by Clayton Wood
“I wasn't talking about me,” Ariana retorted. “She can't even see you, you know.”
“What are you...” Kyle began, and then he realized Ariana was talking about Petra. He blushed furiously, and turned away. He could feel Ariana's eyes on him.
“Relax, she can't understand me,” Ariana muttered. “And besides, they're too far away to hear.” It was true; they'd gone about thirty to forty feet ahead, up a path through the trees that climbed leftward.
“She's not my girlfriend,” Kyle retorted, feeling his cheeks grow hotter. He silently cursed his traitorous body. “You are.”
“Uh huh,” Ariana mumbled. He stumbled then, and she caught him before he landed flat on his face. “Here, at least lean on me,” she urged. Kyle did so gladly, realizing that Kalibar and Petra had stopped to wait for them. It still amazed him that Kalibar had kept himself in such incredible shape, despite his age. The old man was keeping up with Petra – and hardly even breaking a sweat. Neither was Petra, for that matter...but she had quite obviously spent a great deal of effort in developing the appropriate muscles for the task.
“Are you all right Kyle?” Kalibar inquired as they caught up. Kyle nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. Kalibar turned, looking up the path they were following. It leveled out in the distance, leading to a rock wall some twenty feet high. To the right of the wall was a small stream that cascaded down as a waterfall onto the rocks below.
“Petra, if you could fly us up over that wall?” Kalibar requested. Petra nodded. They both walked up to the rocky wall, and shot up through the air and over it, landing on the ground above. Petra came down, bringing Kyle next, and then Ariana. They faced the small stream then, seeing a row of flat-faced boulders sticking out above the water.
“Why don't we just use magic to fly all the way to the top?” Kyle asked, using the sudden break to catch his breath. He did have a little magic stored up, after all.
“We need to conserve magic,” Kalibar replied. He turned to Petra then. “...seeing as how I don't have a Reaper suit. Unless of course you want to provide the magic?”
“We walk,” Petra replied. When Kalibar raised an eyebrow at her, she put her hands on her hips. “Using my Reaper vines has its consequences,” she added, as if that explained it.
“Very well,” Kalibar replied. “Let's go.”
They crossed the stream one at a time, with Petra leading. They all held hands in an unbroken chain, ensuring that if someone fell into the water, they wouldn't be swept down the waterfall. Luckily the precaution proved unnecessary, as they crossed without incident. The path climbed ever higher beyond.
“Oh man,” Kyle complained, staring upward with dismay. He turned to look down the way they'd come, and saw a steep drop to the forest far below. He felt woozy for a moment, and stepped well clear of the edge. He hadn't realized just how far up they'd traveled. The trees around them were noticeably shorter than the ones below, with moss and lichen growing on the rocks in abundance. It was also a bit colder, the wind sending a chill through him.
“You'll have a break ahead,” Petra promised, starting up the path, Kalibar following close behind. “We'll be crossing the Spine of Grimore soon.”
“What's that?” Kyle asked, trekking up the path. He seriously considered taking Ariana up on her offer to carry him, but his pride would not allow it. No matter how many times his pride had caused him to suffer in the past, for some reason he still catered to it. It was, he realized, a rather abusive relationship.
“A narrow path from here to Grimore's peak,” Petra answered.
“We're almost up the mountain?”
“No,” Petra replied. “We're still near the base.”
“Oh man,” Kyle complained. He heard Petra laugh...for the first time, he realized.
“The cave is also near the base,” she consoled. “We're getting close.”
They continued upward silently from there, the path becoming so steep that even Kalibar and Petra were having a hard time of it. Kyle found himself relying more and more on Ariana to help him up, which she did with silent ease. Still, Petra refused to use her magic, relying on sheer muscle to ascend the mountain. It was obvious that this wasn't her first time; the relative ease with which she climbed certainly explained the impressive proportions of her lower half. Kyle had to reign in his admiration in that regard, especially with Ariana watching him like a hawk.
“Almost,” Kyle mumbled to himself, pulling himself upward one lunging step at a time. “...there.” He glanced down, and immediately regretted it. It was an almost sheer drop below, at least a hundred feet to the nearest ledge. He turned away, clinging to the face of the mountain with all of his might, pressing himself against the cool rock.
“You okay?” Ariana asked.
“If I fall,” Kyle grumbled, “...I’m flying the rest of the way up.”
“You have magic?” Ariana pressed, clearly surprised. Kyle nodded.
“A little,” he confirmed. In fact, he had quite a bit more magic now than before; it seemed that the higher they went, the less powerful the drain on his magic was.
At long last, to Kyle's utter delight and relief, they reached the top.
“Oh thank god,” Kyle gasped, crawling onto the gloriously flat surface beyond. He had half a mind to kiss the ground.
“His first time up a mountain?” he heard Petra ask wryly. He looked up, seeing all three of them standing there staring at him. He groaned, rising shakily to his hands and knees, then to his feet, stepping far clear of the edge he'd just scaled.
“It is,” Kyle answered defensively. He brushed off bits of rock and dust from the front of his shirt, then looked forward.
His jaw dropped.
Before him was a rocky path that extended forward an incredible distance, easily a half-mile. The path was narrow, only wide enough for two or three people to stand side-by-side before it dropped off on either side. And what a drop it was...a near-vertical drop all the way down to the mist-covered forest thousands of feet below. This, Kyle realized, was the Spine of Grimore. At its end, far in the distance, the enormous bulk of Mount Grimore stood, its sharp peak piercing the cloudy sky.
“You're doing very well, Kyle,” Kalibar stated, giving him an approving nod. “That was a difficult climb, even for me.”
“We should walk single-file,” Petra suggested, facing the Spine of Grimore. “And be careful...the wind can get very powerful here.”
Everyone did as she suggested, Petra going first, then Kalibar, with Kyle and Ariana taking the rear. They strode forward, the rocky path narrowing as they stepped onto the Spine. Without warning, a blast of air shrieked up from Kyle's right, a vertical wall of dense gray mist shooting upward into the sky. Within seconds, the wind died down, the wall of mist slowly dissipating high above their heads.
“What was that?” Kyle exclaimed.
“Wind,” came Petra’s terse reply. “It carries clouds up the sides of the spine.”
“Strange,” Kalibar said. “From up here, the entire forest looks like it's covered in mist, but there wasn't any mist when we were walking through the forest to get here.” Kyle nodded; he'd noticed the same thing earlier. Petra had promised to tell him about it later.
“No one knows why,” Petra admitted.
“They do keep prying eyes from seeing in,” Kalibar murmured, his eyes on the forest below. “I wonder...”
“Guys,” Ariana interrupted, stopping suddenly. She was staring forward, and Kyle followed her gaze. There, about a hundred feet ahead, another burst of mist was shooting up both sides of the narrow spine. Tendrils of the white fog pulled inward, forming a gray wall there.
“What is it?” Kyle asked.
Then a dark shape appeared in the center of the fog.
“Get behind me,” Kalibar warned, stepping in front of Petra.
A shadow appeared out of the mist, a tall figure in a long black cloak, its face hidden in a hood. It stepped toward them, stopping a few feet in front of the wall of fo
g, unmoving. Kyle could see only its hands emerging from the long sleeves of its cloak; its skin was as black as night.
“It’s a Chosen,” Ariana warned, taking a step back. Kyle’s breath caught in his throat, and he froze, goosebumps rising on his arms.
They found us!
“It’s an Immortal?” Petra asked, turning to Ariana, who nodded. “I will talk to it,” she stated. She stepped in front of Kalibar, striding toward the Chosen.
“Petra, wait!” Kalibar cried, grabbing her shoulder. But she pulled away from his grasp, continuing forward.
“Welcome,” Petra called out to the Chosen. “We have an Immortal girl here,” she added. “We’ve come to take her home.”
“Petra!” Kalibar warned.
The Chosen stood there as Petra walked toward it, its cloak rippling in the howling wind rushing up either side of the mountain.
Then it raised one hand toward her.
A burst of white light shot outward at Petra, slamming into her. She flew backward, colliding with the ground, smoke rising from her shoulder.
“Petra!” Kalibar cried, flying forward. He reached Petra’s side, a gravity shield appearing around them. The Chosen stepped forward, raising its hand again, a ball of fire shooting outward at Kalibar...just as Kalibar’s shields vanished. Kalibar flew upward, Petra in his arms, the fireball missing them by mere inches. Kalibar counterattacked, a bolt of lightning shooting down from the heavens, slamming into the Chosen.
Or rather, its shields. A dozen appeared in layers around the being, the lightning bolt scattering harmlessly over their surface.
Kalibar flew backward and downward, landing in front of Ariana and Kyle, setting Petra down. Then he stepped forward, standing tall against the Chosen.
“Leave,” he ordered, his tone one of utter confidence. “Or die.”
The Chosen burst forward, its cloak rippling fiercely behind it. Kalibar stayed where he was, more layers of gravity shields appearing around him. A barrage of fireballs appeared before him, shooting outward at the Chosen in rapid succession. At the same time, the Chosen’s gravity shields – all of them – vanished at once.
“Wrong choice,” Kalibar growled.
The fireballs flew at incredible speed, aiming unerringly at the quickly-approaching Chosen. But at the last minute, the Chosen dodged to the side, moving so quickly that it was a blur. Then it leaped into the air, flying right at Kalibar. Kalibar’s shields began to wink out, and the Grand Weaver took a step backward.
“Kalibar!” Kyle warned.
He saw Ariana burst forward then, moving with unnatural speed across the Spine of Grimore. She leaned over as she ran, picking up a large rock in one hand, then leaping over Kalibar, hurtling high into the air above the Grand Weaver’s head. She tossed the rock at the Chosen while they were both still in mid-air, and it veered out of the way at the last minute, shoved aside by a gravity field. At the same time, the Chosen threw a massive fireball right at Ariana.
No!
Ariana created a gravity sphere to her right, and it pulled her out of the way of the Chosen’s fireball at the last minute. She created another gravity field near the fireball – now far behind her – and it reversed direction, flying right back at the Chosen. A single gravity shield appeared around the cloaked figure at the last minute, the fireball smashing into it harmlessly. But the impact pushed the Chosen backward, and it fell to the ground, landing on its feet, its gravity shield shimmering faint blue against the fog wall behind it.
Ariana landed twenty feet from the Chosen, and burst forward, rushing it. She slammed into it, shields appearing automatically around her. Their shields collided, bursts of light shooting outward from both of them as their shards reacted. They flew apart, the Chosen backpedaling rapidly, Ariana sliding toward Kalibar, somehow managing to stay on her feet.
The Chosen stopped, regaining its balance. Its hood fell back, revealing a man’s face. His skin was black, darker even than Petra’s. Tattoos crawled up the sides of his head, and like Petra, scars fanned out like the bones in a bat’s wing at his temples. And in the center of his forehead, a green, diamond-shaped crystal glittered in the sunlight.
“A Joined!” Kyle heard Petra gasp. She rose to her feet, staring wide-eyed at the Chosen. “One of the Ancestors!” She strode forward, past Kalibar and Ariana.
“Stay back!” Kalibar ordered. But Petra ignored him.
“I am Joined, like you!” Petra declared, walking toward the Chosen. “We are your descendants...the people of the Barren forest,” she added. “We come in peace.”
The Chosen stood there, its cloak rippling in the wind.
“Please,” Petra pleaded. “We mean you no harm.” She stopped just past Ariana, still far away from him. “We’ve waited centuries to meet you,” she added. “To learn from you.”
Still, the Chosen stood there, saying nothing.
“Petra, get back,” Kalibar warned.
Then the Chosen burst forward, a ray of eye-searing light shooting outward from its palm at Petra.
“Petra!” Kalibar cried.
Ariana burst forward with inhuman speed, intercepting the beam right before it struck Petra. A dozen shields appeared around her instantly, the beam reflecting off of her outermost shield’s surface. She sprinted at the Chosen, a ball of fire appearing before her.
Then her shields vanished, her fireball blowing right back at her face.
Ariana screamed, her face and chest bursting into flames. A burst of light shot out from the Chosen, slamming into Ariana and hurtling her backward. She fell to the ground, rolling to a stop twenty feet from where Kyle stood, engulfed in fire.
“Ariana!” Kyle shouted. He wove rapidly, creating a waterfall above her, snuffing out the flames. Steam rose from her body, hissing angrily. Kyle and Kalibar ran to her side.
“Ariana, are you okay?” Kalibar blurted out. A gravity shield appeared around all three of them. Kyle rolled Ariana onto her back, ash falling from her mask and left shoulder, revealing burnt, blackened skin. Ariana gasped, clutched at her chest, her breath coming in short gasps.
“Ariana!” Kyle gasped. Half of her face was horribly burnt, her hair gone, her scalp charred. She stared at her hands with one good eye, at her charred fingertips, and screamed.
In the distance, the Chosen strode toward them, mist shooting upward on either side of him. His black eyes dropped to Ariana, and he smirked.
Kyle glared at him, rising to his feet. He grit his teeth, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
You son-of-a-bitch.
Kalibar stepped in front of Kyle and Ariana, facing the approaching Chosen. A barrage of bright white missiles shot outward at the Chosen, who flew forward suddenly, slamming into the missiles. They scattered before him harmlessly, and he shot forward at incredible speed, flying right at Kalibar. Kalibar’s shields flickered, then vanished, just as the Chosen slammed into him.
“Kalibar!” Petra cried.
Kalibar flew backward, rolling across the narrow path. He came to a stop on his back, his eyes wide open, gasping for air.
The Chosen flew past Kyle and Petra, landing before Kalibar, then walking slowly toward the Grand Weaver.
You goddamn son-of-a-bitch!
“No!” Kyle shouted, rising to his feet. The Chosen ignored him, striding toward Kalibar, who was still gasping for air, helpless on the ground. Petra burst forward, but Kyle stopped her with one outstretched arm.
“Kyle...” she began, but Kyle cut her off.
“Get back,” he ordered. “Get everyone as far away from me as you can.” Then he turned to the Chosen. “Hey!” he shouted. Still, the Chosen ignored him.
Fine then.
Kyle pulled magic into his mind’s eye, weaving rapidly. He threw the pattern outward, right at the Chosen, then threw a large amount of magic into his magic stream. A bright blue gravity field appeared to one side of the Chosen. It burst to the side instantly, hurtling off of the side of the narrow spine of rock, falling toward
the forest thousands of feet below.
Kyle glared at Petra, who was still standing near him.
“I said get back,” he ordered, his tone cold. Petra’s eyes widened, and she nodded silently, rushing to Kalibar’s side and helping the Grand Weaver to his feet. She ran toward Ariana, who was already healing, her skin mending rapidly, her hair already starting to regrow...but to its original, full length. She got Ariana to her feet, sprinting away from Kyle, toward the far end of the Spine of Grimore.
The Chosen rose through the air to the left of the Spine, cutting Petra and the others off. It landed on the narrow path, its jaw rippling.
“Back toward me!” Kyle shouted.
Petra skid to a stop, turning about and running back toward him. The Chosen flew up into the air, landing between them and Kyle. A burst of flames shot out at Petra, Ariana, and Kalibar, and Petra created a gravity shield just in time, the flames parting before its shimmering blue surface.
“Leave them alone!” Kyle shouted. He activated his gravity boots, lifting upward into the air. He tore magic from his skull, feeling huge cords of it pull inward into his mind’s eye. Pain shot through his skull, agony unlike anything he had ever felt. He ignored this, weaving quickly, throwing out pattern after pattern, then shoving a massive torrent of magic into them.
A huge ball of punk appeared before him, as large as a house. Air rushed inward toward it, nearly tearing Kyle’s clothes from his body. The punk burst into flames, and Kyle created a gravity field in front of it, tossing the massive fireball outward and downward at incredible speed...right at the Chosen. It slammed into the Chosen’s shields, splashing across the ground, flaming gobs of it falling to the forest far below on either side of the Spine. The punk stuck to the Chosen’s shields, burning so hotly that Kyle could feel the heat on his face even from far above.
Kyle wove again, yanking even more magic into his mind’s eye, then weaving the gravity field pattern. He threw it at the Chosen, pouring as much magic as he could into it.
A huge gravity sphere appeared around the Chosen, punk flying inward toward the cloaked figure, air sucking violently into the sphere. The flames grew brighter and hotter; the Chosen’s gravity shields were no match for the sheer power of Kyle’s gravity sphere, and punk sucked inward past its shields, punk adhering to its body. Flames engulfed the Chosen instantly, burning hotter and hotter.