Runic Vengeance (The Runic Series Book 3)

by Clayton Wood

  And then he felt it drain away.

  He cursed again, turning back to look at the Chosen. They were a dozen feet away now, a stream of blue light traveling from Petra and Kalibar to the exposed white crystals in one of the Chosen's forearms. He heard Petra swear, then realized they were falling toward the mist-shrouded treetops below...and fast.

  “Pull up!” he shouted.

  “I can't!” Petra yelled back. He felt his left foot get yanked backward as it struck a tree branch, felt his head lurching forward and downward.

  “Gravity shields!” he cried.

  His foot struck another branch, and then he was cartwheeling through the air, the world a spinning kaleidoscope of blue and green. He saw gravity shields appear around him, heard the sharp crack of branches snapping. Then the awful sensation of free-fall took him, followed by a sickening crunch, and a scream.

  Chapter 34

  Ampir's magical light sent white rays down and across the twisting, black tunnel that Kyle had followed down into the bowels of the earth, Ariana at his side. They'd long since gone silent, lulled into a kind of hypnosis by the never-ending maze of tunnels they'd passed through. Ampir had led them from one forking path to the next, until Kyle had lost count of how many times the tunnel had split. His only focus now was staying close to Ampir; without his grandfather, there would be no hope of him ever making it out of these tunnels. Even Ariana's incredible memory might not prove worthy of the task.

  Still onward and downward the tunnels went.

  The air was cool here, even frigid, but though he could feel the cold, his Battle-Runic armor kept him quite comfortable overall. Their footsteps echoed through the tunnels in a mind-numbing cadence, and Kyle found himself counting their steps until the numbers got too big, then starting over again.

  One-oh-one, one-oh-two...

  Then he blinked, realizing that something had changed.

  He looked around as he walked, realizing that the tunnel had gotten much larger, so wide now that all three of them could have walked side-by-side with room to spare. In the distance, at the edge of Ampir's light, he saw a huge glittering ring nearly as wide around as the tunnel itself. He heard a clunk, and then another, and looked down, realizing that he was stepping onto a metallic platform that angled upward, then leveled off some seven or eight feet above the Reaper vine-covered floor. It was only wide enough to accommodate him and Ariana single-file, and he was forced to let go of her hand. She motioned for him to walk ahead of her, and he did so.

  They continued forward, and it soon became apparent what the glittering ring ahead was. A ring of white crystals jutting out from the tunnel walls, ceiling, and floor, forming a tube that extended as far as the eye could see. Each crystal was over three feet wide at the base, and seven feet long, tapering to a razor-sharp point. Each crystal pointed toward the center of the tunnel, leaving just enough room for Ampir to pass through without stooping.

  Kyle felt a chill run down his spine; he slowed, then stopped, feeling Ariana bump into him from behind.

  “What's wrong?” Ariana asked. Of course she couldn't know; the Dead Man had never shown her the Void. But Kyle knew what it meant. What it had to mean.

  Sabin was near.

  “This is the Void,” he whispered back. He explained how the Dead Man had brought him to a similar place back in the Arena. Ariana stared at the huge crystals all around her.

  “What do all these crystals do?” she pressed.

  “Drain magic,” Kyle answered. Ariana seemed to accept that, continuing forward behind him. Then she stopped suddenly, with a sharp intake of breath.

  “He sees us!” she whispered harshly.

  “What?”

  “Sabin's watching us,” she clarified, putting a hand on his shoulder. She scanned the crystal-studded tunnel with her eyes. “I can feel him watching us.” Kyle tensed up, peering up and down the narrow tunnel, but saw no one. The Void crystals refracted the rays of Ampir's hovering light, sending a brilliant kaleidoscope of shifting white shapes across the tunnel.

  “How?” Kyle asked. Then he saw Ariana turn to one of the crystals beside her, and stop cold, her eyes narrowing. She leaned in a little, peering into the crystal, then lurched backward as if she'd been struck. “What's wrong?” he asked.

  “Look,” Ariana replied, pointing at the Void crystal. She looked terribly shaken. Kyle turned to the crystal, seeing its white, translucent glittering facets.

  “I don't see anything,” he admitted.

  “Look deeper.”

  He did so, refocusing his eyes, and stepping to the side a little so he wasn't looking at the crystal dead on. He stared at the base, seeing the shadowy darkness there, then followed that darkness up to a foot before the crystal began to taper. He saw...something there.

  “What is that?” he asked. He shifted to the side, seeing the shadow shift as the crystal's facets refracted the light. The movement gave shape to the shadow, defining two legs bent back at the knees at the base of the Void crystal. Kyle shifted his weight again, and followed the legs up to an emaciated torso, two thin arms by its sides, and a head tilted back at an impossible angle. He saw a face there, pale and sunken, a white diamond-shaped crystal embedded in its forehead.

  With eyes staring right at him.

  Kyle lurched backward, feeling the sharp point of the Void crystal behind him jutting into the small of his back. He turned and ran forward down the metal walkway toward Ampir, who had stopped and was watching them. Kyle ran up to the Battle-Runic, rubbing the spot where the Void crystal had poked him, and felt only cool metal there. His armor had allowed him to feel the sharpness of the crystal's point, but it had protected him.

  “There's Chosen in the crystals!” Kyle exclaimed. He turned to another crystal, then another, seeing more contorted bodies within, their eyes facing inward toward the center of the chamber. “They're everywhere!”

  “Yep,” Ampir replied. The man turned away from Kyle and Ariana then, resuming his walk down the narrow platform. Kyle watched him go, then sprinted to catch up with him, Ariana following close behind.

  “Jesus,” Kyle swore, staying as close as possible to Ampir's back. Ariana frowned at him.

  “What?”

  “Uh,” Kyle began, realizing what he'd said. There was no way he was going to be able to explain that to her...certainly not now. “Nothing.”

  “They're alive,” Ariana whispered in horror, staring at the crystals as they passed. “All of them.” She swallowed then. “Like me.” She put a hand on Kyle's shoulder from behind, pressing up against him. He wanted to say something to comfort her, but no words came. He imagined her trapped in one of those crystals, unable to move, a prisoner for eternity...and shuddered. The idea that Sabin had done this to his Chosen, had sentenced them to this horrifying fate, a fate worse than death...it was unthinkable.

  Kyle walked behind Ampir silently, his eyes glued to Ampir's back, trying hard not to let his eyes stray to the countless Void crystals around him. Onward they went, their footsteps clanging on the metal platform below, the sound echoing through the long tunnel. Minutes passed, and still the tunnel stretched forward and slightly downward, a never-ending straight-shot into the bowels of Hell.

  Kyle felt his eyes wandering to the side, fixating on the Void crystals as he passed them by. How many had they passed already? Thousands? Tens of thousands? All of them with Chosen, each very likely as powerful as the Dead Man. And the Dead Man alone could have faced the armies of the Empire and defeated them. Even with Ampir, what chance could they have against thousands of Chosen? Or even millions?

  Suddenly, Ampir stopped.

  Kyle bumped into the man's broad back, and Ariana in turned bumped into him. Kyle leaned to the side, peeking past Ampir's shoulder, and felt his body go cold. He heard Ariana gasp behind him, felt her hand grip his shoulder.

  There, not ten feet from Ampir, an old man stood on the metal platform, hunched over a wooden cane. Not just old...ancient. His thin, white hair hardly
covered his pale, wrinkled and spotted skull, two cataract-glazed eyes peering from under drooping lids. His skin was thin as paper, and deeply wrinkled, his mouth twisted into a sickening grin. His breath hissed from the yellowed, broken stumps of what teeth remained.

  “Welcome, Ampir,” the old man rasped, resting both of his hands on his cane. His revolting smile curled into a smirk. “You're late.”

  * * *

  Kyle backed up a step, feeling Ariana press against his back, her hands clutching at his shoulders, fingers digging into the armor there. Her strength was enormous, the pressure beyond description, but he felt no pain.

  “Kyle...” he heard her whisper harshly in his ear. He could feel the panic in her voice. She pulled him backward a step, away from Ampir.

  “Sabin,” Ampir replied coolly.

  “I expected you days ago,” Sabin croaked in that leathery voice.

  “Been busy,” Ampir stated.

  “Quite,” Sabin murmured. “Visiting my Chosen all over the world. A remarkable discovery, your ability to teleport.”

  He vanished.

  Kyle blinked, staring at the space where Sabin had been.

  “I have to thank you for showing it to me,” he heard a voice behind him say. He spun around, and saw Sabin standing behind them, not five feet from Ariana. She backed up into Kyle, pushing him backward as well. Sabin vanished again, and reappeared in front of Ampir. He smiled again. “It wasn't hard to extract the pattern from the useless noise you tried to hide it with. You'll find my mind is far more powerful than it once was.”

  “Congratulations,” Ampir replied, his tone flat. “I figured it out when I was twelve.”

  “That's how you rescued me from Nespo's prison,” Sabin deduced.

  “My mistake.”

  “Yes, well,” Sabin replied. “I've since learned not to be anyone's fool.” He sighed then, tapping the butt of his cane on the platform below. “I still regret that Vera had to die for me to learn that lesson,” he admitted, lowering his gaze. “I'm sorry, Ampir.”

  “I know.”

  Sabin turned around then, standing at the end of the platform. Beyond it, the tunnel extended as the eye could see. The Void crystals were longer, however, extending so far into the tunnel that their sharp points formed a channel barely more than a foot in diameter. He gestured at the crystals with one gnarled hand.

  “Welcome to my home,” he stated, turning around to face them again. He smiled apologetically. “I know it's not much to look at, but I don't get company often.”

  “I'll renovate it for you,” Ampir offered coolly. Sabin laughed, a barking, wheezing sound that ended with a rattle in his throat.

  “Always the warrior,” he observed. “Solving your problems with violence.”

  “You're one to talk.”

  “I suppose I deserve that,” Sabin admitted ruefully. He turned his sharp eyes on Kyle then, making Kyle lower his own gaze. “Sorry about the boy,” he added. “I was merely attempting to extract information from him.” He turned back to Ampir. “Although I admit I still don't understand your devotion to these children.”

  “He's Vera's grandson,” Ampir stated.

  Sabin stared at Ampir, then at Kyle, his eyes widening. He took a step back then, his mouth falling open, then snapping shut. He regained his composure quickly, returning his gaze to Ampir.

  “Impossible,” he retorted.

  “He is,” Ampir insisted.

  “How?”

  “Long story,” Ampir replied. Sabin stared at Kyle for a long moment, studying him. Then his eyes widened.

  “I see it,” he murmured. “He has her eyes.” He straightened his back then, as much as his twisted spine would allow. “I regret every wrong I've committed against you,” he stated firmly. “I will never again raise a hand against you, and I will see to it that anyone who does will wish they had never been born.”

  Kyle stared back at the ancient man, hardly able to comprehend what was happening.

  “He can fight his own battles,” Ampir countered.

  “He will never need to,” Sabin retorted. “I failed to protect Vera. I won't make that mistake with him.” He turned to Ariana then. “And her...what is her significance?”

  “She's Kyle's girlfriend,” Ampir answered. Sabin arched one eyebrow.

  “Is that so,” he murmured. “I regret any pain I might have caused you by harming her,” he added, nodding at Kyle. Ariana's grip on Kyle's shoulders intensified.

  “No,” she blurted out. Sabin turned to her. “No,” she repeated furiously. “You don't get to apologize for what you did to me.” Sabin said nothing, turning back to Ampir. Ariana's eyes widened. “Don't ignore me!” she shouted. “Look at me!”

  Sabin turned to her, his expression suddenly flat.

  “You murdered my parents!” Ariana accused, stepping forward suddenly. “You murdered me!” Kyle put his arms around her, trying to hold her back, but she was far too strong. She pushed past him, and was about to squeeze past Ampir when Ampir held up one hand, turning to face her.

  “Stop,” he commanded.

  Ariana froze.

  Sabin sighed, leaning on his cane with both hands again.

  “I've helped – and hurt – a great many people in my life,” he admitted. “Sometimes the greater good demands a lesser evil.” He smiled sadly at Ariana. “Perhaps one day you will understand that.”

  Ariana opened her mouth to reply, but Ampir stopped her with one hand on her shoulder. Then he turned back to Sabin.

  “I'm here,” he said, removing his hand from Ariana's shoulder. “Where are you?”

  Sabin's smile faded, and he stared at Ampir for a long, silent moment. Then he chuckled, the low, grating sound issuing forth from between his rotted teeth.

  “Ever observant,” he murmured, the corner of his mouth twisting into a smirk. “I've actually been looking forward to seeing you with my own eyes,” he admitted. He turned around then, his stooped back facing them. He stepped to the edge of the platform, and suddenly the Void crystals beyond retracted, creating a wide tunnel ahead. Sabin turned back to face Ampir, gesturing at the tunnel. “This way,” he rasped. Then he stepped off the edge of the platform. His feet dangled above the deadly peaks of the Void crystals below, his body levitating above them. Slowly he flew backward through the tunnel, still facing them.

  Ampir paused, then strode up to the edge of the platform, the crystal-lined tunnel beyond reflecting off of his visor. Then he stepped off the platform, levitating forward just as Sabin had. Ampir gestured for Kyle and Ariana to follow.

  Kyle hesitated, then followed Ariana as she stepped up to the edge of the platform. She stared down at the glittering spikes below, then turned to Kyle.

  “Together?” she asked, holding out her hand. Kyle paused, then grabbed it.

  “Together,” he agreed.

  They turned to face the edge of the platform.

  “On three,” Ariana said, bending her knees a little. “One...two...three!”

  They jumped off of the platform, falling toward the vicious tips of the Void crystals. They stopped in mid-air a foot above the crystals, levitating above them. Then they floated forward through the tunnel, Ampir and Sabin a few feet ahead. Kyle saw Sabin drop down suddenly, and moments later, Ampir did the same. He tensed up, holding on to Ariana's hand. The floor ahead of them opened into a vertical, crystal-lined shaft.

  “Watch out,” he warned. “I think we're gonna-”

  They dropped.

  Ariana screamed, and Kyle felt his breath lock in his throat, his stomach flipping as he entered into free fall. Void crystals zipped past them from all sides as they plunged downward. Faster and faster they fell, until the points of the crystals were a blur, air rushing up all around them. Suddenly the tunnel ended, opening up into an enormous cavern. They dropped into that empty space, their limbs flailing, their screams echoing through the air.

  This is it, he realized, his guts twisting with horror. We're going to die.
>
  And then he felt his descent slowing, felt the G-forces pulling on his body as decelerated. He looked down seeing a floor hundreds of feet below, utterly saturated with softly glowing white Void crystals, their tapered ends pointing upward at him. He noticed a flash of green to his left, and turned to see a large ring of green crystals there. The green crystals surrounded the base of a huge, translucent white cylinder easily fifty feet in diameter. He followed the cylinder upward, saw it rising hundreds of feet to meet the ceiling above. Void crystals, some over a hundred feet long, hung from the ceiling, surrounded by normal-sized crystals. The entire chamber was bathed in a soft white glow emitted from each and every one of the crystals.

  And in each and every one of the millions upon millions of crystals, a Chosen lay contorted within, its eyes facing into the cavern.

  “My god,” he heard Ariana gasp.

  He saw Ampir and Sabin floating below, and he continued to decelerate until he was floating alongside Ampir. Sabin levitated before them, the massive crystalline cylinder a mere fifty feet behind him.

  “Welcome,” Sabin stated, spreading his arms out wide. “...to my masterpiece.” He lowered his hands. “You are the first to see it since its completion.”

  “I'm touched,” Ampir grumbled.

  “Yes, well,” Sabin murmured. They began to move forward through the air then, Sabin still facing them, until they were only ten or so feet away from the huge cylinder behind Sabin. He smiled. “You wanted to meet me...”

  He floated off to one side.

  Ariana was the first to gasp, her fingers squeezing Kyle's hand. Kyle shifted his eyes from Sabin's stooped form, looking at the cylinder before him. He saw a darkness there, deep within, and squinted, peering inside. A soft glow appeared within the cylinder, illuminating the shadow.

  It was Kyle's turn to gasp.

  There, suspended in the center of the translucent cylinder, was a body. It was gruesomely thin, its arms and legs not much more than skin and bone. Its flesh sank into the spaces between its ribs, pale, purple veins crawling across its paper-thin skin. The rope-like tendons of its neck jutted out, leading to a wrinkled, sunken face. A sparse white beard surrounded its grotesque mouth, frozen in a toothless snarl. Thin white hair capped its skull.