"Thank you," I replied. "That's probably best."
Chapter 24
I expected trouble on the way to the entrance to Kurg's mountain fortress, but there wasn't any. I realized the remoteness of the place, and the difficult mountainous path must've kept most away. And of course Kurg's reputation as a powerful evil overlord asshole, I thought.
That had to keep all but the most foolish from coming anywhere near here.
I shook my head, when I had to admit I was the fool I was describing.
"You know the three of you don't have to go in there with me," I said, as we walked closer to the entrance which was now visible. It was two ridiculously oversized black doors, seemingly hinged directly to the rock of the mountain.
I hope those doors don't actually have to be that big. If so, I'm screwed more than I thought.
"Of course, we're going with you," Alara said. "You don't think we'd come this far to abandon you, do you?"
"No," I said. "But I had to put it out there. I don't want anything to happen to any of you."
Nithia stepped closer to me. "I'm sorry I didn't agree with you before about how important this is. I was wrong. I just want you to know that I know that now."
"Thank you, Nithia." I wanted to give her a hug, but we were walking still.
"Anyone else think the fact that we're able to walk to the front door is a problem?" Tara said.
All of us stopped walking.
Alara turned to the three of us. "She has a point. It could be a trap, though I don't know how they would know we're coming."
I had already thought what Tara said aloud. "How did Victoria know where to find me in Rastersia? Or even that I was there?"
"There are dark forces at work," Nithia said. "But I don't think any of us should be surprised at that."
"So, it's settled then" I said. "We continue on like idiots and hope we're wrong about it being a trap."
"I'm not sure we have another choice," Alara said.
We looked at each other, and all of us nodded.
Tara started walking again, then paused and looked back at the rest of us. "Okay, then. Let's get on with it. Our man Den has a Dark Lord to kill."
Nithia chuckled which, despite the circumstances, was music to my ears.
"Right." I started walking, glancing to Nithia and Alara, who moved to catch up with Tara too.
Before too long we reach the giant, surely-not-the-size-actually-needed doors.
Nithia surprised me by being the first of us to walk closer to them. She reached up and took hold of one of the two large metal rings. "These are the biggest knockers I've ever seen."
I snorted and quickly put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. All three of my women turned around and stared at me. I wiped my hand over my mouth and faked a cough, hoping they chocked my outburst up to something troubling my throat.
Nithia and Tara turned around to face the doors again, but Alara kept looking at me, then she shook her head a little and rolled her eyes at me once more.
She got the joke, at least.
All of us were startled when one of the doors began to open. It must've been heavy, I thought, seeing how slowly it moved. Thankfully that gave all four of us time to get behind it as, so that when it opened more we were initially concealed from the view of whoever was coming out.
I drew my sword, as did Nithia. Alara readied her staff, and Tara nocked an arrow on the string of her bow and drew it back.
A second later, a man in a dark green robe walked out with his hands in the air. "Please don't," he said.
I put my arm out to signal the others not to attack him, at least not yet. Tara eased her arrow. Alara and Nithia remained poised to strike, but waited.
I noticed the man's ashen skin and his long pointed fingernails as he slowly turned toward us. "I've been sent retrieve you," he said.
"Retrieve us?" Nithia lowered her sword.
"Shit." I lowered mine too, but kept a close eye on the man. "That's not good."
"Who sent you to do this?" Alara asked, though I was sure we all knew the answer.
I figured she probably was hoping she was wrong, just like I was.
The man bent his knees slightly and bowed his head as he said, "The Dark Lord has summoned you."
"Oh, hell no." I shook my head, then took a step to peer through the open door. The hall beyond it was vast and dark. As far as I could tell it was empty.
"Den," Tara said. "I don't like this. This is..."
Completely horrible.
I decided to try to play it cool, at least until we could figure out what was happening.
I stepped around so I could look the man in the eyes. I did my best to ignore how unsettling their yellow color made me feel. "What's this all about?" I lifted my sword blade a little to let him know I wasn't inclined to be patient with him.
He kept his head low, but looked up at me with his eyes and grinned. "The Dark Lord knows who you are, Guardian, but you can not stop him. It is too late for that."
Knows who I am?
"Den," Nithia said.
I glanced at her and saw how troubled she looked, but she didn't say anything else.
"What do you mean it's too late?" I moved my sword blade a little.
The robed man slowly lifted his hand and pointed toward the sky. "You can't stop their sacrifice."
I followed the line from his boney ashen finger to see what he was indicating. It was the moon.
"It's full," Alara said.
I shook my head, angry at the thought of all the women Kurg had inside, and at what he might be doing to them. "You're saying he's performed the ritual?"
I raised my sword overhead, feeling the urge to cut the man down where he stood.
He held his arms out to guard himself in vain. "Wait! Don't."
Alara stepped up to the man and slapped his face. "Is it finished? Has he finished the ritual?"
Shaken from her blow, the man cowered and said, "No, but..."
Alara turned to me. "Den, we still have time. The ritual isn't finished. We have to stop him. If we don't, it's all over...for all of Galderia."
I glanced at the robed man and saw that he was nodded and grinning to himself. I shoved him to the ground and put the tip of my sword to his neck. "Where? Tell me where he is?"
Without looking up at me, the man reach an arm back toward the door and pointed. "The throne room, at the back of the entrance hall."
I rushed into the open doorway and paused, looking back at Alara, Nithia, and Tara. "Let's go."
Alara was already running toward me. I stepped aside to let her through. Nithia and Tara ran through behind her, then I hurried to get out in front of them, as we ran down the cavernous hall to the echoes of our footfalls.
The hall was empty, aside from statuary, which I only saw at a glance. Far ahead, the hall terminated at a row of thick towering columns. Between the center two, I could see Kurg standing before his throne, facing us. As we got closer, I saw his attention was down in front of him.
All of us had our weapons ready, except Tara, who ran without an arrow in her bow. The closer we got the more alarmed I became at how easy it was for us to approach him. Not a single guard or green-robed goon tried to stop us.
It was only as we came to the row of massive columns which separated the two rooms that we slowed. And when I saw the scene in the throne room I stopped completely, standing in full view of Kurg and the dozens of robed minions gather around him. But the rest of what I saw shook me to my core.
Kurg was kneeling now, and he had seen me. I caught his eyes darted up for a moment. But he returned his focus to the ritual. The robed figures stood around in a semi-circle facing the mass of naked bodies huddled together in front of Kurg. They appeared entrance, and were barely moving. Two of them I immediately recognized.
Sydney. Monica.
"Den!" Alara called out to me.
I turned and saw she had taken cover behind one of the stone columns. Nithia was next to her. I quickly looked to
my other side, finding Tara. She stood behind the other pillar framing the opening between the two rooms, where I stood in full view of the Dark Lord.
"What the hell are you doing?" Alara said.
I knew she meant that I should get behind something, but the Dark Lord knew I was there, and he didn't seem to care. I was confused. The ritual was going on directly in front of me, and the women I thought I'd long ago returned to the relative safety of Earth were massed together with so many others. I assumed many of them were also from Earth. I thought I recognized a few more of them, but my mind was struggling to deal with the situation.
Finally, finally my confusion dissipated, revealing the rage which had been building inside me. I raised my sword and charged into the room, intending to run around the circle of women and drive my sword into Kurg's heart.
"Den! No!" Alara yelled.
A split second later I learned why Kurg hadn't been concerned with my presence. The tip of my sword hit something and deflected back past me. I hit the invisible barrier right after that and the impact almost knocked me unconscious. I fell back, hitting my head again, this time on the stone floor.
"It's Ms. Thompson!" Alara yelled to me.
Still on my back, and in more pain than I could find words to describe, I turned my head and saw the professor sorceress.
She's returned?
Nithia and Tara ran to my side and helped me up. With them steadying me, I picked up my sword and the three of us joined Alara.
It was only then that I realized we couldn't hear what was happening in the throne room. With the help of Ms. Thompson, Kurg knew there would be nothing I could do to stop him, I realized.
But he wanted to me watch.
"Why would he invite us in here to witness this?" Tara asked.
"Evil," Nithia said. "Evil needs to reveal itself. There's power in it for them when they do."
I had no idea if that was true or not, but I had no doubt Kurg was an evil son of a bitch.
"What can we do?" Tara asked. "All those women will be sacrificed so he can be more powerful."
"If he finishes the ritual," Alara said, "we'll all become his sacrifice. There won't be any stopping him then."
"I can," Nithia said. "Maybe." We turned to her and saw that she was removing her clothes.
"What are you doing?" I reached to stop her.
"No," she said. "Don't. This might work."
"What might work?" Alara said. "This is crazy."
Nithia shook head. "I'm going to join them."
"You're going to what?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but before any of us said anything else, Nithia hurried forward to stand before the invisible barrier, holding her arms up over her head. She stood naked for Kurg all the rest to see, making it clear she meant to join the other women in the mass of entangled naked bodies set for Kurg to sacrifice.
Without looking back, Nithia said, "Get ready, all of you. You'll only have a second to get through."
"The barrier's going to open for her," I said.
"No," Alara said. "Why would they?"
"Not they. She." I nodded toward Ms. Thompson who was standing at the side of the room, her hands out in front of her. Her mouth was moving. It was clear she was casting the spell continuously to keep the barrier in place.
"Get ready," I said. "Ms. Thompson has a thing for woman, remember. If Nithia can't get her attention, I don't know who could."
"Hey." Alara gave my shoulder a firm nudge.
Tara kicked my shin. "Yeah, hey."
Despite being battered by both of them, I kept my eyes on Ms. Thompson, as soon as I saw her mouth stop moving and her arms dip, I said, "Now!"
The three of ran past Nithia. It had worked. The barrier was down. We'd made it inside the room.
Most of the robed minions were caught off guard. Alara went straight for Ms. Thompson, which was good. One of us needed to take her out fast, or at least keep her occupied. I went for Kurg, hoping to get my sword in him while he was still kneeling. I made a point of averting my eyes from the pile of naked women I rounded. After all, I was human, and concentration, even when faced with the Dark Lord, had its limits. Tara stood just in front of Nithia and began nocking and shooting arrows into the hooded guys, most of whom were scrambling to flee the room.
I lunged toward the Kurg, my sword out in front to take him down, but he lashed out with his arm and knocked the weapon from my hand. It flew too far away for me to retrieve from where I stood. Kurg stood, showing why the doors to his stronghold had been made so large.
"Shit." I threw a punch into his groin, which was at my chest level, but he wore an armored codpiece, something I wished I'd known before hitting him. I felt at least two breaks in my hand, but I swung at him again, aiming for his ribs. My hand hit steel again.
Kurg raised his massive leg and kicked me in the chest knocking me through the air. I flew over the pile of naked women and landed behind them, then continued to slide on the stone floor until I came to a stop beyond the columns that divided the two rooms.
Still on my ass I saw Kurg turn toward Ms. Thompson and yell, "Finish the ritual!""
I hoped Alara was making that impossible, but then I spotted her on the floor. One of the hooded men stepped over her. Seeing her down, I worried the same had happened to Tara and Nithia. I scanned the room for them as I got to my feet. Tara was still standing, but she had her bow in front of her and a hooded thug had his hands on it too. They were wrestling for control. I couldn't see Nithia, but I hoped at worst she'd been knocked into the pile of naked women, and so was blending in at the moment.
I winced as I stood and felt what had to be multiple broken ribs from Kurg's boot in my chest, but still I made my way back to the throne room.
Before I crossed the threshold, I saw a blazing light shoot down upon the mass of naked women. A second later, the light vanished and a thick cloud of purple smoke formed over the women. I could just see Kurg on the other side of it. He had his arms out in front of him. "Yes!" I heard him say. "Channel their power into me!"
I knew who was responsible for the light and smoke, not that it wasn't obvious. But I remembered purple was Ms. Thompson's signature color. She must be casting to complete the ritual, I thought.
I have to get to her.
I moved, but into the room, but several of the hooded minions were blocking my path to her. I glanced down to where I had seen Alara. I needed to know she was okay, but she wasn't on the floor. I quickly looked around the room as I fought off the a few overconfident minions, then I saw her.
Alara had her staff, and she made her way back to Ms. Thompson. A split second later, I watched her swing her staff into the side of Ms. Thompson's face, screwing up the magic she was doing.
Seeing Ms. Thompson go down, I looked to the cloud of smoke. I saw the women below it had collapsed. It seemed like the smoke had drained them. But the cloud, which had started to drift closer to Kurg, suddenly rushed around the room erratically. I glanced again at Ms. Thompson. She was flat out on her back and her eyes were closed, but her hands were twitching.
I spotted Nithia, she'd pulled herself away from the naked women in the center of the ritual circle. Seeing she was safe for the moment, I went for my sword.
But I never made it to it. As I hurried toward it, the purple cloud of smoke rose up into the air beside me. A moment later, it rushed down toward the pile of women, hitting one of them and flowing into her. A shockwave blew out from that point, sending all the naked women and myself flying across the room. I hit two of the hooded minions as I flew through the air. Then I spun, hitting my leg on one of the pillars as I was tossed once again out of the throne room.
I landed a little better this time, or maybe I was just used to pain throughout my body. Regardless, I managed to sit up. I saw Kurg too had been knock back by the shockwave. He was on the ground behind his throne.
"Oh," a woman on the floor beside me said.
I turned to look at her. It wasn't Alara, Nithia, Tara, o
r Sydney or Monica. I helped her sit up.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
She shook her head for a second. "Yeah. I'm not sure how, but...I feel like a million bucks."
I knew then that she was one of the women from Earth. "What's your name?"
She looked at me and smiled. "Destiny." Then she winked at me. "What's yours?"
"Den," I said, standing and helping her up at the same time. "Nice to meet you, but I need to get back in there and help my friends."
I left her and ran toward the room. Just before I passed the pillars, Nithia yelled out, "Den, stop!"
I turned toward her voice, but kept running...then I hit the invisible barrier again, and it knocked me on my ass...again. I rolled to my side and looked to where Ms. Thompson had been. She was on her feet now, keeping the magical barrier in place.
I scanned the room for Alara, Nithia, and Tara. They been subdued, each being held by two of Kurg's thugs.
"Den!" Alara yelled.
I realized I could hear her despite the barrier. I figured Ms. Thompson hadn't bothered to block the sound. That must take more effort, I thought.
"Den," Alara said again. "Everything is in Destiny!"
What?
"What?" I yelled back to her.
"All the power Kurg wanted. It's in Destiny! You can use it to defeat him! But you have to hurry! You must get yourself inside her!"
No. Seriously? And she's wants me to...
I turned around and looked at Destiny, who apparently had heard what Alara said. Destiny was walking toward me with a big smile on her face.
Nithia called out from behind me, "Do it, Den! It's the only way!"
"Only if you save some for me later!" Tara yelled.
I glanced back to the room. Kurg was still down, but he was moving a little, and I could see the magical barrier now. It seemed to be fluxing weaker and stronger. I realized it might go down soon. Ms. Thompson must not understand how the power transfer works with me, I thought.
Or maybe she too dazed from Alara hitting her in the head with the staff.
Destiny reached me and stood unabashedly naked in front of me. She glanced over my shoulder and nodded, then looked at me again. "Well, Den. What do you say?"
Deep Into Destiny Page 19