by Stuart Jaffe
Sir Cacksle smacked his hand on the table. “Chairman Kup. That is uncalled for.”
“I will take your body, Ms. Malja, and spew it across all the worlds so that every Gate knows not to steal from the groyle.”
Three supervisors jumped from their chairs and shouted — but not in protest, not even directed toward the Chairman. Rather they pointed beneath their desks, their eyes wide, as they gibbered, “Snakes! Snakes!” The other supervisors looked around in concern and confusion.
From where Reon observed, she could see below the desks with ease. What she saw, she could not explain — not snakes but vines. They shot in through every crack in the floor and headed straight for the groyles. They wound around each supervisor, clinging tight enough to immobilize, and then stopped.
Fawbry perked up his head. “Tommy.”
Magic, Reon thought. It had to be. Since neither Malja nor Fawbry had shown any magic ability, she assumed this “Tommy” was the magician. Though he hid away somewhere, he appeared to be powerful enough to cast this huge spell.
She also thought an opportunity had opened and she would be foolish to miss it. She bolted from the shadows and headed straight for the Chairman. Lord Harskill had brought her to this swamp and challenged her with fighters and revelations and danger. She had overcome it all to get to this point, and the final answer to this test shined before her. As she soared over the desks, she felt electrified.
The superiors screeched and several threw their hands up. Reon hopped upon the platform and snatched the Soul of the Sun. Three rough hands grabbed her — the Chairman.
“Another Gate! You see, everyone? Another Gate tries to steal.”
With his free arm, the Chairman reached for the Soul of the Sun. Reon refused to let this ugly tangle of arms and legs mess up her success. She brought her foot up in a firm front-snap kick, landing the blow between the Chairman’s first set of legs.
She had no idea if she struck a vital point of his anatomy, but she shocked him — that accomplished enough. His grips weakened. Reon broke free, spun around with a swift horseback kick, and watched the Chairman knock into his chair before hitting the floor.
When she turned to leave, she caught Malja’s eye. Reon cocked her head toward the Soul of the Sun and winked. As she dashed away, she couldn’t suppress a wide grin.
She had the power over all do-kha now. This had to be what Lord Harskill wanted. Together they would be able to free the do-kha from this slavery. Together, they would change all the worlds.
Chapter 11
Malja
When Malja watched Reon race across the immense Chairman’s room, leap upon the platform, and swipe the Soul of the Sun, she knew she had been right all along — Harskill had planned this. But knowing that this theft played a part in that plan, and knowing that Reon definitely worked for Harskill, did not equal knowing the plan itself. Catching Reon might solve that mystery and thwart Harskill from furthering his agenda, but most importantly, catching Reon might give Malja the leverage she needed.
As Reon sprinted out of the room, Malja forced her legs up to her chest and rolled to her side. The do-kha resisted, but not as badly as before. When the groyle had struck her and shocked the do-kha, it had not dealt as serious a blow as the guards that had caught her outside.
With her limited motion, she pushed with her shoulder and arm until she rolled up onto her knees. The more she attempted to move, the more her do-kha responded. The vines continued to cause enough commotion that none of the shrill supervisors or clumsy guards bothered with her. By the time she stood on both feet, she had no trouble breaking off into a run.
She tore by Fawbry and caught a glimpse of Tommy in the back corner. As she entered the main hallway, she looked for Reon. The young woman made it easy — she stood at the far end shaking her free arm at the wall.
Malja approached, showing a little caution — the girl attempted to get her do-kha to do something, but Malja could not tell what. Based on the fight from before, Reon had limited experience in controlling her do-kha. Malja didn’t want to be accidentally skewered by a wild blade thrusting out or worse.
Behind, she heard footsteps and the click of weapons. Three groyle guards appeared down the hall.
“All stop! If not, we hurt you.”
Malja looked back up the hall. Reon had seen them but did not run. She continued to work on her do-kha while focusing on the wall.
Malja took three steps closer and froze. She had a terrible idea of what Reon attempted. “If you don’t know how to control one, do not do that. You’ll kill us all.”
Reon glared at Malja. She smirked as she raised a fist and threw it at the wall with all her strength. The air in front of the wall crack open and an odd, purplish light burst out.
Malja dropped to the ground. An explosive force blasted through the hallway. Reon was tossed in the air and over Malja. She crashed into the floor and rolled several feet. The three guards lay in a pile at the far end.
Lifting her head, Malja watched as the crack in the air refilled and disappeared. She stood and turned around. Reon was now caught between Malja and the recovering guards. But instead of fighting or running, Reon attempted to create another portal.
“Listen to me,” Malja said. “You do not understand the power you’re trying to unleash. You could destroy everything and everyone, including yourself. Stop it right now.”
Once again, Reon made a fist. Her eyes turned cold upon Malja. “The Lord Harskill gave me this do-kha. The Lord Harskill tasked me with learning to create a portal. I have faith in the Lord Harskill. I will not die.”
She thrust her arm downward. She opened her hand toward the wall, and once more, the air in front of it shimmered and cracked. This time, a portal opened — narrow at the top, bulbous at the bottom, the two sides uneven.
But Reon did not account for the differences in air pressure between worlds. All the air streamed down the hall as it was sucked into the portal. It yanked Reon off her feet and pulled her in. The three groyle guards went next. Without do-khas, their bodies vaporized upon striking the portal. Malja could see the walls of the portal shrinking inward. It would not hold for long. Reon would escape.
Only one way to stop that. Malja allowed the wind to take hold and pull her through to whatever world awaited.
Her feet sunk to the knees in snow. Though the portal had closed, the wind still howled as it whipped around her. Large snow drifts gathered off to the side. Wherever she looked, Malja saw white — a giant desert of snow.
Not far off, Reon clambered to her feet and hurried away. Clutching the Soul of the Sun in one arm, she worked at forming another portal with the other. Malja loped through the snow after her. They both had to lift their legs high in the air just to get over to the next step. They weren’t so much running as they were trudging through the deep, thick cold. Malja’s do-kha heated up fast and she imagined Reon’s would as well.
This is foolish, Malja thought. She stopped. Concentrating on the air in front of Reon, Malja formed a portal that would lead back to the vine-covered main hall of the factory.
The portal surprised Reon and she tripped in. Malja followed swiftly behind. But they were only in the hall for seconds. Malja read Reon’s face with ease — worry. Reon took one look around, saw the shocked face of Fawbry and the intense focus of Tommy, saw the indignation of the supervisors and the raw anger of the Chairman, and thrust her hand beneath her. A portal formed. As she fell through, she looked up at Malja and winked. Cocky. And annoying. Malja dived in after her.
They thumped down onto the soft grass of an open meadow. In seconds, they jumped to their feet. Malja pulled out Viper as Reon extended her do-kha into a sharp blade — it held this time.
“At least you’re getting some control. It’s not the same as portals, though. You’ve got to stop doing that. Your belief in Harskill won’t change how powerful these things can be. You’ll end up killing everything.”
“Stop chasing me and I won’t have to crea
te more portals.”
“You know I won’t stop.”
“Then neither will I.”
They both adjusted their feet. Malja flexed her fingers on Viper’s grip, readying for a swift attack. As they stared at each other, a rumble grew in the distance. It was a familiar sound. Malja could feel vibrations reach up through the ground — something big approached.
A few seconds later, Malja knew what came their way. It had been a while since she had last heard it, but now that she knew, the sound was unmistakable — warriors on horseback charging across the land.
“Take cover,” Malja said as she put away Viper and dashed toward the tree line off to the left. It would provide some protection. Reon broke off in the opposite direction. Malja couldn’t identify anything useful in that direction, but it was too late to change course.
A wall of horses appeared at the top of the hill and thundered down toward them. Leather-skinned creatures rode each horse. Black and white spots covered their skin, making them easy to pick out amongst the black and brown horses.
When Malja reached the trees, she tried to see who these riders attacked. Not who, though. Large, woolly beasts grazed at the bottom of the hill. The riders galloped by, wielding spears as well as bows and arrows. This wasn’t a battle. It was a tribe hunting for food.
Once they cleared by and launched upon the herd, Malja dashed across the meadow. Her eyes scanned the tall grasses for Reon. In the distance, she saw a large boulder. Reon had probably hid behind it. Running towards the boulder, a loud explosion ripped open the land in front of her. Another portal attempt.
Reon flew up from behind the boulder and smoke trailed her legs. When she hit the ground, Malja sprinted after her. By the time Malja reached Reon, the young woman had managed to get back on her feet. Still clutching the Soul of the Sun, Reon looked like a weathered miner afraid to give up the one nugget of gold she had uncovered.
She wobbled and her knees threatened to buckle. Malja rushed to her side and caught her elbow. “Okay now, that’s enough portals for you. Let’s gather my friends and sit down for a nice talk.”
Reon spit. “I’d sooner burn in Dulmul’s inferno than let you take me away. I will not fail Lord Harskill.”
With that, she created a portal behind her and leaned back. The move startled Malja, pulling her off balance, and sending her through the portal as well.
They spun through the air. Falling, falling. Wind bit into Malja’s skin — cold and sharp. After a moment, she realized they raced down toward the bottom of a canyon.
As the ground hurried to meet them, Malja blindly created a portal beneath them. She did not focus on any particular destination. She had no time.
They passed through.
Wet. They splashed into a large body of water. Air bubbles surrounded them and Malja tasted bitter salt. She followed the air bubbles up to the surface. When she broke through, she learned it was night.
They had fallen into a lake. Though Malja found no pleasure being in the water, it might have been the safest place. Surrounding the lake, she saw forest. And surrounding the forest, she saw flames.
Treading water, she tried to locate Reon. Nothing. Perhaps the young woman didn’t know how to swim. It would be unpleasant to end this with a drowning — unsatisfying, too, for Malja would still lack answers.
Near the beach, she heard a break of water and a gasp of air. Sneaky. Reon had swum underwater and nearly reached the shore. Malja kicked and paddled.
The night sky glowed with orange and gold flames. Some trees right on the water’s edge had become burning logs, spitting thick smoke into the dark sky. The heat weighed in on all sides as the fire consumed the air.
By the time Malja reached the shore, Reon had discovered that the flames blocked all exits. Except one, of course — a portal.
With her tightly braided hair dripping wet and her lungs straining against the burning air, Malja had reached her limit — a limit that seemed less and less. “Stop running.”
“Stop chasing me.”
“I can’t.”
An odd satisfaction covered Reon’s face. “I knew it. You are like me, and Lord Harskill will only have one of us by his side.”
“I have no desire to be at Harskill’s side. Ever.”
“You’re so full of lies, you don’t even know the truth. But I see now that running will not solve this problem.” Reon stepped forward, letting the do-kha engulf her hand and form a blade once more. “I will not lose this time.”
They charged straight at each other. Malja lowered Viper at a slight angle, ready to strike up and out. This would be over fast. Reon had her blade up and back, pointing ahead, posed to thrust forward — a classic mistake when going against Viper. With the lower part of her body left open, she would make her attack and get sliced in half.
Malja swiped Viper upward, but instead of cutting through her enemy, she hit the solid do-kha blade. Reon had not thrust forward but rather planted her blade into the ground like a post. Malja’s surprise did not end there. Reon used her momentum to leap off the ground and spin with the blade. As her body whirled around, she kicked Malja in the face.
Malja fell onto the ground and rolled right back onto her feet. A trail of blood trickled out of her nose. She twirled Viper and reset her feet, crouching to lower her center of gravity.
“Got a bit more control of your do-kha, I see,” she said.
“You should leave now. You continue this fight, you will lose.”
Ignoring the tremor in her hand, Malja hopped forward and swung Viper in a wide arc. Most enemies miscalculated Viper’s reach because of its curved blade. Not Reon. She ducked.
As she popped back up, she lunged forward. With Viper committed to the wide swing, Malja couldn’t bring the blade back in time for defense. She dove to the side, tumbling across the sands. Reon’s blade sliced through the air above.
Malja continued to roll through the sand. Reon chopped to the ground, twice missing her target. When the third strike came, Malja raised her forearm and hardened her do-kha.
Reon’s blade hit with a loud crack that blended in with the cracks and sparks of the raging forest fire around them. Before Reon could readjust, Malja kicked out, swiping across Reon’s legs and sending her to the ground. In one fluid motion, Malja rose to her feet, brought Viper overhead, and chopped the weapon down in the ground. The curved blade formed a deadly belt over Reon’s waist.
Sweating and breathing hard, Malja said, “Now, give me the Soul of the Sun and I’ll let you live.”
Reon glowered. “You’re going to fail the test.”
Her fingers curled into a fist and then snapped wide open. A portal formed beneath her. But instead of dropping into another world, Reon held tight to the ground.
Her bottom half slid through, escaping Viper’s grasp. She used the momentum like a gymnast, swinging up and out of the portal. As she lifted into the air, the portal closed, and Reon landed with feet firmly on the ground, her blade pointed at Malja’s neck.
“Cute,” Malja said. Then her eyes narrowed. She had underestimated Reon for too long.
In one swift move, she lowered Viper flat on the ground and sliced upward, bringing sand along with her attack. Reon dashed back, holding her blade up, and spit the sand from her lips.
The two launched into vigorous assaults and parries. They used their weapons well — lunging, dodging, swiping to the head, ducking below. As much as Malja could attack, Reon could defend and counter. Malja felt sluggish, but she had far more experience.
Though they seemed otherwise evenly matched, she could tell victory would be hers. Her stubbornness would win this, if nothing else. As long as she kept her focus and avoided foolish mistakes.
Reon must have come to the same conclusion. After parrying the latest attack, she turned away and sprinted off towards the blazing woods. She punched out toward the air in front of her, creating a portal a few feet ahead.
No more of this.
Malja took a deep brea
th, ignored the burning air stinging her lungs, and concentrated on her memory of the metal wall surrounding the do-kha factory. A new portal formed in front of Reon’s portal. It happened too fast for Reon to stop. She ran full-force into Malja’s portal, smacked into the metal wall, and stumbled back dazed.
Malja sauntered over to her enemy. She raised back her fist and aimed to knock out Reon.
“No,” Reon shouted, thrusting her hand blindly.
A portal formed beneath Malja, and she fell through.
Malja landed on a hardwood floor. Four couples stood around her. The men wore layered suits with long tails and tall, black hats. The women wore ridiculous, overstuffed dresses that ballooned at the sides. All these people had painted their faces with stark white makeup, ruby lips, and heavy blue around the eyes.
Flowers decorated the room on all sides. A quartet playing metal instruments stood in the back corner. On the opposite side of the room, an animal roasted on a spit — the delicious aroma infiltrated the air as thoroughly as the forest fire had in the previous world.
The music stopped. All eyes stared at Malja.
“Sorry to intrude,” Malja said. She looked around. There were doors on all the walls. “Which way is the exit?”
A man sporting a wispy beard from the chin pointed to a red door on the left. “There,” he mumbled, his stunned expression the closest he came to a deeper reaction.
Malja hurried out the door and entered a long hall filled with statues, flowers, and more doors. From behind she heard the music pick up again, some nervous laughter, and a resumption of dancing.
She focused on the blank wall next to a statue of a woman’s beautiful body with the head of an insect. Malja closed her eyes to picture the flaming forest and the determined rage she felt toward Reon. Then she opened a portal.