by K M McGuire
“Of course,” he said, and his chest whirled, cocking his head as he stared at Yael. The diamond shape missing from his forehead began to glow, as if thrusting waves of hypnosis out towards Yael. Her features tensed up, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Beads of sweat began to form at her hairline
“I…won’t…let you,” she grumbled, but her hand began to shake, trembling against her leg. She pursed her lips and dug her eyes into her hand, begging it to stay put, but to no avail. The Azucrepyh whirled faster inside Scelus, his face now contorting, and it almost looked as if his organic eye was about to pop a blood vessel. Yael’s hand slowly moved to her waist, and Koruza let out an excited laugh. Eigan held a composed smile, barely readable on his pale face. Her hand rose to about her shoulder, and her eyes began to turn white, her arm seeming to lock to its position. “I…will not!” she screamed. A soft buffet of air blew through Voden’s hair.
In an instant, Scelus’s eyes went from a concentrated smirk to horror, as if searching for the source of a nightmare running through his head. Yael’s face became harder, her eyes gone to the charge of Syphon she pulled on. It seemed she had tapped into a force she herself did not know how to control.
Scelus fell to his knees, his body trembling as he gripped his head. Voden could almost see the shifting ozone flashing between the third eye on her head and the empty slot on Scelus’s, dumping an intense amount of energy into her, which seemed to press into the stone around them.
“Please,” Scelus whimpered, but there was not a hint of sympathy that came from anyone other than the shock that wrenched open Koruza’s jaw. At this, Voden could not help but break a curt smirk. The thing that seemed odd to Voden now was that Scelus had returned to his former self before his augmentations. “I-I only wanted to be special! Don-don’t do this.”
Yael said nothing to him, and Scelus unwillingly rose to his feet, his face racked with tears. His metallic hand clenched into a fist, shaking and rattling, unable to stop its motion.
“Did you offer mercy for me when you thought of violating me?” she asked, and at that, Scelus whimpered even more, scrunching his face with fearful sobs.
A streak of blood slid out of her nose and dripped on the floor. She scoffed, and without warning, Scelus’s hand dove through the porthole in his chest, the glass bouncing off the ground like unbreakable raindrops. He squeezed the Azucrepyh until it cracked and broke. His eyes rolled loosely in his head as black ooze leaked from the hole. As suddenly as Yael had reversed Scelus’s hold, she no longer had her hold on whatever energy she used. Her eyes became normal, wrapped in confusion as she touched the blood on her face. Her skin was void of color, and she appeared exhausted as she wavered a moment, unable to focus. A few of the Azuchons rushed down the staircase and surrounded her.
“Interesting, Koruza,” Eigan said critically. “I had not expected you to design a way to off our own so easily.” He narrowed his eyes at the cowering Scez.
“I-I cannot explain it,” he blubbered. “She must be of a sounder mind than any of us had thought.” The Azuchons had a tight grip on Yael, and the half-men gave Eigan a look, waiting for a command.
“Bring her here,” Eigan sighed, rubbing his forehead. He placed his hand inside his cloak, his eyes drifting away from everything for a moment, “Yes, perhaps that would be better. You truly underestimate women, Koruza. Most of them are more intelligent than they let men believe. That is why they are greater mysteries than the deepest ocean.” Koruza nodded miserably. By now, a lethargic Yael was pulled in front of Eigan, and he gave her the warmest smile Voden had ever seen. His heart raced, filled with utter fear. “My dear girl,” he said, placing his hand on her cheek. He wiped a dry bit of blood from her mouth. “You are special! I can see why Voden fancies you.”
“Eigan, don’t do this,” whispered Vec, “just leave her be.”
Eigan inclined his head, as if offended by him. “Vectomeer, I am rather hurt by the thought.” He turned his attention back to her. “I wouldn’t dare. I just want to make sure she doesn’t have another episode like that again.” He pulled the black Azucrepyh from his cloak, and a pulse of fiery red filled the octahedron with a molten vigor, captivating Yael’s eyes. Eigan pressed the corner of the Azucrepyh against the Third Eye, sparking a flaming light.
“No!” Voden screamed, as Yael collapsed into the Azuchon’s arms. The lines on the tiny diamond began to fill with a black and cloudy red light, and Voden felt his eyes spread with shock, knowing she was tethered to Eigan.
“Settle yourself,” Eigan said. “She is merely asleep. She has been through quite the gauntlet today.”
“You’re sick,” Vec said, and Eigan shook his head.
“Perhaps through your limited perspective, Vectomeer,” Eigan exclaimed as he tucked the cube back in his pocket. He paused as he settled it inside. He gave Yael an astonished glance. “Oh, that is rather interesting.”
“What?”
“Never mind. It’s of little consequence at this point.” He waved his hand at the Azuchon holding Yael. “Take her back down to her room, gently please! She is…precious cargo now!”
“What are you going to do to her?” Voden begged, vacillating between anger and fear.
“I haven’t quite decided, Voden,” he said, “but I do need that sword of Andar’s.”
Silence fell throughout the room, where only the booming from outside could be heard, and Andar’s face became almost a transparent white. “What do you mean?” Andar gulped.
“I think you’re smart enough to know one way or another,” Eigan began, and he started towards the window. At that, the Azuchons shifted around. The few that had taken Yael down the stairs now came running up and circled around Andar. “We will find a way to remove that relic. There are too many secrets attached to it, and we have little time.”
He turned and scanned Andar’s face, who was shaking, not from anger, but a fear that Voden had never seen manifested on his face. He thought the color couldn’t drain further from him, but Voden had been terribly wrong before.
“You see, Andar, you are the only person who knows any of the secrets that weapon possesses, and it holds the key to Kintza. Someone was bound to bond to it. We had hoped it could be…one of our own.”
He turned to one of the Azuchons and pressed his fingers against the center of its forehead. A diamond snapped out of the golden shell and fell into Eigan’s hand. He pressed the bit of brass against Andar’s head. Andar tensed his muscles, hissing from the pain. The diamond sparked with a blue light along the circle and grew whiter, the light increasing in radiance. Eigan furrowed his brow, holding his hand a moment inside his cloak, ready to pull out his own Azucrepyh, but before he had the chance to touch it to the third eye, it was already so bright that Eigan had to put his arm against his eyes.
It suddenly splintered and broke. The pieces fell to the ground, hitting like bits of tin. Silence reigned for a few moments, no one able to explain how it broke.
Eigan scowled. “Koruza, I cannot understand how you promote this faulty equipment!” he roared. His eyes held rage this time, and Koruza found silence a better answer than any other he could muster. “What can we do now?”
Voden felt his heart beating with whatever made the thunderous booms outside while Koruza frantically thought. “We will need to do some hands-on studying. Perhaps the Altar is our only course.”
“Fine,” Eigan proclaimed. “Take him to my chamber. Koruza, don’t fail me again. Go with them.”
“Of course, sir!”
“Wait, no! What the hell are you doing?” bellowed Vec, unable to pull himself free of the Azuchons.
He then keeled over. One of the half-men had punched him firmly in the gut. He retched until he finally threw up acidic liquids, while Andar was dragged off across the room, screaming and pulling and kicking, doing anything he could to break free. Voden saw the blue lines prickle along the polygons, sliding along his arms. One of the Azuchons became frustrated and punched him square in the fac
e. Voden felt his knees buckle, unable to speak, a terrible whimper shaking his shoulders.
“Chin up, Voden,” Eigan said, facing through the window. He stared off into the sunset, something Voden hadn’t noticed until now. A flash of gold streaked through the window. “Join me, boys.”
The Azuchons pulled Vec and Voden over to the window beside him. They stared out at the square undergoing drastic changes. The shops opposite them had their windows covered by planks of wood. Several Adetian citizens were being pushed through the doors by Azuchons. Voden saw the painful looks on their faces as they held their crying children.
There were several Scez, each holding their own Azucrepyh, pointing towards this and that, sharing thoughts and never minding the outcry at their backs. The sun blurred the parapet of the Blue Keep, throwing the shadows long in the square. A spindly leg, then another, pulled up a thick, golden disc, one he would have described as majestic if it weren’t for its destructive nature. It stretched its legs and placed the other two on top of the wall, scanning the area, the glass globe attached to the front of the disc looked like an engorged eye, searching for its prey. It stepped down off the wall, and bent the spider-like legs, so that its captain could exit the mammoth.
Another massive boom rolled through the room, buffeting the glass that barricaded them from the cacophony outside. The Azuchons surrounded the Well of the Will and cheered as its ruby heart collapsed, crumbling down into a hollowed pit below.
“Everything is changing,” Eigan whispered, and he sucked in the air, relishing the moment. He turned his eyes to Voden and Vec, giving them a look that bordered on madness.
Voden lost the ability to give any sort of response. Eigan pointed to a massive black slab of marble, towering over the area where the Well once stood, casting the thorn of a fragment left standing in a shadow that was darker than Voden cared to admit. The Azuchons surrounding the Well began to bustle about, while the giant mechanical spider rose again, marching over to the hole where the Well once stood.
“He’s in there, Voden,” Eigan breathed, and he pressed his hand against the window. “Have you ever been so curious of what the world once was? I have always been curious of the ancient times. The rawness of the world’s youth; the potential of every horizon was at their fingertips. They were much more intelligent than we are now, you should know that.” He became silent, still watching the actions drifting through the square, listlessly filling his eyes with the wonder of the rest of the dream he kept to himself. The sun neared its end for the day, the sky becoming as cold as Voden felt. “Time is almost up, and I want you to understand that choice will soon be a thing of the past.”
∞ ∞ ∞
Voden leaned against the wall of the pit, dwelling on Eigan’s words. Voden struggled to understand Eigan’s convictions, wondering how he believed in what he was doing. The bricks above had only settled a few moments ago, and Yael finally stirred from her rest.
“You okay?” Voden asked. She made a noise acknowledging that she could be worse. Voden slid over to her, groping along the ground until he felt her hand. He held it in his own, unable to find any words more comforting than this simple action.
“What is going to happen to us?” Yael asked.
She leaned against him, seeking out his gaze, but in the din, finding comfort there was nearly useless. He stroked her dark, silk hair, wondering the same thing. He pulled her tight. It was regret that found his tongue and stopped him from speaking. His emotions choked out his words. She, of all people, should not be here. Voden wished his heart had never urged him to pursue her. Yet he knew there was never a way around his feelings. Of course, he could not stop himself from plunging into her. She was a curiosity to him. She became everything to him. She was the only thing that made any of this worth it. She was the only thing that ended up mattering to him. She was the lighthouse against violent shores, the only light against the horrid night he had entered.
“Dreams and lies live in tomorrow,” Voden said, still holding her. “At least we can hold our goodbyes together. There is peace in that.”
They became quiet again, embracing each other in the darkness. If they could find any joy, they tried to exploit it as much as they could with the time they had left. It wasn’t much. The only light they received over the next few days occurred when food was delivered, followed by insults from the half-men. Their hearts drained every time the door opened, flushing blood out of their hearts. Every time it closed, they sighed, glad for a second longer to be together. Nothing felt more precious than that sigh of relief. At least it was real.
Finally, after a few days of anxiously awaiting their fate, the door opened with a mass of half-men, standing at attention. Eigan descended into the pit. Koruza was behind him, his face speckled with blossoming glee.
“It’s time,” Eigan said. The finality of his words was sharper than any sword that could be placed at their necks. Quietly, the half-men ushered them up, taking them out of the cell to a fate that no longer rested in tomorrow.
∞ ∞ ∞
Flames always had a way of snatching Voden’s attention. He hadn’t yet figured out the mystery of its dance, and if it weren’t for his hands bound, and him being led away from them, he would have watched it until he knew. It was just another hope to be free again. He needed to draw his attention away from the grueling procession that led him and his friend to certain doom. He tried to learn the essence of each torch he passed, hoping the wavering twitch would have similar enough variation that he could learn something. Just a touch of hope. His mouth felt dry. The vermillion spectres became shakenly shy as though the wind chastised them for frolicking. But the wafting moment only gave the flames a new sense of vigor, as though inspired by its fettering wiggle, to suddenly devour the wind. There were sheets of knowledge curling around one another that could not be read in the instant they appeared.
Voden stared ahead. He was surrounded by a line of half-men. These particular men had been fashioned with more complicated metal than Scelus, where larger segments in the chest were covered by a well-fashioned plate, shaped to look like thick muscles of rosy gold. Swirling filigree patterns adorned it, like wisps of snow lofting through the wind. Some wore menacing helmets that Voden didn’t think could be removed. None was without the glass viewport on their chests, pulsing in various colors, which Voden supposed had to represent rank. As he examined the fierce structures of the soldiers, he couldn’t help wondering how long they had been trapped in the pit for their carapaces to have advanced so quickly. Yael marched in front of him, head drearily swaying. She was pale, much more than usual. The pinkish flush in her cheeks was no longer there.
“You okay?” Voden asked quietly. She turned sadly to him, a lone tear blazing an iridescent trail along her soft cheek.
“For now,” she whispered, trying to break a smile. “The unknown must be making me queasy.”
Voden nodded and went to place his hand on her shoulder. The shackles buzzed with resistance, reminding him he could not give her any comfort.
“What are you planning, Eigan?” Vec called from behind Voden, his voice wavering and nervous. Voden recognized his shivering fear, perspiring at his brow. The procession stopped and the front of the parade parted, allowing for Eigan to confront Vec.
“Vectomeer,” he said, a fake surprise floating in his eyes. “I’m going to fulfill my promise to you. We will unite you with your family, just as I promised.”
“You—” Vec began, but he lost his words, realizing the look in Eigan’s face told something disconcerting. “You didn’t kill them. No, you…”
“Oh, I never laid a finger on them, my dear child,” Eigan said. “Words can be tricky. I say what I mean, but do you catch what I say?” He smiled and patted his hand against Vec’s cheek. Vec jolted forward, only to have one of the massive Azuchons yank his shackle back. Vec quivered along his nose, brow and teeth pressing close. “The catch is knowing how to say whatever you need to say,” his mouth was now close to Vec’s e
ar, “and convince people whatever you need them to be convinced of. But I suppose you knew that. You must have tried hard to gain Voden’s friendship.”
Dread made Vec concede to silence. Eigan smiled and placed his hand inside his cloak, turning back to lead the march forward. Through the gap between the Azuchons, Voden saw Vec draped in regret and sorrow, his spirits entirely crushed. He had finally been broken. He had no fight left. Anger swelled in Voden’s chest at the thought. Eigan shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this.
“The wicked gain the quick prize of the world long enough to start the flames,” Yael whispered to herself.
“I hope it is pulled from his hands quickly,” Voden seethed.
His anxiety rushed through him, ticking away the time towards what he thought would be his final hour. All the petrifying memories that would not leave Voden alone echoed at the flicker of the flames licking at shadows. Hardly the details were remembered so vividly as when the good collapsed. The horror rose at the fall of innocence. Voden now began believing that perhaps the good died young because they drowned quicker in the sorrow, helping others to escape the undertow.
They entered the Keep’s foyer. The room had half-men awaiting the procession, spear and sword held in front of them. The hall filled with a sudden shuffle of feet as they stiffened at the presence of Eigan. The marching finally stopped before the Keep’s doors, and it surprised Voden to see them closed. The torches threw an ominous color across the grain of the wooden doors, and the visage was a painful reminder that Adetia was never to be the same. Koruza rushed forward and began hastily calling for Eigan. He looked slightly annoyed but engaged in the quiet conversation. Voden peered around the line, and he could see an area where a riot of noise called from the other side of the chamber.
