Rella tried to strengthen her weave, but it had no effect.
"Silly girl," said one of the soldiers. "That trick's only gonna work once."
She anticipated his next move and wove a shield just in time to deflect the barrage of lightning he sent at her, but she could feel her shield weakening, her reserves dwindling.
And there were two other soldiers striding toward her. Even worse, their monsters were getting back on their feet, and now they were prowling toward her as well. She had to think of something, but panic had flooded her thoughts, and nothing came to her.
She was going to die. No way around it.
* * * * *
"Change of plans," Karik said. "We need to attack the soldiers."
"Yes, Rella complicated things for us," Atarin said.
They raced toward the site where Rella was facing off against three angry soldiers. Once Karik and Atarin were within range, they wove Red and Orange, sending a wall of flame at two of the soldiers. They were so busy with Rella that they didn't maintain the shield properly to prevent attacks from behind. When the flames hit them, they flung themselves to the ground and rolled.
This gave Karik and Atarin the chance they needed. They raced into the fray. The birdlike monsters were still dazed from whatever Rella had done to them. They didn't react quickly enough to protect their riders. Coming in from behind, Karik and Atarin slit the throats of the two men as they marched toward Rella.
The men let out garbled screams as they pressed their hands to their necks in a futile effort to stop the flow of blood. Their cries were just loud enough to alert the other soldier. He turned, and Rella took advantage of the moment. She plunged her sword into his back. The man's face twitched in pain and surprise, and then he toppled forward.
"Karik?" Rella said. "Atarin? What are you doing here?"
"Saving you, of course," Karik said.
"Thank you."
"I'd save the thanks for later," Atarin said. "We still have three angry monsters to deal with."
The monsters, which had seemed fairly docile only moments ago, now turned toward the three of them with anger in their eyes. They let out hideous shrieks as they all charged at once.
"Fire!" Atarin shouted.
Karik, Atarin, and Rella all wove Red and Orange at the same time. Their combined weaves formed a wall of flame right in the monsters' path. Karik expected the monsters to stop, but instead they crashed through the flames as if they were nothing.
"What in the Core are we going to do now?" Karik asked, panic seizing him.
"Cast Orange!" Rella shouted. "It worked before."
The monsters were within feet of them, small flames clinging to their bodies. Karik cast Orange and felt Atarin and Rella do the same beside him. They each focused on one of the monsters, working as a team. When their weaves struck the monsters, the monsters recoiled and let out pained shrieks.
Then they toppled to the side. They wouldn't stay that way for long, though. Karik and Atarin both charged toward the monsters. With a powerful swing, Karik separated the closest monster's head from its body. Beside him, Atarin did the same to one of the other monsters.
Rella was still pulling her sword from the soldier's body. She wouldn't reach her monster in time, and even if she did, she probably wasn't strong enough to kill it.
"Atarin, you're closest!" Karik shouted.
Atarin leapt into action, sprinting toward the monster. It was getting back to its feet. Before he could reach it, it swiped at him with one of its claws. He couldn't get away from it in time, and he let out a grunt of pain as it collided with his chest. He flew backward with surprising force and hit the ground hard.
"There's no time to worry about him," Rella said as the monster turned its attention toward her. "I'll cast Orange. You kill it."
"Sounds like a plan," Karik said. It wasn't a good plan, though. He would be in the way of her casting, and he didn't know if he'd be able to decapitate the monster amidst the pain. But it was the only plan they had, so they had to make the best of it.
The monster shrieked louder than ever, an indication that Rella had cast Orange. Dreading the next few moments, Karik charged toward the monster. It had fallen to the side, exposing its neck. It was vulnerable. He had to act, no matter how much pain he'd endure.
"Let your casting die," he shouted. "I think it's hurt enough."
She did as he asked, and then he reached the monster. With a powerful swing of his sword, he separated its head from its body. The monsters made sturdy mounts, but they apparently didn't have the strongest necks.
Karik doubled over, panting, sweat pouring down his face. Despite his exhaustion, he made a few steps toward Rella. "You all right?"
"Yes. But what about the others?"
"We have to help them," Karik said. "I wish we could rest, but we don't have time."
Atarin approached from the left. "We don't even know where they've gone."
"Then we'll just have to search for them," Rella said. "We're not leaving them."
"Are we in any condition to help them?" Karik asked. "We're barely on our feet."
Rella's gaze became fierce. "That doesn't matter. We have to help them."
Atarin shook his head. "Even if it gets us killed?"
"Yes," Rella said.
"Then let's go," Atarin said. He led the way as they crossed the room, putting the soldiers and the monsters behind them. Somewhere, the others were running from different soldiers, or perhaps fighting them. Karik thought he heard shouts in the distance, as well as low rumbles, but he couldn't be sure. He had no idea where he was going.
They found a passage at the far end of the chamber. Though they were keeping a quick pace, they could only go so fast without growing exhausted. They made their way up the spiraling passage, a space that was large enough for the monsters and their riders to fit through.
Soon the passage led them to a ledge clinging to the walls of the cavern. This ledge looked to connect to the bridge they'd crossed earlier. Glancing down at the ground, Karik noticed prints in the same size and shape as the monsters' talons.
"Well, the soldiers went this way," he said.
Atarin nodded as they made their way along the ledge. Soon they reached the end of the bridge. Most of the bridge had collapsed, but it appeared the rest of the party had made it across. Their tracks entered a large passage off to the left, and so did the monsters' tracks.
Atarin led the way, entering the passage. Karik hung back with Rella. She had a few scratches and bruises, but she looked otherwise unharmed. In truth, he had no idea how they'd survived that battle, and he feared what would happen if they faced another.
The passage snaked along, ascending gradually. Soon they exited the passage and stood upon another bridge, which crossed the chamber hundreds of feet above the ground. This bridge remained intact, and it was wide enough for the monsters and their riders to cross.
The tracks continued. Shouts came from the other end of the bridge.
"We have to go faster," Rella said, though she looked in no condition to put her words into action. She started jogging, but it was an awkward and laborious movement.
Karik and Atarin did the same beside her. The shouts grew louder as they crossed the bridge. At the other side of the bridge, the air lit up with yellow and orange glows.
When they reached that location, Karik found himself standing upon a large and flat expanse of rock. The monsters were there as well. Kara, Talin, and Kae were all engaged in battle, launching every weave they could, protecting themselves with shields when necessary. Three of the monsters lay dead, but that still left about nine of them.
Even worse, Kara and the others were dangerously close to the edge of the platform. The drop would be hundreds of feet, and though a shield might cushion their fall, Karik didn't think it would be enough. At the very least, they'd be too injured to escape.
The soldiers kept pressing them backward, launching weave after weave. Talin and Kae looked to be shielding the
party while Kara launched every weave she had at their opponents.
"Yellow and Green," Rella said. "It's our only chance. We target the ground beneath the soldiers and move the rocks so that we trap them and their monsters. Even if we just weaken the rocks enough, the weight of the monsters should make them fall through."
Atarin gave her a stern look. "We could bring this entire platform down."
"It's a risk we have to take," she said.
"I agree," Karik said. "This Kara is our only chance at entering the Realm of Shade. I don't know if I believe everything she said about Halarik and the other gods, but if we ever want a chance to know the truth and do what's necessary for the world, we have to help them."
Atarin glanced to the left, toward another passage. Karik could read the look in Atarin's eyes. He wanted to escape. Above all, Atarin had always believed in taking the logical course of action, thrusting aside his emotions. In this case, however, helping Kara and the others was the right decision both logically and emotionally.
"Let's do it," Atarin said. "And pray it works."
The soldiers continued battering at the defenses Atarin and Kae were holding. With every weave that hit the shield, it wavered more. The force of the spells kept driving them backward. They were perhaps twenty feet from the edge.
Karik, Atarin, and Rella all focused on their Yellow/Green weaves at the same time, directing the energy to a large area beneath the monsters. They would not release the weave until it built up enough strength. It was a slow process, and they had to be careful not to alter the rocks too much. Normally, you had more time to prepare a weave like this.
But there was no time. With every passing second, the soldiers drove Kara and the others closer to the edge. Those twenty feet had become fifteen, then ten. Kara's powerful Red/Orange weave kept the soldiers from directly attacking the party, but it appeared to be weakening. As soon as those flames died, so would the party.
The Yellow/Green weave was becoming stronger. Karik focused all his attention on the intricacies of the weave. He was glad that he'd spent so much time in the library reading about Sunweaving and Fireweaving theory and that he'd practiced a lot.
To his left, Rella gritted her teeth. Her gaze was fierce, but he could see the doubt in her eyes. She'd never done anything like this before.
Focus on your own task, he told himself. Let her focus on hers.
"Do you think it's strong enough?" he asked Atarin.
"It has to be."
Karik glanced to the right to see Kara and the others right at the edge. They had maybe fifteen seconds before the soldiers would drive them off the ledge to their likely deaths.
Karik, Atarin, and Rella released the energy their weave had built up. That energy slammed into the ground beneath the soldiers, and a great tremor shook the cavern, knocking everyone off their feet. The party at the edge of the cliff threw themselves to the ground, but the trembling still threatened to send them over the edge.
The rumbling became so strong that Karik had to hit the ground himself. He crawled along the ground, scraping his knees on jagged rocks as he tried to reach the others. They were sliding closer and closer to the edge.
A scream sounded off to the left. He turned his gaze to see the ground collapsing beneath the soldiers and their monsters. They tried to grab on to the rocks, but the ground fell in completely. Their screams echoed in the chamber. Karik had no idea how far they fell, and he didn't care if they survived or not. It would be a while before they could climb up.
At last, the trembling ceased. Karik got to his feet and made his way toward Kara, Talin, and Kae. They looked up with wide eyes as they got to their feet gingerly.
"That was very impressive," Kara said. Sweat had soaked her blond hair and was dripping down her face, into her eyes. She wiped it away.
Karik staggered as he walked closer. "I think it took everything we had. How are you faring?"
"Exhausted," Kara said. "But we're all alive."
"Now let's get out of this place before they send more soldiers after us," Talin said.
Karik glanced around, trembling as his battle fever gradually died down. "Kara, I hope you know which way to go."
"I think I do," she said. "Follow me."
They made their way across the rocky surface, stepping carefully. Many of the rocks were unstable, and it would be all too easy to trigger a rockslide. After a few minutes, they reached a bridge, which they crossed, and then they entered a narrow passage that snaked upward. A few minutes passed in silence as they ascended.
It was Kae who broke the silence. She turned to Atarin. "My sister? Is she all right?"
"We haven't harmed her," Atarin said. "You might not like some of what I stand for, but I'm not the monster you think I am." He shook his head sadly. "And now I fear that I've been misled my entire life. Can it really be true? Was that Cardell that I tried to free? Before today, I never would have guessed there was more to the story. Now, I'm not so sure what to think."
Karik was surprised to hear these words from Atarin. The man had always appeared so confident, but he could be wrong just like anyone else, and when you were wrong, you had to change your views on things. Karik was struggling with this himself.
For all his life, he'd hated Sunweavers, hated the world that had persecuted his kind. But what if that world was a lie? At first, Karik had doubted what Kara had told them, but now he was starting to think it might be true. There was obviously some secret the Church didn't want them to discover, and Kara had no motive to lie about these things.
Perhaps they should return to their lodgings and ask Vanara. Surely she had to know a little bit about these matters, even if she'd given these legends no credence before.
Kae's voice disturbed Karik from his thoughts. "Can I see my sister?"
"Yes," Atarin said. "We should return and check in on the others. They need to know what we're planning to do." He turned to Kara. "Will that upset any of our plans?"
"I'd like to get to the Realm of Shade as quickly as possible," Kara said, "but I think we can make a detour. I know how it is to worry about those you care for." Her gaze became distant, as though she were recalling some long-lost friend.
Was she truly five hundred years old as she claimed? She didn't look a day over forty, but there was something almost ageless about her appearance.
Strangely, Karik did believe everything she'd told them. He'd never been one to trust, but she seemed like a good woman, a trustworthy woman. In his life, he'd been forced to judge people and determine what kind of threat they might pose. It wasn't the kind of life he'd wish on anyone, but it had made him into a more resilient and intelligent person.
Soon natural light filtered into the cavern. They hesitated near the exit. Could there be more soldiers waiting for them? They'd already walked into one trap.
"I'll check for threats," Atarin said.
Kara stepped beside him. "I'll go with you."
"As will I," Karik said. Rella, Kae, and Talin all looked exhausted, and he felt a sudden need to protect them. He couldn't deny the feelings he had for Rella. There was a lot of spirit in her. Too much spirit sometimes. When she'd been in Atarin's dungeons, Karik had wished she'd be less stubborn.
But perhaps that had turned out for the best. If this Cardell was the god they'd tried to free, then Deril and the others had done the world a favor by stopping the plan.
Karik almost smiled. It had been a long time since he'd felt anything other than animosity toward Deril, but perhaps he'd been too tough on his brother. By all accounts, Deril had enlisted the help of Fireweavers in his quest. Perhaps Karik could have revealed himself to Deril, and Deril would have understood.
It certainly would have made Karik's life much easier.
He, Atarin, and Kara all stepped out of the tunnel. They were outside the walls of the city, at the side of a mountain. The walls stood perhaps half a mile in the distance. It surprised Karik, though he should have known they'd covered a lot of distance.
/> He scanned the horizon. No sign of Sun Guards.
"I think it's safe," Kara said. She turned back and called for the others to exit the cave. They were a weary lot, but they stepped out into the pale sunlight. Karik couldn't believe they were alive and mostly unharmed. He'd never been forced to put his Fireweaving to the test like that. It had been terrifying but also exhilarating. He couldn't believe what they'd done.
Unfortunately, he had the feeling this was only the first test of many.
Chapter 40: Secrets and Lies
Faina and Alvin were watching from a balcony of a local inn when they caught sight of the Sun Guards marching Deril and the others through the streets. They were all too focused on their destination to look up and notice they were being watched.
Looking at the group, Faina was confused. She did not see the Sunlord among them. Even stranger, she thought she recognized a newcomer.
But that wasn't possible. Why would Marell be involved in this?
At least Kadin looked unharmed. He marched toward the side of the group, staring at the ground, dragging his feet and occasionally getting prodded by the Sun Guards. With a twist of her gut, Faina realized why they were prisoners.
And why the Sunlord wasn't there.
If Kadin was the only Sunlord in the world, then he could agree to release Cardell from his prison, which was located in this very place. The others were still alive to force Kadin to do as they wished. He could never let Deril or Tyrine die. Faina didn't recognize Kadin's sister, but she had to be the one walking next to him, wrapping an arm around him.
Alvin put a hand on Faina's arm. "I think you've deduced what's happening."
"But how can we stop it?"
"Perhaps we shouldn't."
Faina rounded on him. "What do you mean by that?"
Alvin looked away for a few seconds, chewing his lip as if gathering his thoughts. He wove Yellow and Blue, fashioning a shield that would keep their conversation from carrying to unsympathetic ears.
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