“Maulro will kill us as soon as he sees us, Kallisto! We can’t save him!” Gabriel grabbed her chin and turned her to look at him. “You’re signing our death warrant if you go to him,” he said more calmly. Kallisto yanked her face from his hand, he let her.
“Look at my eyes, Gabriel. Are they glowing? Are they greener than they were?” She leaned her face over so he could see. He looked at her eyes and dropped his head. Talus came up beside her, touching her arm. Kallisto realized who it was and fought not to pull away.
“Kallisto, please. I want to be able to spend what time we have left together. I don’t want to lose you quicker than I’m going to.” He slid his fingers down her cheek as he pleaded. She looked at him for a few moments.
“Talus, we are not going to die if we save Maulro and his men. Please trust me on this.” She grabbed his hand and held it to her cheek. He looked as though he was thinking for a minute and smiled.
“Gabriel, you know Kallisto’s heart. She can’t let someone die if there’s any chance that she can save them.” Talus looked at Kallisto as he spoke. She heard Gabriel take a deep breath.
“You’re right, it’s a sin to wish anyone dead. Forgive me Lord, but I wished it so much. Now I know what we should do. Kallisto’s pure heart is the one we should follow, not mine,” Gabriel conceded and released her camel. “Lead the way, Princess,” he said, smiling. Kallisto smiled back and looked back at Talus. He was smiling as well. She took off again and they followed.
They reached the storm a while later. They grabbed their cloths and put them around their heads before they went in. Inside the storm it was difficult to see or even breathe. Even the cloths weren’t helping much, but Kallisto wrapped it tighter and went on. They got off the camels to walk, pulling them along. Finally, the camels wouldn’t go any further and lay down in the sand. Gabriel tied a line to them so the group could find the way out again. They coalesced in a tight group so they wouldn’t lose anybody and went the rest of the way in. After a short time Kallisto nearly tripped over a body, but since they were in a group she was caught quickly; the body was dead, as were several more further in. When they found someone alive they’d keep them in the group and go back out of the storm. Once they were on the outside of it they’d take a few deep breathes and go back in. They found several of the men alive and got them out safely, but they couldn’t find Maulro.
Kallisto was shocked when they brought some other men out that the men they saved first stayed where they were and didn’t even try to take the camels or kill them when they came out. They just watched as they came out with some of their comrades and went back in searching for more. They’d been in the storm for a very long time the last time and hadn’t found any more of Maulro’s men or Maulro. It seemed as though Maulro and his men were getting close to the end of the storm since it was where they found one of the bodies, but then it was like they were walking around in circles trying to find a way out. The sand storm started to ease and Kallisto could see the shadow of a man walking with his arms over his face. She ran forward and in doing so separated from the group. The others yelled for her but she didn’t stop. It was Maulro she’d seen, and he was going the wrong direction; he was moving further into the storm. She had to get him and bring him back the other way.
Kallisto grabbed Maulro and he jerked his arm out of her hands as he turned around. He saw who she was and grabbed her throat. Kallisto couldn’t get a breath to tell him she was there to help. She grabbed his hands and tried to pull them away but he wouldn’t let go. She decided to try a gentle approach and reached her hand forward, touching his face. She caressed down his cheek and stared intently at his face. She noticed his face change from evil and malevolent to confused and uncertain. His hand slowly released. She gasped for breath but her hand never left his face. When she got enough air she looked at him.
“I’m here to help you Maulro, nothing more. There’s no reason for you to die like this.” Kallisto took her hand from his face and grabbed his hand. She turned and pulled him along behind her; he followed along like a child. He was still uncertain but the promise of safety from the storm was too much to ignore. After a few feet she could hear the others yelling, and she walked toward their voices. They’d come further as they were searching for her, so they weren’t very far away. If she hadn’t been able to get Maulro to stop they would’ve found her soon enough. Maulro hesitated when they came into view of the others. She turned to him and caressed his hand.
“Have no fear Maulro, they won’t harm you. I won’t let them,” Kallisto said still trying to soothe him. He looked at her and seemed to think for a moment and nodded, so they went forward. The others had stopped when Maulro and Kallisto came into view and let them come to the group. They seemed to know he was hesitant about it. They took him into their group and started for the end of the storm. Once they were out Maulro looked around at all of his men that they’d saved and looked back at Kallisto.
“We came to kill you and you still saved us. Why?” he asked, still confused.
“Nobody should die like that Maulro. Even though you tried to kill me, I don’t wish death on anyone. We die, we come back, and we die again and again. I know what it is like to die. It’s scary and painful a lot of the time. I’ve heard of peaceful death, but I’ve never experienced one. I want to save whoever I can from fear and pain, even you. You may have betrayed us, Maulro, and I may have hated you, but you were just trying to avoid the very thing I just saved you from: certain death. I can understand that Maulro. If I could keep all of us from dying again, then I’d do anything I could, but no matter what I wouldn’t give my soul to stop it, and that’s what you’ve done Maulro. You’ve given your soul to Serena and Merrick, and when the end does come for you–and it will–it will be the most horrible death you can imagine, because you’ve lived off the anger and pain of others. Take it back, Maulro,” Kallisto pleaded.
“How can I? I’m tied to Serena and Merrick. I felt the electricity you sent through her. That’s why I had to come through the storm. She wanted you dead even more after that,” Maulro countered.
“That’s how you can be saved, by breaking your tie to them. She tied herself to me somehow and we broke that connection. We can do the same for you.” Kallisto grabbed Maulro’s hands and made him look into her eyes. He stared at her for a long time with a sober face and then smiled. It was the genuine smile that she’d seen before in the dream. It was a smile like when Gabriel was taking him to see the weapon room.
“If this is possible, Princess, then I can live out my life the way I want to. I’ll go find someone to settle down with, and maybe even raise a family.” Maulro was so excited he was practically begging for her to save him. It made her very happy.
“Alright Maulro; if you’re ready we’ll do this, but it’s going to be painful. I’m speaking from firsthand experience,” she said, smiling. He smiled back.
“I don’t care, I’m ready. After everything I’ve been through, what’s a little more pain?” he said jokingly. Kallisto looked to Gabriel and showed him her low confidence in their special way. He looked back at her and smiled. He spoke to her in the same special way.
He’d never let me near him to do it. You’re the only one he trusts at this moment. You can do it Kallisto, just let yourself. He winked. Maulro saw it but looked at them unconcerned. She walked up to him and placed her hands on the sides of his face.
“I’m sorry Maulro, I don’t want you to feel the pain you’re about to feel.” She stared in his eyes, looking for any uncertainty, but found something she never thought to find–blind trust. She pulled the power from the center of her body and forced it out through her arms and hands and into Maulro. He closed his eyes but didn’t scream. Kallisto searched his body with the electricity and found the line, but it wasn’t connected to his spine like it had been on her. It was connected to his heart. Kallisto called out to Gabriel, but didn’t pull back the electricity. She kept it by his heart ready to go through the line but didn’t
want to kill him by going through his heart. Gabriel came up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She felt him use her internal vision to see what she was seeing.
“You were right to stop, Kallisto. You can’t go through his heart, or it would mean certain death. You must get to the line by going around the heart and touching the line just behind the heart. Don’t let the electricity go back into the heart. Keep it on the line and send forward through it. You can do this Kallisto; just remember that he trusts you with his life, and you’ll have the motivation to do this.” Gabriel didn’t release after he spoke. He stayed right with her. She moved the electricity around and toward the line. She made her main focus touching the line and nothing else. After a moment she got the line. “You have to back up some, Kallisto. You have to get right next to the heart; if any of the line is left then she’ll be able to reconnect easily,” Gabriel said quietly, not wanting to ruin her concentration. Kallisto backed the electricity up the line as close to the heart as she could get without touching. “That’s good Kallisto. Now send it up the line straight to Serena. You’ll need to exert a lot of force to do this. Do it now, Kallisto!” Gabriel shoved some of his power into her at that moment and she shoved her power into the line with all her force. It sped down the line. Maulro screamed out then and Kallisto could sense him following along. She hoped he could stop before he went into Serena. She knew at that moment that she’d send the electricity in, but she’d hold Maulro back the best that she could. They traveled for a long distance but it was still short because they were moving so fast.
Kallisto could see Serena but the line split off to the right and Merrick was standing close to her. She had a split second to make the decision to try and split the electricity. She split the electricity to go through both, and realized she could travel down both as well. Serena and Merrick felt it coming and shoved power into the lines, trying to block her. It slowed her down and she felt like she was traveling through sludge, but she was still moving forward. Gabriel sent a surge of power into Kallisto and it cut through the sludge with ease. It was like she was in a sling shot, one moment being pushed back and the next flying forward with more speed than before. It was so sudden she almost forgot to pull Maulro back. He started to slow on his own but was still traveling forward. Kallisto grabbed him metaphysically and pulled him back with her while she sent the electricity with full force into both Serena and Merrick. They screamed out together and clasped hands. They slid to the floor, seizing and jerking. Blood seemed to trickle from their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, but in that moment she felt them grabbing metaphysically. They reached out to the hatred in Gabriel, Maulro, and Kallisto and started to feed from it, but they were pulled back. Gabriel, Maulro, and Kallisto woke with the others standing over them. The searing pain from the feeding Serena and Merrick had done coursed through their veins. They screamed out and writhed on the ground. Talus, William, Kalan, Ramina, Ephiny, and Keira pulled all of them into their arms. The river started to flow from William once again and it moved through the group with ease, and it included Maulro without hesitation. Kallisto wasn’t sure why, but she thought maybe it felt the pain in him and rushed to soothe it. They quieted and so did Maulro. He sat in Ephiny’s arms with everyone touching him, and just felt the cool rush of the river’s flow. He watched the yellow light in wonder and then looked at Kallisto and smiled brightly.
“I’m free? Am I really free?” He moved into a sitting position still looking at her.
“Yes, Maulro, you’re really free,” Kallisto said and looked to Gabriel for confirmation. Gabriel nodded.
“The line is well and truly gone my friend. As long as you stay out of touching distance of Serena and Merrick, then they won’t be able to make the connection again.” Gabriel sat up and clapped Maulro on the shoulder. Maulro smiled at them both gratefully.
“It will take Serena and Merrick some time to find a new general to lead their army. You’ll have time to get the artifact and maybe even rest from your travels before she can find another. Now…” Maulro paused as he stood up, still smiling, “I’m off to find a calm life–maybe I’ll become a farmer.”
“Thank you Maulro, for letting me save you,” Kallisto said, standing. Maulro looked around at his men.
“You didn’t just save me, Princess. You saved all of them as well. Without me, Serena and Merrick cannot touch them.” He paused for a moment. “Do you think I’ll die a horrible death now? Without Serena and Merrick keeping me alive I’ll die. I’ve never died before—I’ve been alive for all these centuries.”
“You should be able to live your life and die naturally now. I wouldn’t worry,” Kallisto said smiling.
“Dying isn’t so bad, Maulro. I died naturally in my first life. Don’t fear death; live every day like it’s your last. and when the last day does come, embrace it with open arms.” Ephiny and Maulro hugged and as they parted, the rest of the group came up. Maulro received many hugs, claps on the shoulders, and handshakes. It was the closest any of them had gotten to Maulro, even in their first life. He may have let Kallisto hug him in their first life but it was as close as they got, and he may have spent time with Gabriel talking about weapons but he never really opened up. It was like they’d never seen him before–he was open and friendly.
Chapter 19
Maulro and his men left and the others were left to their journey. Since they didn’t have anyone chasing them, they were able to travel at a normal pace. Keira led the way. They were almost there. The sand turned to rock and rose higher. There were many tomb openings all around but they kept going. People apparently raided the tombs, because just looking through the mouths of them they seemed bare and empty. Still they traveled on, through taller and taller rock facings. It was as if they were walking between two cliffs. They reached the edge of the tall rocks and went around the side. From there nothing but sand and rock was as far as the eye could see.
Keira stopped after a little while longer and got off the camel, and they all followed suit. They didn’t see an opening anywhere, but none of them questioned her. She walked a short ways toward a large sandy hill. For a moment, Kallisto thought they’d have to dig their way in but Keira grabbed her and Kalan again, her tattoo’s started to glow, and then the sand started to glow and rumble just like the boulder had. It was strange to hear sand rumble, but it was more like the sound of an earthquake than a boulder being moved. As they felt the pull on their power, they could also feel Keira being drained. Kallisto turned and looked at William, who immediately came up and touched her. His power source flowed through them, and Kallisto felt Keira getting stronger and Kallisto watched as she stood up straighter and smiled. The sand started to shift and all of a sudden, the giant pile of sand rose up in the air, revealing a large rock face. They turned with Keira as she attempted to displace the sand to the side. They got it quite a ways from the tomb and dropped it. Instead of sounding like many tiny pieces of sand hitting individually it sounded like they dropped a larger boulder than before; it shook the ground they stood on. Keira released and stood without wavering. She smiled again and stretched.
“I’ve never been able to do anything like that. Until William came up I thought I was going to have to give up.” She turned to them. “Thank you for the experience. I feel great!” She started laughing and ran to Gabriel. Gabriel picked her up and spun her around. They kissed and Gabriel sat her down.
They walked toward the rock face and found an area with cracks all through it. “Can we get in through here, or do we need to find a door?” Kallisto asked as she felt the area. Gabriel walked up and shoved slightly; the area made a crackling sound.
“I can break through this easily, but if there’s anything of importance on the other side it’ll definitely get damaged.” Gabriel turned and looked at Keira. Since she’d already seen this place she was the most likely to know.
“Give me a second and I can tell you,” Keira said, walking forward. She placed her hands on the area and closed her eyes. Her tattoo
s started to glow. She stayed there for a moment and they could see her eyes moving behind her lids like she was searching. In the next moment, her eyes shot open and stayed wide. “We have a nasty little–or not so little–surprise waiting for us in there.” She turned to the others with a look of shock.
“What is it?” Kallisto asked, a little afraid of the answer.
“There’s a demon in there–a very mean one, too. He’ll rip us to shreds if he gets the chance. Large teeth and claws ripping into me is not a way I want to die. My worst fear is being eaten alive, and that’s what’ll happen if I go in there.” Keira shook her head and sat down, grabbing her head and holding it between her knees. Only a slight muffled sound came out, but it sounded as though she was screaming inside. Ephiny walked up to her and grabbed her hands. She pulled them away from her head and made Keira look at her.
“Stop this! You didn’t get that vision–the demon gave it to you! This thing doesn’t want us to come in there, and it’ll do everything in its power to keep us out. That demon is not in there by chance; someone had to summon it up, and Serena and Merrick have the power to do just that. This thing knows our very worst fears and it’ll use every single one of them to keep us away. But he can only hurt us if we lose faith. Now, you’ll stand up and face that demon with all the faith you have inside.” She looked up from Keira and looked around at the others, “We’ll all face it, and we’ll all leave the fight alive.”
“Ephiny’s right, we must do this. We can’t wait for the demon to leave. Once one is in place it can stay there indefinitely, until the job it was conjured to do is done, or until it’s destroyed. Now, since it’s been conjured to keep us away or kill us, it won’t leave until that job is done, so I vote we go in there, destroy it’s demonic behind, and get what we came for,” Gabriel said adamantly. William jumped over to Gabriel and clapped him on the shoulder, smiling.
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