by Raymond Cain
There were fewer predators outside of Seahaven than before. A pair of isopods, four-foot-long armored creatures with seven pairs of legs, scoured the ground ahead with long antennae. They waved their antennae angrily as the Searunner skimmed over their hard-shelled heads, covering them in dust.
The ship soared over a field of green seagrass. Red flowers grew from the long, thin blades, and trails of trampled grass marked the paths of scavenging creatures. Starshine, enormous star-shaped flowers, grew amidst the grass and emitted a bright yellow glow.
Flynn pulled up to avoid a giant squid and Kylara clamped a hand over her mouth and gagged. He cringed, half-expecting a mouthful of vomit to splash against the back of his head. Luckily, she managed to keep herself contained.
“Sorry,” Flynn said, grinning. “I forgot you were back there. I’ll warn you next time.”
“Yes,” Kylara replied, gulping loudly. “A warning would be nice.”
Flynn kept his altitude high, affording them a wide view of the expanse around them. They sped over cliffs and valleys filled with writhing, glowing vegetation. He cringed at the thought of venturing through the area on foot. Some plants had trigger hairs that signaled the plant to clamp shut on whatever unfortunate creature touched them. Shimmervine, a cluster of shimmering tentacles, writhed endlessly to lure prey in with their iridescent glow. A jellyfish floated within the creature’s reach and the vines lashed out, pulling the creature into a fanged mouth hidden in the plant’s core.
In time, they reached The Abyss. The moment the Searunner cruised over the edge of the massive fissure, his stomach felt like it was full of rocks. Despite all the trips he’d made over it, it still made him nervous.
“I’m not sure if it’s my imagination,” Kylara said from behind him. “But it feels colder over The Abyss.”
“It will be even colder when we enter it.”
They soared for miles over the blackness, with no sign of light or life below them. Once they reached the cliffs on the other side, Flynn cruised in circles until he saw the familiar glow of the aquazite barrier below. He took a deep breath. “You ready?”
“Is there anything I should do before we go in?”
“Yes, clench your muscles.”
“Which ones?”
“All of them,” Flynn replied, chuckling. “Because if you don’t, you might make a mess of the ship.”
Before Kylara could react to the statement, Flynn plunged the Searunner into the darkness. Shadowy creatures bounced off the hull and many scraped their metallic nails along the sides. The nails didn’t do any damage, but they created a high-pitched sound that made Flynn’s back want to arch backward. Hairs stood up on his arms and the back of his neck, but he focused all his attention straight ahead. If he became disoriented and the ship changed direction, they might not make it out of The Abyss.
Both Flynn and Kylara sighed in relief when the aquazite-ringed portal came into view. Flynn glided the Searunner the last few feet and parked it beside the opening. With a flick of a switch, the hatch doors slid open and they launched themselves from the Searunner into the barrier. Flynn burst through the opening and landed hard, face-down on the cobblestones. Kylara landed on top of him and his hand inadvertently pressed against one of the softer parts of her anatomy, but she leapt to her feet so fast he couldn’t register what part of her it was. He pushed himself to his feet and shielded his nose from the stench of stale, smoky air.
Stingray was looped over Flynn’s back and he yanked it free, splitting the water strap and forcing it to reattach in front of him. He loaded a bolt into the barrel and was comforted when the water inside retracted like a coiled spring. A shimmer passed down the length of the crystalline weapon, leaving him with a brief, tingling sensation. The powerful weapon was one of his brother’s finest achievements.
The three corridors in the smoky corridor were empty. There was no sound, no drips from moisture in the ceiling, no skittering noises from tiny crawling creatures. The area was quiet as a tomb, and just as eerie. A bead of sweat formed on Flynn’s forehead and his hands trembled. He tucked Stingray under his arms and balled his hands into fists until the tremors went away. “So the plan is to go in, get the crystal, and get out. Which way do we go?”
“This way,” Kylara said, indicating the same direction they came from before.
Before long, they arrived at the room where Kylara was frozen. The door hung on its broken hinge but all the ice was evaporated.
“It’s in here?”
“No,” Kylara said. “It’s in one of the rooms beside it. I forget which one.”
Flynn let out an exasperated sigh but he didn’t let her lapse in memory slow them down. The latch in the next door was badly rusted. Flynn gave it a twist and broke it. He slammed his foot into the door next to the latch, and it swung open. The move kicked up dust and he covered his mouth as he looked in. The room was empty.
“Next one,” Kylara said, hopefully.
Flynn rolled his eyes and kicked in the door to the next room. It was empty as well. And so was the next room. The following room contained ancient suits of armor and weapons, all heavily rusted and unusable. Flynn’s excitement over gaining a crimsonite crystal was diminishing as Kylara’s memory was proving to be more and more unreliable.
“What’s the problem, Kylara?” he asked in a hushed tone. “Why can’t you remember which room it was?”
“I’m sorry, but it was a long time ago. The crystal is in one of these. Don’t worry, we’ll find it.”
Kylara kicked in the next door and it led to an empty room. The door after that was already kicked outward from the inside. She entered the room and gasped, then fell to her knees.
Flynn scanned the hallway with Stingray and then poked his head in when he heard her gasp. “What’s going on?”
There were pieces of ice strewn all over the floor. There was a chill in the air and the ice seemed to have been broken so recently that it hadn’t begun melting yet. Kylara took another piece and threw it against the wall.
“Stop it,” Flynn whispered. “We’re already making too much noise.”
“He’s gone,” Kylara said. “Gideon’s gone.”
Flynn lowered Stingray and tried to look reassuring as he spoke. “That’s fine. We’re not here for him.” After some hesitation he added, “Are we?”
Kylara avoided his gaze. Flynn looked at her more closely and noticed some bolts tucked into her belt loops. He removed one and found that it was crystal-tipped.
“We’re not really here for crimsonite now are we,” Flynn said. It was a statement, not a question.
“I’m sorry, Flynn.”
“That’s why you wanted me to bring Stingray. You needed it because these bolts could shatter Gideon’s prison. What was your plan? To knock me out to take Stingray and use it to free him?”
There were tears brimming in Kylara’s eyes and she took a step toward him.
Flynn took a step back and aimed Stingray at her head. “Get back.”
“You’re right, Flynn. You’re right about all of it. Except for one thing.”
Kylara knocked Stingray aside with her right hand and unsheathed a dagger with her left. She stepped in close and Flynn fumbled for one of his daggers, but it was too late. Warm blood rolled down his skin as she sliced open his neck.
Chapter Seventeen
Flynn reeled. He stemmed the flow of blood with one hand and aimed Stingray at Kylara’s head with the other. She stared hard at her bloody dagger and seemed not to care about the weapon aimed at her.
To his relief, it was little more than a scratch. “You crazy bitch! What in the depths did you do that for?”
Kylara raised an eyebrow at him, glanced at Stingray, then fished a tiny object out of a hidden belt pouch. “It’s just a scratch, Flynn. Quit acting like a baby.”
She rubbed the item in the blood on her dagger and a red glow flared between her fingers. To Flynn’s surprise, there was no longer any blood on the blade. He had no id
ea what she held but whatever it was, he could feel its presence. It felt as though it was tugging at his soul.
“What is that? What are you doing?”
“Fulfilling your greatest wish,” she replied, opening her hand. A crimsonite jewel rested on her palm, and its glow flickered. He stared, captivated, and soon realized the pulses of light were synchronized with his own heartbeat.
Flynn’s face was red under the gem’s glow and he stared at it hungrily, his eyes brimming with anticipation. “Is that. . .”
“Of course it is,” Kylara replied, taking a step back but holding it out for him. “Take it.”
Flynn took a step forward and Kylara pushed him back with her staff.
“No, Flynn,” she said sternly, maintaining the distance between them. “I said, take it.”
After a moment of confusion, Flynn realized what she meant. He raised his hand, concentrated on the gem, and it shot across the room like a crossbow bolt. It struck him in the palm, hard enough to break the skin. He winced and laid it in his other hand. It was a teardrop-shaped, multifaceted ruby that glowed with an internal fire. There was a sense of connection between him and the crystal, as though it was part of his body.
“Wow,” Flynn said. “I can’t believe that you,” he stammered. “That you. . .”
“No need to thank me, Flynn. I know how rare. . .”
“. . . are such a lying BITCH!” Flynn finished.
Kylara’s head flinched back and her eyes widened. “Okay, that’s a little less gratitude than I expected but I can work with that.”
“You had this crystal the whole time? And yet you manipulated me to come here? You and your lies about how you didn’t want to come. Your lies about how you wanted to give this gem to me so I could avenge my parents. Everything was a lie. You even lured Tasker away so we could go.”
“Listen, Flynn, I can see you’re upset, but now is not the time. . .”
“That’s the second time I’ve been made a fool of because of a pretty face,” Flynn replied, thinking back to an earlier encounter with a mermaid.
Kylara tilted her head to the side and squished her eyebrows together. “Flynn, I don’t know exactly what you’re talking about but I know you’re angry and I need you to focus right now. We need to work together to make it out of here alive.”
As if to emphasize her point, armored footsteps echoed up the hall. Two azurans in black plate mail arrived at the door. Their helms were skull-shaped, save for a pair of black horns that curved upward. Their shoulder plates resembled metal skulls, and overlapping metal plates protected the upper arms. The metal plates articulated at the elbow, attaching to vambraces with masterfully carved ghostly images emblazoned onto them. Their breastplates protected them from neck to groin and were adorned with images of black skulls. They stepped into the room and unsheathed longswords slung over their backs with slow, deliberate movements, typical of warriors that were confident in their fighting superiority.
“I told you it was humans!” one of them spoke in a gravelly voice. His pupils dilated and his purple eyes scanned Kylara’s figure up and down. “Try to subdue the female. She should be able to provide us with some entertainment before she dies.”
Two more armored azurans appeared behind the first pair, and Flynn could tell by their well-crafted armor and weapons that they were not ordinary foot soldiers. Each warrior wore a horned, skull-shaped helm and their faces were tattooed to make them appear more skull-like. The four men unsheathed their swords, curved, elegant blades with round guards and gold filigree woven around the hilt.
Before the first azuran entered the room, Flynn aimed Stingray at the azuran that eyed up Kylara and shot him in the face. The white-skinned warrior dropped dead, and the two azurans behind him stepped over their fallen companion with swords drawn.
“Defending my honor?” Kylara said, separating her staff into two staves.
“I’ve half a mind to beat the crap out of your honor right now,” Flynn replied, dropping Stingray and unsheathing his sword.
The crimsonite gem throbbed in his hand and he stared at an opening at the end of his sword hilt. He shoved the jewel into it just as the first azuran was upon him. Instinctively, he brought up his sword to block and knocked the man’s weapon aside so violently that it was nearly torn from the azuran’s grasp.
“Incredible!” Flynn said.
Strength surged through him. It felt as though his sword was part of him, like another segment of his arm. A second azuran thrust his sword and Flynn swept it aside with his blade as naturally as he would have deflected it with his hand. He intended to tap it lightly, just enough to deflect it wide, but the azuran’s blade slammed into the wall hard enough to create sparks. The parry left the azuran wide open for a counterattack but Flynn couldn’t take advantage of it because the previous attacker slashed horizontally at neck level, forcing Flynn to step back.
One of Kylara’s throwing blades flew unerringly toward one of the azurans but the man turned his head at the last moment and it deflected off the horns on his helm. Flynn took advantage of the distraction by thrusting his rapier at the second foe. It was deflected high but the attack was merely a feint, a ruse to get in close. Flynn smashed the azuran with his caged hilt, flattening the man’s nose and sending him flying backward. The warrior landed hard on his back and his sword skittered across the floor.
The azuran that was nearly impaled by Kylara’s blade attacked Flynn with a series of thrusts and slashes, but he parried them with ease. Energy rushed through his veins and he felt unstoppable. He quickly took the offensive and launched a barrage of powerful swings that put the man on his heels. The azuran lifted his sword to block the attacks but Flynn felt the man’s sword arm weaken with every blow. Before long, the man no longer had the strength to block and one of Flynn’s attacks got through, plunging deep into the pale warrior’s collarbone. The soldier dropped his sword and Flynn swung again, decapitating the man. By that time, the azuran with the smashed face began to stir and Flynn drove his rapier so deep between the armored man’s breast plates that the sword tip protruded out the back.
Kylara was standing at the other side of the room, next to a lifeless azuran slumped over by her feet. She was leaning against her staff and idly watching as Flynn finished off his opponents.
Flynn shook his head in irritation. “Taking a break, are we?”
Kylara grinned. “You looked like you were enjoying yourself.”
“This is amazing,” Flynn said, his eyes wide. The sword throbbed in his grip as though it was begging to be used. He let go of the stingray-wrapped hilt for a moment and the red crystal stopped glowing. He wrapped his hand around the hilt again and the crimsonite flared. The weapon felt weightless for a few more moments, but it seemed to be getting heavier. Between breaths he added, “I can’t believe I just defeated two men.”
Kylara cleared her throat.
“With a little help,” Flynn conceded.
“You did well, but there’s something you should know about fighting with bonded weapons,” Kylara said. “It feels like they give you energy but that energy has to come from somewhere. You need to conserve it or you’ll be too exhausted to fight for long.”
The exhaustion she spoke of hit Flynn like a punch in the stomach. Breathing heavily, he bent over with hands on knees. He felt dizzy enough to nearly pass out. He took deep breaths and there was a tingling sensation in his extremities. He barely hung on to his sword.
Kylara peeked down the hallway. “After you catch your breath, we’ll make a run for it back to the ship.”
“You want to go back home? I thought you wanted to kill Gideon.”
“I did, when he was frozen and I could kill him easily. Now that he’s free, it’s too risky. You’re not ready to fight someone like him.”
“Right now, I feel like I could take anybody.” After some reflection, he added, “Well maybe not right now, but. . .”
“Shhhhhh,” Kylara said, putting a finger to her lips. �
��I hear yelling.”
“Maybe somebody found Gideon,” Flynn said in a hushed tone. Energy was slowly coming back to him. “If it leads to battle, this could be our best chance to kill him.”
“I told you. You’re not ready.”
Flynn scowled. “Maybe you’re the one that’s not ready. Maybe you’re the one that’s scared. You’re certainly the only one in this room unwilling to face him.”
Kylara snorted. “If you knew him, you would be too.”
Flynn’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious? I’m willing to help and you’re saying no? This is what you wanted. This is why you tricked me into coming here.”
Kylara raised an eyebrow. “And you’d fight him? Why? For me?”
“For you?” Flynn said incredulously. “I wouldn’t do it for you. I’d do it because he poses a threat to Seahaven, and myself, and he deserves to die.” After some reflection he added, “The fact that it helps you is an unfortunate coincidence.”
Kylara scowled. “Don’t even think about it, Flynn. You’ve had that crystal for two minutes and you’re drunk with the power it gives you, but you don’t know how to wield that power yet. Now is not the time for you to face Gideon.”
“Forget it,” Flynn said, storming past her and heading for the door. “I’m going. You can come if you want to.” He tiptoed down the hallway toward the sounds of shouting.
Kylara ran up to join him and whispered in his ear, “Please don’t.”
Flynn’s energy was returning and he proceeded more quickly up the hall. It ended at a T-intersection, and he heard voices in the branch to the right. He paused at the intersection and peeked around the corner. The hall widened into a circular area that once contained a statue that had long since been reduced to rubble.
Four figures stood in the circular area. Three azurans, two dressed in chain mail and a third dressed in black robes, were positioned around a human-looking man with white hair and purple eyes.
Flynn knew immediately the fourth man was Gideon. He wore magekiller armor, the same black leather that Kylara wore, and his white, shoulder-length hair was tied back into a ponytail. His skin was pale, but pink enough to reveal his human ancestry. Gideon’s face was a mask of self-control but something about the man gave Flynn the impression that the savagery of a frenzied animal lurked behind those chiseled features.