by D N Meinster
This time, however, she was not able to expose the unknown. The balls of light revealed only the extent of the abyss as they whizzed away, and before long, disappeared entirely. Rikki shuddered as the other lights faded and left her with only the glow coming from her staff. It truly did seem endless. But there was only one way to be certain.
Rikki lifted up her leg and took one step forward. The bottom of her foot hit something, but she couldn't see what it was even when she held her staff right up to it. After taking another few steps, she ascertained that she would be able to maneuver in the place, even if she didn't know how she was able to. After taking another few steps, she resolved to continue onward in this direction, hoping she'd run into something in the darkness.
She didn't look down as she kept going, and tried not to overthink how she was walking in the first place. "Point me true, Magenine," Rikki would whisper every once in a while, hoping the Goddess would help her find a way to escape the abyss.
After what had to be several hours of uninterrupted wandering, she took a short break. Looking back, she saw only the same blackness that lie ahead. This was not going well.
However, she figured she'd make it out of here at some point. The Goddess wouldn't let her be stranded in darkness forever, would She?
No, there were still four Keys out there, and Hatswick was free to gather them all. If it came to it, Rikki was confident Magenine would reach down and move her back to where she belonged, just so Neanthal wouldn't be released from his prison. But then why hadn’t She done that by now? They were already trying to catch up with Hatswick, and she was losing even more time the longer she was stuck in this place.
"Magenine!" Rikki shouted, her voice dissipating almost instantly.
Rikki resumed her walk. If this was Oblivion, she knew that it ran into Faunli at some point. Therefore, it only made sense to keep going. She might make it back even without shifting.
But the longer she stayed in the darkness, the more intensely it fed on any sense of hope she had. What if she was stuck here forever? She'd left Doren and Aros alone together. Aros was still so fragile, capable of reverting back to the unhinged aggressor that had briefly attacked them in Neanthal's Hamlet. He needed constant consolation and reassurance, and she was the only one willing to offer that to him. And Doren...
Rikki had grown up with him and seen him almost every day of her entire life. What would life have been without him? He was the only one she could confide in. He knew how she felt, and she knew the same about him. They were prisoners together, in a place they were obligated to remain.
She remembered after her first escape attempt how Doren had been angry with her, not because she had tried to leave, but because she hadn't brought him along. That was basically the start of it all, when they had both decided they would get out of the castle somehow. How many hours had they spent since then, daydreaming together about their getaway? And then actually trying to make it a reality?
It was always them, together. Rikki and Doren. And that's how it was supposed to be, for a lifetime.
Rikki could feel her eyes watering. They were supposed to be together. Doren felt the same way too, didn't he? Sure, nothing had actually happened between them, or even been spoken aloud. But all those days and decks together had to mean something. Other stuff had just gotten in the way, be it a celebration or Neanthal. And they were still so young. There was no real need to rush.
She'd always known how she felt about him, but other priorities and obligations had come first. Yet when the time finally came, it would end exactly how they planned. Rikki and Doren would leave Castle Tornis and live the rest of their lives with only each other. And Mirabelle, of course.
He wanted that too, right? There was no misunderstanding it.
But if she was stuck in this place forever, what would he do? Would he spend all his days trying to find her? Would he wait, praying every day that she'd come back?
Or did he never realize how exactly he felt about her? Or did he never feel that way to begin with? If Rikki was gone, would he turn to some woman like Simma and spend a lifetime with her?
No way. This time apart was an aberration. Doren was going to live his days with her, whether he was ready to say it to her or not. She had to get back there. Rikki would make herself shift, if not through sheer will, then through the connection she shared with the one she loved.
Rikki stopped, wiped her eyes, and prepared for another attempt. She was leaving this abyss behind.
As she prepared to call up the memories of her first time shifting, the light on her staff flickered.
Rikki brought it up to her face and examined it. Had she caused it to do that? It wasn't intentional if she had.
She moved it back toward her side, and once again, it flickered. But this time, it didn't stop. It pulsated rapidly in the darkness, reacting not to Rikki's commands but to something else.
Rikki wanted to drop it, to let it go, and banish the odd behavior from the vicinity. But there was no knowing where it might end up if she tossed it aside. So instead, she started shaking the staff and ordering the light to go out. But the crystal was no longer obeying her. It grew brighter as she willed it to do the opposite. Was she causing it do that? Was she losing control? This place was getting to her, there was no doubting that.
Finally, the light went out and she was left to gaze upon only the blackness.
Except, there was more than darkness now. Something else was out there. It had come to join her, and it was watching her. Rikki couldn't see it, but she knew.
"Who are you?" Rikki demanded, not even bothering to confirm this intruder's presence.
"It sees us," a voice spat out in a high-pitched whisper.
There was no comfort in knowing she was right, or that she was no longer alone. She refused to light her staff again to get a better look at this being, if it could even be seen. Rikki didn't want to know what it was. She only wanted to leave it behind along with this whole place.
"It has magic," the voice said to itself. "It has a staff."
"Do you?" Rikki asked, powering through her reluctance to engage with it.
"We have nothing," it replied. "Nothing."
"Sorry to hear that," Rikki said. "Do you know what this place is? Or how to get out?"
"If we knew, we would not be here," it responded. "Do you know where we are? Or how to get out?"
"I wouldn't have asked you if I did," Rikki stated. Maybe this thing was harmless and just as lost as her. But then how was it able to manipulate her staff?
"How long has it been?" it asked.
"How long has it been since what?" Rikki asked back.
"Since we were put here?" There was definitely a hint of bitterness in this voice.
"How should I know?" Rikki said. "When were you put here?"
There was no response this time, which was even more unnerving. Is this how Aros had felt when he started to hear voices?
Should she try engaging with it again? Maybe running was the better option? She did not like this voice. It was not the Goddess, and it wasn't very friendly either. Rikki was going to have to light the crystal again. She needed to know what she was up against.
As she looked to her staff, her right hand moved up her chest and clutched onto her silver necklace. She didn't have to light the same crystal again. Rikki wrapped her hand around the middle of the necklace, and when she let go, the light shot forward into the darkness.
Something fluttered out of the light's path. She hardly got a glimpse of it before it flew back into the dark, but it certainly wasn't human.
"Mage," it said, undeterred by its forced relocation.
What if she had made it angry? She couldn't stay here, with this thing. It was time to leave.
"When are you?" it asked.
Rikki wasn't going to answer. With her left hand on her staff and her right hand on her necklace, she called up the memories of her time shifting. Instead of thinking back to Hatswick, she recalled Doren and having l
eft him in Faunli. She had been able to shift before, when she was at his side. Now, she needed to go back to him, and back to Faunli.
"When are you?" it repeated, this time much louder and with a rising fury.
Definitely time to leave.
Though her hands were on her staff and necklace, she could no longer feel them. The numbness spread from her fingertips and up her arms. She started to smile before her whole body became paralyzed and the darkness began to fade away.
Faunli was a few seconds away.
Chapter Sixteen
Confront or Run
Rikki was nowhere to be found. Doren had traipsed through the tiny village, ignoring the yellow eyes that gawked at him as he ran through calling out her name. She was not in any of these huts, nor was she lingering outside of them. None of the locals were any help, mainly because they did not speak the language.
It was the worst place this could have happened. Rikki should have waited. They could've figured out another plan to get the Key. Why hadn't they realized the potential risks? Without her, their mission was futile. They'd already lost.
Doren took another jog through the village, occasionally poking his head into the mud and stone houses to see if he could spot her. Her magenta hair and silver staff would stand out amongst all these earth tones. There was not a hint of vibrancy in any of these huts. This was a poor village. The only gold to be found was in its residents' eyes.
Doren stopped as a few kids came barreling down the street. They maneuvered themselves around him and kept going. The words they used were foreign. But the smiles and the laughter? He didn't need to speak the language to understand.
"Rikki!"
Doren could hear Aros shouting her name from the fields surrounding the village. So he hadn't found her either. Were they ever going to? What if she had shifted to the far ends of Faunli? Or even one of the other kingdoms? Then the only legitimate option would be to wait and hope she returned. Perhaps that was all they could do, even now.
Doren took off his shield and leaned back onto one of the rock walls. The uneven granite poked into his back, and he reluctantly pulled himself away. He strutted over to a nearby mud structure and pressed his back against it. It was much smoother. He slid down until his bottom touched the ground. It was adequate, and one of the nearby huts cast a shadow so that he was partially out of the sun's reach. This was where he was going to stay. He would not move from this spot until Rikki returned.
This was not her trying to teach him a lesson, right? She had not left him here with Aros so he could learn to trust him again. Frankly, he doubted he could ever trust his friend again. She better not have disappeared to force him to do something he couldn't.
No, she wouldn't do that. Not without announcing it first. This was simply a miserable set of circumstances. Rikki was missing and the only one he had left was Aros. And Doren was not about to resume their mission with that set of factors. So he would wait.
Doren spun the bronze disc between his fingers. Even after all of the battles, it was still in pristine condition. It really was enchanted. Hatswick had been honest about that. He stopped twirling it and stared at the symbol of the Five Kingdoms. It was everywhere in Kytheras, but he didn't recall seeing it anyplace but his shield for his entire trip in Faunli. The history books were right on that front: Fauns had no love for Kytheras.
And they certainly had no love for Kytherans either. A few Fauns stepped over his legs as they passed by. They didn't even bother staring anymore.
Doren flipped the shield onto his lap and leisurely exhaled. Rikki had to be coming back soon.
A pair of legs came up to Doren. He looked up and saw they belonged to Aros. Why couldn't he have kept looking? Aros needed to stay occupied, otherwise he might mope or attack. And Doren didn't want to deal with either right now.
"Giving up already?" Aros asked, and he kneeled down to Doren's eye line. "There's a good chance she's somewhere around here."
"Did the voice tell you that?" Doren asked. He'd more willingly believe that than Aros' intuition.
"No," Aros stated weakly, and he joined Doren in laying against the outer walls of the hut.
"Doesn't that hurt your back?" Doren asked, noting the clawblades that were still on their magnets.
"Nah," Aros said as he swiped his back against the wall until he got better situated. "So, Doren," he began, adding a hefty dose of sincerity into his voice. "I know you may not believe me, but I am so sorry."
Doren bit the inside of his cheek and looked away. He did not want to have this conversation now. Not while Rikki was missing. Possibly not ever. "You already apologized," he replied.
"But you haven't forgiven me," Aros murmured. "I understand. Ever since we came here, I've been a wreck. But that did not give me the right to do what I did. You're my friend. The only one I've got right now."
Doren faced Aros and saw the tear dripping down his cheek. "And you're mine, too. But you shouldn't be here. We both know it."
Aros wiped the tear away. "So you – " He cut himself off and hopped back onto his feet.
"What is it?" Doren asked him.
"Listen," Aros said.
Doren focused on their surroundings and immediately understood. The sounds of the villagers and their children were gone, completely replaced by silence. "Sarin?"
"The Roamers?" Aros suggested.
"Kuwain's army?"
"Luewen's?"
Man, there were a lot of people trying to kill each other in Faunli.
Doren lifted his shield and rose onto his feet. Aros had already taken out his clawblades and was prepared for battle.
"If it's an army, we run," Doren suggested. "The others, we can take."
"I can agree to that," Aros replied.
"Stick together," Doren ordered as Aros started to break away. "We don't know who's out there." And without Rikki, they were much more vulnerable.
Aros glanced back at Doren and nodded. He waited until Doren was right beside him and then they proceeded to cautiously advance through the village. There were only a few dozen huts erected, and there wasn't much intricacy to their layout or their interiors. It was not an easy place for anyone to hide, assuming someone was hiding. But that also meant Doren and Aros' only choices were to confront or to run. They couldn't hide either.
As unsettling as the silence was, it was more troubling when it was broken. Doren grabbed onto Aros' arm and stopped him from advancing. Hadn't Aros heard it? There was a slight crunching sound advancing on them.
"What?" Aros whispered.
"Someone's up ahead," Doren whispered back.
They both looked forward, and as if on cue, an enormous green leg revealed itself from behind a hut. It was followed by the rest of the velizard, which snorted as its rider made it turn toward them.
Doren looked back, expecting precisely what he saw: two more velizards coming up on them, their riders brandishing crossbows.
"Aros," Doren said. His friend flashed an eye toward him. "When we start fighting, remember not to attack me."
"I know," Aros said, though his dolorous face didn't provide much confidence.
Lady Yveen was nowhere in sight, but he knew these three belonged to her gang. What she wanted with them, he wasn't sure. But he wasn't about to let her get it. "You get him. I'll take these two." And with that, Doren charged at the two riders.
He easily batted away two arrows with his shield, but instead of immediately retaliating, he slipped between the two velizards to get behind them. While the riders attempted to maneuver the creatures in the narrow streets, Doren flung his shield so forcefully at the back of one of the rider's heads that as soon as it cracked his skull it bounced back into Doren's grasp. The rider slumped while his partner dropped the reins on his velizard and aimed with his crossbow.
Doren easily blocked the next arrow that came at him, but was unsure how to approach this rider. While he considered his options, he heard the clamor of more coming up from behind him. He and Aros had to
get out of here. This wasn't an army, but they were still vastly outnumbered.
Aros wasn't exactly prepared for this battle. While part of him was thrilled to be back on the cusp of bloodletting, the other part was afraid of giving that part what it wanted. Was he going to be able to maintain control? He couldn't attack Doren again; it would be unforgivable.
Brandishing his clawblades, Aros waited for the velizard rider to make the first move. He was an unclean man with more facial hair than was proper, but he did not seem prepared to strike first either. His crossbow was pointed at Aros, but he wasn't firing it.
"You just stay there," the rider said. "And we'll get what we want."
Aros wasn't sure what that meant, but he realized not engaging him wasn't an option. After taking a few steps forward, the velizard was within reach of his blades. "Sorry," he whispered before jamming both blades into the velizard's eyes.
The velizard let out a maddening shriek before slamming into a nearby hut and sending its rider tumbling to the ground. While the velizard went wild, Aros approached the downed rider and stuck the curved tip of his clawblade to the rider's throat.
After Doren deflected another incoming arrow, he made his move. He jumped onto the back of the already defeated rider and pushed the slumped man off. There was no saddle on this creature, and its scaly hide felt rather weird to Doren. He had never ridden a velizard before, but he figured it must not be too dissimilar from a horse, and he'd had plenty of experience with those in Castle Tornis' stables.
Doren slipped the shield onto his back and took up the reins. With a single whisk of the leather, the velizard took off, running straight at Aros.
Aros could not bring himself to slit the man's throat. He could feel the sick urges egging him on, but that's why he couldn't. He had to fight it.
"Why are you here?" Aros asked, hoping to get some information out of the rider since he wouldn't kill him.
"You'll know real soon," he replied.
"We have to go!" Doren yelled at Aros as he and his velizard approached.
Aros was startled to see his friend on the back of the creature. "Figure you'd borrow one?"