Lair of the Deadly Twelve (Storm Phase Book 2)

by David Alastair Hayden

He took the bowl and sipped at it. It wasn’t awful. “That’s quite good. Thank you, Awasa.”

  She beamed and bounced up on her toes twice. “You really like it?”

  He gulped down a chunk of squash. “I do.”

  “How’s the ritual going?”

  “As soon as I finish my soup, I’m going to draw out the patterns around the monolith.”

  Zaiporo and Enashoma were smoothing the ground on the other side.

  “I’d make you tea, but we don’t have any bags.”

  A packet struck her in the head. “Hey!”

  Her eyes wide with surprise, she bent over and picked up a tiny paper satchel filled with tea leaves and herbs. She looked up and another struck her in the face. She started to say something to Lu Bei, something mean judging by her scowl, but she bit it back.

  “Two packets means one for him and one for me,” Turesobei told her.

  “Where was he keeping tea?”

  “Oh, never ask that. Please.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because the tea is delicious and I don’t want to know.”

  Awasa and Enashoma went inside and Turesobei began to draw patterns in the dirt using a blank spell strip. Awasa brought soup out to Zaiporo. He watched them and listened, expecting fireworks.

  Zaiporo smirked. “How’s it feel to be the servant for a change?”

  Awasa’s face turned crimson and she shoved the bowl into his hands. “I’m not a servant. I don’t like doing this. I’m just trying to be part of the team. I’m trying hard to be useful.”

  “I — I’m sorry. That was mean. I’ve no right to turn that against you.”

  She sighed and sat down beside him. “I’m sure I’ve earned it. But it wasn’t all that bad for you back home, was it?”

  “I’m sure there are baojendari who live in worse circumstances. But I wasn’t free. To me, that’s what matters.”

  “I never really thought about what it was like for you. I’m sorry for that. But you know, I’ve never been free either. Sure, you had to serve my family and live in the zaboko ward, but you had ten times the freedom I did. You and Marumi had to escort me everywhere. I could only be alone in my room. I never had privacy.”

  “I never thought about it that way. But you have a point.” He made a feeble smile at her. “I was jealous of you. And you were jealous of me. That’s almost funny.”

  “Almost. We were both prisoners.”

  “I guess Turesobei is the only one who has any freedom.”

  He dropped his stick and stared at them.

  “Well, you do, my friend,” Zaiporo said.

  “You don’t see it?” Awasa said. “Turesobei’s got it worse than any of us. I’ve heard him talking to my dad. He’s supposed to save the whole clan from the Gawo. He has the storm energy. And he has this thing for assassins.”

  “Assassins? I don’t have a thing for—”

  “Iniru? The Deadly Twelve?”

  “It’s not like I like the Deadly Twelve.”

  “You’re under so much pressure. I haven’t helped. I’ve just made it worse. I should have supported you, but I didn’t. Because I’m a horrible, spoiled brat. But I’m trying to change. It’s not easy you know.”

  “We noticed,” Zaiporo said, but then he quickly added: “Sorry.”

  She stood and pointed at him. “I’d very much like to give you a good slap and tell you what to do. Right now.”

  Zaiporo laughed. “I bet you would.”

  “I meant what I said, Turesobei. I’m sorry.”

  “I know. It’s okay.”

  She went back to the tower and he continued drawing diagrams.

  Zaiporo finished the soup and set the bowl aside. “It wasn’t awful.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Turesobei replied.

  Enashoma rejoined them with a bowl of soup in hand. She took a few sips and said, “You know, this isn’t—”

  “Awful?” Turesobei asked. He and Zaiporo laughed.

  “What? Well, yeah.”

  “We thought the same.”

  A few minutes later Awasa brought out the tea. Enashoma reached for a cup, with hope in her eyes.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Turesobei told her.

  Lu Bei dove down, swiped the cup out of Awasa’s hands without a word, and zoomed back up to his perch. He sipped it delicately and murmured.

  “Yeah, don’t thank me!” Awasa called up to him. She gave the other cup to Turesobei.

  “You’re doing a good job helping,” he told her.

  “I’m doing all I know how and all I can do. I’m sorry it’s not much.”

  “When I was seven, I screwed up one of the first spells I learned, horribly. Made a huge mess. Grandfather told me I’d done a good job. I asked him how that could be and he said that I had done all I knew how to do as best as possible. That’s all anyone can do.”

  Zaiporo yawned. “I’m going to go get some sleep.”

  He and Awasa went inside. Lu Bei fluttered down and gave his cup to Enashoma. Then he returned.

  “One sip?” Shoma said, shaking her head. “That’s all you left me?”

  She sat beside Turesobei and they drank their tea together: white buds with jasmine, orange, and whatever else Lu Bei had found. It was amazing. Why he drank tea when he didn’t eat or drink anything else, Turesobei had no idea.

  “I don’t know what you said to Awasa, but she’s doing a lot better. I’ve only been criticized once today.”

  “She’s trying hard,” Turesobei said. “I’m proud of her. How are you holding up, Little Blossom?”

  “I won’t complain. I asked for this. What you said to Awasa, doesn’t Grandfather say the only job well done is the one done with effort beyond excellence?”

  “Yeah, but I’ve never found it encouraging.”

  “Oh, I know. It’s just terrible advice, especially when you’re struggling like we are right now!”

  “Shoma, I’ve got to ask you this. And don’t be mad at me. But are you in love with Zaiporo?”

  She sighed. “We’re just friends.”

  “You do realize he’s in love with you, right? I know he wanted to leave and have his freedom. It’s all he talks about. But he never would have left if you hadn’t.”

  “I talked with Zai about this before we left. We’re just friends. Best friends. That’s all. That hasn’t changed.”

  “Are you sure he understood?”

  “Why wouldn’t he?”

  “Because he’s a boy. We get confused. We agree with girls when maybe we shouldn’t. You know?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. And maybe we’ll be something more than friends one day. Who knows? But right now we understand one another and we’re okay. It’s nothing to worry about. Now, shouldn’t you get some sleep? You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

  He looked at the setting sun. He had an hour left. “I’ve got to finish the basic patterns so I can do the fine detail work tomorrow. It will take me all day.”

  Chapter 47

  Turesobei woke before dawn and took another bath in the magic tub. He dressed, ate breakfast, and went outside as the sun rose. This would be the most powerful summoning ritual he’d ever attempted, dwarfing his attempt with the mulkiki. Not a single wizard in Okoro had a chance of pulling off this ritual. The only reason he could do it was by filling in the blanks of Chonda Lu’s ritual with storm energy patterns and then using the monolith to boost the summoning’s signal.

  Everyone wished him luck.

  “Anything we can do?” Shoma asked.

  “Just help Aikonshi and Hakamoro keep watch. Lu Bei can’t sit atop the pillar today.”

  “I’m going to watch over Master and advise him if I notice he’s done something wrong,” said Lu Bei. “I’ve seen the ritual before. Otherwise, I’ll make certain he doesn’t fall unconscious at the end. If he does, even if the dragon shows up, it’s all for naught. The summoner must be awake to barter with it. None of us can do that.”

&nbs
p; “But he passes out every time he does something big!” Zaiporo said.

  Turesobei shrugged. “I know, but this is our best option.”

  Enashoma turned to Awasa. “What are you going to do?”

  “I think I’ll help the demon —”

  Lu Bei bared his fangs and narrowed his eyes.

  “I mean … creature —”

  Sparks danced along Lu Bei’s fingertips.

  “Err … Lu Bei.”

  The fetch nodded. “You are welcome to. Just follow my orders.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Sit over there and stay out of the way.”

  She sat down in the spot he had indicated and held her nose up. “Fine.”

  Even though he had it memorized now, Turesobei glanced at the ritual one last time, scanning Chonda Lu’s tiny handwriting and delicate drawings. Trembling, he sat in the hollow at the base of the Monolith of Sooku. He was about to attempt a ritual intended only for a Kaiaru, one of the greatest Kaiaru wizards of all time.

  He lifted his kavaru and kissed it. I’m Chonda Lu’s heir. Grandfather taught me well. I’m filled with storm energy. I can do this. I can do this. And I have to. For Iniru and Shoma, Grandfather and Lu Bei, Mother and Awasa, Aikonshi and Hakamoro … the clan … and all Okoro.

  He recalled the first night of the expedition to Wakaro. He had told his father how nervous he was.

  Noboro had patted him on the shoulder and said, “You’ll do fine.”

  “But what if we’re in the heat of battle and I screw up?”

  “You won’t. I’m certain of that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re my son and a true Chonda. We suffer when all is quiet and thrive when we’re under pressure.”

  Turesobei smiled. His nerves steadied. He opened the channel to the storm energy, but only enough to power the early stages. The mark on his cheek heated up. He touched the sigil he had chalked on the stone in front of him. Power ran into it and then, in sequence, through all the runes and diagrams he’d drawn around the monolith.

  “Doing good, master! Every sigil flared!”

  Turesobei connected his mind to the monolith. The currents tugged at him. He tuned his internal kenja to match them. It was like tuning six strings on a zither, all at once. He had to match each ley line exactly. As soon as his personal energy harmonized with the currents, his spirit nearly slipped out as an astral projection. He bit his lip hard to keep his mind anchored to his body.

  Turesobei relaxed. He took in a deep breath.

  “Monolith is activated, master!”

  For the next six hours, Turesobei chanted, drawing each rune in his mind and feeling it flare to life on the diagrams around the monolith. Steadily, he opened the channel to the storm sigil wider. Having no idea how the ritual was supposed to be energized, he improvised. It seemed to be working.

  Someone yelled. Aikonshi maybe. Other shouts followed. He heard his name called, but he blocked it out. He trusted the others to take care of any problems.

  The last section proved hardest. He activated the necessary sigils, held them in his mind, and chanted them in the correct sequence, backward and forwards. As he released the runes, storm energy blazed through his body and out into the summoning. His skin tingled with residual electricity. His eyes ached, and his voice cracked under a wave of nausea.

  He spoke the summons, projecting the request out through the monolith. If the entity resisted, he didn’t stand much of a chance.

  “Okishenaga, Lady of the Clouds, I bid you come. For the sake of all Okoro, I need help. I, Chonda Turesobei, beg your assistance.”

  The call went out. It didn’t connect. He opened the channel to the storm sigil wider and sensed a blip of energy in response, like something spotted out of the corner of his eye. Then it was gone. Desperate, he opened the channel to ninety percent. The flood of power tore his spirit free from his body. He rode the current up, out of the monolith, and across the sky at tremendous speed.

  Far to the southwest, beyond the Orichomo Mountains, he hovered before a coiling, slender … cloud … with a body like a snake’s and a face like a cat’s with whiskers of sparkling vapor, antlers of ice, and storm-dark eyes. The dragon tilted her head and blinked rapidly.

  Turesobei’s form flickered. His vision darkened. For a moment, he was a dragon too. He forced himself to focus, on his friends, on his mission. The dream form retreated and he was himself again. Voice shaking, he repeated his summons to the dragon before him.

  A tongue of lightning shot out and touched Turesobei’s astral form. With pain like a flames erupting in his gut, he screamed and slammed back into his body. The pain retreated, but the world went dark around him. The dream of the Storm Dragon took over. Giant wings of cloud sprouted from his back. He tried to fight it. He couldn’t pass out. Lightning blazed in his eyes. He snapped his dragon tail and beat the wings.

  Lu Bei fluttered in, calling his name. The fetch blasted him full in the face, but the pain barely registered. Turesobei clung to thoughts of his friends and family, to his obligations to his clan, to his love for Iniru and his need to save her. But he was losing. The sky opened above him. Wind brushed against his long form.

  Lu Bei zapped him again, and a hand slapped him hard across the face. His eyes closed, opened a little, and closed again. As he started to fly away into the dream, he heard an irritated, feminine voice.

  “For the love of Kaiwen Earth Mother.”

  Hands grasped him by the hair and tugged him forward. Lips pressed against his. The kiss, warm and moist, deepened. His adrenaline surged. He leaned into it. The dragon dream faded away. The scent of jasmine came to him and …

  He was kissing Awasa!

  His eyes wrenched open to a hazy world. He shuddered and took in a deep breath. She pulled away. Smiled. Then slapped him hard.

  “Ow!”

  “Get up.”

  She took his hands and helped him crawl out from the hollow and stand. His knees nearly buckled.

  “Tell me it worked,” she whispered. “We’re in serious trouble. Aikonshi had to surrender. We didn’t want to kill anyone.”

  The rest of his companions stood right beyond the circle of earth he had cleared circle around the monolith. Winded and sweating, the had their hands raised into the air. Their weapons lay at their feet. Beyond them were the hazy forms of two dozen men mounted on denekon. Lu Bei was back in book form in Turesobei’s satchel.

  Shoma came over and with Awasa held him up so he wouldn’t collapse.

  “Did it work?” Shoma whispered.

  He shook his head.

  His vision cleared and he saw a dozen knights in the livery of Tumokon, and almost as many in the garb of the Chonda Clan, including Arms Master Kilono and their lead scout Captain Shutori.

  “Lord Turesobei!” Kilono called out, “I don’t know what you’re doing, but it’s over. You’re coming back with me. Now.” He pointed at Aikonshi and Hakamoro. “And I don’t know who these people are, but they’ve incapacitated half my men and they’re in a lot of trouble.”

  Chapter 48

  A breeze slipped in. Leaves eddied and streamed along the ground.

  “Master Kilono,” Turesobei said, “I cannot leave. The clan and all of Okoro are under threat.”

  “Lord Turesobei, I have orders from King Ugara and High Wizard Kahenan. You have to come with me. Don’t make me take you in by force.”

  The wind increased and swirled around the Monolith of Sooku. Hope. He squeezed Shoma’s shoulder.

  “I don’t have time for this. Tell Lord Kahenan that the Deadly Twelve are back. They’re powerful assassins from the Old World. They planning on killing me and all the nobles in the clan. Before they do, they are going to release the One Hundred and the Eight from the Ancient Cold and Deep.”

  Arms Master Kilono started to speak, but thunder boomed overhead, drowning out his voice. Clouds rolled in out of nowhere. Kilono looked upward, his eyes wide.

  �
��What have you done, my lord?”

  “I have summoned help. I have summoned a dragon.”

  Another blast of thunder shook the ground. The knights flinched. Their denekon fidgeted.

  Kilono shook his head in disgust, just as he did whenever Turesobei failed to execute a sword maneuver properly. “Captain Shutori, seize them!”

  Two knights nocked arrows and drew back their bows, taking aim at Hakamoro and Aikonshi.

  “If either of you move!” Kilono called out to them, “you’re dead.”

  “Captain!” Turesobei said. “You need to back off. I don’t want any of you to get hurt. I’m not lying about the dragon. It could get here any minute.” He hoped. He had thought he failed, but with the wind, clouds, and thunder, he might just have pulled it off.

  Captain Shutori, leading a dozen men, hesitated, but Kilono urged them forward. “We have our orders, captain!”

  The wind kicked up the dirt Turesobei had exposed around the monolith. The Chonda men threw their hands up to keep debris out of their eyes. The wind howled as the clouds above descended. The soldiers kept on, closing half the distance.

  A wall of wind formed between Turesobei and Arms Master Kilono. The intensity increased until Captain Shutori’s mounts struggled to lumber forward. Where Kilono stood, the wind was strong but nothing like what was in the band between him and Turesobei.

  Captain Shutori shouted and urged his mount on, but it couldn’t move forward any longer. The denekon dug in its claws to stay in place. The cloud descended into the band of howling wind. Unable to progress, the Chonda knights retreated back to Arms Master Kilono’s position.

  “Is it supposed to go like this?” Hakamoro asked.

  Turesobei shrugged. “I’ve never summoned a dragon before.” He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Master Kilono! Tell Lord Kahenan I’m sorry!”

  He’ll understand. I hope.

  Kilono shouted a reply, but Turesobei couldn’t make out the words. The band of wind became a full wall of cloud, blocking sight. A lightning bolt speared down onto the monolith, seining a charge through the ground that knocked everyone flat. A pure white cloud coiled like a snake downward around the monolith and streamed toward Turesobei.