by Paul Heisel
The air around her became cold, frigid in fact. A blast of steam came from nearby and she lunged at the spot, slashing the Dragonblades. She didn’t hit the torso as she had hoped, instead the sharp blades cut through Kitasu’s hamstring as he was diving to safety. He went to the ground hard. She was aware of the other twin nearby, invisible, and she slashed. Sparks flew as metal hit metal. The bloodied Mitasu appeared, attacking with his sword. She blocked and slashed, cutting his arm, backed away and readied herself. He jabbed at her, nicking her already injured leg a second time. Pain seared.
Frost came unabated. Mitasu’s shield deflected the ice as he retreated towards Kitasu, who was limping away. Owori brought forth her magic, blasting the ground beneath the two Furies with such force that the earth shook. They toppled to the ground. Frost came from behind her, mixing with the dirt to form a mound of earth and ice. It fell on top of Kitasu and Mitasu, not crushing them, but pinning them to the ground. Owori blasted them again, moving more rocks and dirt on top of the twins. Their shields would save them from suffocation, but the two wouldn’t be moving anytime soon.
Owori fell on one knee, her injured leg collapsing. Blood was flowing, and unlike her arm, it didn’t feel like it was healing as rapidly. She turned and saw Qio standing there, hands pale blue as the false sky above him. “Shades! How did you get in here?”
#
Qio knew Owori wouldn’t hurt him on purpose, and he knew that she could have killed him if she intended to. He wasn’t injured, just stung from being thrown about. Without knowing what happened, he crept toward the swirling black door went through. How did Owori get through there? Only the potential Warlords could get through for their tests, and that was to receive their tiles, wasn’t it? Had she found a way to get inside where Djaa and Caleth were fighting? He tossed rice on the board as Owori had, then he put his hand in the blackness. Voices came, telling him he was the one they were looking for. He was the unbound Fury who would balance the final contest. He was bound to the Warlord, but there was no Warlord, so he was free to enter. The spirits showed him a horrific vision; Djaa fighting against Caleth, then two Furies appeared out of thin air and incapacitated Caleth. Djaa won the fight by cutting off Caleth’s head while the Furies ran away toward the exit to the Crypt. The spirits urged him through, pushing him forward, saying it was more difficult now because the abomination ahead of him had torn the barrier. She was to blame for it and the destruction to come, but she must survive and leave the Crypt alive so she could repair the damage. It felt as if half of them wanted him to help her survive, the other half wanted him to utterly fail. He was out of the blackness and appeared on a hilly area covered with grass. It was a ridge that overlooked the battle. To his left in the distance he saw a small camp with a tent and a stale fire pit, and to the side was a small water barrel. In the distance, to his right, he saw Djaa and Caleth fighting. He went where the two were fighting, his eyes scanning for Owori. A Fury appeared as Caleth went down. Then Owori appeared. Then another Fury appeared and attacked Owori, injuring her leg. Qio ran, more than his duty fueling his legs.
#
“Never mind that,” Qio told her. “Let’s finish them before it’s too late.”
A specter floated toward them. “It is too late,” the tinny voice said. “Run to the place from whence you came, unless you want this to be your permanent home. You will starve to death, if you don’t die of thirst first. Your body and spirit will be forever trapped in this place.”
Owori looked where Djaa and Caleth were fighting. It looked like Djaa was winning. In that moment, she thought she was going to lose Feln. Despite her promise to not interfere, she considered it. She took a step toward them and her leg crumpled under the weight. She was hurt worse than she first thought.
“Don’t be foolish,” the spirit told her. “Run. It is almost over. The new Warlord will be named in a moment. Run! You have no more time! Run!”
Qio grabbed Owori and pulled her up a short hill, her injuries hampering her movements. She winced as she hobbled with his assistance. They shuffled along a ridge, climbing, Owori lurching as fast as she could. Qio pulled on her to move faster.
“Get out of here, now!” Owori screamed, pushing him ahead. He resisted, intent on helping her escape.
She took her magic and projected it forward, flinging him into the black portal at an unsafe speed. He vanished on impact. She limped along, tears streaming down as she lumbered toward the doorway. She didn’t know why she was crying. Owori ran as best she could but her leg was failing her. She wasn’t going to make it. This was going to be her tomb. She would die here, just as the spirits had described, if the twin Furies didn't kill her first.
#
Caleth was dead tired. Unlike fighting at home in Waskhal, there weren’t any breaks. He was thirsty and had cuts, small ones thankfully, and his fighting robe and clothes had helped to protect him. Djaa was tiring as well. Not far away Owori was fighting Djaa’s Furies, but he knew she wouldn’t last for long against two who could fight and disappear as she could. One of the spirits shot through them, going toward Owori. Both he and Djaa paused. The spirit said balance. The air became cold, refreshing. Djaa moved backwards out of striking range, defensive in his stance, observing the battle between Owori and the Furies. Caleth circled so he could get a view of Owori, and he saw the Fury Qio was there blasting away with frost. Dirt, ice, rocks, and frost gathered up and encased the twin Furies in a pile of rubble. Djaa came at him in a flurry of attacks, dancing and kicking. It felt as if he was trying to disarm him, to get the knives out of his hand.
“Now I have to kill you slowly,” Djaa panted.
Caleth dodged an attack, the feint worked, and a stinging kick landed and knocked the blade out of his left hand. Before he could retrieve it, Djaa covered the area. He fell back on defense with his single blade.
“Run! You have no more time! Run!” a tinny voice yelled in the distance.
Djaa jabbed with his knife and he kicked with his right foot, a familiar pattern of attack. For Caleth it was a moment that would be frozen forever in his memories. The knife he avoided and the kick landed on his hip, but not how Djaa intended. Caleth knew in that instant he would win. His left arm clamped on the foot, while his right hand struck with the knife. He felt defensive swipes with the knives from Djaa, weak because there was only arm strength behind them and no coil from the hips. His thick knife slammed into Djaa’s shoulder as he smashed him to the ground. Caleth pulled the knife free of the shoulder. Blood came forth from the wounded Djaa, and Caleth kicked him hard across the jaw before he could get up. Djaa was unmoving but still breathing. His surroundings blurred, his insides twirled. They were headed back to Pyndira any moment.
“Caleth,” the tinny voice said. “You are the Warlord of Pyndira. You will serve the land well in these upcoming dark times.”
He fell to his knees, exhausted, the unconscious Djaa next to him. The two Furies were desperately trying to get out of their icy prison, spraying dirt and ice into the air with their magic. They were tiring but making progress. Owori and Qio were on the ridge running to who knows where. Qio flew through the air and vanished, as if he had disintegrated into nothing. Owori fell, struggling to the portal. It looked like she wasn’t going to make it. The world around him shimmered, then he was gone. Owori didn’t make it to the door.
#
Qio stumbled through, his body aching. The magical barrier that allowed access to the Crypt of Warlords was closing. The spirits told them to hurry away. That meant Djaa or Caleth had been victorious, and the doors to the Crypt would lock until they needed to be opened again. Owori and the twin Furies were in there, trapped, doomed to die. He shot forward, past the rice board, picking up the lantern as he went. Up the stairs and through the double doors that were closing inch by inch with every moment. He stood on the threshold, waiting for several minutes and hoping Owori would come stumbling through. The magical doors, unconcerned with what he wanted, finally closed. They wouldn’t op
en again until the Warlord of Pyndira perished. Owori and the twin Furies were trapped in the Crypt, left there to die with no hope of escape.
He made his way out of the Crypt, telling the guards everything was fine in the most convincing voice that he could. They barely acknowledged him, as they were watching the pillars glowing. Caleth was there, sweaty and bloody, standing over Djaa’s unmoving body. The golden circle flashed once and disappeared, hidden in the rock until needed again. There were cheers from the crowd. The Emperor stood and clapped, followed by a throng of others lauding the victor. As Qio walked toward the Emperor’s pavilion, he decided he would keep what had happened to himself. No one would believe him anyway. Perhaps Feln would, but that was the last person Qio wanted to tell that his love was trapped in a tomb forever, left there to die. Owori would go missing, an unexplained disappearance. His insides knotted up as he realized one of his friends was gone. More importantly, the Emperor’s Fury was dead.
Chapter 5 - Pyre
Late that night Feln was waiting for word from Yuki or Caleth or both. After winning the contest, Caleth was taken away to the palace by a mass of soldiers. The celebrations, despite the outcome, continued and he was left questioning why the new Warlord of Pyndira wasn’t allowed to speak with him. At Pearl’s urging, they departed from their pavilion and went to the Safun section of the palace at the direction of the Dragonguards. Since Feln was released from his prison room, he assumed Caleth had exonerated him. The new accommodation was immensely better than what he endured over the last several weeks. The suite contained four rooms; two bedrooms, a study, and a living room. Adorned in dark browns and blue, the décor was rich. The walls were covered with old tapestries and paintings of important people, members of the royal family he mused. The living room had several overstuffed chairs covered with soft blue fabric, stout round tables with room enough for five to sit, and backless black leather benches. As he took in the elegance of the living room, he looked up to a grand chandelier made of wrought iron and billowy red jellyfish as shades for the candles. It reminded him of the chandelier in Sabrin, the blue one in the Grand Master’s room. It was probably being enjoyed by Kara – that soured his mood further. The red glass jostled his thoughts. This didn’t matter to him, this room, this palace. Comfort and amenities were not on his mind. In a delirium, Suun cried about a plot to kill him, and they removed the red lanterns at her pleading. She asked them to relocate the red lanterns, but didn’t stay conscious enough to tell them where or how they were to explain why the lanterns were being put up. He was sure their pavilion was empty now, dark and cold, with no red lanterns. He began pacing the room, wondering where Owori was. It bothered him there was no sign of her. Was she sequestered, just like Caleth? No one had seen her since they had said goodbye hours ago. His concern grew when Pearl and Ryl couldn’t find a trace of her, or find anyone in the palace who knew where she was. Not even the Dragonguards knew of her whereabouts.
The door to his room came open and he expected to see Caleth walk inside. It was Pearl, though, and the woman leaned in through the crack rather than enter. “The Fury Qio has come to talk to you. He is now bound to Caleth, the Warlord of Pyndira. He will be Caleth’s protector.”
“Send him in.”
Qio came inside. Pearl did not. When the door was shut, he went over to where Feln was pacing. The Fury was dressed in simple brown robes and looked tired. His face was pale.
“I’m not sure where to begin,” Qio said.
“It might be helpful if you told me why you are here. I requested to see Caleth or Yuki or both, not a Fury. Is this how Most Favoreds are treated?”
“Any audience with the Emperor will have to be arranged through normal procedures. There’s already enough happening here and I doubt the Emperor will have time to chat with you or any of the Most Favoreds for that matter. That’s the reality. Caleth, now that he’s become Warlord – he’ll need to see to other affairs. There’s a lengthy indoctrination and it could be a month or more before he’s available to have a meeting with any Most Favored. Even you. Get used to it.”
“Those are the official responses that I understand you were instructed to deliver. He is my friend and he is a member of the Xialao family. Tell me, what do I need to do to get to see Caleth tomorrow?”
Qio sighed. “You’ll have to wait.”
“Then why are you here if you’re not responding to my requests? This makes no sense to me.”
Qio hesitated. “I have come to tell you what happened in the Crypt of Warlords at Caleth’s urging. That is why I’m here.”
“I have little choice then. Wouldn’t it be more reliable for Caleth to tell me the story himself?”
“I was there,” Qio said. “In the Crypt of Warlords when it all happened.”
“How?”
“I’m telling you this because Caleth ordered me to, not because I want to. I will tell you this tale once. After I’ve finished, I will leave and I will speak no more of what happened. If you tell this story to anyone, I will deny it.”
Feln directed him to sit down, his insides turning over. Why would he have to deny it? Qio did as asked and Feln followed.
“Yuki ordered me to protect the Crypt of Warlords for today’s final competition. He suspected Owori would try to interfere, not in the manner you’re thinking, but because she believed others were inside the Crypt assisting Djaa. As predicted, she came to the Crypt. I tried to talk her out of what she was going to do, but she wouldn’t listen. When I tried to stop her, she flung me aside like I was a feather, then she went through the black portal. I didn’t think I could follow her, but I tried anyway. As I went through the portal, the spirits told me I was the balance needed inside the Crypt. Now that I reflect on what happened, Owori alone wasn’t enough to handle what was inside there. I couldn’t have faced them alone, even though that is what the spirits indicated.”
“What was inside? Where’s Owori?”
“I’m getting to that. There were two Furies marked as dragons, like Owori. Twins. They could become invisible and had magical powers similar to Owori. I arrived and they were trying to kill her and subdue Caleth so Djaa could land a killing blow and win.”
“I don’t like where this story is going,” Feln said. He imagined two Furies trying to kill Owori and succeeding. That’s why he hadn’t seen her. “Are you saying Owori is dead?”
“I don’t know,” was his cryptic answer. “Let me finish.”
“Why were they trying to subdue Caleth? Why not just kill him and be done with it?”
“They wanted to subdue him because of the nature of the Crypt. Once the Warlord has been selected, the Crypt closes. The doors are sealed by magic until a new Warlord is needed. Had Caleth died too quickly, they would have been sealed in there forever. They had to wait to kill him slowly so the Furies could get out of the Crypt.”
Feln had a hollow pit in his stomach. Caleth won, so subduing hadn’t worked. The Crypt closed moments after Caleth returned victorious. He felt sick. It meant…
“We fought them together,” Qio said. “I used cold air to help determine where the dragon Furies were, and Owori injured them with her blades and slowed them down, then she used her magic to cover them in dirt while I sealed them with ice. We pinned them down under the weight of the frost and earth. Before we could finish them, one of the spirits came to us told us to run, to get out of the Crypt. Caleth must have defeated Djaa at that moment. We ran for the portal.” Qio’s emotions unfolded before him. The Fury’s voice cracked and he was having difficulty continuing. “Her leg was injured, she couldn’t run, and was having problems keeping up,” he said, his eyes welling up with tears. “I tried to pull her with me, but we weren’t going to make it. She told me to go on without her and she used her magic to propel me forward into the portal. I tried to save her, but she used her magic to save me instead. I’m sorry. We both could have made it out, I’m sure of it. I’m sorry she didn’t make it out. So sorry.”
“She’s trapped i
n the Crypt of Warlords?”
Qio nodded. He was having trouble getting out any additional words. The tears ran down his cheeks. “Trapped with those two dragon Furies.”
“We have to get her out,” Feln said. “Why did you wait so long to tell me this?”
“What you want to do isn’t possible. The Warlord would have to die for the Crypt to open. It is sealed shut until the Warlord dies. There is no way in.”
“There has to be a way inside! Any door can be opened!”
“The Crypt has operated in this manner for centuries. It is a place shrouded in magic and it doesn’t operate like a physical door. If there was another way inside, we would know about it.”
“We can’t leave her in there to die!”
“There’s nothing we can do. If I could help, I would do so, but I can’t.”