We nodded.
“Remember, do not open a portal outside the circle or before it is active, or he will come directly. He is a greater threat than any watcher.”
“Goddammit! Who is this guy?” said Kal.
“I do not know his name, I only know what he is called.”
“What is he called?” said Samir.
“Those who have dealings with him call him the Wheel,” said the Keeper. “You must not confront him if he appears. Your only hope of survival is to escape.”
The name didn’t sound familiar. I prepared myself as the Keeper joined me in the circle.
“I wish you the best fortune,” said the Keeper and disappeared. Beneath me, the circle began a low hum as the connection was being restored.
It hasn’t been good so far, I thought.
“Okay, we have three minutes before we can get out of here,” I said.
“I’ll keep the time. Make sure you’re ready to open the portal,” said Kal.
She stood to the right of the door. Samir stood further back and to the left.
“Kal, you take the door. Samir, you stay at the midpoint. I will keep the portal open until everyone is through.”
I expanded my senses, trying to feel the area around us. The Keeper was right—the Watch was dormant. I only felt the essence of Samir and Kal. Other than them it was pretty much nothing. Then it came.
At first it was small sensation like a nagging headache, enough to be noticed, but not debilitating. The presence began growing in intensity. That’s when the pounding on the door started. The booming sound filled the room. I could see the door shake and shudder with each blow. Dust fell gently from the frame surrounding the door.
“That door won’t take much more of that,” I said.
I drew my sword and held it in one hand. I would need both hands to open the portal, but I had a few minutes until then. The pounding stopped.
“You think they gave up?” said Kal, not taking her eyes off the door.
The next moment the door flew off the hinges and fell into the room, sliding across the floor. In the doorway was a human-sized version of the watchers. Three figures in white robes entered the room. They were identical in appearance and dress. Angelic features took in the room impassively. Flawless porcelain skin and piercing blue eyes framed by hair so blonde it glowed looked at us. They each held a flaming sword in their hands.
My first experience with watchers came back to me. I could feel the sweat run down my back. My heartbeat pounded inside my head and my vision started to tunnel in. Panic squeezed me and I couldn’t move. A part of my brain, the rational, intelligent side, was screaming at me to run. My primitive brain, the one responsible for fight or flight, was curled up in the fetal position and drooling.
I’m scared. I’m going to die here and I’m scared.
That’s when I saw Kal intercept the lead watcher. The second watcher veered off to face Samir. The last watcher stood at the door, looking at me. He looked down at the circle and then back at me. He came at me in a dead run, his flaming sword trailing behind him. For a moment the fear was so absolute I forgot I held a weapon, I forgot everything and all I wanted to do was lie down and surrender to the inevitability of death.
Kal must have seen the expression on my face. She parried a slash and threw a dagger at the watcher coming at me. The watcher turned and swatted the dagger without breaking his stride as he closed on me. For a moment he took his eyes off me. A moment was all I needed.
“The fear is how they attack,” said Kal. “Don’t let them control you.”
The watcher turned his attention to me. Somehow he knew I was no longer afraid. He brought his sword before him and entered the circle. The fear didn’t paralyze me now. Part of me still wanted to run away screaming. I just closed off that part of my feelings and held my sword in a defensive stance.
He looked at me quizzically.
“You do not fear?”
“Of course I fear, but some things are bigger than my fear.”
“You do not belong here,” he said.
“We don’t plan on staying.”
“You presence upsets the balance. You must be contained.”
“Two minutes!” yelled out Kal.
Contained? Since when do they contain anything? Two minutes. We just need to hold out for two minutes.
The watcher slashed at my legs. I stepped back and parried the attack. He turned sideways, blading his body, and kicked. I stepped inside the kick, slashing down with my sword. He stopped my slash with his blade and delivered a right cross. I ducked under his fist and aimed a low kick at his knee. He skipped back, causing me to stomp the ground and lean forward, compromising my balance. Grabbing me by the arm he yanked down and threw me. My world turned upside down as I slammed into the ground. I rolled to the side and avoided a downward slash. His sword left scorch marks where my head had been a second before. I rolled to my feet and lunged forward. I looked and saw Kal and Samir were holding their own against the watchers. Something seemed off. The circle was at full strength under my feet. The watchers were attacking but their intent seemed to slow us down, not to kill us.
“I’m forming the portal!” I yelled.
“No, it’s too soon. The Keeper…” said Samir.
“The Keeper lied. They’re stalling us. I’m forming the portal now.”
I closed the distance with the watcher and slashed downward. At the last possible moment I reversed direction, slashing upward and cutting the watcher across a leg. He fell to one side, bleeding. Three more watchers appeared in the doorway.
What the hell are these things?
I stepped off the circle and formed the portal.
“What are you doing? Use the circle!” said Samir.
“No, this whole thing stinks. Let’s go!”
Three more watchers appeared at the door. Kal broke off her attack and sprinted to the portal. The intention of the watchers shifted. I sensed it the moment I opened the portal.
“They won’t be stalling now. Time to go, Samir.”
Samir tried to break off his attack but couldn’t. Several watchers flanked him. He was surrounded. His staff hit a watcher across the side of the head sending it flying. Another watcher filled the gap. Three more watchers appeared at the door. Nine watchers closed on Samir.
“We need to go, Kal.”
“We are not leaving him.”
“I don’t see another option. I can’t hold this portal open forever. Even now it’s trying to close on me,” I said.
“Ten seconds. I need ten seconds. If this doesn’t work it won’t matter…we’ll be dead,” she said.
“Go,” I said.
The strain of keeping the circle open was becoming too much. Sweat poured into my eyes, blinding me. I wiped the sweat and saw her skin ripple as she ran toward the watchers. In the center of the group Samir held his own but I could see his strength failing. The watchers were beginning to get through his defenses. They were so focused on him that they didn’t notice Kal rushing at them like a bullet.
She leaped in the air and transformed. Coarse black fur covered most of her body. Claws stretched out from her fingers like daggers. Her eyes gleamed red. The watchers never stood a chance. She ripped out the throat of the first watcher and dismembered a second before the first one hit the floor. She cut through the group which such speed I barely had time to register the fact that she was racing back to the portal with something in her arms. After a moment I realized that something was Samir. She ran past me and jumped through the portal.
The watchers turned to my direction and regrouped. As one they began running at me. Behind them in the doorway stood another figure. It wasn’t a watcher—he was dressed in a white robe, but I couldn’t make out his face. I wasn’t going to stick around to find out. I stepped into the portal, closing it behind me.
**********
“My apologies, I thought they would adhere to the time table,” said the Keeper, bowing low.
&n
bsp; “Summon the Kriya. I have received word that the prime ascendant is dead.”
The Keeper stood still and closed her eyes. A shudder went through her body, accompanying the tremor that shook the ground.
“It is done. What of those three?”
“It is irrelevant. Soon the Rah Ven will be wiped out and I will have the second focus. Those two acts will clear my path. Only a few loose ends left to tie. However I would be curious to discover how they arrived here in the first place. I thought the Watch was dormant.”
“It is, Master Wheel.”
Without looking, he grabbed her by the neck and squeezed. He lifted her off her feet and brought her face close to his.
“That is what confuses me. If it was dormant, like you say, they would not have been able to open a portal here without a staggering expenditure of energy. No one could. Either they are powerful beyond measure or you are lying to me.”
“I have no need to deceive you,” said the Keeper, gasping.
“I have no need to believe you,” he said.
He threw her to the ground and the watchers surrounded her.
“Subtlety and misdirection are the Keeper’s hallmarks. You will tell me what I want to know. Bring her.”
The watchers grabbed the Keeper and followed him as he left the room.
THIRTY-ONE
AN IMAGE OF the Keeper appeared before Tetra. He sat in a meditation pose, cross-legged with both hands before his chest, palms together. He allowed the residual chi around him to flow through his body. He sensed the presence before him and opened his eyes.
“What is it, woman?” he said.
“Your presence is required,” said the image, which then disappeared.
I am reduced to nothing but a lapdog summoned at his whim.
Ravia slept soundly behind him. She had recovered from her encounter with Roman. He turned and touched her forehead gently, whispering words under his breath. He finished his meditation and stood slowly without waking her. He stretched his muscles and felt the power coursing through his body. He had regained his strength.
I am strong again after so many years of weakness. I will never be weak again.
With a minimal gesture he created a portal and stepped into it. Moments later he stood before Master Wheel. The room was devoid of furniture. Stone walls enclosed a circle etched into the stone floor. No doors were visible in any of the walls. Master Wheel sat in the center of the circle. Tetra went down on one knee, looking down.
“You found me with little effort, I assume?” said Wheel.
Tetra gave a brief nod. “I did not know you were hiding. You requested my presence?”
“I did. How is your companion? Has she recovered from your meeting with Roman?”
“She has. He will be dealt with. After I kill Wei,” said Tetra.
“Wei is dead. He was killed shortly after you left him. You could say you facilitated his death,” said Wheel.
Tetra placed his fist on the ground beneath him. The stone cracked under his fist. His jaw flexed with anger.
“Who? Who has stolen my vengeance?” said Tetra
“Do you know what this circle was called when it was in use?”
Tetra remained silent and unmoving. A statue of rage.
“It was called the circle of reflection. Only the most skilled found entry into this room. As you can see, there are no doors, so a portal must be used. The circle itself was hidden from detection by these glyphs here.”
Wheel pointed at a series of glyphs around the edge of the circle.
“It is no longer active, given the state of the Watch, but every Watch had one. It served a unique purpose.”
“What purpose?” said Tetra.
“Getting in was only half the task. Upon sitting in its center the circle was designed to present your greatest weakness in a series of tests. If you passed these tests you then had to find your way out of the circle and back to the Watch. Those who succeeded became formidable warriors— some even became Samadhi.”
“How is this relevant to my destruction of Wei, which has been taken from me?” said Tetra.
“Right now you are sitting in a circle of reflection. Your desire for vengeance is your weakness and it is blinding you to the greater task. Your only task. Bring me the Fangs of Gren. That is your only focus.”
“I understand.”
“When you have completed this task I will give you the one who took your vengeance.”
“You can do this?” said Tetra.
“It is within my power, yes.”
Tetra remained silent and then nodded.
“Who has the Fangs now?”
“Wei’s apprentice, Snow, is carrying them. He will be laying his master to rest. I can tell you where this will occur. Bring me the Fangs and you will have your revenge.”
“The name. The name of the one who killed Wei.”
“He is of the house of Iman.”
Tetra looked up at Wheel. His eyes flared with red light.
“His name,” whispered Tetra.
“Sylk. His name is Sylk Iman.”
“Finally, a challenge,” said Tetra.
THIRTY-TWO
SYLK LOOKED UP and saw the light from the explosion fill the sky. He looked to the side and saw Grawl in human form. He ran over to him. Grawl lay in a pool of blood. His left side had a gaping wound where he had taken the brunt of the blast. Sylk knew the wound was bad. The amount of blood around the old pack leader only spoke of death. He knelt down next to Grawl, ripping parts of his robe to use as bandages.
“Grawl, can you hear me?”
Grawl’s eyes fluttered and then opened fully.
“I am here, Karashihan, but not for much longer, I am afraid.”
“We need to get you some attention,” said Sylk, putting pressure on the wound, trying to stop the flow of blood.
“I have lost too much. My life is more in the sand than in this body.”
“I owe you my life,” said Sylk.
“Keep Luna and the pack safe. Protect the Rah Ven and I will consider your debt paid.”
“I will.”
Grawl grabbed him by the wrist and looked at Sylk in the eyes fiercely. He pulled himself close to Sylk’s face.
“On your word as Karashihan and Alpha,” he wheezed.
“On my word as Karashihan and Alpha,” said Sylk.
Grawl let go and sank back to the ground.
“Tell my Luna I love her. Make sure my pyre burns bright.”
“Run hard, run fast, old one.”
There was no response.
Sylk picked up Grawl’s body and headed back to the Watch.
Approaching the wall he heard a familiar sound; the whirring of bells attached to chains.
“Gyrevex.”
***********
The Watch was in chaos. The circle at the center of the Watch was cracked and broken. The obelisk was shattered into several pieces. All of the glyphic walls were destroyed, broken, with parts scattered everywhere. The bodies of the monitors lay around the central circle. Many of the elite guard were gone, killed by the blast. Their weapons of power were no defense against the explosion. Only the Rah Ven remained. In the center of the circle a raging portal remained open, a storm of energy in the midst of the destruction. Through it Gyrevex entered the Watch by the hundreds. The Rah Ven attacked. They were outnumbered ten to one. Sylk approached the Watch with Grawl’s body in his arms.
“I will take him, Karashihan,” said a voice from behind. A Rah Ven stepped out of camouflage in human form. She stood taller than Sylk with long blonde hair. She wore armor made of a flexible metal that conformed to her body. A red emblem of a wolf in mid jump and snarling sat over her left breast. Sheathing her sword, she took Grawl’s body from Sylk.
“How long were you following me?” said Sylk.
“One of us is by his side at all times. The explosion separated us,” she said. “I was beside you at the wall.”
“I didn’t sense you.”
>
“I would not have been doing my job if you did. I am Ferra of the Rah Ven Guard.”
She started walking off to the side of the Watch proper, a series of building to the north of the main keep. She followed the wall for a hundred feet and then veered off to the buildings. Two more Rah Ven materialized. They had long blonde hair and were dressed the same way as Ferra. They took Grawl’s body from her and disappeared.
“The Rah Ven Guard, I have never heard of it.”
“That’s because we don’t exist. We are the shadows of the Rah Ven. We are in every plane that is inhabited. One of us has been with you since you became Alpha; actually, before that.”
“Are they all…?”
“Female? Yes, the female Rah Ven possesses greater abilities for stealth than the males. But we have more pressing matters to deal with. Gyrevex have come through the portal.”
“We have to close it, and then we can deal with them,” said Sylk.
“This is no ordinary portal. It is a vortex of energy larger than I have ever seen. They are coming in by the hundreds.”
“Gyrevex? By the hundreds? I have never seen more than ten gathered in one place at any time.”
And that was fighting Lucius’ shadow. Who can wield this kind of power?
“Do we know what they are after?”
“They are killing the Rah Ven and anyone that tries to stop them from doing this,” said Ferra.
“Is anyone else being attacked?” said Sylk.
“Only the Rah Ven.”
“This may be tied into something I was dealing with earlier. We need to get to that portal. What is the most direct route?”
They stepped outside of the building. Sounds of fighting could be heard all around them. The smoke-filled air made it impossible to see very far.
“That way,” said Ferra, pointing to the southwest. “The keep is on your right and the center will be behind that. The obelisk and circle are there. That is where the portal formed. If you keep to the shadows you should make it there undetected.”
“What are you going to do?”
“We are removing all essential personnel from the Watch,” said Ferra. “Evacuations have already begun. The one bonded to you will come with me. We do not have time to bring her here. Is this acceptable to you?”
Warriors of the Way-Pentalogy Page 51
