by D N Meinster
“I remember this feeling,” M’dalla groggily moaned, and she started stretching out her arms. “Everything’s so foggy.” She turned her sights to everyone standing around her. “I know you all, but I can’t remember your names.”
“You will,” Aros said hopefully.
“Aros,” M’dalla grumbled. “It’s impossible to forget you.”
Aros scratched the back of his head. “Thanks, I think.”
M’dalla laughed before she coughed up some gray matter and spit it out. “Not the first time I’ve had to deal with something like this.”
Rikki wanted to explore what she meant, but Loraya interrupted.
“Now that we have M’dalla, I’d say we find the Key and get out of here. This keep is still full of hostiles, you know?”
Aros was fast to agree. “Yeah, before Hatswick shows up at the last minute to take it.”
The thought of Hatswick taking another Key caused both of Rikki’s channeling crystals to light up bright red. “We’ve got a lot of keep to cover.”
“Wait,” M’dalla begged. “Hatswick. Key. I know these words.”
Doren shot Rikki a concerned yet amused look.
“Let’s get you…” Rikki turned to Loraya. “Where should we take her?”
“Malaise Tracks,” Loraya answered. “Unless your goddess objects.” She stared at Aros.
“I think we have the go ahead,” Aros replied.
Rikki stretched her staff toward M’dalla, intending to shift her there.
“Wait!” M’dalla roared. “Wait! Slythe!” She bolted up from her position. “Where is Kahar?”
“Dead,” Rikki stated. “Now let’s go.”
M’dalla stumbled away from Rikki and slid down a pile of rubble. She landed on all fours and began crying as she recalled what happened to Slythe. Muddy-gray tears fell down the sides of her face, leaving dark streaks across her cheeks.
“I failed!” M’dalla screamed. She picked up a cracked stone and chucked it into an adjacent pile.
Doren slid his fingers between Rikki’s as they watched the distraught Roamer bash her fists into rock and throw the fragments over and over.
“I’ll start searching for the Key,” Doren said.
“No!” M’dalla bellowed, and she tossed a chunk of stone right past Doren’s ear.
As another one came at them, Rikki reacted instinctively. She pointed her staff forward and the rock collided with a barrier conjured from thin air.
M’dalla’s mouth fell open as the remnants of her projectile slid down the magical wall. “Amelia’s heir.”
Rikki hadn’t expected or intended for the barrier to appear. She didn’t even know she was capable of such a feat. As she pulled her hand out from Doren’s and reached out to touch it, it dissolved, leaving nothing for her to lay her fingers on.
“How many mages can do that?” Doren asked.
Rikki didn’t have an answer. The only one she was certain could achieve that was her great-grandmother. But she was eager to try it again and make sure it was not a fluke.
The sight of the barrier eased M’dalla’s outburst. She kicked at the rubble as she tried to get back to her companions. “Don’t go anywhere. I have an idea where your Key is.”
They all looked at her skeptically, unsure if she even knew what they were speaking of.
M’dalla stared into each of their eyes, noting their doubt and scowling. “The Key that locked the Door. The fourth Key. Do you want to know or should I shift there and find it myself?”
“What’s my name?” Doren asked, looking for reassurance.
“Prince Let-My-Boyfriend-Die,” M’dalla bitingly replied.
Aros squeaked as he held in a laugh.
“Satisfied?” Rikki asked as she extended her staff between them. “Everyone grab on so we can follow her.”
Aros and Loraya were quick to lay their hands on the rod.
“That includes you,” Rikki told Doren.
Doren pulled at his cloak.
“Did I teach you how to follow someone that shifts?”
Doren dejectedly wrapped his fingers on her staff.
“Lead the way,” Rikki insisted.
M’dalla stood tall, and after giving a nod, spun in place. As she disappeared, Rikki and her company watched as the former throne room began to fade away. In its place, something more magnificent and luminous came into view.
Rikki gasped after they’d finished shifting. The first thing she saw was a pile of unrefined channeling crystals stacked up to the ceiling. She’d never seen so many in one place. As she reached out to grab one, she remembered Hatswick scolded her for nearly destroying the one that had been part of her old staff.
“And he could’ve just shifted here,” she murmured as she plucked one from the heap. It was jagged, with rough edges and an opaque film across its surface. Rikki held it up to her eye and lined it up with one of the torches in the corner.
Doren gaped at the columns of stacked shields and swords that sat idle in this room. The shields were identical to his, except for the few that were made from a different metal. The swords were meant to be paired with the shields, as they even had the symbol of the Five Kingdoms etched into them. Only the pile of jagged black swords seemed out of place among them.
“All from the time of the Dark Reign,” M’dalla said. “My time.”
“Who knew there were so many left?” Doren replied. Those that had been left in Kytheras were used as décor for Castle Tornis.
“Ratch has one of those in his shop,” Aros said as he pointed at the black blades.
“Massku weapons,” M’dalla stated. “Possessing one of those could get you killed back then.”
“We could’ve used these,” Loraya said, gazing at the weaponry. “If we had known, we would’ve tried to steal them. Why would Kahar just leave them down here untouched?”
“Maybe he forgot about them?” Aros suggested.
“Who could forget having that many gems?” Doren asked, facing the uneven piles of precious stones.
“What use are gems in Terrastream?” Rikki asked, still fumbling with a loose crystal. “And how many Streamers use weapons they haven’t found or forged on their own?”
“But why would Kahar care about our traditions?” Loraya asked. “He’s the one that broke them all.”
“Maybe he was more complicated than we thought,” Doren put forward. Both Loraya and Rikki glowered at him, causing him to defensively raise both hands.
“Better get that shield out,” M’dalla joshed.
Aros didn’t bother stifling his laugh this time. As it bounced around the room, everyone joined in, filling the tiny chamber with a cacophony of chortling.
It took several minutes before they’d all calmed down and caught their breaths. Smiles remained on their faces, and they stood around admiring each other and the treasure surrounding them.
“Where do you think the fourth Key is?” Aros asked, breaking the serenity that had taken over.
“It’s in here,” M’dalla stated, certain with her conclusion.
“Buried,” Doren added, and he looked to Rikki for a solution. She’d used her magic to find M’dalla. Surely, she could do the same with the Key.
“I can lift it all up,” Rikki responded, “but I can’t pull it out if I don’t know where it is.”
“Do what you did in the throne room,” Loraya said. “But slower, so we can spot it in the whirlwind.”
Rikki didn’t have a better idea, and no one was volunteering one. “Stay close to me.” She tossed the crystal she was holding into the air, where it remained floating.
Rikki planted her staff into the ground while everyone gathered near and squashed themselves against her.
“Wait!” M’dalla screamed, looking up.
Rikki followed her gaze and saw what she had spotted. Suspended from two chains hanging along the ceiling was the fourth Key.
“Oops,” Doren said, eyeing Rikki.
“Not buried,” she
said with a grin.
Everyone but Doren took a few steps away to give Rikki space. She directed her staff at the chains, which unfurled and lowered the Key toward them.
When it was within reach, Aros snatched it and carefully inspected it. “This is it.”
“Did She tell you?” Loraya asked.
“No, but She’s not contradicting me.” Aros tightened his fingers around it but didn’t add it with the other two Keys on his belt. He looked into Rikki’s eyes before extending his arms and holding out the Key for her. “Take it.”
Rikki stared at the Key. What exactly was Aros doing? “You hold onto the Keys,” she stated.
“I was only ordered to hold onto Kytheras’ Key. And even if I wasn’t, it wouldn’t stop me.”
Rikki took a step toward him but hesitated. “Why?
“Because I trust you to keep it safe.”
She had no explanation as to why there was suddenly a tear trickling down her cheek, but no one asked for one. As she picked up the fourth Key, she said, “He won’t get this one.”
“I know,” Aros replied.
Rikki stuck the Key onto her necklace, where it hung adjacent to one of the silver wings. It wasn’t exactly fashionable, but it didn’t have to be.
“The next one’s yours,” Aros told Doren.
“Hey, if you want to give another to Rikki, I trust her, too.”
Rikki shocked Aros with a hug, before giving both a hug and a kiss to Doren. This mission was intended to stop Hatswick’s plan to release Neanthal, but she’d wound up getting a boyfriend and best friend along the way. She was so touched, and wanting to share that love throughout the group, she even hugged Loraya and M’dalla.
“The next one I wear is the one Hatswick stole from me.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
A Promise
With the fourth Key in their possession, they shifted back to the ruins of Malaise Tracks, which had become little more than warped metal and broken glass in the aftermath of the fire. Yet they weren’t the only ones to have made their way back. Standing in the unblemished plains were Azzer and a band of freed but scarred mages.
“He’s the one that killed Kahar?” M’dalla asked, having only heard part of the story.
“They all played a role,” Loraya answered. She squelched any desire to run to them and thank them, and instead considered why they’d come back here at all.
Azzer was the first to approach, making a beeline for M’dalla. “I’m glad to see you alive.”
“I’m glad to hear you killed Kahar,” she responded.
“We’ve left Terrastream in quite the mess, though,” Azzer said. “Some won’t accept he’s gone.”
“They will,” Loraya spoke up. The loyalists couldn’t perpetuate that lie forever. Without a king, more would return to the old way. The Revolutionaries may have predicted a faster restoration of tradition than that which was unfolding, but it would still happen.
“Still, I feel a certain responsibility,” Azzer said. “I’m going to stay in Terrastream.”
M’dalla didn’t seem surprised. “We swore to Amelia that we’d keep the Keys safe.” She looked upon the trio from Kytheras. “But that’s already being handled.” Within seconds, M’dalla had removed her cloak and was left standing in yellow undergarments. “This cloak is for Roamers.” She shoved it into Aros’ chest.
Aros held onto the cloak, unsure what was happening. “But it’s yours.”
“Each of your friends already has one,” M’dalla replied. “And I’m neglecting my duty by staying here with Azzer. I don’t deserve it.”
“Who’s gonna tell Zeniri?” Azzer asked.
Aros gazed at the yellow cloak and then at his friend. This cloak was enchanted to protect her and give her the ability to shift. To take that away from her didn’t seem right. He pulled the Keys from his waist along with the coin holder. Then, with a couple swipes on his armor, pieces of it began to fall off his body.
“What are you doing?” M’dalla asked, clearly annoyed.
“It’s a fair trade,” Aros said as the last chunk of gold fell off him. “You always knew how to use it better than me, anyway.”
M’dalla picked up his sword from the pile. “Do I get your clawblade, too?”
Aros retrieved the magnetic straps and old key ring from the loose armor and put them back on before throwing on the cloak. After fastening the Keys to his waist, he held out his hand and M’dalla turned over the blade. Though he was uncertain it would work, he slid a blade diagonally across his back and let go. It stayed in place despite the layer of cloth between it and the blade.
While M’dalla started putting on the armor, Aros took the second blade and slid it across his back. He was amazed it worked until he realized Doren had done something similar with his own cloak.
“You look good,” Loraya said as she looked him over in his new attire.
Aros couldn’t help blushing. “Thanks.”
After M’dalla had finished putting on the armor, she patted Aros on the shoulder. “You can shift now. Better get Rikki to teach you before you attempt it.”
“Yeah, we don’t want to lose you in Oblivion,” Doren commented.
Aros had no intention of trying without lessons from Rikki, though he worried he might spin in place by accident. “When can you teach me?”
“Don’t let her worry you,” Azzer said. “Amelia made it easy for us.”
M’dalla let out a guffaw. “I’m sure you won’t shift behind the Door or something.”
“That’s not funny!” Aros yelled. He didn’t want that idea planted in his head. What if he unwittingly carried it out?
“I’ll miss you,” M’dalla said, and with a wave, she and Azzer headed back to join the other mages.
Aros watched as she walked further away, not wanting to say goodbye for that meant they might never see each other again. He didn’t want to think that she might not turn up again to help when he needed it most.
When he finally thought of what to say, she was well out of earshot. Only the glint of the golden armor signaled where she was. He was going to miss that Bellish invention, too.
“I think I should go with them,” Loraya stated.
A twinge of pain shot through his chest as he heard those words.
“Come on,” Rikki said, and she pulled Doren away from the two of them.
Loraya and Aros faced each other before she grabbed on to both of his hands. “I’ve lost everyone I cared about in the past deck. I watched my brothers die. I saw my extended family perish. The Revolutionaries were my tribe, and they’re gone now. But I don’t feel empty inside. I don’t feel hopeless. Do you know why that is?”
Aros wasn’t sure if she wanted him to blurt out an answer. It was probably because Kahar was dead, but before he could say it, she continued.
“It’s because of you, Aros. Since the moment I saw you, I knew how I felt about you. It suddenly felt that the revolution didn’t matter; that nothing else mattered. As much as I’ve lost in these decks, I’ve gained something more. It’s something I never had and that the Revolutionaries weren’t too concerned about. I am in love with you.”
Aros’ mouth opened, but he couldn’t form a single word nor make a sound. Though he felt he’d gotten close to Loraya, he never thought she was in love with him. What was he supposed to say to that?
Yet thinking that they were about to part ways hurt Aros in a way that was so more intense than watching his friend leave. He obviously felt something for Loraya, but was it love? He couldn’t be sure.
Loraya was still staring at him, hoping for a response. The last girl he had said he loved had been murdered. What if loving her made her a target? What if Leidess wouldn’t be okay with him loving someone else?
Aros had never felt so many emotions rushing through him. Fear, excitement, terror, concern, apprehension, doubt, and joy were all taking their turns. Such a frenzy prevented him from getting any words out, and Loraya even started to pull away from him
as his silence continued.
He couldn’t let her think that he felt nothing. He had to speak.
“I—” he started.
Loraya froze.
“I loved Leidess Keru for almost my entire life. It feels like she’s been dead for years, but it’s only been a few decks. To love someone else so soon after she was taken from me would feel like I’m betraying her. Do you understand that?”
Loraya finally looked away.
“But that doesn’t mean that I can’t love someone again. Or that I haven’t started loving someone else already.”
Loraya and Aros gazed into each other’s eyes, seeing the intensity of their feelings reflected back.
“I have a responsibility to gather the Keys. But once that’s done, maybe enough time will have passed and I’ll come back here.” Aros paused. “Not, not maybe. I will. I’ll come back to you. I promise.”
“You better,” Loraya said.
The two of them entered an embrace that neither wanted to get out of. They held onto each other, taking in the other’s warmth and finding it difficult to break away. There was no guaranteed time that they would hold each other again, and no certainty that they would at all. Terrastream was at war. Hatswick was trying to release Neanthal. So much was beyond their control.
It was a loud “Kwee!” that cause Aros to stir and Loraya to pull away. Before they could share another word, Loraya was off, chasing after Azzer and M’dalla.
Mr. Kwee’s limbs locked on to Aros’ waist, swiftly ensnaring and tightening around him. Aros gave the fuzzball a few pats on the head as he looked to see how far Loraya had gotten. She was already on the way to becoming a speck on the horizon as she ran after the former Roamers.
Aros felt a hand on his shoulder.
“You didn’t invite her to come with us?” Doren asked.
Aros gaped at his friend. He hadn’t even thought to do that. But he rolled his eyes as he realized Loraya wasn’t the type to abandon her kingdom when it was in a state of flux. She had her responsibilities, and he had his.
“Because he didn’t want to get rejected,” Rikki answered as she slipped her arm around Aros. “Does she seem ready to leave Terrastream to you?”