“Master, why are you here? It isn’t safe.”
“The head man himself called for me.”
“The Reaper summoned you?” The fear in her voice made him nervous for a moment but he shook it off. He needed to know what only the demon lord could tell him.
“Yeah, how about you show us the way?”
“I can do better than that.” She held out her pale hands.
Conryu took one and after a moment’s hesitation Kai took the other. An instant later they stood facing the imposing gate of a massive fortress. A black wall hundreds of feet high was studded with impaled heads. Beyond the wall, a madman’s idea of a castle loomed. Dozens of turrets and towers sprouted from the main keep. Black pennants snapped in a breeze he couldn’t feel. In the skies, black-winged figures soared in lazy circles.
“Are those the black angels?” Conryu asked.
“Yes.” Kai’s voice was thin with awe. “Hundreds of generations of my sisters patrol these skies.”
A deep, dull clank sounded and the gate began to open. Beyond the gap stood a pair of black angels. They were dressed in black like Kai, including a mask. A pair of swords rode on their backs between seven-foot-wide raven wings. They made beautiful guards if nothing else.
“Do you wish me to join you, Master?” the Dark Lady asked, her voice trembling.
“You can wait here.”
Conryu and Kai walked through the gates and towards the guards. He assumed they were for show. After all, what use did an omnipotent demon lord have for guards?
The right-hand black angel said, “The master is expecting you. Follow me.”
They fell in behind her and the fortress shifted around them. In three steps they were standing in front of another door, this one ten foot tall, black, and carved with Infernal runes. At his approach the runes glowed and the door swung open.
Conryu stepped into the darkness beyond. When Kai tried to follow, the black angel said, “You will wait here. The master desires to speak with his chosen alone.”
Kai bowed. It was the first time he’d gone anywhere on his own without her offering a word of complaint. But after all it wasn’t like she could protect him from the Reaper.
The door slammed shut behind him and crimson lights burst into being. At the end of a blood-red carpet was a throne made from skulls, all of them different. Beside it was a glass cylinder as tall as Conryu and filled with a multitude of yellow lights.
A giant cloaked in black sat on the throne, a gleaming black scythe at his side. The Reaper radiated power unlike anything Conryu had ever sensed. He made Lucifer feel like a child, an insect even. It took all Conryu’s strength of will to stay standing and not fall into a little ball and weep.
“Welcome to the center of Hell,” the Reaper said. “You are the first of my chosen to be so honored in ages.”
“Thanks. Tell me about Atlantis and the crystal people.”
“Long ago, the people of Atlantis were magical researchers, brilliant, innovative, focusing on crystal magic. It’s rare on this world, less so on others. The other spirit lords and I gave our blessing to a different people, the Lemurians. They were the progenitors of modern wizards. Two diverging paths that in time would have come together as a greater whole. But that all changed when one of the city’s most gifted researchers discovered a new source of power, a forbidden source.”
“What sort of power would be forbidden?” Conryu asked.
“There’s only one, the power of the void, of oblivion. To tap the power is to risk ending all of existence. We couldn’t let them continue to exploit such a dangerous power source. The spirit lords agreed that we had no choice but to wipe them out before they could fully master their new energy. The war was long and brutal and, in the end, only my followers had the will to take the measures necessary for victory. A death curse was placed on Atlantis, one that would have killed them all in weeks. Somehow they escaped and some survived.”
“Like the crystal woman I fought. I’ve battled demons less powerful than her.”
“Their crystal bodies are connected to the void. It grants them great power and protection from magic. The only way to defeat them is to crack their shell and destroy the soul within.”
“Is that all?” Conryu shook his head. “I hit her with a boulder and she smashed it to pieces without chipping a nail. How am I supposed to crack her shell?”
The Reaper stood. “The Atlanteans aren’t the only ones that have been preparing for this battle. Come, I will show you Hell’s arsenal.”
Kai paced outside the throne room door. It was hard to believe she was really here. Awe and concern warred within her. She shouldn’t worry. Deep inside she knew even if she’d gone with Conryu, she would have been helpless if the Reaper had decided to slay him. In fact, if the order had come, she would have been bound to kill him herself.
Or try to. Kai held no illusions about the difference between her and Conryu’s power. And if it came right down to it, she might risk an eternity of suffering to avoid hurting him. It was disloyal to even think that, especially here, but she refused to lie to herself. Her first loyalty was to Conryu. Come what may, their fate was now linked.
“You always did think too much.”
That voice. She’d believed she’d never hear it again, not before she died at least.
Kai spun and found a black angel walking toward her. She was dressed exactly the same as all the others, but there was something in her stride that Kai recognized.
“Grandmaster Narumi.”
Narumi undid her mask, revealing a younger, but still familiar face. In fact, she looked much like Kanna. Only strict training kept Kai from breaking into tears.
“This generation’s chosen is an odd one,” Narumi said. “He demanded that we have a chance to meet before agreeing to come see the master. What’s odder is that the Reaper agreed. It is good to see you, Kai.”
Kai’s mind spun. Conryu had done this for her? She could hardly believe it. When they left, she would have to thank him properly.
“And you, Grandmaster. When we arrived on the island and Kanna said you had fallen in battle I was shocked.”
“No reason to be,” Narumi said. “I was getting old. A single step too slow is all it takes. Better I fell in battle than became a burden.”
“You wouldn’t have been a burden. Your wisdom would have been a boon to the Daughters.”
Narumi laughed. “You were always a sweet child. Your work with the chosen has been exemplary. I didn’t get a chance to tell you in life, but I was proud of what you accomplished. A greater threat now looms. Walk with me.”
Kai glanced back at the door and chewed her lip.
“He’s not in there anymore. The master has taken him to our armory. The Reaper has been agitated lately and he rarely gets agitated. He says nothing to us, but something’s happening on your world that has him worried. And anything that worries the Reaper had best worry everyone else.”
As they walked together down the gloomy halls Kai said, “You said my world. Are there others where the Reaper has interests?”
“Do you know the greatest thing about being a dark angel? It’s having the veil of ignorance lifted from your eyes. There is so much that we can’t understand as short-sighted mortals. Our awareness is too limited. Focus on your duties and the challenges you face. The rest will be waiting when your time arrives.”
“So you’re not going to answer my question?” Kai asked.
“Not today. For now, all I’ll say is that the universe is a big place, far bigger than you can imagine.” A door appeared ahead of them as though out of nowhere. “Here we are.”
Narumi opened the door and noise, pounding, grinding, ear-bleeding noise, washed over Kai. She had never encountered such a cacophony before. Dozens of anvils were occupied by demonic smiths hammering weapons out of black metal. She wanted to ask if this was where their swords came from but doubted the grandmaster would hear her question over the noise.
They made their
way through the forge and to another door on the opposite side. Beyond it was another massive room, blessedly silent. Racks upon racks of weapons filled it to bursting. Swords, maces, axes, anything Kai could imagine and many things she’d never dreamed of and doubted were made to fit a human’s hand.
“Why!” Kai winced at her shout. “Why aren’t there any modern weapons?”
“Weapons based on technology tend to be useless against magical foes. Hell’s enemies need to be faced blade to blade. Come, your chosen is waiting.”
Conryu hefted a spike-backed mace made of black metal. It was about two feet long and the head was round with a single, six-inch, pyramidal spike jutting out of it. The whole thing crackled with dark magic. There were a hundred of them in crates on the ground in front of him.
The Reaper had brought him out to this courtyard where the weapons were waiting. He said nothing as Conryu examined them. They certainly looked like they’d penetrate heavy crystal. In fact, Conryu couldn’t remember seeing such a brutal weapon. Of course, there was one obvious problem.
“Any non-dark aligned person touching one of these things is liable to get their hands melted off.”
“Naturally,” the Reaper said. “Anyone capable of using one of my weapons is apt to be loyal to me. It’s an anti-theft precaution. They were made to be used by the Daughters. I formed the group specifically to battle the Atlanteans should they ever return.”
That made sense. Having a skilled and dedicated force just waiting to fight your greatest enemy was smart. Unfortunately, it meant sending people he had come to think of as friends if not family into danger. There was no way around it, but he didn’t have to like it.
“So how do they work?” Conryu asked.
“Simple. The spike is driven through the magic-blocking outer shell where it releases a burst of dark magic that destroys the enemy’s soul. Repeat until all Atlanteans are dead.”
Brutal for sure. “Okay, assuming we can defeat them all, how do I deal with this void power you’re so worried about? I assume it’s not something I can just dispel.”
“No. If it was that simple, the Lemurians would have won the war easily. To defeat the threat of Atlantis you must accomplish three things. One, kill all the true people of Atlantis. You will know them because they are far more powerful than any of the other foes you might face.”
“Like the crystal woman?”
“Exactly. There are twelve of them. Next you have to destroy the Heart of Atlantis, a massive crystal that directs the void magic and powers their crystal weapons. Finally, you must find the void pit and seal it, repairing the damage to reality.”
Conryu put the mace he was holding back in the open case at his feet. “Okay, the first two are straightforward enough, but how do I go about repairing a hole in reality?”
“All of reality is composed of the four elements and bound together by the Creator’s light. You will have to weave those five elements together around the opening, creating a scab of sorts. In a few thousand years the damage will fully heal.”
“No offense, but I haven’t the slightest idea how to even begin such a spell.”
“Of course you don’t.” The Reaper turned his faceless cowl on Conryu. “No mortal mind is capable of such a casting. As the chosen of all elements, you must open your mind to the spirit lords and let them act through your body. You will be a vessel for their power.”
“Is this why I was chosen by all of you?” Conryu asked. “Did you know Atlantis was about to return?”
“No. All we knew was that you were born with massive magical potential and should you decide to serve one element over another, it would give that spirit lord a huge advantage over the rest of us. It was decided that we would share you and thus avoid a potential conflict. That Atlantis happened to return now was simply a lucky break.”
The fact that the spirits didn’t know everything that lay in his future was oddly comforting. It implied that at least some of his future was his own to choose. On the other hand, it would have been nice to know he was going to live through the coming battle.
“Your bodyguard is returning. Take the weapons, win the war, and I will consider my investment in you well paid back.”
“One more thing,” Conryu dared ask.
Whatever the omnipotent demon lord equivalent to a sigh was escaped from the cowl. “What?”
“When I die, where do I end up? I mean, if every spirit lord has a claim on me, is my soul going to be torn into six pieces?”
“You will have the rarest of all opportunities. When your soul is finally freed from your body you will become a wandering soul, free to travel between all six realms. There are less than a dozen of them in all of reality. Consider yourself blessed. When you’re ready, open a Hell gate here. It will exit in the Daughters’ new home.”
With that the Reaper vanished. He’d imparted a great deal of knowledge to Conryu and at the same time left him with almost as many new questions.
“Chosen!” He turned to see Kai running toward him.
She looked happier than he’d seen her since learning of the death of her mentor. The Reaper must have kept his promise.
“Ready to go? We have the weapons we need to fight back.”
Kai lifted one of the maces. “I bet this will make that crystal bitch regret letting us escape.”
Conryu grinned and opened a Hell gate. It was time to win a war.
Chapter 23
When Jemma arrived at the school, things were calm and normal. The beautiful, manicured grounds were empty as students were busy in various classes. It was a beautiful day, not the sort of day you expected to get attacked by a legendary enemy most considered a myth.
She hurried across the yard to the administration building. Judging by the crystal ship’s last position, she had about fifteen minutes to get everyone organized and safely out. There was no way that could happen, but she had to try.
As soon as she stepped into the administrative area the four secretaries on duty leapt to their feet. “Is everything okay, ma’am?” one of them asked.
“No. Assemble everyone in the auditorium. Tell the teachers and older students to begin evacuations according to plan omega. The enemy will be here in under a quarter of an hour. Is Sandy in her office?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the secretary’s voice held a quaver and all the blood had drained from her face. Jemma didn’t like scaring people, but it was good that she was taking this seriously.
Leaving the four of them to get things organized, Jemma went down a long hall to the assistant dean’s office. Technically her position as Ministry head also made her dean of the school, but she had so many duties outside of the grounds, Sandy handled the day-to-day things.
Jemma didn’t bother knocking. She pushed the door open and found Sandy reading at her desk, her feet up and chair back. The younger woman scrambled to her feet. “Jemma, what is it?”
“Trouble. I’ve got the secretaries organizing an evacuation, but I need whoever you can muster to fight. We’ll need to hold off the enemy for as long as we can.”
Sandy frowned. “Who’s attacking and where’s the army?”
“Atlantis is attacking and the RAF has been trying to bring the ship down since it arrived in the skies. As for the army, that’s not a bad idea. I’ll arrange for them to be ready. You’re wind aligned so you’ll have to bring them here.”
Jemma took out her phone and dialed the War Minister. “Thomas, I need whatever forces you can spare at the school and I need them now. Don’t give me that bullshit. Do I really have to get his majesty to give the order? You know what’s headed our way. I need time to get my students out. Okay, Sandy will be there to pick them up in ninety seconds.”
“We good?” Sandy asked.
“Yes. They’re expecting you at Fort Keene. Bring as many as are ready the moment you arrive. Drop them in the central courtyard. I’ll be waiting.”
Sandy nodded and vanished into a wind portal.
Jemma left the
office and made her way to the auditorium. Students rushed past her through the halls, guided by their teachers. They looked nervous, but not panicked, not yet anyway. The teachers kept their voices calm, but the looks they threw Jemma’s way told her all she needed to know.
They were right to be worried. At the front of the auditorium the senior light magic instructor was directing people to their seats. She spotted Jemma and met her at the base of the seats.
“You can’t wait for everyone to gather,” Jemma said before she could ask any questions. “Open portals and get them out as fast as you can.”
“Is it that bad?”
“I don’t know yet, but this enemy specializes in negating magic. The longer we wait, the better the odds that some of you will get stuck here. We need to get as many kids as possible to the secondary locations. But don’t linger. Disperse them across the Kingdom until they’re recalled. The more spread out the students are, the harder it will be for anyone to hunt them down.”
Jemma gave the woman’s shoulder an encouraging squeeze before hurrying out to the courtyard. The first soldiers would be arriving soon.
Luckily, she arrived just as the first wind portal opened. Soldier after soldier marched out. They wore body armor, helmets, and camouflage uniforms. Each carried a rifle over his shoulder and she was relieved to see a few had rocket launchers. The rifles, she suspected, would be of little use save as clubs, but maybe the explosives would do some damage.
Jemma smiled at her optimism. Nothing they’d seen so far indicated conventional weapons were worth a damn against the weapons of Atlantis.
A young man with shiny new lieutenant’s bars on his collar hurried her way and saluted. “First infantry reporting for duty, ma’am. Where do you want us?”
“I want a defensive perimeter set up around the main building. You’ll have to hold the enemy off long enough for the students to escape. This is going to be a hard fight; I won’t sugarcoat it for you. The forces arrayed against us may be the most dangerous the Kingdom has ever fought and our magic is mostly useless against them. What I can do is raise an earthen barrier to hopefully slow them down.”
Atlantis Rising Page 17