by Clayton Wood
Petra turned to Kalibar, then back to Ampir.
“But...” she began. But before she could continue, the air around them shimmered, a burst of blue light shining from the runes on Ampir's armor. Kalibar felt a vibration in his skull, and suddenly the world around him shifted.
* * *
The sun shone brilliantly in the bright blue sky, sending its gentle rays to kiss the lush green grass of the seemingly endless manicured lawns of the Secula Magna. Birds chirped merrily from a nearby tree, and in the distance, not a mile away, the Great Tower stood tall against the cloudless sky, the crystal pyramid topping it shimmering like a precious jewel in the sunlight.
And there, standing a dozen feet away from the foot of the tree – Ariana’s favorite tree – from which the birds sang, Kyle stood, hand-in-hand with Ariana, hardly able to believe his eyes.
“We're home!” he heard Ariana cry. She turned and flung her arms around him, kissing him full on the lips. Kyle stumbled backward, nearly losing his balance, and felt the back of his head bump into something soft from behind. Ariana disengaged from him, and he glanced backward, seeing Petra standing behind him, Kalibar at her side. A quick calculation made it all too clear what he must have bumped his head into; he felt his cheeks burning, and turned back to Ariana quickly. Luckily, Ariana didn't seem to notice Kyle's mortification. She was grinning from ear-to-ear, gazing across the verdant lawns of the Secula Magna, at the Great Tower beyond.
“We are indeed,” Kyle heard Kalibar say. Kyle glanced at Petra, who was wide-eyed, spinning around in a slow circle, taking everything in.
“Where are we?” she asked. “How did we get here?”
“Ampir teleported us,” Kyle explained. “We're home. Uh, our home,” he added.
“This is Stridon,” Kalibar added, gesturing at the campus around them. “A city on the west coast of a continent across the ocean from your home.”
“Across the ocean?” Petra exclaimed. “We traveled halfway around the world?”
“Not quite,” Kalibar countered. “But close enough.” He smiled at her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, I'll show you around.” He fiddled with his right ear then, and removed the yellow earring there, giving it to Petra. “You're going to need this,” he added. He helped her put it in her ear, then stepped forward then, toward the Great Tower in the distance. Kyle and Ariana fell in behind the two, holding hands. Kalibar pointed off at the Tower, saying something to Petra about it. Kyle kept his eyes strictly on the Tower, becoming more practiced at keeping his gaze well clear of the powerful gravitational field of Petra's form. He felt Ariana squeeze his hand, and she leaned in, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
“I can't believe it's over,” she whispered in his ear. He turned to her, and found her lovely brown eyes twinkling. He suddenly couldn't remember having seen her so happy. So...content.
“Me neither,” he admitted.
“What happened in there?” she asked. “With Sabin, while I was unconscious?” Her eyebrows knit together. “All I can remember is falling...and then waking up to see the whole place crashing down on us.”
“That's pretty much it,” Kyle admitted.
They reached the Tower then, following one of the many cobblestone paths up to the huge open double-doors leading to the lobby. Crowds of Runic and Weaver students dressed in their white and black uniforms streamed in and out of those doors, on their way to and from their various classes. Kyle couldn't help but notice that those students were staring at them. Or rather, not Kyle or Ariana...and not even Kalibar. They were staring at Petra.
“This is the Great Tower,” Kalibar was explaining to Petra as they wove through the crowd and passed through the huge double-doors. “It's a school for Weavers and Runics, among other things.” Petra nodded wordlessly, clearly impressed by the sheer size of the Tower...and obviously intimidated by the crowds of people around it. She grabbed Kalibar's arm, pulling herself close to his side.
“Is this where you teach?” she asked.
“Ah,” Kalibar replied, “...not quite.”
They entered the lobby, and Petra's eyes immediately widened. Three stories tall, with tall stone columns rising from the polished granite floor to the ceiling far above, she couldn't have seen anything like it back in the Barrens. Her eyes swept across the massive paintings on the walls, the luxurious couches neatly arranged on the lobby floor, and the tall statue of a Battle-Weaver standing on its majestic golden pedestal in the center of the lobby. Then her eyes rose upward, and she gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.
“Kalibar!” she exclaimed, pointing upward. “Look!” For there, on the ceiling three stories above, was the other half of the lobby. Men and women milled about on the upside-down floor, sitting on upside-down couches. Upside-down fountains sprayed their water downward, the liquid arching back up toward the ceiling under the power of the reverse-polarity gravitational field. Kyle smiled, remembering the first time he'd seen what Petra was seeing. It seemed like forever ago.
Kalibar chuckled, putting an arm around Petra's shoulders.
“Come on,” he urged. “I'll show you around.”
He led Petra across the lobby, to a long hallway that lead, Kyle knew, to a riser at its end. Petra gawked at the painted statues on either wall of the hallway, depicting the fall of the Ancient Empire. They reached the riser, stepping onto it, and Kalibar turned to Petra.
“This is a riser,” he explained. “It goes up quickly,” he warned.
The riser did just that, rising upward slowly at first, then picking up speed at a formidable rate. The forty-two floors of the Great Tower whizzed by in front of them at incredible speed, and Petra clung to Kalibar as they accelerated upward. Within moments, the riser slowed, then stopped at the topmost floor, the large stone disc leveling perfectly with the granite floor of the hallway beyond. Petra hurried off of the riser, and Kalibar followed after her, unable to keep a smile from his face. Kyle stepped off with Ariana, remembering how he'd felt the first time he'd gone up a riser. Far quicker than elevators back home on Earth, it had been quite the experience.
Almost immediately after they stepped off of the riser, two elite guards rushed down the hallway toward them.
“Stop!” one of them cried. Gravity shields appeared around both of the guards, and Kalibar stopped immediately. Petra stepped backward, a gravity shield appearing around her as well. Kalibar put a hand up.
“At ease,” he stated calmly. One of the elite guards frowned, staring at Kalibar for a long moment. Then his eyes widened.
“Grand Weaver!” he exclaimed, his shields vanishing instantly. He dropped to one knee instantly, as did the other guard moments later. “I'm sorry,” he blurted out. “We didn't recognize you.”
“Quite alright,” Kalibar replied. “Stand up, please,” he added. The guards did so, looking extraordinarily embarrassed. “Is Grand Runic Erasmus around?” he inquired.
“Yes your Excellency,” one of the guards answered. “He's in a meeting with Councilman Goran, in the Grand Runic's suite.”
“Thank you,” Kalibar replied. The guards let them pass, and Kyle followed Kalibar and Petra down the hallway to the door to Erasmus's suite on the left. They stopped before it, and Kalibar knocked on the door. Within moments, it became translucent, and they could see Erasmus standing on the other side. The portly Grand Runic's eyes widened.
“Kalibar!” he exclaimed. The door immediately opened, and Erasmus rushed forward, giving Kalibar a big bear hug. Kalibar laughed, hugging Erasmus back. They held each other for a long moment, and then Erasmus broke away from Kalibar, wiping his obviously moist eyes with the back of his sleeve. Then he cleared his throat, ushering everyone into his luxurious suite. Kyle saw Councilman Goran – looking more exhausted than Kyle had ever seen the man – sitting on one of the many couches in the suite. Goran stood when they entered.
“Grand Weaver!” Goran exclaimed. “You're back early!”
“Councilman Goran,” Kalibar greeted.
/> “What the hell did you do to yourself?” Erasmus stated, a huge grin on his face, staring at Kalibar's bald head and grizzled chin. Tears were flowing down his cheeks, and he wiped them away hurriedly. “You look like a hobo...and you smell like one too.”
“It's a long story,” Kalibar admitted.
“I've got time,” Erasmus said, still grinning from ear-to-ear. Then he noticed Kyle and Ariana standing there. “You too?” he exclaimed, no doubt noticing Ariana's clothes and Kyle's short blond hair. “What the hell is this, a costume party?”
“Uh, well,” Kyle began. But Kalibar held up a hand to stop him.
“He knows,” Kalibar stated.
“He does?” Kyle asked, turning to Erasmus.
“I do,” Erasmus admitted. Then his gaze fell on Petra, and his eyes widened. “Well now!” he declared, stepping forward and reaching for Petra's hand. He grabbed it – much to Petra's obvious discomfort – and brought the back of her hand to his lips. “Who, might I ask, are you?”
“This is Petra,” Kalibar introduced. “She's from the Barrens, in Orja.”
“Well hello Petra,” Erasmus greeted, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously. She pulled her hand away from his, and he chuckled. “So you're not dead,” he added, turning to Kalibar. “That's a start. Your mission...?”
“A success,” Kalibar answered, grinning from ear-to-ear.
“Hot damn!” Erasmus blurted out. “You're serious?”
“Dead serious.”
“You crazy bastard!” Erasmus nearly shouted, grabbing Kalibar and giving him a big bear hug. “You old, crazy, beautiful bastard!” He let go of Kalibar, his eyes once again moist with tears. This time, he didn't brush them away. “Pinch me!” he ordered. “Tell me I'm not dreaming!”
“You're not,” Kalibar said, chuckling at his old friend. “It's over.”
“Well I'll be damned,” Erasmus breathed. “The mother of all suicide missions, and you managed to pull it off!”
“Wait, what mission?” Goran interjected, looking utterly confused. Kalibar and Erasmus turned to the Elder Runic.
“Kalibar may have taken a little...detour on his vacation,” the Grand Runic confessed, trying to contain his pleasure at the man's confusion, and failing miserably.
“Detour?”
“To Orja,” Erasmus added, breaking into another grin.
“Orja?” Goran exclaimed, his eyes widening. “You went to Orja?”
“Well, yes,” Kalibar confirmed. Goran shook his head.
“Kalibar, the Council...your Battle-Weavers...they still think you're in Bellingham!”
“A necessary deceit,” Kalibar explained. “The vacation was a ruse.”
“Kalibar, what are you talking about?” Goran demanded. “Your entire security force doesn't know where you are! You could've been killed!”
“Well...” Kalibar replied. “That's actually far less likely now.”
“He went to Orja to confront Xanos,” Erasmus revealed. Goran stared at Erasmus, then turned back to Kalibar. He looked utterly lost. Erasmus, as usual, looked enormously pleased at having stymied the dour Elder Runic.
“Ampir gave us a weapon,” Kalibar explained. “One that he said could destroy Xanos if we could get it close enough to him. Ampir gave us Xanos's location, and we brought the bomb there.”
“Wait, Ampir gave you a weapon against Xanos, and you didn't tell the Council?” Goran accused, his tone incredulous.
“Ampir gave Kyle the weapon,” Kalibar corrected. “I found out about it the same day that these two,” he added, gesturing at Kyle and Ariana, “...decided to sneak out and save the Empire on their own.”
“That's why Kalibar took his vacation,” Erasmus explained. “To go after them.”
“So you knew about this?” Goran pressed, glaring at Erasmus. He crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing. “You knew about this and you didn't tell the Council? Or me?” Kalibar put a hand on Goran's shoulder.
“That was my decision,” he explained. “I had no way of knowing where Xanos's spies were. The more people I told, the more likely Xanos would have found out, and our mission would have failed.”
“Wait, it succeeded?” Goran blurted out. Kalibar broke into a grin.
“Yes.”
“Xanos is dead?”
“Dead and buried,” Kalibar confirmed. Goran's jaw dropped, and he stared at Kalibar, dumbfounded, for a long moment.
“No,” he retorted. Kalibar chuckled.
“Oh yes,” he countered.
“You're serious?”
“Dead serious,” Kalibar confirmed. Goran stared at Kalibar for a moment longer, then turned to Kyle and Ariana.
“He's right,” Ariana spoke up.
“Xanos is dead,” Kyle piped in. “I saw it with my own eyes.”
Goran stared at them for a moment longer, then turned back to Kyle. His jaw worked silently for a moment, and his arms – still crossed – slid down to his sides. Then the surly Elder Runic did something that Kyle had never seen the man do before.
He smiled, so hard that it nearly split his face in two.
“Kalibar, you crazy...!” he shouted, rushing up and grabbing Kalibar by the shoulders. Kalibar laughed, and Goran embraced the Grand Weaver for a moment, pulling away and staring at him with wonder. “You really did it?”
“Not me, I'm afraid,” Kalibar admitted. “We were waylaid by Xanos's Chosen. Ampir saved us...and killed Sabin.”
“The Ampir?” Goran exclaimed.
“That's right.”
Goran let go of Kalibar, rushing past everyone and making his way to one of the communication orbs on a nearby table. He touched it, sending a stream of magic to it.
“We have to call the Council!” he declared. “We have to tell everyone!” He let go of the orb, turning back to Kalibar and Erasmus. Then he burst out laughing, his eyes darting from Grand Runic to Grand Weaver. He hopped up and down, then rushed at Kalibar again, giving the man another bear hug. Then he disengaged, turning to Erasmus, and – after a momentary hesitation – embraced the portly Grand Runic. Much to Erasmus's obvious dismay.
Just then, there was a knock on the front door of Erasmus's suite, and Kyle turned to see a pair of elite guards standing on the other side of it. Erasmus gladly extracted himself from Goran, walking up to the door to let the guards in.
“I want an emergency meeting with the Council as soon as possible,” he told them. “In the War room.” The guards saluted crisply, and exited as quickly as they had come. Erasmus turned back to face Kalibar...and his eyes again shifted to Petra. And to her...obvious gifts.
“Well then,” he stated. “Now, what was your name again?”
“Petra,” she answered, leaning closer to Kalibar. Erasmus grinned, walking up to her and grabbing her hand again, lifting it and bringing it to his lips as he had before. She shrank away from him, glancing at Kalibar in a rather alarmed way.
“Tell me that this incredible creature isn't your new girlfriend,” Erasmus pleaded, looking at Kalibar, who for once was speechless. Erasmus gave another wily grin. “Say the word, my dear,” Erasmus continued, “...and I'll have my divorce finalized within the hour!”
Petra jerked her hand back from Erasmus, a look of horror on her face.
“Don't worry about him,” Kalibar told her, chuckling despite himself. “He's completely harmless.” He raised an eyebrow at Erasmus. “You do realize she could kill you,” he added.
“My wife?” Erasmus asked.
“No, she’s killing you slowly,” Kalibar corrected. “Petra will do it much more quickly.”
“Less painfully, though,” Erasmus replied.
Goran cleared his throat then.
“Come on,” he stated. “We'd better get to the War room.”
“I'll meet you there in a moment,” Kalibar said, glancing at Petra.
“Me too,” Erasmus added. Goran nodded, then walked out of the suite, the door closing automatically behind him. After he'd left, Kyle saw Petra oglin
g Erasmus's suite. It was extraordinary, luxurious beyond description, with crystalline walls that tapered to form the shimmering pyramid that topped the Tower. She was obviously very impressed.
“So you're from the Barrens?” Erasmus inquired. Petra turned to him.
“The Barren forest,” she confirmed.
“A hell of a change of scenery, eh?” Erasmus said with a chuckle.
“Who lives here?” she asked.
“I do,” Erasmus answered. “At least for another six years.” Petra's eyes widened.
“You live here?” she exclaimed. Erasmus raised an eyebrow, running a hand through his long white beard.
“Why,” he asked. “Is that so hard to believe?”
“It's just...” she replied. “So rich.”
“Well, so am I,” Erasmus stated.
“What do you do here?”
“I'm the guy who runs the place,” Erasmus replied, gesturing at the crystalline windows giving a magnificent view of the Secula Magna's vast campus...and the skyline of Stridon beyond. “And so is he,” he added, pointing at Kalibar. Petra blinked, then turned to Kalibar.
“What?”
“See that city?” Erasmus answered, again gesturing at the window to the city outside. “We run it.”
“The whole thing?” Petra pressed, clearly taken aback. Kyle couldn't blame her; Stridon was huge, as big as any city on Earth, and while it of course didn't have quite as impressive skyscrapers as those back home, its architecture was mighty impressive.
“And forty-seven other major cities,” Erasmus continued. “Five hundred and twenty-two towns, a few islands here and there, and an army of five hundred thousand infantry, give or take.”
Petra's mouth fell open.
“He never told you?” Erasmus asked incredulously. Petra turned to Kalibar, who, it seemed, could only shrug.
“I'm the leader of an Empire,” he admitted. When Petra continued to stare at him, open-mouthed, he looked down, clearing his throat noisily. Petra's mouth snapped shut, and she pulled away from Kalibar, regarding him with an expression that Kyle couldn't read, but definitely wasn't the good kind.
“You're an emperor?” she exclaimed. Kalibar sighed heavily, not meeting her gaze.