They both shook their heads.
“Stay close,” Manu said, gliding through the rock.
Zahn and Asha followed close behind, directly into darkness where the strange outlines of the rocks produced an unpredictable wavering sensation. The darkness gave way to a narrow overlook covered in a thick layer of snow, appearing like a white haze in his eyes. He moved upward through the snow until he saw a starry sky, and Zahn gasped as the majesty of the entire sea was laid out before them.
From here, it was obvious that Mirage City covered only a small fraction of the surface of the sea, and even from a distance, Zahn could clearly discern hundreds of small domes and bizarre buildings that he couldn’t begin to describe. He looked over to his left where the snowy mountain range hugged the edge of the sea, gradually losing elevation in the far distance, and beyond that he saw a smaller range and a narrow valley.
He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked over. Asha pointed toward a brilliant white disc in the sky: the moon Jyana had called Rundikha.
It hung higher than he’d seen before, nearly at its zenith, and Zahn studied it in silence. The constellations, while utterly unfamiliar, were nonetheless beautiful to him, and to his surprise, he spotted the thin crescent of a second, smaller moon hanging low above the white mountain peaks.
He shook his head in awe.
How remarkable this galaxy is, to produce beauty in such variety and abundance.
Manu turned back around and made a swift pointing gesture toward the brilliant white disc. Zahn and Asha nodded, and Manu bolted upward with both of them close behind.
As they headed upward, Zahn looked around for any of the guards that Manu had mentioned, but saw no one. He glanced back, noticing the mountain range shrink rapidly behind them.
When he glanced forward again, Manu and Asha abruptly came to a halt, and Asha yanked his arm back to stop him.
Hey, what’s going on?
Manu pointed to the space above their heads.
Zahn studied the area. From this close, the stars rippled and distorted, as if they were in a bowl of water looking upward; and he studied the barrier for imperfections.
Carefully, they spread out, gliding below the barrier. Yet no matter how hard Zahn looked, he couldn’t find any irregularities. It seemed to be a continuous fluid, unbroken; and every few seconds he couldn’t help but glance around, acutely aware that a patrolling guard could show up at any moment.
Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw movement.
To his relief, it was Asha, excitedly waving them over. By the time he reached her, she was already as small as his palm and still shrinking. Yet the opening was utterly invisible to him.
Zahn sighed, dreading the feat he had to perform. Manu must have noticed his frustration, because he put his hand on Zahn’s shoulder.
Remember, this does not require any strain, only clear imagination. Your imagination is the only limit. You can do it, Zahn.
He nodded and tried to focus more clearly on growing smaller and smaller.
At first, Manu appeared to grow huge, until Zahn managed to shrink along with him, following him up to the opening. From up close, the opening looked like a clear window surrounded by murky water.
Manu, now tiny, pointed to something behind him, and Zahn turned around. A perimeter guard cloaked in grey was approaching them.
Zahn was still at least ten times too large to fit inside and closed his eyes for a moment. Instead of growing smaller, he imagined everything else growing bigger, and as he focused, the opening gradually grew.
Come on, Zahn. He’s almost in range!
The tiny Manu flew up to him and took his hand, sending a surge of new energy through him. Manu pulled Zahn into the opening, and Zahn strained to see the opening grow larger, just barely fitting through.
Once inside, Zahn noticed that the opening was more like a tunnel than a crack, and Manu flew up ahead of them, leading them down a tunnel whose walls seemed to be made of a strange liquid. Zahn flew up to Asha and pointed to the wavering walls, but she only shrugged.
To Zahn’s shock, a long worm-like creature raced along the edge of the tunnel with great speed. Manu barely had time to react before it wrapped around his leg, pulling him down into the watery barrier. Zahn wanted to call out, but he held back. The perimeter guard would surely hear him.
They both rushed up to Manu as he wrestled with the creature, a kind of translucent grey worm, but they were unsure of exactly what to do. Manu pulled out his dagger, but Zahn noticed that it had no effect on them.
Without any better options, Zahn ran up to the creature and started pummeling it. With a series of swift kicks and punches, the creature seemed only mildly distracted by Manu’s attempts to break free.
Fighting while out-of-body felt strange to Zahn, as if he didn’t have the same strength. Then again, perhaps strength wasn’t the same here, at all.
Perhaps creativity was the real strength.
He looked over to Asha who had cupped her hands together and watched as they radiated a soft light. He prayed that she was using her newfound ambrosial powers to create a weapon, perhaps a dagger.
Zahn managed to kick the creature in what he could only guess was its head, and it responded by biting his foot, sending a sharp pain into his leg.
Hey! What’s your deal, anyway? We don’t want any trouble. Just let us through!
In frustration, Zahn shot it a thought-nugget, but got no response. Farther down the tunnel, another worm was fast approaching. Manu was almost free, but by the time he was free, the second one would be right on top of them.
Asha darted ahead, and to Zahn’s relief, wielded a small weapon. She plunged a small blade into the worm wrapped around Manu’s leg, cutting it away. Now free, Manu pointed up to the other creature racing toward them.
The second creature was a new kind of worm. Instead of a tiny mouth, this creature had a circular mouth lined in triangular teeth flexing in anticipation, reminding Zahn of a childhood nightmare. Could this be the etheric equivalent of a leech?
Only moments away from Manu, it lunged ahead as he stretched out his open palm toward the grotesque entity. Just as when Manu had trapped Zahn a few days before, a wave of light shot out of his palm and curved around the creature, encasing it within a glowing ball of energy.
Zahn heaved a sigh of relief as the trapped creature drifted by them, smacking his tail against the sphere in uncontrollable rage.
He and Asha exchanged relieved glances, and she flew up to Manu to examine him. There were a few dim areas around Manu’s body, and Zahn watched as she applied her hands to where he was dim, incrementally restoring vitality to his body.
Manu smiled.
Thank you, Asha. I apologize. I received no word that these openings had been infested with such pests. Are you both okay?
Asha took a second to gain her composure. Yeah. You? I noticed your dagger didn’t work on them.
I am much better, thank you. Yes, those entities had no silver cord, so the dagger had nothing to sever. Are we ready to proceed? The end of the tunnel is near.
Zahn waved them ahead. The etheric worms were just a chance to warm up.
As they zoomed forward, Zahn noticed a few bits of debris floating around in the tunnel, including an odd object that he guessed was a tooth, perhaps from one of the leech-like entities.
Finally, they emerged from the rippling tunnel into a clear space high above the planet. The stars were more pristine and clear than Zahn had ever seen them before, and he sent Manu a thought-nugget.
Can we speak freely now?
Manu nodded.
“Whew!” he said. “That was close back there. You sure you’re okay, Manu?”
“I have Asha to thank for the speed of my recovery.”
Asha smiled back. “I’m only doing my best.”
Zahn looked up to the brilliant disc above. Now that they were slightly closer to Rundikha, it was easier to see the deep scars that marked its surface, like a
warrior whose injuries could never fully heal.
“So, should we just anchor onto you?” Zahn asked. “It’s going to be a big skip to get up there.”
“Yes,” Manu said. “And we should strike now before the Empress realizes I have gone. Anchor onto my ident.”
Zahn inhaled slowly and made a final glance back to the dry world far below, and Asha glided over beside him, offering her open hand.
“Three.”
He took it as a feeling of nervousness grew within him.
“Two.”
Asha beamed a smile over to him before raising her gaze to the white disc above.
“One.”
Zahn squeezed her hand tightly, and he felt a deep lurching sensation in the pit of his stomach as the stars washed by.
Was this how Navika felt when they made a timespace jump?
For a fleeting instant, he felt like a sea creature amidst the vast ocean of space, swept up in a current, watching the entire galaxy slide by.
CHAPTER 33
THE ANUTTAM VAKRA
Above the surface of a burning world, a dark orb churned like a twisting shadow.
As it grew on the horizon, Durazha felt its immense power drawing her ever closer. Something caught her eye, and she turned just in time to see a spurt of lava fall back down into one of the volcanos that dotted the landscape.
Her gaze was pulled back to the orb sitting atop the obsidian tower, ancient and immovable. The pulling feeling overwhelmed her, as if her dark soul knew of no other purpose. She was compelled to see, to know, what churned inside. And with a final push forward, she was engulfed into a shadowy world within.
At first, she wondered if she had plunged into a thick liquid, seeing nothing. She blinked furiously, until the outline of an armored creature hovered in the center of the orb. Its legs were folded, and its armor was so dark that she could discern no depth, only an angular outline. Otherwise, it was remarkably similar to any other member of her species, and she knew instantly what it must be. Somehow, she had found the hidden dwelling of a Vakragha overlord: a pocket of negative space.
When she was young, she had learned that this was the pinnacle of self-serving existence: to draw so much power into yourself that your mere presence warped space around your position, rendering you undetectable by anyone in spacetime. Such a high position required lifetimes of disciplined focus to achieve, but when a Vakragha had achieved overlord status, it was in a perfect position to direct and influence any autarch it desired. With the secrets of immortality and perfect invisibility now achieved, any autarch could be swayed to serve an overlord.
Yet even in her privileged position, Durazha only once had the chance to engage in communication with an overlord. And now, actually standing within the presence of one, she felt deliciously petrified.
Until now, she had never imagined that she would encounter one personally, at least, not until she became one, of course. Surely this overlord had command over multiple autarchs, who then commanded their many factions. The thought of the sheer concentration of power made her lightheaded.
Gradually, the overlord opened its eyes, revealing two red slits that glowed even brighter than Durazha’s eyes; and it looked down to her, regarding her carefully.
Durazha…
Without moving its mouth, she heard the overlord’s voice within her mind, and she found herself unable to look away. Durazha tried to discern its gender, but intriguingly found it to be completely genderless.
Durazha, you have not returned to the land of the living by mere chance. You are here to perform a great service to our cause. At last, we have the opportunity to condemn our adversary to the eternal pain they deserve, and you shall play a grand role. If you are successful, you shall also enjoy the power that I, the Anuttam Vakra, bask within.
The thought of possessing so much power enthralled Durazha, and she fought to stay calm.
“What role do I play, Anuttam? Tell me, and I will do it. All I want is to unite our factions and make the Confederation wail in pain for their resistance to us!”
The overlord grinned slightly, and the power it radiated made her shiver. Even its teeth were as dark as obsidian.
So eager! Yet your time to unite the factions has not yet come. You need more power, and I have a mission for you that will grow your power exponentially.
“What would you have me do, Great Anuttam?”
You possess the Kiss of Life. Bring it to me, and our dominion shall have power over death itself. With such power, even the Fire of Life will be of no consequence, and I will reverse the death of any Vakragha I please, rendering our dominion invincible.
Durazha pressed her lips together in anticipation. “An intoxicating idea, but how can we be sure? Yes, the Kiss of Life brought me back to life, but how could we possibly affect every Vakragha in the dominion?”
DO YOU QUESTION MY WISDOM, WEAK CHILD?
The overlord grew three times its previous size and roared down to her.
FOOL. I am the Anuttam Vakra. I am the first. I am catalyst. I am death.
“You are the first?” Durazha whispered. “Is that possible?”
Two-hundred millennia ago, I would have killed you right where you are for questioning who I am. Yet I have learned much. I am the ANUTTAM; the first of our kind to fully devote myself to the self-serving path. I preside over the site where our species transformed itself and became powerful, and no matter what you choose, I will claim the Kiss of Life in the end. It is inevitable. What you must choose, Durazha, is the role you will play.
“You believe I have more potential than Razakh, don’t you? Otherwise, you would have drawn him here first.”
Durazha, every atom in your being is screaming the truth. You are greater than your father ever was. You were once the leader of the greatest faction our species ever knew. What would you do to have that power returned to you?
“Anuttam, my father lives within a pool of his own pride, but he is not a fool. He will not allow my power to surpass his. What do you propose we do?”
Bringing you back was your father’s last chance at expanding his reach. He believed that together, you would both have the power to unite every faction in the galaxy. But your father is weaker than he appears. Use the Kiss of Life against him. While it may require a heart to restore life, you need only knowledge to take it away. When you claim it for yourself, chant the sound complex ‘vigalati’ six times, and the orb will obey your desire, draining your father.
“Vigalati?”
Yes. An ancient command which will trigger the stone to drain off his energy. Then you shall take his flagship and come to me. I sit above our most cherished world. Bring me the Kiss of Life, and you too will graduate and become an Overlord. And then the sky shall open up, and you shall see a new world.
She studied its enormous form, awe-inspiring in his sheer power and malice. Every angle of its body seemed to ingest light as if it were a precious meal.
“Yes…” she whispered. “I shall meet you there on our birth world. On Agnira.”
To ever-growing power!
It raised its hand high above its head, and she did the same.
“To ever-growing power!”
The overlord faded, and she found herself flying over the volcanic landscape of Agnira, the birthplace of their species. Below, she thought she saw a few figures walking around, but before she could discern more, the scene melted away.
With a deep gasp, she sat up, blinking furiously.
She looked around and realized that she hadn’t moved from her command chair at all. A wide expanse of stars were displayed ahead, and a green glow still filled the command deck.
“Father?” she called back. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Oh, not more than a day,” he said slowly. “But you did miss the most indulgent agnihawk feast I’ve ever thrown.”
“What?!” she screamed.
Razakh boomed with laughter. “You are so remarkably gullible. Not long at all, actually.�
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She groaned. Her father’s humor was insufferable.
“You did miss the early stages of the vakramukta in action,” he continued. “Soon the fissure will be large enough to visibly distort the atmosphere of the nearby gas giants. Observe it grow.” He pointed out to where dozens of viridian beams disappeared into a twisting spherical void in space. “We shall be the Grand Autarchs of Aravinda, my daughter. It is our destiny.”
Durazha said nothing.
He was a pathetic excuse for an autarch, allowing his emotions to cloud his judgment. Soon, power would be in better hands. Wiser hands.
CHAPTER 34
THE CHINTAMANI CHAMBER
When she opened her eyes, Asha found herself on the edge of a sheer cliff.
She looked up, noticing how bleached white boulders of every size littered the landscape around them. And without a word, Zahn floated up beside her and looked over the edge into a trench that appeared to stretch down forever. She looked carefully, but could make out little in the darkness.
“See anything interesting?” she asked.
“I’m going to go with a ‘no’ on that,” Zahn said. “But I trust the jagrul.”
“Indeed,” Manu said, “and we can only surmise that this is an entrance to a chamber within the moon, at least if the jagrul’s vision is accurate.”
Asha glanced over to Manu. “The vision may have been brief, but I think it’s accurate. The jagrul bird has never erred before.”
Something caught her eye in the sky above, and she looked up, admiring the wealth of stars splashed onto the canopy of darkness above her. She also saw something she didn’t expect, a series of thin white rings way out beyond the moon’s orbit. She followed the rings down to the edge of Tavisi far below; the rings extended all the way around the planet.
The Mirage on the Brink of Oblivion (The Epic of Aravinda Book 3) Page 20
