by Ben Hale
The lava tubes that surrounded the Harbinger complex were huge, with some over thirty feet in diameter. Whoever was doing it had tremendous power in regards to fire . . .
She swiveled her head to look at Hawk, but he remained encased in ice. On impulse Tess reached her magic out to the entity that was closing a hole in a lava tube. The gap acted like a natural relief valve, and was preventing the lava from ascending higher. The other's magic was attempting to seal the right half, so she started on the opposite side of the jagged gap.
The hole was thousands of feet below her, but was just within her reach. It felt like she was trying to grab something that was at the far extent of her fingers. She touched it twice with her consciousness before she managed to put a burst of magic where she intended. The gap began to seal as they worked together, and the lava pouring from it gradually closed off as the liquid hardened into solid stone. The anti-magic to her bonds dampened her effort, but the distance was too great for it to siphon her whole effort.
Tess felt a sense of familiarity to the other's magic, and with it became certain it was Hawk. He may not have been able to communicate with words, but a section of rock heated in a curve that resembled a smile. Hundreds of yards above, Tess smiled back.
I hear you Hawk.
The pressure of the lava mounted, ever so slowly building to the intended breaking point. Each foot that it rose, Tess was able to draw more heat into herself. As she did she was careful to not allow it to touch the ice that held her. She didn't want to give her actions away. Over time the feeling returned to her hands and feet.
She bit her lip not to scream, and fought to hold her sanity together. Desperately she sought for something that could stave off the frostbite that had covered much of her feet and fingers. Recalling the Swordsman's comment about healing, she cast a healing spell on herself, and breathed a sigh of relief as her magic numbed her extremities. This time the numbness was not caused by lack of feeling. With renewed zeal she forced her magic deep into the earth, and helped Hawk close a leak that had burst lower down.
The pressure mounted.
The difference was gradual, but Tess could feel the mountain's interior issue a tremor. She prayed it wouldn’t give them away. Several times Harbingers came to check on them. She got the impression that even when no one was present they were being watched. She just prayed she could figure it out in time to save Alice. The only time she'd reached out toward her she'd felt only an icy cold. She was terrified that Alice was already dead.
The long night passed as she and Hawk worked in tandem, building the mountain's slumbering might an inch at a time. A few times her fatigue got the best of her and she fell asleep. She would doze until the cold woke her, whereupon she would recast her spells and try again. Dawn was a welcome sight, but not what it heralded.
As the sun crested in the distance the Harbingers began to enter the clearing. At their appearance Hawk's magic took on a sudden urgency. Tess followed suit. With its current pressure she estimated the volcano would erupt soon—but not soon enough.
Cloaked figures exited the structure and approached the white fire. One by one they came out until they stood ten deep in a half circle facing the great stone door. As one they removed their hoods. Ranson stepped from the center of their ranks and strode forward.
"Harbingers," he said. "We have fought and died for this day, to see the release of Draeken's might upon our world. First we thought we would use the fiends, but now we have come to know that something greater lies in wait for us, the Dark. With its power we will be unstoppable. Soon we will use it to enforce our laws, and remove the plagues that the aurens have unleashed upon Earth."
Tess craned her neck, searching for the Master. If he was present she couldn't identify him. Catching her eye, Drake flashed a malicious smile. Varson just stared at her, his glittering black eyes cold. Then Ranson called her name.
"The Oracle has come to witness our victory, as the Master has requested," he said. He strode to face her and leaned in so no one could overhear him.
"Welcome to your death, Tess. I assure you, it will not be pleasant."
Tess stared without blinking into the eyes of her adversary. She poured every ounce of her rage into the fire building far below them. "I will live to see you die," she snarled.
Ranson laughed, and moved to stand in front of Hawk. "It's a pity," he said, "but it seems Hawk is about to die anyway. At least Saraaq will finally have his revenge." He chuckled under his breath and moved to stand in front of Alice. He sniffed in disdain and tapped the ice. "You are dying poorly," he said. "You need to last until the Dark is released. Then we will allow you to give up."
The venom in his voice was apparent, and Varson shifted in the front of the crowd. His expression made it clear he felt the same. Frozen and on the verge of death, Alice did not respond. Tess felt a tumult of emotions at the sight, a rising desperation among them.
Was she really watching her birth mother die? After everything she had learned, all the power she had gained, it was infuriating to be so helpless. With no other recourse, she strove to place more magic into the volcano at her feet, fighting to bring its hidden might to bear.
The curve of the sun broke the horizon, bathing them all in light. The great iseonix shifted as the sunlight struck it, releasing a shower of snow. Ranson moved to stand in front of the white fire, his steps taking on the pace of solemnity. Reaching into its flames, he caught the hilt of the Sword and withdrew it from the ground. The fire flared, and then extinguished as it was withdrawn.
The Harbingers didn't move as Ranson strode to the doorway of stone and placed the tip against the rock wall. The steel striking the cold stone sounded loud on the summit, and seemed to cause the wind to gust, as if the very atmosphere sensed what was about to occur.
Tess unleashed all of her power into the volcano beneath them, as did Hawk, but it didn't matter. The volcano would not erupt for at least another twenty minutes. By then it would be too late. Her rage surged hot within her, and she threw it into the ice that held her. The threads of anti-magic drained the effort away before it could so much as crack the ice.
Desperately she cast about for something to do, anything that would stop him. Helpless, she watched him plunge the darkened Sword into the rock. A purple and black vortex exploded into view, devouring the stone door until it licked at the edges of the surrounding snow.
For a long moment a deafening silence resounded on the summit of Xshaltheria. No screaming fiends exploded into sight, no black bodies clawed their way onto the mountain. Even the icy wind seemed to hold its breath. Then a single figure appeared in the portal.
Dread overpowered Tess as the master of flesh stepped out, followed by gust of Dark that swirled in his wake. The black cloud stretched out and touched its new surroundings, eager and hungry. Tess shuddered when she saw it. She knew what it could do.
Ranson stepped up to greet him. "Ducalik, I presume? We are glad to have you here. We have released you so you may—"
His words were cut off as Ducalik raised a finger toward him. Ranson's body betrayed him, and he collapsed, struggling to move or breath. Several of the Harbingers sought to help, but they halted mid-step as Ducalik pointed to them. Choking on snow and bile, Ranson stretched his hand toward his Harbingers, begging for aid. Tess was surprised that Saraaq remained where he was.
"I was an apprentice once," Ducalik snarled. "I will not be one again."
"Enough," a rumbling voice said. Ducalik raised his head from Ranson and bared his teeth.
Tess's eyes were drawn to the side, searching for the source of the voice. At first she saw nothing. No figure strode out of the crowd, no person stepped forward to reveal himself. Then she saw movement, and her whole frame went rigid in numb disbelief.
Alice was freeing herself.
Chapter 48: The Master
Steam cascaded off the ice tomb as it melted, allowing a gap for her to step through. In the span of seconds it cracked and crumbled, leaving Alice
standing alive and well. A shimmering opaque cloak blossomed from her shoulders and fell to her feet. Without hesitation she strode toward Ducalik.
The master of flesh sneered and reached to Alice, but she clenched a fist and yellow light burst across her frame. Ducalik growled and tried again, but again failed. Alice came to a halt next to the shaking form of Ranson and looked down at him.
"You have served me well Ranson." Her voice started out male, but by the end of the sentence it had changed to the one Tess knew.
"Master," Ranson's voice trembled. "I thought I was to lead—"
She gestured to Ranson's body, which emitted a loud crack and crumpled. Tess turned away, stunned and sickened by the death. She turned back when Ducalik growled. The Dark swirled at his command, and cascaded toward Alice. It swallowed her whole, and Tess knew from experience that it was seeking to subvert her will. It would augment her fears until she was left screaming and begging for it to end. Then her mind would fade, and the Dark would control her form.
But a moment later it withdrew, and Alice remained unharmed, her strange yellow magic brimming across her hands.
"Who are you to withstand my might," Ducalik growled.
"I am your new Master," Alice said. She reached a hand toward Ducalik. He strained to fight her will, and bared his teeth as his muscles fought her magic. In the end he succumbed, and was forced to his knees. "You may serve me and have your revenge, or you may die where you kneel."
There was a long pause, and then he replied. "Master." Hate and anticipation filled his eyes in equal measure, but Alice's expression exuded only triumph. Victorious, she turned toward Tess and strode to her side.
"It's a shame, really," Alice exclaimed. "I had hoped to continue to use this persona for a while longer. It has been extremely useful."
"How could you do this?" Tess yelled. "You are my mother!"
Alice cocked her head to the side, every shred of love and concern gone from her features. "I knew that if I raised you myself you would be powerful—but flawed. Only the Guild knew what it took to train an oracle to her full potential. After all, your training was its original purpose." Her eyes darkened. "I only wish I would have learned Hawk's true identity earlier. Many lives paid the price until we did."
She cast a searing look at Hawk, whose entire ice pillar shook from heat and rage. Tess could only imagine how he felt upon realizing that Alice had betrayed them all.
Alice released a sigh. "But in the end his efforts will be for naught. Now that he has trained you the mages will accept you as an oracle—and look to you for guidance."
"So I can defy you?" Tess asked. "Why not just kill me?"
Alice smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. "The prophecy regarding you is well known. When the time comes you will use your influence the way you were meant to, and lead every mage into becoming a Harbinger. We will step from hiding as we should, and will enforce absolute law for the aurens. Without you many of the mages will likely resist me, and I would be forced to kill them. You see? You will fulfill your purpose, and will join the mages and aurens."
"They won't do it," Tess yelled the words. "They will fight you."
"They are angry," Alice said, stepping closer. "The auren attacks have killed so many." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
"But you were behind it all!" Tess spit the words at her. "And you would have destroyed Brokins."
"A necessary sacrifice," Alice said easily.
Tess swallowed at the burgeoning rage and hate. "You overestimate the people's desire for power." She hated that fear that had seeped into her voice. "Hawk has taught the Guild well, and they will make sure the people resist."
Alice's smile was sickening. "It won't be enough. The attack on Brokins may not have succeeded . . . but it was not my only plan. Mages will continue to think they die at the hand of aurens until they thirst for war. Then they will be begging for what I have brought."
"But your magic was taken from you," Tess growled desperately. "You don't have the power to do this."
"Did you think I told you the whole truth?" Alice asked. "I took it from myself. Did you think the Guild would just let me join without verifying my story? In due time I will reclaim my other magics."
Tess was terrified now. Alice was the Master, and Tess was just beginning to realize that she had planned for everything. She had infiltrated the very organization that rivaled her own, and had lived with them for decades. She had prepared every contingency, every possible scenario, and there was nothing that Tess could do to stop her.
"But why release him?" Tess asked, anger and desperation thickening her voice. "You've had the power to break the auren armies and control the mage world. What possible reason would cause you to release the Dark?"
Alice cocked her head to the side. "We could have destroyed the aurens, yes, but their spirit would never be broken. Time has proven that human nature defies constraints. Even with all our power, the aurens would still fight us." She gestured to Ducalik. "The Dark will ensure strict obedience.
"Our world cannot continue as it is, Tess. We cannot survive. Politicians lie and line their pockets, thieves steal what they haven't earned, and killers live free of consequence." She leaned in, her gaze piercing. "But no more. With the Dark at our command, the people will be subject to instant justice. If a man tries to harm another, the Dark will consume him. If a leader attempts to cheat or lie, the Dark will absorb him. If a boy tries to assault a girl, he will be taken.
"Won't that be better?" she swept her hands outward. "There will be no crime, no wanton brutality, no violence or war. Every soul on Earth will face a single choice, live their lives according to our laws, or join the Dark and enforce the law for others. There will be no resistance."
Tess hated that her words made sense, in a twisted tyrannical sort of way. But it felt wrong. The taking of free will didn't seem like a triumph. Instead it made her feel like mankind had failed.
"They will defeat you," Tess said. She couldn't think of anything else to say.
Alice's laugh was dark, cold, and confident. "The two of you are the most powerful mages aside from myself. Without you they don't stand a chance. I will kill each and every one of them—unless you join me."
"I can't." Tess’s words were barely a whisper.
"You will," Alice said, her eyes hardening. "You have no choice. Iris, Derek, Rox—even your auren parents, Jack and Kate—I will kill them all, and you will die knowing their blood is on your hands. Would you like to see it for yourself before you join me? Must you watch their life fade from their eyes before you will submit?"
Tess knew with absolute certainty that Alice would slaughter everyone that stood in her way. Fear assailed her, and tears coursed from her eyes, freezing into ice before they could reach her bindings. Her courage failed her.
"Your hope is gone, daughter," Alice said as triumph twisted her features. "And it's time to release the Dark. You have but to call me Master to save yourself, and your friends. Make your choice before the Dark reaches you . . . or you will be beyond even my help."
Without waiting for a response, Alice turned to Ducalik and proclaimed, "Release the Dark." Then she looked to Saraaq and gestured to Hawk. "Kill him," she ordered the icebird.
Tess struggled in her ice, fighting to break free. Alice smiled and returned to Tess's side. "Just call me Master, Tess, and you will save so many lives. It will be over." Her voice was like lethal velvet. "Just call me Master . . ."
Behind Alice, the Dark began to spread across the ground, reaching and coiling. Above it the massive iseonix issued a shriek and unfurled its wings. Rage, fear, and regret coursed through Tess, fueling her muscles as she fought for her freedom. There was no escape, and she knew it.
—A dull whine caused everyone to turn and look upward, where a bright object reflected in the sky. Faster than thought, it streaked toward their mountain like a bullet, and impacted hard in the center of the clearing. Rising and morphing, the shape changed, and rose to its full statu
re. The onlookers took a collective breath as magic blossomed on their arms.
But the steel giant struck first.
Chapter 49: Desperate
The steel giant backhanded the nearest person, and then a massive steel fist smashed Varson in the face. He crumpled, and the steel giant plowed into the stunned foes. Snapping out of their shock, the Harbingers attacked with a fury.
Alice screamed for the Harbingers to destroy the giant. Already rising from the peak, the iseonix turned to the giant instead of Hawk. Ducalik added his power, and unleashed a torrent of Dark onto it.
The ice around Hawk vibrated and pulsed, and then shattered in a titanic blast of fire and heat. Without hesitation he turned his fury on Alice even as he began to shift into phoenix form. The Master raised her arms and a wall of yellow light caused the pouring flames to split to either side.
Tess gathered every ounce of hope, rage, hatred, and fear in her hands, and surged fire into the ice around her. Steam issued forth from the sudden cracks, and then the veins of ink were overwhelmed. Like a blast from a gun, her bindings cracked.
Hot vapor erupted from her bindings as they melted and poured away from her. Her shoulders and arms came free, and then her hands. Clenching her fists, she struck at the base with a snarl on her lips. It shattered into shards of ice, leaving her free.
Several Harbingers turned to face her, their eyes widening as they saw her unbound. Tess didn't wait for them to recover. Gathering all the cold and frozen moisture in the vicinity, she conjured an ice hydra. Five necks tightened into place and extended into weaving heads.
The first to take shape opened its maw and unleashed a barrage of icy breath at the Harbingers. Stumbling and crying out, they sought to gather their forces—but there was no one to come. Bodies of dead or unconscious Harbingers littered the ground. Undeterred by the magic striking its form, the steel giant was on a rampage, and struck Harbingers with abandon.