And go where?
In addition, you have not learned how to keep my presence hidden. Enemies will arrive soon—powerful ones.
The voices were approaching me now.
I opened my eyes and looked around. Those who had stood by me ever since my life had been turned on its side still surrounded me. I made to get up and several hands pushed me back on the bed.
“I need to go,” I said. “It’s too dangerous. I need to—”
“Get enough rest,” said Sylk. “Welcome back, warrior.”
“He can’t stay here,” said Mariko. “Mother, his energy signature—”
“I know, Mariko,” answered Ono. “He cannot mask it yet.”
I sat up and was rewarded with a tilting of the room that made me thankful for an empty stomach. Ono placed a hand on my shoulder and pushed me back down. So much for having full use of my faculties.
“What do you mean he can’t stay here?” said Sylk. “Where else is he to go?”
Zanshi entered the room and looked at me for several seconds before giving his wife a short embrace.
“Are you well?” I heard the concern in his voice.
Ono waved away his question but blushed. “Of course I am, Husband.”
“This was no small matter,” he pressed.
“We were well guarded,” said Ono, looking at Meja.
Zanshi nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, next to me.
“What she means, Karashihan,” Zanshi said, turning to Sylk, “is that he contains the third focus and does not know how to mask it yet.”
“So he is now a beacon to all who would be attracted to this power,” said Ono. “Especially among the Mikai.”
“Do you not sense it?” asked Mariko.
“It is too soon. They would only sense the transformation if they were Mikai or if they were—” began Zanshi.
“I sense it,” said Meja, looking at me and speaking barely above a whisper. “You feel the way you were when you held Maelstrom without the taint of corruption.”
Ono nodded. “The same hands forged both so they would feel similar. However, they each have a different purpose.”
“Without the ability to mask the focus, it’s only a matter of time before it will be more than just the Mikai who can sense it,” said Mariko. “You need to be gone before then.”
“Why can only the Mikai feel this?” asked Devin. “A weapon with this much power should be impossible to mask on any level.”
“He is not the one masking it right now,” said Sylk. “We are in a glyphed room, correct?”
Ono nodded and stepped closer to me.
“The glyphs here diffuse his energy signature, which makes him difficult to read for you and any who are not Mikai or bonded,” said Ono. “They will not be enough to hide him indefinitely. We need to move him to another location.”
Zanshi placed a hand on my chest and closed his eyes.
“Once out of this room, this power will draw them to you,” said Zanshi. “They will know where you are. We must prepare.”
“I can take him to the mirror,” said Sylk. “I can place him in one of the interstices.”
Zanshi shook his head. “Not even there would he be safe,” he said. “The Watchers would find him. It’s too risky. You would need a dead zone.”
“I may have a solution,” said a voice from the doorway.
It was Samir, and behind him was a young woman. She was of medium height with dark brown hair and vibrant eyes. Around her neck, she wore a chain attached to what appeared to be a large black prism.
“Samir!” said several voices in unison.
Sylk and Meja walked over to greet him. Samir touched his hand to his forehead and then his heart in a return greeting. I waved from the bed and he approached.
“It’s good to see you,” I said. “Who’s that?”
“This is Nina, and she is looking for you,” he said, looking at Meja.
“Me? Why?” Meja asked and she took a step back as Nina closed the distance.
“I have to give you this,” said Nina as she removed the black prism from her neck and held it outstretched to Meja.
“A prism? Who told you to give this to me?” asked Meja warily.
“He was my friend,” said Nina. “He said to give it to you.”
“Does this friend have a name?’
Nina shook her head slowly. “He never told me his name, only to give this to Meja of the house of Aumeera. That’s you—I can feel it.”
“You can what?” said Meja with an edge in her voice. She began to focus her chi. It was a subtle shift in energy but I could sense it. I sat up in the bed.
“What are you doing?” I asked. “She’s no threat.”
“No one is supposed to ‘feel’ me,” said Meja. “For all I know she could have been sent here to kill me—to kill us. That prism could be deadly. You of all people should know how dangerous they are.”
I remembered my experience with prisms. Both times I almost died. I opened my senses and looked at Nina with my innersight. I sensed no malicious intent, but what I did see surprised me: she had immense power, layered in various ways.
She is a wavedancer, Dante. You need her.
“You’re a wavedancer?” I asked, barely understanding what I was saying.
Nina held the prism out to Meja, who stood next to my side of the bed. She cocked her head to the side in confusion. “I don’t understand. You are Meja of the house of Aumeera. This is for you,” she said.
The pain must have clouded my thinking because I reached out and grabbed the prism, saying, “I’ll hold it for her until she’s ready to take it from you.”
“Dante, no!” yelled Meja too late.
The prism flared to life. Black light spilled from my hand as I sought to stop the power from escaping.
This power cannot be yours, Dante. You must release it.
What is it? What kind of power is it?
This is a sliver of Maelstrom. You cannot absorb it.
A sliver of—?
Your interaction with it has rendered the glyphs in this room ineffective. We are now vulnerable.
“Mother, the glyphs,” said Mariko. “I can’t sense them.”
Lady Ono turned to look at me. “They’re gone. What did you do?”
I handed the prism back to Nina. “That thing is a part of Maelstrom. It must have reacted to me somehow.”
“Maelstrom?” Meja manifested Truth a moment later and had it at Nina’s throat. I barely had time to register what she had done when Lady Ono moved. The next thing I saw was Meja flying back across the room. Everyone froze as she walked over to where Meja had landed, and extended a hand.
“You are not Mikai so I do not expect you to understand our customs,” she said, her voice holding the menace of a drawn sword. “However, I will not allow you to spill blood in my house against my consent.”
Meja took the hand and stood. She bowed to Ono.
“My deepest apologies to you and your house, Lady Ono,” she said. “It was not my intent to cause you offense. It won’t happen again.”
Ono returned the bow. “I know it won’t. We will deal with this prism business in a moment. Right now we have more pressing matters,” she said as she turned to Samir. “What was the solution you were presenting?”
Samir paused for a moment without saying a word.
“Word wielder?” said Ono.
“Yes, yes. Nina is a wavedancer,” he said, recovering. “She found me in a null plane. Perhaps we can move Dante to the same plane?”
“A wavedancer?” asked Sylk. “She’s too young to be a wavedancer. Even among the Imans, wavedancers trained for decades before being allowed to open portals much less take someone with them. You can’t trust her ability.”
“Her ability found me in a null plane and brought me here,” said Samir.
Nina tied the prism around her neck again. She looked at Meja for a long moment before turning to Sylk.
“I can do it, and
have done it since I was little. Who are you?” said Nina.
You must leave now. Enemies approach, Dante.
I don’t sense anyone.
Focus on your connection to me and expand your awareness.
I did as instructed and let my awareness flow outward. All around us were Mikai advancing on our position.
“We have trouble,” I said. “Mikai are closing on our position.”
“That would be the other clans,” said Mariko. “They will attempt to kill you.”
“Cowards,” spat Zanshi. “You, wavedancer,” he said while pointing at Nina. “Take him with you. We will deal with this filth.”
Nina was slowly shaking her head. Meja came over and stood next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You were looking for me, right?”
Nina nodded. “Right now we need you to help this man to get to a null plane,” she said. “Then we can discuss this prism you have to give me.”
“Okay, I can do that,” said Nina. “Two people? I don’t think I can do three. I’ve never tried more than two.”
“Yes, just me and Dante,” said Meja. “Can you do that?”
Nina bit her lip but nodded. She didn’t look confident, but I didn’t see we had much of a choice. It was either this or go outside and face eight clans-worth of Mikai.
“Nina, do you think you can take them to the in-between place you found me?” asked Samir.
Nina closed her eyes for a moment and then nodded her head.
“Please take them there now,” said Samir as he drew a short sword.
The sound of fighting could be heard outside the room now. Lady Ono placed a hand on my arm.
“A word, warrior,” she said. “Time is against us, but you alone must know this.”
We walked across to the other side of the room. She held both of my hands in hers and looked into my eyes. The glyphs in my arms began to give off a deep orange light. Behind us, I could sense the portal Nina had opened.
“You bonded to the third focus,” she said. “No one has been able to do that in centuries.”
“It still feels—” I began.
“This weapon will kill you,” she said. “It’s not a matter of if, but when. Remember, you are the one who wields the weapon. You possess choice.”
The door began to crack under the strain of the Mikai attacking.
“Now go, learn what you must, but do it quickly,” she said. “The destroyer will not rest until he achieves his goal, and only you stand a chance of stopping him.”
Meja had already entered the portal and Nina was waiting for me. I looked around at those gathered there. What Ono had told me made me realize I may never see them again.
“I will stop him, or die trying,” I said as I jumped into the portal.
TWO
CANDLES FLICKERED IN the dim room as Wheel sat in the center of the floor. The smell of citrus incense filled the air and the smoke from the candles created a lazy fog that rested on the stone floor. He wore thin linen pants under a loose-fitting robe. Beneath the robe, his torso was covered in intricate designs of circles within circles that pulsed a deep violet as he sat motionless. Etched into the floor around him were similar designs all interconnected by lines. He and the designs sat inside three concentric circles—a tre. A large door whispered open on the far side of the room, allowing a shaft of light to fall upon his face. The violet light from his glyphs obscured his upper body and seemed to absorb the light coming from the open door.
“Enter,” said Wheel as he opened his eyes.
In the doorway stood a hooded figure. He remained outside the threshold of the room for a moment before placing a foot inside. With one foot in, he waited a moment before continuing. Making sure to avoid the edge of the tre, the hooded figure stepped around the circle and into the relative safety of the corner.
“Master, the Samadhi are ready,” said the robed figure as he bowed deeply.
“How many times have I told you, Perth?” said Wheel with a gesture that pushed the hood off Perth’s head and uncovered his face. “It is not the circle that is dangerous, but the one who sits within it.”
Perth stood taller than Wheel, his muscular frame barely hidden by his robe. His black hair fell down to his shoulders. The scar that started at his right temple traveled down his face diagonally and ended on the opposite cheek. He made no move to replace the hood but fastened his hair out of his face.
“That would make this a dangerous circle indeed, Master,” said Perth.
“Was that humor?” asked Wheel as he stood and walked over to the door. “Are you even capable of humor?”
“No, Master, I am not,” said Perth dryly. “I was merely stating the facts.”
“I think the scar gives you character. Stop hiding it.”
“Yes, Master,” said Perth.
Wheel exited the room with Perth, who was careful to avoid any part of the tre as he followed in tow.
“The arrangements have been made?” asked Wheel.
“Yes, Master,” said Perth. “The portal is in place as you instructed and will take you to the desert plane.”
“All of the Samadhi answered the summons?”
“They are in the main meeting area, but there was a complication,” said Perth as sweat formed across his brow.
Wheel stopped in his tracks and turned to face him.
“Who dared?” he said as a brief smile flitted across his face, never reaching his eyes.
“Samadhi Smoke has refused the invitation, Master,” said Perth.
“Smoke? Really?”
Perth only nodded.
Wheel began walking again. “I can’t say it’s much of a surprise,” he said. “He was always stubborn and full of himself. What is it with these Fire Samadhi?”
“Shall I—” began Perth.
“Yes, I want you there,” said Wheel. “Send the Lotus. Start with his family. All of them. Then erase anyone they knew and their families.”
“The children?”
“An example must be made, Perth,” said Wheel, his voice hard.
“Yes, Master.”
“All of them. Leave Samadhi Smoke for last,” said Wheel. “When only he remains, bring him to me and I will put him out of his misery.” Wheel entered the main meeting area and left Perth outside.
THREE
RAEL OPENED A portal and found it blocked. The swirling mass of energy that formed collapsed on itself in seconds.
That’s a first. Seems I’ll have to take the long way. This space must nullify certain portals.
He looked around the space that Sylk provided. He didn’t see anything he needed from the place. Lucius’ shadow had left only moments before, leaving him with explicit instructions to confront Wheel, retake Maelstrom, and bring it to him. This was after increasing his power with a fraction of his own. He looked down at his hands as energy ran along them. Small arcs of lightning erupted from his hands and arms that left small scorch marks wherever they touched. He formed a fist and held it as the energy coalesced around him.
This is only a fraction of his power? He can never get Maelstrom. He’s too powerful. I wonder if she got the prism and if she did, will she use it? Somehow, I doubt I’ll be around for that face-off.
He walked to the door that had been disarmed by the shadow and placed his hand on the wall beside it.
He shook his head in surprise. He erased the glyphs as if they didn’t exist. Should be able to form a portal outside after that little feat.
Stepping outside of the room, he formed another portal and stepped through.
FOUR
FRANCA OPENED HER door to the presence of a giant of a man carrying a young woman. She blocked the doorway with her body.
“Snipe, what fresh hell have you brought to my doorstep?” she asked as she rested a hand on one of the guns holstered around her waist.
Snipe tried to step forward but she held her ground, keeping him outside. She stood halfway up to the giant’s chest and looked up at his face. Her
irises, clouded over from age and disease, held him in place. Black hair that was tied tight in a braid fell to her waist.
“She’s sick, Franca,” said Snipe. “Her blood smells bad.”
“Obviously or you wouldn’t be here.”
“Can you help her?” he asked.
Franca stepped closer to Snipe and placed a hand on the woman’s body. After a few moments, she drew it away and shook her head.
“You’re holding a corpse,” she said. “You just don’t know it. It’s only a matter of time, but I doubt she’ll last the day.”
Snipe shook his head. “We have to help her,” he said. “Please, miss.”
“You’re better off finding a place to bury her,” she said. “Call her family and let them do it.”
“We can’t,” said Rico from behind Snipe. “All her family is gone.”
“She’s been poisoned,” Franca said. “It means someone wants her dead. I don’t need or want that in my life. Let her join her family.”
“We have to help her,” said Snipe. “Please, miss.”
Franca sighed. “I don’t have time for every stray you find, Snipe.”
Rico stepped out from behind Snipe and stepped close to the doorway. He looked to the left and right before speaking.
“He told us to come to you,” said Rico. “Mentioned you by name. Said if she was hurt, to bring her to you.”
“Who mentioned me by name?” she asked, wary.
“Hiram—it was Hiram, miss,” said Rico. “He was the one who told us to find her.”
“Hiram is insane and he knows I don’t do this anymore,” she said. “Those days ended with the Deadeyes. Now go away.”
“You have to help her, miss,” said Snipe. “You have to.”
She stepped close to Snipe and put a finger on his chest as she spoke.
“You know what I like less than poisoned half-dead people at my door in the morning? Being told what I have to do.”
Snipe looked down at Franca, his gaze calm. He gently pushed the body at Franca. “You have to,” he said again.
Franca crossed her arms, her expression hard. “No, actually I don’t. Now leave.”
She started closing her door when Rico placed his foot in the way. She narrowed her eyes, and in a blur of motion had a pistol at Rico’s throat. He was pinned in place.
Warriors of the Way-Pentalogy Page 71
