Maybe he’s right. It might be better for it to end here, I thought.
I felt him dragging me to my feet. He brought me face to face with him. “This is your destiny,” he said as spittle landed on my face. “You will die here, alone and forgotten. Your friends, everyone you cherish and everything you hold dear, will be destroyed as Lucius ushers in a new era under his rule.”
Images flooded my mind as everyone I knew died a horrible and painful death.
“They will die because you are weak,” he said. “You have failed them. I will end you now.”
He brought the staff close and pointed the end at my chest. With a twist of his wrist, a straight blade materialized. Red glyphs covered it and it gave off a pale yellow glow. The glyphs pulsed as he brought the blade close to my face. He ran the edge along my cheek and drew blood. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the glyphs. They were important somehow. As he brought his arm back for the final blow, the realization hit me.
“I invited you,” I whispered.
“Yes, you did, and now I’m going to finish what should have been done long ago,” he said, as he thrust forward.
“No, I don’t think so,” I said.
The glyphs on my arm flared to life. The burning sensation ran up my arms and nestled in my chest. With one hand, I grabbed his arm, stopping the staff. I manifested my sword in the other and thrust it into his chest, burying it to the hilt. He stumbled back with a surprised look on his face.
He looked down at his chest and then back at me. Anger raced across his features. He grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it out. It disappeared before it hit the ground.
“You can’t stop me, vessel,” he said. “Nothing you do or say will prevent your death.”
“I understand now. I don’t need to stop you.”
The fear left me. I finally understood what was before me. The fear of dying had me twisted and confused for so long, but in that moment, I surrendered. I manifested my sword and readied myself. The glyphs on my arm were the color of the setting sun. The warmth filled my entire body.
“That won’t save you from me, vessel.”
“I’m ready now,” I said. “No more words.”
He lunged and thrust with the staff. I parried to the side, avoiding the blade and at the same time I back-fisted him across the temple, sending him past me. He rolled into the strike, switching hands on the staff, and swiped at me. I fell back, bracing myself with one hand and letting the staff bisect the space I stood in moments earlier. Getting my legs under me, I jumped at him, trapping his arms by his sides.
For a few seconds we were immobile. He struggled and tried to break my grip, but I held him in a clinch.
“Do you intend on holding me indefinitely?” he said as he tried to shift his weight away from me.
I reversed the flow of chi back into my arms. The glyphs that had been a dull orange flared bright, blinding me. I felt the shift. It was subtle at first, and then it grew in intensity. Around us, the ground began to shake. Maelstrom started struggling in my arms.
“You hear that, vessel?” he said, laughing. “That is the sound of your friends dying. Are you going to let them die? They need you.”
I expanded my awareness but sensed nothing. I intensified the flow of chi and Maelstrom began to fade. The ground stopped shaking.
“Remember what you learned here,” he said as he disappeared.
I stood there, looking at the glyphs on my arms fade, when an orb crashed into me, sending me flying. I landed on my back several feet away. I looked up and saw my attacker approaching. It was Owl.
“You?” I said, confused.
“Yes, me,” he said and bowed slightly.
He was wearing a simple white robe. His ebony skin glistened as he stepped close and stretched out a hand. A smile crossed his face as he looked down at me. I took his hand warily and he lifted me to my feet. And threw me. Airborne, I could see him running at me, closing the distance. I landed and rolled into a fighting stance. Owl stopped short, three feet away. Too close for me to feel comfortable. He stood absolutely still, smiling at me.
“That was much better the second time, Dante,” he said.
I stayed in fighting stance and moved back several feet. He didn’t follow.
“Thank you,” I said. “Why you?”
“Who did you meet first?”
“Maelstrom.”
“Incorrect,” he said, shaking his head. “You did not encounter that foul weapon. If you had, we would not be speaking right now. Who did you meet, then?”
I took a second to consider his question. “Myself, my darker nature,” I said. “The part I deny. My rage and anger. The part of me that kills.”
He nodded, his face serious now.
“Yes, warrior,” he said, entering a fighting stance. “Even though it is dark, this is a part of you now.”
A dozen orbs came flying at me. I had a feeling these weren’t the usual orbs he used against me. I focused my chi and tried to manifest a sword, but nothing appeared.
“That weapon is inadequate, warrior,” said Owl. “You must reach deeper. You must attack without attacking.”
I focused the chi into my arms, raising them in a cross block to meet the oncoming attack. A shield formed in front of me, deflecting the orbs away from me. A memory of Wei flashed in my mind, his words clear: There are no blocks, Dante.
I closed on Owl, his orbs close behind me. I didn’t know how to shift the shield behind me, but I could sense the orbs now. I placed the shield in front of me again and pushed. Owl resisted my push for a split second. It was all the time I needed. I dropped the shield and rolled right. It left him in the path of the orbs. They slammed into him and exploded. He walked through the explosion unharmed.
“Deeper still, warrior,” he said. “What lies before you will be the real challenge. Do you know who I am yet? Do you know why you are here?”
I nodded. I had a good idea of who he represented.
“You are the balance. The light to my dark.”
He nodded. “She is coming, Dante. I fear you may not be ready.”
“How do I get ready?”
Several orbs raced at me, followed by Owl. He held a long sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. This was not really Owl. It was part of me; it was me. I focused my chi and expanded my awareness. Using my chi, I took control of the orbs as they arced around me in a tight orbit. I knew what I had to do. I closed the distance. I slipped to the side to avoid his sword thrust and grabbed the other wrist to prevent his dagger from meeting my midsection. He absorbed his weapons and rolled his hands, trapping me. I bent under his forearms and locked his movement. I let my chi flow and the glyphs pulsed a deep purple and gold. The orbs crashed into us, throwing him off balance. I stepped around him and continued his downward momentum and slammed him into the ground.
He placed one hand on my chest and my glyphs flared.
“Now you will be ready,” he said as he faded from sight. “The cost is high, Dante. Remember what is at stake. You must understand why you are the one to wield her or she will destroy you. Remember: you are the weapon.”
He disappeared and I found myself back in the circle of reflection.
“It would seem you have overcome the trials presented to you,” said a voice behind me.
I turned to see Raja standing just outside the circle. I nodded. My body felt like one large bruise. I ached everywhere.
“I have to find Shadowstrike,” I said.
“A weapon of that magnitude is not found,” he said, pointing his cane at me.
“What do you mean? It’s not here?”
“It never was,” he said, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “If you recall my words, I was very explicit. The circle of reflection would restore your access and then you would be ready to face the third focus. I did not say it was contained here.”
“I just assumed—”
“Assumptions like that can be fatal,” he said. “You are restored
and in balance. Your chi has changed due to those” —he pointed at the glyphs on my arms— “but they will not hinder you in the wielding of the third focus.”
“Where is it? Where do I find—locate— the third focus?” I asked.
“You do not.”
I didn’t understand what he meant. He said I was ready, in balance. I felt my chi as it connected me to everything around me. I was in harmony. He stood there and looked at me, a small smile on his lips. Then it hit me.
“You said a weapon of that magnitude cannot be found, correct?”
“Correct.”
“It can’t be found because it’s not hidden,” I said.
“Also correct.”
Can this weapon be that powerful? Do I want it if it is?
“Only a person who meets the requirements can wield it.”
“Yes, and you do fulfill them,” he said.
“What are the requirements?”
“The wielder of the first and third foci must be of sufficient power, which you do possess even if only in potentiality,” he said, looking me over.
It didn’t sound like a ringing endorsement.
“What else?” I asked, not really wanting to know but needing to.
“The wielder must also descend from the lineage of the creator of the foci.”
“Wait, what?” I said, confused.
“Was I unclear?”
“No, no you weren’t. You’re saying I’m—”
“You are a descendant of the house of Iman.”
“And only a descendant from the house of Iman can summon the weapon,” I said, more to myself than to Raja.
“The ritual of summoning can be provided to you if you so desire,” he stated. “You have agreed to the cost of two cycles.”
“Can the ritual be performed here?”
“No, it cannot,” he said. “These are not the ideal conditions to summon a weapon with that much power.”
“Why not here?”
“The third focus has particular elements that shape its power. Those elements would be disruptive to the stability of the Records, something I cannot permit.”
“Then where can I go to do this?” I asked.
“You must travel alone to a Watch and enlist the aid of a Keeper for the initial summoning. Once the weapon is bonded to you, if it bonds to you, a Watch will no longer be necessary.”
“Why alone? I think it would be better if I could take the others with me,” I said.
“You must perform the ritual alone,” he advised. “Taking others into the summoning will only risk their lives. You must do this alone. Do you wish to know the ritual?”
Do I want to know this ritual? Once I do, there is no going back. How the hell am I a descendant of Iman? More importantly, did they know and not tell me? Am I just a pawn in all of this? This can give me a semblance of control, but at what cost?
“Yes,” I said. “Tell me the ritual.”
“Once learned it cannot be unlearned,” Raja said as he stepped closer. “Once on this path, the other paths open to you will be closed. The summoning will be rather sudden once you possess the information.”
“What do you mean, sudden?” I said warily. “Can’t I summon Shadowstrike when I want to?”
“Yes and no,” Raja answered. “If you had more experience, more power, perhaps you could hold off the ritual. In your case it will be like my saying don’t think about the pink elephant. Your next thought is about a pink elephant. The ritual will be the same. Once you possess it, the ritual will commence, or it will kill you.”
“Kill me?”
“In many cases this focus has destroyed the summoner,” explained Raja. “You meet the criterion to initiate the summons; completing it is another matter. Are you certain you wish to know this information?”
I nodded my head, not feeling certain at all. He stepped closer to me and placed a finger on my forehead, and images flooded my brain. I grabbed my head as a sharp pain crushed my skull. Glyphs began to coalesce in the air around me, glowing various shades of gold to red. Beneath me a circle formed, etched into the ground and filled with more glyphs. I felt liquid on my upper lip and wiped—my hand came away bloody. What felt like tears filled my eyes, but it was only more blood. The pain threatened to split my skull. I fell to my knees in the center of the circle. With my vision blurred by bloody tears, I saw the world shift and change around me. I was no longer in the circle of reflection. I could feel the floor tilt under me right before I lost consciousness.
TWO
MEJA LOOKED AROUND the room. Around her the Black Lotus converged, swords drawn. Raquel stood with her guns ready. Kenji stepped back and adjusted his staff.
“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,” said Raquel. “This sentence is to be carried out immediately.”
“We have a greater threat to deal with,” said Meja. “Reapers have been summoned. Tell her, Devin. Tell her what Reapers are.”
“That’s impossible, Meja,” Devin whispered. “Reapers can only be summoned by Samadhi and none of them are insane enough to unleash them.”
“She speaks truth,” added Kenji. “I have seen them with my own eyes.”
Raquel’s jaw flexed. “I don’t care if the Grim Reaper himself is loose,” she said. “You are coming with me. I don’t know how you escaped last time, but it won’t happen again.”
She signaled to one of the Black Lotus, who produced suppressor cuffs.
“Put those on and then we can speak,” said Raquel, motioning to the cuffs with her chin. Her guns never wavered from Meja and Kenji. “Don’t give me a reason, rogue.”
Meja slowed her breathing and expanded her awareness. She let her eyes close slightly, making it appear that she was squinting. Devin sensed the shift in energy. Can she really be that strong?
“Raquel, I think you need—” he started.
“I’ll tell you what I think,” interrupted Raquel. “I think she is your sister and you will do whatever it takes to make sure she is free, even if that means betraying the Order. I think you are just as guilty as she is, and that I just haven’t been able to prove it.”
Raquel looked at the Lotus with the cuffs.
“Cuff her, now.”
Devin raised his shield tight to his body and grabbed Raquel, placing them both behind it. Kenji whispered a few words and was surrounded by orbs.
The Lotus approached Meja with the cuffs in hand. Meja exhaled and compressed her chi. “I don’t have time for this,” she said, unleashing her chi. The room burst with energy and light.
When the light subsided, the Lotus were gone.
“What the hell? You killed them, you killed them all!” yelled Raquel.
“I told you,” said Meja, lowering her voice. “There are greater threats upon us.”
Devin let his awareness expand and found the Lotus. Meja had relocated them to the other side of the hub. He sighed in relief.
Okay, she hasn’t become some deranged murderer, but that power is incredible, he thought.
“From where I’m standing, I only see one threat,” said Raquel, holstering her guns. “Who the hell are you?”
“I need the master syllabist text, Devin,” said Meja, ignoring Raquel while turning to face her brother. “I need to find Dante before it’s too late.”
“It won’t help him,” said Devin, who produced a thin leather- bound book. “He’s been seared. He can’t access his chi. This book would be useless to him.”
“I need to try.”
He handed the book to Meja.
“Samir may be able to find something in here that can help him,” she said, putting the book in a pack.
“Are you certain about the Reapers?” Devin’s voice was tight with emotion.
“You need to prepare, Devin. Use her, she is pretty good with those guns,” said Meja, looking at Raquel. “I’m not your enemy. You need to find out why you’re
being given this mission.”
“Only a Samadhi can summon Reapers, Meja, and even then only under special circumstances,” Devin said, moving back from his sister, who was creating glyphs with her hands. Glyphs he had never seen before.
“I know,” answered Meja. “This is why I need to find Dante. I’m leaving the Order to you. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. You were right, they are corrupt. Find the Samadhi responsible, Devin. Before it’s too late.”
She finished the glyph and formed a portal, then turned back to face Raquel and Devin. “I’m the one who’s going to set things right. That’s who I am,” she said, and entered the portal followed by Kenji.
And I’m the one who’s going to bring you down, thought Raquel.
THREE
SNOW FELT THEIR presence long before he saw the first one. Inside the small temple lay the body of Wu Wei, his master and bearer of the second of the foci, the Fangs of Gren.
Reapers! How did they find me here? I was certain to cover my tracks. It must be the Fangs. This is much worse than master thought. It’s too soon. I’m not ready.
He looked around. The temple was empty, everyone who had come to pay their respects now long gone. The smooth wooden floor reflected the light of the candles. The presence of the Reapers remained just outside the entrance to the temple. A lone figure entered and stood at the entrance, fingers interlaced in front of him. Snow adjusted his black robes and turned to fully face the figure. Standing at average height and dressed in black, he looked like another mourner coming to pay his respects to the fallen master. Behind him, Snow could see other figures dressed the same.
“Hello, Snow,” said the figure in a quiet, almost melodious voice. “You know why we are here.”
“Which one are you?” said Snow, as he manifested his tambo. The two short staffs gave off an orange light, illuminating the temple.
“Does it matter which I am?”
“I would prefer to know the name of my attacker,” said Snow.
The figure gave a short bow. He extended an arm and produced a long staff with a curved blade at the end. The black blade of the scythe threatened to absorb the dim light of the temple.
Warriors of the Way-Pentalogy Page 55
