THREE
RAEL SAT IN the center of his cell in a meditation pose. Within moments a portal opened and four figures entered with drawn weapons. A fifth figure entered last, holding a gun in each hand. She aimed them both at Rael’s head.
“I’m flattered by all the attention, but really, you shouldn’t have gone through all this trouble just for me,” said Rael. “Wait a second—since when do the Warriors of the Way use guns?”
“I will not hesitate to shoot you if you so much as flinch in the wrong direction,” said the female. “Give him the manar and let’s get this over with.”
She wore a dark blue monitor’s robe over black tight-fitting fighting gear, identifying her as one of the Lotus. Her short black hair was cut into spikes and the sides of her head were shaven. Her square jaw was set and she motioned to the monitor to move with one of her guns, keeping the other one aimed at Rael.
“Wait, I’ve heard of you. You’re Monique’s second, Raquel. Those are chi weapons, aren’t they? Interesting. I wonder if those bullets would hurt.”
Raquel stood still, both arms outstretched as one of the monitors gave Rael his daily ration of manar. Rael took a sip and closed his eyes in mock pleasure.
“Mmmmm, nothing like manar in the morning— or is it the evening? I lose track in here,” he said as held the cup up, admiring it.
“All of it, now,” said Raquel unmoving.
“And if I refuse?” He fixed his gaze on her. “Are you going to shoot me?”
The cup exploded in his hand, sending shards everywhere.
“Nothing would give me more pleasure, Harbinger,” said Raquel. She spoke to the monitor while keeping her eyes on Rael. “Pick up every piece of that cup and give him his manar, again.”
The monitor did so and produced a second cup and poured more manar, giving it to Rael, who was smiling at Raquel.
“I’m going to remember you when I leave this place. I will make sure to visit you first,” he said, and then drank the rest of the manar. The smile on his face never reached his eyes.
“Get comfortable, Harbinger, you aren’t going anywhere soon,” she said. “But if you do get out, I’ll be waiting.”
Behind her, a monitor opened a portal and they filed out. Raquel never lowered her weapons or took her eyes off Rael as she stepped back into the portal.
“I think I will see you sooner than you think,” said Rael as he took off the suppressor bands and chi arced between his hands.
**********
The portal led them to a cell lined in titanium with no apparent exit. After several minutes a large door hissed open from one of the walls. The monitors quickly exited the cell and left Raquel to greet the lone figure waiting outside the door.
“How did it go?” said the figure as he stepped inside the cell. It was Rory.
“It went the way it always goes. He is a threat that needs to be put down, and he scares the monitors senseless,” she said.
“Only the monitors?”
Raquel sat at one of the desks and placed her hand on one of the panels, logging her visit.
“I’m not stupid, Rory. I know enough to be scared and to know that he should be dead.”
“Except he can’t die, at least not by any conventional means.”
“My guns are unconventional enough.”
“They are, yes, but I’m not willing to take that risk, and neither is Monique.”
“We should have gone with the original plan and given him to Aurora. Something feels off. It’s like he wants to be in there,” she said.
Rory looked at her, concerned. “Why, did something happen? Did he do something? Was he able to take off the suppressors?”
“How did the warrior escape a sealed box?” she said.
“We think he had help—someone gave him a prism. We found a piece of it after he got out. That’s still being investigated. Did Rael demonstrate a use of chi?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just a feeling and his…”
She looked away and stood to leave.
“His what, Raquel? What is it?”
She looked at Rory and then headed for the door. She stopped in the doorway, absorbed her guns, and looked back at him.
“His eyes. His eyes are full of death,” she said as she left the room.
FOUR
I SAT IN the center of the tré and tried to focus on my breathing. Thoughts raced in, distracting me
“Let the thoughts come in and let them go,” said a voice behind me.
I opened my eyes and looked behind me. In the doorway stood a man who could have been no older than forty. His black hair framed his slight Asian features. He must have been as tall as I was and I could tell he trained from the way he moved. He was dressed in a simple white robe with gold brocade around the edges. When he entered the room, the tré began to vibrate beneath me.
“You’re Kenji? An elder?”
“I am. Wisdom and maturity are not a product of age, as I am sure you have discovered,” he said. “You seem preoccupied.”
He paused after each sentence, giving the impression that each word was being given thought before being spoken. His voice, a gravelly bass set against the thrum of the tré, echoed in the small room.
“I am. How can you help me? Lucius cut me off from my chi and now he has Maelstrom. The ascendants are still in danger because of the searing. I don’t know what has happened to the others, and the last thing Aurora told me is that she may have to kill me at some point, because I will ask her to. I don’t see how this is a ‘spiritual’ matter, but at this point I’ll take all the help I can get.”
“I see. That certainly is a lot to think about. It would seem your role in these events is pivotal. May I share this space with you?” he asked as he sat before me in a lotus position.
I nodded and felt the weight of the situation on me. If I couldn’t access my chi, the remaining ascendants would be hunted down and eliminated. Lucius would be free—the real Lucius, not just his shadow, which itself had nearly killed two of the most skilled warriors I knew. I didn’t know anyone who could stand against that kind of power.
“I think you need a shift in perspective,” he said. “You are out of alignment and so you can’t see that everything has a spiritual dimension. It is the same as the relationship between a warrior” —he made a fist with one hand—”and a guardian.” He cupped the fist with his other hand. “One without the other creates imbalance. Not only are you fallen, you have no guardian. This disrupts harmony and brings your focus inward.”
Around us, the tré hummed as he closed his eyes. I remembered the feeling of grounding my energy and knew that he was gathering his chi around him.
“I can’t see it. No matter how hard I look or try, it’s like grabbing smoke,” I said, frustration creeping into my voice.
“Who is Owl?” asked Kenji.
The question took me by surprise.
“He is—was a Samadhi of chi manifestation I met a while back. He sacrificed himself for me. I didn’t know what he was doing until it was too late. For a while I could hear him, but not anymore,” I said. “The searing cut that off too.”
“Owl is one of the reasons you are still within your right mind. A searing usually renders the victim insane or vegetative. You may not sense him, but he protected you when it mattered most.”
“Protected me for what? I can’t access anything. Haven’t you heard what I have been saying?”
“I heard your words, but that’s not what I’m listening to. Why don’t we take a trip?”
“I don’t think Aurora wants me to leave—”
“Who says we are leaving?” He reached over and touched me on the forehead. A white light blinded me, reminding me of a flash when taking a picture. Spots danced in my vision as I took in my surroundings. We were on a bridge that crossed a large lake. At the other end of the bridge I saw a familiar structure.
“This place. I know this place. Wait, are we—?”
“In the
mirror? Yes, we are. This place is a nexus outside of the planes and yet connected to them all. When you were here last, did you finish your training?”
“No, there was an emergency and then everything happened so fast. I never came back,” I said.
We crossed the bridge and entered the structure. The shutters were open and gave a view of the lake surrounding the building. He placed his hand on a section of the wall and plunged us into darkness.
“Now we can begin,” he said.
FIVE
MEJA OPENED HER eyes and found herself in the infirmary.
The first surprise was that she could see at all. Then it all came rushing back. The Black Lotus attack, getting poisoned and losing her sight. She remembered going to the Rah Ven to find the antidote. It was a blank after that. She tried to stand but the suppressor band attached to the bed prevented her from doing so.
What the hell?
One of the attendant monitors stepped out once she regained consciousness, and the other began to check her vital signs. Meja looked at the monitor. She didn’t recognize her, but she seemed competent.
“Where are the others?” said Meja.
No answer. The monitor kept checking her vitals. Once she was satisfied, she made some notations on a chart and then left Meja alone with her thoughts. A commotion outside her room brought her back to the moment.
“Move, or I will move you,” said the voice.
“But Monique said no one was allowed—”
“Now.”
A grunt followed and then silence. The door to her room opened but Meja couldn’t see who it was due the angle of her bed.
“Get him down the hall. He’s only stunned, but he’s going to wake up in pain.”
That voice—could it be?
“Hello, Meja. It’s good to see you up. Welcome back,” said Devin.
“You’re alive?”
He laughed at the look of surprise on her face.
“Last time I checked.”
“It’s not funny! I thought you were dead. How did you survive Roman?”
He waved her question away and grew serious.
“This isn’t a social visit. I need to get you out of here before the Lotus sends someone to relocate you,” he said.
She lifted up her arm to show him the suppressor chained to the bed.
“How are you going to get me out of this?”
“I’m not, you are,” said Devin. He handed her a small prism and stepped back.
“A focal prism? These are banned, how did you get one?” she asked as she turned it over in her palm.
“I’ll explain later. Use it now or things will get even more complicated,” he urged.
She put the prism back in his hand. “I can’t, Dev. I’m a senior monitor. I’m supposed to enforce the laws of the Order, not break them.”
“You were a senior monitor, Meja. They considered you rogue once they sent the Black Lotus after you. This isn’t about upholding laws, the penalty of betraying the Order is death.”
“I have served the Order faithfully my entire life, I will see this through,” she said.
“There is corruption in the Order, Meja. I can’t prove it yet, but I will. You can’t trust your life to them. They see you as a threat now. Helping you will be difficult if Monique has you in custody.”
“I’m no threat. If I can’t trust the Order and its laws then I can’t be a monitor,” she said. “There are still honorable people in the Order.”
Devin used his index finger to rub center of his forehead while taking a deep breath, his eyes closed.
“Stop being so stubborn and use the prism. Do you think they care about your service? Who do you think declared you rogue to begin with? Once you were seen helping Sylk and Dante, your entire group was done,” he said.
“Where are the others?”
Devin placed the prism in her hand again, forcing her to take it. She closed her hand around the small crystal, but didn’t use it.
“We don’t have time for this. Use it and I will tell you once we are out of here,” said Devin.
“Where exactly are you going?” said a voice from behind them. Devin looked down at Meja’s hand and saw her slide the prism into her gown. Devin placed a hand over hers.
Shit, she got here fast, thought Devin.
“Raquel, good to see you,” said Devin without turning around.
With one hand resting on a holster she stepped into the room. The two guards that accompanied her were members of the Black Guard. These were not castaways from the warriors or guardians, but trained elite members of the Black Lotus. Devin looked at them and was treated to an icy stare. He stepped out of their way. A fight here would put Meja in harm’s way.
“Wish I could say the same. What are you doing here? Monique gave specific instructions: no one was allowed to see her. Where is the guard that was stationed outside this room?” said Raquel.
“I don’t think those instructions applied to me,” said Devin.
“Especially you.” She pointed at his chest, while keeping the other hand on her gun. “So I’m going to ask one more time, what are you doing here?”
“Visiting my sister who has been ill. Is that a crime?”
“When that sister is a rogue monitor who threatened the leader of the Black Lotus and was seen cooperating with a known enemy of the Order, Sylk, then yes, in case I’m not being clear. It makes me wonder why her brother and a high-ranking member of the Warriors of the same Order would be in here alone.”
“He was just leaving,” said Meja. “He just came to see how I was.”
Raquel stared at Meja for a long moment before turning back to Devin.
“Are you satisfied?” said Raquel.
“Far from it. Make sure her health doesn’t deteriorate suddenly,” said Devin. He gave Meja’s hand a squeeze as if to say remember the prism, then he left the room.
“Get dressed. Monique wants to see you, now.”
Raquel undid the chain that held the suppressor to the bed.
“Do you intend to watch me get dressed or do I get some privacy? Doesn’t matter to me either way,” said Meja.
Raquel looked around the room. She checked the bed and under Meja. Noticing Meja’s closed hands, she pointed with her gun.
“Open them, slowly.”
Meja did as asked. Her hands were empty. Raquel continued searching her, but found nothing. Satisfied, she nodded to one of the Black Guards who placed a set of clothes on the edge of the bed.
“Two minutes. We’ll be outside,” said Raquel.
It was gamble. If Raquel didn’t leave she would have been forced to leave the prism. Absorbing it made her queasy. It was a vast amount of raw power, barely contained in a fragile crystal.
What the hell was Devin thinking? If I use this, I could easily kill myself, she thought.
Manifesting the prism, she put it inside her shirt where it would be in touch with her skin. She knew it was wrong to have it, and she didn’t want to know how Devin got his hands on one. Having it made her feel more secure, though. She could take off the suppressors if she needed to. She hoped it didn’t come to that.
She stepped out of the room and was immediately bookended by the Black Guard.
“I’m ready,” said Meja.
“That’s what you think,” said Raquel.
SIX
“STOP TRYING TO use your eyes to see,” said Kenji.
The room was completely dark. I could hear his voice but the acoustics in the space didn’t allow me to determine where he was. The last time I had been in this space, I had faced Devin with a staff in my hands. This time I was unarmed and defenseless. A rustling to my left caught my attention. Too late I realized the trap. Turning left to face the noise I felt the impact smash my leg, knocking me down. I stood up and put weight on my leg, testing it.
“Why are you here, warrior? Do you understand what hangs in the balance? As warriors go, you aren’t very competent.”
“I do.”
From behind I was pulled and thrown across the floor. I landed hard on my side, the breath knocked out of me. I took a moment to gather myself and then stood.
“I don’t think you do. The ascendants will have to go back to the hub soon, where they will be hunted. Because you can’t access your chi. Because of you, many will die at the hands of the Harbinger.”
That’s not my fault, I thought.
“You’re probably thinking that you are not at fault. Am I right?”
I placed my back against a wall to prevent another rear attack. I didn’t answer, not wanting to give away my position, but he was right.
“Did you think it was an accident? Did you never ask why you were sent to that particular promotion? Of course you didn’t. You probably thought it was all some kind of mistake.”
Every day since, actually.
“If Lucius succeeds in creating a bridge to his plane we are all dead. He has lost all reason and is only focused on vengeance. He will kill us all because of you.”
The rage began to form, a hard tightness in my chest making it hard for me to breathe.
“You’re angry?” he continued in a whisper. “You should be. Angry at yourself. You are the reason Lucius now wields his cursed weapon. A weapon that was lost for over a hundred years is now in his hands once again, because of you. You gave him the means to destroy us all.”
“It’s not my fault. I didn’t cause this. I didn’t ask for Maelstrom or any of this!” I screamed. I didn’t care if he could find me. The rage was taking over.
“I’ll remember to carve that on your grave, near the end when everything and everyone you know is gone. This poor excuse of a warrior would like everyone to know: it wasn’t his fault,” said Kenji.
Something inside of me snapped. Calm descended over me, enveloping my white-hot rage. Kenji slid over to me and lunged. I moved to the side and avoided the lunge. My hand whipped around striking to the side. I hit the wall, cracking it, missing his head by a fraction of an inch. Ducking under my strike he drove the tips of his fingers into my arm, numbing it from my forearm down. I hopped back and avoided another attack aimed for my midsection. I could sense him and the space around us.
Warriors of the Way-Pentalogy Page 39