by TR Cameron
Keshalla observed, “They have one thing in common.” She pointed, and Ruby noticed for the first time the thin circlet that sat atop each of their heads, like a daywear crown of Earth’s royalty.
I guess that’s all the evidence we need. She turned to the others and drew a deep breath. “Okay, probably whatever lies beyond those doorways is the start of the test. Any guesses as to what we’ll face this time? Preliminary thoughts?”
Keshalla looked as if she would answer, then donned a slightly confused expression and tilted her head to the side. “Honestly, I couldn’t even hazard a guess. I have the strongest sense that my presence here is simply as an observer. You probably shouldn’t count on my help.”
Ruby frowned. “You? Backing down from a challenge? Unheard of.”
Her mentor laughed. “Oh, I’ll try to assist you, believe me. Something tells me the test will prevent me from intervening.”
Idryll clapped her hands together. “Fortunately, I don’t feel anything like that. I’m ready to see what’s through door number one.”
Ruby smiled at her. “Together we can handle whatever they can throw at us.” She touched the hilts of her knives and reached back to check the draw of her sword, which was perfect as always. Then she squared her shoulders to the exit and walked toward it, the others at her sides. As soon as they stepped into the archway, a heavy portcullis slammed into the ground behind them, and Keshalla vanished. Ruby spun, her daggers instantly filling her hands, but there was no other threat.
She called, “Keshalla?” Only echoes returned. “I guess she was right.” She led the way forward into another room, about half the size of the one they’d left and a story lower. Ahead, in the center of the space, sat a pile of heavy rocks, each looking remarkably similar to the boulders in the village clearing. That makes sense. We’re in the same region, and the stones are logically from the same source.
From behind and above, her mentor’s voice announced, “I seem to be stuck up here.” They turned to see Keshalla standing with her hands on the railing of the low fence that guarded the balcony one floor up. No staircase led down from it, and she presumed her teacher had already tried to descend by other means.
She called, “Sure, enjoy the show, maybe focus on remembering it so you can write it down for the archivist.”
Idryll stage-whispered, “Keshalla's old. She probably can’t hold that much in her mind.”
A cross-sounding, “Come up here and say that, kitty cat,” filtered down from above. Ruby was already pacing toward the center of the room. Her next step forward brought the boulders to life. They began to shift back and forth, and she traded her right-hand dagger for her sword and stepped back defensively. Idryll extended her claws and moved far enough away so that a single attack wouldn’t catch them both, even if it were a giant boulder hurtling through the air. The motion intensified, then suddenly the stones started to roll, creating a circle of fast-moving rock.
They completed three rotations, gathering speed before the pattern changed. As if by unseen signal, they all moved simultaneously toward the center of the ring they had created and piled on top of one another. When the rumbling and scraping stopped, a fifteen-foot-high humanoid shape stood before them. It had boulders for feet, boulders for legs, boulders for everything. A face emerged from the top one, seeming to push out from within, and it gave a nod that she would’ve called respectful in any other circumstance. Its voice grated, sounding remarkably similar to the sound the stones had made as they’d crashed together to assemble him. “Greetings from Mirra Inshala. We welcome the junra to the third mystery.”
Ruby frowned. “You mean the venamisha?”
The stone creature nodded. “The words come from the same source and mean almost the same thing. Has that knowledge been lost?”
Idryll replied, “Seems like.”
He shook his head. “With each new arrival to the castle, it appears as if your race has forgotten more and more of your history.”
Ruby asked, “Who are you?”
“The guardian of this place.”
“The castle?”
Boulders ground against each other, making an uncomfortable sound as he shrugged. “This part of it.”
Implying there are other parts, potentially with their guardians. Awesome. “Do you have a riddle for me or something?”
“Nothing so innocent. It is my task to prevent you from continuing.”
“No other options than fighting, I presume?”
He shook his head again. “No. Only through my destruction will you be permitted to move ahead. Of course, if you wish to leave, to abandon the quest you have undertaken, you have only to say so.”
“Did the others go through this?”
“Yes.”
Idryll frowned. “Why are you still here, then?”
The creature smiled. “The magic of this place brings me back to resume my watch when the Mist Elves lack a Mirra.”
Keshalla called, “How many times have you lost?”
“Four.”
Ruby added, “How many times have you won?”
He answered without pride, a simple statement of fact that was nonetheless chilling. “Countless.”
“Might as well get on with it, then.”
His face vanished, becoming flat stone again, and his body wrenched itself in a fast circle. At the end of it, a boulder flew at both her and Idryll. She shouted, “Let’s see if we can hurt him.” Having expected an attack of that kind, she easily dropped and rolled out of the way of the projectile and sheathed her sword, deciding to try magic first.
She called up a force shield in her left hand and added the layer around her skin, then threw a force blast at him. It smashed into his torso with no apparent effect. She followed it with frost, thinking that might work against him. Water overcomes stone eventually, right? It, too, failed miserably. She stopped her attacks and closed the distance with him as Idryll made a fast pass, her claws scraping against one of his legs and shooting out sparks. No visible sign of her effort was left behind, though. Ruby shouted, “At this rate, we’ll have discovered all the things that won’t hurt him in a year or two.”
Her partner countered sarcastically, “Maybe you should come up with some sort of new idea then, junra.”
Ruby tried shadow and fire to no avail while dodging more thrown boulders. The assault stopped for a moment, and she had to dive out of the way as the projectiles he’d used returned to his body, and he started tossing them out again. She growled, “Okay, that’s enough of that.” When a missed projectile came to rest, she used a force blast to knock it back against the wall and wrapped a barrier of the same magic around it to keep it from moving. She’d had abundant practice bisecting her mind to be able to fight while still maintaining the magical fence. Not for the first time, she wondered if all the trials and tribulations she’d experienced recently were tied together in some sort of fate or destiny.
She dropped to her face as another rock whipped overhead, almost catching her unaware. Shut up and focus, Ruby, or you won’t be alive to fulfill whatever that plan is. She drew her sword and sent a thought to it, the idea of attacking the joins where the boulders connected. The personalities inside responded enthusiastically in her thoughts. She dashed in and slashed at the arm that came down to knock her flying, severing one of the small boulders that formed something analogous to a hand. The blow had struck directly at the join, and the sword disconnected the two. Whatever magic animates that thing, my sword is sufficient to block it. The stone fell to the floor, and she blasted it across the room and locked it away with the other one.
Idryll crowed, “Good one. Let me try.” While the creature took another swing at Ruby, the tiger-woman sped in and slashed the back of his foot, one of her favorite locations. The single boulder that rested at the end of his leg disconnected as her claws passed through the space, and Ruby knocked it toward the others.
Now that they’d figured out the solution, the fight proved reasonable, except f
or the part where the boulder creature didn’t seem to be injured or lose any energy or strength from their actions. Down to the moment they separated the last portion of his remaining limb from the torso, he spun, whirled, and smashed at them. He’d caught Ruby twice and sent her flying against the wall. Only the quick application of force magic to blunt the impact saved her from likely death. Her barrier faltered in one of those moments, and a few boulders tried to roll away, but Idryll put herself physically in their path, blocking them until Ruby could get them back under control.
When the final limb dropped, their foe stopped moving, and his remaining parts bowed. “Well done, junra, companion. I wish you luck in what lies beyond.” The boulders disconnected and dropped, lifeless and inanimate again.
From above, Keshalla clapped. “Good show, you two.” She leapt down over the balcony and landed with them. “As soon as he fell apart, some barrier vanished. Guess I was right about getting to be a spectator.”
Ruby knelt and picked up a piece of stone that hadn’t joined the rest, putting it in her pocket as a remembrance. Rising, she replied, “Who knows, maybe you’ll get in the game later. For now, onward.”
Chapter Eleven
The next chamber was sunken and about the same dimensions as the one previous, but with the floor a good ten feet below. A railing stopped them from walking off the entry ledge, and a series of pillars with flat tops at varying heights and distances from their location crossed the room. On the nearest column stood an owl, snowy white with accents of gray and eyes that displayed more intelligence than she’d ever seen in such a creature. Keshalla vanished and reappeared on the far side, on a matching ledge with a matching railing. She called, “Getting a little tired of being thrown around over here.”
The owl ignored her comment and blinked its big eyes first at Ruby, then at Idryll. Its voice was higher than she’d guessed it would be, and it spoke with a strange accent she couldn’t identify. “Welcome, junra. Welcome, companion. Congratulations on successfully overcoming the previous guardian.”
Idryll asked, “Were you the partner of one of the Mirra?”
The old head inclined slightly toward her. “Indeed. Mirra Cashri and I spent many years together.”
Ruby said, “Are you real? Or a spirit? A memory?”
“All of that and none of it. What I am is not relevant. The only thing that matters is the task ahead of you.”
Idryll replied, “So, agility is part of the qualifications? If so, I’d be a much better choice than her.”
The owl fluttered its wings, seeming amused. “You must cross the space safely to your friend.”
Ruby asked, “Nothing more than that?”
The guardian confirmed, “Nothing more.” It took off, soaring above in a lazy circle around the perimeter of the room.
She turned to Idryll and said, “Obviously, that can’t be it. There has to be a trick, or test, or something else going on.”
Her partner nodded. “Of course.”
“I’ll do a little experimenting. You stay here while I do.”
“Perhaps I should be the one to try it.”
Ruby shook her head. “Last time I checked, for all your agility, you can’t protect yourself with a magic shield. I have multiple options in that category. If I fall, I won’t get hurt.” She wore the pendant under her outfit, ready to be called upon at need. Now she summoned the force shield that wrapped around her body an inch from her skin. Okay, here we go.
She estimated the jump from where she was to the nearest column as a foot or two longer than she was comfortable with, especially since the landing pad was only a couple of feet wide. She focused her magic and waved, creating a platform on the other side of the railing that extended from where they were to the first pedestal. The idea of using it to cross the whole room occurred to her, but she was confident they wouldn’t outwit the test so easily. She pulled out her sword and poked at the magical surface to be sure it wasn’t an illusion of what she intended, and it resisted appropriately. Or appears to, anyway.
Sheathing the weapon, she climbed up onto the railing and drew a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.” She looked down before taking that first step, and something about the floor seemed strange. She reached into the pocket where she’d stashed her souvenir from the previous battle, pulled it out, and dropped it. It plummeted to and through the floor’s surface, making noise once it was out of sight as if it bounced from object to object. She turned and met Idryll's eyes. “So, fake floor.”
The shapeshifter nodded. “Yeah. Probably full of something nasty underneath. Like snakes.”
She scowled. “It didn’t sound like snakes. Sounded like metal. Spikes, maybe.”
Her companion grinned. “Spike snakes. They stab you. Then they bite you.”
Ruby rolled her eyes. “Quiet, you.” She turned back toward the room. Motion in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and a moment later the owl plummeted through the air a few feet in front of her. Suddenly the platform she stood on vanished as if it’d never been. She was close enough to the pedestal that she was able to grab it with one hand and keep herself from falling, but barely. She pulled herself up and climbed into a wobbly crouch. “Not cool, featherhead.” The guardian angled past again, and she swore that he wore a smile. She straightened when she thought her legs could safely hold her. “So, it’s both a physical and a mental challenge.”
Idryll replied, “If we have to rely on your brain, we’re toast. Might as well go home.”
Ruby countered, “Shut it and move ahead.” The shapeshifter climbed the railing, but the moment she looked like she was about to leap, the owl darted in front of her to cut her off. The shapeshifter swiped at it with a hand, but it evaded easily.
Ruby muttered, “Oh, that’s how it’s going to be, is it?” She summoned a force platform and took a step onto it, then jumped lightly back as the guardian intervened. Idryll took the moment of distraction she’d created to leap to the next pillar, which was exactly what Ruby had expected. Maybe it’s about working together. Who knows? Unless something changes, I think we have it figured out.
She summoned another platform and ran across, then leapt for the column as the owl arrived. In that fashion, they crossed the room, each of them making progress while the interfering avian was busy with the other. As they neared the far side, the distances became longer. Ruby threaded magic into her body, giving her a little extra speed and power, and noted that it didn’t vanish when the owl flew by, even though her shield and platform did. So, it can only mess with external magics. Good to know.
When they finally reached the opposite side, Keshalla nodded in approval. “Well done. I was a little concerned you wouldn’t see its strategy, but you picked up pretty quickly.”
Ruby scowled. “I figured it out immediately. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Idryll grinned. “You keep telling yourself that, Ruby.”
The owl landed on the railing and spread its wings wide, flicking them ostentatiously before folding them back against his body. “Well done, junra. You overcame the two easiest challenges. Good luck in the room beyond.”
She nodded. “Appreciated. So, what happens to you, now?”
The guardian cocked his head to the side. “For me, no time will pass between your exit from this room and the next junra’s entrance, however long that may be on the outside.”
Idryll replied, “Is this the destiny of all companions?” She sounded a little concerned.
The owl swiveled its gaze to the shapeshifter. “I do not know. I can only speak for myself, and the only other knowledge I have is that there is a room before mine and a room after, each with its challenges.”
Keshalla asked, “Would you change your situation if you could?”
He flapped his wings at them. “I have no idea. Existing is far preferable to not existing. Without Cashri, one way to pass the time seems equivalent to any other.”
Ruby felt a surge of empathy at the sense of loss
that must’ve driven those words. “Be well, guardian.”
“Thank you, junra.”
She turned and headed through the doorway that led out of the space. The next room was a repeat of the first chamber. It dawned on her that they were in some sort of magical space, as there was no way the castle on the mountaintop could stretch this far in one direction. Awaiting them was a humanoid figure who looked vaguely like a Mist Elf but with some other bloodline in there. Idryll gave a soft growl at the sight of him, and he nodded at them. “Companion, junra, welcome to the third challenge. It will, sadly, be your last.”
Ruby replied, “You mean this is the final challenge?”
He shook his head. “No. I mean you will fail it.”
Idryll scowled. “He’s a shapeshifter. I can smell it.”
“Like you.”
Her partner tilted her head to the side. “Have you also lost your natural form?”
Ruby blinked and turned to her. “What? What the hell are you talking about?”
Idryll gave a choked laugh. “I guess we never discussed it. Once upon a time, I was an elf. Then, for a long time, I was a tiger. Now I am truly neither, and yet both.”
The other figure nodded. “Exactly my tale, but not a tiger, of course.”
Keshalla asked, “What are you, then?”
He shrugged. “You’ll know when the time is right. Or, you could simply leave now and avoid the pain and the screaming and such.”
Ruby didn’t like his attitude. “So, what’s your deal? What do we have to do?”
“Get past me.”
She laughed. “That doesn’t seem that hard, three on one.”
He smiled. “I wasn’t speaking to you, junra.” The world wrenched to the side, and suddenly Ruby found herself at the far end of the room, standing beside Keshalla, unable to move out of the small rectangular area defined by the carvings at their feet. She shouted, “Not fair.”
