“Allow me a simple taste, and I shall be yours forever,” she said to Tresten, though her eyes were now fixed upon Rylek. She then kissed Tresten, and there boiled such a wildfire throughout Rylek’s body that he willed his leaden legs to move. He stood, snapping the bindings off his wrists, ready to take his sword in hand and slay Tresten.
The Empress is MINE! his mind screamed as he was already halfway to the desk.
But then several things happened simultaneously. Though he had forgotten about the others, Rylek heard very clearly and loudly Altan’s voice ring out “ENOUGH!” So authoritative was the command that Rylek stopped what he was doing and was instantly brought back into his right mind. He also, for the smallest of fractions of a second, thought he saw a fearsome mangled creature in the place of the Empress, quickly replaced by her former appearance. At the same time, a wave of incredible energy radiated out from Tresten and passed through everyone in the room. He tore the bindings off his wrists and bellowed out an otherworldly roar. It all happened in the time it took Rylek to wonder What’s happening?
The Aesid collapsed like dead men for a few seconds, bodies sprawled out limply on the floor. It was more than enough time for Altan to grasp control of the situation. “Your swords!” he called out, and to Rylek’s surprise Faldrahil soared into his hands, and Silran flew right into Tresten’s hands. Then Altan called out again using his commanding voice: “STAY!” The Aesid, who had begun to gather themselves off the ground, collapsed again and could not arise.
The Empress Keona had been knocked backwards and sat on her knees. She glared at Altan with an icy stare. “They are mine!” she said so coldly and collectively that her voice sent shivers down Rylek’s back. Those shivers then started to work the charm of her voice again.
“Never have they been, and never shall they be!” Altan cried, and the authority in his voice effectively killed the spell for good. “Now, children: away!”
There was no time for words as they fled from the Empress and her guards. Rylek looked behind and saw her still kneeling on the floor, struggling to stand. She was screaming words he did not understand. He then noticed the others’ hands were also freed. As they neared the doorway, their coats came flying to them.
“We will need these,” Altan said. “We must hurry to our exit!”
Rylek grabbed his coat as the others took theirs, and following Altan they burst through the entrance to the throne room as the doors slid open. The two guards that stood as sentries at the door were knocked backward through the air.
After they descended the stairs, Rylek looked back and saw all of the Aesid guards from the throne room pursuing them; they were not far behind. “How do we get out of here?” he asked.
“Yeah, and where exactly is ‘here’?” Lana asked.
“Thankfully, I know how we got here in the first place,” Altan said. “It’s not terribly far, but we must hurry!”
Down the shiny black hallways they ran, turning sometimes and other times continuing on straight. Rylek wondered why the Aesid were running after them and not flying, and also why no one was cutting them off in front. Then ahead of them a door slid open and inside was a tiny room.
“Dead end!” Selenor said.
“No, it’s an elevator,” Altan said.
“A what?” Lana asked as the door closed behind them.
“Basically a room that transports you to various floors in a building,” Altan said. “We need to go up.”
“Up?” Rylek asked. “Are we underground or something?”
“We are underwater,” Altan said. “It is imperative for us to escape. If I had any idea things were like this I would never have brought you four here. Forgive me.”
Rylek was thankful for the opportunity to catch his breath. He was feeling shaky and lightheaded, and though he had been running, he felt extremely cold. But long before he was ready, the door opened again and they saw a room with a console and a raised platform. Two Aesid were standing at the console. Without a word, they drew their spears and ran towards the group. Altan pushed everyone out of the elevator. “Rylek! Tresten!” he said. “Take care of them and protect the girls! I will disable the elevator.”
The boys drew their swords and met the Aesid. It was not long before they were sheathing the blades again.
“Mine fell first,” Tresten said.
“This isn’t a game, Tresten!” Rylek said.
Altan came up behind with the girls. “No one will be using this elevator anytime soon,” he said. “But I am sure Keona will undo what I’ve done. Quickly, onto the pad!”
“How do you know her?” Lana asked.
“No time for that now,” he said.
They ran onto the platform and Rylek suddenly felt tingly all over. Everything turned red, then black, then red again before returning to normal colors. But now they were in a different room. The polished black shine was gone, and rock walls were around them, though another console was in the room. One wooden door stood in front of them, but two more Aesid blocked the way to it.
“Not again,” Rylek muttered to himself.
“It sure would be easier if I could knock that thing into them,” Tresten said, gesturing at the console as the Aesid slowly walked towards them with drawn spears. Then in a moment Rylek would never forget, the console tore itself from the floor and flung itself at the Aesid with such a force that it pinned them to the wall.
“What in Mira?” Altan wondered aloud, staring at Tresten. He then gathered his thoughts. “The door leads outside. Quickly now, put on your coats!”
Hastily they dressed for the frigid weather, and then burst through the doorway. Without a word they raced outside, trusting Altan to lead them back through the ruined city to the Twilight Gate.
“How did that happen?” Rylek asked Tresten.
“What?”
“The wall and that table thing!”
“No idea!” he said, shrugging.
“You must have done it then, right, Altan?” Rylek asked.
“I certainly did not,” Altan said as he looked at Tresten again with a curious expression.
***
The few Aesid who were outside were pointing at them as they were running, unsure of what to do. A few took to the skies and pursued them, spears in hand, waiting for the right moment to hurl them downwards.
“We’ll never outrun them!” Rylek yelled. “And we don’t want to give away the Twilight Gate. What should we do?”
“Girls, continue perfectly straight and return to that from which we came!” Altan said. “We will meet with you presently.”
“But…” Lana started.
“Do as I say!” Altan said and the girls dared not disobey him. They ran off into the dark.
Altan stopped in his tracks and turned around, with Rylek on one side of him and Tresten on the other. They both drew their swords. Altan raised his arm high into the air. The pursuing Aesid dropped like rocks out of the sky but gently landed on the ground. There were about a dozen of them. “Leave us, or you shall be punished!” he called to them.
They ignored him and cautiously stepped forward, spears lowered.
“I give you one final warning!” Altan said. “Turn back, or not one of you shall be spared!”
Rylek glanced at Tresten, not knowing what to do. Tresten nodded, and they both leapt forward. Though the Aesid were larger than they were, Rylek was surprised at how much more adept at fighting he was. He easily dispatched three before he heard Altan’s voice call out again.
“Your time has ended! Never shall Teravihn’dael rise from its ruined heaps! It is forever doomed by the Aedaar as Khragzul, cursed wasteland of the powerless! Now, be gone and be swept away!”
Just then another curious thing happened. The spears of the remaining Aesid splintered and flew from their hands. Rylek heard Tresten cry out “Aha!” as the Aesid confusedly looked at each other, unsure of what to do. By then it was too late. Out of nowhere a tremendous gust of wind blasted through Rylek but did not mov
e him. It did, however, carry off the Aesid so quickly and powerfully that it looked like they had been struck by an incredibly fast-moving boulder. They were hurled backwards and upwards through the air, and in a matter of seconds were so far away Rylek could no longer see them.
Altan took a moment to look at Tresten again, and it seemed he was having an inner argument with himself. Finally he muttered “Later,” and turned back in the direction of the cave that hid the Twilight Gate. “Quickly!” he said. “More are on the way!”
From Teravihn’dael arose a great echoing clang of a bell.
“I am assuming the soldiers from the submerged base have surfaced,” he said wearily. “We must fly! I cannot sustain us for much longer!”
They sprinted across the dreary landscape, wind howling in their ears. Rylek was impressed that Altan was easily keeping up with their pace, especially considering how weak he was looking. It was taking awhile for Rylek’s eyes to accustom themselves to the drastic darkness, and he felt he was running blindly to no determined goal. All of his hope was set on Altan remembering the exact way. He quickly chanced a glance over his shoulder. His heart skipped a beat when he saw swarms of Aesid rapidly approaching from a great distance.
“We must outpace them!” Altan said, not sounding winded at all. “Flee, flee! We cannot take on the sum of them!”
On they ran, till eventually the silhouettes of the girls could be seen ahead of them. The red light of Khrag’leMae barely lit the little rock formation they eventually approached that held the Twilight Gate. Rylek could now hear the beating of the Aesids’ wings, and to him it was the sound of approaching doom.
The girls were only a handful of paces ahead. They would reach the cave in seconds. But the closest Aesid were now near enough to throw their spears down, and the first pierced through Tresten’s coat. Altan lifted one arm to the Aesid and quickly dropped it; at the same time he made a motion with the other like he was throwing something at the cave. The front line of the Aesid crumbled to the ground, but the others continued to gain. Simultaneously the cave wall shattered so that the hidden way was now revealed. They were all in one group now, and they fled together into the cave. It was only moments before the Aesid would follow them inside.
“Selenor, your ring!” Altan called out.
“I don’t have it!” she cried.
Without another word, Altan lifted his hand again, and instantly the gate was activated. He then wrapped his long arms around the other four and together they jumped into the spinning blue orb and roughly landed back in the Forest of Contrary Light.
“Off the dais!” Altan commanded them, as he kept his arms wrapped around them, forcing them to continue running. Once they were off, he threw them from him and then turned to face the swirling Twilight Gate. With both hands raised towards the portal, he lowered his head. The pillars began to crumble as it was deactivated, and a large crack split through the dais. “Move away and take cover!” he called out to them as he turned around and fled the dais. Dark purple fires began to spark up as the pillars continued to crumble, collapsing in upon themselves. Then a great explosion rent the air with a loud blast and a wave of heat. Pieces of rock flew past the group as they lay huddled together behind the trunk of a flarefruit tree.
After everything had settled down, they rose from the ground and removed their coats. “Is everyone okay?” Lana asked.
Tresten half-smiled. “If history were always taught like this, it would be everyone’s favorite class,” he said with no hint of sarcasm.
Chapter Fourteen:
Truth and Consequences
“We have no time to lose,” Altan said. “Let us hurry on to the cottage.” He appeared to be a little wobbly on his feet as he began to walk away from them.
“Are you okay, Altan?” Rylek asked as he felt dizzy and queasy himself. The flarefruit was certainly not helping his condition.
“I’m wonderful,” Altan replied. “We simply need to return as soon as possible; I require time to think.” He then stopped and turned back to the others. “I am sorry,” he said, “I am forgetting about the turchura leaves.” He then brought the pouch out from his coat and handed each of them a leaf. “After our previous round of excitement, it is probably more necessary for some aid in physical stability than it was the first time we trekked through these woods.”
Rylek and the others removed their coats in the warm air. Though he had expected the color shift once they were in the Forest of Contrary Light again, he still found it alarming – and nauseating, though the turchura leaf was easing his stomach. The sky overhead was very nearly black, though he knew it could not be much later than early afternoon.
Tresten and Selenor stood at a distance, deep in conversation. Rylek could not hear what they were talking about, but Selenor was obviously agitated about something. Briefly she looked at him, but quickly turned away again. He knelt down to clean Faldrahil on the grass, shuddering as the pale green that covered the almost-black blade was removed in the pink-purple of the grass. The events of the day began to weigh heavily on his mind. Suddenly he thought of the crystalline orb he had secretly taken the night he and Tresten had snuck around Perdeisolen. Fearing it had been taken from him while he was unconscious in Khragzul, he slipped his hand in his pocket and was shocked and relieved to find it and the starpod torch still there. He toyed with the orb between his fingers.
Soon, he thought to himself. When I get some time to myself…
Lana interrupted his secret thoughts. “They took the Dawnstone and Twilightstone,” she said with tears in her eyes. “We’ve lost priceless relics! Why, oh why did we take them along with us?”
“Ouch, that’s hard,” he said, shaking his head. “But I don’t think you would have liked it if I had tried to stop you. Besides, they’re yours and I have no business telling you what to do with your own things.”
“I know. I’m not blaming you,” she said.
“Just be glad Tresten hasn’t said ‘I told you so,’” he said, forcing a smile.
“Yet,” she added. “Oh, he will - he will.”
“Well, at least we still have you both safe and harm-free,” Rylek said. “You and Selenor are far more valuable than some shiny rocks.”
“You’re sweet, Rylek, but what will we tell our mother when we get home?”
“We’ll find a way to get them back,” he said, with a confidence that surprised him. “I have no idea how or when, but we’ll do it.”
“But the Twilight Gate’s destroyed. How in the name of Mira can we ever go back?”
Before Rylek could postulate an answer, Altan approached them and looked hard at Lana. “Tell me about these stones that you and Selenor had in your possession,” he said.
“I don’t know much about them,” she said. “They are family heirlooms that our mother gave to Selenor and me for our birthday. Mine was a ruby set in a pendant for a necklace called the Dawnstone, and Selenor’s was a sapphire set in a band for a ring called the Twilightstone.”
“The Dawnstone and Twilightstone…” Altan repeated softly to himself. “They must be; they must surely be.” He then looked at her again. “They have natural formations in them that look to be pictures of the sun and the moons, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me, Lana, do you know how your mother came to possess them?”
She looked at Rylek before answering. “She didn’t really say. All I know is they have been passed down from mother to oldest daughter and so on for many generations.”
“I think our dad said it was a story that deserved a lot of time to tell correctly,” Rylek added.
“Yes, I would say so,” Altan said. “Please, whatever you do, do not mention to anyone that you ever had them, let alone that you lost them.”
“Why? Do you know something about them?” she asked. “Won’t you tell us the story that seems to be so important?”
“Not now,” he said with distant eyes. “It is a story that deserves a lot of time, remember? An
d for now there is much I need to think upon.”
“Can we at least pick your brain over everything we’ve just gone through?” Rylek asked. “We couldn’t talk while we were in Khragzul, and I’m sure we all have questions; I know I definitely do. Besides, maybe answering our questions will help you sort things out.”
“You are, of course, correct,” Altan said. “Very well! I will answer your questions. But we must talk while we walk, for I am weak and wish to hurry back to my dwelling.”
As they left the Twilight Gate behind them, Tresten walked next to Rylek. “Is Selenor alright?” Rylek asked him. “I saw you talking with her, and something seemed to be upsetting her.”
“Oh yeah, she’s fine,” he said. “You know how girls can be overly dramatic at times. Thankfully she’s not like that very often. I don’t think I’d be able to stand her if that were the case.”
Selenor had pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and Rylek watched it bounce as she walked ahead of him. He could not help but wonder what was on her mind. But for a reason he could not explain he felt too shy to talk with her and walked on in brooding silence instead.
***
“I thought you all had questions you were eager to ask of me,” Altan said.
They had been walking along for several minutes in total silence. Rylek felt as though he were trudging through a muddled fog of confusion and exhaustion. He had a lot on his mind, but most of it was things he wanted to keep to himself.
“I didn’t know we were asking questions,” Tresten said.
“I believe you were having private words with your sister when I made the offer,” Altan said.
The Children of Calm Page 25