by Ramy Vance
As the orc groaned under his breath, Terra kissed his ridged forehead. “How’d you sleep?” she asked.
He sat up and yawned as he stretched. “I had far too many dreams. It is good to be awake again. There were...unsettling things to see. It is difficult to make sense of them. I’m not used to these visions. Are they of things to come, or only possibilities? It is difficult to tell. Did you rest at all?”
Terra shook her head as she got out of bed. She admired herself in the mirror, watching her muscles as she reached down to grab her axe. “Hardly. There’s… I don’t know how to explain it. Not quite excitement, but there’s something there. Every time I think about leading the horde through that Gate, my whole body tingles almost as much as when you touch it.”
Cire rolled over and laughed. “Itching for battle, huh?”
“When I’m not thinking about you, it’s the only thing on my mind.”
“Then you’re looking forward to speaking to the generals and the horde today?”
Terra sighed. “Ugh. Do you always have to be the serious one? No, I’m not looking forward to talking to the generals. At all.”
“And you’re to start training with Grok soon, right?”
Terra had actively been avoiding thinking about that. The last task Grok had left Terra with had greatly increased her strength and filled her with a confidence she’d never thought possible, but it had also been the single most painful experience of her life. And she still hadn’t even officially started the training.
She started to get dressed. Since she’d completed the ritual known as the Clasped Hands, she’d been given a set of ceremonial armor. It was hide from the same animal that Cire’s was made from. She’d seen Grok wearing it during one of their early battles. It hung loosely and was the most comfortable thing Terra had ever owned. She didn’t think she’d ever wear anything else. “Not even slightly, but I’ll get it over with soon enough. I have to meet with Grok and Anabelle in a little bit. What’s on the agenda for you?”
Cire leaned over the side of the bed, watching Terra dress. “Reading. The Mundanes from the MERCs, the young one you fought beside and her friend, have supplied me with research materials. There is a lot I must learn. The old shaman has lessons for me as well. But it is nearly time to speak. Are you ready?”
Terra flopped back onto the bed as she let her fur vest fall to the ground. “You know, I might be the Hand of the horde, but you might be the fingers. Maybe we could put it off for a little bit?”
Cire rolled on top of Terra and smiled broadly, his eyes twinkling. “That isn’t a problem.”
The council was already seated when Terra and Cire arrived. They’d left two seats open in the middle for Terra and Cire. The old shaman stood elsewhere, watching the council, having given away her place of authority.
Terra jumped into her seat and kicked her feet up. “’Sup, everybody? Y’all ready to do this?”
One of the older orcs sniffed at Terra.
Cire leaned over and headbutted the orc, causing the other council members to chuckle.
The orc rubbed his forehead. “Hmph. Seems like you two are starting to understand how things get done around here.”
Cire only grunted before saying, “Bring up the horde. We’re ready to address them.”
A holoscreen projected in the middle of the room. It scanned Terra and Cire and then beeped.
Cire looked to Terra. “Would you like to speak first?”
Terra stood and cleared her throat. “A fight is before us, one that is worthy of the horde. Millions of dead soldiers, an infinite army for us to overcome. Do I have to say anything else? There will be skulls to crush and souls to, uh, fuck up! This is going to be a fight—no more wasting time on the Dark One’s minor-league bullshit. We’re going to hit him where it hurts, and we’re going to make sure that shit leaves a mark.”
As Terra sat back down, Cire rose. “Too long have we been slaves to the Dark One’s will. When we attack, we will remind the nine realms of what orcs have always been. We will invade the Netherverse and prove that orcs cannot be held down even by death. Ready yourselves for war. We are the horde!”
From the holoscreen, hundreds of voices returned the chant, “We are the horde.” Then the screen went blank.
The old shaman approached the council. “Brief and sweet. Couldn’t have asked for anything better. Now…Terra, are you prepared to finish your training? You may have the power to walk the Path, but you still must learn your way. Grok is waiting for you in the arena. I believe your friend is already there.”
Terra groaned to express to everyone in the room how little she wanted to see Grok, but that wasn’t the entire truth. She’d been excited about this since she’d absorbed Cire’s soul energy. She was intoxicated by her new strength, and she couldn’t wait to learn how to harness it. “Okay, okay. I’m out of here. Don’t lose the war while I’m out.
She rose and headed toward the arena, her head swimming with the possibilities of what was going to happen. Worries about Grok had long left her mind. Not that she trusted her. Terra just knew if Grok was going to betray her, the entirety of the horde would come down on the former Hand.
The shaman had been right. Anabelle was already in the arena.
Terra had to stifle a fit of laughter when she saw Anabelle. The elf was wearing yoga pants and an 80s-style crop top. “Dude, you didn’t tell me we were playing dress-up!”
Anabelle pulled out the waist of her leggings and let them snap back in place. “Oh, this? I was trying to lighten the mood. It’s not every day you get to go to a grueling, soul-crushing training session with the person who tortured you to the brink of death.”
Terra winced. In her excitement, she’d forgotten how hard the situation it must be for Anabelle. “You know, if you aren’t feeling—”
Anabelle raised her hand and cut Terra off. “No, I’m doing this. This war is bigger than Grok and me. Whatever edge we can get, I’m going to take.”
“Good,” a gravelly voice said behind them.
Grok sauntered into the arena, wearing her familiar smug look.
Terra saw the elf’s body tense as the orc walked toward them and understood why. She herself wanted to deck Grok anytime she saw the orc, and she hadn’t been tortured. Anabelle managed to keep her cool, though.
The three stood in the arena, and the tension in the air was thick. Terra wanted to make a joke to ease it, but there wasn’t anything to say. She didn’t want to be friendly. Now that the orc was here, some of her excitement had faded. Grok’s smile wasn’t making it better.
“Well, now the human can tap into her true power,” Grok said. “How’s it feel to cradle someone else’s soul?”
Terra didn’t answer. She and Cire had talked about the implications of Terra drawing power from his soul. The reality made them both a little uneasy, but mostly Cire. He was terrified of becoming like the lich, but they’d both been assured by the former shaman that nothing of that sort could happen as long as Terra was Cire’s Hand. Still, it was a weird feeling.
Grok didn’t wait for the human to answer before continuing, “Now one of you has come close to the Path of the Lost. Touched your toes along it. The other merely knows of its existence.”
Anabelle scoffed incredulously. “What do you mean, come close? I defeated you. I’ve obviously walked the Path.”
“Because you defeated me? Hardly. Do you remember your training as a Traveler?”
Anabelle stepped to Grok, nearly nose to nose. “What exactly are you implying.”
“Merely that the Path and all of its ways revolve around threes. That includes the three steps to properly travel. You no doubt finished the other two. I’ve seen you fight. But on the Path of the Lost, ironically, the third step is somewhat lost.”
Terra was trying to keep pace with what Grok was saying. She didn’t have the historical background Anabelle did. “So, what are the three steps?”
Grok held up a finger. “One is access to power. You got there through
the ritual of the Clasping Hands. Anabelle arrived under my gentle guidance, but even then, Anabelle only passed the first step.” Grok turned to the elf. “You have a tremendous amount of latent strength, and you caught a glimpse of what it was like to use it for a moment, but you both need to take the next step.”
“And what is that?”
“As if it’s a surprise. You’ll have to fight.”
Anabelle cracked her knuckles and rolled her shoulders, smiling slightly. “Good. I’ve been waiting to kick your ass.”
Grok laughed and shook her head. “Not me. You have only fought the last link in the chain of the Path. Today, you will fight the rest.”
The air around Grok pulsed with energy, but it was different from anything Terra had felt coming off her before. Even though she wasn’t versed in what different energies represented, she could tell it was not the same energy the orc used to fight.
Anabelle also noticed a difference, so she stepped back and raised her fists, ready to fight whatever was coming at her.
The ground shook as if there were an earthquake. Terra looked around for something to hold onto as the ground broke apart, but there was nothing. The earth opened into a great chasm that Terra and Anabelle toppled into, their screams echoing in the darkness.
Sarah and Kravis sat with Myrddin, the wizard’s robes radiating white light. They’d been listening to him talk for some time, hanging onto his words. Sarah had never put much stock in Myrddin’s advice. He was only a man, after all, fallible just like everyone else.
Now things were different. He had gone beyond the veil and seen things no other living person had. And he had brought back that information.
Myrddin leaned forward and held out his hand. “Are you ready to see it all, Sarah?”
Sarah looked at Kravis and took a deep breath. “Do I have a choice?”
“You never have to look at something you don’t want to see.”
Kravis held Sarah’s hand and squeezed it. “You can handle it, whatever it is.”
Sarah had an idea about what Myrddin might be showing her. He’d only spoken of two things since he arrived in Kravis’ dreams, the Path of the Traveler and the Eight Gates of Hell.
As far as Sarah knew, the Eight Gates of Hell, the final form one ascended to after they opened all eight of their chakras, was akin to the Path of the Lost, the biggest difference being that the Eight Gates were created after the Path for humans who didn’t have access to magic. That was the only relation Sarah knew about.
Sarah took Myrddin’s hand and everything disappeared. She was in a green field, cherry blossoms floating through the air. Myrddin was standing at her side.
Two young women were fighting, their movements nearly too fast to be seen. Sarah recognized one of the fighter’s stances. They were the same as the ones she’d been taught during her training. The other fighter used stances like Anabelle’s.
Sarah didn’t understand why she was looking at this. “What’s the point?”
Out of nowhere, another fighter barreled into the fray. She had no stances and fought on primal instinct. The three were locked in combat with each other, gracefully dodging, blocking, and attacking from all sides. They looked to be in a draw.
The sky above darkened. Lightning cracked, and a horrifying screech came from the clouds as two red eyes opened in the darkness and peered down at the three fighters, who had ceased their battle.
The fighters looked at one another, then they turned to face the red eyes watching them.
Myrddin folded his hands and rested them on his waist. “A vision I brought back from the archives of the Seer’s Realm. Seems straightforward, doesn’t it?”
Sarah shook her head. “No, not at all. If that’s what I think it is, that’s impossible. Anabelle has mana to pull from. Terra just finished a ritual to give her the strength needed to follow the Path of the Lost. I’m not like them. I’m just a human. Opening the Eight Gates and trying to keep up with them could kill me.”
Myrddin nodded sadly. “Yes, Eight Gates would kill you, but what if I told you there was another Gate? One past that breaking point. The Ninth Gate of the Heavens.”
Sarah turned to face Myrddin. “I would ask how I open it.”
Myrddin took a fighting stance, his wand floating in front of him. “That was what I wanted to hear.”
Chapter Fifteen
Sarah woke up lying next to Kravis. As she sat up, he started to mutter under his breath. The muttering turned to coughing and then the gnome sat upright, rubbing his eyes to wipe the extended sleep from his face.
Kravis peered around the room, no doubt looking for Myrddin. “Guess the great white wizard is still out for the count. What did he show you?”
Sarah stood, trying to keep from falling over. She was still disoriented from the vision Myrddin had shown her. “He told me about another gate. A ninth gate.”
Kravis didn’t look like he believed Sarah. “What are you talking about? We’ve never come across anything like that, and even if it did exist, it would be extremely dangerous. I had to find something to help you force that eighth gate open, and even then, it might have killed you if you hadn’t known when to quit. What the hell would a ninth gate look like?”
Sarah held her hand out in front of her as it started to glow with white energy. “He showed me what it looked like. Showed me how to open it. I-I think it’s possible, and I have a bigger role to play in all of this than I thought I did.”
Kravis grumbled as he looked around for something to drink. “Great. That’s just what we need, one more thing that’ll make it easier for you to get killed. And you want to go and have a wedding?”
The proposal had slipped Sarah’s mind. She’d been so concerned with everything else going on that she hadn’t had time to think about it, and that made sense. They were in the middle of a war. Myrddin was hinting that she might have to make a stand with Anabelle and Terra when she felt like there was no way she was as strong as them.
But she still wanted to have something like a life, or as close to one as she could get at the moment. Kravis was important to her. Their relationship had gotten her through some of the darkest periods of her life. If death could come at any moment, Sarah wanted to make sure it came while she was at her husband’s side. “We don’t have to do anything big. Well, I mean, we couldn’t even if we wanted to, but this is a big thing for me, Kravis. It would—”
Kravis wrapped his arms around Sarah’s waist and kissed her stomach. “You don’t have to explain. I said yes, didn’t I? We’re doing this. I’m all in. Whenever and however you want to do it, I’m in.”
“Soon. You, me, and one of the generals can officiate it, but not until we talk about everything else, okay? I want to figure this out with you. Find out how to do it in a way that works for us.”
Kravis nodded, his head still resting firmly on Sarah’s stomach. She ran her hands through his red hair before kneeling to kiss him. In a few hours, she was going to have to leave him again. That was the way it always was. Coming and going, the only real time they had together being work. They’d adapted to that. There wasn’t anything the two of them couldn’t figure out.
“So, how do you get this ninth gate open?” he asked.
“I have to push my mind beyond anything it’s ever gone through before. My body is already there. I’m going to have to find someone who can help me do that.”
Kravis peeked out of the tent. “What’s going on out there? I assume I missed some important things while I was taking my power nap.”
“The gnome army is getting ready to invade the Netherverse, as is the orc army and a handful of squadrons from HQ. We’re going on the offensive this time.”
Kravis smiled as he glanced back at Sarah. “Beautiful. I was getting tired of always being the one caught off-guard. It’s about time that we returned the favor.”
“You should probably go coordinate with the generals. I heard a rumor that you were going to oversee one of the invading squads.”
Kravis grabbed his weapons from a dresser near the tent’s exit. “Sounds fantastic. I’ll think about what you said. And I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Kravis left Sarah with her thoughts, which were racing. Everything was going to change and fast. She just hoped she would be able to keep up.
Abby had returned to HQ on Earth to continue with further experiments concerning the Netherverse Gate. She didn’t have all the materials she needed on the orcish planet. Their lab had been set up too quickly and was meant to be used on the move. She was glad Creon had made adjustments to the hadron collider to facilitate faster travel.
There was another reason Abby had returned to Earth. She had a suspicion that Tesla wouldn’t try to find her on the orc planet. She’d been there for a while after her initial confrontation, and he had waited until she was back in the safety of her home.
Abby had thought about Anabelle’s suggestion. She’d even talked it over with Persephone. Surprisingly, the drow thought it was a great idea. She had equal faith in Abby’s ability to infiltrate the Dark One’s ranks.
The idea of going undercover sent shivers up Abby’s spine. She wasn’t worried about being microchipped, but she couldn’t put a finger on what had her scared.
There was someone she had to talk to before she made any decisions. She hoped Tesla would at least wait until after that conversation to get in contact with her.
Abby went to the floor her room was on, but she didn’t go to her quarters. She walked down the hall until she came to Rasputina’s room.
A viewing hole had been placed in the door, and four soldiers stood guard. “We need to speak to Rasputina,” Abby said.
One of the soldiers saluted Abby. “Of course.” He opened the door and stepped to the side.
Rasputina had made notable changes to her room. There was an alchemy table in the corner and a small fire in a wooden hearth covered in vines that looked to have exploded out of the wall. The floor was covered in dirt and moss, and the air was thick and humid and smelled of old earth and lichen.