by Joseph Lallo
"I can't do this . . . I can't do this," she whispered, looking in terror at the beasts before her.
Suddenly the creatures were distracted. There was a growing roar coming from the lake. As they turned to survey this new threat, they were met with the sight of the lake seemingly leaping its shores and attacking them. Vast chunks of ice and torrents of water flooded over the battleground. Ivy closed her eyes and turned away, stifling a scream. Ether shifted to water and slipped into the ring of dragoyles. She merely raised her hand and the water parted around them. Some of the beasts were caught in the torrent, washed aside or smashed with ice. The rest had sprung into the air. As the water receded, the forms of Myranda and Myn were left behind.
Myranda drew in a long, painful breath and crawled to Myn. The dragon's wing was barely more than a few shreds of tattered skin, and she wasn't breathing. Myranda turned her mind to healing and searched the creature's body for injury besides the wing. As swiftly as she found them, she eliminated them. Soon, all that was left was the ruined wing. Myn had not taken a breath in minutes, there simply was not time to heal the wing completely. She stopped the bleeding, satisfied that it would be enough to take her out of danger. Heat was conjured to warm her, the water mystically drawn from her lungs, and still the dragon did not breathe. Calling to mind her wind magic, Myranda forced air into her lungs and out again. Finally, Myranda had exhausted all of her knowledge and most of her strength, and the dragon remained still. She was faced with an undeniable fact. Myn was dead. The soul had left the body. No amount of healing could bring it back.
For a moment the world seemed to vanish. The life threatening cold, the shattered shoulder that trickled blood down her blue tinged skin, even the shadows and shrieks of the creatures closing in. All were gone as sorrow seized the very core of her being. Tears streamed down her face. She cried the dragon's name, shaking the lifeless body with her good arm until the pendant that Myn had worn about her neck came free in her hand. Myranda closed her eyes. Slowly she shook her head. No. This was not how it would end. Not this way. Not now. She sat on the icy ground beside the dragon and pulled the staff from her useless left hand. Distantly she heard Lain and Ivy call after her. She pushed the sound out of her mind.
Just as she had a few nights before, she twisted and turned the entirety of her spirit. She could feel the bonds that held her to her physical form begin to loosen their grip. The spiritual plane began to replace the physical one. Finally her spirit tore itself free. Once again she was afloat in a sea of lights. In the distance, there was the weak and fading glow that she knew was Myn. She willed herself toward it.
"Myranda, Myn! Get up! We need to run!" Ivy cried, her eyes darting wildly from dragoyle to dragoyle as they drew closer.
Ether looked over the scene.
"The fool," she hissed, turning to Lain. "I suppose that you will not leave this place without the human."
Lain's only response came as an angry glance before scooping water from the ground to wash away the black mist from his leg.
Ether raised her hand and the water swept up around them, freezing together into a shell.
"The ice will keep them from us, but not for long. The foolish human has left her body," Ether deduced.
"She what? But why?" Ivy asked, jumping as the first attacks began to rain down upon the protective shell.
"The poison of emotion, and because of you," Ether said. "The lizard has died, the human will likely follow, and all because you were too much of a coward to be of any use to anyone."
"No . . . I couldn't . . . " Ivy said, fear giving way to dispair.
"What did you expect? Your emotion crippled you, and the same wretched weakness has caused all that followed. You are worthless!" Ether ranted.
"No, I'm not worthless! I'm not!" Ivy cried, dropping her club, covering her ears, and shutting her eyes.
Ether continued, amid increasingly angry refusals from Ivy. "You are a horrid, malformed, ignorant monstrosity. The best thing you could do is die swiftly to allow a more able being to replace you. As it is, it couldn't be more clear that you are an agent of the enemy. A plaything of the D'karon."
Ivy slowly removed her hands and locked Ether in an infuriated scowl.
"I am NOT one of them," she said. Gone was the childish tone. Her voice was serious, and carried the hint of threat.
#
The astral plain is no place for an unprepared mind. Myranda fought to comprehend it. Time and distance were different than in the physical realm. She chased after Myn's spirit, but it was drawn ever further from her, as if by a current. Here Myranda's urgency was a boon to her focus, not a detriment. The faster she wanted to move, the faster she did move. Her will didn't just mean something here, it meant everything. It was everything. She focused entirely upon the vague form that seemed to retreat as quickly as she could follow. A galaxy of flickering lights rushed by her. The souls of untold millions of living things. None of them mattered right now. She reached out with her left hand. Here, at least, it was healthy. A few moments more . . . A few inches further . . . contact. Myranda could suddenly feel the life force of her friend. She grasped it, drew it near, and turned back. If her last journey into this other plane was any indication, her strength would not last long.
All that lie ahead was the same sea of glowing currents and points of light. There was no hint of where she had been. Nothing that distinguished anything from anything else. For the second time she had taken a treacherous journey to rescue her friend, and once again her return seemed impossible. She searched desperately about. Already her 'vision' was dimming. The more distant of the lights were fading from view.
#
Back in the battleground that Myranda so eagerly sought, the argument was continuing. Ether found the strongest objections came when she implied a connection to the D'karon, and had thus ceased to do anything else. Ivy's anger became sharper, more focused. Lain stood with his back to them. Before him was the weakest point in the icy shield, and his sword was ready to destroy the creature unlucky enough to be the first through.
"Do not imagine that you can hide it. I have taken your shape. I know that there is not an aspect of your physical being that has not been affected by their machinations," Ether taunted.
Suddenly the sharp anger in Ivy's eyes became brittle, a whisper of fear showing through.
"No . . . can you feel that? It's coming. The monster . . . " she said. Her tone lacked the edge of her previous comments, as though the frightened child was trying to fight her way to the surface.
"I suppose I am to be intimidated. This imagined monster that destroyed the fort and left only you alive. Do you think me a fool? The only monster here is you," Ether said with a smug sneer.
For the whole of the argument, Ether had been pushing Ivy closer and closer to a line. That line had been crossed. Her eyes clouded over, eyelids fluttering slightly. A deep, reverberating growl shook like a tremor. The air began to grow warmer, until water was running down the icy shield despite Ether's best efforts to keep it frozen.
"Your parlor tricks do not frighten me," Ether said.
Ivy dropped to one knee. Her fingers wrapped around the handle of the club, clutching the wood so tightly it creaked. The growl grew into a roar. Finally, there was a burst of energy. It erupted with a force that shattered the shell of ice, sending pieces flying dozens of paces. Lain, along with the bodies of Myranda and Myn, was sent hurtling though the air, sliding to a stop a fair distance away. Ether's watery form was scattered. She swiftly gathered herself together, shifting to flame in the process. When her senses returned to her, they beheld an awesome sight. Ivy was floating above the ground. A viciously red aura enveloped her, shifting continuously with the crackle of raw energy. An unnatural wind stirred her cloak and rippled her long hair. The club burned where her fingers touched it, the iron barbs glowing white hot. Her eyes, now featureless orbs of light that trailed tangible streams of energy, locked onto Ether. The shape shifter felt the power this creature was spilling off. It
was at least equal to her own at her peak, and she most certainly was well short of that at the moment. Best to keep her distance.
Ivy suddenly burst forward. Her speed was astounding. Ether darted directly upward. Ivy followed. The gap closed quickly, and a monumental swipe of the raging Ivy's cudgel virtually scattered Ether again. The attack was devastating. She was forced to shift to air, lest she give out entirely. Ivy halted, bowing her head and clutching at her chest. A deafening roar of combined anger and pain left her lips as, through her fingers, the burning of the mark could be seen. It only lasted for a moment, and seemed to further fuel the creature's rage. She surged forward again with renewed force. Like a sparrow pursued by an eagle, Ether made sudden turns and drops, but to no avail. As all of the remaining dragoyles took to the air in pursuit of this latest target, Ether flew toward them, weaving between. Ivy tore through them with little resistance. One by one, the great black beasts were reduced to fragments of broken rubble. It was not until no less than four such collisions had occurred that Ivy's momentum began to flag. When she slowed, the beasts swarmed. Soon all that could be seen was a writhing mass of black creatures clustered about a red glow. Ether hung in the air at a cautious distance, slowly weighing the risks of remaining until the end of the battle.
#
Something had caught Myranda's attention. Far away, and far below, there was a bright red flash, and now it burned like a brilliant crimson ember amid pale white glimmers. It was the only unique point she could determine, and thus the only target that made sense. Pulling the essence of her departed friend behind, she rushed to it. Everything around her was fading. So focused was she on the red beacon ahead, she failed to notice a golden light following her. She rushed forward faster and faster, and the glow easily kept pace. Only when it began to overtake her did she realize it was there. It moved with the force of an avalanche, and before long it was pushing her along faster than even her desperation had managed to propel her. It did not do the same for Myn. As Myranda was accelerated, she could feel her grip failing. Ahead, the spirits of Lain and Ether, almost drowned out by the powerful red glow, emerged. Just a few moments more and she would reach her own body and that of her dear friend. She could restore her. At the very instant she made contact with her physical body, she felt her grasp torn from Myn. Her eyes shot open, and the cold and pain she had been spared while her spirit was absent overwhelmed her. She cried out, attracting the attention of Lain, who had dispatched the handful of creatures that had turned back to the ground.
"Lain . . . please . . . Myn . . . is she alive?" Myranda managed.
Lain moved quickly to the dragon's side. It was cold to the touch. He put his sensitive ear to the noble beast's chest. Not a whisper of a heartbeat. He turned to Myranda. The look in his eyes told her all she needed to know. With the pain of loss surpassing by far every ounce of physical pain and more, she let herself slip into unconsciousness, the fingers of one hand clamped about the staff, and the other about the pendant. Lain trained his eyes on the spectacle above just in time for a second epic burst of energy to scatter the beasts. Ivy, her aura significantly dimmer, plummeted to the ground, landing with an earthshaking impact. When the dust settled, she was still standing. There were thirteen of the creatures left. Ivy's eyes were still locked on Ether, and she thundered toward her. She was limited to the ground now, but clearly remained a force to be reckoned with. Her footfalls left deep, jagged craters. She remained the primary interest of the remaining beasts, and as each swept in it was met with a powerful backhand or swipe with the club. Lain snatched up Myranda's bag from where the surge of water had washed it and threw her over his shoulder. His leg was unsteady, but he had little choice. One of the creatures had turned to him. If he was to have a chance at protecting Myranda and himself, he would need the cover of the trees. He moved as quickly as he could manage, the beast snatching up the lifeless body of Myn and taking to the sky with it. He had only just made it past the first of the trees when Ether's windy form joined him.
"Leave the human behind. We have more pressing battles ahead. She will only slow us," she urged.
In a moment, the rhythmic thunder of Ivy's footsteps had grown near enough to shake the snow from the trees around them. Ether turned to the approaching threat. Her aura had nearly faded to nothing. The beasts were at her heels, but she seemed to care only about Ether. As she drew nearer, her strength finally gave out. She dropped to her knees, and finally collapsed forward. Lain laid Myranda at the base of a large oak that still had some of its leaves. He then rushed out to the motionless Ivy.
"Do NOT risk your life for that WRETCH. If she'd had her way she would have killed me!" Ether ordered.
The command fell on deaf ears. Lain dodged the diving attack of one creature, and snatched up Ivy. The unconscious creature's fingers were locked about the grip of the club, the studs that lined it still sizzling in the snow. He delivered her to the base of the tree and faced the dragoyles.
"I lack the strength to damage these creatures," Ether warned.
"Then keep their breath from me," he replied.
The oak prevented the creatures from attacking from behind. The attacks came from all other sides. To simply block them would not be enough. He lacked the strength to absorb such a blow, and he could not afford to give an inch of ground. His blade moved with a speed and precision that could scarcely be followed by even the sharpest eye. Quick slashes found their way to every joint, every gash, every fracture the others had caused. Ether's talents swirled the caustic breath away. One fell, and another. Gashes deepened. Here and there a swiping claw caught Lain, but he could not allow it to slow him. The black creatures succumbed, one after the other, until only two remained. They attacked simultaneously. The first was ended with a slash to the throat. The second clamped its stony beak down on his upper arm.
The creature did not shake its prey as the one that snared Myn did. There was only a twitch, then another, before finally it dropped to the ground. Lain had delivered the killing blow through the side of the creature's head with his free hand. Slowly he pulled the blade from the creature's skull and surveyed his own wounds. Most were minor. The last was dire. Blood flowed freely from his arm. The creature's bite had reached the bone. With his good arm he tore away the shreds of the ruined sleeve and began to bind the wound, pulling the knots tight with his teeth. As he did so, Ether shifted to her human form and looked coldly over the battleground.
The icy ground was littered with the stony remnants of dragoyles. There were sizzling black pools of their breath, and everything was smudged with their thick, black blood. Ether kicked open the ruined skull of the nearest beast, interested to see what it was within their mouths that was so vulnerable. Inside was a shattered gem, the very same type that Epidime had been using to draw away her strength. She stepped quickly away from the thing, the memory of its searing effect still fresh in her mind. She then turned to Lain. His white cloak and tunic was soiled from head to toe. Dark smears of black blended with bright stains of red. In a dozen places, torn fabric revealed torn flesh. The leg that had been exposed to the acid was still faintly sizzling in places. The fur was blackened, and where it had been eaten away, the skin was blistered. Most dire was the injury to his arm. He had reached over with his left hand to apply extra pressure. Despite his efforts, an appalling volume of blood rolled from the wound in thin streams.
"The wound on your arm . . . is it mortal?" Ether asked.
"I am losing too much blood," he said.
"I cannot heal you. I had never anticipated the need to," Ether said. "However, I can seal the wound,"
She shifted one of her hands to flame. He nodded and removed the bandage. She ran a fiery finger along the gash, instantly cauterizing it. The pain must have been agonizing, but Lain merely shut his eyes and weathered it as he did everything else, silently. The ordeal had left the survivors completely sapped of strength. The sun was setting again, and soon after the darkness had become complete, Lain entered the warrior's s
leep. Ether gathered together a moderate pile of wood and lit a fire, shifting to flame and stepping into it when it reached respectable size. Ivy was deep in a dreamless sleep. Not so for Myranda.
She lay, propped up against the tree, her mind anything but at rest. The events of her life rushed by again and again, accompanied by whispered thoughts and regrets. The flood of images and voices was disorienting and indistinct. All of the voices were distant, slurred, mumbled. All of the images were vague and fleeting. There was a feeling of tumbling, of falling, as though her mind's breaking point had been reached, the dam had given way, and all that she was had begun rushing out. Suddenly, a single, sharp, clear voice cut through the rest.
"Open your eyes, Myranda," the voice said.
In an instant, the other voices were silent, the images were gone, dispelled by the man's voice. She did as she was asked. The pain in her shoulder was gone, the cold was gone, the fatigue was gone. The grove of trees seemed subdued, bathed in a weak, pale blue light. Everything was still, not the slightest flutter of wind stirred the leaves of the one tree that still bore them. Around her she saw her friends, Ivy beside her, Lain in front of her, and Ether's fiery form in front of him. All were unmoving, even the tendrils of flame were motionless, frozen. She stood. There was a man before her. She knew him. He had sparse white hair, plain black clothes, and his eyes were closed.
"You . . . you are the priest," she said.
"That is how you knew me, yes," he said.
"Am I . . . dead?" she asked.
"You aren't alive, but neither are you dead. In a sense, you have been pulled aside," he said.
"Why? How? Why are you here?" she asked.
"All valid questions. Part of why I am here is to answer them," he said. "There are important things happening, Myranda. A crossroads has been reached, and the next few steps are of the most dire of importance. I cannot tell you which steps to make, or what is to come, but I can tell you what you need to know to make these next steps wisely."