by Clayton Wood
“Yeah, that's a really long story,” Kyle answered, realizing that he hadn't come up with a cover story for what had happened to them. He couldn't very well tell Kalibar what had actually happened; he'd have to remember to talk to Darius about that later.
“They'll be time for stories later,” Erasmus interjected sternly. “Unless you're forgetting about the enemies storming the Tower as we speak.”
“Where are they?” Darius asked. Erasmus rolled his eyes.
“How would I know?” he countered. “Isn't that your job?” Darius raised an eyebrow, glancing at the heap of debris in the center of the lobby.
“Isn't that yours?” he shot back. Erasmus's eyes widened with indignation.
“How could...” he blurted out, slamming his mouth shut suddenly. He paused for a long moment, then pointed a finger at Darius. “There's something seriously wrong with you,” he accused. “I ought to have you hanged!” But Darius wasn't even paying attention; the bodyguard's blue eyes were staring off into space, his expression suddenly unreadable.
“What?” Kalibar asked. Darius turned to face him, his voice tense.
“Where's Ariana?”
“What?” Kalibar repeated. “She's...I think she's in her room sleeping,” he guessed. Darius said nothing, bolting across the lobby toward one of the risers. Kyle ran after the bodyguard, his heart pounding in his chest, Kalibar and Erasmus following close behind. Kyle felt panic grip him; he'd never seen Darius so frantic before. He struggled to keep pace with the bodyguard, nearly slipping on the wet floor. Then he remembered his gravity boots, activating them and speeding a foot above the water, leaving a spray of it in his wake. Kalibar dodged the spray, somehow managing to keep pace with Darius and Kyle. Erasmus, however, soon fell behind, eventually collapsing against a wall. Kalibar hesitated, slowing his pace for a moment, but the Grand Runic waved him on.
“Go!” he shouted. “I'll coordinate the Battle-Weavers until you get back.”
Kyle followed Darius across the hallway, toward the riser, but Kalibar motioned down another hallway.
“That riser is destroyed,” he informed. “We can use this one.”
They followed Kalibar's advice, eventually coming to a stop at a riser. Kalibar activated it, and they rose upward quickly, each floor a blur as they sped toward the 41st floor...to Kalibar's retirement suite, and Ariana's room.
The riser slowed, but Darius bolted from it before it had even stopped, leaping up onto the hallway floor. Kyle and Kalibar ran behind the bodyguard, struggling to keep up. Darius skid to a stop at Kalibar's door.
“I've got it,” Kalibar shouted, rushing to Darius's side and pressing his hand on the door. It swung open, and Darius rushed in, sprinting toward Ariana's room. He slammed through her door with his armored shoulder, nearly taking it off of its hinges. Kyle rushed in behind the bodyguard, followed by a winded Kalibar.
Then they all stopped.
“Ariana?” Kalibar called out, walking up to Ariana's bed and kneeling before it. There, in the center of the bed, lay Ariana. She was covered from her belly down by soft white sheets, her arms tucked underneath. She was sleeping quietly, her face turned away from them. Kyle frowned, surprised that she hadn't been awakened by Darius's violent entrance. Kalibar grabbed Ariana's shoulder, shaking it gently but firmly.
“Ariana, wake up,” he coaxed. When she didn't respond, Kalibar put a hand on her cheek, turning her face toward them.
Cold, dead eyes stared back at them.
Kalibar shouted, leaping backward from Ariana as if he'd been stung, and Kyle felt his entire body go numb. He stared at Ariana's pale face in disbelief.
“No,” Kalibar whimpered, shaking his head and backing away. His back struck the wall, and he slumped slowly to his bottom, his legs giving out underneath him. “No, no...”
Kyle stared mutely into Ariana's unblinking eyes, already dried and glazed over. He felt lightheaded, as if his mind were rising upward from his body. He clenched and unclenched his fists, and though he could feel his hands, they didn't feel as if they belonged to him. He turned, seeing Kalibar stumble toward Ariana's bed. The old man threw the sheets off of her, then reached one arm under her shoulders, the other behind her knees. He lifted her gently from the bed, cradling her in his arms.
“My girl,” he murmured, tears pouring down his cheeks. “My sweet little girl.” He rocked her from side to side, cradling the back of her head with one hand. He closed his eyes, burying his face into her shoulder. “I'm sorry,” he whispered, a muffled sob escaping his lips. His shoulders shook then as he wept. “I'm so sorry, love.”
Kyle stared at them silently, still unable to move, unable to even think. Or feel. He just felt numb. He knew he should be reacting like Kalibar, should be feeling something, but he just couldn't. He wondered if there was something wrong with him, wondered if the others would think he didn't care.
Then he felt a cool, metallic hand on his shoulder, saw Darius staring at him. The bodyguard's expression was unreadable.
“I'm sorry, Kyle,” he murmured.
And then the dam broke.
A low wail escaped Kyle's lips, and he stumbled forward toward Ariana and Kalibar, landing on the bed just before his legs gave out. Kalibar wrapped one arm around Kyle's shoulders, holding him close, while Kyle stared at Ariana, her face still lovely despite the terrible paleness of her skin. Kalibar had already closed her eyes, for which Kyle was grateful.
Kyle realized he was crying, his body wracked by terrible sobs. He leaned in close to her, wrapping his arms around her slender shoulders and hugging her close. She was terribly cold; he had the sudden mad thought that if he warmed her up, she would come back to life.
“I'm sorry son,” Kalibar whispered, rocking Kyle and Ariana gently. Kyle felt the old man's cheek press up against his own, felt the wetness of Kalibar's tears. “I failed her.”
“No,” Kyle mumbled, shaking his head. He let go of Ariana, wiping his own tears away with the back of his hand. He turned around on the bed, perched on its edge, and found Darius staring silently at Ariana's face, the gilded warrior as still as a statue.
Kyle felt the slightest spark of hope alight within his heart.
“Save her,” he pleaded, standing up from the bed and walking over to Darius. He grabbed the man's armored bicep. “Save her,” he insisted, his voice rising with desperation. Darius turned to stare at Kyle, his stony expression unchanged. He shook his head slightly. Kyle felt another sob burst from him, and he grabbed Darius's shoulders, shaking them back and forth. The bodyguard didn't budge.
“Save her!” Kyle shouted.
“I can't,” Darius whispered.
“You can!” Kyle yelled. He shook Darius harder – to no effect – then balled his hands into fists, striking the bodyguard's chest-plate. “You have to!”
Darius said nothing, not even bothering to block Kyle's blows. Kyle slammed both fists into the man's armor, hitting the bodyguard as hard as he could. Then he stumbled backward, striking the edge of Ariana's bed with the backs of his knees, falling onto his butt on the edge of the bed. He pointed at Darius, his eyes filled with tears.
“This is your fault!” he accused, feeling rage build up within him. “You let this happen to her!”
“Kyle...” Darius began.
“No!” Kyle shouted. “You could have stopped this! She's dead because of you!”
“Kyle!” Kalibar shouted, laying Ariana on the bed and standing up to face his son.
“It's true,” Kyle retorted, turning to face Kalibar. “He stood there and did nothing while you and everyone else got hurt! Just ask him,” he added vehemently, turning back to face Darius. “You let everyone get hurt and die around you because you just don't care.”
“Kyle!” Kalibar warned grabbing Kyle's shoulder with one hand. “I know you're grieving, but Darius is too,” he stated. “Everyone grieves in their own way.” Kyle hardly heard Kalibar, feeling his old resentment toward Darius building up within him. No, this time it was something more;
he truly hated the man now.
But Darius said nothing, staring silently at Kyle for a long moment, then turning his gaze to Ariana's still form lying on the bed. The muscles of his jaw rippled, and he clenched his gauntleted fists once, and then again.
Then he strode up to Ariana's bed, slipping off his gauntlets and throwing them to the floor with a loud clang. He leaned over her, pushing Kalibar gently away, and placed one hand on her right shin, staring down at her pale face for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, Kalibar put a hand on the bodyguard's shoulder, a concerned look on his face.
“Darius...” he began.
But Darius ignored Kalibar, gently pushing his employer's hand away. He shifted his hand to Ariana's left shin, then reached into the recesses of his armor with one hand, pulling something long and tapered out from within. Kyle recognized it instantly.
It was a green crystal.
Kyle heard Kalibar gasp, and the old man reached for Darius's hand, but the bodyguard batted Kalibar's hand away, rotating the crystal so that its pointed end faced downward.
“Darius, where did you get that?” Kalibar shouted. “Don't do it,” he commanded, lunging for the crystal. Darius blocked Kalibar's arm in one fluid motion, nearly tipping the Grand Weaver over in the process. Kalibar leaped up from the bed, facing the bodyguard defiantly. “If you so much as touch that crystal to her head, Xanos will possess her, and we'll all be dead...is that what you want?”
Darius ignored Kalibar, lunging forward and slamming the green crystal into Ariana's forehead.
Kalibar shouted, leaping at Darius and grabbing the bodyguard's arm. Darius spun around with blinding speed, sending Kalibar flying into the bed by Ariana's feet. Then he returned to Ariana's side as if he'd never left it.
The crystal lowered itself slowly into Ariana's forehead, burrowing through her pale flesh. Then it stopped for a moment. Kyle heard a sickening crunching sound, and nearly gagged as the crystal suddenly sunk a few inches into her skull, then slid more slowly downward until it stopped, the broad base of the gem forming a vibrant green diamond-shape on her forehead. Darius reached down to press one finger on the butt of the crystal, and it sank a fraction of an inch lower, until it was beneath the level of her skin. Then he placed his hand over her forehead, closing his eyes. When he lifted his hand, the skin on her forehead had closed, appearing whole again.
“We're all doomed,” Kalibar warned, rising up from the bed, his face pale. “Even if I had magic in me, I...”
“It's okay,” Kyle interjected, breaking his gaze from Ariana's face. He walked up to Kalibar, clasping one of the old man's hands in his own. “He knows what he's doing,” he added. Kyle's anger toward Darius had vanished, replaced by an immense sense of relief. But Kalibar pulled his hand away, shaking his head vehemently. He pointed one finger at Ariana.
“The minute she wakes up, everyone in this Tower is going to die.”
“Kalibar,” Darius stated suddenly, turning away from Ariana and toward the Grand Weaver. “It's all right.”
“How?” Kalibar countered. “You don't know the first thing about...”
“Remember the being who gave you back your eyes?” Darius asked. Kalibar froze, then nodded. “After I killed the Dead Man, I kept his crystal,” Darius explained. “Your...benefactor modified it.”
“Wait, he visited you?” Kalibar blurted. Darius nodded.
“He's the reason we made it back here alive,” he replied. Kalibar stared silently at Darius for a long moment, then turned to Kyle.
“Is that true?” he asked. Kyle nodded.
“It's true,” he confirmed. “The Dead Man captured us, and uh, that guy showed up and killed him.”
“Wait, what?” Kalibar asked, his expression incredulous. “You're talking about the Dead Man? He's alive?” Darius smirked.
“Not so much.”
“He's the one who kidnapped us,” Kyle explained. “He was brought back to, uh, life by Xanos, I think. He killed Master Banar and took us back to the Arena.”
“Brought back to life?” Kalibar asked incredulously. He lowered his gaze, shaking his head. “How can we defeat an enemy who can raise the dead?”
“It gets worse,” Kyle admitted. Kalibar's eyebrows raised.
“Worse? How?”
“The Dead Man was storing an army of Behemoths above the Arena,” Kyle explained. Kalibar stared at Kyle for a long moment.
“Behemoths,” Kalibar repeated.
“Behemoths,” Darius confirmed.
Suddenly they heard a piercing scream, so agonizing that it set the hair on the back of Kyle's neck on end. All three men jumped, then spun around.
There, sitting bolt upright on the bed, was Ariana, her eyes wide with terror.
“Ariana!” Kyle exclaimed, bursting with joy. He ran to her and hugged her, squeezing her tight. But she pushed back against him, her arms incredibly strong, shoving him backward. He stumbled, slamming his back against the wall. Ariana stared at him for a moment, her chest heaving, her eyes wide. Then she turned to Kalibar, scrambling backward in her bed.
“Ariana,” Kalibar soothed, reaching for her. She shook her head, crawling backward until she met the headboard. Kalibar paused, then smiled at her kindly, stepping backward. “It's okay, sweetheart,” he murmured. “You're safe.”
Ariana sat there for a long moment, staring at Kalibar. Then she turned her head, glancing at Kyle – still up against the wall – and then Darius. Then she turned back to Kalibar, her shoulders relaxing.
“Kalibar,” she stated with relief. She glanced at Kyle again. “Sorry Kyle,” she said, smiling apologetically. “I thought...” Then she frowned. “Wait, what happened?”
“You were...hurt,” Kalibar explained. “You're okay now. No one's going to harm you.” Ariana lowered her gaze, apparently thinking this over for a moment. Then she shook her head.
“Something's wrong,” she declared, glancing up at Kalibar. “I don't feel right.”
“You've been through a lot,” Kalibar said. Then he sighed. “Ariana...”
“No,” Ariana interrupted, her eyes narrowing. “Something's wrong. She glanced up at Kyle with her lovely brown eyes, and quite suddenly broke out into a huge smile. “Kyle!” she exclaimed, leaping off of the bed and running toward him. He cringed, bracing himself against the wall right before Ariana crashed into him, giving him an enthusiastic hug. Too enthusiastic; he felt the air explode from his lungs, his ribs threatening to splinter under the incredible power of her embrace. He gasped for air, flailing his arms uselessly. Ariana leaned backward, frowning at him.
“What's wrong?” she asked. Kyle wheezed, his vision blackening. Ariana let go of him just before he passed out, stepping back from him with a concerned look on her face. He slid down the wall onto his butt, sucking air greedily into his tortured lungs.
“What's wrong?” Ariana repeated, bringing her hand up to her mouth. She knelt down, putting a cold hand on Kyle's cheek. “Kyle, what did I do?”
“Ariana,” Darius interjected, kneeling down and putting a hand on her slender shoulder. “I need to tell you something.”
“I'll do it,” Kalibar interrupted, putting a hand on Darius's armored shoulder. Darius shook his head.
“This is my failure,” he countered, his voice resolute. “I did this to her,” he added. Kalibar stared back at the bodyguard for a long moment, then nodded silently.
“What are you talking about?” Ariana pressed, glancing suspiciously from Kalibar to Darius. “What's going on?”
“Ariana,” Darius said, squeezing her shoulder gently. “Tell us what happened to you.” Ariana frowned, then lowered her gaze, her eyes getting a faraway look. Then she shook her head.
“I...it's hard to remember,” she admitted. Her eyes narrowed, and she bit her lip. “Something woke me up,” she added. “In the middle of the night...I can't remember why.”
“Go on,” Darius encouraged.
“I remember Jenkins,” she continued. Then she shook h
er head. “Or a butler.” Then her eyes widened, and she looked up into Darius's eyes. “I think...I think I was attacked!” The memory seemed to startle Ariana, and she rested backward, sitting on her butt, gazing off into the distance.
“Who attacked you?” Darius pressed, his voice still uncharacteristically gentle. Ariana shook her head, looking confused.
“Someone in a blue shirt,” she answered after a long moment. “He tried to kill me.”
“Was it Jenkins?” Darius asked. Ariana frowned.
“I think so,” she replied. “Yes, I think it was,” she added more confidently. “But he had magic.”
“Of course!” Kalibar interjected, slamming his fist into his palm. “The assassins...Xanos is putting crystals into our butlers!”
“What?” Ariana asked, turning to face Kalibar. Darius put one bare hand on her cheek, gently bringing her gaze back to his.
“Tell me what happened next.”
“I...I think he stabbed me,” Ariana replied, clutching her chest with both hands, her eyes widening. “Oh god, he stabbed me!” she exclaimed, her face contorting in terror. She slid backward on the floor, crawling until her back struck the wall behind her...until she was right next to Kyle. Darius frowned.
“Ariana, I need to know what happened next.”
“What happened next?” Ariana repeated. She paused, then frowned. “What happened next...” Then she gasped, staring down at her left shin, peeling back her pants leg with both hands, exposing smooth, pale skin below. Darius glanced at her leg, then back at her, saying nothing.
“He cut me!” Ariana exclaimed, her eyes widening with terror. She glanced at Kyle, then Kalibar, then back to Darius, pointing at her leg. “Someone else...he cut me right here!”
“Who cut you?” Darius pressed, his voice still calm, almost hypnotically monotone. Ariana frowned.
“An old man,” she answered.
“What did the old man look like?”
“He had bad breath,” Ariana replied, wrinkling her nose. “And...he was really old,” she added. “I think he told me his name.”
“What was his name?” Darius pressed. Ariana frowned, her eyes narrowing. She sat there for a long moment, staring at the floor in front of her, then shook her head.