Sapphire Ambition (Runics Book 2)

by Jeff Kish

  Peridot advises, “We must not get killed or captured, ourselves. It is time to retreat.”

  “N-No!” she cries, aghast. “I won’t let that bratty-”

  “You will,” he booms with an authority that dares defiance. “If you prefer, I can throw you back to Alleria.”

  “AARGH!” she screams as she spits at Di. “This is FAR from over, imp!” With that, the two retreat toward the west.

  Opal starts to run after them, but he falls to his knees, succumbing to the pain rippling through his body. He unleashes his remaining charge, but the bolt again veers to the rod left behind, and he screams in frustration.

  Before she can react to the retreat, Di finds herself overcome with dizziness. She grabs her head and squeezes her eyes shut to stop the world from spinning.

  Galen limps to her side. “What’s wrong?” Di doesn’t respond, and instead swoons as he hurries to catch her. “Opal, get over here!” he calls as he checks her breathing. Confirming she’s alive, he ensures the Allerians are still on the retreat before lying her down.

  “W-What’s wrong with her?” Opal asks in alarm.

  “I don’t know,” Galen replies. “Perhaps the general can awaken her?”

  “No!” Marmela cries as she and Rex arrive. “She must pursue Thayo! If she cannot…”

  Galen sees the pain in her eyes, and he cannot help a glance to where Praler’s body lies. “I understand, Commander, but…”

  Marmela shoves Rex away and crouches next to Di. “WAKE UP!” she shrieks, shaking the runic violently. “Please, please wake up…”

  Galen places his hand gently on her shoulder. “Marmela, we must retreat from this region with haste,” he says. He motions for Rex to take one arm, and the two lift the lightweight runic. Apologetically, he says, “Let’s move.”

  As Opal hurries after, Marmela remains on her knees, staring helplessly at the ground where Di had lain. “You won, Thayo,” she whispers. This ferocious clash of runics further terrifies her for what Talkem’s escape means for the future of Valvoren.

  Chapter 26

  “Wall! WALL!!”

  The warning startles Jem, who slams the brakes on the speeding craft. The wheels lock and screech while showering their trail with sparks. Her passenger stumbles forward, trying to grab onto anything to hold him in place, but the force is too great. The vehicle lurches to a stop, and Era sails over the front console and crashes into the tracks.

  “Era!” Jem shrieks as she frantically unstraps herself from the pilot’s seat.

  Her victim throws his hand in the air to wave off her concerns, though he can tell the impact left its mark. He slowly gets to his knees, failing to contain his groans.

  “Don’t move, you idiot!” she barks as she dismounts.

  “I’m… fine…” he insists, planting his hand on the wall next to him to brace himself, but the back of his hand glows in response to the touch. “Oh, shoot,” he mumbles in realization as the mystical door he’s touching crashes down on top of him, flooding the area with dust.

  Jem runs into the cloud, coughing and gasping for air. “Era! Where are you!?”

  The dust dissipates enough for her to make him out. Half-buried beneath the rubble, he wipes the dirt from his face and spits in a vain attempt to clean out his mouth. “Not my finest moment, huh?”

  Relieved, Jem extends a hand to help him up. “Not your worst moment, either.”

  “Thanks for that,” he says while brushing himself off. “Mind getting my back?”

  She crosses her arms in contempt. “No way am I touching dirt that old.”

  “Isn’t all dirt this old?”

  “Besides all that, aren’t you a super earth shaper now? Just shape it all off.”

  He pauses, realizing her analysis is correct, and he places his hand on his chest. As if a source of suction, his fingers draw the dirt from his clothes. Even the dust on his back is reeled in, and he extends his dirt-covered hand to Jem. “I take it back. This dirt feels really old.”

  “Har, har,” she retorts, turning her attention to the entrance looming before her. “So this is the chamber?”

  “Yep, hiding brilliantly behind a door, etched into a wall,” he remarks as he brushes his hand off. “How did you not see that coming, anyway?”

  “Shut up. I’m just a little tired, is all. I didn’t sleep for half the trip like you did.”

  “It was a half-day’s ride! You should have let me drive part of it.”

  “You’re too irresponsible for driving something like the Freight Bird.”

  “I’m not too- wait, we’re naming it the Freight Bird?”

  As they step through the entryway, light runes from above activate and bring illumination to the cavern. Jem shields her eyes, and she realizes they are no longer in a tunnel. “Era, what is this?”

  Her partner is awestruck by the sight above and below. Their track is now just one of many, each at a different elevation within the enormous chamber and embedded into a narrow strip of rock suspended between cavern walls. “This is… some kind of hub?” he wonders aloud.

  “How far underground are we?” she exclaims, pointing skyward. “And where do these other tracks go?”

  At the dome’s apex, the same dodecagram Era had seen in the last chamber is emblazoned, with all twelve runic symbols replacing the elemental symbols and a thirteenth in the center. His eyes fall to the symbol he had seen on Di, and then to the one from his own hand. The two are directly opposite each other, as if taunting Era with just how far away she is.

  “So we’re in the wastelands now?” Jem surmises, fumbling with the map device until the three-dimensional image displays. The blinking light is now in the chamber they had targeted to the south.

  Their journey nearly complete, Era’s heartrate picks up as he marches forward. Jem withdraws her light rune and pats her side to ensure her elemental blade is at the ready before plunging in.

  Doing their best not to look down, the intrepid explorers make their way across the extended bridge, and they push through a rusted door to enter the facility. When they do, more embedded light runes activate, as if sensing their presence, though many have long exhausted their elemental supply. The illumination is just enough to navigate the halls without being dependent on Jem’s rune, especially thanks to the metallic walls.

  As they search, Jem thinks this complex must have been abandoned in a rush, as desks remain covered with papers and clutter litters the floors. With so many artifacts lying about, she can’t help but believe this place could unlock much about the history of the Third Kingdom.

  After searching the room in vain, Era admits, “This is going to take a while. We don’t even know what we’re looking for.”

  Jem grimaces. “We should at least search all the floors. There’s one below and two above, right?”

  “Based on what we saw out there, at least,” Era remarks. “Let’s head up, I guess.”

  Wide and spacious, this level is reminiscent of the chamber at Lake Magnifica. Era starts to search through desk drawers, but a discreet door at one end catches Jem’s eye. As she approaches, she learns that it is yet another runic-marked dirt door, and she groans at the sight. “I hate these things.”

  “Better step back,” Era says, planting his hand against the door. For the first time, Jem clearly sees the symbol on the back of her partner’s hand. She can’t help a shudder.

  The door collapses at his touch, and a strong wind rushes through the entrance, dispersing the dust and bringing fresh air to the musty facility. “Is this… the outside?” Era gasps as he shields his eyes from the burning light of the sun.

  Though fresh, the air brings with it a foul odor. Jem plugs her nose and complains, “And here I thought the mustiness was bad.”

  Their exit is buried within a shallow cave which opens to a grassy island in the midst of a rotting swamp. Green sludge and a white foam floats on the stagnant water amidst a small forest of trees sprouting from the slimy depths. The filth stretch
es from horizon to horizon; there isn’t a sign of solid ground aside from the mass at their feet.

  “Gross,” Era says. “This is definitely a wasteland.”

  “Ugh, I don’t care what Di says. There is no way anyone could live out here,” Jem reasons.

  Era raises an eyebrow. “After exploring a man-made underground complex with a humanoid rune, you still refuse to believe in the Third Kingdom?”

  “I’m just making a point,” she says.

  “And your point is…?”

  “That… this is all so stupid!” she shouts. “Why would you live out here? What reason could possibly make you abandon solid ground, for crying out loud?”

  Era shrugs. “Must have been a good reason. Maybe they were born here?”

  “Or maybe they were desperate to escape the stupid nations to the north,” she suggests. “That’s a reason I could understand.”

  Era searches around the narrow island but finds nothing more than swamplands on all sides. “Want to bet this entire thing was made by an earth shaper?”

  “You credit earth shapers with everything,” she gripes. “Come on, let’s get back inside. Can you close this door so the stink doesn’t follow?”

  “I don’t think it smells that bad,” he says while following her in, “but no, I haven’t figured out a way to do it.” He rests his hand on the pile of dirt and tries to shape it back into a door, but it just collapses and again floods the hallway with dust.

  “Just leave it,” she resigns as she marches further inside.

  Era complies, happy to let the sunlight shine into the dank hallway. They head toward the stairs, but Era notices an etching at the far end. “Hey Jem, there’s another marking.”

  She groans. “You go do your thing. I’m standing back here.”

  He heads to the door and places his hand against it, but it swings open as a normal door. As a soft glow emanates from within, he exclaims, “Jem, I think this is it!” The chamber is smaller than the others, and, aside from the expansive window overlooking the train tracks outside, it contains four pulsing walls of light that extend to the ceiling. At the top of each is a carved symbol, representing one of the symbols from the dodecagram he saw earlier. One of them is Era’s.

  “There it is,” he says, scampering to the wall. “How do I open it?”

  “Like the other doors, maybe?” Jem suggests, her apprehension growing.

  “Worth a try,” he agrees, extending a hand. However, the moment he touches it, his hand is shocked and a loud snap echoes out as he yanks it back in pain. “Yeow! Not worth a try!”

  Jem glances around. “There has to be a way to open it, right?”

  Era’s eyes fall to a glossy, black panel on the wall. He cringes as he reaches forward, hoping this time to be met with a friendlier response. The panel glows, as does the symbol on his hand, and one of the light barriers immediately disengages with a low hum.

  “And there you go,” Jem says.

  “Yes, but what is it?” Era steps into the small chamber now revealed, eyeing the platform-like contraption set inside the wall on the back. “Is this where I was…?”

  A shiver runs down Jem’s spine. “This is it,” she whispers to herself.

  Era’s head spins as he takes in the imagery, and he leans on the pedestal in the center of the area. Below his feet is a wide etching of the symbol he can now call his own. Noticing the crevice in the pedestal in front of him, he sees a small etching of a hand next to it. “Here goes,” he says as he sticks his hand inside, and the hole begins to glow. Brighter and brighter it grows, and the floor begins to vibrate. He tries to pull out, but he’s somehow attached to the surface. “Jem!”

  “Era!?” Jem shouts as a loud buzzing noise emits, even to the point of shaking the walls. She tries to reach out to her trapped partner, but the light is too intense and she loses sight of him. Determined to find him, she squeezes her eyes shut and dashes forward, bumping into him from behind. She wraps her arms around him and pulls, but he doesn’t move. Her head is pounding from the noise, but she yanks with all her might to pull him free.

  Suddenly, the light and buzzing fades, and the two find themselves standing in the dark chamber once again. Jem awkwardly realizes she’s still grasping Era from behind, and she scrambles to back off and wave her hands around. “S-Sorry!”

  Her partner withdraws his hand, weakened by the event. “No… thanks Jem.” He pulls back his sleeve, surprised to find a bronze armlet extending from just below his elbow to his wrist. “What is this?”

  Jem turns her attention to the glowing green orb resting on the pillar behind him. Its soft glow is warm and inviting, and the emerald hue is the purest she’s ever seen. “More importantly, what is that?”

  He takes a deep breath. “This armlet… Di had something like it, right?”

  “Like I can remember that,” she says.

  “So maybe I’m prepped to be bound,” he suggests. “Do you have anything on your hand yet? Like that general guy did?”

  “No,” she confirms before eyeing the strange orb. “Then this is… the control thing?”

  He shrugs and reaches out to it, but he cannot touch it. Each time he tries, his hand stops short. With a smirk, he says, “Just like with Athena. I can’t touch it, Jem. Maybe you should try.”

  As Jem approaches the beautiful, glowing orb, she feels herself trembling. Everything she has seen, from Di’s slavery to the encounter with Athena, tells her that this is her last chance to escape what may claim her life. The chambers, the map, the Freight Bird, and the runics themselves are all part of a legacy perhaps better left forgotten. She reluctantly reaches out, wondering what her fate will be if she takes ‘ownership’ of Era.

  Era watches her fingers pause just short. “Jem?”

  She squeezes her eyes shut as tears stream down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Era. I can’t…”

  His brow furrows. “You can’t… what?”

  She withdraws her hand and wipes her eyes. “I’m tired of all this, Era. I want the military to forget who I ever was. I want to be a nobody again. Pursued by no one, desired by no one…”

  He places his hand on her shoulder. “Hey, now. No one wants to be undesired.”

  His touch only accentuates her pain as she lurches away. “I’ve almost died twice since I told you I’d bind you,” she continues. “Do you care that I’ll be even more targeted if I take control of you?”

  “I do!” he asserts. “We already talked about this. That’s why I promised to get you to Valvoren.”

  “But you haven’t once suggested we abandon this quest,” she says quietly, meeting his eyes, “because you care more about Fire, Di, and yourself than me.”

  Era finds himself unable to argue. It has continuously been his decision to push Jem forward despite the danger, but he can’t change the fact that he needs her. To come this far, to be inches away from his goal and yet faced with failure ignites an intense fear. “No,” he says, “Jem, you have to do this.”

  “Are you as deaf as you are stupid?” she snaps. “Besides, maybe you’re stronger now. Do you even need me?”

  The prospect hadn’t occurred to Era. He plants his hand against the metallic floor and closes his eyes. “Something is definitely different,” he mumbles. “I can feel… everything!”

  She raises an eyebrow. “Everything?”

  “Not just the metal surface, but the rock below it. Even the muddy swamp floor above our heads.” With a satisfied grin, he shapes a small portion of the metallic floor into a tiny statue of a horse. “It feels like sand to me,” he says in awe. “I can… I can shape it all!” He stands in excitement and beams. “Jem, if that process made me stronger, maybe we can leave the controller thing behind!”

  Jem crosses her arms in contempt. “After all that, you didn’t even need me?” she growls.

  He places his hand on the panel, trying to reactivate the barrier, but it has no effect. “I was hoping to lock it back up,” he says before looking to his
partner. “Jem, I’m sorry for, well…”

  His words are like needles in her heart. “Keep your fake apology, Era. You’ve made your decision, so just leave me alone, already.”

  “But Jem, I-”

  Suddenly, a loud rumble rolls by above them before fading, as if something just zipped by overhead.

  “What was that?” Era asks, looking to the ceiling.

  “It came from outside,” Jem says. “Was that a sky boat?”

  Era perks up. “Do you think… Could they be bringing Fire here?” Jem’s heart sinks as he glances to the remaining symbols and asks, “Which one was Fire’s again?”

  She sighs. “Go find out who it is. Go save Fire. It’s what you care most about, right? Saving all your other friends?” Though irritated, he says nothing and hurries from the chamber, leaving Jem alone in the soft light of the ancient runes. Aggressively, she kicks Era’s shaped figurine, cracking it off the ground and sending it flying across the room as she wonders how she ever found comfort in her selfish partner’s presence. Sinking to the floor, Jem buries her face into her arms, humming until the music turns to quiet sobs.

  * * *

  The sky boat lands, and Talkem kicks open the door. He steps outside as Fire continues to writhe and scream, giving Hyrel a handful as he forces her from the craft.

  The former commander is dismayed at the sight before him. “Glerym! Where have you landed us?” he demands as his golden-flaked eyes take in the endless expanse of swamplands.

  “This was as close as I could get,” the Eagle pilot says as he finishes the shutdown procedure and dismounts. “It’s getting dark, but the landmarks were clear. Our target is half a mile to the south.”

  “It might as well be a hundred miles in this environment,” Talkem laments, glancing back to Ospif, who is peeking around the edge of the sky boat door. “Release his gag,” Talkem orders.

  The pilot obeys, and Ospif coughs and spits in disgust. “That was the most vile piece of cloth I’ve ever-”