Apparently, the good doctor, whomever he or she was, had done his work. But now was the time for action, for revenge. The biggest blow Templar had dealt had been to Zarim’s pride. It had been a very long time since he lost a fight and he wasn’t prepared to let that blemish stand on his record. Especially given the stakes that the Soulstones held.
The pirate climbed out of bed and quickly began to dress. Dark, green pants followed by the light blue shirt. As he pulled the shirt over the bandaged wound, he cringed—perhaps there was a bit more physical damage than Zarim initially allowed himself to believe. He quickly buttoned the shirt and followed it with the brown vest and then the leather belt, fastening the end to the rose-emblazoned buckle. He took the holstered pistol and latched the holster to one side of his belt, then tied his scabbarded sword to the other, allowing it to hang at his hip.
As he fanned out his cloak to pull it over the entire ensemble, the door to the room opened. Ekala instantly leaned against the frame and crossed her arms, huffing and blowing a few strands of brown hair that hung over her forehead. “Can’t say this is a surprise.”
“That blasted thief stole the stone from us, we gotta get it back,” said Zarim.
Tanus appeared in the doorway behind Ekala, his head almost reaching the top of the frame. “You’re blasted thieves.”
“Doesn’t matter, we’re doing this for a good reason, big guy,” said Zarim.
“I’m aware, Ekala filled me in on the story while the doc was tending to you,” said Tanus. “Speaking of, you’re a lucky man. That pulse sword of his cauterized the wound as soon as it was made and he avoided any organs. Mostly just a bad burn.”
“Albeit, one that impaled you,” added Ekala.
“Doc put some kinda balm on there then bandaged you up,” said Ekala. “But here’s the part I don’t get—Templar’s good with his blade. So why wouldn’t he just kill you, why resort to a flesh wound?”
“Don’t care, but we gotta go after him,” said Zarim.
Ekala laughed. “Oh yeah, go after him. Let me just give him a holler over the radio. ‘Hey Temp, what’s new? Mind givin’ us your coordinates so we can get back what you stole from us, and so you and my boyfriend can have another pissing contest?’“
“I am not seeing a downside to this plan,” said Zarim.
“He’s in the wind, Zarim. You won’t find him now,” said Tanus.
Zarim scowled. They were right, there was no way to find Templar at the moment. They had no leads on his location, no idea where he was going or who he worked for. He was a ghost, no known central location, no known associates—he was considered the world’s greatest thief for a very good reason. That left them at a total disadvantage.
“Okay, so we go back to the Excalibur, get Master Quand on the line. Maybe he can use his mojo to lock onto the Soulstone.”
“Already been back to the ship to do just that,” said Ekala. “We’ll...talk about that once we’re back onboard.”
“Fair enough. I take it the sky-cycle was fixed up?” asked Zarim.
Ekala nodded.
“Then shall we?” asked Tanus.
Zarim and Ekala exchanged silent glances and Zarim was the one who cleared his throat. “Look, I appreciate your help and all, Tanus. But—”
“Templar used me, I’ve got issue with that,” said Tanus.
“I can appreciate that, but we’re not turning over this stone to your company,” said Zarim.
Tanus glanced over at Ekala. “From what she’s told me, I don’t think I want to turn it over to them any more. If these things are as dangerous as she says, then something needs to be done about it. I aim to help, if I can.”
Zarim nodded. “Well, you’re good in a fight, gotta give you that. Might be helpful to have another hand on deck.”
He walked past Tanus, followed by Ekala. She turned to face the former Dreadnought commander and pointed a finger at his chest. “Just so we’re clear, I’m not giving back any of the other jewels we took from your boss’ safe.”
Tanus frowned. “We might have a problem with that.”
She pointed at her face. “Pay attention to this face. This is my ‘not caring’ face.”
Zarim and Ekala hovered on the sky-cycle, riding right alongside Tanus’ earth bound transportation—an open-topped, and large-wheeled all-terrain vehicle that could seat four. To keep his eyes clear of debris, Tanus wore a pair of thick goggles. His left hand stayed firm on the wheel and his mechanical hand gripped the shifter.
They passed over a hill and not far ahead, they saw the Excalibur resting on an open plain. Zarim reduced his speed as they approached, and Tanus matched him. With one hand on the bar, Zarim reached for his belt to find a small, cylindrical device hanging from a chain. He hit the button on it and the Excalibur’s cargo bay opened up in front of them.
Both vehicles slowed to a stop once entering the bay. Swul stood on the catwalk above, watching as they disembarked from their smaller vehicles. Zarim hit the switch on the remote again and the bay door closed. He glanced up at his crew member. “We all set?”
Swul nodded. “Good to go, once you secure those vehicles, Zee. Hear you ran into some trouble back there?”
Zarim grumbled as he ascended to the catwalk and pushed past Swul, heading for the bridge. Ekala followed him up the catwalk. Swul perched himself on the railing, addressing Ekala as he stared at Tanus. “That the new guy?”
“Yeah, that’s him.” Her voice was low and she looked at the new arrival as well.
“What’s yer read on ‘im?”
She shrugged. “Can’t really say yet. He’s tough, though. That oughta count for something, right?”
“What’s the deal with his...y’know.” Swul tapped his right arm.
“Artificial. Got a pretty wicked cannon hidden in it, too.”
Tanus could feel their eyes on him, but he ignored it as he fixed the wheels of his vehicle in the mag-locks of the ship’s cargo bay. After a few moments, he ascended to the catwalk to join them. He was at first a little taken aback by Swul’s shiny, blue wings. “Name’s Tanus Dreyer,” he said, still staring at the wings.
“Swul. And stop starin’.”
Tanus realized he was and looked away. “Sorry. Just, that I’ve never seen one of your kind.”
Swul cocked a brow. “Well, I’ve never seen a man with a cannon for an arm. There a story behind that?”
Tanus sighed. “I was a Dreadnought. Long time back.”
“Is that so?” asked Swul with a grimace. “That case, stay the hell outta my way, Dreyer.”
His wings began flapping, raising him above the catwalk and carrying him off towards his quarters. Tanus watched him go and then looked at Ekala. “I know there’s been a lot of friction between the empire and the others—”
“Faeries.” Ekala’s voice was short. “They’re called faeries, not others. And he’s my friend.”
“I’m sorry. I was just wondering, why—”
Ekala turned away and sauntered towards the bridge. “Dreadnoughts almost killed him.”
Tanus frowned at this new knowledge. He stared down at his arm, a reminder of his service for the empire. And he wondered if he had been too abrupt in his decision to ally himself with the crew of the Excalibur.
He followed the same route Ekala and Zarim had before him, moving through the ship until he got to the bridge. Zarim stood at the helm and Ekala moved to the captain’s chair, perching herself on the armrest.
Zarim looked at Ekala. “You said you got in touch with Master Quand?”
Ekala nodded. “Wasn’t too happy about the missing Soulstone.”
Zarim groaned. “I figured as much. Does he know where we can find it?”
“That’s the strange thing, he already knew when I got him on the radio,” said Ekala. “He said the third stone woke up, or whatever.”
“Third stone? How?” asked Tanus.
Ekala shrugged. “He said something about a new stone awakening when another stone i
s used to find it. Not really sure what that means.”
“It means whoever hired Templar is after a full set themselves,” said Zarim.
“Ekala said that when all five are gathered, it gives the person the power of the gods?” asked Tanus. “If that’s the case, shouldn’t we go after Templar first?”
“Right now we’re one for two. We should go after as many of them as we can first, make sure they’re safe in Xanadar, and then go after the one Templar picked off us,” said Zarim. “Did Master Quand tell you where the third stone was?”
“Yeah, he did.” Ekala hesitated for a moment. “Nephelm.”
Zarim frowned at this pronouncement. Tanus eyed all three of them with befuddled curiosity. “I don’t understand. If we’re talking about the faerie kingdom, and we’ve got a faerie onboard, doesn’t that give us an advantage?”
“You didn’t tell him yet, did you?” asked Zarim.
“Tell who?” asked Tanus.
“Swul.” Ekala tossed the answer over her shoulder and then shook her head at Zarim. “That’s your job, Captain.”
“He’s not gonna like this,” said Zarim.
“He’s gonna be freakin’ pissed is what he’s gonna be,” said Ekala.
“Why?” asked Tanus.
Zarim sighed and stood from his chair. He went to the intercom and activated it. “Swul, please report to the bridge.” He deactivated it and looked at Tanus. “Swul may be a faerie, but he’s not welcome there any more. He’s an exile.”
“So he won’t be much help to us,” said Tanus. “Why was he exiled?”
“He’s never said, we’ve never asked,” said Ekala.
“It could be important to know,” said Tanus. “If he’s in the doghouse because of some crime, then we might be looking at some pretty heavy opposition once we arrive.”
Zarim rubbed his head and stepped up to Tanus. “Listen, you’re new here, so there’s no way you could have known. But the people on this ship? We’ve all got history that we’d rather forget. So we don’t push. Swul’s a good man. Doesn’t matter what he’s done in the past.”
Tanus solemnly nodded. “Interesting thing about that.”
“What’s interesting?”
“Seems to me you’re not necessarily talking about Swul.”
“He’s talking about all of us,” said Ekala. “Maybe you’re proud of your service, probably got a whole box full of medals somewhere, right?”
Tanus turned to her. “I’ve gotten some accolades, yes. I served the empire for a time and when the time was over, I left. I don’t have any regrets over it, but I don’t have any pride about it, either. And I don’t run from it.”
“Well not all of us are as well-adjusted as you. So when Swul gets here, just keep to yourself. If he has information that’ll be useful to us in Nephelm, he’ll let us know. I trust him.” Zarim returned to his seat and nearly collapsed into it. The door to the bridge opened and Swul hovered in, his wings lowering him to the ground. A cigar was clamped between his teeth and he grunted as he walked past Tanus.
“What’s this about?”
“We’re going after the next stone,” said Zarim. “And it’s in Nephelm.”
Swul seemed to freeze in his position. After a few moments, there was movement as he plucked the cigar from his mouth. “Alright, holler when you’re done. I’ll be in my room.” He turned his back and allowed his wings to raise him above the ground and he flew from the bridge once more.
Zarim followed the hovering faerie down the corridor from the bridge. The captain of the Excalibur shut the door to the bridge behind him and called out to Swul. “I need you on this job. No one knows Nephelm like you.”
Swul pivoted. “That’s just too damn bad, ‘cause I ain’t doin’ it.”
Zarim slowly walked towards his friend. “Look, I get it. They don’t want you, you don’t want them. And the last thing you need’s a reminder of that.”
“You don’t know shit, kid,” said Swul. “Don’t know what yer askin’ of me.”
Zarim placed his hands on his hip. “I’m asking you to stand by my side.”
Swul’s eyebrows practically knit together as he scowled. “You sonnuva bitch. How long we been workin’ together? I ever give you a reason to doubt my loyalty?”
“You haven’t and I’m not,” said Zarim.
“I’d follow you anywhere, Zee. Except there. This time, it’s askin’ too much.”
“There’s something bigger at stake here than us. Something bigger than our pasts coming back to haunt us.”
“Oh yeah?” Swul landed and stomped towards Zarim. He stared up at the taller man. Although his height barely went above Zarim’s waist, the two men stood on equal footing. “So tell me, o fearless leader, when are we gonna go traipsin’ through your past?”
Zarim sighed. “I know how—”
“I swear, if you tell me you know how I feel, I’ll tear yer goddamn head clean off.”
Zarim backed off, holding his hands up as if in surrender. “Look, I’m not going to force you to come along. But we could use you, especially given that outsiders aren’t exactly welcome.”
“If I’m with you, you’re just as likely to be executed. Maybe even more.” Swul turned and walked down the corridor leading away from the bridge, off towards the crew’s quarters. Zarim shook his head and returned to the bridge. Ekala sat in his chair and Tanus remained stoic, arms folded across his chest.
“What’s the story?” asked Tanus.
“We’re going in without him.”
“Sure that’s wise?” asked Ekala.
“We don’t have a choice.” Zarim approached the console with a deep sigh.
“Nephelm is dangerous to outsiders,” said Tanus. “Most intruders are killed on sight.”
“Then guess we’ll just have to go in without being seen,” said Zarim.
“How do we do that?” asked Ekala.
Zarim had no answer.
CHAPTER 10
Once Reyche pounced, Templar jumped back, landing on his hands and coiling his legs. He sprung forward, the soles of his boots striking her in the chest. Reyche appeared to glide where she was thrown and landed perfectly on her feet. She crouched, one hand resting on the ground, and snarling. She bared her fangs, hissing.
One minute, Reyche was a sweet girl—albeit a vampire. The next, she was trying to rip his throat out. And that’s when Templar noticed something strange about her. Despite her actions, her eyes didn’t seem to show any sign of anger or fear or any emotions that would lead to this sort of reaction. Instead, her yellow, catlike eyes seemed almost glazed over.
She didn’t appear to be in full control of her actions. Reyche said that Vortai told her he had other uses for her and when she first attacked, Templar thought she might have agreed to serve Vortai so that he might spare her life. Now, it seemed more likely that she was completely subservient to his will.
Templar held his cane at the ready. He didn’t want to harm her, so he kept the pulse sword deactivated. It was little more than a blunt instrument now, not even a true sword. That put him at a disadvantage, since Reyche clearly had no qualms about killing him. She charged him, and Templar spun to the left to avoid her strike, then delivered a sword-blow to her back. Reyche pitched forward, but rolled to recovery. She rose again, standing between Templar and the staircase he initially came down. Getting past her might prove challenging, but there might also be another way.
He turned and ran from her. Reyche hissed and gave chase. The corridor seemed to go on forever, and the only illumination came from the dim lights that lined the walls. Templar couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of him, but he pushed himself as far forward as he could. Reyche’s footsteps echoed behind him. So far, he had managed to maintain the distance between them, but he didn’t know how much longer that would last.
Finally, he saw a staircase ascending just ahead. He bounded up the steps two or three at a time, moving around the spiral column. Reyche barely gave pause as
she jumped over the steps herself. As the summit grew closer, a door impeded Templar’s progress. He raised his cane and hit the button to activate the pulse sword. The unique metal that made up the cane’s shaft lit up with a hum of blue energy. He swung the weapon and cut right through the door. Another corridor with another door at the end. Templar cut through that one as well.
He was in the cathedral, just beside the altar. Random worshippers sat scattered in the pews. They all stared at him in surprise and Templar just managed a weak smile. “A thousand pardons, sorry to disturb you.”
Templar heard her coming from behind, but had no time to clear the path. He could only spin in time to deactivate the pulse sword just as Reyche soared through the air and landed on him. Templar held both ends of the cane in his hands, using it to keep Reyche’s fanged strikes at bay. She snarled at him, trying to get a bite of his flesh, but he struggled with all his strength to fend off those teeth. The parishioners fled the cathedral in horror, screaming as they ran. Reyche paid them no mind, it seemed she was only interested in her current prey.
“I want to make it clear that while I am quite flattered, I don’t believe in any neck action on a first date,” said Templar, pushing back with all his strength to flip their positions. Reyche was now on her back with Templar pinning her down. He forced the cane down, striking her head and then stood over the stunned vampire.
His time was running short. She would quickly recover from the blow he had dealt her, and Templar didn’t know how he would be able to fend her off much longer. It didn’t seem like she would stop until one of them was dead. As much as he hated the thought of killing her, if that was the only option, he would do everything in his power to be the one to walk away.
“Right, I suppose it’s come to this.” Templar raised the weapon and activated the switch. The pulse sword flared to life and Reyche almost seemed mesmerized by the glowing blade. He advanced, delivering a downward slash from left to right. The energy blade cut across Reyche’s stomach, burning her clothes and flesh. She shrieked and recoiled. Templar backed up a bit as well, sliding into a fencing stance.
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