His face darkened for a moment. “I did. He is no longer alive on this or any other plane.” For a moment, he looked grim. Then his expression changed. “I sense your weapon has manifested. Have you learned to control it?”
I shook my head. “That was the whole purpose of coming here. Samir was looking for a book.”
He looked at me and asked, “Who is Samir?’
“The others! Devin, we have to find the others! Meja, Zen, Kal, Samir, he’s the syllabist, Sylk and Mara!”
“You found an actual syllabist? What kind of weapon did you manifest?” Then as if dawning slowly, he clenched his teeth and grabbed me by the shoulder. It felt like my arm was in a vise. “Did you say Sylk?” He must have seen me wince because he let up on my arm slightly.
“Yes, Sylk the Karashihan. Although he isn’t that anymore,” and I explained what had happened since I last saw him. He was sitting quietly as if analyzing all I had told him.
“Truly you have been in the midst of some very interesting circumstances. Someone went through great pains to separate you from the group.”
“What do you mean? I got here to the Records. It’s the group that never made it.”
“Actually, have you considered that the Akashic Records would not have a need for an infirmary?” He let the question hang there until the realization hit me.
“But Mia, the doctor, she said —”
“They have a limited ability to read non-Sherfym minds, she merely picked up thoughts from your mind. Anything that would keep you docile. Her job was to keep you there until you were picked up. The question is, by whom?”
“So where are we?”
“This is a Sherfym stronghold. It’s not even on your plane, at least not often. The Sherfym are distant relations to the Watchers you ran into, nowhere near as powerful but dangerous in their own right. Even more so in their own stronghold and plane, which I’m guessing we aren’t in yet, or we would have been overrun.”
“How do we get out of here?”
“We can’t —that is, we can’t just yet. We have to wait until whoever wants you comes and gets you. Then leave with them.”
“But that means –”
“Yes, we need to wait. I will have to mask your flow so it seems as if it’s still interrupted or else they will hit you again. Then we see who will visit you.”
“Won’t Mia remember?”
“She shouldn’t, not if I did it right,” he said more to himself than to me. We made our way back to the hallway that led to the infirmary, when the smell of lavender encircled us. We both looked at each other and ran. As we entered the infirmary, I noticed Mia was still in the bed where Devin had placed her.
“Quickly!” he whispered. I jumped into the bed and he readjusted the straps.
“Don’t say anything,” he cautioned, “and whatever you do, do not manifest your chi.” I understood the implications. He turned and looked towards the door. “I’ll be close, don’t worry.” Every time I heard those words they had the exact opposite effect.
CAPTURE
“MY MASTER WILL be most displeased if he is not here.” I overheard the voices in the hall as I feigned sleep. Mia was stirring and I heard her get up.
“Oh my head,” she moaned. She came over to my side and gently shook me.
As I opened my eyes I could see she was struggling with a headache.
“Wake up. They have come for you.”
“Who? Who has come for me?”
“I do not know. I was only instructed to keep you here. Oh my head. Please excuse me a moment.” I sensed rather than saw the group enter the room. A tall dark figure dominated the group. He stood at least six feet tall, which meant he dwarfed the Sherfym. His jet black hair hung straight and framed his face. He seemed to be of average build but his movements spoke of an underlying strength that rested beneath the surface. He wore a form fitting garment that was similar to what monitors wore, except his were black. Something about him reminded me of Sylk. It had to be his composure and carriage. If he wasn’t royalty, he was the closest thing to it. He turned away from the Sherfym he was speaking to, the same one that hit me initially.
“Is this the one” the Sherfym asked. Tall, dark and scary looked me over, the same way a wolf might look at its next meal.
“Yes, yes I do believe it is.” He handed over a small satchel to the Sherfym leader. The Sherfym bowed and left the room. The leader however turned at the door. “Be wary. Great power resides in that one.” He bowed and left the room.
REASONS
“I CAN SENSE you’re awake, so let’s just stop the pretending.” I opened my eyes fully.
“Let’s keep the straps on for a moment, shall we?” He sat at the foot of my bed as if he were a relative visiting an ill member of the family.
“I’m certain you have many questions, yes?”
“You could say that.”
He looked at me expectantly. “Well?” he said, fixing me with a look that meant I should be asking my questions.
“Who are you?” He waved his hand at me as if waving the question away. “Surely you can do better than that.”
I remained still and thought. “Why me? Why are you chasing me?”
“Excellent! A much better question, don’t you think? Why you, indeed. It had been the question I had been asking myself from the beginning. You were sent to the warriors because you are unique. So unique in fact that many prefer you dead than alive.” He paused.
“Which group do you belong to?” I asked warily.
“Right now I belong to the group that prefers you breathing; the interesting part is that there are a few of that same group that would rather you stop.”
“Stop what?”
“Breathing, am I not being clear? Never mind, suffice it to say you are to remain among us for the time being.”
“So, what makes me so unique?” I asked, trying to stall the inevitable.
“You see, Dante, I may call you Dante? It’s not just the fact that you can manifest a powerful weapon, one of the three foci. It’s what you will be able to do with that weapon once you have ascended.”
“Ascended, ascended to what?”
“Hmm, they didn’t tell you? I swear, these warriors of the Way are getting sloppy.”
“I didn’t have much time for training, what with being hunted.”
“Well, there is that. Very well, to truly master your weapon, you have to become completely merged with it, no barriers, and no compartments. You and your weapon are one, an extension of each other.”
I didn’t like where this was going but I remained silent. “So does this require some special training?”
“You could say that.”
“What do you mean?” He stood up and started removing items from his pockets and placing them around me on the bed. They were small spheres, opaque and grey. “This should make your trip a bit easier and prevent any detours —know what I mean?”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“I know, Dante, and frankly I’m not certain you are going to like the answer. Are you sure you want it?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation.
“Of course you would,” he said. “Very well but before I continue, understand that this is what I have learned from research and not first hand. Be that as it may, it’s very reliable.”
I nodded. He sat on the bed directly across from me so I had to turn my head right to look at him.
“Long ago, and I mean hundreds of years ago, there were many Ascendants, both guardians and warriors. Over time, it was being noted that the number of Ascendants were diminishing, nothing great at first but after many years, it became more and more pronounced.”
“What caused it?”
“No one knows for certain. Some say bloodlines were involved, others say it was a scheme of the first Karashihan. Whatever the cause, the end result was less and less Ascendants.” I looked at him quizzically. “Oh yes, you wouldn’t know —well without enough Ascend
ants the barriers of a plane, any plane, collapse. Which means easy access, no need for portals or mirrors, basically the front door is open, so is the back door, the side doors too.”
“That can’t be good.”
“No it isn’t, at least for the inhabitants of the plane in question. So a plan was formed to create ascendants, sort of breed them. Whenever a warrior or guardian exhibited the correct traits or abilities, he would be a candidate for Ascension. Many never overcame the first part of the process and after some time it was stopped once a stabilizing number of ascendants were created.”
“Why start again?”
“Well, ascendants are notoriously hard to kill. They aren’t immortal, just long lived, not to mention incredibly skilled fighters. Lately someone or something has found a way to kill Ascendants. This is not a good thing, considering the entities that would enjoy your plane.”
“And that first part that many failed to overcome?”
“Oh that, yes, you have to die.”
ROMAN
“I HAVE TO what!?” Panic began a little dance in my stomach.
“Obviously it’s not permanent. Think of it as a reset of sorts.”
“A reset of sorts? You mean I have to die, be dead? And this is a reset of sorts?”
“Hey, you asked. I was quite content to just deliver you, ignorance intact.”
“Deliver me where?” I asked off-handedly.
He smiled. “That’s not for me to divulge at this moment, I’m afraid.”
“Fine.” I didn’t think it would work but it was worth a try. “Let’s get back to the dying part. Why do I need to die, and how is this done?”
He checked his watch and nodded to himself as if making certain of something. “Throughout time and cross culturally, this component of ritual death has existed. You are familiar with the concept, yes?”
I nodded, too stunned to even form words.
“Good, well it turns out they were on to something. The entire process of death and revival, under the right circumstances can create or at least trigger Ascension.”
This had to be some twisted nightmare. “How many Ascendants are needed to keep the barriers intact?”
He narrowed his eyes and looked at me. “That is the best question you have asked so far.”
“The answer being?”
“Well from what I have heard, it’s 100 per plane, although I have other numbers, 100 comes up more often than not.”
“What happens if it falls below that number?”
“Ah, this is the interesting part. After the threshold number is reduced, things go crazy. Instability becomes rampant and the plane barriers are diminished enough to allow unrestricted access. We start getting visitors we would rather not have, mostly unpleasant visitors.”
“What does any of this have to do with me?”
“I was getting to that. Every so often the warrior or guardian being ushered into ascendancy develops a special quality. They are able to facilitate ascendancy in others. Those are called Core Ascendants. You could imagine how pivotal it would be to have an Ascendant of that caliber on your side.”
“So a core Ascendant can basically create or help create other Ascendants?”
“Well that’s a gross oversimplification, but something like that.”
“So there you go I’m sure there are core Ascendants left, right?
“Of the hundred or so Ascendants on your plane, a number that I am certain has decreased, only five were Core Ascendants. Out of those five, three are dead; one is missing and is not even on the plane.”
“What about the last one?”
“She is the one that sent me.”
“Why?”
“Surely you aren’t this obtuse. She thinks you could be an Ascendant, more importantly she thinks you may be a core.”
“Me? A Core Ascendant? I don’t think so.”
“It’s no longer up to you to decide. You have many people counting, depending on what you could become.”
“I think you are leaving some things out, Roman.” It was Devin. Was that his name or was he at some point an actual Roman?
Roman turned to where Devin stood at the rear of the room. “Devin, I was wondering when you would show.”
“Tell him, Roman; tell him the part you left out.”
Roman turned to face me. “It’s inconsequential really, considering the greater good.”
“Tell him or I will.”
Roman sighed. “Very well, there is a small matter, actually a small chance that the Ascension will suppress your persona to the extent that your weapon, not you, will remain in control.”
“And?” said Devin.
“And there are quite a few interested parties that would like this to occur.”
“So aside from having to die and be brought back, somehow I also run the risk of completely being controlled by my weapon.”
“See? He understands and I daresay he is facing it rather well,” said Roman.
They both turned to look at me.
“No, I don’t think that is something I am going to take rather well,” I said
Roman stood and walked over to the doorway. He turned to face me. “I’m afraid I’m not offering you a choice. You will have to come with me.”
“This is not going to happen,” Devin said as he undid the straps holding me down.
Roman looked on with a pleased expression. “Are you saying that you are going to stop me?”
“Roman, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“You realize I’m here under Aurora’s request and that if I fail it only means she will be angry and more determined.”
Devin said nothing.
“You know you are no match for me. We have established this countless times.”
“Maybe I’m just hard-headed.”
Roman shook his head as he pulled his sleeves tight to his forearms. “Devin, Devin, Devin, you would throw your life away today? We aren’t sparring, I will show you no quarter.”
“None expected, Roman.” Devin’s face was grim.
“Let us see if you have improved from our last meeting.”
Devin stepped into an open space on the other side of the room.
“I will finally put you out of your misery Devin, and I will enjoy this,” whispered Roman.
“Roman, you talk too much,” Devin said as his hands began to glow.
FINAL GAMBIT
I MADE A move to get closer to Devin, but he stopped me with a stare downwards at the spheres on the bed surrounding me, and shook his head. As he drew closer to Devin, Roman removed his outer cloak, revealing a defined physique. It was obvious Roman trained, very hard. He paused a moment to speak to me. “I would suggest against any sudden movements. The spheres around you are keyed to your chi energy. They function as a type of retriever, in the extremely unlikely event of Devin defeating me, you will be sent to Aurora immediately. Just sit tight; this will be over soon enough.” He turned to Devin, looking almost bored. “Are you ready?”
The glow that was around his hands now coursed over Devin’s entire body. It looked as if he were in the middle of an electrical field.
“Is that new, Devin?” Devin remained silent and then disappeared. He reappeared slightly behind Roman as a blur, disappearing an instant later as Roman turned to swing his arm where Devin was only moments before. Devin reappeared again, slamming a palm into Roman’s chest. Roman managed to get his arm up in time, but only barely. The blow sent Roman sliding back four feet. Roman shook his arm as if shaking off the strike.
“That was impressive. Seems you have been making good use of your time, Devin.”
“I have,” Devin said as he prepared to launch another series of attacks. This time Roman was prepared and evaded or blocked each of Devin’s attacks, with a greater margin of ease. I could see Devin begin to sweat, while Roman looked as if he were engaging in some leisure activity. That was when I felt the shift. I sensed something subtle change within Devin. It seemed like Roma
n sensed it as well. He was no longer taking Devin’s attacks lightly. The flow that surrounded Devin had disappeared but I could feel the energy roiling the air around him. His hands were glowing blue and Roman was having a difficult time staying out of range.
The first clean strike was a knife hand to Roman’s inner thigh. He grunted in pain. Devin followed the strike with a percussive set of strikes to Roman’s body. I could hear the ribs break as Devin struck Roman. He finished his attack, evading a lunging strike by ducking and spinning a back fist into the side of Roman’s head, sending him across the floor to land sprawled on his back. Roman stood up. I could see the blood in the corners of his mouth, indicating internal damage. His face was bruising rapidly where Devin had struck. He spit on the floor, a mixture of blood and saliva. Then he started laughing.
“I haven’t felt this good in years! This is excellent! Allow me to return the favor!” In his hands a double headed hammer coalesced. It looked like a long dumbbell but rather than the ends being round, each was a rectangular block. Symbols covered each of the hammer’s heads. Each head was black and seemed to siphon the light around it. The symbols were a deep blue. The shaft between each of the hammers was silver and reflected the light as if it was glowing. Getting hit by that weapon did not seem like a good idea. Roman wiped the blood from his face and with a smile lunged at Devin. Devin clasped his hands together as Roman smashed into him. A bluish green light filled the room, blinding me. I turned my face to avoid the glare. When it subsided, I saw both Roman and Devin were sweating freely now. Devin however was breathing heavily as if he were exerting himself..
“A shield Devin, how quaint. You know this can’t last,” Roman said as he struck at Devin. Each time the hammer struck an invisible barrier, I noticed the light from each strike grew dimmer and it seemed Devin became weaker. When it seemed that Roman had broken through and his barrier was gone, Devin ran to where I sat.
“Time for you to go!” he said with difficulty, in between breaths.
“What about —” I turned to see Roman moving slower than normal.
“What he thought was a shield was really a temporal catalyst. Each time he hit it, it displaced time around him in very small increments. With each strike that amount grew exponentially.”
Warriors of the Way-Pentalogy Page 22