Warriors of the Way-Pentalogy

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  Meja nodded and picked her up. At the circle, Meja gently placed her in the center. The circle flared with energy. Tears filled Meja’s eyes.

  “Thank you, guardian. You have kept my people safe. This death is an honor,” said Noga.

  “You will be remembered, Noga of the Rah Ven Guard,” said Meja, putting a fist on her left breast.

  Noga lifted her arm and returned the salute.

  “Run hard, run—” Her arm dropped before she could finish. Noga stared lifeless into the dawning light.

  “He fused the scythes into the Reapers. That was his army. Ten Reapers with scythes fused within. They will be unstoppable,” Meja whispered.

  “We will need help,” said Kenji. “The powerful kind.”

  “I know where we can start looking,” said Meja, opening a portal.

  THIRTY-SIX

  THE PORTAL OPENED in the sand. Several miles away, the South Watch shimmered on the horizon. Tetra took a moment to absorb the latent chi in the plane.

  “This plane sates me, my love. What is our purpose here?” said Ravia.

  “Wheel tells me the one Sylk holds close to his heart is here. She is bonded to him. We will find her and she will bring him to us.”

  “May I dine on her?”

  “He took my vengeance. I will take her. Once she has served her purpose, she is yours.”

  “What is her name?”

  They started walking toward the Watch.

  “She is called Mara.”

  Ravia licked her lips in anticipation.

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  THE AKASHIC RECORDS looked the way I had remembered, which made sense. It was a place that existed in the eternal now. We entered a large courtyard full of stairs. Some of them led nowhere. Another doubled back on itself. Some started and phased out, continuing in another part of the courtyard. It was enough to give Escher nightmares. In the center of the chaos stood Raja.

  His silver hair was perfectly cut. The light glinted off his glasses. They gave him a scholarly air, which fit, considering he was the embodiment of a repository of knowledge on a scale my brain couldn’t comprehend. His gray suit gave a new definition to the words “tailor made”. He held a silver cane as he waited for us.

  “Are you here to fulfill on your time with me, warrior?”

  I shook my head but Sylk spoke.

  “We need the third focus,” said Sylk. “If we are to stop the menace that is Lucius we must be able to face his weapon. Only the third focus can do that.”

  “I see. Will the warrior pay the price required? It is he that will wield the weapon, yes?” said Raja.

  “Yes, he will wield it. Can someone else carry the cost?” asked Sylk.

  “No, only the bearer of the weapon may pay the price. It is fitting. The cost is two cycles or twenty of your years,” said Raja. “In addition to the first cycle. You must serve the total, which is three cycles given concurrently.”

  Thirty years? I’ll be an old man by the time I leave this place.

  “I know it seems like a long time. If Lucius gets free…” said Sylk.

  If Lucius gets free with Maelstrom I won’t have thirty years.

  “We won’t have thirty days, much less thirty years. I accept the cost,” I said to Raja.

  “Your access to your chi is limited. In order to wield the third focus you must be restored,” said Raja.

  “How do I do that?” I said.

  “You must enter a circle of reflection. Once the reflection is complete you will be ready to face the third focus. If your attempt fails then your cycles of service will be void.”

  “Why would he void the cycles if he fails?” said Kal.

  “In the event that he fails in his attempt, the cycles cannot be fulfilled. It will mean that he no longer lives,” said Samir.

  Kal remained silent.

  “Is there a circle of reflection here or must we travel to a Watch?” said Samir.

  Raja pointed behind us. One of the stairways turned and twisted. It bent at right angles going up several levels until it ended at a door.

  “Through that door is a circle of reflection. Overcome its trials and you will be ready to face the third focus. Fail and the focus will be denied to you. Are you ready?”

  I nodded my head. Sylk held his hands out and I looked at him.

  “No weapons are allowed in the circle. You have to use your chi to overcome the trials,” he said.

  I handed him my sword, feeling naked without it. I headed up the stairs and arrived at the door. The door was covered in glyphs and reminded me of the door we used at the Sherfym. These glyphs began to glow without my touching them. After a moment the door disappeared. A hallway waited for me. I took a step inside and then another. When I turned around there was only a stone wall. I walked down the stone hallway. It led to a larger room that was completely empty, except for a large circle etched in the stone.

  This was not a tré. It consisted of only one circle. I stepped inside and sat in the center. The walls faded away and I floated in a dark space.

  In the distance I could make out a light. The light became a tunnel. I followed it until it opened onto a large field of grass. The smells of summer filled my nostrils. The sun was shining bright in the sky and a soft breeze blew the grass. I could hear crickets in the distance. Somewhere off to my right I could hear a river flowing. In the field I saw a small stone house. I could see that the door to the house was open. Inside there was a table and two chairs. Someone sat in one of the chairs with their back to me. As I got closer I thought I recognized the figure siting in the chair.

  I came around the table and my world shifted as I lost my balance.

  “You may want to sit down. You look ill, vessel.”

  It was Maelstrom.

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  “YOU CAN REVEAL yourself,” said Sylk. “I know you’re there.”

  Ferra came into view and bowed. Samir and Kal stepped back, weapons ready.

  “What the hell? A little warning next time?” said Kal.

  “Dante said he felt shadowed and then Mia added one to our number. I ascertained that one of your Guards was with us. I didn’t think it was you,” said Sylk.

  “You are still the Alpha of Grawl’s pack. A guard must be with you at all times,” said Ferra.

  “I will have to change that once I see Luna.”

  “Until such time, you will be treated as Alpha.”

  “Are there any more of you ghosts?” said Kal.

  “I am the only one assigned to the Alpha. In time more may come to relieve me. Will the warrior succeed?” asked Ferra.

  “He succeeded once and managed to wield a terrible weapon of destruction. I only hope he can find it within himself to hold another terrible weapon,” said Sylk.

  Sylk stepped away from the group with Ferra close by. He appeared to be lost in thought.

  “What troubles you Alpha?” said Ferra.

  “You need to go back to Luna,” said Sylk. “The pack is being targeted.”

  “I must stay with the Alpha,” said Ferra.

  “We both know who the true Alpha is, and she will need your help,” he said. “Go to her. This is my wish as your acting Alpha.

  Ferra bowed while placing her hand across her chest in the Guard salute.

  “Thank you for what you have done,” she said. “You will always be a friend to the pack.”

  Sylk returned the salute and Ferra disappeared.

  ***********

  The hub was quiet as Meja and Kenji walked down the hardwood hallways.

  “What are we doing here? I was under the impression they wanted your capture on this plane.”

  “Yes, but I need to see my brother, he has something I need,” she whispered.

  “What could he possibly have that would warrant a trip to this plane? This is insanity.”

  “Only if we get caught. Here, this way.”

  They turned down a corridor and headed across two intersections.

  “He sh
ould be in here. If he isn’t and we have unwanted company we leave and try another place. Agreed?” she whispered.

  “Agreed. I would prefer to avoid any conflict if possible,” said Kenji under his breath.

  They entered the room and found Devin in seated meditation.

  “Why did you come back? After you were safe, you came back?” he said.

  “I need the text, the master syllabist text,” she said.

  “You shouldn’t have come back,” said Devin.

  Black Lotus converged on the room, followed by Raquel. They all trained their crossbows on Meja.

  “I knew you would come back. They tried to get me off plane, but I knew you would come back here, to him,” said Raquel.

  She had both her guns drawn on Meja and Kenji.

  “We have a greater threat to deal with. Reapers have been summoned. Tell her, Devin. Tell her what Reapers are.”

  Devin turned his back on Meja.

  “It’s over. Meja of the house of Aumera, you are convicted of treason against the Order of the Warriors of the Way and are sentenced to death. This sentence is to be carried out immediately,” said Raquel.

  THIRTY-NINE

  THE CHERRY BLOSSOM petals fell slowly to the ground. In the meditation garden an old man walked around the flowers and stones. His long braid of white hair was cast over one shoulder. He kept his hands in his sleeves, hiding them. His gray eyes looked over to the center of the garden where a figure lay. He walked over to the figure and placed his hands on its chest. Bright light escaped his palms as he pressed down on the figure.

  “There is much work that still needs to be done. You have not earned your final rest. There are several people that need killing, and you are my agent of death,” said the old man.

  Tears ran down the figure’s face as he lay on the ground, unmoving.

  “I will give you a moment to mourn your life. Then you will bring them to me. All of them. Bring them to me alive.”

  “Every time you do this I lose something that makes me who I am.”

  “Your life stopped being yours after the first time. The time of self-pity is over. Go—bring them,” said the old man.

  Rael stood and manifested his swords. Energy arced between the blades.

  “Your Harbinger serves the First of the Karashihan, Lucius of the house of Iman, bearer of Maelstrom the terrible,” he said and bowed. “I live to serve. My life is yours to command.”

  “Go and do not fail me,” said Lucius.

  Rael opened a portal and disappeared.

  BOOK 4

  THE WARRIOR ASCENDANT

  ONE

  WHITE-HOT PAIN blossomed in my right side as I staggered back. I looked down to see a dagger buried to the hilt in my right shoulder. I reached over to pull it out.

  “I wouldn’t do that just yet, vessel,” said Maelstrom. “The pain you will undergo will be exquisite.”

  I pulled it out and bit back a scream. I could hear him, his laughter a distant sound I barely registered through the haze of agony.

  “I give you a piece of sound advice and you refuse to listen,” he said, chuckling and shaking his head. “Others tell you to throw your life away and you blindly leap. Why is that, Dante? Are you in a hurry to die?”

  “Because it’s the right thing to—”

  The slap came so suddenly I didn’t have time to register his movement. My face burned from the impact.

  “No. Wrong. Right or wrong has nothing to do with it,” he said, rolling up his sleeves as he walked around the room. “You say you are a warrior, but all you have been doing is following orders like a good dog. Are you a dog?”

  “I am a warrior,” I said.

  “You are a liability. Do you even know why you are here?”

  “I’m in a circle of reflection…”

  “Were in a circle of reflection,” he said, now smiling at me. “Now you are here. Do you know where here is? Did they tell you what the circle does? Of course they didn’t.”

  “It will help me restore access to my chi and lead me to the third foci.”

  “The trials of this circle will restore access to your chi,” said Maelstrom. “A circle of reflection shows you who you really are. It shows you the part of you that must be overcome. Only then will you have access, if you succeed. It will not, however, lead you to the third foci. That is something you must discover on your own. Do you know the cost of the third focus?”

  He stepped into the light and I saw his face clearly for the first time.

  “You’re blind,” I said.

  Maelstrom looked at me with eyes that were blank and out of focus. Gray film covered the irises, two pools of milky white holding me in their gaze.

  “Not as blind as you,” he said, sitting back at the table.

  Around us, the small house was quiet. It was plain and sparsely furnished. Maelstrom was dressed in simple clothing, a black shirt and black slacks. His feet were bare and he rested his hands lightly on the table as he looked at me. The rolled-up sleeves of his shirt allowed me to see he had identical glyphs burned into his arms. It was unnerving, looking at an older version of me. I sat in the chair opposite him and rested my hands on the table, placing the dagger between us.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “You invited me,” said Maelstrom.

  “I what?”

  “I am only here because of you. This is a circle of reflection. Did you think you would be able to avoid me, vessel? Here, of all places?”

  “Lucius, his shadow, removed you,” I said.

  Maelstrom laughed then. It was a cold and hollow sound, lacking any warmth.

  “You stupid fool, I am you,” he said. “I am the darkest parts of you. The parts you refuse to accept. I am the small, still voice in the height of the night that whispers truths to you.”

  “No, you’re wrong. You are not a part of me,” I said, as the anger rose in me and I manifested a sword in my hand.

  He looked down at the sword and smiled. It was a twisted thing, full of malice.

  “Really; where did that come from, then? Your loving nature?”

  I looked down at the sword as the anger rushed through me. I removed my hand and it disappeared. He laughed again. I pushed back from the table and stood up. I could feel the anger in my blood rising.

  “What, you thought this was going to be all chants and seated meditation?” he said as he manifested a short staff. “That doesn’t apply to you, vessel. You were a warrior. Now you’re just useless.”

  “I am still useful,” I said. “I can still help.”

  He stood and smashed the table with the staff, shattering it and sending splinters in every direction. I covered my eyes with an arm. When I lowered it, the small stone home had disappeared. We stood beside a large reflecting pool. White, marble steps descended into the pool from where we stood. The water itself was still and deep blue, and reflected nothing. Green grass surrounded us on all sides as we stood in the middle of a vast field.

  “We are going to do this in a manner you understand,” he said.

  I manifested the sword in my hand and took a defensive stance. The staff in his hands thrummed with power.

  “Prepare to reflect,” he said as he lunged at me.

  He brought the staff down, attempting to crush my skull. I raised the sword and parried, driving the staff to the ground. He bent over, reversed direction and slammed a back kick into my midsection. I fell back, gasping for air. My shoulder throbbed in pain.

  “Pitiful. You are a disgrace,” he said.

  He swung the staff around at my legs and I jumped back, causing him to miss me by a fraction of an inch. “Why are you here? To reflect? What do you have to reflect on?”

  “I need Shadowstrike. I need to stop Lucius before it’s too late,” I said.

  “Who told you to do this?” he said. “Why does it have to be you? Did you even ask?”

  He slid in and dodged my slash. He slammed his staff into my right leg. Pain burst
across my vision as I fell to one knee.

  “This is what you do, Dante,” he said. “You react and stumble around trying to feel your way while all around you people die.”

  He brought the staff down in another crushing blow. I barely managed to get my sword up in time. I rolled to the side, the lancing pain making me clumsy.

  “How many more have to die before you understand? How many more have to sacrifice themselves to your ignorance?”

  I stood and put weight on my leg. The muscles screamed in protest, but I shut out the pain and faced him.

  “I know people have died for me, because of me. I wasn’t strong enough to protect them,” I said.

  “And you never will be,” he sneered. “The third focus, Shadowstrike, do you know the cost of wielding it? You thought I was bad; wait until you meet her.”

  He lunged and swiped sideways. I heard the familiar click and raised my sword in time to stop the blade protruding from the end of the staff. He stepped in and twisted the blade in an attempt to remove my fingers. I let go of the sword and let it drop several inches, catching it before it hit the ground. Sword in hand, I slashed in an upward arc which he deflected to the side, giving me enough momentum to turn and slash his opposite leg. The wound was deep, but no blood flowed. He looked down at his leg and smiled at me. For the first time since meeting him, here in this place, I felt fear.

  “You think you are strong enough now?” he said. “Shadowstrike will kill you. She will devour your chi and leave you as an empty shell. You are not strong enough for her. You barely held your own against me, and in her final form she eclipses my power.”

  “I have to try,” I said.

  He feinted left and moved right. I realized the deception too late. His fist crashed into my face and I felt my world tilt. He grabbed my shirt and kept me upright.

  “Try? There is no room for you to try!”

  Several more blows rained into my body. Each impact rocked me to my core. He shoved me and I fell on my back. The blue sky over us held a few clouds that drifted by lazily. A slight breeze danced over the grass, filling my nostrils with the scents of summer.