“Nightfall is upon us, so the soldiers will continue to emerge from the cave and the tents. The remaining daylight was the only reason more weren’t outside earlier.” Cal faced Garrett. “Have your sword ready and swing it whenever you hear one of those monsters speak. Their voices create an irrational fear and the sound of the blade counters it. The charm I created will help protect me, but I can’t afford any lapses in concentration, not for what I’m about to attempt.”
Garrett looked down at the sword, rotating the blade as if he were seeing it for the first time.
Cal turned toward Lyra. “This is going to make a lot of noise. I expect Elias and his overzealous fools will rush out when they hear it. However, I can’t allow them to know how this works, so I need you to keep them away until I’m finished.”
Without waiting for a response, Cal turned and began drawing something in the dirt.
While Cal did his thing, Lyra turned to face the field. A massive group of soldiers emerged from the mouth of the cavern. One giant pushed another, and a scuffle ensued. Even the sound of their distant grunts reaching her evoked a sense of irrational fear until the whirl of Garrett’s magical blade banished it and replaced it with a calm confidence. When she turned toward him, their eyes met and he nodded.
Lyra realized that she held her dagger, her knuckles white as she gripped it. It wouldn’t do much to stop one of the monstrous men, but having the weapon ready made her feel better.
The soldier’s scuffle ended, and the mob continued their advance toward the wagons, joining others who had finished eating. Lyra felt thankful that she and her companions remained unnoticed.
More groups of towering soldiers emerged from the caves and headed toward the waiting wagons, while other soldiers, likely the officers, emerged from the tents surrounding the clearing. The men barked orders and began to organize groups, each containing a few hundred soldiers. All the while, Garrett kept his sword moving, ensuring that the fear-charged voices wouldn’t affect Cal or Lyra.
The hair on Lyra’s arms suddenly stood on end as a tingle vibrated across her body. A red glow lit the area, emitted from something behind her. Turning about, she discovered a shimmering shape in the air, twisting and swirling as it grew larger. Along the edges of the doorway, red energy crackled, similar to what she saw in Cal’s eyes while he used magic. By the time the portal stopped expanding, it stood five strides across and nearly as tall.
Shouts arose from the east side of camp, drawing Lyra’s attention toward Elias and the other Arcanists standing outside their tent, pointing toward the portal. The cloaked men marched across the field with Elias in the lead. Lyra turned toward Cal, finding him still in deep concentration. Recalling his instructions, she ran to intercept the oncoming Arcanists.
When she reached them, she held her hands up to block them, but Elias shoved her aside.
“Out of our way, girl!”
Lyra recovered and scrambled to block their path again. “Cal requested privacy. He said…He said that if anything disturbs him, the whole thing might unravel.”
Elias’ brow furrowed.
“Unravel?” Pax asked.
“Yeah. You know, come apart.” Her arms made an outward motion. “Since he’s using so much energy, it coming apart would be really bad.”
Lyra bit her lip and waited. She had no idea how magic worked, but she hoped it might give them pause.
“We can feel the power he’s using. What is it? What’s he doing?” Elias demanded.
Lyra glanced back at Cal and found Garrett still standing beside him, his blade singing as he cut slow strokes through the air.
“Like he said, he’s making a doorway to Sol Limar.”
Elias moved to circle around her, but Lyra shifted into his path. He stood almost a head taller than she. Being stronger and armed with magic, she wasn’t sure what she could do to stop him.
The man stared at her for a moment and his gaze shifted, looking past her. Lyra jumped when Cal tapped her on the shoulder. She held her hand to her chest, her heart thumping from the start.
“Sorry.” He nodded toward the cluster of Arcanists. “The portal is ready. A doorway directly to Sol Limar.”
Elias looked at his companions. “How is that possible? Is it a new rune?”
Cal shook his head. “Sorry, Elias. I don’t trust you. As long as I can help you in ways you cannot help yourself, I have value. If I tell you this, what prevents you from killing me?”
“What prevents us from killing you anyway?” Pax blurted.
“Shut up, Pax.” Elias elbowed the man, who grunted and winced. Elias turned toward Cal. “I don’t trust you either, Fallbrandt. How do we know it even goes anywhere – that it isn’t some sort of deathtrap?”
“Why would I do that?” Cal’s gaze scanned the faces before him. “You men have known me for two years. Have I not been helpful to you? Haven’t every one of you benefited from my discoveries?”
“You’ve never been one of us,” Pax said. “You sit in your little hovel outside the city, and you only appear when you decide to share what you want us to know. You have your own agenda, Pascal. You always have.” He pointed toward the shimmering portal. “That’s a perfect example. Why keep it from us until now? How could we not question your motives?”
A disturbing grin spread across Elias’ face as he nodded. “For once, Pax is right. We eight have been together in this from the beginning, while you keep a distance. We have no reason to trust you, Cal. You go ahead and walk through the portal. If it really leads to Sol Limar, as you say, it should be easy to pass through and return unscathed.”
Cal stared at Elias for a moment before his gaze shifted to the others. Finally, he nodded. “Fine. I’ll show you.”
He turned and walked toward the swirling gateway. After a moment’s hesitation, Lyra ran after him.
She grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Cal. Please. You don’t have to do this.”
His hand cupped her cheek as she gazed into his eyes, reflecting his determination.
“I’ll be fine, Tali,” he said softly. “Keep them away until I return. Nobody else comes in.”
Her hand covered his hand, which still cupped her cheek. “It’s Lyra,” she said. “I’m sorry, but my name…is Lyra.”
Cal blinked, and then nodded. “Lyra. A beautiful name. Much better than Tali.” He flashed a smile. “Be safe, Lyra. I’ll be back in a moment.”
He turned and walked toward the portal. Lyra bit her lip as she watched him with an increasing sense of dread. Reaching it, Cal paused for a moment and then stepped inside. Red sparks engulfed him and a loud buzzing rang through the valley. Suddenly, he was gone.
Lyra stared at the gateway, longing for Cal to reappear. Moments became minutes, and her anxiety grew more intense. She turned toward Garrett, who shrugged. Her focus shifted toward his sword, still swinging back and forth.
She turned around and found Elias speaking with one of the soldiers, the man towering over him. Judging by the markings on the man’s oversized shirt, he was some sort of a captain. The man nodded and moved away. Elias turned toward Lyra and a grin emerged, the evil nature of the expression giving her chills.
Shouting drew her attention, and she found a cluster of men, perhaps two-dozen, gathering around the giant captain. After a moment of discussion, the captain led them toward Lyra.
“Move aside,” the captain said. “We have orders.”
“Orders for what?” Garrett demanded.
“To kill anyone who comes out of that.” He pointed toward the gateway.
Lyra was alarmed. “But, Cal’s in there. He’ll be back any minute.”
The captain said nothing, his face appearing grim as the men formed an arc around the portal. Lyra’s gaze swept from soldier to soldier, each standing twice her height. Five of the soldiers held huge weapons, bent like chevrons. Red light reflected off the polished edge of the five-foot long blades. A few soldiers held standard longswords, appearing like daggers in their massiv
e grips. Others just stood ready as their hands flexed in anticipation.
“I’ll say it again, girl. Move aside, or your fate will join that of whoever comes through the portal.”
Lyra looked at Garrett. When he gave her a small nod, she backed up a few steps to position herself in front of the portal. Sliding the floating pack off her shoulder, she set it on the ground and drew her dagger. Garrett stepped back until he stood even with Lyra, leaving two strides of open space between them.
Garrett’s voice rang firm and sure as he addressed the towering soldiers facing them.
“When our friend emerges, you’ll allow him to pass unharmed or you’ll suffer the consequences.”
Lyra nodded, while finding it amazing that the man displayed such confidence in such a hopeless situation. Even with magic-augmented strength, Lyra couldn’t imagine how he could defeat two dozen monstrous soldiers. If they somehow made it past this group, eight magic users and thousands of giants lurked beyond them – an army born of her worst nightmare.
22
A loud buzz arose, sounding much like a swarm of bees stirred into a rage. When a red aura flared from behind Lyra, she felt her hair prickle and stand on end. She turned to find Cal emerge from the portal, his body materializing before her eyes. As the buzz and light faded, she shouted.
“Watch out, Cal! They plan to kill you!”
The giant soldiers began to advance. Garrett launched himself into the air, jumping inhumanly high to fly over the monsters. He twisted at the apex and sliced down as he descended. One soldier screamed as a third of his body was cleaved from the rest. The man fell to his knees and dropped his blade before falling into the dirt.
Cal drew a rock from his pocket and his eyes flared crimson. The symbol on the rock lit with a red glow. White light exploded from the rock, becoming a small sun in his palm. Howls and shouts filled the air as the surrounding soldiers held their hands up to block the bright light. Cal tossed the rock to the ground and grabbed Lyra’s pack. Digging inside, he removed a potato with a rune carved into its skin. Crimson sparks again crackled within his eyes. When the symbol on the potato flared and began to dim, he heaved it toward the attackers. Raging fire blossomed from the potato and it struck one giant, flaming pieces breaking off at impact and setting the soldier and two nearby companions ablaze. The men stumbled about, the three living torches screaming at the agony that only fire could bring.
Fear from their screams gripped Lyra such that she couldn’t breathe, the terror so powerful that she wished she were dead.
Garrett’s sword sliced through a soldier’s leg, its sweet song banishing her fear and clearing her mind. Garrett leapt over the burning giants and parried the enemy captain’s longsword in mid-descent. He rolled and slashed at the captain’s heel before the giant man could spin around. The soldier stumbled to a knee, and Lyra made a brave dash behind the man, into the confused crowd beyond.
Racing past men twice her height, she scurried under the legs of those who stood in her way. When she emerged from the thick crowd, she found the eight Arcanists standing in her path. Panic struck.
“Kill her,” Elias growled.
The eight men spread out in a half-circle with Lyra at the center. The man at the right end of the arc knelt and drew a rune in the dirt, standing to reveal red eyes crackling with energy. Lyra backed away from the rune as she stared at it in trepidation, in fear of what magic the man might conjure. Screams, shouts, and explosions sounded from the direction of the portal, along with the constant whirl of Garrett’s sword.
Just as the rune began to glow, an enemy soldier slammed into the ground right in front of her, rolled through the glowing rune, and bowled over the Arcanists at the end of the arc. The rune exploded, blasting Lyra onto her back and covering her with dirt.
With a groan, Lyra sat up, her ears ringing as she wiped debris from her face. Blinking to clear her head, she found a massive hole now lay before her, twenty feet wide. The Arcanist who had unleashed the magic, along with his two nearest companions, lay on the opposite side of the pit. Their bodies sizzled with red energy, smoke rising from the men as uncontained power fried them.
Lyra stumbled to her feet, the world twisting and tilting. Once her equilibrium began to stabilize, she blinked and tried to regain her bearings. The soldier who had crashed into the magic users lay unmoving, his massive body strewn across the five men. Beyond them, she spotted the white pavilion. Breaking into a run, she circled about the remaining Arcanists as they struggled to free themselves from beneath the man.
“Stop her!” Elias shouted.
A glance to the side revealed two giant men running to intercept her. She looked the other direction and found another soldier who was even closer – too close.
Diving, Lyra rolled beneath the soldier’s outstretched arms as he stumbled past. After clearing the man, she rose to her feet and darted into the pavilion.
Her gaze flicked about the dark confines, seeking out hope. The tent flap opened, and the soldier bent to squeeze inside. She scrambled across the tent, stumbled over something, and fell onto one of the bedrolls. Rolling over to face her pursuer, Lyra’s hand struck an object that made a familiar sound.
Hope stirred within as she fumbled for the lute, gathered it to her chest, and began to strum. The soldier stopped his advance, the man’s head tilting as his eyes glazed over. The hope inside Lyra bubbled over, causing a chuckle.
Rising to her feet, she continued to strum as another soldier stepped into the tent, the man appearing as enraptured by the music as the first soldier.
“Follow me,” she sang.
Lyra stepped outside, and the two giant men followed. A blast of fire erupted near the portal, sending a flash of orange light across the field. The clanging of swords, shouts, and cries carried over the sound of her lute. However, as she continued toward the portal, the crowd around her stopped and listened. Those in her way parted, a host welcoming an honored guest.
“Follow me,” she sang, repeating the lyrics as she crossed the field.
Lyra’s confidence waned when she reached the Arcanists, three of whom lay dead, their bodies now burnt husks, their eyes hollow sockets. The other five, including Elias, stared at her with those creepy glowing eyes. Lyra paused and sang to the men.
“What you seek is but steps away. Follow me and I’ll show you the way.”
There was no response, no words spoken – only vacant expressions as she continued toward the portal with the Arcanists joining her ever-growing herd of followers.
As the final wall of towering men parted to reveal the portal, the white light Cal had created emerged. Lyra squinted, careful not to look directly at the bright orb. Enraptured soldiers surrounded the area, towering over the blackened and mutilated corpses of their brethren. Garrett stood with a ready stance, his sword blood-soaked, his arms covered in crimson splatter, and the surrounding area scattered with body parts and viscera. The imagery was horrible – a reality worse than any nightmare Lyra’s mind could concoct.
She turned away from the grim scene and found the growing crowd gathered in a tight formation, caught in the wake of her enchantment.
“Follow me.”
The bright light faded, darkness reclaiming the area but for the red glow of the gateway. Lyra turned to find Cal with his hand in his pocket, a narrow slice of white light leaking from it.
“You did it,” he grinned. “I swear you’re the bravest person I’ve ever met.”
Not daring to respond, she continued to sing loud and clear, the strings of her lute never stopping.
“Follow me.”
Lyra glanced toward Garrett and found him caught under her spell, his eyes glazed over as he walked toward her. Cal stepped beside him and planted something in his hand. Garrett blinked and gasped, the man seemingly waking from a bad dream.
“Send them through the doorway, Lyra,” Cal said as he drew Garret aside.
Lyra nodded and stopped beside the portal, turning toward her enspel
led audience, singing in a voice as loud and forceful as possible.
“Enter the doorway, to the world beyond.
Through the portal, new truths to be found.
Go on, now. Go on through.
Follow your destiny. My promise to you.”
She repeatedly sang the simple phrase, drawing them through the gateway. The portal crackled and buzzed continuously as the giants entered. Nobody hesitated, not even the Arcanists. Lyra had repeated the same lines a score or more times when the last of them disappeared through the gateway. The red energy calmed, and the buzz quieted. Gazing across the field, Lyra found no movement near the cave, saw no dark silhouettes emerging from the tents. Her fingers fell away from the lute and she let out a slow breath of relief.
Cal stepped in front of her, hugged her, and kissed her forehead. Enjoying the moment, she closed her eyes and found herself wishing he had kissed her lips. When he released her, she opened them to find him settling on the ground beside the portal.
He looked up at her. “Stand over me while I try to close it.”
Cal closed his eyes and relaxed. Surrounded by dozens of giant corpses, fried, bloody, and dismembered, he appeared as calm as a summer day.
Lyra looked at Garrett, who shrugged. Sighing, she slipped the lute strap over her shoulder and stood beside Cal, waiting to discover what would happen next.
When she next looked at the portal, it appeared smaller, and she realized that the crackling edges were drawing inward, toward the center. Cal’s body began to shake, the motion becoming increasingly more violent. The portal continued to shrink, faster and faster, until Cal’s eyes flashed open, and he screamed. His eyes rolled back and he fell over.
“Cal!”
Lyra knelt beside him, afraid of what she might find. A wave of relief allowed her to breathe again when she found him still alive. She looked at Garrett, who stood over her.
“He’s alive, but unconscious.”
Rogue Legacy: Part I Page 13
