by Riley Tune
“It’s safer to exit the way we came,” Halo said. “But it will be faster if we go this way. Assuming we can get the door open.”
Then it came to me all at once. A burst of confusion suddenly became clear. Why the light shining inside of the room confused me. Why the amount of time we were blacked out didn’t seem right.
“Halo,” I said suddenly as he had placed his hand to the door. Craydon and Vida looked back at me as Halo slowly moved his hand from the wall. “We were out for eight hours?” I asked him one more time. Halo nodded his head slowly.
“So how is it still day time? It should be dark now, shouldn’t it?” Halo shook his head. “No. Time moves slower here in Rewling. It’s because of the fog that surrounds the city. It’s created by the Lantra. It makes us long- lived. One day here can be several days passed outside the fog.”
My mouth fell open. We were too late. We had failed. “What's the problem, Warps?” Vida asked as she came down the steps to me. I could feel my throat go dry as my stomach suddenly felt hollow. “How many of our days have passed, Halo?” I asked him slowly.
He rolled his eyes up as he quickly moved his lips. His head tilted back and forth as he counted. “A little over four days.” He said quickly. Craydon sighed as he ran a head through his hair and said, “By the Forgotten Gods.”
Vida looked from Craydon to me. She hadn’t realized what Craydon had. What I had. My world stood still as I slowly answered Vida’s silent plea for information. “Five days have passed, and we haven’t returned with answer. Keeper’s name we didn’t even find an answer.” I exhaled, as my eyes began to water. “Right now, Galcon is attacking Thera.” Vida gasped as I continued to speak. “The war has started.”
END OF PART 2
19
“We have to get to Thera. Now!” I said as I went to the door. “That’s what I’ve been saying this entire time. We have to get you out of here.” Halo replied as he twisted his face and placed both hands on the wall.
“Why isn’t the door moving?” I asked. I was becoming impatient. Had there been normal windows I could have warped us out. Instead these windows seemed to be made out of some sort of cloudy stone. Light could shine in, but it wasn’t clear enough to see through.
“This is a holy place. Very few enter here and it is never through this door. Time has made it strong and resistant. “Well, I can be strong too,” Vida said as she placed her hands on the door.
What were once her hands, quickly began to change. In an instant, her body was covered in black, and the face I had grown to love was hidden behind a monstrous mask as she changed into a Battle Born female.
A Battle Born female with the strength of more than ten men! I felt a smile play on my face. Halo, however, screamed and fell flat on his back. Not only had he not seen Vida change before, it was a good chance he had never seen the monster she changed into before either.
“How did? How?” Halo stammered as Craydon helped him to his feet. His eyes were wide as he looked at Vida. “It’s still me,” Vida’s voice replied from under the Battle Born mask.
This didn’t seem to help as Halo backed away from her.
“Look,” I said. She has her talents, just like you have yours with stone, and how I have mine.” Halo looked at me. It realized that he had never actually seen me warp. He likely had no idea what I was talking about. I quickly warped to where he was and then back to where I was standing previously.
He began to drop as if his knees were weak, and would have fallen to the ground if Craydon wasn’t already holding him. “Now, please help her with the door,” I said. Halo walked around behind Craydon, apparently, he wanted a person between himself and us.
He placed his hands on the wall and closed his eyes. The wall slowly began to shake a little and then Vida planted her feet and let out a scream as she pushed as hard as she could. The door slowly pushed open a few feet and then stopped. Halo was breathing hard and sweat had formed on his brow. I didn’t fully understand the extent of his ability or his control over stone, but it had exerted him just now.
The little space provided was enough for me to see through to the outside clearly. In no time, I had warped them all outside. Halo feel completely to his knees now and began to throw up. “Sorry,” I said, as Craydon patted him on his back.
Halo, like most people, was feeling the effects of warping for the first time. It isn’t something that can be easily tolerated on the first try. From where we were we could easily see the fog swirling around Rewling, but we could also see the water. “We need a ship,” Halo said as he looked around.
“No. I’ll warp us,” I said, but instead Craydon shook his head. “No,” he said quickly. “Not me, just girly, here.” I grimaced. “What?” I asked him. “Halo has defied his father, and went against The Lantra, by breaking us out. I will not leave Rewling without him.”
For the first time, I was looking at Craydon as if he were a new person. A person I had never seen before. He was thinking about somebody other than himself. “Thank you,” Halo said. “Told you, I wasn’t going to let you go again.” Craydon said.
“Okay, I’ll warp Vida with me to Thera, and as soon as you can get a ship, you need to be right behind us.” I said as I grabbed Vida’s hand. Thankfully she had changed into her normal self again.
“No, Warps,” she said as I could feel my mouth drop open. “You have to go alone.” I groaned. “Why? I can take you with me, just don’t let my hand go.” I didn’t understand what she was trying to say. She didn’t want to come with me? Not only that but why would she think I would leave her here in this situation.
“I slow you down when I warp with you. You’ll cover more ground alone.” I didn’t want to admit it but she was right. “You’re a lot of things, Lox, but above all else, you’re a killer. One of the greatest I’ve ever known, and our home needs you. Thera needs you.” She said as she pulled me close and kissed me.
I felt my eyes water for a second as my vision turned blurry. “Plus, it’s Craydon,” Vida added. “How far do you think he will get alone?” I laughed. “You’re probably right,” I added.
“I can hear you, girly. I’m right here,” Craydon said.
As she let me go, Vida walked over to Craydon and Halo, changing into a large muscular, dark skinned Rewling Warrior as she moved. Halo, still not use to Vida’s power stepped back again. “This way, if we are questioned, I can say I caught the lovers trying to escape,” Vida said in a booming voice of whomever she had turned into.
“Good idea, girly,” Craydon said. “Go,” Vida said to me in the deep voice of the warrior. Then for a second, while still in the Rewling Warrior’s body, Vida allowed her normal head to show. “I love you,” she said with her own face and in her own voice.
“I love you, too,” I replied to her. Then she, Craydon and Halo sprinted off along the shore to find a ship to escape in.
I touched my power inside myself and enhanced my vision to look into the water. A shadow moved over me as I hear that familiar thumping sound. I could feel my breathing quicken. The Lantra was upon me. I needed to move fast. He knew I was here somehow, and if I allowed those eyes to see me, I would be a prisoner in my own body again. That or forced to pass out.
I touched my power once more and found a rock formation in the water. I held my power and then warped. Where I appeared, however, was not on the rocks I had set as my warp point.
20
I was here again. Wherever here was. I checked to make sure my blades were still on me, and I was happy to find they were. I drew one slowly and spun it around in my hand. It’s amazing how calming drawing a blade can be to a person. A feeling of safety came over me, and began to battle the nervousness I was feeling. Even with these new, crystal daggers, I still felt like I was in control, partially.
I could hear the water again, moving around me as if I was in the center of a small island. I couldn’t see a moon in the sky, and besides the glow from the yellow city, everywhe
re else was dark. This place still smelled of rotten meat, but at least my eyes were beginning to adjust. Sadly, my nose couldn’t adjust to the smell and it began to make my stomach turn.
I moved my feet slowly. I wasn’t even sure where I was going, but I was too afraid to warp. If this was like last time I ended up here, I would eventually warp to the right spot.
My best option was to move towards that city. I could only assume it was a city. It had tall structures that could have been buildings, but they were buildings like I had never seen before. Sleek and reflective with some sort of light coming from them, and they all radiated with a yellow glow. I realized now, for the first time, that the orb encasing the city was itself reflective in some spots. It looked more like glass, but also had thick bands of metal surrounding it, as if it was being held in place.
A noise came from behind me, forcing me to turn around and this time I drew my second crystal dagger. It was the winged man again. He was closer to me this time than he was before. He sat, with one leg hanging down, and another propped up, on what looked to be a large oddly- shaped rock.
His large black, leathery wings twitched slightly as they hung down beside him. He wasn’t looking at me, though. Instead his head was slumped down as he let his foot swung back and forth. Then what happened next made my throat go dry.
He hunched over, and let out a scream as if he was in pain, and from his back, just between the wings, sprung an orb. It hovered above his back for a second and then floated into the sky, and disappeared.
He took in a long slow breath as his wings twitched a little. He cracked his neck, and the noise sounded oddly loud. Then, his entire body began to glow a pale blue color. For a few moments, the glow grew brighter and brighter as he began to shake. Without warning, the glowing stopped and turned into miniature blue orbs.
I could feel my eyes grow wind as I watched the thousands of tiny blue orbs in front of me slowly began to float into the sky and one by one disappear. These orbs, were identical to the ones that had begun to fall in Thera. I could only assume the larger orbs were like the ones harming the people.
Encasing them like Kula and Luka. “Grimsby Glen is sorry to keep trapping you here.” The man slowly spoke. His voice had a rattle- like noise to it. As if he had sand in the lining of his throat. It sounded like it almost hurt him to speak because he was taking a deep breath after he said his words.
“There was no other way,” he said as he continued to look down. “Grimsby Glen has tried calling to you but, because of Nasium Suro, that became more and more difficult.” He finally looked up at me from his resting place.
Not only did he look up, but he slowly slumped down off his rock. He was a few feet away from me, but with a speed so fast that I couldn’t even see him, he moved and stood before me. His wings moved only a little more, and then he flexed his hands.
I could feel myself backing up away from him. He smirked and as he stepped closer, the light from the glowing city seemed to shine on his face.
His appearance was like nothing I had seen before. His skin was almost a gray color, and his hair was unnaturally black. His hands had nails on them about three inches long, and except for some tattered pants made out of what looked like leaves and twigs, he had on no clothes.
His midsection was perhaps the most disturbing. He had various cuts over his body, but the cuts were glowing. They were clearly still open wounds but there was no blood. Simply a pale blue glow that, from what I could see, was inside his body.
He moved slowly now, as if he was trying to figure me out. “You’re him, aren’t you? Grimsby Glen. The Grim God?” I asked as I held both daggers tight. I was fairly sure I was right, but if I was why did he keep speaking as if Grimsby Glen was another person?
“The Grim God? Grimsby Glen likes this name. Yes. Grimsby Glen is who I am. Master of the Rift, or so Grimsby Glen thought. Yet we see who has bent, to whose will.”
His head tilted some as he smiled. “Nasium has chosen you?” He asked the question but seemed to snort at the same time as if he was insulted. “He thinks you will hold Grimsby Glen back from leaving this place?” He took a deep breath and as he did so the cuts began to glow brighter. “When in reality, it will be you that sets Grimsby Glen free.”
The words awoke a beast inside of me instantly. Removing all fear away in one moment. “My brother and sister. The people of The Prime Sovereignty, you must release them from these, orb things. It’s killing them.” I had intended to demand this from him, but as the words left my mouth they were clearly a plea.
“Orb’s?” Grimsby Glen breathed slightly as his cuts continued to glow. “You mean, the echoes?” I looked at him as my eyebrows squished together. “I don’t know what they are but they are coming from you. I just saw it. There is a war going on out there right now because of you.”
I found myself shouting as he casually laughed at me. “Grimsby Glen will tell you what Nasium Suro refuses to.” He turned and pointed a long thin finger toward the glowing golden city trapped inside of the globe. His wing fluttered some and as they moved, some of the black feathers fell to the side. “This city, this place, is where the power comes from.”
He turned back to me. “The other gods, even the ones before Grimsby Glen, feared this place. Taking a little of the power, and retreating back to their world. To our world. Grimsby Glen embraced the power. Became one with the power.”
His voice was rising now. He paused for a moment and slumped over, allowing an orb to spring from his body again. Just as before the orb hovered some and then floated away before it vanished.
“Grimsby Glen needs to get inside,” he said as he continued to point to the glowing city. To our right, the air began to shift and glow. I recognized this, and knew what was happening. Somebody was warping.
In seconds, another person stepped out of the nothingness and stood with us. I felt relief as I saw him there. The same olive colored face I had seen before when he showed me visions of his past. The same dark hair, and tired eyes. He wore a white shirt, and brown trousers, with no shoes, and appeared to be merely a young boy.
The Keeper was here with me now, and I was happy to have a god here that wasn’t crazy or shouting. “Lox, behind me please.” he said as he moved forward out of the warp. I listened, but inside I wanted to ask him where he had been. Or why he hadn’t come when I needed and called out to him. What kind of God was he?
Then I saw that, he was here now. Here when I needed him the most. “Grimsby,” he said slowly as if he wasn’t sure how to address the other god. “Nasium Suro, addresses Grimsby Glen as if they were still friends who played together,” Grimsby Glen said as he laughed and turned his head to look at The Keeper.
“You don’t see what has happened do you?” The Keeper asked. “Your lust for the power of this place has changed you. Look at yourself.” A laugh erupted from Grimsby Glen, that made me shiver some. As he laughed his body began to glow that pale blue glow once more. Then just as before, the orbs came to life and slowly faded away.
“Changed Grimsby Glen,” the Grim God repeated. “It’ is killing Grimsby Glen. Grimsby Glen has absorbed too much of its power over the centuries and now Grimsby Glen’s body is breaking down.” As he said these words he looked at his hands and gently touched the glowing cuts on his body.
The Keeper shook his head. “Etangria isn’t meant for us to live here. It was a gift. Only those who dwell in the city can stay in this world. Don’t you see that?” The Keeper shouted at him.
“Your body is releasing excess stores of the power Etangria gifted to us, just to halt the decay, but now this power is breaking into the outer world. Your echoes as you call them. These echoes of Etangria are killing and changing people outside of this realm.”
Changing people? What had The Keeper seen while he was away? I had heard reports of people either dying or being put in a deep sleep. Never changing.
“I tried to get inside,” Grimsby said as he pointed to th
e glowing city again. “Only The Lantra can travel freely into the city. Only The Lantra can speak to those who dwell within. Its masters.” The Keeper paused and glanced to the city and then back to his former friend.
“You will release The Grim God. You will release Grimsby Glen,” Grimsby shot back, as if he decided to ignore The Keeper’s pleas.
“Grimsby Glen’s power is great, and so are the legions he has created and controls. Release Grimsby Glen and give him his vessel.” He slowly pointed one of his claw- like hands in my direction.
“Lox will never be your vessel.” The Keeper said. “He has my essence in him. You cannot harm him.” Grimsby Glen opened his mouth and a rattle- like sound escaped. His wings expanded, and suddenly a roll of power exploded and filled the area. The water around us began to move violently, and anything on the ground around us was destroyed.
Almost as in response, Nasium Suro himself began to glow, and radiated a power so intense that I had to cover my eyes. I admired his display, but apparently, Grimsby Glen’s time here had made him formidable. The Keeper had once said Grimsby was the strongest of them all and I could see why.
As The Keeper had visible strain on his face as he flexed his power, Grimsby Glen seemed bored and passive. As if he was done with a game he found boring. This was evident as a smile slowly formed on his face.
“There will come a time,” Grimsby Glen began to shout. “A time when he will seek a true god to help him. He will call out to Grimsby Glen, and Grimsby Glen will help him for Grimsby Glen has mastered many things, even death and life. Then he will become the vessel. A home for the power Grimsby has collected in Etangria.”
In an instant, smoke- like creatures came into existence around us. Each creature was slim and stood over five feet tall. Their eyes were red and emitted a vapor as they moved. I stepped back somewhat, only to see The Keeper casually wave his hand in the air and create a wave a of golden energy that vaporized the creatures as it touched them.