by Joshua King
My mind went to the rest of my group. The three women and Bex were still trapped, and I had to find them so we could get out of there as fast as possible. The images of the clocks still loomed over us on the panels that hadn't yet exploded. For the first time I noticed they each displayed a different time. It didn't seem significant at first, but then the king's words echoed through my head. He had focused so much on the time we had to take our turn in his collection, that he had punished Ashe for not using her time well. The clocks weren't an accident. They were here for a reason, and I had to use my instinct to unravel it. I carefully examined every clock we passed, checking the time until I found the one I was looking for. When we came to a panel displaying a large German style cuckoo clock with the time that read four and was approaching five, I used the same magic that had released the woman to smash the face of the clock. Nothing happened. The king still shouted around us, his voice drowning out the sound of the incessant ticking of the clocks. The screaming turned to laughter, the sound cutting through me. I knew I was almost out of time. Beside me, the Fae woman swayed on her feet. She looked weak and frail, and I gently squeeze her hand to try to reassure her.
My heart sank at the only idea I had not working, but realization hit me quickly. There weren't four trapped within the maze and a fifth getting closer. Ashe wasn't within the glass. She had been trapped within the Time Chaser. Pulling the woman's hand, I retraced my steps, scouring the glass walls for the next clock. Finally, I found the clock that read three and was approaching four. In one powerful blast, I smashed the clock. The entire glass panel crumbled to the floor at my feet and I saw Aurora, Stephana, and Bex in front of me. Relief filled me and I started running again, knowing they would fall into step behind me. Glass showered down on us from either side and I didn't have the strength or energy left to create a shield big enough to cover all of us. The king went back to screaming in anger as we made our way back through the maze. Ahead of us I could see emptiness, darkness that didn't seem to stretch beyond the final glass panel. It looked like nothingness, but I knew it was the only way we were going to get out of the maze. I stayed silent until we were nearly at the edge. When we were only steps away, I reached out beside me and took hold of Aurora's hand.
"Grab onto each other," I commanded. "Everyone needs to be touching each other. When we get to the edge, jump."
"What do you mean jump?" Stephana asked.
"Just jump."
We took a few more steps and launched ourselves off the edge of the maze and into the unknown.
8
Everything around us was black for long enough to make me worry I made the wrong decision and guided my entire group into the abyss. That would have been a truly epic fail on my part, and a decidedly anticlimactic end to this entire adventure. A few seconds later, the blackness broke and we landed hard on the floor. Scrambling to my feet, I looked around and saw that we were back in the collection room. Everything was just as bright and still as it had been when I picked up the snow globe, Only now the artifact was lying on the ground at our feet, the globe broken and the prisms inside shattered across the polished floor. I could hear the Dark Fae King's voice screaming around us, and I wondered if he was still on his throne or if he had gone somewhere else to interact with us in the glass maze. We didn't have long for me to contemplate it. He was calling out to his guards and I knew there was no chance at a friendly fight. Something told me the warriors we had already faced weren't his strongest or most powerful. Instead, he had sent his newest or oldest, those who could hold their own in a fight against us but wouldn't be considered too valuable to waste.
Now I almost regretted wiping out so many of them. They probably would have made for an easier fight if we'd let a few of them make it through. It didn't matter. The king wasn't going to hand us a parting gift and thank us for our visit while politely showing us to the door. If we were going to get out of the fortress and back to the Fae village, we had to survive first. Without exchanging a single word, the group burst into a run and stampeded toward the open section of the wall. It seemed the fortress had heard the king make his promise about letting us go if we found what we were looking for and was determined to hold up his end of the bargain even if he was going to try to go back on it. The five of us ran haphazardly and the sound of objects tumbling from the tables and shelves and smashing on the ground seemed almost impossibly loud in my ears. We burst out of the open section of the wall and back into the throne room. The Dark Fae King was no longer sitting in the ornate gilded throne, but stood in the middle of the room, purple light and curling smoke billowing from his fingertips. While he was distracted with the other four members of the group, I ducked behind him and rushed around the back of his throne to get to the table. I didn't have time to try to get Ashe out of the Time Chaser right then. Every second we were inside the fortress was another opportunity for the guards to flood the corridors. Instead, I grabbed the artifact and started back toward the rest of my group. Guards had started to appear at the doorway, and it was obvious there would be no reprieve before the fight.
I tucked the Time Chaser into my pocket and rushed headlong past my group toward the guards. Bex was hot on my heels and I felt him dart off to one side to begin engaging with some of the spearmen that were making their way toward us. Behind me I heard, the sound of a warrior-like cry from Stephana as she crashed into guards herself. I realized that the guards had parted for me, going around me to attack my friends as I split down the middle of them. I had almost reached the door when the light beyond it was suddenly blotted out and I skidded to a halt.
There, in the doorway, stood a giant. His deformed head was flat at the top, and his neck was as thick as a tree trunk. Wide, wild eyes searched in front of him and landed on me with an intensity that spoke only of death. His body was littered with scars and in various places what looked like armor was sewn into his skin. On the ends of his fists, his knuckles were bronze, reflecting light, and promising a pain unlike any other fist ever had.
I scrambled to my feet, gaining my bearings and preparing for the fight of my life. The thing that stood in front of me, his chest heaving with anticipation and unbridled anger, was more intimidating than even the Dark Fae King. But I would not back down, not now, not ever. Ashe was still trapped in the Time Chaser, and I knew the only way to help her was to get through this brute and get them all out of the fortress.
Before either of us had taken a step toward each other, in the midst of the rapidly chaotic fight, a sound pierced my ears and dropped me to one knee. I chanced a look behind me and saw the Fae I had rescued. She was standing alone, inside a wave of visible sound that came from her as she half screamed, half sang a note that created a crater of unconscious bodies in her wake. When the sound stopped, she fell to her knees and Aurora and Stephana rushed to her, surrounding her and protecting her from any of the guards who might wake up and try to advance on her. I turned back to see the brute before me shaking his head and regaining his own composure. I had to make the first move while I could.
I charged forward, leaping into the air to catch him by surprise, channeling what remained of my energy into the anger that would fuel me. I tried to concentrate on Ashe, stuck in the Time Chaser, and brought my fist down hard onto the giant’s jaw. He rocked back and as I found my footing again after landing, he swept his arm out at me, squashing me against the wall. Pain reverberated up my spine as he suddenly realized he had me cornered. Balling up a fist, the giant swung for me and I rolled out of the way just in time to feel the room vibrate as his massive, bronze plated hand crumbled the wall. The doorway itself grew as pieces of the wall fell down on both of us, and I used the distraction to roll further to his side.
Clasping his fists above him, he brought them down again, thudding onto the ground where I had just been and splitting the floor into pieces. A cry of frustration came from his lips as I darted behind him. Quickly, I scrambled up his back and found myself twelve feet in the air, holding on to one massive shoul
der. My vampire instinct kicked in and I clamped down on the giant’s neck, attempting to drain him of his energy by taking his blood. Instead, I found myself biting into plated armor that had been roughly sewn into his skin. Ragged, rotted pieces of skin dangled from hastily torn areas of his neck. Something huge grabbed me around my torso. Surprised, I realized his hand had reached back for me and I found myself suddenly crashing into the ground.
I looked up into the face of the giant and saw the eyes clearer than I had before in my initial shock. They were glazed over, a milky white hue covering the pupils almost entirely. They darted around me, searching, and it hit me that he was nearly blind. His arms flailed in front of him, swinging madly, and occasionally sending one of the guards for a ride across the room. I ducked one such swing and tried to make a run for the door. If I could stay out from directly in front of him, I had a chance of escape. Just as I was about to reach the crumbling doorway, a thudding pressure hit me in my stomach and the world began to spin as I flew through the air, cartwheeling through guards and into the wall. I slid down until I crashed headfirst into the floor and took a mental checklist of the pain.
Everything hurt. My arms, my legs, my head, but most of all my stomach where the giant had placed a fist. Perhaps he could see a little better than I thought. The regenerating feeling was already coursing through me, and I knew I would at least be in fighting shape again in just a few moments, but the giant was already charging toward me. I didn’t have much choice but to sit there and wait for him to barrel into me, as my body began the painful, but quick, act of refusing bones together and healing itself. Just as the giant was almost on top of me, I used every bit of energy I had to spring forward, through his legs and past him.
The brute crashed into the wall and then some, falling to the ground as parts of the fortress walls and ceiling caved down on top of him. A mountain of stone lay on him and while I doubted it was enough to kill him, it gave us a chance. I looked around to see my group almost to the doorway, a wake of bodies behind them.
I got to my feet, gingerly at first, but with renewing energy pumping through me quickly as my thoughts turned back to Ashe, and I sprinted after them. I reached them in time to see a new wave of guards coming along a corridor toward us, but the outside was in the other direction. I called to my team and we ran for it, finding ourselves back in the courtyard, just yards away from the drawbridge that stood open, showing the promise of the woods beyond.
The furious cries of the Dark Fae King followed us, and I blasted several groups of guards with magic to take them out whole. As we reached the drawbridge, I could feel the ground shake, and I looked over my shoulder, half in wonder and half in terror. The giant, covered in dust and blood, was pounding toward us, bits of stone falling from his hair and off his shoulders, crashing into the ground and breaking apart further. I urged my group to cross the drawbridge as I used magic to blast at groups of guards that chased us.
Backing up, I could sense my friends had reached the end of the bridge and could hear them calling for me as they ran across the grounds and to the woods beyond. The giant was now nearly to the bridge, and I realized that his long steps could possibly match my speed. I turned and ran for the woods, a plan forming in my mind, as a hail of spears rained down around me. The guards were chucking their weapons at me in desperation and many of them had reached the bridge as well.
I made it to the end of the bridge and turned to face them. My hand slipped to my pocket where the Time Chaser was held, and I felt a new sense of anger surge through me. I channeled it in the center of my mind and felt my hands raise to let it out. I blasted the bridge with two huge waves of energy, and it exploded in fire and wood. I heard many of the guards fall into the moat below, and there were screams as they realized where they were. I backed up a few steps, meaning to run for the woods when I saw the giant slowly stand in the moat. His flat head was just above the level of the water, but his eyes seemed to express a desperation now that they had not before.
The head of the giant continued to move toward me through the water that was now turning a dark copper red, and I stood frozen in shock as it slowly made its way to the edge and began to climb up the sheer embankment. There was thrashing just below the surface of the water, and I knew whatever creatures were there were attacking him, but still he gained on me. A determined, pained look stretched across the wide face of the giant as he climbed, and soon he was nearly out of the water. Suddenly, a massive hand, knuckles covered in bronze, blood and water, landed on the ground in front of me, just yards away, and grasped at the dirt to pull the giant up.
I turned and ran for the woods, hearing the sounds of the giant crawling onto the land. I chanced one more look over my shoulder and saw him, just yards behind me, nearly losing his balance as he barreled after me. I pushed myself to my limit, exhausting what energy I had left after the bridge explosion and felt the air cool and light dim as I passed the tree line. Falling to my knees to catch my breath, I turned to watch as the giant kept coming, his hands falling to the ground occasionally, keeping himself mostly upright and moving forward. In one last mammoth movement, he tumbled into the trees, snapping several at their roots, and collapsed at my feet. His hand landed just past my legs, his fingers nearly touching me. I looked into the giant’s eyes and saw pain, a pleading sense of desperation, and then they closed.
The giant had stopped moving.
Trying to remind myself of what we had just dealt with, I turned my back on the giant’s massive form and reached into my pocket for the Time Chaser. Bracing myself, I glanced inside. Relief relaxed my muscles when I saw Ashe scrambling up and over one of the metal balls. She seemed to have gotten the hang of avoiding getting crushed by them. Now it was just a matter of getting her out. Lifting the artifact up, I looked through the glass at her.
"Ashe? Get down in one of the corners and brace yourself. I’m going to break you out of there."
She followed my instructions and when she was as protected as she could be, I smashed the Time Chaser open on the side of a tree. It shattered and Ashe, back to full size, landed on the ground. Helping her up, I brushed pieces of glass away from her clothes and checked her over for injuries. She looked a little worse for wear, but nothing severe, so I didn’t feel too bad grinning at her.
"I thought we agreed you weren’t going to get yourself captured again."
"Shut up."
"It’s a good thing you got big again when you got out of there. Even if you didn’t, you could have ridden around in my pocket."
Out of the corner of my eye I saw the beautiful Fae woman take a few cautious steps toward the prone body of the giant. She looked at him curiously, concern straining her delicate face.
"Don’t," I said as she moved toward him faster.
She ignored me and rushed to his side, dropping to her knees on the ground. Her hands rested on him and the giant grunted, but barely moved. Closing her eyes, she let out a long, slow breath and her hands started to glow. Pure white light flowed from beneath her palms and encompassed the giant. Tiny sparkles in the light seemed to seep into his skin and for a few moments he raised up slightly, his body lifting so the light totally surrounded him. I watched in awe as the woman’s hands moved up his body and gently cupped over his face. When they pulled away, thick discs fell away and landed in the grass. Her touch moved down to one of his huge hands. She held it carefully until the brass covering his knuckles peeled up away from his skin and fell away.
When she finally pulled her hands away from the giant, his body relaxed, but he didn’t speak. She got to her feet and turned back to us. I took a step toward her.
"Who are you?"
9
"My name is Brielle," the beautiful Fae woman said.
"What did you just do to him?" I asked, gesturing at the massive creature still sprawled out on the ground at her feet.
"Helped him," she said. "I’m a healer. He was suffering."
"He tried to kill us," Ashe snapped.
&n
bsp; "Wouldn’t you if you knew that was the only way you would avoid more torture?"
She stepped back toward the giant and reached down to scoop up one of the pieces of brass that had fallen from his hand. Thrusting it out toward Ashe, she stared at her with emotional, imploring eyes.
"Ryu put those on him?" I asked.
"Yes," Brielle told me. "He has been cruelly mistreated and turned into a weapon. This creature wasn’t born to be vicious and kill. He was forced to become that way. Those pieces implanted in his eyes blinded him and let the Dark Fae King control what he was able to see and what he couldn’t. I’ve seen magic like that many times before. Those discs could be used to project whatever image Ryu concocted."
"He never knew if what he was seeing was actually there."
"No. All he saw was what the king thought he should, and he knew what would happen to him if he didn’t do what was expected of him. He didn’t chase you out of the fortress to hurt you."
"He was trying to survive."
Brielle nodded at me.
"Yes."
"Will he be all right?"
"I did what I could. He is much larger and his injuries are much more complex than most of what I’m used to. I was able to reverse much of it, but he’ll need more."
"Are you what the Dark Fae King took from the other village?" I asked cautiously.
It might have been the strangest question I’d ever asked. My mind flipped through some of the other questions I’d had to ask since getting to the Underworld. Maybe it wasn’t.
"Yes. He took me many months ago and has held me captive in the glass ever since."