Warriors of the Way-Pentalogy

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  “I don’t know, but I know the Keeper can’t help,” said Samir. “They are headed for the Keep and Sylk.”

  They made their way to the Keep, which was at the end of the wall and through a large passageway.

  “He won’t be able to assist while the plane is dormant,” said Rin. “His power and abilities are limited to keeping the Keep intact and functioning. Anything more than that is too much for him right now.”

  “In other words, we’re on our own,” said Kal. “I’m used to that. Let’s get to Sylk before they do. Nice work with the flames, by the way, Samir.”

  They turned the corner and headed for the passageway with Samir leading the trio.

  “Thank you—” he said as a Watcher ran into him and sent him flying. Samir lay on the ground, unconscious. Kal threw several daggers, but the Watcher deflected and dodged them all.

  “You go look after Samir, and I’ll take of this,” said Kal.

  “Alone?” asked Rin.

  “Not for long,” said Kal. “I’m sure help will arrive soon. In fact I think I hear them now.”

  Several RahVen shimmered into view as she spoke and bounded toward the group of Watchers headed their way. The Watchers were impervious to all but the most lethal attacks. Using their hands, they struck the RahVen in combat. They injured some and killed others with their strikes. They advanced on the Keep in silence, not uttering a word or a sound even when struck.

  How can anyone send so many of these things at once?

  She advanced on another group that had reached the Keep doors. She noticed that they always traveled in threes. She threw a dagger at the center Watcher near the door as she unsheathed two short blades and impaled either one to the side. They looked down at her blades with a confused expression and backhanded her into the sand several feet away. She rolled from the impact, dropped her blades, and manifested several daggers. These were glyphed and they pulsed with energy. She dashed back at the trio, who now focused on the door and had forgotten her. She leaped in the air and threw her daggers, each hitting its target. Seconds later, three explosions filled the space in front of the Keep door.

  The RahVen came running from behind to the entrance and stopped when they saw Kal. Several of them bowed to her. She gave a curt nod and looked at a shaky Samir who was being supported by Rin.

  “Where is Sylk?” asked Kal. “I need to get to him.”

  “He is being guarded inside,” he answered. “Did you glyph those blades as you manifested them?”

  “I’ll show you how if we ever get past all of this,” she answered.

  “I would be most interested in learning that ability,” said Samir.

  The Keeper materialized in front of them.

  “The Karashihan is safe for now,” said the Keeper. “Though his condition worsens by the hour. Where is the healer, Rin?”

  “She was unable to join us,” said Rin. “She is in a blood trance.”

  “Then the Karashihan will perish,” said the Keeper. “He has been poisoned by the Kriyas.”

  “That’s why I’m here, to prevent that,” said Kal. “I have some experience working with blood.”

  “You?” said Samir. “Forgive me, but I do not recall your healing abilities.”

  “I didn’t say healing, specifically, just that I know how to deal with blood,” said Kal. “Take me to him, before more of those things arrive.”

  The Keeper led the way into the Keep and took them to one of the inner rooms that served as a makeshift infirmary.

  Sylk lay on a bed on one side of the room. His ashen face looked gaunt as he slept. One of the RahVen stood beside his bed. When Kal got close to the bed, the RahVen placed a fist over her left breast and bowed. Kal gave a slight bow in return.

  “He doesn’t look good,” said Kal. “Can I see the weapon that poisoned him?”

  “I will return shortly,” said the Keeper.

  “That’s the second time I’ve seen a RahVen salute and bow to you, Kalysta,” said Samir. “Why do they greet you this way when you are not RahVen?”

  “Well, technically, I’m more RahVen than human now,” replied Kal as she placed a hand on Sylk’s forehead. “Could be they smell that.”

  “Hmm, it seems we have much to discuss,” said Samir. “Do you think you can help him?”

  “He’s burning up,” she said. “Whatever this poison is, his body is not dealing with it well.”

  The Keeper entered the room, holding Ravia’s dagger in a cloth.

  “Please take caution while handling it,” he said. “The poison is still active on the blade.”

  Kal took the dagger, careful to hold it by the hilt, and smelled the blade. She shook her head away from it forcefully.

  “Do you recognize it?” asked Samir. “Can you help him?”

  “I’ve smelled something like it, but this is different,” said Kal. “Can you give me a moment with him alone?”

  “We should check on the fortifications of the Keep,” said Rin. “Please call us when you are ready.”

  Everyone except the Keeper left the room.

  “You know what I have to do?” asked Kal, her tone grim while she looked at the dagger in her hand.

  The Keeper sat down in a chair next to the bed and sighed. “I have heard that this is the only way to combat this kind of poison, but I didn’t expect someone so…young,” he said.

  “I’m the only option he has unless you know someone else who can do this?”

  “You know the risks?” he asked.

  “Potential to be poisoned, permanent disfigurement, both leading to death,” she replied. “No pressure or anything.”

  “You do have a choice,” said the Keeper. “You can refuse to take this risk.”

  Kal looked down at Sylk’s unconscious form.

  “He is a royal pain in the ass, for sure, but I think we need him alive for what’s coming,” she whispered. “It feels like he is important to the whole ‘stopping the destruction of the world’ scenario.”

  “You, too, may have a part in that scenario, Kalysta,” he said.

  “Now you’re sounding like Yan,” she answered. “I may have a part in it, but I’m pretty sure he is going to be front and center.”

  “The Gray can be very insightful in their assessments,” he said. “Our actions and their repercussions can sometimes surprise us. Proceed, if you must.”

  The Keeper stood and moved closer to the other side of the bed. He looked down at Sylk and then over to Kal and gave a brief nod.

  Kal took the blade and drew it against her skin, feeling the poison enter her system. She gasped at its speed of attack.

  “It’s fast, and strong,” she said and fell back into the chair. “I’m surprised he’s still alive.”

  “He is quite formidable,” said the Keeper. “Can you remove it?”

  She closed her eyes and didn’t speak. She let it run its course for a few minutes before opening her eyes again.

  Got you.

  Beads of sweat formed on her brow as she traced a glyph in front of her. With a grunt, the red orbs formed around her. She traced another glyph, and then the orbs floated together and turned into a mist. With a gesture, she moved the mist over Sylk. It hovered a few inches over his body.

  “That should do it once I place it inside, but the poison is spread out all over his system,” she said. “I’m going to need some time. If those things show up again…we’re screwed.”

  “Understood,” said the Keeper. “I can offer some measure of protection but, with the plane being dormant it is minimal.”

  The Keeper held his staff in front of him and spoke under his breath. “This will cause me to be inactive for several hours, but it is the best defense available to you,” he said. “If an attack does occur, do not leave the protection of the inner sphere until you are done. Do you understand?”

  “How strong is this thing?” she asked and put her hand on the sphere. “Will it stop those Watchers?”

  “This is only a
stopgap, but it should provide enough of a challenge even for them,” he answered. “I will advise Rin of my action here. Try to work quickly on the Karashihan. I fear that first attack was not the last.”

  “Thanks,” she said as the speaker struck the floor with his staff. The floor took on a golden tinge, which faded away. Seconds later another golden sphere materialized around Kal and the area where Sylk lay. In seconds, both spheres merged.

  The Keeper grew transparent as Kal stood and moved closer to Sylk. “Remember, do not leave the sphere,” he said as he disappeared.

  She lowered the mist of blood onto Sylk and allowed it to enter his body. The Keep shook for a few seconds. She looked at her hands in amazement.

  No way I did that.

  She looked at Sylk and then behind her. Dust fell from the ceiling and floated gently to the floor as the distant echoes crashed into the room and became deafening. She sniffed the air and exhaled in disgust.

  “Ugh, that reeks,” she said under her breath. “That can’t possibly be good news.”

  She returned her focus to Sylk. The blood mist traveled in his body and through his blood, allowing her to pinpoint the poison that coursed through his system. Another tremor rocked the Keep and forced her to hold on to the bed in order to remain standing.

  “Whatever it is, it’s big,” she muttered to herself.

  And judging from the smell, it’s coming this way. I need to get this done fast.

  She guided the mist through Sylk’s body, absorbing the poison as she went. When she was satisfied that she had gotten all of the poison, she made another gesture and a black-tinged blood mist lifted from Sylk’s body. He stirred as she moved the mist to the entrance of the room.

  “Hey,” she said without turning around. Her focus was on the mist and the entrance. “Don’t leave the sphere, and something nasty is coming this way.”

  Sylk looked around and placed a hand on the golden sphere around them. “Keeper?” he asked.

  She gave him a short nod and shook off the sweat so it wouldn’t get in her eyes. He stood slowly and came next to her. Her arms trembled as she kept the mist near the entrance.

  “Here, let me,” he said as he made a gesture and took control of the mist. “This is the Kriya poison you removed. Clever using it as a weapon.”

  “I don’t know if it will work. Whatever is coming smells like RahVen, but it’s been twisted,” she said. “Something about it is off.”

  The door exploded into the room. Pieces of wood and metal embedded themselves in the walls around the sphere. In the dim hallway, a figure stood. Standing close to eight feet tall, it stepped into the room and snarled. It appeared to be a RahVen caught between human and canine form. Long claws raked the walls as it tested the sphere. Its yellow eyes were fixed on Sylk and drool dribbled out the sides of its mouth.

  “That’s not a RahVen,” she said, holding a dagger in each hand but staying in the sphere. “At least not any I have seen.”

  “It is a RahVen but it has been…corrupted is the only word that fits,” said Sylk.

  With a gesture, he sent the tainted mist at the RahVen. The RahVen absorbed it and howled in pain as the poison attacked. It fell to its knees and tore out chunks of fur from parts of its body. After a few moments, it grew still and fell back, grasping at its neck so tightly it dug its claws into the skin and drew blood.

  “Well, that was easy,” said Kal. “I’ll take the win any way I can get it.”

  Sylk held her arm to prevent her from leaving the sphere.

  “I don’t think it’s quite done,” he said as he kept his eyes on the RahVen, which was now on all fours and coughing up copious amounts of blood before it shook its head violently side to side. It stood to its full height and charged at the sphere. It raked the outside repeatedly until parts of the sphere grew a dim gold.

  With its chest heaving, it stepped back and stared hard at the sphere.

  “What’s it doing?” asked Kal.

  “Looking for a weak spot to attack,” he said. “When he finds it, this sphere won’t stop him.”

  Sylk stepped close to the edge of the sphere and the RahVen slashed at his face. The light of the sphere flashed bright and then dimmed.

  “This sphere won’t last much longer,” said Sylk and manifested his sword. Its black blade gleamed in the golden light. “Once through, it’s going to come at me fast. I will keep it occupied. You need to warn the others about this.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” scoffed Kal. “You just got out of bed and I just removed the poison. You can’t take out this thing alone.”

  Sylk looked at her, his gaze hard and determined. She took a step back. “You would be surprised at what I can ‘take out’ alone,” he said. “Besides, I may need to do some destructive things and I can’t worry about your safety and fight this thing.”

  “So what’s the plan?” she asked. “It’s not like he’s going to step to the side and let me pass. That thing is as big as a house and has the only exit blocked.”

  “I will create an opening for you,” replied Sylk. “The window to escape will be small. Make sure you take it when I tell you.”

  “Where am I going?” she asked. “The whole place is under attack.”

  “I think I am the focus of this particular attack,” said Sylk. “Find Samir and keep him alive. I will need him for the Records.”

  The golden tinge of the sphere started to fade.

  “The Records? You’re going back?”

  “Yes, and it would be a considerable help if you came with us,” he said. “Get ready.”

  Sylk entered a defensive stance and muttered some words under his breath. Black flames erupted along the length of his sword. The silver lines in his arm flared to life, giving off a bright light that his sword absorbed.

  The sphere dispersed the next second and the RahVen lunged forward. Claws and teeth came at Sylk as the RahVen closed in. Its yellow eyes blazed with hatred. Sylk traced a glyph with his free hand and sidestepped the lunge. The RahVen crashed into the wall behind him. Sylk slid forward and drove his sword into the RahVen’s side. An orb flew from his hand into the RahVen. The RahVen howled in pain.

  “This would be a good time for you to make your exit, Kalysta,” said Sylk as he strained to keep the RahVen pinned.

  “Oh, shit, yes,” she said and ran for the door. “Don’t get dead, Sylk.”

  She turned at the door and released three daggers at the RahVen, each one hitting its mark around Sylk.

  “Are these daggers—?” he said, looking closely at the weapons Kal had thrown.

  “Glyphed, yeah—it won’t stop it, but should give you some breathing room,” she said as she started off again. “You have about ten seconds before they go off.”

  “Thank you. Find Samir, tell him to use the words of unmaking on these things if there are more,” said Sylk. His words chased Kal as she left the room.

  **********

  The silence in the room was broken by breathing. The RahVen snarled and growled. Sylk held it in place and tried to control his breathing, which escaped him in short gasps.

  Running out of time.

  He disengaged from the RahVen, ducked under a backhanded swipe from its claws, and managed to step out of the room before the daggers exploded and slammed him into the wall.

  FORTY

  “SO THE TIME has come,” said Lucius as Rael and Roman entered the cell. “Do you think you are capable of standing before me?”

  Aurora’s body lay in the center of the floor, unconscious but otherwise unharmed. Roman rushed over to her body. Lucius gestured with a hand and slammed Roman into a wall. Near one wall lay Kenji, his body broken, but alive.

  Rael watched as blood escaped the side of Roman’s mouth as he slid down the wall and collapsed on the floor. He used his hammer to sit upright as Rael approached Lucius.

  “I am in the middle of something, Harbinger,” said Lucius. “It would not be wise to interrupt me.”

  “You
know me, old habits, and all that,” said Rael as he let the energy of his swords flow off him. Electrical energy filled the cell and arced away from him, scorching the stone wherever it touched. Glassy patches formed around Rael as the stone melted under him.

  Lucius raised an eyebrow and clasped his hands before him. “You have increased your power, greater than I gave you,” he said. “How did you do this?”

  Rael pointed a chin at Kenji. “He helped a bit,” he said and traced a symbol in the air. It was the inversion glyph.

  Kenji gasped. “No!” he yelled. “You’ll kill us all and destroy the compound, if not the whole plane!”

  “I see,” said Lucius with a smile. “This is your gambit, then? Destroy it all?”

  “Like killing an ant with a nuke,” said Rael. “It’s messy, but it certainly makes sure the ant is dead.”

  “And I am the ant?” asked Lucius. “At your present level of power, you are capable of wielding this glyph. However, this interferes with my plans. I won’t allow that.”

  Lucius manifested a short sword with an ebony blade. It seemed to absorb all of the light from the room. The energy signature around Lucius shifted and dampened the electrical strikes around Rael.

  Well, shit, a weapon? Since when? thought Rael. This isn’t the shadow. The shadow couldn’t wield something that powerful.

  “Nice blade you have there,” said Rael. “Never seen you with a weapon before, I mean besides Maelstrom.”

  “You like it?” said Lucius, admiring his sword. Its black blade gave off smoky wisps of dark energy as he swung it to one side. “It’s a life stealer—quite powerful, in fact. The only weapon capable of ending you…permanently.”

  Rael stopped the inversion glyph as the words sank in. Only two gestures were left to complete it as the symbols hung in the air before him. He had just realized the truth.

  “How did you do it?” asked Rael. “You told me the only way was with Maelstrom.”

  “No, I said Maelstrom was one of the ways,” replied Lucius. “It would have made it easier using it, but I found another way. She helped a bit.” He gestured down at Aurora.

  Rael looked closer at her. His eyes opened wide as he sucked his breath in.