by W Bradley
CHAPTER 10
Falling
Dia lead Daniel to the Spire. Her wound gave her some grief but she was determined not to show it as they climbed a final staircase which opened out into a huge, cathedral-like space. The Spire twinkled at the far end. “You ready?” Daniel asked with excitement in his voice. “I doubt there will be any going back once we begin the process.”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She replied, but Daniel noticed the look on her face.
“You don’t want the power?”
“I want a chance to defeat Kae... But I have never sought after power. You know that. Regardless, I am prepared. I will do whatever is necessary.” She looked back at Daniel with fiery determination in her eyes and he returned the gaze with soothing confidence.
They both approached the Spire side by side, passing smooth white objects on small plinths. Dia had no idea of their purpose, but the air surrounding them was icy cold so she moved closer to Daniel, appreciating his warmth.
Daniel walked ahead and approached the Spire first, touching it the moment he was close enough. Dia followed suit and felt the familiar feeling of heat flowing through her body, but she also felt Daniel’s heat too as if already he had an affinity with the Spire. He looked at her, smiling. Then, without warning, the Fortress, everything in it, everything outside it; the entire world faded into darkness. They were in ‘The Middle’.
“That was step one.” Said Daniel then, still grinning but staring beyond Dia into the black. “We will have to fall for the following steps. I have only an idea of how to tame it... Reach out to it with your mind. Concentrate on its energy not its physical image while keeping hold of its physical and metaphorical presence in your psyche. Allow it to have parts of your consciousness but take the Spire into the space left behind.
“If we succeed we should be able to transport to a location of our choosing. Shall we say your palace?”
Dia looked concerned. Everything she had been taught lead her to believe that if she was to let go of the Spire, she would fall forever into nothingness. The idea terrified her and the fear showed on her beautiful face. Daniel placed his hand on her back. “I know we can do this.” He said calmly. “I’m certain it’s possible.”
“OK.” Came Dia’s answer finally. “We will meet at my palace. If I don’t succeed, will you care for Kant?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
Daniel fell away from her and in less than a couple of seconds he had been engulfed by the blackness. Dia had to fight her urges to keep hold of the Spire but, after a short mental battle, she overcame them and she too plummeted into the dark.
It took what felt like several minutes before she felt as accustomed as she could be to the feeling of free fall at terminal velocity. So she reached out to the Spire with her mind. It surprised her to feel its presence almost immediately, but she continued with Daniel’s instructions, allowing it to take parts her consciousness and feeling for the energy of the thing with every fibre of her being. It was a strange sensation but, for the time being, it was an easy trial.
A few minutes of the bizarre mental process and Dia felt the Spire ‘within’ her as Daniel had described and knew she had some control over it. But there was more to gain. She could feel it. She allowed the Spire to take more of her being and had a little more in return but something was different this time. It seemed to take something from Dia without her allowing it. Then it took more. She tried to close off her consciousness to it but even more was taken. She felt herself begin to panic but forced herself not to. The Spire took more still. Summoning all of the mental strength she had, Dia reached out, sought the place within the Spire where it held pieces of her and pulled some back. Her morale lifted with the small victory and she was able to take more and more until her consciousness, her very being felt whole again. Then the link was severed.
Dia became aware she was still falling but knew it did not matter. She now knew that she simply need not fall in this place. How had she not realised that before? Why fall? She placed her hands in front of her, feeling an invisible floor. Her knees found the same solid ground and she stood. It was a little disturbing that the floor was invisible so she made it opaque, as a floor should be. The darkness brightened, the view of infinity was blocked by shimmering, undulating walls and a ceiling of ‘V’ shapes. Finally, familiar warmth filled the air and Dia had arrived in her palace.
She felt instantly different. She knew the Spire was still within her but where the feeling had been a pleasurable one only seconds ago, it had now made way to something much less desirable. Something corrupt. Running her fingers through her hair she contemplated the power she now possessed. She still did not want it. It made her feel somehow tainted but there was no point in regret now; she needed to find Daniel, and Kant too if he was here.
She began calling out for them, but after some time wandering the halls of Haene, she found only a note from Kant describing the Ghan within the palace walls. They had not harmed him but he had fled all the same, using The Room to transport himself to somewhere he could fix his hand. He did not write a location.
What of Daniel? ‘Did he fail...?’ She thought fearfully, but she decided that if she had managed to tame the Spire, Daniel would have.
Dia was waiting in the great entrance hall of her palace when Daniel shimmered into existence ahead of her. There was a terrible look of panic on his face which Dia had never before seen. He was very pale and wild-eyed, his mouth slowly opening and closing as if gasping for air. Dia stepped towards him but he held up a shaking hand. She stopped and Daniel spoke in a rasping voice, “Kae... To... Earth...” He choked, made a gargling sound then vanished.
Dia stared, horror-struck at the space for some time before shaking herself into action. She dazedly replenished her supplies, taking a new gun from the cabinet and quickly stuffing some food into a bag which she threw over her shoulder. Finally, she drank from one of her fountains but allowed herself no rest; she was now a match for Lord Kae and wanted nothing more than to see his existence ended.
Closing her eyes, Dia focused hard on individual details of her house. It was much more difficult to alter her surroundings than it had been while in ‘The Middle’. Dia presumed this was due to the distance between her and the Spire. Eventually, concentrating on the Spire’s power flowing through her, she created her front door. Soon after, the brickwork appeared. Then, her windows and unkempt front garden. She had the gist of it now and the rest of her house, her street and the blue sky faded into existence.
Dia stood at the end of her garden path, staring at her house with strange feelings. She had not thought of her husband or his health. She had forgotten him. He had no longer existed to her, but the harsh reality of the situation forced her to confront her memories.
Saddened by her guilt, she took a deep breath and walked up the path, deciding the most familiar place on Earth to her was as good a place as any to begin her search for Daniel and Kae.
There was a small, coded key-safe around one side of the house from which Dia extracted a key and unlocked the back door. The moment the key had clicked into position she heard movement inside. Her husband? She could not be sure so she proceeded with caution, drawing Silvaera.
The door swung wide, giving Dia a view of her utility room. There was nobody within it. She moved her way into the kitchen where the phone still hung off the hook. She felt a fondness towards her husband as she passed the cupboards’ post-it notes but remained alert and continued into the hall and up the staircase.
The familiar smell of congealed blood and rotting flesh met her nostrils. She began to fear the worst as she entered her bedroom but the scene which came into view was even more terrible than her thoughts had imagined.
Her husband’s body lay in two halves on the bed. The remains of his face were twisted into a look of fear. The white sheets were heavily stained with his blood and his entrails spilled from his midriff. Judging by the stench, he had been left like this some ti
me ago.
Dia regarded the view with horror, but did not allow herself to mourn his death yet. This was a time for action. Kae would die for this.
A flash of black caught the edge of her vision and she turned to the window in time to catch a bird vanish beyond the edge of the frame. Then she could feel something. Something like the Spire but different somehow. It was a human presence with the Spire within them. ‘Kae or Daniel...’ She thought and before any suspense could build, a shimmering occurred in the air beside the window. Colours swirled in the space there and, slowly, Lord Kae materialised before her. He was smiling.
“Daniel is dead.” He said sharply but Dia knew that Daniel was living; she could feel his connection with the Spire, weak though it was.
“Daniel is not dead.” She replied without feeling. “And that was a poor effort for distraction. You know I have the same strength you do. You know I can feel Daniel’s life.” Dia looked at her husband’s mangled remains and turned back to Kae with a fire burning in the pit of her stomach. He would pay for his sick games. She would make him.
She shot at him, Silvaera at her side, the blade’s shine, contrasting the bleakness of the scene. Kae would not predict her moves easily. Her mind was focused on the tip of her sword; knowing she would not be able to take Kae down with just a single strike, she prepared herself for quicker movements, to slowly wear him down.
They met. Dia’s sword was pushed to the side by Kae’s bare hand. This was expected. Dia followed the movement of his body, twisting Silvaera to face backwards and forced it rapidly towards Kae’s hip, changing direction slightly before the sword tip touched his flesh. Kae’s attempted parry failed and the one inch deep cut caused him to falter very slightly, giving Dia a split second to react. She missed her chance and her next attack was cut down. Then, before she had time to adjust her position, a force hit her square in the face. She felt her nose break, her back hit the window, then she was falling to the garden below.
Winded on the grass, Dia lay, unable to move, watching as Kae dropped down from the upstairs window. She managed to raise her sword arm, Silvaera in hand and focused her waning concentration on blocking any following advances. Kae’s boot came down on her knee, shattering it. She cried out with the pain, but used the shock to boost her awareness, allowing her to shift sideways and avoid damage to her other knee cap as Kae brought his foot down again. Dia grabbed at the gun in her skirt loop but Kae kicked at her hand, sending the gun spinning across the garden. She used Kae’s swinging leg to unbalance him and just managed to jab her sword between his ribs as he fell. Disregarding her shattered knee, Dia grabbed him and thought of ‘The Middle’. She concentrated hard on bringing ‘The Middle’ to them, surrounding them both in the infinite darkness.
Her mind emptied of the pain in her broken nose and knee. She needed to concentrate hard. What she was about to do would be difficult, if it was possible.
She pictured a room. A room which needed only one feature: To block out Ssus’ Ubilis machines. She knew of an element which could stop the passage of all known information, so constructed the place with such. The she felt Kae attempting to probe her mind by use of the Spire but she put up defences and kept him out. He must not figure out what she was doing. Then the Lord slashed Dia’s side before she could react and she began to fall, but managed to control herself then turn standing on her uninjured leg and face Kae. She advanced, not attempting to wound him but to drive him into her creation. Their swords met again and again, Dia with the advantage as Kae weakened under his chest wound and soon she had cut into his arm and thigh while sustaining no further injuries herself. She made one final push, slashing Kae’s calf with the help of a feinting manoeuvre then, kicking him hard in the stomach she forced him backwards into the room. She followed him in.
The instant Dia stepped into the place, a fear of dying rose inside her and she knew her plan would work. The Ubilis machines would not detect a death in here and therefore the body could not be regenerated. She needed to act quickly.
Although Kae was already greatly weakened, Dia put all her efforts into her next thrust, sending Kae’s sword to one side as her own slid to his throat. Silvaera found its aim. The Lord choked and gargled on his own blood but remained standing. Dia withdrew her blade. Kae still stood, looking back at her. Something of understanding flashed in his eyes. He smiled a bloody smile then a sound like a laugh bubbled through his throat. Dia kicked his knee and he fell.
Lord Kae was dead.