by J E Reed
“Seems you’re in a bit of trouble.”
Reece drew his sword and scanned the shadows. The candle on the table flickered. “Who’s there?
“Someone who can help.” The male voice shifted directions and Reece pivoted, holding his blade tight. He didn’t have much energy left. “Come now, there’s no need for such hostility.”
“Considering what’s at my front door I’d say hostility is appropriate.” Reece sidestepped a pillar, keeping the stone at his back as he peered around another. The stranger was silent for a long time and another crash echoed from outside.
“I can make it all go away.”
His hair stood on end. Sweat caked his palms, but Reece kept his voice even. “How?”
A chuckle that didn’t suit the situation reverberated from the walls, making it impossible to pinpoint the intruder’s location.
Reece spun around again. “What do you want?”
“The same things as anyone else. To be loved, feared, and have control over what pleases me.”
“Stop toying with me.”
The same sadistic laugh filled the hall again. “Toying is half the fun.”
“Well, the game’s over.”
The laughing continued. “My dear boy, the games have only begun.”
“What do you want?” Reece repeated.
“Your cooperation.”
“In what?”
“I need you to put the brakes on progress toward future realms.”
Reece narrowed his eyes, searching for a shadow, a flicker of movement, anything. He circled another pillar. “What, you want me to fight the alliances?”
“No. I want you to fight our dear, sweet Kiuno.”
Cold sweat rolled down his back. “I won’t kill her.”
He laughed again. The sound grating. “Of course you won’t. You love her, though you’re one of many. I simply want you to stall. I’m having too much fun for this to end anytime soon.”
“You call this fun?”
The voice was silent. “I guess we all have different definitions. But I have a question. If you discovered there wasn’t a way out, would it would upset you?”
Another series of screams echoed from outside. “Are you telling me there isn’t one?”
“No, I’m merely asking your opinion on the matter. You’ve stated once that you planned to stay. Has that decision wavered?”
Reece growled. “It’s no business of yours.”
Stated? Was he listening? Was this the voice of the man who’d put them here?
“Oh, but it is! You see, that makes you one of my favorite players. I need our Kiuno to see things as you do. I need her to consider a different option. I’m certain you can’t object to that.”
“Why her?”
“Why not her? Who better to test the limits of humanity? That determination and fire, it was too much to pass up.”
“So, you premeditated it.”
He chuckled. “I’ve premeditated a lot of things. You’ll have to be a bit more specific.”
“Kiuno’s involvement.”
“Is that so surprising? I’ve included all our friends from Chronopoint, though I lost a few at first so perhaps saying everyone isn’t quite accurate.”
Reece’s skin crawled. “You’re pushing her too far. Kiuno isn’t strong enough for your games.”
He clicked his tongue. “And you underestimate her.”
“Underestimate? Have you seen the damage you’ve caused? The tears she’s cried? How can you call that testing determination?”
A shadow pulled from the darkness three pillars down and materialized into human form. “Yet, she stands. You want to talk about damage and pain, then let’s talk about how she felt when you left the game. You were just one of many who walked away. One of many who stopped writing. I saw it all. I counted every tear you were blind to. Do you have any idea what loneliness does to a person?”
Reece scoffed. “Loneliness? I think you have Kiuno confused with someone else. She was surrounded by people.”
A shadowy smile spread across his face. “Those are the worst kind, aren’t they? People who claim to be your friends, yet make you feel isolated. They never call upon you unless they need something in return. Tell me, boy. What do you know about our dear Kiuno? What do you know about her life? Her real life?”
She was… Kiuno was… Reece bit his tongue.
“Exactly. She’s happier here and I want her to see it.”
“So, what do you want from me?”
“Lead the monsters to their doorstep and make her question everything.”
“You want me to hurt her.”
“That seems to be what it takes.”
Nsane burst through the door and the clashing of steel and voices followed. “They’re breaking through!”
The shadow swirled and faded. “Tick Tock.”
Reece looked down the long hall as monsters poured over the wall. His men fell, and fire crawled along the ground.
“Reece, what’s the next move?”
Reece looked at the place where the shadow had vanished and closed his eyes in defeat. “I’ll do it.”
The voice laughed, causing Nsane to spin around in search of its source.
“Hold up your arm.”
Reece clenched his teeth. Knowing it would be the biggest mistake of his life, he obeyed and lifted his right arm. Pain shot through his wrist as a green object buried itself in his skin. It twisted to create space and roots shot out surrounding his wrist in black, feather-like marks.
Pain pulsed through his arm and Reece screamed, sinking to the floor. Nsane dropped to his side.
“They’re retreating!” Voices rang from outside.
The boy from earlier ran down the tower steps and skidded to a halt before the pair. “The monsters are retreating! The monsters are retreating!”
“I’ll be watching.” The voice echoed.
Nsane helped Reece from the floor and looked at the jewel embedded in his wrist. “What did you do?”
~~~
NSANE PACED the room and Reece took another drink of water. He wiped the sweat from his brow and pulled at the collar of his shirt.
The roots circled his wrist, but the jewel hadn’t pulsed since the monsters’ retreat.
“I didn’t have a choice.” Reece said again. He pressed one hand to his burning forehead.
“You just agreed to work with a lunatic.”
“That lunatic can hear you. I was out of options. If I didn’t agree everyone in this castle would have died.”
“So, you’re going to attack Ki?”
Reece examined the swollen area around the jewel. The roots wriggled ever so slightly. “I have to do my part.”
Nsane gave his friend a sympathetic look. “If you hurt anyone, she’ll tear you apart.”
“He wants me to play games with her.”
“But why?”
“Because they’ve been part of it all along. He wants to see how far he can push her before she breaks.”
46: Massacre
Realm: 5
Day: 325
Kiuno kicked her horse, striving to keep pace with several teams who raced ahead. Palindrome led their battalion toward the oncoming threat. Please don’t let us be too late.
Her horse slowed, as did several of the others as dark shadows soared through the sky on the distant horizon.
Kiuno bit her lip and held her breath.
The creatures descended and everyone rushed forward without a moment’s hesitation.
Cybele jumped from Milo’s back and Kiuno’s heart clenched. Milo’s right wing dripped with blood and the fur on the back of his neck rose as he roared at those approaching his pride.
His much smaller pride.
What used to be a hundred had dwindled to dozens and they sat on the ground broken in both body and spirit.
Cybele turned to face them and Kiuno’s stomach clenched tighter. The flesh of her cheek hung loose, and blood caked one side of her body.
Kiuno couldn’t be sure whose blood as Cybele cradled a cub in one arm.
Kiuno’s eyes darted from face to face until she found Jim. He crouched and Nikita circled him, pacing back and forth. Her maw was covered in blood.
Cybele ran toward Palindrome and Palindrome’s hands glowed. The skin on the cub’s back stitched itself together and the small creature cried out.
Palindrome tried to work on Cybele next, but Cybele caught her wrist. “Them first. Heal the felinians first.”
Cybele calmed the injured animals beside her and pulled Palindrome toward them. The rest of the healers tried to approach, but dominant males stood guard and growled. The medical team recoiled.
Kiuno grit her teeth and advanced toward one that appeared familiar. His wing was half torn and blood dripped from the wound, staining his gray feathers.
She slowed her movements, but he growled in response, pulling his lip back to reveal long fangs.
“Kiuno,” Elite hissed from several paces behind.
She stepped and the beast surged forward, snapped its jaw, and expanded his wings. Kiuno retreated several steps.
This wasn’t going to work.
“Cybele,” she called.
The woman lifted her head, turning this way and that before she realized the felinians were resisting their medical attention. The woman sprinted to Kiuno, the flesh on her cheek bouncing, and the creature let her run right up to it without so much as flinching.
It stopped growling and Cybele ushered Kiuno forward.
The beast sniffed Kiuno’s hair, then Cybele placed her hand on his head. “He’s one of the alphas.”
Cybele darted to another who had tried and failed to approach the beasts.
Kiuno locked eyes with Elite who stood in the same position. She waved him forward and after an initial growl, the felinian allowed Elite to approach. Kiuno did the same with those who could heal.
Some creatures were burnt, others bloody, and the too few humans who’d accompanied them back helped comfort the injured that wouldn’t see tomorrow.
Kiuno’s heart stuck in her throat as her eyes scanned past two young that had already fallen still. Other little ones escaped from the healer’s grasp and searched for mothers who would never come.
Kiuno glanced at the horizon. They needed to get back to the castle.
Less than twenty minutes later, Cybele grabbed Kiuno’s arm. “I need to go back. There are others trapped. You’ve flown on the felinians before.” Sorrow clouded her usually stern features. “Will you help me?”
The flesh of her cheek still hung loose allowing Kiuno to see her teeth. “Shouldn’t Palindrome heal that first?”
Her grip tightened. “We don’t have time.”
Kiuno called for Scorpios and Maltack then turned to Elite. “Help them get back home. We’ll be right behind you.”
Elite hesitated, worked his jaw, then joined Palindrome. Cybele jumped on the back of Milo and Kiuno hauled herself onto another. Maltack and Scorpios did the same.
Kiuno worried for his stamina, but strong muscles beneath her told Kiuno he possessed enough strength.
Kiuno clutched his fur and they were flying in seconds. She squeezed her legs into the animal’s side and ducked her head low. The passing air ripped her hair from its braid and the tendrils slashed at her eyes.
Without a saddle there wasn’t much to hold onto, but she’d swallow her fear if it meant saving lives.
His mighty wings pumped the air past as they soared over what used to be a black landscape. A sea of monsters had taken its place. Hundreds. Thousands.
Her mouth fell open and the monsters’ roar for blood filled her ears in a wicked song that raised the hairs on the back of her neck. She clenched her teeth and scanned the area.
Chirping, roaring, gnashing of teeth. It all sounded like a chorus of death. The chirping creatures from the third realm circled among the throng, their half heads snapping toward her feet as they flew passed. The reptilian creatures that could bend shadows waved their long claws and the antlered, fire-resistant creatures from the sixth realm roared at their side.
Then there were the hollows. Their eerie smiles following their flight path in a promise of pain.
Could the felinians have hid from this?
Kiuno glanced at the setting sun. In and out. They had to be quick.
The felinians snarled and their fur rippled beneath her fingertips as Cybele pointed to a den. The creatures surrounding it didn’t seem to be paying attention to the location. Either that meant the small felinians were safe or the beasts had already devoured them.
The felinians roared and swooped toward the ground. Kiuno’s stomach dropped and she clenched every muscle in her body.
Cybele hit the ground first, followed closely by Maltack and Scorpios. The two fanned their magic in a circle that disrupted the monsters’ ranks. Kiuno’s felinian landed in the clearing. She dismounted, drew her blade and plunged it through a hollow before letting her magic spread like wildfire.
Cybele chopped at the ranks and shoved toward the den. The rest covered her rear.
Maltack shifted the flames around the small burrow and directed the frenzy of magic where he deemed fit.
Cybele ducked in, then emerged seconds later carrying three young in her arms. An older felinian trotted at her side and it too carried a cub in its mouth.
Cybele strapped the young to a saddle and commanded the large felinian to take flight.
In her distraction a burst of magic sent Kiuno backpedaling. She hit the ground hard, elbows scraping against sticks and debris. Monsters swarmed, but Scorpios jumped to her aid. He sliced through a hollow’s arm then sent spears of ice flying in all directions.
She turned.
Six men stood to their front.
No, not men. Hollows. Hollows that possessed magic.
Flames spiraled down Kiuno’s arms and she took a step back. A gust of wind knocked her off balance again and she used the hilt of her sword to block claws from piercing her throat.
Kiuno struggled to her feet, only to be shoved aside by Scorpios’s body. He lifted in the air and she reached for him, but missed his hand.
Her adrenaline spiked, the hollow smiled, and she called for Maltack’s aid too late. Scorpios fell and hit the ground with a sickening thud.
Lightning pulsed from her body and Kiuno shot it straight toward their assailants, exploding the ground they stood upon.
The bolt created the distraction needed for the felinians to drop again. Maltack ran to her side and Kiuno swallowed the magic that fought against her control like a rabid animal.
They each wrapped an arm around Scorpios and ran his limp form toward the felinians. Cybele tied Scorpios on then Maltack jumped in behind, his hands already working on the blood pouring from Scorpios’s head.
They took flight and Cybele called for Kiuno; her arm outstretched. Their hands clasped and the felinian took flight before Kiuno could settle in. She slipped and the monsters converged, reaching their talons and claws toward escaping prey. The felinian tilted and Kiuno climbed up and gripped Cybele’s waist.
Her heart thundered as she tried to see Scorpios and Maltack ahead, but the wind dried out her eyes and forced her to look away.
What seemed a short flight on the way there felt like an eternity on the way back. The sun descended. Maltack’s hands glowed. Scorpios remained still.
They landed and a frenzy launched as Maltack called for a team of their best medics. They lifted Scorpios’s unconscious body from the felinian and carried him inside. Palindrome joined them, but they pushed Kiuno away. The door shut, leaving her on the outside.
Blood covered her shaking hands. All the power in the world and she couldn’t help.
Kiuno slouched against the wall and eventually Liam wrapped his hand in hers and led her outside. She took a deep breath and repeated a mantra in her head. He’s still breathing. He’s still breathing. He’s still breathing.
47: Decisions
Realm
: 5
Day: 325
Kiuno rested her head against Elite’s shoulder. Liam had led her from the medical building, and she’d found Elite trotting toward her on the way toward the castle. She’d run to him as if he’d be the one to fix all their problems. If only one person had that kind of power.
Scorpios. He was her friend, mentor, the one who helped rationalize her emotional decisions. And he’d gotten hurt trying to protect her.
Kiuno clenched her fists. Why did they all do that? Why couldn’t they place their lives above her own?
Maltack exited the building and Kiuno jumped to her feet.
He sighed and crumpled against the wall. “Palindrome will be out in a minute.”
His blood-stained hands shook and Kiuno bit her tongue. How much burden had they placed on him lately? Maltack always ran to their aid and more often than not their lives rested in his hands.
Time ticked by. Taunting.
Palindrome walked out cleaning her hands with a soiled rag. “He’s alive.”
“But?”
“There’s brain swelling. It’s difficult to keep him stable. The impact should have killed him.”
Kiuno chewed her lip and shifted her weight. “So, what happens now?”
“As it stands, we’re in for a rough night, but I’ll do my best.”
Palindrome wiped her brow and went back inside. Kiuno exchanged a glance with Elite then followed. Blood and sweat met her nose, but she refused to recoil. Moans of pain sent a spike of energy racing through her heart, but Kiuno reminded herself that Scorpios was still unconscious.
Palindrome disappeared in a side room and Kiuno peered inside. Three people hovered around Scorpios’s head, their hands glowing and eyes closed in concentration.
Elite placed a hand on her shoulder. They watched for a moment, then he guided her out.
“Will you stay with him?” she asked.
“Where are you going?”
“I just need some air.”
Elite brushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. “Don’t go far.”
Kiuno nodded and left him at the medical house. She marched toward the main gate and turned her head from the felinians who whimpered in their sleep.