by Ky Tyrand
What a strange thing for him to say.
“The Angel didn’t cause the Collapse,” argued Ki’ara. “She protected the people.” And why is he comparing me to her?
“Did she? And where was she when Avalon fell?”
There were all kinds of rumors, but nobody truly knew what had become of her. “She could have been killed. Or lost in the destruction.” Ki’ara’s lip curled when she added, “Or murdered by her own family.”
“Possibly,” said Tho’ran. “Or maybe she was afraid to pay the price, and fled. My guess is that she was a coward, went into hiding, and millions died in her place.”
Ki’ara listened to his words, but saw them for what they were. Her uncle was trying to get into her head – attempting to manipulate her – and she didn’t like it.
“Perhaps they should have fought alongside her,” she suggested. “Rather than waiting to be rescued. Surely if millions had stood up to the New Gods, the people would have fared better than by leaving it to only one.”
Tho’ran laughed. “And maybe it’s that kind of thinking that has put such a target on your back.”
“You think I’m being funny? You’re creeping down this rooftop to kill your only niece, and you’re laughing?”
Tho’ran’s smile disappeared, but he didn’t slow his approach. “I’m sorry, Ki’ara. I’m just trying to ease the tension.”
“How about you slow down and let me think,” she told him.
He nodded, but kept coming. His Mu’turi boots gripped the sloping tiles, one firmly planted step at a time, as he edged his way down. The wind didn’t seem to affect him like it did her.
Why is he pressuring me like this? It’s kind of a big decision!
“Hey!” she pointed at him with a glowing Niksuru blade. “If you take another step closer, I promise you’ll regret it!” She pulled her second weapon back to her, catching it with a hard clap.
“It’s okay, Ki’ara,” he assured her. “This is for the best.”
“Uh… haven’t made my mind up, yet.” The wind shifted. She could feel it blowing from behind, pushing her toward Tho’ran. No doubt a sign from the Gods.
Her uncle continued to work his way down to her. It was like he was listening to her words, but paying no attention to them, whatsoever. The tips of the Blue Energy staff were glowing fiercely. Ki’ara could see that Tho’ran intended to march right down the rooftop and run her through with her father’s own weapon.
He didn’t care whether she would see it as a noble sacrifice and consent.
Tho’ran intended to kill her, regardless.
I warned you.
From the mechanical spiders, Ki’ara learned that – on a treacherous rooftop, high up in the windy sky – a Grav-Regulator beats everything.
She leapt at Tho’ran. Her push propelled her forward. The wind at her back swooshed under her, launching her up the pitched roof. The G.R. kept her going, catching Tho’ran completely off guard as she kicked him hard in the chest.
With the incline behind him, Tho’ran’s feet had nowhere to go, forcing him to fall back on the glossy tiles. He landed with a thud, and immediately began to slide.
Ki’ara was suddenly on top of him, with a knee on his chest and a foot on his wrist, pinning the Blue Energy staff against the slippery shingles. Between the wind and the motion, it was hard to maintain balance. And the girl knew that with his powerful strength, her uncle could throw her off at any moment.
Nevertheless, Ki’ara looked into Tho’ran’s eyes as she slid along with him toward the roof’s edge. “I warned you,” hissed the girl.
Tho’ran’s smug expression dissipated as the pair gained momentum. “What are you doing? Ki’ara, get off me!”
“I will give my life if it will save the people of Avalon,” she told him. “But there is a condition…”
“What?” squawked Tho’ran, as he tried to adjust his Mu’turi to gain traction.
“You die with me.”
22
Her uncle’s eyes went wide. He could see that she was serious. He turned to throw her off, but a blade of pure Blue Energy waved between his hand and the girl, threatening to lop it off if he dared touch her.
“Ki’ara…”
“I am willing to give my life for the people, Tho’ran,” whispered the girl. “Are you?”
Tack from Tho’ran’s Mu’turi slowed the pair, but they were already moving too fast for it to stop them in time.
Ki’ara could sense they were nearing the ledge, and knew her uncle felt the same. There was no question that he was about to try something. Better to lose his hand than his life, she predicted.
Out of desperation, Tho’ran moved to press Ki’ara off. But before his free hand could catch hold of the girl, a dazzling plasma blade plunged clean through his shoulder, searing straight into the metal tiles beneath him.
Tho’ran screamed out in agony as Ki’ara slowed the particles of Blue Energy, bringing them to such a sudden halt that she nearly tumbled right off her uncle’s chest. Only the Niksuru binding them together prevented it.
“Gods, Ki’ara!” Tho’ran gasped, “Get that thing out of me!”
Tho’ran tried to make a sudden move, testing to see if he could escape somehow. But he shrieked again when the luminous blade burned more of his flesh, stopping him instantly. He quickly learned that the angrier Ki’ara’s expression, the more pain he felt.
And right now, his niece was livid.
“Ki’ara, please…”
“Well?” demanded the girl.
“There would be nothing to gain by my death,” he argued.
“Sure there would. I would be willing to sacrifice myself, and you would save thousands.”
“Who would guide the people?”
“Perhaps someone with more substance than you.”
“But there’s no need for me…”
“You killed my father. You hurt my friends. You brought the New Gods and the Keeper’s demons into Stronghold. You had me hunted like wild game. So let me be clear, Uncle,” Ki’ara snarled through clenched teeth. “I will not leave this world knowing that you are still in it.”
“Ki’ara…”
“You preach about sacrifice for the good of the people,” she went on. “Then you shouldn’t have any trouble accepting this offer.”
Tho’ran sputtered, but couldn’t get any words out.
Ki’ara silently glared at him until she could no longer stand the smell of his burnt flesh.
“Very well.” Leaning back, away from the horrid odor, Ki’ara glanced over her shoulder, noticing they were even closer to the roof’s edge than she’d thought. Tho’ran’s feet were actually hanging off the lip, out over open air and a hundred foot drop. Her face showed an expression of surprise as she looked back at Tho’ran, and whispered, “That must be terrifying.”
A chill ran up Ki’ara’s spine as she realized Tho’ran’s life was completely in her hands. In more ways than one. She had been so angry and caught up in the moment, that the girl didn’t even register she had defeated him. The greatest fighter in Avalon. The man responsible for betraying her father, and taking him from her. And it would be so easy to kill him.
All she had to do was pull the pin.
Or speed up the particles of Blue Energy and let his insides melt.
And yet, she resisted.
Considering…
Ki’ara thrust her chin forward and told him, “You have one chance at living through this moment, Tho’ran.”
“What is it?”
Ki’ara’s other Niksuru blade hovered dangerously close to her uncle’s neck. “Tell me what happened to To’mas.”
Tho’ran blinked. “What?”
She’d clearly caught him by surprise.
“The man in the prison, who brought my Mu’turi to Stronghold. What became of him?”
Confused by the question, Tho’ran shook his head. “I… I don’t know.”
“Wrong answer.” Ki’ara’s blade brighte
ned, nearing his throat.
“I swear,” gulped Tho’ran. “Nobody knows what happened to him. He escaped from the prison.”
Despite knowing that she couldn’t trust her uncle as far as she could throw him, Ki’ara felt a wave of relief. “You didn’t kill him?”
Tho’ran considered his words, as if he wished he’d told her something different, but it was now too late. “No.”
Over the howl of the wind, Ki’ara heard a noise from up above. She looked up at the two spider-bots still clinging to the overhang. Their glowing eyes were both locked onto the Princess, patiently watching. It didn’t appear that they’d moved. Ki’ara wondered if she was hearing things, or if Tho’ran’s soldiers were coming to look for him.
She had to remain on high alert, but knew that she may never get another chance like this. If she had questions, now was the time to ask them. But it was so tempting to push the segment of Blue Energy into her uncle’s neck…
She opened her mouth to ask how he communicated with the New Gods, only to fall silent when her Niksuru unexpectedly blinked out.
23
Ki’ara heard Tho’ran gasp when the plasma blades vanished. With the pin released, she felt her uncle begin to slide beneath her.
The loss of her Niksuru blades brought back a sense of helplessness and fear, as a vision of Syjak’s brother popped into her head.
“Well, well. What have we here? Family meeting?”
Ki’ara recognized the smug, serpent-like voice immediately, and found herself trembling when she heard his snide chuckle. With Tho’ran about to plummet off the ledge, Ki’ara had a split second to make a very important decision: save her uncle, or let him fall.
Tempted as she was to cheer him off the edge of the roof, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
No matter what Ki’ara thought of Tho’ran, she had questions that only he could answer. So, with a curse, Ki’ara took hold of her uncle’s wrist and leapt off him, opening the G.R. to its maximum. She couldn’t lift the heavy man, but was able to drag him by his arm to some safer footing.
She let him go and stepped back, preparing herself to bail. Without her weapons, Ki’ara knew she didn’t stand a chance against either of these dangerous men, let alone both. But with the G.R., she could drop from the ledge if anybody made a move.
Tho’ran wasted no time getting to his feet. Despite Ki’ara’s attack, he’d somehow managed to keep hold of the staff, and brought it up with him. “Sylor,” he acknowledged the man, who was climbing onto the rooftop from the same broken skylight window that he and Ki’ara had both used.
Sylor.
Ki’ara had heard the name before, but didn’t make the connection. She knew that he was Syjak’s brother, but in her head his name was Tattoo, for he was covered from head to toe in hideous dark markings – right up his face and the shaved sides of his head.
Nobody had been able to strike pure fear into Ki’ara like this man. And she’d met some frightening people.
Sylor was pure evil.
The only thing more terrifying than his ability to neutralize Ki’ara’s Blue Energy weapons, was how badly he wanted to hurt her. Unlike Tho’ran, Sylor didn’t just want Ki’ara dead – he wanted her to suffer.
“King Tho’ran,” said the tattooed man from above. “I see you’ve caught your little Princess. Well done.”
KING Tho’ran? Ki’ara rolled her eyes.
“You do not want to die by his hand,” Tho’ran said to her, just loud enough to be heard over the wind.
“Thanks for the advice,” replied Ki’ara. “But I don’t particularly want to die by anyone’s hand.” Speaking of which… Ki’ara’s eyes went to Sylor’s left hand; or rather, where his hand ought to be had Je’nna not blasted it off with her rifle. He wore a black leather glove, but the fingers did not move.
“Now would be a good time to take the ledge,” suggested Tho’ran.
Take the ledge? It was so odd hearing her uncle talk this way. Like it should be no big deal for her to jump to her death. “You first.”
Their conversation had been quiet, meant only to be heard by one another.
Tho’ran raised his voice to address the newcomer. “What are you doing here, Sylor?”
“Well that’s simple, good King. I’ve come to claim my prize.”
Ki’ara’s eyebrows narrowed when Sylor’s eyes fell upon her. “I’m not yours to claim!”
There was a moment of awkward silence, as if Tho’ran were contemplating something. Ki’ara shot him a look before he finally agreed. “She’s not, Sylor.”
The tattooed man looked livid, showing little concern for the slippery slope as he stepped forward, raising his finger at Tho’ran. “You told me…”
“You didn’t bring her to me,” Tho’ran pointed out, gaining another sharp look from his niece.
“I don’t care,” growled Sylor.
“You won’t take her, Sylor,” said Tho’ran. “She doesn’t deserve to be tortured by you for defending herself against your brother.” Sylor’s face darkened with every word, but Tho’ran went on, “Syjak was an animal, and deserved what he got.”
Ki’ara watched curiously as her uncle defended the way in which her imminent death should be carried out.
She also noticed something was happening to the two spiders that still clung to the overhang on either side of Sylor. They were beginning to wiggle, frantically clawing for purchase.
For some reason the bots were slipping.
It occurred to Ki’ara that she was sharing a steep, slippery rooftop with two powerful men and a pair of lethal robot spiders – and they all wanted her dead.
She wondered if there was any good way of getting out of this mess. All she really wanted was to find To’mas so that she could save Sir Grue’gan.
It was hard to consider what Tho’ran was suggesting – that her passing could save thousands – when she had so little trust for the man. Could my death really save the people of Avalon?
Ki’ara crept to the side, keeping all her enemies within her peripheral vision. She wondered what the next move would be, and began playing different scenarios over in her head. But they all ended the same: with her going over the ledge.
The only question was – who was she going to take with her?
24
Click, click.
Click, click.
Click, click.
Je’nna cringed. The boy sounded like a shod horse on cobblestones. He couldn’t move quietly if his life depended on it. And it did. His prosthetic feet were just hard enough and shaped in such a way that no matter how hard he tried, Petch couldn’t keep his steps from clicking.
It wasn’t that it was loud – probably not even noticeable during his daily activities when ambient noises were all around – but it seemed to echo in the confined space at an unbearable level. And, with Gods knew what was on the other side of these walls, Je’nna hated the idea of drawing unwanted attention.
When one sneaks through a secret passage, they do it silently. That’s the rule.
Click, click.
Click, click.
Je’nna had to fight the urge to leave him there. If Ki’ara didn’t have such an attachment to the boy, the decision would me much easier. But she knew the Princess would murder her if anything happened to him. So she bit her tongue – since no amount of telling him to keep it down seemed to be working – and hoped that nobody nearby would hear his incessant clicking.
“What is it?” he whispered in her ear when she stopped.
They’d come to a corner in the passage. With only one direction to go, it didn’t seem like a reason to stop, except…
Je’nna’s light shone on mechanisms that stood apart from the unfinished wood walls. “Looks like some kind of door,” she told him, spotting what appeared to be a latch. “Where do you think it goes?”
The boy shrugged. “I don’t really know where I am right now.”
Je’nna knew the boy had been out of it after being gassed
in the prison. Truth be told, she didn’t remember how they’d gotten here, either. Nonetheless, he must know the castle better than her. “The last place I remember was the top floor of the Library.”
Petch scratched his head. “The royal chambers are on the top floor. I guess they would be beside the Library?”
“Are you asking me?” said Je’nna.
The boy’s shoulders rose up again.
Je’nna shook her head and pulled the latch.
Down near the floor, a small panel swung out.
They both squinted and held up their arms as bright light burst into the narrow corridor from the other side, casting upon the starry sky of dust particles hovering within the passage.
With Je’nna’s Mu’turi pulsing through every cell in her body, her eyes instantly adjusted to the sudden light. She crouched and peered through the small opening.
Beyond a table that stood directly in front of the door, Je’nna could see that she was looking into someone’s living quarters.
The room was open and bright, with three large windows that let in enough midday light to negate the dark wooden panels that covered the walls. There was a big, four-post bed between two of the windows, and a comfortable looking couch with finely made end tables on the other side.
Je’nna moved over when she felt Petch bumping into her. She could tell that he was struggling to lean low enough to see inside. “That’s Ki’ara’s room!” he blurted.
“Shhhh,” hissed Je’nna.
Petch cringed, and his voice dropped to a whisper, “Should we go in?”
“You tell me,” said the girl. “Ki’ara had been talking about ‘a way out’. Do you know what she meant?”
Petch frowned and shook his head. “I didn’t even know this passage existed.”