to see, but the sun was low and her eyes refused to adjust. She heard a snort that suggested an animal tracked her trail.
“Come get me beasty,” she said hating how high and weak her voice sounded bouncing amongst the trees. Oleana caught the outline of a large angular head and broad square shoulders level with her eyeline, so it must have been walking on all fours.
At first Oleana thought it might have been Tannin come back to haunt her. The damage Lysander caused him on the fields of Central City would have been fatal to most, but the multiform had a pedigree that could have given him a chance at survival.
Oleana stared into the impossibly blue eyes searching for the sharp intelligence that Tannin possessed. As the creature eased closer to the fire, Oleana spotted its elongated fangs glistening in the flickering light. Its coarse fur and curved claws all screamed yeti.
Relief flooded Oleana. She may have been resolved to die in her head, but her heart still wanted to live, and she knew a fight with Tannin meant certain death.
Good to know I left a trail clear enough for something as dumb and wild as you to follow.” Oleana looked around, surprised to find one of them out by themselves. “Why don’t you go ahead and call in your brethren? I might be bleeding, but it's going to take more than one yeti to take me down.”
The bea
st eased closer to her, apparently oblivious to her words. It carefully skirted the fire, moving forward until its front legs brushed against Olean’s feet. The smell of decaying earth clung to its fur. It’s breathing came in heavy gusts out of two wide nostrils, brushing against Oleana’s face.
The oddly calm behavior sent a chill deep into Oleana’s spine. She fought against the yetis since the beginning and never had one acted so reserved, so curious. Oleana leaned forward mesmerized by the look in its eyes. With her free hand, she reached for a nearby branch, the only weapon available to her. It wouldn’t even pierce through the yeti’s thick fur but it would startle it, maybe get it to yell out and attract others.
Oleana gripped the branch, swinging across her body with as much strength as she could manage, pulling at the burning wounds along her middle. The edge of the branch caught the yeti across the cheek, stopping against its nose. Oleana felt something wet fall on her arm, she wasn’t sure if it was blood or mud.
The yeti snatched the branch from her hand, taking some of Oleana’s skin with it. The yeti leaned in closer to Oleana and grabbing her face in its meaty hands, it's sausage fingers covering half of her mouth. “Father wants you alive,” it croaked in a rough, shaky voice, as if his vocal cords weren’t often used, “otherwise I’d make you pay for that.”
Oleana’s mouth would have fallen open had it not been held by the yeti. “You talk,” she mumbled. “How can …?” Oleana never finished her question. The yeti squeezed Oleana’s neck until she saw oblivion.
100101
“Guardian.”
Oleana opened her eyes, her head swimming. The light reached her eyes and she doubled over gagging on what little was in her stomach.
“Disgusting,” someone complained next to her.
Oleana tried to wipe her mouth, but found her hands were bound behind her back. She remembered staring up at the talking yeti before the lights went out. She’d expected death, had already come to terms with it. What they had in store for her, she didn’t know if she could handle. Oleana wiped her mouth on her shoulder as best she could before struggling into a sitting position.
“To think I actually worried that Seth did you irreparable damage.”
Oleana squinted against the black spots in her vision to get a look at Cornelius standing several feet away from her. Being so close to him after so many years of being terrified of the mere thought of him, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Oleana’s chest felt tight and tears pooled at the corner of her eyes. She opened them wide, taking in deep, steadying breaths. She refused to show him any more weakness.
“Since when do your rabid dogs talk?” Oleana said ignoring her fear and focusing on the thousand questions in her head. She looked around trying to find anything familiar to latch onto. “Where am I anyway? And why did that pathetic genetic experiment you call a son not kill me when he had the chance?”
“No, my dear, I’ve learned my lesson. Kill you, and I just have to work that much harder to find you again.” Cornelius said. He leaned over her much as his son had done not long ago. His breath on her skin was frigid like icy mountain air, sending chills skipping up her arm. “I plan to eliminate the threat you Heirs pose once and for all, and you are going to help me.”
“That knock on the head must have scrambled my brain, because I know I heard you wrong.”
“For what I need your help with I don’t require your consent. Just your body.”
Oleana coiled up when Cornelius reached for her. The thought of him touching her was enough to make her stomach turn. Her heart pounded against her chest and rubbing her palms together she felt the sweat building there. His long fingers brushed the side of her cheek and cold seeped into her skin so deep her teeth ached.
“You’re not going to damage that pretty body too bad? I was hoping to get some kind of compensation for having such a dangerous thing tucked away in my camp.”
Oleana looked around Cornelius to see Ivar standing in the far corner, picking at his teeth. The hungry look in his eyes made Oleana feel exposed.
“You won’t touch her, you hear me,” Cornelius said, staring down Ivar. “Not until I get what I need out of her.”
Oleana never thought she’d be grateful to Cornelius for anything, but for the briefest second she wanted to thank him for sparing her from Ivar. That was until he grabbed a fist full of her hair, pulling her head up at a painful angle. “I’ll start with something small, but if that doesn’t get my point across, say goodbye to a limb. I’ll give you time to think about which one,” Cornelius said before he sliced through her locks with his razor-sharp claws. The black tresses with their rainbow threads laced throughout fell limply in his hand.
What was left of her hair fell down in Oleana’s face setting off a rage that she couldn’t clamp down on. “What in the name of the Twelve did you do that for? Do you know how long it took to grow those? Eight years of hard work and you ruin it to make a point. I’m sick of this crap. Sick of being scared of you. Wish you would just kill me and get it over with.” Oleana said raising up on her knees, spitting her words as her voice got louder. Her abdomen burned, reminding her of how injured she was.
“The girl is mad,” Ivar said. He laughed, making Oleana all the more furious.
“Why don’t you shut your fat mouth and leave me alone? Why are you even here? I thought you were all about getting your precious river. How is that going for you? How much help was your new partner here?”
Ivar’s eyes narrowed and he put his hands down at his side balled into fists. “It will be taken care of in due time. You have no place to talk. You’re under my guard. You should be nicer to me.”
“You untie me and I’ll show you how nice I can be.” Oleana lunged at Ivar who stepped back bumping into the wall.
Cornelius laughed. “Looks like this version of the Guardian is far from tame.” He pulled Oleana back by her shirt, placing her squarely on her behind against the cold stone wall, the rough edges scraping her back. “Behave or I take the limb now and savor the look on the others’ face as I present it to them.”
The thought of Lorn cut through Oleana’s anger. She could image how scared he must be knowing that she’d surrendered herself. She hoped he would understand her decision, that she had no other choice. She taught him as best she could, and she had to trust that he was prepared enough to face being a king, and to face Cornelius without her.
“They aren’t going to give you what you want. My boys aren’t as dimwitted and desperate as Ivar.”
“Stupid, cocksure…” Ivar spat.
“Hold your tongue Ivar. If you can’t handle a few insults, leave,” Cornelius ordered.
Ivar stared at Oleana, his jaw clenched so tight Oleana worried he might crack his teeth. “Your help better be worth all this,” Ivar said before turning to leave. The wooden door smacked closed behind him.
Oleana laughed, amused by how easily Ivar was rattled. “Your partner is sensitive. Might crumble under real pressure. I’d keep my eye on that one if I were you.”
“Just remember that while I’m dealing with your fellow Heirs, he’ll have unrestricted access to you. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to make him so mad.”
Oleana put on her best scared face. Cornelius smirked. He gripped his prize tighter, her long locks clutched in his skeletal hand. Oleana watched him leave wishing it would be the last time she would ever see him, but knowing they would face off again too soon.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: POWER
While volunteering for the first trial seemed like the right thing to do when Lysander said it, facing the truth of it was another matter. The trial of power required him to do on a grand scale what he’d only recently learned how to do on the small. The last time he’d given over to his power so completely he’d had a seizure bad enough to knock him out for a few days. While he’d proved able to use the ability without consequence after Oleana’s reset, it still scared him.
“Master of Earth do you understand what is required
of you?” the Keeper asked, her voice was soft but her words cut through him.
The group had gathered at the top of the Crystal Tower on the observation deck. They were still surrounded by the otherworldly crystal but the shell was at its thinnest, to the point where if Lysander caught it at the right angle he lost track of the wall and looked directly out onto the street below.
Up so high, they could see for miles. Lysander never thought of himself as being afraid of heights, but looking out from the tower made him re-think things. He focused on the area of the horizon that mattered.
“You want me to clear out the overgrown mess that lies two hundred yards due north of us, and then replace it with a living wall of pyracantha from the seeds you had one of your people deposit. Why, pyracantha? I mean out of all the things to choose, why them? Is there something significant about them? Am I missing something?” Lysander couldn’t stop talking. He felt like he was channeling Lorn again, whether out of nervousness or residual effects from their joining, he didn’t know, but either way he wanted it to stop.
“The plant is not native to this area and has a low bio signal, making it harder to manipulate,” the Keeper replied.
Lysander swallowed hard. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
“You have twenty minutes to complete the task or you will be deemed unfit to be crowned,” the Keeper said. Before Lysander could agree, she wound her timepiece. Its loud ticking reverberated in his ears until it was all he could hear, other than the all too fast beating of his heart.
“Lysander, you can do this. Just remember to clear your mind,” Lorn encouraged.
“It’s the Guardian’s job to mentor you through this process, but because she is absent is it agreed that Lorn will act as her replacement?” the Keeper asked.
Lysander turned back to look at Lorn. The kid knew more about the trials than anyone else around. The mini course he gave Leith as things were being prepared was as thorough as he could have hoped. “Yes, please,” Lysander said, ready for any help he could get.
