by Mark Cole
He roared as he swung The Wrathblade at the Battlesuit from twenty feet away. He fed his anger, his hate, his rage into the swing. A beam of flame, sharp enough to make a scalpel look dull by comparison, leapt from the tip of The Wrathblade.
The Fyrian pilot was sliced in half, scalp to groin, milliseconds before the Battlesuit exploded in a tremendous gout of flame. The Guardian didn’t notice the heat from the flames. He stood there, the burning rubble suiting his mood.
He felt Terra approaching from behind. He felt her tentative hope tinged through with fear wrapped in her love for him. The Guardian released The Wrathblade. The waves of rage subsided, his armor cooled to its silver color, and the blade reverted to its wooden form.
Alex turned to face her. “I thought I said to help hold the lines,” he said with a tender smile.
Love bloomed through the link. He almost lost himself in the perfect bliss of their devotion to each another. “It’s over,” she said as she crossed the cracked plateau. “They began to retreat as soon as you destroyed the machina.”
He stared deep into her eyes. Her hair still glowed with the light of her wings. “Good,” he said. With the danger past, the power from the link fled his body. He dropped to one knee, feeling every ache and pain acutely. “I’m exhausted.”
“I can tell.” She laughed as she helped him stand and walk.
Caitlyn met them at the ramp and put his other arm over her shoulders and together the three left the ruined plateau top behind.
Chapter Thirteen - Adorac Falls
Alex groaned. The bed in Brahm’s guest room wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was far too short for humans. He had not realized the battle had dragged lat in to the night and was exhausted from using The Wrathblade twice to close together. He groaned again as he rolled onto his side. The wooden sword dug into his side, and Alex realized he had fallen asleep with the weapon.
Maegan? Alex thought, remembering the previous Guardian’s name. Are you there?
Is it true what Terra said? That the blade will make me go insane?
So there’s no way to stop it?
A glimmer of hope flickered in Alex’s mind. How can it be stopped, Maegan?
Long seconds passed before Maegan whispered into his mind again.
Oh. For me to live, what’s left of you must die.
After Azreal is dead, and the Nine Realms are safe, will you consider doing it?
I understand… Alex heard the door swing open and someone step into the room.
“King Harbronn has requested our presence in three days,” Terra said. “He said that we are to spend time resting and enjoying the pleasure of his realm.”
His stomach rumbled its displeasure at him not getting up and eating.
“Come on, Alex. It’s past mid-day, you’ve slept for nearly twelve hours,” Terra said. “You need to at least get up and get something to eat. Moving around will help you wake up.”
He groaned again and rolled to face her. “I’m not hungry.” His stomach immediately put the lie to those words with another rumble. She stared at him until he sat up and slid off the opposite side of the bed. “Don’t look at me in that tone of voice,” he muttered.
Terra laughed and walked around the bed. She kissed him on the lips and danced away when he tried to wrap his arms around her. “I’ll see you in the sitting room,” she said, smiling. “Don’t take too long.”
Alex smiled as she shut the door. He could feel her love and happiness for him, as well as the slight scratches she had gotten diving away from the Battlesuit. Her ribs still ached, but they were getting better. His eyes followed her through the wall as she walked to the table and sat down to wait.
He walked around the small room and put on a white shirt and loose black pants. Alex brushed his teeth at the washbasin in the room and donned the baldric holding the Guardian’s Blade. He grabbed the hilt and stood there for a moment, waiting to see if anything would happen.
Alex shrugged and walked into the sitting room. Terra and Caitlyn, in her human form, both rose. “Good to see you aren’t dead, Alex,” Caitlyn said. “I was starting to think after surviving the undead and Fyrian machina you had been choked to death by bed sheets.”
Alex laughed. “Good to see you too, Cat.”
She frowned at him and gave him an unreadable look. “I hate being called that.”
“Sorry,” Alex said. “It won’t happen again, Kitten.”
She darted after him as he dodged around the chairs from her. Terra laughed at the two of them and caught Alex when he stumbled as he ran past her. “Let’s get some food in him first, Caitlyn,” Terra said. “Then we can all play with a good ball of yarn.”
Alex shook with mirth, and Caitlyn thumped Terra on the head. Her yelp made Alex laugh harder, until he got a good thump too. He straightened his shirt and walked to his boots by the door. The women had already put theirs on and were waiting on him. He put on his and stood by the door, doing his best to look impatient.
Alex pulled open the door and held it. “Are you two ever going to be ready? I’ve been waiting to go look around all day,” he said in mock frustration. Terra rolled her eyes at him as she walked past, and Caitlyn poked him hard in the stomach. He grunted and closed the door behind him.
“Where to first?” Caitlyn asked.
“Food,” Alex and Terra said simultaneously. They looked at each other and laughed.
“The market it is.”
The three walked down the stone hewn passages of The Adorac Citadel, past pedestals with ancient dwarven weapons and dummies wearing the armor of great dwarven heroes. Terra smiled at the feeling of Alex’s wonder through the link as his eyes roved the storied weapons and armor.
“We can come back and look at this stuff later, Alex,” she said. “You really should get some food in you. I know a few good restaurants in the market, and there are some interesting shops there.”
Alex nodded. A few minutes passed, and he hadn’t seen anyone Dwarf, human, or changeling in the halls. “Where is everyone?” he asked. Terra shrugged. She and Caitlyn exchanged conspiratorial grins.
“What are you two plotting?” Alex asked as they walked out through the citadel’s northern entrance.
An explosion of shouts and applause hit him as soon as the massive doors closed. Thousands of people were arrayed at the bottom of the stairs. Shouts of “Guardian!” and “Nexus!” filled the air. The cheering went on for some time before Terra raised her hand and called for silence.
“People of the Volcano,” she said, her voice booming over the crowd with magically empowered strength, “thank you all for the well-wishes and congratulations we have received. Many of you have asked after my husband, Alex Zane, the Guardian. He is well and is proud to have fought in defense of your land.”
Oh, no, Alex thought. I kn
ow where this is going. He fought to keep his expression under control. The crowds cheered at something Terra said. He felt panic begin to bubble up and did his best to push it down. He could feel Terra’s amusement.
“Here he is,” she continued, “the man who defeated the Fyrian machina and made the demons run in fear of his might!” Cheers rose again.
She let the voice amplifying spell dissipate before casting it anew. “Ready?” she asked innocently.
“I will get you back for this,” he promised. “I’m ready.” Alex raised his hand when Terra nodded for him to begin. The shouts trailed off.
“My friends, today we have struck a mighty blow against the forces of Hell.” Cheers rose up, but he continued. “We have shown this lord of demons, this supposed Overlord, that he is no lord of ours.” He paused when the cheers went up again. He held his hand for silence.
“We have shown him that from today, until the end of all days, we will fight. And, we will win.” The ground shook with the boom of ten thousand voices raised in the exultant cry of victory. Terra nodded again as she released the spell.
She took up his hand and walked down the steps with him. Caitlyn walked in front, helping to open a small path through the throng as they walked. People congratulated them on the wedding, the victory, and anything else they could think of. Dwarves and humans all cheered and wished the Guardian and Nexus well.
Shouts followed them as they passed through the far end of the crowd and made their way on foot to the market. About a quarter mile ahead of them, a number of stone buildings were arrayed in a rough square.
“I hate giving speeches,” Alex said as they walked.
Terra laughed. “I couldn’t tell.” She was silent a moment before continuing. “I have been thinking, Husband, that although we are married, we know next to nothing about the other’s past.”
“Well, Wife,” he said. “I guess we will have to remedy that.”
Caitlyn looked over her shoulder at the two of them, a conflicted look on her face. “I’m going to check on Lord Bahamut,” she said. “He was injured badly in the fighting.”
“Sounds good,” Terra said. “Let him know we hope he has a fast recovery.” Caitlyn set off to the gondola that ran from the market to the caves that housed the Changelings of the Scale.
“Is she all right?” Alex asked after Caitlyn departed.
“I don’t know,” Terra said. “Maybe something’s bothering her. I’ll talk to her about it later.”
Alex shrugged the matter away. “Why doesn’t someone just heal Bahamut?” he asked.
“It won’t work. Healing, and a few other spells don’t work on the dragons,” Terra answered. “The price of being the mightiest beast in the world, I suppose.”
“There is a lot about your world that I don’t know,” he said as they entered the market. People wished them well as they passed, and they returned the sentiment.
“Don’t worry,” she said as she led him into a two story stone building. The sign outside named it, “The Weary Traveler.” She asked the hostess, a dark headed dwarven woman wearing a red silk dress, for a private dining room upstairs. “I’ll teach you that too.
“This used to be an inn,” Terra said as they followed the hostess up the stairs. “But now they serve the best boar steak and cave mushroom dishes I have ever had.”
The private dining room had a table that could seat six and a window that overlooked the market. Some kind of glowing orange crystal gave illumination to the room. Terra ordered a glass of water, one of warm mulled wine, and two boar steaks with mushrooms. The hostess closed the door behind, and Alex wrapped Terra in a warm embrace and kissed her deeply.
“I’m still going to get you back for the speech,” he said when they parted and sat facing each other next to the window.
Terra laughed, and Alex smiled at the sound. “Do you really hate talking to a group of people that much?” she asked.
“I would have rather fought the Battlesuit again.”
She snorted. A knock at the door and a human woman with curly brown hair and another red silk dress entered with their glasses. “What did you call the Fyrian machina?” Terra asked when the serving woman left.
“A Battlesuit. That’s what it is. A large robot that is piloted by a human in the cockpit. Kinetic sensors as well as pedals control the motion of the suit. It also uses verbal commands to deploy the weapons systems.”
Terra held her glass to her lips but had not drunk any of the water. “How do you know all of that?” Terra asked.
Alex opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. “I don’t know,” he said finally.
Terra took a drink of the water and set her glass down on the table. “The memories of the previous wielders of the Guardian’s Blade.”
He took a deep swallow of the spiced wine. “How long do I have?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Alex. I don’t know. You did well controlling the Wrathblade last night, but you are also talking about things that there is no way you could know. Usually…” she hesitated before continuing. “Usually the Guardian dies before the madness claims them.”
He took another deep draught of wine. “Let’s talk about something else. What’s it like using magic?” he asked.
Terra laughed. “It’s hard to explain to someone that’s never used it before.” She sat and pondered the question. “Using magic is kind of like… I know. Close your eyes.”
“What?”
“Close your eyes. It’ll help me explain.”
“Whatever you say, Crazy,” Alex said as he complied. He knew Terra was rolling her eyes at him. “What now?”
“So impatient,” Terra said. “I’m trying to explain colors to a blind man. Give me a second to figure out exactly how to start. All right, focus on my voice. You can tell where I am from the sound of it, right?”
“Yeah,” Alex said as he reached out a hand and touched her on the cheek. He felt her soft lips on his fingers as she kissed them.
“Good,” she said. “Now put your hand back down.” She continued when he did. “Using magic is kind of like seeing without using your eyes. You sense the energies around you and draw them into yourself. All practitioners of magic do this without realizing it. I was taught at a very young age to sense that energy in myself. Do you want to try?”
Alex laughed. “I don’t think I have any magical powers, Terra. But if it would help me understand…” He heard her chair slide across the floor as she stood. Her footsteps went around the table, and he felt her warm breath on his ear.
“Take a deep breath and let it out as slow as you can,” she whispered in his ear. “Good, just like that. Look deep into yourself. Far down into your core. Keep your eyes closed, and gently draw your eyes down in that direction.” Alex was beginning to lose himself in her voice.
“Good, you are doing it perfectly. Now breathe back in as slowly as you breathed out. That’s right. Deep down in your core is a sphere, and it pulses with light. The next time you breathe in, tell me what color it is.”
Alex took another slow breath. “I don’t see anything,” he whispered, lost in the focusing trance.
“That’s all right. With every breath out, push deeper into your core. With every breath in, the sphere will pulse with light. Search far within yourself, my love. Synchronize your breathing with mine.”
A few slow breaths went by as Alex pushed his consciousness deeper into himself. At first, he didn’t feel anything, but as time went by, he thought there was something. Every time he would breathe in, he felt like he could see tendrils of energy flowing into an inky ball at the very center of his being.
The sphere was completely black, and it ate the energy flowing into it with a ravenous hunger.
“You see it?” Terra asked. His breathing must have changed.
Alex pushed down closer to the midnight orb. It was as if there was a black hole deep inside him, devouring everything that came too close. “I do,” he whispered.
<
br /> “What color is it?”
He reached out to the ball of energy at his core. I can touch it.
Before he could draw any closer to the sphere, a woman’s voice that Alex knew he should recognize screamed in his head. STOP, ALEX! THIS ISN’T THE WAY! YOU CAN’T CONTROL IT!
Gasping for breath, Alex’s eyes shot open. “I don’t want to do that anymore.” His head was pounding as he came from the trance.
Terra knelt beside him. “OK. We don’t have to continue.” She studied his face. “You look pale as a sheet. What did you see?”
Alex put his hands over his eyes and tried to remember. “I…” He shook his head and lowered his hands. He looked at his wife kneeling at his side, concern etched on her face. “I don’t remember. It’s all a fog now.” He shook his head again to try clearing out the lingering haze, but he couldn’t remember what he had seen.
Terra sat back down in her chair and finished answering his question. “After I got used to finding that ball of energy, it became a simple matter of pushing the energy from it, manipulating it as needed. Most people on Dae can learn to use magic; it’s like a muscle they had forgotten how to use.”
“So it gets stronger the more it’s used?” Alex asked.
“Correct. But, just like some people are stronger than others, some can hold more magical power than others.”
“How are you different as Nexus when it comes to magic?”
Terra took a sip of water. “I don’t have to draw energy into myself before unleashing it. All of the raw power of the Realm of Magic is at my fingertips. It’s just exhausting to try harnessing near limitless power without losing control.”
Alex gulped. “I can imagine. Ask me a question.”
“Michael already showed you some of my childhood, so why don’t you tell me about yours?”
A knock at the door brought the curly-haired serving girl with their two plates of food. She set one down in front of each of them and asked if they needed anything else. When they declined, she left.
Alex gathered his thoughts as he cut a bite of food. “I was born in the mountains of Arkansas. In the autumn it looks like fireworks have fallen to earth when the trees begin to lose their leaves. My father told me that my mother died in childbirth. I never knew her. My father… My father was a hard man.”