by Clayton Wood
“They're coming from above!” Kyle warned.
“Activate your armor, now!” Kalibar shouted. He grabbed onto Darius's shoulder, and a gravity shield appeared around both of them, spiders falling onto the spherical surface and bouncing off. Kyle backpedaled until his back hit a tree trunk behind him. Two spiders fell through the air, landing on his head. He jerked away from the trunk, batting at his head with his hands.
“Kyle, your armor!” Ariana cried.
Kyle pulled magic from his mind, sending it out to the crystal on his breastplate. He felt a vibration, and suddenly the spiders on his head flew off, careening through the air. More spiders landed on his shoulders, ricocheting off of the magical field protecting him.
“Everyone's armor activated?” Kalibar asked.
“Yes,” Darius replied.
“Good.”
A shockwave ripped outward from Kalibar, blasting through the trees. Branches snapped off of their trunks, hurtling outward in all directions. Spiders flew through the air away from them, their silvery webs snapping.
“Go,” Darius ordered. He strode forward, Kalibar following at his side, the gravity shield protecting them both. Kyle felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned, but saw nothing but forest around him.
“I'm here,” he heard Ariana say. He nodded, and sprinted forward to catch up with Darius. They continued through the dark forest at a rapid pace, dodging tree trunks and fallen logs as they went. The forest floor dipped downward at a gentle angle, the trees growing even taller. Darkness swallowed them, making it impossible to see anything more than ten feet away.
“Keep to the left,” Kalibar ordered. “We should reach the cliff wall soon.”
They angled leftward, trudging through fallen leaves, small twigs crunching underfoot. Kyle glanced upward nervously, searching for more spiders on the branches above, but could see nothing in the darkness. He stifled a yawn, concentrating on keeping pace with the others. Onward they went, until at last Kyle spotted a sheer rock wall to their left, rising some twenty to thirty feet above the ground. Vines grew in thick tangles over the rock, their leaves fluttering in the breeze. Darius led them to the wall, walking alongside it.
“We're at the wall,” Darius informed Kalibar.
“Is it safe to drop the shield?” Kalibar asked.
“Seems so,” Darius confirmed. The shield surrounding them vanished, and Kalibar walked alongside the wall, his left hand trailing over the rock.
“There are hidden wards near the entrance,” he explained. “I should be able to sense them. Only the highest ranking government officials can unlock them without triggering the defensive wards.”
Their paced slowed as Kalibar ran his fingers over the stone of the wall, his head bowed. Kyle yawned a second time, feeling suddenly spent. He fought the urge to stop and lean against the cliff wall.
Keep your armor up, he reminded himself.
After a few minutes, Kalibar stopped.
“Here,” he proclaimed. “Hold on while I deactivate the wards.”
Kyle frowned, staring at the rock wall Kalibar had stopped at. Dense sheets of vines hung down from the stone, swaying a bit in the breeze. He leaned against the cliff-side, closing his eyes for a moment. He felt himself falling asleep, and jerked himself awake, pulling himself away from the wall.
Kalibar and Darius were gone.
Kyle froze, staring at the wall, then turning around. There were no trees, no forest...only a vast plain extending to a wide river miles away. And in the distance, Stridon rose over that river, flames engulfing its shattered skyline.
What the...
“Kyle? Are you alright?”
Kyle jerked his head up, opening his eyes. He found himself leaning against the rock wall...and Kalibar, Ariana, and Darius were staring at him.
“What?”
“You fell asleep,” Ariana explained. “You weren't responding to us.”
“I did?” Kyle exclaimed. “Sorry.”
“Are you feeling okay?” Ariana pressed. “Let me see your neck.” She turned him around, and he felt her fingers on the nape of his neck. He felt a sudden stinging sensation.
“Ow,” he exclaimed, flinching away from her touch.
“You did get bitten,” Ariana proclaimed. She turned to Darius and Kalibar. “He got bitten by a spider.”
“How big was it?” Kalibar asked.
“I don't know,” Kyle admitted, rubbing his neck gingerly. “I didn't see it.”
“How far apart are the bite marks?” Kalibar pressed.
“Maybe a half-inch?” Ariana answered.
“You're going to get very sleepy,” Kalibar warned. “Darius, you may need to carry him.”
“Nothing new there,” Darius muttered.
“I deactivated the wards,” Kalibar stated. “Let's get going.”
With that, Kalibar parted the vines, then stepped through them, vanishing from sight. Darius did the same, as did Ariana. Kyle hesitated, then followed behind her, finding himself surrounded by darkness. The air was cool and moist, and smelled faintly of earth. A bright light flared to life a few feet above him. Darius, Kalibar, and Ariana were standing around him, the magical light above them illuminating a small cave.
“This cave will bring us to the tunnels,” Kalibar explained. “Most of them survived the Great War. Our architects repaired the damaged sections a few generations ago, restoring the original network of tunnels and rooms.”
Kyle nodded, leaning against the cave wall. His eyelids grew heavy, and he forced them open, glancing back at the sheet of vines covering the entrance.
They were gone...and he was surrounded by utter blackness.
Kyle froze, his heart racing. He wove magic quickly, creating a light above his head...and saw the small cave around him. Except the cave was empty...everyone was gone. He looked down, seeing black gauntlets covering his hands, tiny runes etched into their metallic surface glowing faint blue.
“Kyle!” a voice hissed. “Wake up!”
Kyle opened his eyes, realizing that he had fallen asleep while leaning against the cave wall...and that Darius was standing before him, glaring down at him.
“What?” Kyle asked. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing the vines hanging down before the cave entrance...completely intact. “Uh, sorry...I fell asleep again.”
“Come on,” Darius urged.
Kyle took a deep breath in, then followed the bodyguard further into the cave. Kalibar's light led the way, floating a few feet above the former Grand Weaver's head. He glanced at Ariana, realizing that she was staring at him. She looked concerned.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Sleepy,” Kyle admitted.
“You want Darius to carry you in his arms?” she asked, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
“No thanks,” Kyle grumbled. Ariana laughed, grabbing his hand in her own. Her skin was very warm, and soft.
“It's going to be okay,” she reassured.
Darius gestured for them to follow, and they went deeper into the cave. The dark rock formed an irregular tunnel, winding left, then right, then dipping downward. The ceiling became so low that Kalibar and Darius had to duck down to avoid hitting their heads. Kyle and Ariana, being shorter, were able to stand up straight without difficulty.
Kyle yawned, then glanced back the way he'd come. He could see nothing but darkness beyond the few feet of cave illuminated by Kalibar's magical light. He felt his eyes drifting closed, then felt Ariana's hand slip away from his. He opened his eyes, looking forward.
Everyone was gone.
Kyle froze, his heart skipping a beat. He turned in a circle, seeing nothing but blackness all around him. Kalibar's light was nowhere to be seen.
“Ariana?” he called out. “Kalibar?”
Nobody answered.
He closed his eyes, fighting down a surge of panic.
Make some light, he told himself.
He wove the light pattern, tossing it into the air above his head. A soft ligh
t appeared, bathing the cave in a gentle glow. Looking around, he found himself alone in the irregular tunnel. Where had the others gone?
He started walking down the tunnel, his footsteps echoing hollowly off of the stone walls. A thought came unbidden to his mind, a voice at once strange and familiar.
Stay with me.
The soft white light from above faded, replaced by a much paler blue light. He felt a heavy weight pulling downward on his arms, and he looked down at them. They were covered in black metal, countless intricate runes carved into its surface, glowing a soft blue. He started to run down the tunnel, moving forward with incredible ease, his metallic boots clunking on the rock underfoot with each step. He felt a weight shift on his back, felt small arms encircling his neck.
We're almost there.
He looked down, seeing a woman in his arms. Auburn hair spilled down the front of her white nightgown, strands of it falling in front of her deathly pale face. She stared up at him, sweat beading on her forehead, her hand on his chest.
“I'm so thirsty,” she mumbled, closing her eyes.
A hand grabbed his shoulder from behind, spinning him around.
“Kyle!”
He opened his eyes, finding himself slumped against the wall again, a pair of blue eyes staring down at him.
“Wake up,” Darius hissed. Kyle saw Ariana staring at him, Kalibar at her side. They all looked worried...except for Darius, who was clearly annoyed.
“Sorry,” Kyle mumbled. “I can't help it.” Darius turned to Ariana.
“Keep him awake,” he commanded, then turned away, moving forward through the cavern. Ariana grabbed Kyle's hand, pulling him along. Kyle sighed, then glanced down at his arms. They were covered in the armor that Kalibar had given him...and not the black armor he'd been wearing only seconds ago. Ampir's armor.
“Come on,” Ariana urged, her tone gentle. Kyle nodded at her, following her as she continued down the tunnel. Eventually the irregular rock walls gave way to smooth stone, the floor transitioning from rock to tiles. These, Kyle realized, must be the tunnels Kalibar mentioned earlier. They soon came to a fork in the tunnel, with one tunnel going left, the other right.
“There's a fork,” Darius stated, turning to Kalibar. “Which way?”
“Left,” Kalibar answered.
They followed Darius down the left tunnel, soon coming to another fork. This time Kalibar had them go right. Kyle and Ariana followed behind the two men, Ariana clutching his hand tightly, and glancing at him occasionally. Kyle smiled weakly at her, continuing down the long hallway. Eventually this ended, a closed door barring the way.
“There's a door,” Darius warned Kalibar. The former Grand Weaver nodded, walking up to the door carefully, using his staff as a walking stick. Then he placed one palm on the door, lowering his head. Kyle saw runes flash on the surface of the door, and then it swung inward, revealing darkness beyond. Kalibar and Darius walked through the doorway; Ariana followed close behind, the doorway being too narrow for her and Kyle to go in side-by-side. Her hand slipped away from his, and he felt something shift.
He looked down, seeing the woman lying in his arms again. Blood stained the side of her nightgown. Fresh, wet blood.
Almost there baby.
He stepped up to the doorway, then through it, entering the darkness that lay below. The door closed behind him, leaving him in pitch blackness.
Here.
His visor adjusted to the darkness, making the room appear brighter almost instantly. He was standing in a massive chamber, so large that a house could have easily fit inside of it. Far above his head, he saw a majestic domed ceiling, huge pillars at the four corners of the room supporting its considerable weight. Fine cracks ran across the ceiling.
He felt a vibration in the stone beneath his feet. Fine dust fell from the cracks in the ceiling.
The Behemoth, he realized. It must be nearby, near the Tower above ground.
He turned his gaze toward the center of the room, where a small circular dais stood, made of plain gray stone. A brilliant red crystal lay embedded in its center, refracting and reflecting the dozen magical lights shining down from above. He paused, then walked up to the dais, standing in front of it. He stared down at the crystal, marveling at it. It was perhaps three feet in diameter, with innumerable tiny runes etched on its surface...and countless more deeper within.
Renval's greatest invention.
It was much, much larger, this crystal, than the one Renval had been working on nearly two decades ago. Larger even than it had been last year, when Ampir had used it last. And far more complex. He studied its runes, tracing the faint blue glow identifying each of them. There was something very different about the destination coordinates; he couldn't make sense of them.
“I need to set you down,” he said, gently lowering Vera to the floor. He propped her against the dais, feeling Junior slide off of his back. He turned his attention to the dais, trying to figure out the coordinates.
Damn it Renval, he swore silently. Why did you have to change things?
A deafening boom echoed throughout the chamber, and the ceiling groaned again, small rocks falling through the widening cracks in the dome. He wove a gravity shield around the dais, and a few rocks bounced off of the shield harmlessly.
“What's that, Daddy?” Junior asked, looking upward.
“I don't know,” Ampir lied. The Behemoth must be right above them. The chamber rumbled again, more dust falling from the ceiling. The ceiling was falling apart under the Behemoth's incredible weight.
It can't know I'm here, he told himself. But he only half-believed it. Either way, he – and Vera – were running out of time. He hesitated, rapidly weighing the possibilities. The coordinates in the crystal were different...and he had no time to change them. But Renval was a careful man; he would never leave the coordinates to an unsafe location. Wherever it would send them, it was better than here.
“Ampir,” Vera called out. He turned to her, feeling his heart sink. Her nightgown was soaked with sweat, clinging to her body. She looked at him with those beautiful eyes. “Hold me.”
Ampir hesitated, then reached out to her, carrying her in his arms once again.
“Hold on baby,” he urged. “Just a little while longer.”
The ceiling shook again, more dust and rocks falling from the ever-widening cracks there. He focused on the dais, sending a stream of magic to it. The teleporter came to life, its runes glowing faint blue.
Nothing else happened.
What the...
He stared at the dais, realizing that there wasn't enough magic to power it. The runes were supposed to be bright blue, but they were barely glowing.
The Behemoth drained part of it, he realized. When it drained the Tower. There was some magic left, but not enough.
“Shit,” he swore.
“What baby?” Vera asked.
“There isn't enough magic,” he answered. “Shit!”
“Your armor,” Vera suggested. “Use it.”
Ampir nodded, realizing that she was right. His armor was filled to the brim with magic, even if his body had been drained of it earlier. He focused on his armor, pulling its magic into himself, then redirecting it at the dais. The runes glowed slightly brighter.
“It needs a lot,” he said with a frown. “Way more than it should.”
Vera said nothing, closing her eyes again.
Ampir cursed, draining more magic from his armor and sending it to the dais. Still, the dais did nothing. He pulled even more magic, draining parts of his armor completely, pouring the magic into the crystal on the dais.
Maybe it’s broken, he realized, terror gripping him. Maybe it won't work.
The runes in the crystal glowed brighter as he poured more magic into them. He felt the air in the chamber stir, saw a faint blue light appear in the air above the dais.
Yes!
Another deafening boom rocked the ceiling, huge slabs of stone falling down and crashing to the floor bel
ow. Beyond the widening holes in the ceiling, he spotted a massive black, metallic foot.
The Behemoth!
He drained his armor frantically, sucking every last bit into his mind, then redirecting it to the teleporter.
Come on, come on!
Suddenly the air ten feet above the dais tore, a black circular portal appearing there. Barely over a foot in diameter, it was far too small for him or Vera to fit through...and he was almost completely out of magic.
He stared at the rift, his mouth agape, unable to believe his eyes.
“It's too small,” he exclaimed, dumbfounded. He'd put an enormous amount of magic into it. The rift shouldn't be that small!
Vera opened her eyes, looking at the rift.
“We'll go one at a time,” she offered. But he shook his head angrily.
“We can't fit through there,” he retorted. “It's too damn small!”
Vera stared at the rift, then looks at Junior.
“He can.”
Ampir turned to Junior, realizing that she was right. The rift was just big enough for him to fit through.
The ceiling quaked above, and the dome sank suddenly, huge fragments of the ceiling breaking away, falling toward them both. One huge piece struck the shield protecting them, and cracked in two, each half falling to the floor on either side.
“Send him,” Vera urged, putting a hand on his cheek. “Save him.”
“I need to save you,” he countered.
“Do it,” she said, her tone harder now. He looked up at the rift, realizing it was slowly starting to shrink. His heart leapt in his throat, and he turned to Junior.
“Get on the dais,” he ordered. Junior hesitated, then climbed up onto it. Ampir reached forward, kissing his son on the forehead, then pulling away. Then he reached for the ring hanging on the necklace around his own neck...the engagement ring Vera had proposed to him with.
He tore it from the necklace, staring at it. The band was shiny and silver-colored, with a large yellow gemstone set on top. Intricate symbols were carved in the band, with tiny crystals dotting the sides.
