by R. E. Carr
“What’s wrong now?”
“I am unable to verify the opening of the third seal. I must be allowed to interface with the array again to confirm contact with 14B-Rheak.”
“CALA, are you mad? We’ve got a Machidonian army attacking the mountain and all the Oracles hate us. Our one friend here is dead! To top it off, I just let our hostage go. What are we supposed to do?”
“I recommend improvisation. That seems to be your strong suit.”
“Great.”
“The Oracles are the most powerful tribe in all of Hykeria,” Winowa was saying. “The Machidonians are making a huge mistake attacking them. And to kill a Knight? Are they mad?”
“Let us not waste time,” Kei snapped.
“Um, guys . . . ,” Jenn said.
“What is it now, Ji-ann?” Kei asked. “We are in a hurry.”
“I have to go back to the array. Back to the temple.”
“What?” Kei, Eon, and Winowa asked at once.
“Have you gone mad, woman?” Kei added. “The Machidonians—”
“I know, but CALA isn’t sure that she’s opened the seal. We have to go back.”
“I suppose it would be fitting to use this blade against the Machidonians to avenge Sir Dailyn,” Eon muttered as he twirled his knife in his hands. He turned to the bristling Beast. “Are you going to help me climb the mountain, Kei, or should I protect Ji-ann by myself?”
Kei snarled but adjusted his bracers. He nearly snapped the laces as he yanked the knots tight. Winowa strained to hear the battle outside. She looked pale. The collective whine of Machidonian machines grew louder each second.
“What should I do, Lord Kei?” she asked.
“Wait here for us and hide,” Kei offered.
“As you wish. Please be careful, Lord Kei . . . !” Her words echoed against the cave walls as the trio ran back into the fray.
Outside, the wind had picked up dramatically. Jenn flattened herself against the side of the mountain, her hair tangling across her face. Kei and Eon inched along beside her.
“The Oracle of Wind!” Eon shouted over the gale. “Look!”
Up above, the howling winds tore apart the tiny air ships. Their flaming cargo fell and landed on the skiffs docking along the shore. One by one, the delicate wings of the machines tore off and they crashed helplessly into one another.
Down below, the ocean churned and frothed. Jenn watched in terrified fascination as the waves not only crashed into the skiffs, but seemed to reach up and yank the disembarking soldiers into a watery grave.
“Why?” Jenn whispered. “Why would anyone try to fight against these people?”
“Jenn, I believe that the Oracles are amplifying their innate abilities with the array. That is what is enabling the fantastic show.”
“Great. Are we close enough to detect if the seal is open?”
“Negative. Furthermore, we must disengage the Oracles using the array to interface with the Network.”
“Are you nuts, CALA? The Machidonians are attacking—”
“We must get there quickly.”
“Why? The freaks are getting their asses handed to them. I say we just find a nice place to hide—”
“Emergency disengage.”
Jenn awoke facedown on the ground, with blood trickling from her nose and lips. Beside her, Kei held his ears. Eon held onto a fence post for dear life as the ground shook.
“What? What the hell!” Jenn cried, but her voice was drowned out by a deafening whine. The mountain shook and cracked. An enormous drill burst from the rock.
“They’re . . . They’re . . . ,” Jenn stammered.
Eon jumped to action and dragged her up the mountain. “Kei!” she screamed. “Kei!”
Eon held onto her with a death grip, no matter how hard she struggled and screamed. Kei remained curled in a ball, his shrieks drowned out by the machines. Hulking giants of made of metal began their slow climb toward the helpless Beast. Jenn finally thrashed against Eon so hard that he was forced to sling her over his shoulders.
She pounded on Eon’s back. “We can’t leave Kei, you bastard. You bastard!”
Eon continued his ascent, slowed only by the rush of priestesses fleeing from the mountain shrines. They ran screaming into the caves in the mountain only to be cut down by the mechanical terrors streaming up through the earth.
Eon watched as the shrine of Delphi glowed green. The earth changed to quicksand at the feet of the metal giants. Buildings collapsed, trapping both humans and machines forever.
The earth trembled again, and Eon tossed Jenn to the ground. He whirled to face the mountain wall. Pebbles fell first, then whole chunks of rock.
“Run!” he cried before the massive jaws of a Machidonian mining machine tore into the air.
Jenn scrambled up the mountain path, shoving aside the frantic acolytes. As she rounded the final pass up to the temple stairs, the other woman with a glittering red gem in her forehead stopped her.
“You!” the Fire Oracle snarled. “How dare you return here?”
“CALA? What do I do?”
“Duck!”
Jenn returned to consciousness under a stream of flame. She rolled out of the way only to fall over the edge of the pass. She clawed desperately at the side of the mountain—and just managed to hold on with a single leg and her bloody fingers.
“Wait!” Jenn cried as she struggled up. She could see tendrils of fire trailing behind a pair of metal boots. Desperately, she rolled onto level ground—only to find herself staring directly up into the grinning face of the Oracle of Fire. She closed her eyes as she smelled char in the air.
Flames poured out of the Oracle’s hands, but just before they landed on the Serif-fan, a jet of steam pushed them away. Both Jenn and the Oracle stared in surprise at the rail-thin, shivering figure limping out of a nearby archway.
“Helena—” the fire oracle started.
“Go fight the Machidonians. Leave this girl to me,” the Oracle of Steam said. “Go!”
The Fire Oracle began to protest, but sounds of troops marching echoed in the distance and distracted her. Fire ran down the mountain. Flames filled the air.
Jenn struggled to her feet. The Oracle began the slow climb up the steps behind her. Halfway up, Jenn had to pull the once-mighty Oracle along.
“Why did you save me?” Jenn asked as they fought their way to the top.
The breathless Oracle could only smile at her. She continued up even as her face turned ashen and the gem on her forehead cracked. Jenn eyed the area around the shrine nervously. Here, high on the mountain, an eerie stillness had settled in.
She could now see most of the battle. At the base of the mountain, the Machidonians continued pouring onto the land despite the terrifying weather. Torrents of fire attacked both enemy and ally. As the wind changed and the smoke wafted over to where they were standing, the Serif-fan keeled over and threw up.
Helena dropped to her knees. “Cannot continue,” she wheezed.
“Jenn, you must move. We have to reach the array.”
“Fuck the array! Eon . . . Kei . . .”
“We must complete the mission.”
“I can’t! I can’t take it anymore. No, please don’t take me over. Please!”
“Jenn if you don’t move, you will die. If you die, there is no hope for any of us. I won’t take you over, but I won’t let you give up. Now move!”
Jenn snapped her head up and forced herself back to her feet. Her red eyes remained focused on the shining white columns of the Oracles’ temple. She grabbed the Oracle of Steam’s hand once more and prodded her into a maddeningly slow march.
“We can make it,” Jenn said, but Helena’s hand went limp at the top of the stairs. “Lady Oracle?” Jenn asked weakly.
Helena smiled as she fell back against the stairs. “Go on. I’ll stop what I can. I . . . owe you that.”
“But you’ll die—”
“It’s my time. I can feel it. Go on, Serif-fan. I
owe you . . . this.”
Jenn turned and ran for the entrance. She shoved a priestess who tried to block her way, knocking the blue-robed woman to the ground. Her footsteps echoed in the grand corridor. She stopped when she saw a very large shadow looming up ahead.
“Go to the council chambers, mistress. They are sending a command unit with the flag of parlay,” Jenn heard.
“We shall see what the meaning of this insult is!” the Oracle of Earth boomed.
Jenn flattened herself against a column and waited for the two Oracles to leave. Earth and Water turned, not to go down the mountain, but instead toward the more secluded path to their council chamber.
“Can you detect any other Oracles in the area, CALA?”
“Negative.”
Jenn ran blindly toward the array skidding on the polished marble floor as she reached the altar. Before she could touch the stones, however, the tip of a sword landed lightly on her shoulder.
“Not now!” she muttered as she turned to face Dianna Adair. The water priestess glared at her.
“You came to the mountain under the auspices of my family’s honor, but you have betrayed that sacred trust,” she said. “Tell me, are you here to sabotage our array, or are you merely taking advantage of my lady’s absence?”
“Please. I just need to use the array—”
“You know why the Machidonians are attacking, don’t you? My mistress can tap into their communications. She knows who they are trying to stop.”
“Please—”
Dianna pressed the sword against Jenn’s throat. Her eyes narrowed. “My brother, Farris, is willing to destroy Oracle Mountain just to stop you. What could you be doing that is so important? What is this Lost God?”
Dianna never heard the answer to her question. Jenn jumped back as the priestess crumpled to the floor. Behind her, a blood-soaked Kei wiped the back of his forearm guard. He crouched and sniffed Dianna’s neck.
“She will live,” he muttered. “Ji-ann . . .”
Jenn fell into his arms, ignoring the sweat, the stink, and the bloodstains. He helped her over to the altar and gingerly kissed her on the forehead, right above her gem.
“I thought you were dead!” she cried.
“Takes more than Machidonians to kill me. Now, hurry up so we can get out of here.”
“Yes, I think haste is out best option,” a new voice said from the door. Both Kei and Jenn looked up to see an equally filthy Eon limping in. He dragged a Machidonian force pike behind him and carried his now-chipped knife in the other hand. “Damn that driller,” he muttered.
“Eon!” Jenn cried.
“No time. The Oracle of Steam may be guarding the door for now, but she will not last long against the advancing force I saw,” Eon said. “We must hurry.”
“CALA, what do we need to do?”
“I am currently pulling up all available information on seal number three. It is known alternatively as the Seal of the Open Hand. I am hoping to ascertain the exact entrance code so I can fully open the array to the Network. The gateway is actually powered and ready to use, however its transport module is gone—”
“CALA, an army is coming.”
“Due to the extreme danger of the surroundings, I am going to attempt a true dual consciousness. You will be completely awake while I attempt to access the array. That way you will be able to move and react to the world around you.”
“Damn it, why didn’t you ever try that before?”
“There are risks. Any pain, trauma, or overloaded functions experienced by one consciousness will be experienced by the other. If I fail to switch our communication mode before I open the seal, it is quite possible that the influx of information will overwhelm your consciousness and send you into a catatonic shock—”
“You can do it, though, right? Right?”
“I am seventy-eight-point-six percent certain of my abilities.”
“Just do it!”
“Initiating Dual Consciousness Mode now.”
Jenn blinked a few times and looked around. She took a few stumbling steps toward the array. As she touched the first stone, both it and the gem on her forehead began to glow.
“I am currently accessing the array. Attempting to decipher lockdown codes,” CALA said.
“This is weird, CALA. Are you . . . talking?”
“You are talking as well, Jenn,” CALA replied in Jenn’s voice. “We are currently integrated. I am now trying to penetrate the first layer. Security protocols engaged.”
One by one, the gems on the array glittered brightly. Then, as soon as the stones lit, Jenn grimaced and the light faded. Kei and Eon took up defensive positions. Both scanned the rapidly blackening horizon.
“It’s only a matter of time,” Eon sighed.
Kei flattened his ears. “Soldiers are coming. Their footsteps are too regular to be human.”
“Apparently, various numerical values correspond directly to the gems on the altar. Additionally, the prismatic variations of the stones seem to be significant,” CALA said as she fired off a few lights.
“What?” Jenn snapped.
“Apparently each Oracle can access different portions of the information contained in this array. Each has a distinctly different access code, but none of my decryption software has yet been able—”
“Try the really expensive jellyfish,” Jenn muttered.
“What did you say, Jenn?”
“The pattern on the wall when Licia accessed the rocks looked like a jellyfish,” Jenn sighed. “Can you remember what I saw?”
Jenn let go of the array and grabbed her head. Kei started to move back to grab her, but a loud explosion outside drew him back to the entrance. Jenn slapped her hand against a gem and created a magnificent topaz-blue pattern of lights that stretched all the way up to the ceiling.
“It works!” Jenn and CALA cried in unison.
“What sort of information can you get?” Jenn asked.
Her eyes rolled back for a second. “Sorry, Jenn, need more processing power,” CALA said. “All of Licia’s access functions seem to be related to science, medicine, and combative prowess. She seems to have no direct access to the network. I will now attempt the others’ codes by basing—”
“I think Fire is a big flaming horse,” Jenn interrupted.
“How do you know?”
Jenn pointed with her free hand to one of the statues. There, in the palm of the fire oracle’s hand, a magnificent horse with flame coming from its mane and hooves reared up and faced the heavens. Across from the fire statue, the ice maiden stood in a similar position. A marble jellyfish trailed through her fingers.
“Are you almost done? I can smell Machidonian blood!” Kei cried.
The array lit up in the pattern of a red horse.
After a few minor adjustments, Jenn had to grab her head again. “Stop, CALA! It hurts.”
“No network connection established. I will attempt the pattern of Air. That is an idol of an albatross, is it not?”
Jenn nodded. Once again, the array changed and Jenn was forced to her knees. She whimpered as the gem on her forehead began to pulse. “CALA, what exactly do the scrolls say? How do we open the seal?” she cried.
The gem flickered. “The Scroll of Nanut detailing the third seal says that when the bounty of each of the guardians is given in turn, then the path to the stars will open. It is not more specific than that.”
“It’s also called the Seal of the Open Hand, isn’t it? CALA, don’t be so dense. Look all around you. The key is right in front of us. When the bounty of each guardian is given in turn—” Jenn started.
“Then the path to the stars will open,” they both finished.
The floor of the temple began to shake. A mechanical, rhythmic thumping grew louder and louder. Eon tossed aside his pike and sword.
“What are you doing, man?” Kei cried as he got a fresh whiff of the air. “There are Machidonians approaching.”
“As well as a suit of their terro
r armor. None of our normal weapons will be able to dent it. I will attempt to disengage its pilot, however, you will be responsible for all of the other Machidonian attackers.”
“All of them?” Kei asked.
There was no time for a response. A column of gray-suited soldiers marched into the temple, forming a wall with their sparking pikes. Behind them, a massive hunk of steel crawled up the stairs. Its featureless black visor sparkled every now and again with green light. The monstrosity reared as it reached the main arch, revealing its four arms—each armed with a claw or blade.
“Ji-ann, hurry!” Kei roared before taking a flying leap at the first row of Machidonians.
“CALA, we’re under attack. I can’t take this anymore,” Jenn groaned. Her bloodshot eyes could barely focus on the glittering stones above.
“No doubt they will make it a primary concern to destroy the array. I have downloaded the first six patterns into my system. All that remain are Steam and Shadow. The only other concern is the access order.”
“Hurry!” Jenn cried. A trickle of blood dripped from her nose. “Think of a logical order. Look at the statues.”
“Target acquired,” the huge set of armor said. It locked its riveted knee joints down into the floor, sending up clouds of dust and shrapnel. Its right upper arm spread open to reveal a sparking cylinder within.
Eon hurled himself over the regular soldiers. His eyes drained of all color as he latched onto one of the machine’s lower arms. Just as the first spurts of energy began to burst out from the cannon, all the lights on the mechanical beast dimmed and petered out. The blast fell short of the array but scorched the altar that was sheltering Jenn.
“They are trying to get past us,” Eon howled as he fought to extinguish the last connections to the pilot.
Kei was lost in a rain of blood. Time and time again, he slashed his claws across throats or drove his fists into a joint in the Machidonian armor, but the swarm seemed to pay him no mind. Even as their fellow soldiers fell, the ranks continued to advance on the array.
The Beast-Man stopped killing and started throwing the soldiers into one another, fighting off the advance inch by inch. Nearby, Eon flipped himself onto the back of the metal giant, trying to avoid the wrath of the grunts still advancing beneath him.
