The Alchemist: Dawn of Destiny

by L. A. Wasielewski

  “Deep down, you know I can protect you. He can’t hurt you...” Roann held her close, wrapping his arms protectively around her shoulders. Kaia immediately began to struggle again. She stomped on Roann’s foot in an attempt to get away. He still held tight, enjoying the pain. “…I won’t let him.”

  “We can no longer wait.” Lyrax’ voice was showing signs of exhaustion. His eyelids drooped momentarily before he regained his composure. “She must be turned now.”

  Kaia felt a wave of panic sweep over her. Turned? Her throat went dry and she frantically began to devise a way out of this mess. Roann had a true grip on her, and it wouldn’t be easy to wrench herself free. Lyrax stood between her and the window, and even if she did manage to get onto the balcony, the fall from the tower would kill her. Her only chance for salvation lay with her friends.

  Jaric, hearing of Kaia’s new intended fate, charged forward, with Grildi hot on his heels. With his sword swinging expertly in front of him, he made his attack—only to be stopped dead in his tracks as he hit an invisible barrier. He fell onto his backside with a grunt, his sword clattering to the floor beside him. A blue aura enveloped the group, shimmering around them like a thick bubble.

  “Wait there,” Lyrax commanded as he lowered his arm.

  Grildi moved forward, letting his hand drift over the miasma enclosing them. A small shock tickled his fingers as he tried to penetrate the film, and he pulled his hand back with a yelp. Ryris moved as close as he could to the barrier, his eyes flashing with uncharacteristic anger.

  “Let her go!”

  Lyrax pointed to the group, and the force field shrunk around them. The friends huddled closely to avoid being zapped. Ryris backed away from the barrier, but kept his eyes firmly glued on his friend and their captors.

  “I said let her go!” The alchemist’s sooty hand clenched at his sides. His stomach churned at the sight of Kaia’s compromised situation.

  “Or what? You’ll attack me? I don’t think so…” Lyrax shook his head in pity. “It’s a shame, really, that you won’t get your chance. I hoped to research your powers more thoroughly. But, your overzealous actions this afternoon have forced my hand. Your beautiful friend will just have to serve as my pet project now.”

  Ryris felt his aura leave him. The exhaustion and pain of his ordeal the night before melted away. His vision clouded and he was barely aware of his body slamming against the magical field, not bothered by the electric jolts shooting across his skin every time he made contact. He roared like a wild animal, each unsuccessful crash against the barrier adding to his fury. He had to save her—he had to save them all.

  Lyrax laughed at his show of bravado. “You want to kill me, yes?”

  Roann held Kaia close and ran a hand seductively through her hair, keeping his sinister gaze trained on the out-of-control alchemist. Ryris growled, baring his teeth.

  Lyrax pointed at the emperor. “Look at Roann. He now possesses what you so badly want for yourself. She will be his, and you will watch, unable to fulfill your destiny.”

  Ryris continued to slam into the barrier, his strength quickly waning. But he wouldn’t give up. He would sacrifice his life if he had to, if it meant Kaia would be safe. His brain was screaming at him to stop, that it was futile, and he would just cause everyone to suffer in the end—but his heart wouldn’t listen. He bashed his body again and again, his muscles and bones protesting with every crash.

  “Perhaps you should challenge him? A duel of men?” Lyrax wrung his hands together.

  “He’s no match for me. Let him continue to make an ass of himself inside his little shameful bubble.” Roann’s tone was condescending.

  Lyrax raised an eyebrow. “Let’s see, shall we? Go ahead, alchemist. Fight him.”

  The barrier suddenly disappeared, sending Ryris tumbling forward as the momentum of his moving body overtook him. The shield encompassed the remaining friends once again. Ryris came to a stop, sprawled out on all fours, mere feet from Roann and Kaia. Roann huffed in annoyance at the interruption.

  “Let’s get this over with.” Roann shoved Kaia away, Lyrax immediately encasing her feet in magical restraints. Her feet stuck to the floor, blue mist, crackling with spectral power, swirling around her boots. Kaia growled at him, unable to do anything to help Ryris. Her warrior’s will bubbled up, but she squelched it. This was something Ryris had to do for himself—and for them…no matter how much it hurt her to watch.

  Ryris stood and shook the fog of adrenaline and magical power from his head. He squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest, suddenly filled with courage he had never experienced in his life. His mind told him to stop, apologize, and run away, to hope his death would be quick and painless. But his fists clenched, flames flickering onto his fingertips.

  Roann, annoyed at the whole play, huffed and changed shape before their eyes. The tall, slender emperor was quickly replaced by the black, scaled beast Lyrax had created. Grildi shrieked and covered his eyes. Jaric’s mouth gaped at the sight before him. Eilith hung her head and said nothing.

  Ryris stared up at the monster before him. He knew he should be scared—terrified, really—but all he felt was anger. He was actually offended that Roann would take the easy way out by making the fight so one-sided. They both knew there was no way Ryris could best him while he stood in his sickening form. The amulet on his chest, uncomfortably warm since their arrival in the room, reminded him that he indeed had power. It remained to be seen whether or not it would be enough to best the emperor.

  “You coward!” The words flew out of Ryris’ mouth before he had a chance to stop them. Never in his life had he stood up to anyone like this, not even Maxx. And especially not an insane, brainwashed emperor. But, Kaia was in danger. His friends were in danger. The entire world was in danger—and he’d had enough.

  The monster lunged forward at the accusation, only to be stopped by his master’s command. “I think our alchemist friend has a point. Be sporting, would you, Roann? Give him a fair chance to defend Kaia’s honor.”

  The beast stared Ryris down before backing away and assuming his original form. Not giving Ryris time to prepare, Roann hit him with a small bolt of lightning, knocking him to the ground.

  Stunned, but in no way out of the fight, Ryris scrambled to his feet and shook off the jolt. He knew that if the emperor had intended to kill him, he wouldn’t have survived the initial surprise attack. No, Roann was toying with him, trying to get him to fight back. And that’s exactly what Ryris intended to do.

  Bringing his hands out in front of himself, Ryris quickly conjured a ball of flames and flung it at his opponent. Roann, not even bothering to move out of the way, simply brought a hand up and knocked the sphere out of the air with an invisible force. Undeterred, Ryris grit his teeth and tried again, forming an even larger glowing ball between his hands. With a guttural cry, he lunged at Roann and threw it at him with all his might.

  Unimpressed by the effort, the emperor sighed and flicked the projectile back at its caster, Ryris jumping out of the way by the skin of his teeth. The alchemist swore he smelled the ends of his hair singeing. Not about to let Roann get the better of him, and unwilling to let his friends down, Ryris got up again. He snarled as he cracked his knuckles. The bauble underneath his shirt pulsed in warm waves, encouraging him to keep on. His legacy—and that of his ancestor—was at stake. The name he wore, he hoped, would help in some way to ensure his victory. Roann’s unwillingness to even fight back properly was infuriating.

  With one final volley, Ryris formed an undulating, pulsing sphere of pure plasma, the biggest and strongest he had ever made, and manipulated it in his hands. He sent it flying outwards, speeding toward its intended target.

  Roann blew out an irritated breath and encased Ryris’ fiery weapon in a block of ice, smashing it to the ground with a flick of his wrist. It shattered into thousands of chilled bits, melting onto the wooden planks of the floor almost instantly.

  “This sorry excuse for a wizard
impresses you?” Roann approached Kaia and pointed to Ryris. He ran his hand through her hair, even as she tried to pull away. His eyes were filled with lust.

  Ryris’ blood boiled. If there was ever a time to bring forth tremendous magical power, this was it. He wanted to shut Roann up once and for all. His mind flitted back to their battle with Ealsig. The incredible ability that came from seemingly nowhere would be the perfect ammunition against the cocky emperor. While Roann spent a moment belittling him in front of Kaia, Ryris concentrated all his mental energy, willing himself to tap into whatever his amulet had given him access to previously. He searched his mind for the voice again, mentally begging it to help him.

  He was met with stunning silence.

  Ryris stared at his palms, desperate for lightning to envelop them. He didn’t understand why the mysterious force was unwilling to help. In his distracted state, Ryris didn’t even notice Roann charging at him full force, fists in a furious flurry.

  Ryris was barely aware of his body being slammed against the far wall of the den. The blows coming from Roann’s hands were fierce and precise, knocking the wind from his lungs and breaking thin ribs with horrifying proficiency. The emperor made quick work of his torso before moving to his head and neck, showering Ryris’ face with a flurry of cross-jabs before finishing with a swift uppercut to his jaw. His nose bled, his ears rung. Thick blood poured from a split in his lip, leaving a metallic taste in his mouth. Ryris struggled to hold onto what shred of consciousness he had left. Roann swept his legs out from under him without so much as an effort, and the young man crumpled to the ground. He kicked his flank, eliciting a pained yelp from Ryris’ bleeding lips.

  Kaia, unable to watch the senseless onslaught anymore, brought lightning to her hands and arced it at Roann, hitting the emperor square in the back. The jolt sizzled through his ornate katanas in their scabbards and right into his nervous system, temporarily seizing his muscles. He staggered backwards, momentarily getting him away from Ryris. He fell to the ground in a trembling heap. Kaia narrowed her eyes with defiant pride, already charging her next attack.

  “What have we here? You seem to have mysteriously regained your magical ability.” Lyrax, stepping over his incapacitated protégé, clicked his tongue in a scolding manner. “Well, we can’t have that. Not yet, anyway…” He immediately replaced the enchantment on Kaia’s hands.

  Her next volley, seconds away from being unleashed, fizzled out of existence on her palms. She screamed an ancient obscenity at Lyrax. A faint tinge of moisture flecked the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t watch anymore.

  Roann, initially slow to rise to his feet after the electrical attack, finally regained his footing. He spat a mouthful of blood on the floor as he stared Kaia down in defiance. A silent vow to get back at her for her insubordination. He smirked maliciously before flying to Ryris’ side once again; crushing his knee into his abdomen with such force that blood spurted from the alchemist’s lips. He grabbed Ryris by the left arm and yanked him upwards, dislocating his shoulder. Roann slammed him to the ground with incredible force. Upon impact, an agonized, audible breath bellowed from Ryris’ lips.

  “Stop it, you’ll kill him!” A pleading voice erupted from the behind the barrier, muffled by the magic. Eilith, cheeks red with anger, appeared from behind Grildi and stared her son down. “How can you do this? Haven’t I taught you right from wrong?”

  Roann rolled his eyes and stopped his attack for a moment. Ryris whimpered at his feet, curling into a ball. The emperor drew one of his thin swords and pointed it at Eilith. “Shut up, woman! I’ll be more than happy to make you a martyr at a later date, just be patient.”

  Eilith scoffed, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. “Your fate is your own now. I can’t save you.”

  “I don’t need you to save me.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’ve got someone else to take your place in my heart now.” Roann stared directly at his new conquest.

  Kaia stiffened at his words. She didn’t know what they had in store for her, but she was damn sure she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. There was no way she would belong to anyone but herself.

  “You’re a pathetic man, Roann! You don’t deserve to bear Artol’s good name!” Eilith screamed at her son, hands clenched in the fabric of her gown.

  The emperor laughed, his voice echoing off of the vaulted, beamed ceiling. He sheathed his weapon once more. “You think you can shame me by mentioning him? He was weak, as are you. I’m the salvation this empire requires!”

  “There’s no hope for you…” Eilith backed away from the barrier and took her place once again behind Grildi’s massive frame. She refused to ever look upon her son’s face again.

  Ryris lay on the ground in a battered, bloody heap. His body shuddered as he tried to breathe, his broken ribs making every breath feel as though a hot knife was being jabbed into his lungs. He desperately struggled to keep his eyes open, to see their fate. Blood pooled under his head, oozing from a deep laceration on his scalp. His brain thumped within his skull. The amulet ceased to burn, and cooled as if it too were giving up. He did the only thing he could to stay in the moment—he focused on Kaia. Her beautiful face, her golden hair—he wished he could hold her hand one more time. He wished—he could tell her how he felt. But he had nothing left to give. He had failed her, failed his friends—and failed himself. Swallowing a mouthful of blood, he gagged as his throat protested the crimson waterfall.

  Lyrax released Kaia from her magical shackles and Roann swooped in, his bloodied hands quickly grabbing her by the shoulders. His eyes turned black, staring her down with such fervent intensity that it made her shudder in fear.

  “Make her ours,” Lyrax impatiently growled. He pulled a parchment charm from his robes and spat on it, the symbol adorning the paper immediately flaring to life. Tossing it into the air, it sped at the pair, coming to a hovering halt directly over their heads. Pulses of energy blasted off of the surface.

  Roann leaned in, his lips ghosting over her ear, his voice barely a whisper. “No…not ours. Mine…”

  He reached into the pocket of his vest and produced a small vial, filled with a bright yellow liquid. Never releasing his grip on the small of Kaia’s back, he used his teeth to pluck the stopper from the top, spitting the cork onto the floor. He forced Kaia’s lips apart with his finger and held her mouth open. She tried to bite him, but he just laughed at her attempt. He poured the liquid down her throat, Kaia gagging as the potion entered her body. A few drops dribbled onto her lips. With his conquest wriggling in his arms, desperate to get away, he held on tight and leaned as close to her face as possible. As she fought him, he pressed his mouth against hers, and the pair was instantly enveloped in a flaring yellow aura. The charm scroll caught fire, the ash mingling with the mists. Roann pressed his hand to Kaia’s chest, heat radiating through the fabric of her shirt. Seconds later, a mark, identical to the symbol on the charm, appeared on her skin.

  A single tear fell from Ryris’ eye, the saline solution tinged pink by his own blood.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Take this gem to Foyt. Protect it with your life. Ensure it finds itself in the possession of Arch-battlemage Wylmar before he too is killed by the devil himself.

  --Orders from King Galroy of Farnfoss to Jaric the Bold, date unknown

  Kaia felt like she was floating.

  Everything she was, everything she had ever been—was leaving her. Roann’s lips were warm against her own, and even though she knew it was wrong, she couldn’t help but be drawn in by his power. Their long golden locks billowed up around their heads, mingling together as a spectral wind encompassed them both. She opened her eyes briefly, to see Roann staring back at her, his eyes dark ebony pools. His hand was heavy against her breast. Her vision began to cloud, tendrils of darkness floating into her center of sight from the corners of her eyes. She tried to fight it, fight him. Her gaze flitted to Ryris for a brief moment, waves of desperation washing over her. She was betraying him—a
nd had no control over it. Kaia’s struggling began to wane, and a final tear fell from her eye. Soon she brought a shaky hand up to Roann’s face, stroking the smooth skin of his cheek with a lover’s touch.

  In a matter of seconds, it was over.

  Roann leaned her upright, released his lips from hers, and steadied her with a strong grip. He reached down and cupped her chin in his hand, bringing her face up to his own. He stared at her, ebony eyes meeting ebony eyes. Running his thumb over her lips, he smiled.

  “You belong to me.”

  “I belong to you…” Her voice was calm and determined.

  “At long last, a powerful ally.” Lyrax’ stood suddenly hunched, his voice devoid of prior determination. He focused his attention on Roann and Kaia. His eyes clouded over, and a thin stream of black blood trickled from his nose. “We no longer need the services of these miserable wretches. It’s time they met their maker.”

  Ryris just laid there, his broken body unable to move. Grildi screamed from inside their magical prison. The massive man’s voice was cracking with sadness and fear. “Ryris! Get up, boy! You’ve got to save the lass!”

  “Don’t just lie there!” Jaric’s tone was commanding, certainly befitting of an army general. “Don’t let them take her!”

  Ryris heard their voices, though muffled due to the head trauma. He looked on helplessly as the woman he loved—the woman he knew he should be protecting—gave her allegiance to another man. An insane man who now controlled her. His fingers twitched, his legs jerked. The muscles in his body spasmed as his brain willed him to move. But it was obvious that no matter how badly he wanted to react, Ryris just didn’t have the strength.

  The amulet around his neck suddenly glowed bright white under his shirt.