I traced the glyph without completing the last part.
“I think this is a bad idea, Sylk.”
“You have everything you need now, warrior,” he said. “With Shadowstrike and my knowledge you are truly a sword and shield—a Karashihan, possibly the last one.”
“I preferred the old Karashihan. You know, the stubborn one who never listened to anyone and is rushing to his death,” I said.
“I know we have not always been friends, but I would like to think that now, after all that has passed, you would think of me as an ally,” he said.
Standing, he drew his robe tightly around him and manifested his sword. He looked pale, but I could still see the inner core of strength that made him who he was.
“Ready?” I asked.
“If you make it through this ordeal whole,” he said, “go to the South Watch and seal the plane if the glyph is still active. You will know what to do.”
“I understand,” I said.
“Please proceed, and remember to close the portal immediately or the annihilator glyph will attempt to take hold in this plane as well,” he said.
I bowed and gave him my hand. “It has been an honor, Karashihan,” I said.
He returned the bow. “Remember, when facing Lucius and Maelstrom,” he said, “sometimes darkness is needed to conquer darkness.” Then he nodded for me to continue.
I finished the glyph and the portal formed. I could see the vast wasteland that had become the South Watch plane. I felt the tug of the glyph as it felt for any living energy. It felt sentient as it probed through the portal. Sylk stepped through. I saw him as he traced several glyphs and slammed his sword into the ground. The black sand rushed away from him and the darkness was driven back by a bright blue light. The blue light surrounded Sylk as he turned back to me, his face grim.
“Close it now!” he yelled. “Do it, Dante.”
Reluctantly, I closed the portal. In the last second, before it disappeared, I could see the darkness rush back in and overwhelm him.
FORTY-SEVEN
THE HUB WAS quiet. Devin knew it wouldn’t last. He expanded his awareness and could sense the outer perimeter. There were no portals opened anywhere in the school.
“Do you really think they will come for the points?” asked Hiram.
Devin ran down the corridors in an effort to secure the third point with Hiram. He stopped in the middle of a corridor and placed his hand on a part of the wall. The corridor shifted and a door opened behind them that led to a narrow passage.
“Shortcut,” he said as he entered the passage and continued to run, followed by Hiram.
“If I were trying to take the hub,” said Devin as they moved at a fast walk, unable to run due to the confined space of the passage, “I would send everything against the nexus first. It’s central to capturing the plane. It would be difficult because that’s a frontal assault.
“Then why protect the points?” asked Hiram. “Why not keep all our forces at the nexus?”
“The design of the hub was that no one area could be independent,” answered Devin. “Here—through here.”
They entered another passage that branched into three more wide passages. They all led to a large room. In the center of the room, a tre was etched into the floor. Above the tre a large prism hovered. The room was cylindrical with only one entrance.
“Is that the point?” asked Hiram.
Devin pointed to the tre beneath the prism.
“That is the point,” he said. “The prism above it is the beacon. It regulates the point and allows all the points to connect to one another.”
“How do I use it to communicate?”
“You place your hand on it and it will do the rest,” said Devin.
“How can they take a point?” asked Hiram as he looked down at the tre. “It’s just a circle.”
“If the circle is broken, it reverses the polarity of the beacon,” answered Devin. “If it happens to three circles, the nexus becomes vulnerable. Three beacons with reversed polarity allow the nexus to act as a gateway into the hub instead of out.”
“I think I understand,” said Hiram. “If you take the points, you can enter through the nexus and take the hub.”
“Precisely, so our job is to make sure that doesn’t happen,” said Devin. “They will be coming from everywhere. Do not let them in this room.”
“With all these passages, it won’t be easy,” said Hiram as he looked down the corridors. “We don’t have enough people.”
“I know,” said Devin. “It’s possible you won’t need to defend this point, but unlikely. Meja should be here soon, I want to check on the nexus before heading to my point. Why don’t you check the state of your weapons?”
Hiram checked his guns and stood in the doorway. It provided him with an unobstructed view of the center corridor with a limited view of the other two. He took a step and entered the tre to get a better look at the prism. It was the last thing he saw as the prism in the point room exploded and destroyed the circle.
Devin raced back and knew immediately that Hiram was gone. The point room had been completely obliterated.
The prisms! He’s sabotaged the prisms. I have to get to the nexus.
He headed down the main corridor away from the point room and stumbled when he felt the other explosions throughout the hub.
He is sending all his forces to the nexus. He made sure he didn’t need to attack the points by destroying the beacons. How did I not see that?
He placed a hand against the wall to steady himself and then expanded his awareness. He located Meja and headed in her direction. He found her just outside the fifth point room. The devastation was the same. Lady Ono had several deep cuts across her face and arms. He could see the bodies of several dozen Mikai among the rubble of the point room.
“We need to get to the nexus,” said Devin. “Lady Ono, are your injuries serious?”
“Nothing that cannot heal in time,” she answered. “My guards were not so fortunate.”
She looked back into the rubble and set her jaw. “We must act with haste,” she said. “These prisms were set to detonate moments ago.”
“Which means the others went off when this one did,” said Meja. “We need to head to the nexus. Three of the points are compromised by now.”
Devin walked over to a sidewall and looked for a panel.
“It won’t work,” said Meja. “The explosions must have shut down the network. Can you sense the others?”
Devin took a breath and expanded his awareness.
“I can only sense Raquel and Franca, but there’s a lot of interference,” he said. “Those prisms contained a large amount of latent energy.”
“Raquel will head to the nexus, so let’s go,” said Meja. “We can meet her there.”
The three of them raced down the empty corridors until they approached the entrance to the nexus. Devin stepped close and let his senses probe the other side.
“Nothing yet,” he whispered. “But the polarity of the nexus is reversed.”
Meja stepped up to the door and placed her hand on the owl in flight. The door flared light blue for a moment and opened. The wide expanse that usually greeted them was gone. The lake that was supposed to be in the center was gone. The small training hall remained. The air felt charged with energy. Meja ran to the bridge. She looked down and stopped midstride.
“The lake isn’t gone,” she said, surprise in her voice. “It’s frozen.”
“Not frozen—in stasis,” said Devin. “The polarity reversal caused it. This is one large portal now.”
They crossed the bridge and were met by Michael.
“I’m guessing the points are gone, then?” said Michael as he greeted them. “We heard the explosions.”
“All of them,” said Devin. “The prisms were rigged to explode. I still don’t know how.”
“What now?” asked Michael. “The five of us against a horde? Sounds romantic and suicidal.”
De
vin manifested two small orbs and sent them at the bridge. They landed on it and for a moment nothing happened.
“What were those?” asked Michael as the bridge exploded into dust. “Never mind.”
“For now we hold the nexus and stop those who want to take it,” said Devin. “So yes, the five of us against a horde.”
Lady Ono sat in the training hall and removed her weapon. She polished it as she hummed a melody. In the distance, a crash could be heard and two figures approached the training hall. It was Raquel and Franca.
Mouro extended a rope and pulled the two of them up to the training hall.
“Glad to see you made it,” said Devin. “Any news from the others?”
“Raquel shook her head. “ None. We barely made it out alive ourselves,” she said. “If it weren’t for Franca not wanting to wait inside the room, we wouldn’t be here.”
“I listen to my intuition,” said Franca. “Saved me more times than I can remember. Those rooms looked like death traps.”
Franca looked out over the edge of the training hall.
“This building holds the nexus, then?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Devin. “It is below, in the foundation of the building, but still accessible from inside.”
“What is over there?” she said and pointed to a ridge in the distance. “Behind those trees. Is there anything of importance?”
Meja looked over to where she indicated and shook her head.
“No, the only thing of importance in this entire area is this training hall and the nexus below us,” said Meja. “They will head straight for us.”
Franca grabbed hold of the rope and swung her legs over the edge of the railing that made the outer perimeter of the training hall. She kept her gaze on the tree line.
“Any idea where they will be coming from?” she asked. “Or is this lake acting as one large portal?”
“With the nexus polarity reversed, the entire lake becomes a portal,” said Devin. “This means they can come from anywhere.”
“No, not anywhere,” replied Franca. “They can’t come from the trees. That is where I will be.”
She grabbed the rope tight and swung down. She let go of the rope halfway, landed gracefully in a crouch, and took off at a run. In a few minutes, she reached the tree line and was hidden from view.
“She’s right,” said Raquel. “We may not know where they are coming from but we know their target. I think the seven of us can stop them if we have the element of surprise. They won’t expect us to attack from the edges.”
“Someone has to stay behind and guard the nexus,” said Meja. “We can’t leave it exposed.”
“That will be me,” said Devin. “It’s a good plan. Each of you head out and wait. They will be here soon. I can feel the energy building in the lake.”
“Devin, you can’t,” said Meja. She put a hand on his arm and he placed his hand on hers.
“I don’t plan on dying here, Mej. Besides, I will have a few nasty surprises for them around the training hall,” said Devin. “Mouro, I need you to stay with me, since I may need that protection of yours.”
“I understand,” said Mouro. “You watch yourself out there, Michael.”
Michael took Mouro’s large hand in his and they shook. “Keep him alive, you mountain,” said Michael. I’ll see you after all this is done.”
Michael jumped over the railing and headed in the opposite direction from Franca. Raquel followed him and lost herself in the tree line adjacent to Franca. No one could be seen from the training hall.
Meja took off the prism she wore and gave it to Devin.
“This is a sliver of Maelstrom,” she said. “I think you will need it more than I will.”
“We aren’t fighting Lucius, Meja,” said Devin, taking the prism. “It’s Wheel. We can stop him.”
“I expect it back afterward,” said Meja.
She leaped over the railing and moved to the rear of the training hall. She crossed the solid lake and disappeared from view. Devin could sense her as she gathered her energy.
I almost feel sorry for anyone who comes that way.
“I, too, will wait for our enemy hidden in plain sight,” said Ono as she sheathed her sword. “The Mikai will not be able to assist us in this battle, but I will stand for them.”
“Thank you, Lady Ono,” said Devin.
“Today I am Ono, a warrior like any other,” she said as she stepped over the railing and descended to the lake. She walked under the training hall and sat down in the shadow of the building above her. Her sword rested across her legs as she closed her eyes and waited.
“Let’s go make this as difficult as possible for Wheel,” said Devin as he entered deeper into the training hall.
FORTY-EIGHT
I LEFT THE room and stepped out into the main area. Samir and Kal were in the midst of a discussion. Raja came over next to me. I still felt a little uncomfortable having him that close, knowing he had tried to kill me not too long ago. He must have sensed some of that as he spoke.
“You may rest easy, warrior,” he said. “I no longer wish your elimination, and the failsafe has been removed. I sense the Karashihan is gone. Was this his wish?”
I nodded. “He said he had a way around the glyph, but only in the South Watch. Trapped me with a word of bond.”
“I am afraid he was not being completely honest with you,” said Raja. “There is no known way ‘around’ an annihilator glyph.”
“He lied?”
“Most likely to allow you to act freely without concern about his state,” he said. “He has removed himself from the situation.”
“I can’t believe he would do that,” I said. “He wanted me to go seal the South Watch plane after everything was over.”
Raja stared at me a moment before proceeding.
“Opening a portal to that plane could be fatal for you and any plane you currently inhabit,” he said. “I strongly suggest against it. I see he gave you something.”
He can see energy signatures. No need to lie.
“He called it transference, so I can access his knowledge and essence,” I said. “But I need something from you.”
“What is your request?” he said. “Keep in mind that there will be a cost involved.”
“Somehow I knew you would say that,” I said. “Before I ask, you said the failsafe has been removed?”
“Yes, it has.”
“Removed or just stopped?” I asked. “Can it kick back in?”
“This particular failsafe has been removed,” he answered. “There are others, but they are not accessible by an outside agent.”
“”How did they even get to you?” I said. “I thought you weren’t vulnerable to that kind of attack?”
“Because I’m not…human?”
“Well, yes,” I said. “You aren’t human so how did it happen?”
“Is this your request?” he answered. “To ascertain how I was made to enter the failsafe mode?”
“No, no—I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t go all psycho on us again,” I replied.
“I can assure you I will not go ‘psycho’,” he said and pushed his glasses up on his face. “Your request, warrior.”
“I need the reversion glyph,” I said. “Sylk said you had it and we need it in order to face Wheel.”
His eyes went blank for a moment, and his face remained impassive. I tensed because I expected another failsafe to kick in followed by elimination mode. His eyes came back into focus and he looked at me.
“Are you certain you require this glyph?” he asked. “The cost may be more than you are willing to pay. In addition, my divulging this glyph to you comes with a certain…condition.”
“Tell me.”
“Very well,” he said, resting on his walking stick. “The cost for this knowledge is ten cycles to be fulfilled concurrently.”
“Ten cycles,” I whispered. “One hundred years? So the rest of my existence?”
“The cond
ition,” he continued as if I had not spoken, “is such. Using this glyph in an act of willful destruction will negate all previous agreements and result in your immediate termination. Do you agree to the cost and condition?”
“Don’t do it, Dante,” said Kal with Samir close behind. “The cost is too high.”
She must have approached as Raja and I spoke.
“I know you think this is the only way, but you have to give this thought,” she said. “I know about sacrifice. You need a good reason for this, Dante.”
I looked into their faces and knew my answer.
“Is there anything you wouldn’t do for Zen?” I asked her. “Any cost too high?”
She looked away and I knew her answer.
“If I don’t do this,” I said, “you won’t see Zen again.”
“If you do this you won’t see anyone again,” she answered. “You’ll be trapped in here for over a hundred years! Is that what you want?”
“Want?” I said. “No, but I have to do this. I’m the only one who can do this.”
“No, Sylk can do it. Let him take on this cost,” she said angrily. “He can learn it and then teach it to you.”
“Sylk is gone,” I said. “He can’t help us anymore. It’s up to us now.”
“Gone, what do you mean gone?” demanded Kal. “What does he mean gone?” She walked to the room where Sylk had been.
I turned to Raja. “Yes, I accept the cost and condition,” I said.
Raja nodded, closed his eyes, and placed a hand on my chest. My world exploded in light and I was momentarily blinded. When I could see again, I could see the look of shock and sadness on their faces. The sensation was different from the transference Sylk had done. The knowledge of the glyph was readily available to me. I felt I had known it all my life.
Samir placed a hand on my shoulder. “I understand your decision,” he said. “I do not agree with it, but I do understand it.”
“Thank you, Samir. Kal?”
“You are as hardheaded as he was,” she said. “We can’t change it now. Where are we going?”
“I have to get to the nexus. Are you coming?” I asked.
Warriors of the Way-Pentalogy Page 88
