Lair of the Deadly Twelve (Storm Phase Book 2)

by David Alastair Hayden

  He climbed to his knees and faced the catlike of Okishenaga. She flicked her whiskers, spraying Turesobei with cold mist. She spoke, her voice a deep rumble.

  “You stink of Naruwakiru! You stink of … me! You have taken energies that belonged to Naruwakiru, the Storm Dragon, Mistress of the Sky. Energies that once belonged to me and my kin. Energies that I gave to her, and energies that she stole.”

  Turesobei bowed, and the others followed his lead.

  “My lady, it is true. I broke Naruwakiru’s heart and absorbed her energies. Some I cast back into the sky, but much of it still rests within me and I think all of it is yet bound to me.”

  Okishenaga’s thunderous shout knocked Turesobei back.

  “You destroyed Naruwakiru’s heart?!”

  Chapter 49

  The dragon’s icy breath puffed into Turesobei’s face. He didn’t back down. She leaned close and sniffed the storm mark. Turesobei kept still and calm. The dragon bared her icicle teeth and flicked out her sparky tongue. Her cloudy form turned storm dark.

  “You’re not going to eat me,” he said bravely.

  Okishenaga roared a coughing laugh that rumbled into the sky. She turned back into pure white cloud.

  “I could, you know. I could absorb all the energies. I want to … I so want to. But I remember honor.”

  “You remember?”

  “I was gone a long time. You brought me back to life.”

  “I thought — I thought I was just summoning you. I had no idea. No wonder it was so hard to call you.”

  “I was a memory that flowed along the mountains, like all my children. Naruwakiru dominated me and the other cloud dragons. She demanded our allegiance and then stole our power. I faded and became little more than a memory. She did the same to all the storm dragons until there was only one, the Storm Dragon. So yes, I could consume you and become as I once was, and more. But I will not, for you have enacted the final revenge on Naruwakiru and have restored me, if only to a fraction of my old power.

  “Now, what need have you of me before I return to the skies to roam free once again? There are few questions I can probably answer. My memory is weak.”

  “No questions. I need transportation. I’ve got to get to the Winter Gate, and fast, to save a friend and stop the Deadly Twelve from plunging all of Okoro into an eternal winter.”

  “You wish for me to take you there? I am not strong enough for that. And why would I wish to prevent eternal winter? The cold, the wind, the storms? That is an environment I could thrive in. I could restore my children and become powerful in such a world.”

  “I can pay you for helping me. I can share a small amount of energy now. And when we get there, I will grant it to you permanently. Enough power to properly exist for decades, if not centuries. And if I survive, I will see that a shrine is built in Ekaran in your honor, so that people will remember you and your strength will grow.”

  Okishenaga drew back and closed her eyes. Minutes passed. No one dared to move.

  “I accept, Chonda Turesobei. It is a fair deal, and I will gladly honor it, slayer of Naruwakiru’s ghost.”

  Slain or still within him? He often wondered.

  “You understand the energies within you are not meant for a human?”

  “I understand. I can barely manage them. I hope it will be easier when I give some to you. I can give you the energies, right?”

  “You can.”

  He had tried before to release some permanently, but it didn’t work. Kahenan had said that he needed a suitable vessel but didn’t know what such a vessel would be. The energy he had released remained in the atmosphere was still bound to him. The potential remained out there.

  Turesobei cast a simple channeling spell and passed energy to the dragon. He nearly fainted from the effort.

  Okishenaga soaked in the energy with a rumbling sound almost like a purr then pooled onto the ground. “Everyone climb onto my back. Do not worry, I can be solid enough when I wish.”

  Turesobei and his companions climbed onto her spongy cloud-white back. It was wide enough to fit three across. Turesobei sat in the front, behind her head. Enashoma climbed on beside of him. Awasa and Zaiporo sat behind them, then Hakamoro and Aikonshi.

  Shoma whispered into his ear. “Are you sure you trust her? She could turn to cloud, drop us, and eat you.”

  “We have no choice but to trust her. Get used to it. Every decision from here on out is a life and death choice with no guarantees.”

  The dragon launched into the air. The wall cloud that swirled around the monolith dissipated. Arms Master Kilono, the Chonda knights, and the Tumokon knights stared in wonder as Turesobei and his companions flew off on the dragon’s back.

  Okishenaga rose into the clouds, her wings pounding the air, her body slithering as would a snake’s. Hakamoro laughed. Shoma and Awasa screamed. Zaiporo stammered a string of curses. Aikonshi hollered a war cry.

  Turesobei gritted his teeth and simply held on. He had flown as a dragon in dreams so often that the sensation was almost familiar, almost natural. It was not the flight that scared him but the idea that he could become this very thing.

  Chapter 50

  They flew through damp clouds and soared above them. The land appeared in patches below, highlands first, then rugged foothills and mountains. Awasa leaned over his shoulder and spoke loudly. It was hard to hear as the wind rushed by.

  “This is the most amazing thing ever!”

  Tears streamed from her eyes as she looked down. He scooted back to sit beside her, changing positions with Zaiporo.

  “Are you okay?”

  Awasa giggled. “I don’t think I’ve ever been better. All of the last few weeks … The arguments, the torture of riding, the mud and mosquitos. Almost dying. All of it was worth this.” She held her hands out and her head up. Her hair whipped along behind her.

  Turesobei hated to bring it up, but he felt it was best to talk about it. “About that kiss … it was nice but …”

  She squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry about it. I was just trying to surprise you, to keep you awake.”

  “Well … it worked.”

  “I’m glad.”

  A bit of sadness flickered across her face. It was, no doubt, her first kiss. He hated that he couldn’t mean it the way she wanted him to, but he couldn’t. Not now. Maybe never. The sadness couldn’t hold. She spotted a flock of birds below them and laughed.

  Turesobei turned to Aikonshi behind him.

  “How many more of you are there?”

  “I told you I’m unique. Though there are other types of vampiric creatures.”

  “I mean constructs, creatures, turnings, alterations, whatever. How many more of Chonda Lu’s—”

  “Special children are there? Five besides me. That I know of. The man kept secrets and lived for more than ten millennia. There could be more.”

  “Who are they?”

  “Lu Bei the Memory. Isashiara the Dream. Tochibi the Servant. Hasuferu the Messenger. Other than the book, I haven’t seen them in a long, long time.”

  “You said five besides you.”

  She sighed. “Motereku. Don’t even like to speak his name. Certainly hope I never see him again.”

  “Part on bad terms?”

  “I am Aikonshi the Slayer. Motereku is … He is the Monster.”

  “Where are they?”

  “Lu Bei said Chonda Lu dissipated their energies, but what does that really mean? Are they asleep? Dormant like Lu Bei and I were for so long? Maybe they’ll show up to help you like we did. Maybe they’re dead and gone, lost forever to Oblivion.”

  “Did Chonda Lu make you to kill Motereku?”

  “Hardly. Motereku is a terrible, terrible force that Chonda Lu should never have made.”

  Lu Bei crawled out of the pack. “Tochibi, Hasuferu, and Isashiara are at permanent rest, though I think they could return if Master was restored. Master dismissed them and said nothing more about it. Motereku … He wandered off. Mas
ter didn’t wish to disperse his energies. Maybe he went dormant. I’ve heard nothing about him since I’ve returned.”

  Aikonshi grabbed Lu Bei by one of his wings.

  “Hey watch it!”

  She pulled him up so she could stare into his eyes. “Did you summon him when you summoned me?”

  “I sent the call out to everyone, just in case they could return. I was desperate. You didn’t come when master needed you most or when he was dying. I didn’t know if you’d come for Turesobei.”

  She tossed him into Turesobei’s arms. “You knew darn well I was close by and would come.”

  “Why would Chonda Lu make a monster?” Turesobei asked.

  “To guard him and to kill his enemies,” Aikonshi said. “Motereku was good at killing. Too good in my opinion. He’s merciless, cunning, ruthless. I was just a girl Lu helped. But I also fulfilled a need. Okoro was overrun with monsters in those days. All of us fulfilled functions Chonda Lu required.”

  “I get the servant and the messenger, but what about Isashiara the Dream? What function did she fulfill?”

  Lu Bei’s cheeks darkened. “Oh dear.”

  Aikonshi chuckled.

  Turesobei frowned in confusion. “What?”

  “When you live forever …” Her voice grew quiet, contemplative. “You outlive your friends, your wives … Most of the other Kaiaru faded away centuries before Lu. When everyone you know passes on and the world around you changes … You grow lonely. And a Kaiaru does not trust easily. Sometimes Lu, he needed to escape, live in a dream for a while.” She shrugged, suddenly irritated. “He wasn’t a normal man. You shouldn’t expect him to have been. Some of his ways are maybe best forgotten.”

  The dragon swept over the highest peaks of the Orichomo’s. The air was freezing cold. His ears and hands were achingly numb. Awasa huddled in tight against him. She was listening in, but she never said anything.

  “Why didn’t you tell me all this, Lu Bei?”

  “Not useful, master. Old days long gone. Didn’t even know if I could tell you. You’ve had enough to worry about.”

  Well, he couldn’t argue against that last part.

  Night fell and a waning Avida rose higher into the sky above them. They descended down the western side of a tall peak and came to the wide shelf, at least fifty or sixty paces deep, that Turesobei had seen in his dream. There below them near the edge was the Winter Gate. As they landed the air turned even colder.

  Awasa shivered. “Why’s it colder all of a sudden?”

  “It’s the gate,” Lu Bei said. “It radiates cold.”

  The dragon landed.

  “I’ll scout,” Aikonshi said.

  “There’s no one nearby at the moment,” Okishenaga told her.

  They climbed off her back, and Aikonshi ran off to scout anyway. The others inspected the gate. It was, after all, one of the lost wonders of Okoro. Many people didn’t believe the gates still existed. All of them were lost to history. Or, as some speculated, were hidden by magic.

  Turesobei walked to the edge of the cliff and faced the dragon. He cast an improvised channeling spell, thinking of Naruwakiru’s heart, and a ball of hardened blue-green energy formed in his hand. A heart gem smaller than a fifth of the size of the Storm Dragon’s Heart. He would still have more than enough energy. Even with the spell to summon Okishenaga he hadn’t risked running out of power, only being overwhelmed by it.

  “A new heart for you, madam dragon.”

  He tossed the gem up and she swallowed it. Lightning flickered down her length and she swelled to twice her current size. Her storm-dark eyes brightened to pure lightning.

  “My thanks, Chonda Turesobei, for honoring your bargain. And for bringing me back.”

  “I am in your debt for getting us here, my lady. We could use your help against the Twelve …”

  “I am sure you could, but I will not risk the life I’ve just regained on fighting your battles for you.”

  She began to billow away but then swept back suddenly. “There is one more thing,” she said. “One question I must ask. You dream of flying over the land as a dragon of storm, do you not?”

  “I — I do. How did you know?”

  She said wistfully, “Because I did, too. Once, long ago, when I was human.”

  Chapter 51

  “What does that —”

  Okishenaga vanished.

  So much for explanations. The others admired the runes on the gate. Turesobei staggered over to join them.

  “I’ve got to rest. Can’t go on much longer. We need to make camp … somewhere.”

  “Is it okay if we walk through the gate?” Awasa looked around. “Hey, where did the dragon go? I wanted to thank her.”

  “She got what she wanted. She’s done with us.”

  “It won’t harm you to walk through,” said Lu Bei. “The gate isn’t active. There would be a shimmering pane there if it was, like a mirror made of moving water. But you should say a prayer before entering.”

  “Which Shogakami?” Enashoma asked.

  “Lord Moshinga of the Mountains and Lady Amasan of the Winds would be most appropriate,” said Lu Bei.

  Enashoma whispered a prayer and walked through. On the other side of it, she spun around then shrugged. The others followed. Turesobei didn’t. He studied the runes, as best as he could in the moonlight.

  Aikonshi returned. “There’s a cave not far from here. Big enough for all of us. Decently warm … for a high mountain cave with ice in it.”

  “That doesn’t sound warm at all,” Awasa said, shivering.

  None of their clothes or gear were appropriate for this weather. And because of their circumstances in leaving, they didn’t have any of their gear with them. They had left all those things inside Chonda Tower.

  “It’s out of the wind,” Hakamoro said. “That’s a good thing. Wind will strip the warmth from your body quickly.”

  “And it’s away from the gate,” Lu Bei added.

  Zaiporo stepped over to the edge and looked down. “Woah. Straight drop.”

  Shoma cringed. “Zai, come back from there. Now!”

  He chuckled. “I’m not going to fall.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Aikonshi snapped. “Up here the wind can gust suddenly. If you don’t need to take a risk, then don’t. Because you’ll have plenty of legitimate risk-taking chances later.”

  Zaiporo made a face at her but didn’t say anything. Ledges this high didn’t scare Turesobei. They would have before the dragon dreams. Now … Now he felt like he could fly. Realistically, he might could pull off a levitation spell in time, though probably he would just hit and die.

  They marched along the ledge until it narrowed to where two people could barely stand side-by-side.

  “I can’t go on,” Shoma said nervously.

  “I can’t either,” Awasa said.

  Aikonshi kept going. “Like I said, risks only when you must.”

  Zaiporo took Shoma’s hand. “Stay next to the wall. Don’t look down. Focus on walking.”

  Turesobei started to grab Awasa’s hand, but Hakamoro jumped in. “Better let me guide her. And watch your step. You’re not very steady.”

  He noticed then that he was wobbling as he walked. “Thanks. I hadn’t realized.”

  Hakamoro frowned with concern but didn’t say anything about it. Just when the ledge narrowed to where a single person could barely step normally, Aikonshi stopped.

  “Lords and ladies, follow me.”

  She took a sharp turn, halfway back toward them, stepped forward, and disappeared into the mountain. They followed her into the blind entrance. It was a tight squeeze the first few paces, nothing more than a fissure in the mountain. But then it opened up into a cave. It wasn’t tall. Turesobei had to stoop inside, but it was plenty wide.

  “They’re not likely to find us back here,” Aikonshi.

  “How did you find this?” Zaiporo asked.

  She shrugged. “I’ve got a knack for it.”

/>   “By knack,” said Lu Bei, “she means a magical talent for survival and terrain. Master gave it to her.”

  “Thanks, little book, for making me seem pointless. It’s all master and nothing to do with me.”

  He grinned. “Oh well, if you say so.”

  She stepped toward him but he flew into Turesobei’s pack.

  “Woo woo! You can’t get me!” And he changed into a book.

  Aikonshi fumed then shook her head. “Centuries pass. Nothing changes.”

  Hakamoro opened his pack. “I’ve got emergency supplies. Enough kindling for a small fire. Should last a few hours. Enough rations for one person for three days. We’ll have to split them.”

  “Won’t the fire get noticed?” Zaiporo asked.

  “Shouldn’t have any problem with that,” Hakamoro said. “The smoke will go up through the fissure. Would be hard to spot from the ledge. You’d have to be looking up at the right angle.”

  “I can make a magical fire if we need to stay longer,” Turesobei said. “But not now. Too exhausted after that channeling spell. What time is it, anyway?”

  “Three hours until sunrise,” said Aikonshi. “When do we start our assault?”

  “Day after tomorrow. I’m going to sleep all day, prepare my spells, and then get another night’s rest. I want to rush in, desperately, but I can’t.”

  “That’s wise,” she replied.

  He met her penetrating gaze, grew uncomfortable, and sat down. Did she know what he was planning? The cave was dry, thankfully. The next thing he knew, someone put a blanket on him. A small fire burned nearby. Awasa and Hakamoro were heating rations over it.

  Aikonshi kept watch at the entrance.

  “What made you become a monster hunter?” Zaiporo asked Hakamoro. “I mean … if it’s okay for me to ask.”

  “A monster slew my family and was about to kill me. You see these scars, well, I’ve got worse under my shirt. We were herbalists in the mountains, minding our own business. Aikonshi arrived in time to save me. I was seventeen. I demanded that she take me with her. I didn’t have any other life. She had gone through basically the same thing, only I didn’t need magic to keep me alive. She nursed me back to health. Then we adventured together. I had to learn how to fight and survive and fast. Shi’s not a patient woman.”