"We are not as immortal as we once thought. I have witnessed the death of one of our number.”
Karan moved forward slightly. When he spoke there was mocking laughter in his voice. "You lie. We cannot die.”
"We can die. The ice blade has been killed. Try to contact him and you will see that what I say is true,” Maxx's voice trembled with anger as he spoke.
All was silent for a moment as the other Crystal Blades tried to contact Cyan. Taren was pretty sure the other blades were starting to believe what Maxx was saying, judging by the murmur that was running through the crowd.
"The ice blade was weak,” Karan spat the insult like it left a foul taste in his mouth.
This was what Maxx was waiting for. "I challenge you to a duel. I will not stand by and hear the honor and memory of a dead comrade be slandered.”
Karan was amused, "A duel?"
"To the death," Maxx replied.
"That will be a very long duel, as neither of us can die.”
If Maxx had possessed a mouth, Taren thought that there would have been a smile on it when he gave his reply. "Not as long as you might think.”
"I accept.”
The two blades floated to a wide space where they would be able to maneuver without being hindered by geological obstructions or by other blades.
It was the strangest thing that Taren had ever seen. A sword fight very masterfully orchestrated by two swords; two invisible combatants; only their weapons showing where they were.
The entire cavern echoed with the sound of ringing crystal as the two combatants blades struck each other. Visually it was very difficult to follow. It was a veritable whirlwind of parries and strikes that would have left both combatants disemboweled had they been normal men fighting.
Strike… parry… parry… strike… The battle went on and on until finally, Maxx found his opening. Karan made a desperate lunge that carried him farther than he intended to go. As he passed, Maxx swung himself in a quick jab, striking the murky quartz crystal that was Karan's heart stone. Under the power of the blow, the stone shattered into thousands of tiny shards, littering the ground below the two swords. For a moment it looked as if Karan would survive the blow as he pulled himself around to fight again. Then all at once, the light that had suffused the sword's blade grew dim, one last sound of ringing crystal echoed through the cavern as the weapon that was once Karan plummeted to the ground, and a murmur of despair ran through the crowd as they witnessed the death of the sword that had been their leader for so long.
"Crystal Blades," Maxx called out to them. "See that I was not lying. We are not immortal. If the Dark Lords win this war, I seriously doubt they will let us live. We are a representation of everything they hate. It is time for you to swallow your pride. Allow yourselves to be taken up into battle once again. It is the only way that any of us will have a chance at victory. I must see my daughter. Go home, all of you.”
The mob quickly dispersed as the various weapons floated off to the stone huts that surrounded the castle. Maxx floated in place until the last blade disappeared, then he floated over to Hope and allowed himself to be carried.
"That was harder than I thought;” There was weariness evident in Maxx's voice as he spoke. "Karan gained much power from somewhere,”
Without another word, the group turned to take the final steps that led to the castle.
As they approached the castle, Taren was surprised to see something, or someone, step out of the castle wall to greet them. It appeared to be a woman made of the same crystal as the castle and the cavern. She was a tall woman, with a young face and long flowing crystal hair that waved as she walked. Her eyes were two pale blue lights that glowed as she turned to face each member of the party in turn. Everything about this woman flowed, from her long crystal-like hair to her slender legs to her elegant feet that made no sound when she stepped.
Her voice almost sang as she greeted Maxx. "Welcome back, father. It's nice to have you home.”
Shaunna greeted the strange woman. "Hello Cera, I would like you to meet Taren.”
Cera bowed gracefully, "Your majesty. You are here for the Sun Fire Orb, are you not?"
Taren nodded. "Yes, I am.”
"You have the tokens, I expect,” Her eyes glowed blue as she gazed at him,”You will not be able to retrieve the Orb without them.”
"I... I guess. Shaunna said I have them,” He was getting confused.
Cera smiled. She put her first three fingers and her thumb together. Drawing her hand slowly down, a long thin crystal on a crystal chain appeared in her hand resembling the one Shaunna wore around her neck.
"Take this. It will help me transport you. Keep it with you always.”
Taren accepted the crystal from her.
As he placed the crystal around his neck, he heard a phrase that made him very nervous.
"Now you are ready; commencing transfer.”
Taren felt his body compress as the Crystal Cavern dissolved to be replaced by a white room with no doors or windows. In the center of the room was a small table, the only furnishing in the room, with a grey cabinet on it. A bright light could be seen through the cracks around the cabinet door.
He moved went the cabinet so he could examine it. There were no handles, and the door was flush with the front of the cabinet to make it impossible to pry open. There were no markings on the table or cabinet to indicate how to open the door.
As he usually did when he was deep in thought, Taren began to run the tip of his finger over the smooth tabletop that held the cabinet. This was how he found the solution. As his finger moved slowly across the smooth surface, he felt something that even his keen vision was not able to see. There was a shallow circular indentation in the table about the size of the purple cylinder.
Retrieving the sword from his pocket, he placed it end down in the indentation. The table began to shake slightly, and the cylinder slowly sank into it. On the other side of the table, a panel opened as the Star-fire Sword slowly sank into it.
Moving around the table, Taren came to the location that the panel had opened. In place of the smooth table top, there was a section of the table with three slits in it, spaced just right to accommodate the claws from the Dragon Talons.
Willing the talons to life, he slid the left-hand claws into the three holes. As the claws disappeared into the table, the purple cylinder rose, and a door of opened in the back of the cabinet. He waited until his fist was firm against the surface of the table before reaching his free hand into the cabinet to grab the orb.
As his hand pressed against the orb's surface, he could feel the warmth within pulsing with power wanting to be released. He had to close his eyes because the light was so bright.
Wrapping the orb in a spare piece of cloth, he walked around the table to grab the sword as it rose from the table.
"Cera, I have it,” He said into the crystal she'd given him, not exactly sure how he was supposed to get back.
As the white room dissolved around him a force grabbed him, pulling him from the gentle grip of Cera's power. Then the blur that had been the white room was replaced with the cold air of a mountain pass. Snow fell from the heavy leaden grey clouds overhead. This place was desolate.
"Hope, Shaunna, are you here?" he asked, wishing to hear anything but the wind whistling in his ears.
He looked around again, hoping against all reason that he would see one of his friends. All he beheld was snow.
"No," he whispered as he slumped to the ground, feeling truly alone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Dark Lords
"Do you feel it, brothers?" Dante was almost drunk with ecstasy. "Do you feel the power?"
"Yes," Darren replied, "he has the orb. The young king has performed far better than I expected.”
Dareth shook his head in disgust. "You two underestimate the young kinglet.”
Dareth's two brothers laughed as they replied. "No, I don't think we do. You know as well as I do that he will neve
r win.”
"I'm telling you, you are making a grave mistake by underestimating him,” Dareth admonished his brothers. "This is the last I will speak of it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Teal'thal Summit
“It is said that the barrier between worlds is thinnest there.” - Cera
"No!" Cera screamed as Taren was pulled from her grasp. "Where is he, where is he where is he?"
Shaunna was instantly at Cera's side. "What happened?"
Cera looked at the dark elf, her glowing blue eyes blazed with fear. "I lost him.”
"Cera, you didn't.”
Cera brought her hands up as if to ward off a blow. "No, it wasn't my fault this time. Something grabbed him from me,” Grabbing her shoulders with each hand, she began to rock back and forth. "I can't locate my crystal. Shaunna, I'm scared. It feels like a piece of me has just... vanished.”
Pulling Cera into an embrace, Shaunna marveled at the warmth of the crystal skin. As she began to rock the crystal girl in her embrace, Shaunna began to run her fingers through Cera's crystal strands of hair.
"It's all right, Cera," Shaunna said soothingly. "You would know if something destroyed the crystal. It will turn up. We'll just have to wait.”
Worry began to fill Shaunna. Cera had been known to accidentally transport people to the wrong location, but she had never lost them before. The dark elf woman just stood there holding the crystal girl, hoping she could follow her own advice.
The lone pine tree stood on the summit of the mountain, straining to stand erect against the power of the wintry winds. The falling snow swirled in the strong gales, creating phantom images that skulked across the bleak landscape. The ground was covered with a thick blanket of snow that was broken in an asymmetrical pattern by a smattering of boulder formations. The sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon, forcing already freezing temperatures to rapidly plummet.
Young Taren Elloy huddled under the sheltering branches of the tree trying to preserve what little warmth he could. His clothes were wet from the brief time that he had spent in the storm trying to locate an adequate shelter. He had tried to conjure a fire using magic, but the flames did little to assuage the cold that was seeping into his being. He had even tried holding the Sun Fire orb, but the heat burned his freezing fingers and he dropped it. He had to hurry to grab the orb and place it back into his pouch before it sank into the snow. So he sat under the large tree unsuccessfully attempting to stay warm. He was wet, he was freezing, and he was quite sure that he was going to die on this mountaintop.
He looked out into the fading light that could just be glimpsed through the storm. The wind seemed to be stronger, and the snow falling harder than before. The shelter of the tree wasn't much, but at least it was something. "I should probably wait until morning.”
He tried once again to conjure a fire to warm himself. The incantation was difficult to speak through his chattering teeth, but he was finally able to conjure a small magical flame that rested in his hands. The heat from the flame burned his frozen fingers, but he held onto it. It didn't take very long for his fingers to warm up to the point that the flame no longer hurt, but the flame did nothing to warm the rest of his body.
He sat there shivering violently in the cold of the darkening night, the little flame resting in his hands. He didn't think the flame did much until a deluge of snow covered him, extinguishing the flame and thrusting him back into the intense cold.
When he finally dug himself out of the snow, both of the moons were high in the sky. The moonlight glittered on the snow, lighting the area enough for him to see his surroundings.
The first thing that he noticed was the storm seemed to have passed. Snow no longer fell. The second thing that he noticed was the fact that the wind had not died down. He needed to find new shelter, as the one that he had found was now buried in deep snow and no longer fit to protect him.
A large pile of boulders stood nearby. They didn't seem to be able to offer much in the way of shelter. There was a sheer cliff that fell away close by. A light flickered in the distance, conjuring images of a fire's glow. Thinking that a fire would be his best chance for survival, he decided to go and investigate.
He took his first step and promptly sank to his waist in the deep snow. Shaking his head, he began to trudge through the snow. The effort, along with the cold, quickly took its toll. It took every ounce of strength to keep moving. Ice had formed between the feathers of his wings, causing them to droop downward at odd angles. His wings dragging through the snow didn't help his progress.
He'd been walking for hours when exhaustion finally overtook him. As he trudged through the snow, his foot struck something solid. He was not able to keep his balance and fell forward. His head hit something solid as he fell into the deep snow causing intense pain to shoot through his head. Stars erupted before his eyes, hanging there for mere moments before falling unconscious.
When he woke, Taren found himself covered in snow. From the color of the sky, the sun was either just rising or beginning to set. It was difficult to tell because the clouds hid the sun from view. He had no idea where he was, and no way to get back to where he had come from because the snow had obliterated any trace of the path that he had taken through the darkness the previous night.
He stared at the surrounding area, completely unimpressed by the bleakness. There were no trees or shrubbery of any kind. He couldn't even see the tree that he had used for shelter the night before. The snow was deeper than it had been yesterday, and it was getting deeper by the second. The temperature was beginning to drop rapidly, indicating that the sun was setting and the night was beginning to gain its scheduled dominance over the land.
Taren was shivering. His clothes were completely soaked through, and they were beginning to get stiff in the deepening cold as the water in them froze. He was beginning to fear for his life again in this harsh barren land when he heard it again.
"Taren, where are you?" It was a strange triple voice.
He glanced up to see a faint light hovering in the air several feet away from him. He did not wait to see what was going to happen this time.
"I am here!" He called out to the voice.
The light did not seem to notice his hail, it just began moving away from him again.
Taren wasted no time in following the light. He didn't care where it was going to lead him; he was going to die in this weather if he didn't find shelter.
He followed the leading light for what seemed like an eternity in the blackness of the snow storm. The cold and wet conditions robbed his muscles of their strength, making it difficult to take the necessary steps that would propel him forward. He fought the lethargy that was caused by the freezing temperature until he was no longer able to fight.
His strength spent, Taren tumbled down a steep slope.
"Taren, you must get up,” It was a more familiar voice this time. "You can't die here. I need you,” Shaunna's face gleamed in a soft white light.
"I can't continue,” Taren couldn't believe he was saying these words. "It's just too hard.”
Shaunna was replaced by three women that Taren felt he should know. "Taren, you must get up. We cannot get home without you. You need to open the doors at your end,” Taren opened his eyes. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious, but he was once again covered by several inches of snow. It was still dark when he sat up to survey his new surroundings.
Just in front of him was a large opening with a bright light emanating from it. This light was different than the light followed. it was brighter and somehow more permanent.
He roused himself sufficiently to get his legs moving again. Within moments he was in through the opening, standing in front of a roaring fire. His clothes and hair quickly began to steam in the heat of the blaze, and he took advantage of the opportunity. Stripping off his wet clothes, he laid each piece on a rock around the flame to let it dry. When he was completely nude, he laid himself out to dry as well.
As the warmth enveloped him, he slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When Taren awoke the next morning, the fire was still burning just as intensely as it had been the night before. His clothes and feathers were dry. While he dressed he took the time to examine his surroundings.
Three identical archways stood in the cave. One stood on the wall opposite the cave entrance. The other two stood opposite each other on the side walls. They were made out of a type of rock that Taren recognized as blood granite. It was a hard rock, not easily found, but highly prized for its magical properties. It was usually used in the making of magical portals.
In the center of the fire stood a dais; with some sort of emblem on it. Taren couldn't tell what the emblem was through the flames.
For some reason, the dais in the fire held Taren's attention. There was just something about it that seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.
"What is this?" he wondered aloud to himself.
The words that the three women had spoken in his dream came back to him. "You need to open the doors from your end,”
His gaze was brought immediately to the three arches. They were lifeless and not able to be used for any kind of magical transportation. He was absolutely baffled as to how he was supposed to open the doors, so he thought out loud, as he so often did.
"What am I supposed to do?" He was almost surprised as words began to form in the fire. "Oh no, not again,” He shook his head in disbelief.
By Sun Fire’s light, shall the doors be opened.
Taking the orb in his hands, he moved closer to the fire. The flame didn't diminish in size, but he did notice that he couldn't feel the heat as intensely as before. Hesitating a little, he remembered what Grathius had said after he had saved them all from the ghosts that surrounded the ruins of the castle. "I took a chance, and it paid off, that they would be too frrrightened of passing thrrrough the firrre. They werrre afrrraid of getting burrrned,” Taren was suddenly able to sympathize with the spirits.
Master's Mind: The Dagger of Dragon Rose: Book 1 Page 25