“Cyrus and Celeste are as much here for me as I am for them,” Crystil said. “I hope they are doing well on Vostoka. I wish we had a way of watching them.”
The Emperor nodded but did not appear concerned at all.
“Of all the things to worry me, the least of them are my children, in all honesty. They are going to a planet in which my father sent about a dozen young men and women. There are no Kastori there, and as far as our records show, no threats of any kind either. They could not be going to a safer planet.”
“Well, when they do get back, maybe we show their power to the world,” Crystil said. “It could motivate the people. It could show them we have the firepower to fight Typhos.”
“And expose their Kastori blood?”
Crystil didn’t think it was as bad an idea as before her unification speech, but every time she heard the word “magicologist” muttered by a human, she was reminded of the difficulty of changing everyone’s mind. Only the obvious threat of total annihilation brought them together.
“In time, I suppose,” Crystil said wearily.
The Emperor gave a quick smile.
“I should be getting back to work. But Crystil, do think of ways to rally everyone. It doesn’t have to involve me. You will find a way, I’m sure of it. And if you do need me… make it a last resort. As for myself, I can only say I will think on this more.”
Crystil really wished the emperor hadn’t deflected her request still, but when Caius closed the door and casually headed back to the third ship under construction, she saw his defiance as a challenge that she could overcome.
18
On the peak of Mount Ardor, the son of Erda and the brother of Cyrus and Celeste recovered, eating ursus, directing the magic of the planet toward his body, and plotting his next step. Typhos could not wait to test his newfound powers on the Orthrans, but could barely stand at this point. Perhaps on the next one, I will absorb its power first, wait, and then destroy the planet. Stagger it.
No. You know what to expect now. You will be able to better handle the pain that comes. Do not back down from your plan.
Take Tapuya. Then annihilate Vostoka. If they happen to get—
He sensed a profound shift in magic. It was so great that Typhos ignored the pain and rose off the ground. He placed his mask back on and focused on the source of the great shift in power.
His view warped through space and honed in on Vostoka. It dipped into the planet’s atmosphere and came to two figures outside a great source of energy—one standing, one resting on the ground. They did get the power. They have white magic that rivals mine.
No!
Even though he had anticipated one of the Orthrans getting to Vostoka before him, the sight still enraged Typhos and pushed him out of recovery mode and into fury mode. He stood and tried to teleport himself, but the magic required for such a spell left him in such pain that he stopped a third of the way through, collapsing to the ground, feeling nauseous. He laid on his back, breathing slowly to recover, and then rose to his knees.
I cannot teleport myself.
But another…
He smiled deviously at the thought that came to mind.
He closed his eyes and brought himself back to the same state he had gone into when he created Calypsius and the Caliphae. The process went by much slower in his weakened state, but he did not rush, knowing Celeste would need time to recover as he had. He saw a creature with the face of Calypsius but the body of a giant aviant, with a thirty-foot wingspan and twenty feet from tail to nose. The monster had talons which could grip any Kastori or human, and the ability to breathe magic endowed with great electrical properties. The monster would destroy any technology on Vostoka and lift Cyrus and Celeste, from which the two would plummet to their deaths.
For nearly three days, Typhos toiled in his head, meticulously creating the beast, making sure not to rush and overexert himself. He ignored his hunger, knowing he could feast on the ursus around him later.
As the sun rose on Anatolus, Typhos finished. The creature appeared before him, resting on the ground by the stairs. The creature’s head rose and screeched at Typhos.
“You are brought into this universe for one purpose only. Destroy any and all life you see!”
The creature lifted its wings in demonstration of its great power. Typhos stood, unaffected by the display, and raised his hand.
“You will fulfill your purpose on Vostoka. And then you will fulfill it again on Monda. This is the reason for your existence. Nothing more, and nothing less.”
The monster screeched once more and reared its head back to unleash its fury on its creator. Typhos casually raised his arm, focused all of his energy toward the beast, and teleported it just as the first wave of energy came out. Sparks hit Typhos, briefly causing him to shake, but the creature had disappeared to Vostoka.
Typhos collapsed once more, so tired he had to use magic to bring an ursus less than ten feet away to him. But he trusted the great aviant to do the work he so desperately needed to happen, and when he recovered—in a couple of days, at most—he would destroy Tapuya and then bring his apocalyptic wrath back to Monda.
19
On the morning after she had absorbed the planet’s powers, Celeste rose from her bed feeling remarkably refreshed. Her legs felt strong as she rose from her bed. None of her muscles felt sore. She felt like she had just eaten an entire ursus with all of her energy. She heard the footsteps of Cyrus approaching and grabbed her sword.
“Oh, you’re up already,” he said, surprise on his face. “Usually, you would still be sleeping, only to wake to eat and then go back to sleep.”
“It’s amazing what a good night of sleep can do to you,” she said as she attached the sword to her belt.
“Good, because I am bored beyond belief here. It’s not like Nubia where the human settlement had some interesting data. It’s no wonder Novus went insane here. I can’t find anything to entertain myself with. I can’t even do research!”
“Cyrus Orthran, doing research? There would be something new.”
Cyrus mockingly fumed as Celeste made sure she did not forget anything.
“Well, in any case, I’m happy you’re back. I need to get home to say hi to Pops and Crystil.”
“Yeah, you do,” Celeste said with a knowing smile, to which Cyrus blushed at. “I know why you want to get home. After our little talk out in the wilderness.”
Cyrus sighed and bowed his head. Celeste laughed, but quietly hoped that Cyrus would fulfill his desires with Crystil. The two bantered off each other surprisingly well, and who better a fit for the future emperor than the most impressive soldier in the Orthranian Empire?
Celeste confirmed she had everything she needed and nodded toward the entrance so they could teleport outside. The two walked casually toward the broken window and prepared to hop out.
Then a loud, angry, shrill cry came from the heavens.
“That… I don’t think that’s an aviant here,” Cyrus said. “Or it’s just a really hungry one.”
It’s not hungry. It’s hunting.
“Did you hear anything like this while I was recovering?”
“No,” Cyrus said as his hand slowly went to his sword. Quietly, he cast a fire spell on his blade. Celeste did the same. “This thing is new. And…”
Typhos. He’s upset. He sent this to us to kill us. Which means he’s recovering faster than expected.
We have to get out of here. We have to get back to Monda and immediately turn around for Tapuya.
“Cyrus, we don’t have time to fight it. We just have to distract it long enough to teleport.”
“The weak man’s way out? No—”
But then a loud crash came from above as the bird dived straight into the ceiling, collapsing the roof. Only some quick reactionary magic from Celeste kept the building from falling on top of them. Cyrus backed up to safety, and Celeste threw the crumbling concrete away from her.
The creature—which looked like
a miniature Calypsius—rose from the rubble and screeched loudly at Celeste and Cyrus.
“I don’t think it’s going to give us the chance to teleport,” Cyrus remarked. “Looks like we’re going to have to do it my way. The fight to the death way!”
“Always your way, huh?” Celeste said with a chuckle.
She and Cyrus got into position as the creature screeched once more at them, displaying its jaws with deadly teeth and its talons which could grab them. The monster flew up to the sky, a few hundred feet up, and flew away.
“Coward!”
“It’s coming in for a pass, Cyrus,” Celeste said.
“Come back and fight like a real aviant! Or did Typhos give you the scared trait that he possesses?”
Celeste sighed as the beast, at the moment Cyrus finished, looped back around and dived toward them. She closed her eyes and sensed the creature’s energy and felt a strong electrical presence within. It did not breathe fire, she realized—it shot electricity, almost like breathing lightning bolts.
She opened her eyes just in time to see the monster’s mouth open.
“Cyrus!”
She dove at him, cast a magical barrier spell, and tackled him to the ground as the sound of lightning struck the magical barrier she had erected around them. The creature’s cries shattered their hearing, but they remained unharmed otherwise. The two rose as the monster climbed in the air, presumably for another pass.
“Guess your magic does come in handy, huh?” Cyrus said as he rose, dusting himself off. “Barriers. The easiest way to stop magic from hurting you.”
“It won’t hold forever,” Celeste said. “The most powerful magic in the universe does not equal indestructible magic.”
The creature looped back around and roared, preparing to fire once more.
“That barrier still good?” Cyrus yelled.
“Should be!”
“Should—whatever!”
Cyrus and Celeste held their ground, trying to time the arrival of the monster. The creature somehow moved even faster than Calypsius itself, and whatever strikes they got on the monster would come from pure luck.
The creature opened its mouth, and electric sparks shot out. Celeste and Cyrus chopped their fire-endowed swords through the air. Their swords collided with the beast so violently that they were knocked from their hands, but the blood of the beast signified that they had done some damage to the monster.
“Hey, we can hit it!” Cyrus said, but he groaned when the monster landed just inches behind the swords as if daring the Orthrans to come and claim them. “Really? Come on, that’s cheating!”
“We have to use magic,” Celeste said.
Use your white magic as an offensive weapon.
Crazy. But it could work.
She focused on casting a barrier spell so powerful on the beast that it would not allow it to move at all. The spell would prevent any physical attacks from the outside, but would also prevent it from attacking as well. They only had to worry about the electrical spell from its mouth.
Casting the spell took about six seconds, and with the beast unwilling to move from the swords, it worked.
“Go!”
Cyrus sprinted toward the monster, who waited in eager anticipation, unaware of the barrier around it. Cyrus came within five feet of the monster, and the creature lunged with its head. It collided with the barrier, which glowed red when the monster smashed into it. The aviant-like creature shrieked in annoyance as Cyrus grabbed the swords. The monster reared back and violently spewed lightning out of control.
“Ow!” Cyrus yelled as one caught him on the left leg, but he quickly rose and gave Celeste her sword back. She dropped the spell and the beast, now even more ticked off than before, snarled at them with its obviously broken nose.
“What’s the plan now?” Cyrus asked.
“Attack with our swords.”
“Anything else?”
“Have a tighter grip!”
The monster rose to the sky.
“You didn’t think that far ahead, did you?”
“Nope!”
Celeste focused on strengthening the magical barrier still around them and did so as the monster began its bank back toward them.
“Go for the underbelly! That’s probably where it is weakest!”
Celeste held her sword in a position where she could stab it upward and anticipated the creature’s move. Cyrus stood in front of her, ready to deliver the first blow. This time, though, the creature swooped in at a lower level. Instead of staying about fifteen feet off the ground, it stayed…
“Cyrus! Duck!”
But she cried out too late, and the monster snatched Cyrus from the ground. Their momentum carried into Celeste, knocking her to the ground. She rose to see the monster lifting Cyrus high into the air, far past a safe point.
“Cyrus!”
20
This is not how I envisioned escaping Vostoka.
“Celeste!” Cyrus cried, but she was rapidly becoming a dot on the planet, blending in with the white snow on the ground. He felt nauseous as the monster lifted him higher and higher into the sky, its talons digging into his shoulders, causing him to bleed profusely.
But his sword had lodged into the creature’s chest. He had done something. And I’m going to destroy you while we’re up here. Celeste… you better save my sorry butt.
Doing his best to focus on the creature above him and not on the clouds around him, Cyrus grabbed his sword and twisted the handle. The creature screeched, but its grip remained unyielding.
“Dedicated to the job, huh? Crystil would like you,” he shouted as he pulled the blade in and dug it down, moving along the creature’s body like a saw. “Too bad I like her a little bit more! And that I’m more dedicated to my job than you!”
He continued down until he could not go any further, but still the creature’s grip did not loosen. Even as the creature’s loss of blood seemed to work against it, it still focused on rising as high as it could in the sky. The sky began to turn a darker blue, and Cyrus knew he did not have long before a lack of oxygen became an issue.
Why won’t it die?!? Why won’t it suffer—
Because it’s like Calypsius. It feels no pain.
Time to disable it.
With stars becoming visible, Cyrus pulled the sword out of the creature’s chest and took one last breath in. The oxygen in the air was barely enough for him to stay conscious, but with one adrenaline-fueled chop, he swung his sword into the creature’s right wing. He did not sever it, but he caused enough damage that they began to glide down.
“Yeah, take that!”
With one more chop, he completely destroyed the creature’s right wing, and the two tumbled back down to the planet.
But to Cyrus’ horror, the battle had not ended. The creature, despite being unable to fly, turned its evil gaze toward Cyrus and breathed lightning at him. Their fall ensured it did not have the accuracy it once did, but Cyrus couldn’t believe his ill fortune.
He held his sword out and endowed it with a fire spell once more and attempted to cast fireballs at the creature. The monster easily dodged them, but it also made its lightning strikes even more inaccurate. Cyrus knew that he could not win the battle unless he annihilated the creature, and so he tightened his body up, pressing his legs together and his arms to his body and diving for the monster.
“Typhos!” he yelled. “Do you see this? I will defeat your monsters!”
When he got close enough, he swung his body to the side to avoid the jaws of the creature. He lifted his sword and swung it through the neck of the creature, decapitating it and destroying the beast entirely.
“Better luck next time,” he sneered.
But with the monster out of the way, he became conscious of his free-fall descent. The sky became a lighter blue, the ground came rushing to him, and his death seemed seconds away.
“Celeste!” he yelled. “I could really use some of your new magic right now!”
&n
bsp; 21
Celeste watched in horror as the monster lifted Cyrus into the sky to an impossibly high elevation to survive. She tried to cast spells to slow the monster down, but the creature ignored all of them, pushing through whatever barrier and red magic spells Celeste had. I need Tapuya’s power right now. A monster like this…
Cyrus is not going to survive. The creature’s going to deprive him of air or kill him with the fall.
She fell to her knees, tears starting to fall, as the two of them disappeared out of sight entirely. She felt no amount of power could make up for the loss of her brother, and that coming to Vostoka had become their undoing. Typhos is going to tear us apart and destroy us if we’re going to destroy him.
“Cyrus,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help you.”
She continued sobbing. The screeches of the monster from above continued, but Celeste took little comfort in them. At least he’s going down with a fight. Always the hero. Always had to play the hero. At least you’ll die with a good story for Crystil. Sorry we could never make that happen, Cyrus. I’m sorry. I’m—
But as she kept her gaze on the sky, she saw the two figures descending. She thought her mind was just hopeful, though she knew she would not teleport without a body from Cyrus or his sword. So she waited, keeping her eyes on the sky.
Sure enough, the two of them were, in fact, descending. Look at it through his eyes.
Celeste almost smacked herself for not thinking about that earlier. She could see the descent of Cyrus through his vision with her magic. She closed her eyes and focused.
Immediately, she saw him diving toward the creature and raising his sword. He sliced through its neck, killing it immediately. There you go! But she quickly shook herself of the thoughts and oriented herself. From Cyrus’ perspective, he was falling on the far side of the base.
She removed herself from his vision and sprinted toward the other side of the building, her eyes on her brother at all times. You gotta figure it out.
How. How.
Kastori Restorations (The Kastori Chronicles Book 4) Page 9