Warriors of the Way-Pentalogy

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  She slid the card into the slot that was meant for it and started walking. Initially I didn’t hear anything, then the voices started. It was a whisper at first, gradually increasing into a cacophony of voices. I couldn’t make out most of it but I caught snippets here and there: “let me out!” or “help me!” would quickly be drowned out by the din. I made sure to look straight ahead not realizing how difficult that simple action would be. As we approached the doors, Mara stopped.

  “He is waiting for you,” she said.

  “Sylk?”

  She gave the slightest of nods.

  “Listen to him before discounting what he says. You may actually learn something of use.” She turned to enter another door that was receded. “Don’t attempt the corridor. You won’t make it to the elevator, and even if you did, you couldn’t it without this.”

  Walking away, she held up the metallic card I had seen earlier and entered the smaller door. I faced the brushed steel doors that led to Sylk and I hoped some answers. I placed my hand on the doors and they slid apart like an elevator. The room inside was cool. I had the distinct feeling this wasn’t the Mirror and yet it was. One wall of the room was covered in floor to ceiling windows that let natural light in. The sunlight slanted in and shone on the black marble floor, making it seem like a bottomless lake. The opposite wall was covered in bookcases, each shelf full of books. At the far end of the room were several wingback chairs, four in a cross configuration and four more in no apparent order. In the center of the first set of chairs sat an ornate table with four dragons acting as legs. The top of the table itself was inlaid with symbols that I couldn’t make out from where I stood. The shades were partially drawn and the light filtering in gave the room a timeless quality. Sitting in one of the center chairs, facing me, was Sylk. Along the windowed wall was a long sofa-style bench and in a corner of the sofa, still as a statue sat, Anna. I walked towards where Sylk sat. He was currently reading a sheet of paper in his hands.

  “Welcome back, Dante. Please be seated. I’ll be right with you.”

  I sat in the chair on his right.

  “Anna, please take this message to its intended recipient.”

  Anna seemed to glide over as she removed the paper from Sylk’s hand. “Yes, Karashihan,” she said as she bowed.

  Sylk then turned to face me. “It would seem you are in need of some assistance.” His deep baritone words filled the air.

  Not one to give away any information, I skirted the situation. “What makes you say that?” I asked.

  Sylk smiled. “Aside from the fact that your guardian is, let’s say, indisposed, you have one of your party gravely injured. The Black Lotus is currently searching for you, quite vigorously I might add and it’s only a matter of time before the Watchers are alerted to your presence here. Does that sum it up for you?”

  I looked down at the table and recognized the symbols; the table was a replica of tré. I said nothing. “I will take your silence as an affirmation that I have correctly assessed your situation.”

  “Yes, you have,” I said.

  “As I stated earlier, you need help, specifically my help.”

  “Where is Zen?”

  “Don’t be trite or cliché, Dante. It is beneath you. You know I haven’t harmed him or we wouldn’t be here speaking. He is merely a way to get you still enough to listen.”

  “Fine, I’m listening.” I didn’t really have a choice.

  “Very well, I can help you achieve your goals provided I join you in your attempt to enter the South Watch.”

  “Excuse me? You want to come with us?” Obviously I was losing my mind because I thought I heard that he wanted to come with us.

  “You heard correctly, Dante. I want to join your little group. In turn I will get you past the defenses of the Watch.”

  It didn’t add up. “Why? What do you get out of this?”

  “I get some information I require and to resolve some unfinished affairs.”

  “You realize that I can’t trust you and certain members of my group would rather see you dead, right?”

  “Yes, the monitor, Meja, is it?”

  There was something I wasn’t seeing, something that was nagging at me. “Wait a minute, I don’t understand. Why do you need us to get to the Watch? You can easily get there on your own without us.”

  “Normally you would be correct, but in this case, there are extenuating circumstances, namely the Watch has been moved to an undisclosed location and no one thought to tell me. Can you imagine?” he said, the smile masking the steel in his voice.

  A whole Watch moved? Now I was beginning to see: he didn’t know where the Watch was and we didn’t know how to get past the defenses he helped create.

  “First show me Zen is safe.”

  “Of course.” He touched one of the symbols on the table and one of the bookcases shifted and slid to the side. Anna stepped forward with Zen behind her.

  “Zen!” I stopped when I saw him unresponsive.

  “He can’t hear or see you in this state.”

  It was then that I noticed that he was walking strangely, taking stilted steps. His face was impassive. Around his arm I saw a metal band that gave off a soft green glow. Anna wore a matching band.

  “As you can see, he is perfectly safe. Those bands compel him and bind his mind. If the link is shattered or disrupted incorrectly, he will remain trapped in a world of his making in his own mind. As we both know, the imagination is a powerful thing.”

  “I understand.” I was in a position without leverage. If I said no to Sylk, I lost Zen. If I said yes, then Meja would kill me right after she was done with Sylk.

  “I need to speak to Meja and the others,” I said, trying to buy myself some time.

  “Perfectly understandable. I will give you two hours to arrive at a decision. If after that time I don’t hear from you, I will assume our agreement is void and I will eliminate your guardian. You can contact me with this.” He handed me a card similar to the one Mara had. “I suggest you make your decision quickly. Two hours is about how much time you have before Watchers close in on your position as well.”

  I put the card in a pocket.

  “Mara will take you back to your people.”

  He pressed another symbol on the table and Mara appeared at the door. “Please escort Dante back to his group. He has pressing business and little time to resolve it in.”

  Mara bowed, “Yes, Karashihan.”

  I headed back to the doors, looking back at Zen.

  “I’ll be back for you, Zen,” I whispered as I exited the room.

  ALLIANCE

  WE WALKED THROUGH the streets, Mara beside me.. I felt like I had been gut checked. I kept my anger in check, though, realizing that giving in to the frustration would only bring the Lotus closer to me. She must have sensed my anger and turned to look at me as we walked by to the surreal Grand Central terminal.

  “Focus that emotion, Dante. It can be a great asset,” she said.

  I looked at her, realizing that being angry at her served no purpose. It was Sylk I needed to direct my anger at. Reacting to this situation was going to get me nowhere. I had to be proactive. I looked at her and took a breath. “I understand, Mara that you serve Sylk. I also understand that he is the cause of what happened to Zen. I don’t blame you.”

  Surprise briefly crossed her face. “You have matured much in a short time, Dante. Do not underestimate him. He will kill your guardian as easily as you and I take a breath.” She looked around and stopped walking. “I must leave you here.”

  I recognized the street as the corner we were standing on when Zen disappeared. We were a block away from the terminal.

  “Your people are there,” she said as she pointed to the terminal. “The Lotus is there,” she said, pointing to the nondescript building Zen and I were to scout. “Make your decision with haste; you do not want to face the Watchers.”

  “Why not?”

  “You don’t know of them?”


  “Only that I should avoid them.”

  “Perhaps that is best. Know that you cannot reason with them. They exist for one purpose only and that is to purge this plane of everything that does not belong.”

  “Wouldn’t that include you, Sylk and all his people?”

  She smiled then, a sad smile. “It may include his people but it does not apply to Sylk. Choose wisely and quickly, Dante. I hope to see you again for your guardian’s sake.”

  Before I could say anything else, she walked away. Standing on the corner of 42nd and Park Avenue, I was left with more questions than answers. I crossed the street fully conscious of the fact that time was against Zen, against Kal, against us all. As I made my way through the terminal, its vastness slowly snuck up on me. I walked to the information kiosk and saw Meja standing there with a strained look on her face. Clearly she didn’t like being this exposed. When she saw I was alone, her expression shifted and became darker.

  “Are you okay” I asked.

  “Not here, it’s too exposed. Let’s go.” She headed off to one of the side passageways that ran through the terminal, like a series of catacombs.

  “Where are Kal and Val?”

  “They’re safe. I don’t want to risk that you were followed,” she said as we stopped in one of the many corridors.

  “Where is Zen?” she asked, her face neutral.

  “Sylk has him.”

  “Sylk? I thought for sure the Lotus-—”

  “No, it’s Sylk,” I said as I shook my head.

  “What does he want?”

  I told her. and she grew pensive a moment. “This can work to our benefit. We can’t trust him but we can surely use his knowledge. Also, we have no choice. We can’t rescue Zen without tipping our hand or our location to the Watchers.”

  “I agree, but I don’t like it.”

  “I like it less, Dante, but if we don’t get Kal some help and get Zen back, they will both die. We will make this uneasy alliance and work it to our benefit. Contact him and tell him we will agree to his terms, provided Zen is set free and Kal is attended to.”

  “Don’t we need a nexus for Kal?”

  “No, Sylk should have someone who can treat her at his location.”

  “Are you sure of this?” I asked, hating the feeling of being backed into a corner.

  “No. I’m not but right now, I don’t see an alternative, do you?”

  I took out the silver card because, like Meja, I didn’t see any other choice.

  WATCHERS

  I PRESSED THE silver card with my thumb. Immediately an image of Sylk appeared before me.

  “You have come to a decision, then?”

  “We have, with some conditions.”

  His image seemed to be solid. If I had not known this was some kind of hologram I would have sworn he was there.

  “You are not exactly in a position to make demands but I will hear your ‘conditions’.”

  “We have a member of our group that needs medical attention, and Zen needs to be free from whatever hold you have on him.”

  He turned to look at Meja, and then faced me again.

  “Done. Mara and Anna will be there shortly to help with your injured associate. The guardian will be released when you arrive here. Now a condition of my own.”

  It felt like dealing with the devil, somehow. I knew his condition would end up backfiring on me.

  “What is it?” Meja looked upset but said nothing, clearly not wanting to escalate the exchange.

  “Your word, that neither you nor any of your party will attack or betray me in this alliance of ours.”

  I thought about it a moment. If I agreed, it meant no one from my group could attack Sylk while we worked together, especially Meja. Sylk was ensuring his safely from attack at least an attack from us. I looked at Meja but she gave me no indication, meaning I was on my own.

  “We will agree to those terms, provided you and your group adhere to the same condition.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Meja nod just slightly. Sylk paused a moment before responding. Unclasping his hands from behind his back, he spread his arms wide.

  “Very well, I agree.” As he said the words, he traced some symbols in the air that glowed crimson and faded away slowly. As the symbols faded, I felt a tug in my lower abdomen.

  “Mara and Anna will be there shortly. Be prepared to move.” And with that, the image disappeared.

  “What was that, with the symbols and the feeling in my gut?” I asked Meja.

  “He created a bond with your words. If you or he violates the conditions you agreed on, there will be a blood debt.”

  “Which would be collected how?” Something told me I didn’t want to hear the answer.

  “It’s pretty self-explanatory, Dante. You violate your word, your blood is spilled. That is the essence of a blood debt. I didn’t know he knew how to invoke one or that it was possible without being actually present.”

  “But this goes both ways, right?”

  “Yes, but you have to be careful. If you violate your word, the debt will most likely kill you.” Her words hung in the air, their implied meaning filling the silence. If he broke the agreement, chances are the debt wouldn’t kill Sylk.

  “We will deal with this as it progresses. For now, let’s get to Kal and Val and get ready to move.”

  We headed to another part of the terminal. As we walked among the people, we started getting more and more looks.

  “This is not good,” Meja said under her breath as she picked up the pace. Before I knew it, we were running.

  “What’s going on?” I said as I ran beside her. She stepped to a secluded corner of the terminal.

  I turned around to see a dead end. “Where are they? Why are we running?”

  Meja dashed to the end of the hallway and pressed her hand to a section of the wall. A section of it recessed and moved to the left, revealing a small alcove. Inside were Val & Kal. Kal looked pale, ragged breaths escaping her. Val sat beside her, face drawn with worry.

  “She’s not doing well,” said Val.

  “We are getting help but we may have a bigger problem,” said Meja. “Watchers.”

  Val cursed under her breath then looked up. “What do we do?”

  “We need to stay on the move. No place is safe from them. They can see into the fabric of this place. We have nowhere to hide.”

  “If we can get to Sylk’s building, we can.”

  “Sylk? You’re joking, right?” said Val.

  “No time to explain. Dante, contact Sylk,” said Meja.

  I took out the card and pressed the raised surface. Sylk’s image appeared but not entirely solid. It was as if the transmission was weak or the signal was being jammed.

  “We have a problem –” I started.

  “I am aware of your predicament. Watchers are closing in on your location. You must leave now and come to my location. Mara and Anna will meet you en route. Do whatever you can to avoid the Watchers, Dante. They are not to be trifled with.”

  “Can we fight them in any way?”

  “No, not even your weapon would help you in this case. Avoid them.”

  “How – if they can track us everywhere?”

  “Think of them as white blood cells, this plane as a body and your group as a virus. We will fool them into thinking you are a part of this body or convince them you have left the body, but that can only happen here, you must come to me. If I leave here, the Watchers will be the least of our concerns.”

  What could be worse than Watchers? I wondered to myself.

  “How soon before Mara and Anna arrive?”

  “Three minutes. The moment you open that door, you cannot stop for any reason. Do you understand?”

  “We got it.”

  His image flickered and faded out.

  “Three minutes. Can we wait that long?”

  “These walls appear to hide us partially,” said Meja. “I think we can. Let’s get Kal ready to move.” The seconds
ticked by interminably as we waited. Any second I expected Watchers to show up and eliminate us. Not knowing what they looked like or what they were capable of was the worst of the wait.

  “Do we know what they look like?” I said.

  “I have never seen them. I have been told they are formless, which I find difficult to believe, since they would require some form to effect a change on this plane.”

  “Good point.”

  “The records I have read —and they are few —say mostly hooded figures dressed in grey.”

  “Well, let’s not be too specific.”

  “Remember those who do run into Watchers are usually eliminated or purged from this plane, which means inaccurate accounts. Those who do survive are usually fleeing for their life, which makes eye witness accounts unreliable.”

  “I understand,” I said, understanding nothing.

  After a moment there was a knock on the wall.

  “That would be our escort. Dante, you take Kal. I will take the lead. I don’t trust them for a moment.”

  I picked up Kal in the makeshift harness Meja created. Val stayed close to me while Meja opened the door. Mara and Anna stepped inside. Meja looked at the women with thinly veiled disgust, looking especially hard at Anna. Mara and Anna were both dressed in casual clothing – dark pantsuits with white shirts, and around their necks hung identical pendants. On each pendant was the symbol of a monitor overlaid with something else I couldn’t decipher. They handed each of us a pendant – all except me.

  “As a warrior,” Mara began, “this would not work for you. Your weapon is manifested.”

  “And it would only bring us more attention,” said Anna.

  “You are the reason we must move swiftly or rather your weapon is.”

  “We must go now. Are we ready?” said Mara.

  It seemed we were ready to go. Meja opened the door and there was an immediate shift in the air pressure. Both of my ears popped as I looked at Meja. Her jaw clenched against the pressure, and then she nodded. This was not going to be good. Fear filled her eyes as she looked back at me. I looked past her and into the corridor. Beside me, Val cursed and pulled out her blades, and Meja’s sword materialized into her hand. Anna held what appeared to be a metallic whip in her hand that glowed a faint green. Mara’s hands took on a violet glow I was all too familiar with. I felt the fear course through my body but there was no way I could wield Maelstrom while carrying Kal.