Fire Keep

by J. Scott Savage

  She finished off the last of a pin fruit tart that was nearly as big as her head, and Riph Raph flapped his ears. “If you ever look at me the way you’re eyeing that roasted goose, I’m flying for my life.”

  Kyja elbowed him. “Shush. I can’t help it. I’m starving.”

  “Tell me again about the Dark Circle’s headquarters,” High Lord Broomhead said.

  Marcus shrugged. “There’s not much to tell. I never saw where they took me. It seemed to be underground. But I’m not sure about that.”

  “Tide was there?” Cascade asked, his expression grim.

  “Tide, Nizgar-Gharat, and Calem. I don’t think they believe in the Master’s cause, but they’re convinced that his side is the strongest.”

  High Lord Broomhead put his head in his hands. “All they need now is a fire elemental, and they’ll be able to open the doorway.”

  “That won’t be hard to find,” Magma growled. “If Chaos hasn’t joined them already, he will soon enough. He has always been drawn to evil.”

  Master Therapass tugged on his beard. “Graehl?”

  Kyja put down her fork, realizing Graehl wasn’t there. “Where is he?”

  Marcus stared at his hands and shook his head.

  Kyja looked around the table. Graehl and Master Therapass had been like fathers to her. “Someone tell me. Where is Graehl?”

  “I would have said something before,” Marcus said. “But you didn’t know who he was. He died making sure the Dark Circle didn’t know what we were doing.”

  “Died?” Kyja suddenly felt far too full. Her stomach lurched. “How can Graehl be dead? What did he have to do with any of this?”

  All eyes in the room went to Master Therapass. The wizard blinked slowly. “Even before you freed the air elementals, it became clear that getting into Fire Keep would be a problem. Lanctrus-Darnoc had been researching it and had discovered that there was no direct path from Farworld to Fire Keep.”

  He glanced at Kyja. “This was before Divum revealed the way you took. Not knowing that it was an option—and unwilling to ask either of you to take that risk if I’d known about it—I sent several of my trusted associates to scout out other options. Graehl asked to explore the Windlash Mountains. He was almost sure that a portal to the realm of shadows was there, and we’d heard rumors of the barrier between the realm and Fire Keep being thin.

  “Once he saw how heavily the Dark Circle was guarding the portal, he came up with a plan to get one or both of you inside. I thought it was far too risky for the two of you, and for Graehl. But when we realized that Kyja was trapped . . . we didn’t seem to have much choice.”

  She put a hand to her mouth. “I’m to blame for his death.”

  “No.” Marcus took her hand, blinking away the tears that filled his eyes. “He loved you, and he would have done anything to help us. But he did it because he believed in fighting against everything the Dark Circle stands for. The last thing he said to me was, ‘Hard things.’ He did what he did because it was right, even if it was hard.”

  Kyja squeezed her eyes shut, but tears leaked out anyway. Sometimes she wished she could block the memories again. The pain was too much. Too many people were getting hurt. They had to stop the Dark Circle once and for all.

  “About the realm of shadows,” Marcus said. He glanced toward Master Therapass, clearly uncomfortable about something. “I met a man who claimed to be my . . . my father. And he told me a story about you.” He bit his lip. “And your brother.”

  The wizard’s face tightened. “What did he tell you?”

  Marcus told them what happened between the time he’d entered the realm of shadows and the time he’d arrived in Fire Keep. Kyja had heard parts of the story after she’d pulled him over, but it took on a new meaning now that she had her memories back.

  His story was almost impossible to believe. Master Therapass and the head of the Dark Circle—brothers? How could that be? And how must Marcus have felt to discover that his mother was dead and his father was a, a monster? She’d remembered discovering that her mother had loved her and had been searching for her. To learn that your only living parent cared about you only as a means of destroying two worlds? She couldn’t imagine the pain that must have caused him. Must still be causing him. She squeezed his hand.

  When Marcus had finished, he asked, “Is it true?”

  Master Therapass nodded slowly. “A few of the facts are wrong, but for the most part, yes. The man you know as the Master is my brother. We discovered a link of some kind between Farworld and Earth. We became obsessed with finding a way to travel between worlds. I had no idea where my brother’s interests lay until it was too late.”

  “And he is—my father?” Marcus could barely say the word. He was embarrassed and disgusted that such a sick individual could be related to him in any way.

  “When I realized you were tied to the realm of shadows, I began to suspect who your father might be.”

  Marcus stared at his hands. It was true then. His only living parent was a monster. “I always hoped my parents were—I don’t know—noble. Or at least good. How can you trust the son of a man like . . . well, like he is?”

  Master Therapass pointed a finger at him. “You parents were noble. Do not doubt that for a second. Your mother and father had a grand dream of uniting two worlds. Your father’s mind has been warped by pain and anger, but that does not change the fact that once upon a time, he was an honorable man with a noble goal. And no man or woman is ever completely beyond hope.”

  “But he wants to destroy Earth and Farworld,” Marcus said.

  The wizard nodded. “Yes. And we must stop him.”

  Kyja stood up. “Mr. Z said that Farworld, Earth, and the realm of shadows are like powder kegs about to explode. What can we do about it? We have all of the elementals; why haven’t we opened the drift? Let’s do it now, before they get the chance.”

  “It’s not that easy.” The wizard rolled a map out across the table. “Based on our research, the drift can be opened in only one place—a gate located here.” He pointed to a spot near the forest of Before Time, slightly outside a city called Windshold.

  Marcus sucked in his breath.

  “Isn’t that—” Kyja began.

  Marcus looked pale. “The city where I was nearly killed. Where I lost my mother.”

  “I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” Master Therapass said. “My guess is that at the very least, your mother was aware of the gate’s existence. I think she was trying to find a way to get you to Earth.”

  “What are we waiting for?” Divum asked. “If we know where it is, let’s go.”

  Cascade stared intently at the wall. “The Dark Circle must know too. They’ve assembled a massive army. I count at least five hundred Thrathkin S’Bae and ten times that many undead.”

  Master Therapass nodded. “I sent the stone warriors and wizards as soon as I confirmed the location. That’s one of the places Tankum and I scouted while Marcus was training. But they won’t arrive until late tomorrow. By then, it may be too late.”

  Magma slammed his mace on the floor, sending a crack all the way up into the stone wall. “I’ll gather all of the fire elementals that I can, and we’ll take the fight to their doorstep.”

  Lanctrus-Darnoc shook their heads. “Too risky,” said the fox.

  The boar spoke next. “If the Dark Circle manages to open the drift, they will have the power to destroy any elementals in the area.”

  Kyja leaned forward. “What do you mean? I thought it was only a door.”

  The fox and boar looked at the wizard. He nodded and said, “Go ahead. It’s time everyone knew.”

  “A great power source lies between the two worlds,” Lanctrus said. “We discovered it when we were looking for a passage to Fire Keep. The source appears to have existed for a very long time.”

  “It may be what your father is planning on using to blow up Earth and Farworld,” Darnoc said. “If the source is accessed with light magic .
. . We are not entirely sure what will happen. But if it is opened with Dark Magic, the Dark Circle will have power we can’t imagine. It may have been their plan all along to have you free the elementals to give them access.”

  “What’s our plan then?” Marcus asked.

  Master Therapass waved his wand, and a line raced across the map from Terra ne Staric to the forest of Before Time appraching the gate from the west. Another line moved more slowly, coming toward the gate from the east. “All of the elementals except for those at this table and a small group of Aerisians will barricade themselves in their keeps. Should the Dark Circle prevail, it will be up to the elementals to find a way to stop them. The air elementals will fly those of us here who are willing—along with a contingent of our best wizards and warriors—to the forest tonight, hopefully avoiding detection. After taking us to the forest, all the Aerisians but Divum will return to Air Keep We will launch a surprise attack at dawn, attempting to engage the Dark Circle long enough for the stone army to arrive.”

  “A few dozen against thousands?” Cascade asked.

  “We’ve also asked Icehold for all the help they can send,” Master Therapass said. “They have the only army close enough. But we haven’t heard from them yet.”

  “And we will have elementals,” Divum said.

  High Lord Broomhead tapped his fingers on the table. “We have to assume that they will have elementals too, as well as the Master and at least one Summoner. Attacking them now may be the only chance we have, but the odds are still strongly against us.”

  Magma slammed his mace head into the palm of his hand. “When do we leave?”

  Marcus lingered in the room until he and Master Therapass were the only ones remaining.

  “You have a question?” the wizard asked, carefully rolling up the map and tucking it and the wand into his robe.

  Marcus wasn’t sure how to approach the subject, so he just went ahead and said it. “The Master told me that he was the one who put the brand on my shoulder.”

  Master Therapass nodded slowly. “I hadn’t heard that before.”

  “Then it’s a lie.” Marcus slumped against the back of his chair with relief.

  “I didn’t say that. My brother and I discovered the prophecy at the same time we were researching Earth and Farworld. We found many versions of the story, but the one constant was the mark. The amulet I gave to Kyja was found on the other side of the forest of Before Time. Tankum and I went to see you because we’d heard about your mark. I can see how it might have been placed on you when you and your mother were kidnapped, without her being aware of it.”

  “Then for all you know, I’m not the savior that was prophesied. This might all be for nothing.”

  The wizard smiled. “And the fact that you have managed to free all four elementals is coincidence?”

  “That only makes it that much worse.” Marcus sighed. “We’ve managed to gather all of the elementals, start a worldwide war, have people give their lives for us, and it all might be a mistake. I may be nothing more than a kid who had a brand put on his arm by the most evil man in the world. I may be a complete fraud.”

  Master Therapass walked around the table and sat by Marcus. “Everyone has to decide for themselves who they are. I once heard a saying that went something like, ‘A man is born with lips and gums, nose and ears, fingers and thumbs. It’s not what he’s given that makes his sums, but where he goes and what he becomes.’ There’s one thing I never heard in any of the versions of the prophecy. Do you know what that is?”

  Marcus shook his head.

  “How the chosen child got the mark in the first place.”

  35: The Final Battle

  Marcus hadn’t seen a lot of forests, but those that he had usually started out thin, with sparse smaller trees, bushes, and grass turning into thicker trees, and eventually full-on woods. The forest of Before Time was nothing like that. One minute there was grass and newly bloomed flowers, and the next minute, grass was replaced by trees so big around that twenty men with linked arms would have been unable to circle one of their massive trunks.

  The last time he and Kyja had been this far north, Icehold had been bitterly cold and blanketed with snow. In the last two weeks, the weather had changed. The snow was gone, but its melting had left the ground wet and swampy, and the early morning air was so cold that both he and Kyja shivered under their leather armor and heavy cloaks.

  “Any sign of the Icehold army?” High Lord Broomhead asked.

  “They have not left their city walls,” Cascade said.

  The high lord sighed and paced across the pine-needle-covered ground. “We can’t put this off any longer.”

  As Master Therapass and Lanctrus-Darnoc entered the clearing, the high lord tensed and asked, “Has the fire elemental joined the rest of the Dark Circle army?”

  “No,” Lanctrus said. “We were able to get quite close, viewing them through nearby plants, and though the other three elementals are gathered together, there is no sign of the Pyrinth.”

  Master Therapass pulled out his wand. “My brother and the Summoner are missing as well, which leads me to believe that they have gone to get Chaos. They could return at any moment, and we will be too late.”

  Magma bared his teeth in a fiery grin. “I’m ready to go now. I can’t wait to try my mace on a few dark wizards.”

  High Lord Broomhead stared from the trees to the open field beyond, where close to a hundred campfires burned. “I can’t ask my friends to go their deaths.”

  “You won’t have to,” Master Therapass said. “I believe they’ve made that decision for themselves.”

  Out of the woods came the fifty men and women who had flown in with the air elementals the night before.

  Eden, the short but fierce red-headed captain of the guard, held her sword out. “My lord, it is almost dawn. We are ready to fight.”

  The high lord looked over the men and women. Even to Marcus, the group looked tiny compared to what they were going up against.

  “Do you all make this decision of your own free will?” Broomhead asked.

  “We do,” the group said as one.

  “I would not think less of any of you who would rather stay back,” he said. “If you do not wish to fight, you may leave with honor.” When none of the men and women left, he nodded. “Very well. Prepare for battle.”

  “That’s what I like to hear,” Magma said, flexing his fiery muscles.

  The high lord turned to Divum. “Were you able to set any traps?”

  The Aerisian laughed and turned herself into hundreds of tiny weapons, swinging and stabbing. “They will have a few surprises when they wake up.”

  As the group began moving out of the forest, Marcus and Kyja headed forward too. Master Therapass caught them before they reached the tree line. “I’m sorry, but you’re too valuable to risk. I need you to stay here.”

  “We have to fight,” Marcus said. “We’re shorthanded enough as it is.”

  Kyja drew her sword. “I can fight, and Marcus’s health has improved so much. With my sword and his magic, we could be a big help.”

  Riph Raph flew down from a nearby tree. “I think you’d better listen to the wizard. I’ll stay behind to look after you. In case anything breaks through the lines.”

  “I’m sorry,” Master Therapass said. “I can’t let you into the battle. We’ll try to clear a path to the gate. It’s a flat stone circle raised slightly off the ground in the center of the camp. When we do, we’ll gather you and the four elementals and attempt to open the drift. Do not leave here unless you can see the gate has been cleared. Will you promise to do that, or must I need to leave someone behind to keep an eye on you?”

  Marcus and Kyja looked at each other.

  “Fine,” Marcus said.

  “We’ll stay behind,” Kyja agreed.

  The wizard appeared skeptical.

  “We promise,” Kyja said. “We won’t leave the woods unless we see a clear opening to the gate.”
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  “Very well. Be safe. I hope we meet again soon.” Master Therapass turned and joined the rest of the warriors and wizards.

  Marcus and Kyja edged up to the trees so they could get a better view of what was happening. High Lord Broomhead divided the people into four groups, each with a combination of wizards, warriors, and one elemental.

  “Group one will go to the right, to flank the camp. Group two will circle to the left. Draw as much of the army toward Icehold as you can. Hopefully the city will come to your aid. The third group will strike at the center, and the fourth will take and hold the gate. Any questions?”

  When there were none, he lowered his voice. “We are going to try a stealth approach,” he said. “Get as close to the tents as you can before attacking.”

  “Right flank, attack!” Magma raised his mace and charged toward the camp, screaming at the top of his lungs. The flaming creature was impossible to miss in the dark; alarms sounded, and men came running from their tents.

  As if someone had lit a string of firecrackers, explosions sounded from all over the camp. Tents burst into flame, and charred clothing and supplies flew into the air.

  Divum grinned. “So much for stealth.”

  Standing with their backs pressed against a tree as big around as a house, Kyja and Marcus watched the battle begin. Even from where they stood, the fight was clearly one-sided. Magma swung his mace as he charged into the mass of dark creatures and wizards. Every swing sent bodies flying, but each space he cleared quickly closed around him, filled with more of the Dark Circle’s soldiers. It was like watching a spark floating in the middle of an endless black sea.

  Explosions shook the ground as Master Therapass and Lanctrus-Darnoc used land magic to blow chunks of rock and dirt into the air. But for every one of their spells, dozens of Thrathkin S’Bae wizards returned fire.

  Kyja couldn’t stand waiting and watching as her friends fought without her. She could tell that Marcus felt the same way; his hands fidgeted on his staff, and he kept moving his foot as if it was all he could do to keep from racing into the fight.