by Hoyt, Joshua
“Does everyone have their codes to deactivate the field?” John asked.
Tom nodded in the affirmative and John smiled. He and Kristiana began to walk down their tunnel. Cody gave one last look at Tanya and then gestured to Tom and Aithnea to follow as he headed down their tunnel.
Tom began the long walk down the tunnel, wondering what they would meet ahead. The tunnel was transparent and appeared to be made of glass. When Tom first stepped onto the tunnel he slowly placed one foot on the glass and gradually put weight on it before stepping further onto the glass floor. Tom began to quicken his pace as he moved farther down the hall gaining confidence in the floors ability to hold him.
“Tom, it’s easier if you don’t look down,” Aithnea said, smiling at him.
“The problem is, I’ve already looked down and now I can’t stop.”
“Well, whatever it takes, you need to hurry up. At this pace I’ll be a grandpa before we reach the tower.”
Tom smiled back and quickened his pace.
After walking for some time Tom began to see shapes begin to appear down the tunnel. The three walked for several more yards when Cody held up his hand. “Do you see someone at the end of the tunnel?” Cody whispered.
Tom squinting said, “I think so.”
Aithnea began to wave her hands in the dance of magic and chanted, closing her eyes. After a few minutes she opened her eyes. “There are four men at the end of the hall. Three of them are like the ones that we fought getting into the palace and the fourth is wearing black robes, he is unarmed.”
Tom felt a tingling sensation around the edges of his mind. It was as if there was a finger poking at his brain trying to find a way through a defensive barrier. He closed his eyes. “We need to hurry. The man in the robes must be a psyonicist and he is trying to get through the defenses of Xantar.”
Cody pulled his sword from its scabbard. “Let’s go before he gets through.” He began running with a yell.
Tom pulled his weapon and ran after Cody with Aithnea close behind him. Within a few minutes they had reached the three men waiting for them. Tom could feel the tingling sensation beginning to grow around his mind, feeling as if there were many fingers now poking and prodding at his brain.
Cody swung his sword toward the first guard and as metal hit metal the noise echoed loudly in the glass tunnel. The force of the blow knocked the guard off balance causing him to back up several paces while the next guard engaged Cody.
Tom attacked another guard in front of him, trying to stay focused while the tingling sensation turned to a warm sensation that increased in heat. Tom felt the heat of two magic missiles zip past him slamming into the guard he was fighting and then heard a thump behind him.
The guard in front of him dropped to the ground as Tom turned to see that Aithnea had fallen unconscious. Tom turned back to the fight trying to ignore the ever increasing heat that surrounded his mind and the sight of Aithnea lying on the ground. He charged past Cody and the guard he was fighting toward the next guard in his way. The guard swung at him as Tom dove to the side of him and behind him sliding on his back farther down the tunnel.
The guard turned on Tom, swinging his sword down as Tom jumped to his feet, raising his own weapon to defend against the blow. The sword hit Tom’s sword hard, sending a shiver of pain through his arm and causing him to lose his grip on the sword. The guard lifted his sword for a killing blow when Tom kicked out, smashing the guards left knee.
The guard screamed out in pain as his leg buckled and he fell to the ground. Tom quickly jumped to his feet grabbing his sword and ran the rest of the way down the hall toward the black robed man. He yelled as he swung his sword toward the man. The man sidestepped the blow causing Tom to crash into the wall behind him.
Tom suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted and his mind began to clear and the pain eased. The pain suddenly returned and he felt as if he had just gone through a boxing match with a much bigger opponent. He crumpled to the floor from the pain as he felt his brain get smashed over and over again.
He turned onto his back and looked at the black robed man who was laughing. The man’s smile suddenly turned to a grimace as Tom saw a sword point protruding from the man’s gut. As the sword was pulled from his gut he slowly fell to the ground with a thud. Tom saw a bloodied Cody standing above the man with a small grin on his face,
“Here I am to save you once again.”
Tom tried to smile back but his head was pounding so hard that he could barely keep his eyes open. He felt Cody next to him right before he blacked out.
Tom woke a moment later looking into the most beautiful face he had ever seen.
“Tom, are you all right?” Aithnea asked.
With the pain subsiding Tom was able to give a weak smile. “I think I’ll live ... regrettably.”
Aithnea smiled at him and hit him softly in the shoulder. “You better. You’re the one that got us into this mess after all.”
Tom began to get up and Aithnea helped him stand. “I don’t want to ever go through that again. It was like I was getting hit over and over in the head,” Tom said.
Cody patted Tom softly on the back. “I think when you distracted him he concentrated solely on you, which allowed me to concentrate on the guards.”
Tom nodded and looked at the door set in the wall. “Do you think there’ll be more?”
Cody rubbed his shoulder. “I hope not. I don’t think I have much left in me.”
“I agree. My spells are growing weaker. It is getting harder to concentrate and form the spells in my mind,” she said.
Tom stood up straight again and looked at Cody and then the door. “Who’s first?”
Cody stepped forward. “I’ll go first as long as you back me up with some fire.”
Tom nodded with a smile. Cody kicked the door open jumping through the entry room with his sword raised.
Tom came through next. He lowered his weapon. “It looks as if our luck has finally changed.”
The room was small with a strange panel of lights and buttons on one side. Tom walked across the room and examined the panel. “I guess we better get this done quickly,” he said.
Cody walked across the room and pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket. After a few minutes he began pushing buttons. Lights, above the buttons, changed from red to green. “Well that’s that, we better get back.”
Cody turned. Tom and Aithnea followed him back down the hall.
“I hope that the others didn’t have any problems,” Aithnea said.
Grabbing her hand, Tom and Aithnea jogged down the hallway toward the central chamber.
They reached the chamber quickly and saw that Tanya and Caspin had already made it back.
Tanya was pulling the sun stone from its box and was preparing to detonate it. She looked up at them and relief washed across her face. “We were worried about you. John and Kristiana have already descended the stairs. They are waiting to hold off anyone who tries to stop us from getting down.”
Even Caspin’s mood seemed to brighten slightly when the three entered the chamber.
“We met up with a few guards,” Cody said as he walked toward Tanya.
Tanya finished the final preparations and pulled a mask from a pouch at her side. “It’s time. We’ll give you a good head start,” Tanya said. “Remember to keep your masks on until the light has died down.”
Tom pulled his mask out and put it on as he headed toward the stairs.
“Caspin,” Cody said, “I’ll wait with Tanya. You can go with the others.”
“Thank you Cody,” Caspin replied. He limped toward the stairs.
“Caspin, you’re hurt,” Aithnea said walking over to him.
“I got hit with an arrow as we engaged the enemy. I’ll be all right.” he said hesitantly.
With the help of Aithnea, Tom was able to get Caspin quickly down the stairs to where John and Kristiana were waiting. Within minutes of reaching the bottom Tom could hear Cody and Ta
nya running down the stairs.
The light that exploded around them was excruciating. Tom put his hands to his face to try and block the light that burned his eyes. The light lasted for only a few minutes. Tom could only imagine what happened to those who were not ready for it.
“Let’s go,” John said.
Tom followed John as he ran toward the double doors and down the stairs that led to the entrance. Within minutes the group was running through the courtyard. He nearly ran into John when he suddenly stopped. John had his sword and pistol out within seconds of stopping.
“So we meet again,” a woman’s voice said.
Chapter 23:
The color from Tom’s face drained as he saw Ahti standing between them and the exit of the courtyard. The woman was not very tall but there was something unnatural about her that frightened him. Her long jet black hair mesmerized him as it flowed in the light breeze.
Kristiana stepped up to John, “You’ll not find us so easy to defeat this time,” she said.
“There doesn’t need to be a fight, all we want is the boy,” the witch hissed. “Give him to us and we’ll let the rest of you go.”
“Never! We will not allow you to corrupt him as you have corrupted yourself,” Kristiana said.
Tom felt Aithnea and Cody step closer to him as if they were trying to shield him from the danger that was growing around them. There were several dark elves next to the witch and Tom could see that number growing as Kristiana and Ahti talked. Immediately around the witch were men from the red dragon clan with their menacing looks and cold weapons.
“You will regret your decision Kristiana,” the witch said. “There’s something coming that is much bigger than all of you.” The witch smiled as she spoke, filling Tom with dread and apprehension.
Tom tried to imagine something more deadly and menacing than what they were already facing. He pulled his weapons from his belt and began to clear his mind trying to relieve some of the tension that was becoming thick around him.
The witch’s arms began to move in chaotic motions and her lips moved repetitively. The hair on Tom’s arms and back of neck began to rise as he felt the air begin to fill with electricity. Tom’s mind reached out to Aithnea and they began to weave their energy together in preparation for the attack.
Threads of energy began to fill the space between their small group and the horde of enemies that lay on the other side of the courtyard. Suddenly a ball of electricity shot from the witch’s outstretched hand slamming into the barrier of energy that Tom and Aithnea had created.
Kristiana’s polished dance ended with a sudden burst of energy that was hurled at Ahti. She dove to the side as the bolt slammed into several men standing behind her. The men fell to the ground dying instantly. The bolt went through them and continued through several more rows of men.
Tom began to fill his mind with the fire that he had become accustomed to, weaving in the energy that Aithnea leant him. The flame grew in intensity within his mind and then appearing in the air in front of him. He hurled the ball at the oncoming men, engulfing them in flames. The men screamed in pain as they hysterically ran around the court yard trying to put the flames out.
Several men fell as shots rang out from Cody’s and John’s pistols coupled with the arrows that Tanya let fly in rapid succession. Many of the men died on impact of the lethal projectiles that slammed into them. Others, though, lay on the ground clutching their wounds trying to stop the life blood that flowed freely out of their bodies.
Tom felt Aithnea preparing a spell and he weaved his own energy into it. Tom saw Aithnea begin to move her arms gracefully through the air as she prepared her spell. When the spell was completed Tom felt energy leaving his body and shoot out toward the oncoming onslaught of men and elves. The energy split into thousands of tiny pieces peppering a large group of men. Tiny spots of blood instantly appeared on their faces and exposed skin. Tom saw many of them fall to the ground writhing in pain.
The mass of men rushing them was like a huge wave falling on the beach. Each time the wave hit, Tom felt as if a small bit of him had eroded and that soon there would be nothing left. The next wave came and Tom discharged his pistol dropping one man only to have two more appear in his place. He saw Aithnea falter slightly as she struggled to maintain another barrier that she had created to stop yet another attack by Ahti.
Caspin rushed past Tom changing from man to werewolf as he passed. Caspin tore brutally into the men that were attacking him. Many of the men scattered as they saw the monstrous creature coming toward them. Caspin was leaving a path of battered men and elves as he fought his way toward the witch. Cody and John followed the path that Caspin left giving him support along the way.
The field that Aithnea held broke as Ahti sent forth a huge ball of energy that hit Caspin square in the chest knocking him to the ground. Tom shot several magic missiles toward the witch which were deflected by her own barrier. Caspin was back up in a frenzy as he continued to clear the path toward her. The dark elves and men that stood to protect the witch were beginning to fall back from the onslaught of the three men coming at them.
Tom’s mind began to go numb as Tanya and he created a physical barrier of flashing swords between Kristiana, Aithnea and the foes that were able to get past Caspin’s wrath. Tom’s arms felt like lead as he continued to lift his sword, now having to use both hands to hold it. He had dropped the pistol after discharging it. Tom swung down again and again, not wanting to continue but knowing that if he didn’t they would overtake Aithnea.
He was no longer able to maintain the fire around his blade because of his lack of energy and the weakness that was spreading through his entire body. He slipped and an elf was able to cut a long slice down his left arm. He cried out in agony as he felt his arm turn to fire where he had been cut.
He knew that it was only a matter of minutes before he would fall. Another sword hit him, but this time Tom was able to minimize the damage by rolling out of the way. He still felt the bite of the cold steel. The man that hit him fell at his side with an arrow in his back. Tom looked up in surprise and saw that many more elves and men were beginning to fall from arrows that were protruding from their bodies and limbs.
The men that had surrounded him were now regrouping around the witch as many more fell. Tom jumped to his feet. Feeling lightheaded from the loss of blood he nearly fell back down. He saw that Caspin had fallen and that Cody and John had their backs to each other fighting over the top of his body. Tom struggled toward where Tanya was fighting several men; she was desperately swinging her weapons defensively, trying to hold them back.
Tom stopped as he heard a whooshing sound coming from behind him that was increasing in noise and intensity. As he turned, he saw the witch standing only a few yards from where John and Cody fought desperately over the body of Caspin. Ahti had a wide grin on her face as she looked to where the sound was coming from.
The ground was now shaking and Tom looked in horror as the palace looked like stiff jello wobbling to and fro. Suddenly there was a loud cracking noise and Tom saw a huge fracture begin to descend from the middle of the palace. It slowly made its way to the base of the palace. Huge slabs of the walkways that reached out to the towers began to break off and fall to the ground all around them.
Tom’s mind froze as he looked in horror at a large slab that had broken from the side of the palace. The slab was falling toward Aithnea and Kristiana. The two had fallen from the unstable ground that was shaking all around them. Tom closed his eyes and with every ounce of energy that he had left sent it toward Aithnea. The slab slammed into the ground on top of where the two had been.
“No,” Tom cried out as he moved as quickly as he could toward the slab. He ignored the chaos and panic that was rippling through the men and elves as he desperately tried to make his way to Aithnea. He fell to the ground as another shockwave rippled through the battle ground, knocking full grown men around as if they were merely rag dolls.
Tom wip
ed at the steady flow of blood that was running down his face as he struggled toward the pile of rubble. Crawling on all fours he reached the pile, bloody tears freely falling from his face.
“Aithnea,” Tom’s voice cracked as he yelled for her.
On his knees he pulled a boulder from the top of the heap sending it down the side of the pile. His fingers scratched and bleeding pried at yet another stone that lay on top of his friend. With shaking arms and barely able to breathe through the smoke that surrounded him, he pulled on another boulder but was unable to move it. He collapsed.
Tom lay on top of the rubble gasping for breath, seeing nothing but death and carnage, he slowly closed his eyes. “Aithnea,” was all he was able to say before everything went black.
Chapter 24:
Am I dead? Where am I?
He looked around the room that he stood in, only seeing white. It was so white in the room that he could not tell where the floor and ceiling hit the walls. He felt no pain, his hands and face were clean and he smelled a soft scent of roses in the room. Tom looked around the room; still seeing nothing he began to walk forward, or at least what he thought was forward.
He felt at peace. It was a peace that he had never felt before in his life. He smiled slightly and his heart was full of hope. He couldn’t tell if he was walking on solid ground or air as he continued forward. His body felt comfortable, not too hot and not too cold. Tom could feel a warm breeze on his cheek as he walked, the breeze was as if a soft hand was caressing the side of his face bringing an even greater feeling of peace and comfort to his soul.
He felt no sense of urgency as he walked and no sense of purpose, only that walking felt good. He whistled a tune. He wasn’t sure were he had heard it from but only that it seemed familiar to him. The tune was a happy cheerful tune and he was surprised that he was even able to whistle. He remembered that as a child he had always tried to whistle but was unable to.