by Lori Hyrup
“Aria, no, stop. Please!” Kharra said as she stood up on wobbly legs. Using her mind, she continued, Aria, this is not you. I know you are stronger than this. Fight it, please!
I’m trying! When there was no response, she tried again, focusing her mind the way Kharra had instructed her weeks before. Kharra, can you hear me?
Aria? Is that you?
Yes!
You sound…distant. Aria, stand down.
I can’t! Lukav…he’s done something. I-I felt him. I’m not in control of my body.
Kharra ducked as Aria drew closer and raised her swords to strike. Before the blades fell, however, Kharra felt herself being lifted from the ground.
“No, wait!” shouted Kharra.
Ignoring her shouts, Zephyron held on to her tightly and leaped over the edge of the platform’s railing. It was a long way down, and Kharra choked down a shriek as they hurtled through the air. Landing with a grunt, the Guardian continued to hold on to her as he sprinted for the exit in the eastern wall.
“Zephyron, stop! We need to go back for Aria!”
The thud of a heavy crystalline form resounded just a short way behind them. “No, we don’t. She’s trying to kill us.”
Glancing around Zephyron’s bobbing shoulder, Kharra caught sight of Aria running in pursuit, closing the distance between them. She was much faster than anything they had previously encountered. Kharra attempted to pull her collar off, but pain seared her fingers as she touched it.
Fight it, Aria! shouted Kharra to the mind of the kruusta, but no response came. Between the collar on her neck and whatever battle Aria was fighting in her own mind, Kharra had no idea if Aria heard her at all.
“But she’s still in there! She’s just not in control.”
A number of blue-robed priests ran toward the ledges above the exit, and several shard beasts in the area began to animate. Kharra caught a glimpse of Lukav’s blue-and-white robe mixed in with them. He wanted to make sure his investment was not ruined. Zephyron lowered his head and plowed through the shard beasts in his way. Many of them in this area were of the weaker variety, and the Guardian easily knocked them aside. As Zephyron neared the edge of the cavern, a layer of crystal began to form over the exit. Zephyron roared in defiance as the opening vanished. Zephyron set Kharra down where their escape had been just moments before and turned to face his attackers.
The other shard beasts held back, forming an impassable perimeter as Aria crashed into Zephyron at full force, throwing him heavily against the wall. She flipped backward off him and brought both swords up in front of her. Zephyron summoned his energy blade just in time to block the double slash from Aria’s weapons.
“Aria,” he said, “get a hold of yourself. I’m not your enemy.” Her blades flurried toward his face. It was all he could do to fend them off. “Aria, I don’t want to hurt you. Stop this! You’re strong.”
“She can’t hear you,” Lukav called out from above, his facial features twisted with a malicious smile that more than hinted at the madness dwelling within. “There is nothing that can match her power, and I now have control of that power.”
Please, Aria, try to stop! Kharra shouted toward Aria’s mind. There was no response. I know you’re in there. If you can hear me, keep fighting against Luvav. Force him out of your mind!
It…hurts, finally came a response. Can’t…think.
“Fight this, Aria!” shouted Zephyron. The kruusta’s expression never changed as she continued her assault; her eyes showed no signs of life. A glimmer from tears dotted Zephyron’s cheeks. Kharra had only seen him cry once before, and Kharra sensed Zephyron’s resolve. Though he closed his eyes, he continued fending off Aria’s blindingly fast strikes. When his eyes reopened, they blazed with the Guardian’s fire, the essence of his soul, and his blade flared even brighter in response.
“Don’t hurt her!” shouted Kharra.
“Kharra,” said Zephyron calmly, “my highest priority is to protect you.”
At that moment Zephyron began to fight back. Though Aria was extremely fast and amazingly strong from the power the crystal provided her, Zephyron was a Guardian. Blow after blow, Zephyron drove Aria back. Kharra felt the vortex of energy swirling about him before the tempest actually began to form. The wind picked up, circling around his body but never touching him. Clouds formed over his head, small at first and then filling out more as moments passed. They twisted and rotated, crackling with energy. Blue lightning snapped along their edges. The hair on Kharra’s arms stood on end as the entire area filled with Zephyron’s charge.
Lukav stared up at the clouds, not sure what to make of them. Lightning began striking the ground and the walls. Occasionally it struck at the shard beasts, leaving behind only blackened char. “Aria, quit holding back. Destroy both of them.”
Kharra barely saw Aria’s blade move, but Zephyron deflected each blow coming from either blade. Lukav yelled orders at the priests around him. The shard beasts closed in on Zephyron once again, but the lightning around him zapped many of those that came near him. A few lunged at him, but he sliced at or dodged them. Several more shard beasts activated, including some of the more powerful ones that had been dormant until now. He was forced to divide his attention between the shard beasts and Aria’s continued attack.
Zephyron’s fight had taken him farther north, separating him from Kharra. Aria backed off from him suddenly and made a rush toward Kharra. Having no options for cover and no weapon to defend herself, Kharra attempted to run along the cavern’s perimeter. It was no good. Aria intercepted Kharra before she took four steps. Kharra closed her eyes as she anticipated the blow, but it never came. When she opened her eyes, Zephyron stood before her with Aria’s krusword protruding from his torso. With those impassive emerald eyes, Aria pulled the blade free and watched Zephyron fall forward onto his knees. Blood ran down the length of her sword as she continued to watch.
Noooo! Zephyron! No, no, no, this can’t be happening. Kharra! Help him! Whether Kharra heard her, Aria could not tell.
Kharra screamed at the top of her lungs and rushed to Zephyron’s side. A red pool gathered beneath him. He held up a bloody hand to Kharra’s face and then toppled forward onto her. She caught him and laid him on the floor. She screamed at him to remain conscious and cried for not having Jayde’s ability to heal. Her heart raced. Her throat stiffened. Her stomach roiled, and her body shook. She closed her eyes and held Zephyron’s head close to her chest.
“That will do just as well, I suppose,” called Lukav from the ledge above.
Wrapped up in her anguish, Kharra did not hear what else he said, and she paid no heed to the shard beasts closing in on her. Kharra continued to shake as she held Zephyron in her arms. From deep within her, the agony over her loss forced her to cross a line she had set long ago. In the distance, someone shrieked.
Aria tried to scream, but her mouth still failed to obey. Zephyron could have easily destroyed her. She knew he had held back. The scene replayed itself over and over in her head. He had taken the strike meant for Kharra, sacrificing himself for the young woman he had sworn to protect. All for what? Aria still had no control of her limbs, and in seconds Kharra would be dead as well. His sacrifice would be for nothing.
Aria’s arms and legs moved with her skill but not by her command. A prisoner within her own body, she was forced to watch her hand bring down her sword upon Kharra’s head. She tried to turn away, but she could not. Just before the sword cleaved Kharra’s skull, the collar around the other woman’s neck fell free. Kharra’s hand came up and caught the blade, stopping it without as much as a cut. Aria would have gasped if she could.
Kharra lifted her head and met Aria’s eyes. Within them a wild fury raged unlike anything Aria had ever seen. Suddenly an unseen force struck Aria, throwing her off her feet and flinging her a dozen paces away. Hundreds of shard beasts around her exploded into thousands of tiny shards and colorful spray. The priests up on the ledges screamed as the bracelets on their wri
sts turned bright white and shattered. Lukav fell to his knees and clasped his hands to his head.
Lukav pulled himself up and growled, “Aria, destroy that filth!”
Aria put everything she had into resisting his command, but pain seared through her mind as the crystal tendrils he controlled dug deeper into her consciousness. With each minute he gained more and more control. Pretty soon, even her inner thoughts would be his. Aria felt her hands push herself up from the ground. Before she regained her footing, Kharra came into view.
Run, Kharra! Please, I can’t bear to lose you too! she screamed with her mind.
Before she realized what was happening, Kharra had placed both of her hands on either side of Aria’s face. Aria stared up at Kharra, wanting to appear pleading but knowing she could not. Tears streamed down Kharra’s face, making the wild-eyed look even more menacing.
Do it, she thought at Kharra with all of her remaining will, praying to the spirits that she would be heard. She knew that if Kharra hit her point-blank with the blast she had felt earlier, it would rip her apart. She would gladly pay that price for what she had done to Zephyron and to save Kharra’s life. Aria looked deep into Kharra’s eyes, and in them she saw the woman’s emotional struggle. Sanity and reason hung on a tenuous thread, threatening to snap and tumble over a bottomless abyss.
No, Kharra responded at last.
In that instant the mighty dam in Aria’s mind broke loose, and an overwhelming deluge of emotions assaulted her. She faltered and teetered back, but Kharra held her in place. Aria tried to pull away, but the petite woman somehow prevented her from moving. The colors returned. They had disappeared at some point during the fighting, but now they were back. Around Kharra, she saw a brilliant white radiance, pulsing slowly, steadily. Nearly blinding, it was the most beautiful thing Aria had ever seen. She thought to shield her eyes, the light was so bright, but she forced herself to keep looking. Tears cascaded down her own cheeks.
Her eyes grew wide as she glanced at her hands. The crystal encasing her body was receding. Her swords reabsorbed into the single crystal shard that remained in her hand. Aria looked back at Kharra. The light that had enveloped her dulled, but it still pulsed. The woman appeared haggard, and she staggered forward. Aria caught her and said, “I got you. I’m so sorry.”
Kharra smiled weakly. “You are free.”
“Aria!” Lukav shouted from above.
Aria looked up at the disheveled oracle. “Your plan failed,” she said as she held Kharra steady on her feet.
“H-how…” he stammered. “No matter, I’m done playing games here.” As soon as the words left his mouth, the entire cavern filled with a series of high-pitched tones. People from the overlooks high above the cavern floor poured out from their protective areas. Priests, all of them, had been watching the entertainment. Glowing bracelets now lit up on each of their wrists. Aria sensed the rumbling of awakening from every other shard beast within the cavern.
A momentary panic washed over Aria. “We need to escape. I promised Zephyron we would get you out of here.”
Kharra glanced at Zephyron’s lifeless body and nodded sadly.
“Do you know another way out?” Aria asked.
“We don’t need another way,” Kharra responded. She gestured to the wall and it exploded, revealing the passage that had been blocked.
The shard beasts, including all of the remaining krumetuses and several of the other much larger types, thundered toward them. Aria pushed Kharra along into the tunnel and the two of them ran. Their pursuers closed in on them rapidly. Aria felt slow and weak now without the crystal’s influence. She feared to even call forth her sword.
“Don’t fear the crystals,” Kharra said in between breaths. She must have picked up on Aria’s thoughts. “They weren’t the enemy.” The young woman looked drained and likely would not be able to run much farther.
“I may lose control again.”
“You won’t. I found and removed the taint and what Lukav used to control you. The problem was never the crystal itself.”
Aria watched Kharra out of the corner of her eye as they ran, considering her words. Do not fear the crystals. Zephyron had said something similar. A pang of guilt washed over her, but she pushed it aside. With a deep breath, Aria searched within herself for the power of her crystal. Her crystal sang to her heart immediately. If it had arms, Aria would say it embraced her with childlike fervor. Beneath her crystal’s song was the song of the shard within the complex. The problem had never been the crystal. Aria opened herself up to the shard, allowing its sweet warmth to flow into her.
Though Aria’s speed increased tenfold, Kharra’s did not. Aria called forth her sword and turned to fight. Not only did the krusword manifest, but both her crystalline armor and the second sword reemerged. In seconds she was encased once again. Aria struggled with momentary panic.
You’re okay, said Kharra with both mind seeking and empathy. The mental reassurance filled Aria with confidence.
Forcing down her panic, Aria realized she was in complete control this time. She stared down her pursuers, swords ready. Anything daring to move within range shattered against her blades. Kharra, now free from the collar, attacked with her mind moving, throwing shard beasts into one another.
Pull them back, Kharra projected to her mind as she scooted backward through the next room and into the tunnel beyond.
Aria edged her way back, her whirling blades not allowing any of the creatures within more than an arm’s length. The krumetuses launched a series of deadly spines. What Aria did not deflect, Kharra redirected, in some cases, right back at the creature that had launched it. A couple spines managed to find a hole. One of them struck Aria’s crystalline right arm. She smiled when it bounced off harmlessly.
Aria caught sight of the priests moving in behind the shard beasts, each of their bracelets glowing. Their control over the shard beasts had limits, both in the quantity of beasts and the distance at which they could manipulate them.
Hold here, said Kharra.
Aria spun her two blades about in tight circles, not giving the beasts any room to attack. Crystal fragments piled up at her feet, and shimmering dust filled the air. The ground beneath Aria’s feet rumbled.
Aria glanced at Kharra. The woman’s brow wrinkled in concentration, and her breathing was labored. Her lips parted in a snarl of strain. Her nostrils flared. The entire tunnel shook violently. Aria put a hand against a wall to keep from falling over. Moments later crystalline stalactites and large chunks of rock fell from the ceiling. The priests screamed. Shard beasts hissed and growled. The ones that were not crushed turned on those of other species.
Aria finished off the few that had been at the mouth of the tunnel with her and Kharra. “Let’s get out of here,” she said.
19
AN ANCIENT OATH
It was the early hours of morning, the sun only beginning to light the sky, when Aria and Kharra finally escaped the mountain complex and located Xierex. The zegu stomped, snorted, and bobbed his head at their approach. They were both exhausted, but neither wanted to risk resting so close to such a dangerous place. Rested and ready, Xierex carried them throughout the day and well into the night before they stopped. Kharra said not a single word.
Aria recognized the terrain and directed Xierex toward a small cove tucked away in a mountainside; it was a site she had used in the past. Rocks and boulders surrounded the area, providing concealment and protection from the elements and predators alike. The moons hung high in the sky, bathing the world in silvery light.
Aria started a fire and set up their bedrolls. Shadows began to dance against the rocks surrounding them. Still, Kharra said nothing. She just sat on her bedroll and stared at the bobbing flames, her expression unreadable.
Unable to stand the silence any longer, Aria approached the younger woman and began, “Kharra…” Her words faltered. She had never been skilled at expressing emotion verbally. “I-I am so sorry. Zephyron was a good friend…
”
At last, Kharra whispered, “‘Good friend’ does not even begin to describe what he meant not just to me but to the world. He has sacrificed and fought for over a century so people like you and me could live free.”
Aria swallowed, struggling to maintain her composure. “He loved you more than life itself,” she found herself saying.
Kharra glanced at her through watery eyes. The white around her began to wane, slowly being replaced by slashes of red. “I warned both of you to stay away, that it was a trap for you.” Her voice was controlled, but the red Aria saw told of Kharra’s anger. “You disregarded my warning, and now he is dead. And for what? We had a single but vitally important mission to fulfill. Not only did we not achieve our mission, but we got pulled into some local, petty political struggle for power.”
Aria looked down at her hands. “You should have killed me back in the cavern.”
Kharra closed her eyes, sighed, and shook her head. “That would have done nothing but cause more grief.” She opened her eyes. They were so full of anguish Aria’s heart immediately began to ache.
“Kharra, I can’t bring him back, but I owe you a debt for bringing me back.”
Kharra pulled her knees to her chest and began to cry. Aria moved to sit beside her. Inexperienced though she was with regard to emotional support, she did what only seemed natural. She wrapped Kharra in her arms and rocked her gently.
Then a thought occurred to Aria. “Let me in,” she whispered.
At first there was no acknowledgment of the request. Maybe Kharra had not heard her or maybe she did not understand. Just before she asked again, a rush of emotions washed over her: anger, grief, sorrow, loss, despair, words left unsaid, potentials unreached, moments unshared, and a void unfilled.
Unsure if it would work, Aria reciprocated the sharing of emotions. She wanted Kharra to know the truth of her undying gratitude for the friendship she had gained from her and Zephyron. She wanted Kharra to know the depth of her sorrow for his loss. She wanted Kharra to know the seriousness of the debt she owed for having her life restored. She wanted Kharra to know how sorry she was to have been the cause of the entire situation. The red swirling about Kharra disappeared, and the white once again became the only color evident.