An Emperor's Fury: The Frayed Rope

by Paul Heisel

  “I’m sorry that you’re trapped in all of this,” Feln said. “I fear your students have been taken captive by Kara or the Grand Master by now.”

  “It’s just me and Tasha,” she told him. “I had the others leave. A lookout saw the Grand Master’s army trying to encircle the monastery.”

  “What about Hector’s students?”

  “It took convincing on my part, but Hector was able to do the same. I thought this would turn into a trap, either by the Grand Master or Kara or both. My only failing is my escape plan depended on getting outside of the church to where we were going to be imprisoned or detained. Tasha and I could have escaped by a combination of our magic while we were in transit or when we had the opportunity.”

  “The Grand Master abandoned us,” Feln said flatly.

  “That he has.”

  “I still want to know where Owori went,” Feln said, hoping to catch her off guard.

  “I don’t know where she is.”

  “Yes you do.”

  There was an earth-shattering crack from the vestibule. The door exploded and shards of wood on fire spread out, hit the magic force created by Tasha and Ryl, and dropped into the pile of benches. A stroke of lightning came through the door and impacted on the benches and ruble, splintering the furniture and flinging it everywhere. Tasha collapsed from the effort, but Ryl held steady, still pushing on the debris. Pearl ran forward and pulled Tasha to her feet. Another blast of lightning came through the door, and the stroke traveled into the benches and exploded the wood in all directions. The debris stopped in mid-air, still contained by Ryl. She looked spent, though, and had to relinquish her grip on the front of the church. Another stroke of lightning came and blew through the pile, rebounded, exploded within the debris, the remnants of it barely missed a diving Pearl and Tasha. Wood splinters flew, and a long sliver hit Tasha on the cheek, cutting it. The blood flowed as Pearl helped her to safety. Ryl, head still downcast, retreated to the back of the church for protection. Another stroke of lightning came and obliterated the top of the obstacles. Small fires burned, and without Tasha and Ryl working their magic, smoke began to fill the church at the ceiling.

  Pearl screamed down into the grotto. “Hector! Get through that ice or we’re all finished!”

  There was a pause in the work from below, followed by incredible booms. Hector was pounding away. Feln pulled the Dragonfly blade free of its scabbard, knowing this would be useless if they continued to attack them with magic. He had to delay them so the others could get away. He figured he could blink, hide, and attack whatever came through that door at close range. “Go! I’ll hold them! Get through that ice!”

  Kara’s monks came through the doorway, pushing debris out of their way with magic to clear a path. Soldiers followed with a variety of swords and axes brandished. He was about to blink when from his right he saw movement and a storm of lightning shot from a moving Pearl, the bluish light came from her hands struck unerringly down the middle of the church. It impacted on the group and sent them spinning to the ground, some dead, some alive but injured. She followed up with another stroke, causing the rest to flee behind the safety of the front wall. The hole in the rubble smoldered, the smoke drifting up with the drafts from the flames. No one dared to come through the door.

  “Thanks for that. I was about to charge right into them to give you time,” Feln said.

  “Noble, but stupid,” she said. “I have few surprises for anyone who is foolish enough come through that door.”

  “No doubt.”

  They crouched behind cover, eyes fixed on the door. Feln could hear Pearl breathing hard. He looked at her and could see she was intense. What appeared to be calm on the exterior had to be a jumble of nerves inside. His attention went back to the door. No activity. No doubt Kara’s monks were regrouping and planning their next attack.

  “I have seen blades like that,” Pearl said. “Where did you get it?”

  “I’ve had it for a long time,” he lied.

  “I’ve seen two others like it, set on a special rack that has an empty spot for a larger sword. Where did you get it?”

  He felt out of breath and it wasn’t from the light gray smoke slowly filling the church. In a rush of realization, it all made sense to him now. Pearl was from Pyndira! She was a Fury from Pyndira! That’s where Owori was! Pyndira! No wonder he couldn’t find her! Pearl was reluctant to talk about it. Pyndira! Owori was already there!

  A group of assailants sped through the door. They had weapons in hand and scattered in a staggered fan pattern, trying to get to the sides. Feln counted six, but he wasn’t sure how many were Furies. They were flanking them, taking cover when they could, but moving swiftly. Pearl didn’t attack them, nor did she seem to be concerned. She shot out her hand and let loose a thick stroke of lightning straight toward the front door just as another group was trying to slip inside. The lead monk was cut in half, the others knocked back outside. Three were close to his position and moving in to attack, when one of them suddenly shot across the room, flying head over feet out of control. The other two avoided the magic and rushed Feln. He heard a soft sorry, Ryl muttering from her hidden position. Around him time moved slowly, the magic of the belt imbuing him with inhuman speed. I’ll protect you, he heard Ryl say as the warriors came for him.

  They attacked in unison, one high and one low. Feln leaped forward over the low attack and into the high sword strike, using the Dragonfly blade to deflect the blow. He spun while the monks were recovering, cutting Dragonfly in a deadly arc. The katana left the attacker headless. The other recovered and attacked, Dragonfly blocked the blade, Feln saw an opening and landed a kick. It wasn’t hard enough to injure seriously, but it put his opponent off balance. The katana whistled through the air, a downward hack that didn’t stop until it was through shoulder, chest, ribs, and stomach. A blast from Ryl sent the body flying away from him, nearly yanking the sword out of his grip.

  Across the room Pearl was fighting the other attackers. Two of them were down and not moving. Her fists and forearms were white hot, bright gauntlets of light, and she was able to block attacking swords without being harmed. She kicked and punched her way through the monk’s defenses, and with her fist she landed what appeared to be a glancing blow. The monk went rigid as if stunned. He quivered from the strike, his sword dropping to the ground. Lightning shot from her hand into his chest unabated. Finally she released him, leaving a smoking hole in his chest where his heart used to be. Pearl retreated where Tasha was using her magic to keep Kara’s monks from coming inside. The small woman was on one knee, shaking, arms outstretched, blood seeping from her cheek and sweat dripping from her brow. As Feln wiped his blade, he knew they didn’t have enough time to fight off the next wave. Without warning lightning, fire, and ice hammered at the front in a maelstrom of magic. This was Kara’s last push to kill them.

  “We’re through!” Caleth hollered. His hands were white with cold and he was shivering. He had a piece of wood that was on fire and was lighting candles that had been blown down from the chandeliers.

  “Don’t bother with that,” Pearl said to him as she dragged the weakened Tasha down the stairs. “I got the lights.” Feln followed, then realized Ryl was just standing there staring at the floor.

  “Ryl!” There was only the slightest hint of recognition he had yelled at her. Feln went to her and grabbed her arm, tugging her toward the stairs. A conflagration raged in the front of the church, everything caught fire, and there was no time left. The only consolation was Kara’s monks couldn’t get inside. Yet. Frost was coming in thick and snuffing out the flames.

  “Sorry,” she said.

  “Come on, we have to get out of here!”

  Ryl continued to look down and away. She seemed confused, if not totally oblivious to their situation. Feln dipped his head so he could see her face, trying to get eye contact. Her head remained down and she tried to move away from him. He could see that her eyes were spasmodic, wandering and drifting. Was
she hurt?

  “Ryl, we need to go down the stairs. Now!”

  She snapped out of her trance and jerked forward, grabbing Feln’s hand and taking him to the stairs. Her head was still down, but she moved with speed. It was cold, slippery, and wet in the grotto beneath the altar. The others were ahead following an orb of bright light. Hector had dug through the several feet of ice, creating a space big enough for them to squeeze through. On the other side of the ice wall was a crypt, the stone caskets organized in neat rows and forcing them in one direction. They caught up to Caleth, Hector, Tasha, and Pearl. Pearl’s upraised fist lighted the way, and they moved through the crypt’s passageways as quickly as they dared. They found another passageway and moved through several oddly placed doors, barred them as they went, then emerged in a basement littered with old furniture and stacks of books. Feln guessed they were underneath the outermost offices of the monastery. They found additional stairs, went up, and emerged in what Feln recognized to be the administrative offices. They were still close to the church, though, so they went down a hallway and farther into the monastery in the hopes of finding a safe way out. They could either head straight for the front entrance, which was most likely guarded, or discover a lesser known point of egress.

  “We have to find our way outside this building,” Feln said. “Without running into Kara or Ash. Then find a way to get past the fortifications. I doubt we will be let out the front door here, or out of the front gate.”

  “If we get can make it to the walking forest, there is a vulnerable spot that we can get over the wall,” Pearl said. “There is plenty of cover for us to get close to the army undetected. I can create a diversion if we need to get by them. First things first; how do we get out of here?”

  They were in one of the main hallways, quiet now, the sconces giving off copious amounts of light. Ahead there was a junction. Feln motioned with his free hand as Ryl refused to let go of his other hand. Her grip was consistent, firm not crushing, but she was unwilling to release. Still her head was downcast, her eyes on the floor. Caleth took the lead, followed by Tasha and Hector. Ryl tugged Feln along. Pearl bringing up the rear, her fist no longer needed to provide light.

  “Looks like you’ve found a friend,” Pearl said.

  Feln glanced back at Pearl while Ryl pulled him along. He didn’t know what to think about Ryl, and he wondered why she came as Hector’s bodyguard. Both Ryl and Tasha had similar talents, like the Fury who helped kill Chang, to push objects or to use magic to keep other magic away. There had to be reason those two were chosen instead of Furies who could create fire, throw lightning, or freeze everyone with ice. Then there was Pearl. She looked unfettered, unharmed, and appeared to be fresh and full of energy. The way she moved exuded confidence not only in what she was doing, but what she was intending to do. He imagined if Owori had spent any meaningful time with Pearl, they would have become best friends. They were too much alike in spirit not to. Perhaps he judged her a bit too harshly, and he regretted calling her a kind. He wondered, how was he going to get out of that mess? He was certain Pearl was as stubborn as Owori.

  Around the next corner they ran headlong into a group of monks on patrol. Feln lost his grip on Ryl as she jerked one way, both her and Tasha flung their magic down the hallway and scattered the monks to the floor. More appeared in the hallway wearing gray robes like Ash’s. More Furies. Lightning cracked from them and Feln darted through a door and into a room, letting the lightning go by. He crossed the open room and found another door, flung it open, and stepped into another hallway that connected with the one he had just come from. Pearl came sliding around the corner and went by him. He wasn’t going where she came from, so he jumped ahead of her. Flames came from the junction behind them in a stream, followed by a stroke of lighting. They ran side by side, going around corners and finding their way through the maze of passageways until they came to the large double doors of the great hall. Shades! They were going in the wrong direction! The Furies wouldn’t be far behind, and Feln thought perhaps they would find help in the great hall in the form of the Grand Master's soldiers.

  Inside were the charred remains of dozens of men and women, the putrid smoke still lingering in the air. The hall itself was in ruins, scarred beyond reasonable repair. Feln ran across the room to a defensible position, took cover behind toppled tables and chairs, and pulled the trailing Pearl close to him. They huddled together, both taking long breaths to control their nerves. The lights flickering in the great hall were obscured by the lingering smoke, limiting their view of the area they came from. Kara’s monks had slaughtered everyone with magic, leaving none alive. The smell hit them and it was horrid. Feln covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve, noting Pearl was doing the same thing.

  “Maybe they’ll go by,” Pearl said, voice muffled.

  “Perhaps you’re right.”

  “Then we wait it out?”

  “There are other doors we can go through.”

  “We may run into more monks,” she said. “Let’s make a stand here. At least there is room to maneuver.”

  “I want to know where Owori is,” Feln said. “I won't leave you alone until you tell me.”

  “I told you that I don’t know where she is.”

  “What province is she in? Emesia, Ashimo? Where?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Feln detected the slightest shift in her position and a pause in her breathing. She had to know where Owori was, it was just a matter of extracting the information by being persistent. He wasn’t sure what else he could do to get Pearl to talk. Bribing her seemed to be a losing proposition, as Pearl didn’t strike him to be the type who would care about wealth. He could threaten, not a good idea, as he had witnessed how she could fight using her magic. If only he had time to think. “When we get out of here alive, you’re going to tell me where Owori is.”

  “If we get out of here alive, you’ll be lucky if I even speak with you because of what you have said to me. My kind.”

  There was a clatter.

  “We can kill each other later,” he whispered.

  The doors across the great hall opened. The swinging doors disturbed the hovering smoke, making it roll for several feet. Six monks came through the opening and scurried inside, four of them advancing with swords and the other two stayed back. They too covered their mouths and noses.

  “Two…Furies,” Pearl spoke softly, barely audible. “Middle. I think I recognize them. One fire, one lightning. The fire will be in a stream or a fan. They won’t risk a fireball; it might light this place on fire and kill the other monks. Lightning will be in strokes.”

  “Can you keep them busy?”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “I’m going to get behind them. If you can keep them distracted, I can get rid of the two Furies.”

  “How are you going to get behind them?”

  Feln blinked.

  #

  As he moved through the rubble, he tried his best to remain silent. The Dragonfly blade was out and ready. It was slow going, not only because of the rubble and the bodies, but because of the smoke. The movement in the air might give his position away. Perhaps this wasn’t the best plan after all.

  “Stop,” he heard Pearl call out from across the room and he almost stopped at the firm command.

  The four swordsmen moved to flank Pearl, swirling the smoke further. Feln quickened his pace, closing the distance to the Furies. If he could get behind them, it would be over in a matter of seconds. He needed more time.

  “Surrender and no harm will come to you,” Pearl said. “You know you’re overmatched with magic.”

  “We have you outnumbered,” a Fury called across the room. “It is you who should surrender to us. We’ll take you to Kara unharmed. She may still have use for you.”

  “Decide now,” she said. “Surrender!”

  “Get her!”

  The swordsmen picked up speed.

  It was too early
, but Feln had no other choice but to act. If she attacked the Furies while he was invisible, she risked a chance of hitting him. Pearl was smart, so he figured she would attack one of the two pairs of monks advancing on her position. But he had to wait until she did that, so the Furies would make their move. A bolt of blue lightning streaked from Pearl’s hands, flinging the two monks furthest away from Feln across the room. There was a boom, the accompanying shockwave shaking the large chamber. Even if the two monks survived the lightning, it would take them time to get back into the fight. It was now four against two.

  A Fury thrust his arm out, there was a flash of green on his arm, and from it came a bolt of white hot energy. It crossed the room in the blink of an eye, impacting on the rubble near Pearl. A clap of thunder followed. Feln lost sight of Pearl. Debris flew into the air, broken tables collapsed, and smoke swirled. Feln circled, coming at them from the side with katana ready. The Furies stepped forward, crouched with hands thrust forward. They had lost sight of Pearl too. The closest Fury to Feln fell dead from the Dragonfly blade cutting her head off. He was visible now, and the other Fury reacted with desperation and flung magic at Feln, spinning him off course and making his thrust miss. The stream of flame nearly got him. He recovered, cut the Fury’s shoulder, slicing through robe and the left arm. Not mortal but still devastating, the Fury crumpled in agony. Feln regained his bearings and brought the Dragonfly blade hammering down, impacting on the frantic Fury. The sword carried down into the Fury’s chest. Yanking the sword free of the expiring Fury, Feln turned to learn Pearl’s fate.