“Thank you,” I said.
“Don’t thank me just yet,” she replied. “Do you know why you are here?”
“To repay my debt to the Sherfym,” I answered.
She nodded once. “It has come to my attention that if events proceed on their present course, the Destroyer will restore the bridge to the planes,” she said.
“Wouldn’t he need to remove the ascendants for that to happen?”
“That is one way, but there are others,” she replied. “If he manages to spill the blood of a life stealer or form a blood conduit with his kin, he can facilitate the formation of the bridge. It is difficult, but feasible.”
“A life stealer?” I asked. “What is that?”
“They wield ebony blades that siphon the life force of their victims,” she said. “They are formidable fighters and unusually long-lived. Some even say they are related to the Kriya.”
“Ebony blades? Kriyas?” I said, not following. I gave voice to the only thought that came to mind.
“Sylk?”
“You are correct, in that assessment,” she said. “Here is my request. You are to eliminate the threat presented by Sylk Iman, blood Kriya and life stealer.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
MEJA OPENED HER eyes and found herself in a cell. Her wrists, which were chained to the wall, were being chafed against the cuffs. Around her neck and under her shirt hung the prism. She felt it gently pulse against her skin. The power in it called to her. The memories flooded back as her anger rose.
Nina, goddammit, she thought as she moved her arms and remembered they were shackled. She looked up at the cuffs around her wrists. They were normal cuffs, unglyphed, but made of thick steel.
That was a mistake.
She took a deep breath, channeled her chi, and directed it at the cuffs. They shattered into several pieces. In another breath, she manifested Truth and headed to the door of the cell. She stood by it and expanded her awareness. She sensed two guards outside and many more in a corridor not far away.
Only two guards? I’m insulted.
She looked at the edge of the door and saw that it contained a basic glyph of containment. She placed a hand on it and allowed a small amount of chi to escape. It created a gap in the frame and she pulled. It swung open only a few feet and then stopped. The guards outside turned as one and looked. The guard on the right pushed the door open and they both entered the empty cell. Seeing it empty, he made to exit when Truth punched itself through his chest and killed him instantly. The second guard jumped back as his dead companion crumpled to the ground. He looked around frantically as he drew his sword.
“Come out, you bitch!” he yelled.
He waved his sword around in a circle as he looked around the cell. Truth appeared in front of his throat and stopped his movement. He froze in place at the sight of Meja’s sword and dropped his own.
“I’m right here,” whispered Meja in his ear. “The question is where is here? Where is Dante?”
“I…I…I don’t know who Dante is,” he stammered.
“What is this place?” she asked. “This is not the null plane.”
“No, no, we had orders to bring you here,” he said and started sobbing. “Please don’t kill me. I was just following orders.”
“Did Nina beg for her life right before you were given orders to kill her?”
Meja stepped back and kicked the sword to the guard.
“Pick it up,” she said. “At least die with honor.”
The guard hesitated and looked at the doorway.
“You’re going to die,” she whispered. “Few people get to choose how it’s going to be.”
The guard bent down to pick up the sword and bolted, screaming. He made it to the door before a dagger buried itself in his neck and silenced him. She could hear the footsteps of the other guards coming down the corridor.
What I get for being kind, she thought.
She tried to form a portal and found it impossible. A dampening glyph? Must be.
Five more guards entered the cell with their swords drawn. These guards looked as green as the two she just dispatched. Two on the end looked around nervously. Meja stepped out from the shadows and addressed the leader.
“You have one opportunity,” she said. “Tell me where we are and take me to Dante.”
The guard in the center looked at Meja. She saw the fear flicker across his eyes.
“We have our orders,” he said as his voice broke with a quiver. “Kill her.”
She rushed forward and plunged Truth in the chest of the leader. He fell to the floor, lifeless. It happened so quickly the others had no time to react.
“You can join him or you can tell me what I want to know,” she said as she pulled Truth out of the guard’s body. “Your choice.”
Three of the guards dropped their swords and ran out right away. The remaining guard dropped his sword but stayed in the cell.
“Smart choice,” she said. “Where am I?”
“A holding cell, off-plane,” said the guard. “We were told to bring you here until the rest joined us. They said you were dangerous, but we didn’t believe them. I mean it’s just—”
“Just one of me?” An off-plane holding cell. Someone wanted me out of the way, but why?
The guard nodded. “Please don’t kill me,” he said. “I was just—”
“If you tell me you were just following orders, I will,” she said as she looked around the cell. “Where did they go?”
“Probably back to the garrison. We have over one hundred guards on site.”
“What’s your name?” she asked. “How far is the garrison?”
“Fifteen minutes from here,” he said. “My name is Toru.”
Fifteen minutes there and fifteen minutes back, so thirty minutes on the outside unless they are fast. Don’t want to deal with a hundred of them.
“How did I get off the null plane?” she asked. “Who brought me here?”
“Oh, that was Ven,” said Toru as he looked behind him. “Ven is our leader and he works for Wheel.”
Ven would be the threat and the quickest way to Wheel. Need to find Dante first.
“Ven opened the portal?”
The guard nodded. “He killed that girl on that plane too,” he said. “Some of us didn’t agree with that.”
But none of you stopped him.
Meja kept looking around the cell until she stopped in the center and crouched down. There, in the center of the floor, was a small glyph pulsing with power.
Whoever put this here has power.
“Are you part of the Black Lotus?” she asked as she plunged Truth into the glyph.
“The Black Lotus is gone. We are the White Lotus,” he said.
White Lotus? This is news.
The glyph flickered and vanished. She absorbed Truth and looked at the guard.
“Tell Ven I will be back for him for what he did to Nina,” she said. “My advice to you, Toru, is to leave the White Lotus and get as far from them as you can, if you want to live.”
She closed her eyes and expanded her awareness. Quite a few of them heading back. Faster than I thought. Will have to start at the hub, Devin can help me.
She traced a glyph and opened a portal as she heard the first footsteps in the corridor.
She stepped into the portal and left the guard standing in the cell alone.
**********
One of the guards who had bolted came back into the room.
“Toru, she didn’t kill you?” he asked.
“I think Ven just signed his death sentence,” said Toru. “She is not someone I want after me. I’m out of the Lotus.”
A sword sliced through his neck and he fell to his knees. He clutched his neck and blood spilled onto the floor.
Ven materialized in front of him and sheathed his sword. He crouched down and faced Toru.
“Consider yourself out of the Lotus,” said Ven. “Anyone else want to leave the White Lotus?”
B
ehind him, the cell had filled with guards. No one spoke.
“Good, your lives are forfeit,” said Ven. “You live to serve and die.”
As one, the guards in the room placed their hands on their chests and bowed in salute. Ven smiled.
”Let’s track down this bitch and end her,” he said. “Master Wheel commands it.”
Ven closed his eyes and formed a portal. The White Lotus, led by Ven, entered it and disappeared.
THIRTY-EIGHT
“YOU WANT ME to what?” I said, not believing what I heard.
“Eliminate the threat posed by Sylk,” said Mia matter-of-factly. We could have been discussing the weather or what color to paint the room we were in, considering her tone.
“You want me to kill Sylk?” I asked.
“I did not say kill, even though that may be an option,” she replied. “I said remove the threat.”
“And how am I supposed to do that?” I said. “Ask him nicely to stop being a threat?”
“Is this an attempt at humor, warrior?” she asked. “The Sherfym have not developed this ability to any great extent. Nor have we grown to appreciate it much.”
“So I’m beginning to understand,” I said. “If it’s not to kill him, what do you want?”
“Prevent him from forming that bridge,” she said. “If you do that I will consider your debt to me repaid. This is no light thing.”
“And if I fail?”
She traced the scar across her face absentmindedly.
“This was done to me with an auric flail,” she said. “It was on one of the lowest settings and, as a Sherfym I have a natural immunity to its…effects.”
“Your own people did that?” I asked in disbelief.
“Yes, this is the price of failure in our eyes,” she said. “Your body does not have the same tolerance. You will suffer for a long time before you die.”
“I’m not going to kill Sylk,” I said.
She looked at me with curiosity in her eyes.
“He is not your friend, warrior,” she said. “From the beginning he has manipulated and controlled you. Do you know this?”
“Yes, I do.”
“And you would spare his life?” she asked. “Tell me why.”
“I understand his motives,” I said. “I don’t think he would ever let Lucius out of his prison.”
“You don’t know him like we do,” she said. “He will do whatever he feels will further his goals. He may feel that Lucius is the only one who can face the rogue Samadhi, Wheel.”
“I will face Wheel,” I said. “And I will stop him.”
“You?” she said and smiled. “Have you even mastered your weapon?”
She held up a hand and stopped me from answering.
“I can tell you have not,” she said. “If you face Wheel in this condition, you will fail and die.”
“I have to stop him,” I said, knowing what she said was true.
“He must be stopped, but it will not be by you,” she said. “Your path lies elsewhere.”
“Where?” I asked.
“You must go through the Akashic Records and undo the damage that was done,” she said. “That will set you on your path.”
“I thought the Records were compromised?”
“Your presence there will determine the outcome of its accessibility.”
“Meaning?” I asked.
“Your interaction with the guardian of the Records will determine how accessible they become.”
She touched her flail and a door appeared in front of us. It was ornate and covered in glyphs. I remembered it from the last time we came through her plane.
“Why the Records?”
“Because it is there that you will master the third focus,” she said. “Or die in the attempt. Other information will be available to you there, so choose wisely.”
“What other information?”
The door opened and she pointed to it.
“Information you will need but may not want,” she said.
“And if I choose not to go?” I asked, knowing the answer before I asked.
“There is no other way for you to leave this plane, warrior,” she replied. “That is your only exit, I can assure you. I suggest you use it.”
I stepped into the doorway.
THIRTY-NINE
“WHAT THE HELL did he do now?” asked Kal as Rin prepared to travel to the South Watch.
“I heard something about Kriya, but I don’t know the details like he does,” said Luna.
“Kriya? That is nasty business. Why would they be fighting Sylk?” asked Kal.
“They wished to end their lives and used the Karashihan to facilitate this,” said Rin. “His bonded, sadly, did not survive the encounter.”
“They killed Mara?” asked Kal.
“Yes, in an act of retribution, the female—Ravia—attacked and killed her,” said Rin. “Before killing herself.”
Kal remained silent a moment with her jaw clenched. She took a breath and visibly relaxed before speaking.
“Saves me the trouble of doing it for them,” she said. “How bad is Sylk? How far along is the poison?”
“When I left, it did not look good,” said Rin. “Are you ready?”
“Let’s go,” said Kal, then turning to Luna. “Keep an eye on Zen for me, will you?”
Luna took Kal’s hands. “He has many eyes on him,” she said. “He will be safe. Go do what you must.”
Bear came up behind them and placed a hand on Kal’s shoulder. “Fury, when you get back we will fight a real fight,” he said in a loud voice and then gave her a hug.
“When I get back I’m going to kick your ass all over this arena,” said Kal.
“I look forward to that,” said Bear in his booming voice. “Be safe, Fury, we will watch over your mate.”
Bear shimmered and disappeared from sight.
“Should you need to use your other ‘abilities,’ try and remember the lessons you have encountered here, Kalysta,” said Ji.
Rin opened a portal and it turned into a swirling mass. He struggled to contain it as he motioned to Kal.
“You want us to use that?” said Kal. “That doesn’t look safe, Rin.”
“The plane is dormant,” he said with clenched teeth. “It’s all I can do to hold it in place. Whenever you are ready, we can go.”
“Typical—whenever Sylk is involved it’s never boring,” said Kal and she stepped into the vortex followed by Rin.
**********
Ji stood looking at the vortex close behind them. A few seconds later another Gray appeared in front of her.
“Yan,” said Ji and bowed. Yan returned the bow.
“She agreed to go,” said Yan. “Her path begins.”
Ji nodded and Luna looked at both of them. “What path?” she asked.
“The Fury will eventually face the Destroyer,” said Yan.
“She will what?” asked Luna. “And we let her go?”
“This is her path. She must face him,” said Ji. “We cannot prevent it, only hinder it. She had to go when called.”
“Wait a minute. Zen being in trance with Grandmother and not being able to go help Sylk—that was your doing?” asked Luna.
“You are looking in the wrong direction. We would never attempt to control events in this way,” said Yan.
“Agreed, this goes beyond the Gray,” said Ji. “In any case, our role in this is complete. We have prepared her as best as we could.”
“I only hope it’s enough,” said Luna.
“As do I, Alpha,” said Ji.
**********
The vortex dumped Rin and Kal unceremoniously in the sand. About a mile in the distance, the South Watch sat shimmering in the heat of the midday sun.
“Is this as close as you could get?” asked Kal as she shook the sand out of her clothing.
“We are lucky to be in the right plane,” said Rin. “I don’t even know how the Keeper managed to find a glyph that could work through a do
rmant plane.”
Kal stopped walking and looked around her until she homed in on the Watch. She sniffed the air and took off at a dead run. Rin stared for a second and then followed behind her.
“What is it? What is the matter?”
“Something’s wrong,” said Kal. “The Watch is under attack.”
“What do you mean, under attack?” said Rin as he struggled to keep pace with her. “No one is here besides the Keeper, some RahVen, and the Karashihan.”
“You said the plane was dormant, which means it’s hard to get into without that special glyph?”
“It’s impossible unless you have the glyph. The plane is closed,” said Rin.
“Not for them it isn’t,” she said and then pointed. “I knew I sensed something like them before. Except the ones I remember were much larger.”
Around the South Watch, Kindred Watchers were engaged in battle with the RahVen. The RahVen were holding their ground, but Kal could see that they would lose eventually. The small Watchers were too powerful for the RahVen.
“Kindred Watchers,” whispered Rin as he increased his pace. “They must be here for the Karashihan.”
“Then we stop them,” said Kal. “How did they get here?”
“No, wait, you cannot face them alone!” yelled Rin, but Kal increased her pace and left him behind.
Kal shimmered and faded from sight as she crashed into the first Watcher. She threw two daggers behind her and impaled another Watcher. The one she crashed into stood slowly and shook himself off.
These things are tougher than they look.
From behind her, she heard a low susurration. The area around her erupted in flame and she was thrown back as cracks appeared in the ground. Although intense, the flames did not burn her. A figure raced past and cut a Watcher in two. The flames engulfed another Watcher as Kal threw more daggers, dropping it.
The flames died down as the figure removed a headdress that covered everything but his eyes.
“Are you hurt?” said the familiar figure.
“Samir!” she yelled as she hugged him. “What is going on here?”
“We do not have time,” replied Samir. “They are after Sylk and he is critically injured.”
Rin approached the two Watchers. “How did they get in?” he asked.
Warriors of the Way-Pentalogy Page 83
