Soul of Power

by G David Walker

  “We need to hurry,” Gatlor told them. “We do not know how long Calador can keep the beasts occupied.”

  Or how long he can stay alive remained unspoken, although Jason was sure they were all thinking it.

  They descended the steps quickly, and within a few moments stood at the door of Nyala’s lab. Jason tried to take shallow breaths; the rotting odor coming from the doorway to the lab was even worse than what filled the corridors. It was so overpowering he could almost taste it, and it took all he had to keep from gagging. Gatlor paused long enough to make sure they were all ready, and then they entered the room.

  Because of its location on the lower level, this room was darker than the rest of the building. Jason stifled a cough at the stench, and blinked his eyes as he peered into the murky shadows. While he struggled to pick out any shapes in the darkness, he heard Seerka hiss. As his eyes adjusted, the first thing he saw were dozens of large ovals scattered around on the floor, the largest standing higher than his knee. A collection of bones and bits of decomposing carcasses shared the floor with the ovals. The next thing he saw was the Red Diamond, barely visible across the room. His attention was torn away from the gemstone by a guttural growl coming from the deeper shadows in the back of the room. He turned to see another of the creatures, this one many times larger than the ones outside, emerging from the darkness. Its back was at least as tall as Calador, and it definitely didn’t look happy to see them. As he stared up at the snarling monster, Jason suddenly realized where they were.

  Nyala’s lab had become a nursery, and they were about to meet Mom.

  *****

  Borin awoke with a strangled cry, kicking and struggling against the blankets covering him. In his half-awake, half-asleep state, he thought at first that he was still imprisoned in the Manarach cave. As he blinked the sleep from his eyes and saw the stone walls of Lore’s Haven, he almost sobbed in relief. He had survived his greatest nightmare: to be captured by the horrible creatures. The fact that it was one of the creatures themselves that had freed him and the others did little to change his overall fear of them. For all that Krrr Z’an had helped them, the queen had proven to be just as ruthless as he had imagined them to be, and frighteningly more intelligent.

  He wondered if the others had slept any better than him. Every time he had been about to doze off, the glittering black orbs of the queen’s eyes, filled with the reflection of hundreds of Manarachs, overwhelmed his thoughts and shocked him back to trembling wakefulness. It wasn’t until the night was over half spent that his exhaustion had finally overridden his fear and dragged him into a restless sleep filled with dreams of running from the creatures as he watched friends and companions fall under their silk and fangs while he could do nothing to help them.

  He jumped as a knock sounded at his door. For one irrational moment, he could not shake the thought that if he opened the door, he would see the Manarach queen crouching in the corridor. Stop being ridiculous, Borin, he chastised himself.

  “One moment,” he called to his unseen visitor.

  He pulled his robe around him and went to see who was knocking. As the door swung open, he was surprised to see the Diamond Loremaster standing outside.

  “Loremaster Seryn,” he said. “What can I do for you? Was I supposed to come to the healing area this morning? If so, I apologize. I do not remember you saying anything about that.”

  Seryn smiled and shook her head. “No. I merely wanted to check on you to ensure you were not suffering any lingering effects of your ordeal. Are you experiencing any pain or discomfort?”

  “No, thank you. Your ministrations were most effective. There is no pain whatsoever.”

  “Good. So you slept well then?”

  “Well, no. I must confess, sleep was rather difficult to come by last night.”

  “I see,” she said. “Come by the healing area this evening before you retire. I will give you an herbal broth that should help you get the rest you need. After all,” she continued, “your skills are going to be very important over the next few days, once the Blood Iron arrives. It would not do to have you at any less than your best for the task at hand.”

  “I suppose not,” he said. “Thank you, Loremaster Seryn. I will come by this evening.”

  “I will have it ready. And now I need to check on the others. Until this evening, then.” With a nod, she continued down the corridor.

  Borin watched her until she disappeared around a corner and then slowly closed his door. Something she had said disturbed him. “…your skills are going to be very important…” As the words echoed in his mind, he thought about their experiences with the Manarachs and how the queen had used the Blood Iron against them. His heart sank as he came to a disconcerting realization: the very material he would be working with would nullify his powers.

  He would not be able to make the Blood Iron staff.

  *****

  “Back!” Gatlor’s shout galvanized them into action, and they all sprinted back through the door to avoid the dark cloud of missiles flying toward them. Jason heard Gatlor curse as he came through the doorway. He turned in time to see the warrior jerk one of the quills from the back of his thigh. No one else had been hit by the poison darts.

  “Captain Gatlor! You have been hit!” Meryl moved toward Gatlor. Argent power blossomed briefly around her hands, but immediately flickered and disappeared. Shaking his head, he waved her off.

  “Later,” he said. “We have no time to waste. For the moment, I can still function.” Meryl pursed her lips, clearly worried, but nodded and stepped back.

  “Move back, away from the door,” Gatlor told them. “The beast is too large to fit through the opening, but she can still shoot her quills.”

  “How will we retrieve the gem with the creature guarding the room?” Nekoor asked.

  “We must devise a way,” Gatlor said. “I refuse to come this far only to fail when the diamond is in plain sight.”

  Jason tried to think of some way to get the diamond that wouldn’t end up getting one of them killed. Since he couldn’t use his power, if he could at least come up with a halfway decent idea, he wouldn’t feel quite so useless on this mission. He let his gaze roam the hallway as he thought.

  “Perhaps a diversion?” he heard Seerka say.

  “Although I cannot become invisible surrounded by the Blood Iron,” Lenai said, “if you can draw the creature’s attention, I can change my color to blend with the wall and attempt to retrieve the diamond.”

  “What kind of diversion could we do in such a confined area that would hold the beast’s attention?” Nekoor asked.

  “And how will you keep the feathers from hitting you?” Meryl added.

  Jason felt like his brain was in neutral as the others continued their conversation. Nothing was coming. He kept searching the hallway, looking for anything that might give him an inkling of an idea. There had to be some way, but nothing jumped up and said “Here I am!” Bones, dust, wall panels on the floor, piping and conduit in the walls… His eyes narrowed as something finally clicked. Wall panels. Metal wall panels.

  “Shields,” he whispered. Then, loud enough for them to hear him, “You need shields.”

  They stopped talking and turned at him. “A shield?” Gatlor said. “Is your power not affected by the Blood Iron that you can provide a shield for us?”

  Jason stared at Gatlor. “Seriously?” He shook his head. “Sometimes, I think you people rely way too much on dimsai. I’m not talking about that kind of shield.” He pointed at the nearest fallen panel. “A shield you hold in your hand. To keep the feathers from getting to you.”

  “An excellent idea, Jason,” Nekoor said. She picked up the panel, testing its size and heft. “These might be just what we need.”

  Gatlor picked up another panel, turning it over in his hands as he examined it. “Perhaps. However, if we must use both hands to hold them, we have no way to wield our weapons.”

  “Hmm.” Nekoor tapped on the metal with her cla
ws. “Just a moment.” She set one end of the panel on the ground, holding it upright with her hand. With her other hand, she drew her dagger and rammed the blade through the metal. Then she released the panel and lifted it by the dagger. “Problem solved.”

  Gatlor drew one of his daggers and copied Nekoor’s actions. He nodded as he lifted the panel with the dagger. “Very well. We will attempt to distract the beast while Lenai secures the diamond.” He turned to Seerka and held out another dagger. “Even your prowess will not be enough to evade all of the quills.” He raised an eyebrow at the cat-man. “Unless you would prefer to wait for us here in the passageway.”

  Seerka sniffed disdainfully, but took the knife from Gatlor and picked up another of the panels. “Hmph! Who would have ever thought I would need protection from something with feathers?”

  Jason couldn’t suppress a snort at this, and he heard Nekoor chuckling also. Even Gatlor’s usually taciturn expression broke slightly at Seerka’s comment, one corner of his mouth crooking upward in amusement. Wow, he does know how to smile. Well, sort of. Then Jason thought about what they were getting ready to do, and his amusement faded. He hoped they would all still be smiling a few minutes from now.

  “Is everyone ready?” Gatlor glanced at each member of the group as they all nodded their replies. “Very well. Lenai, enter the room immediately after we do. Once we have the beast’s attention, it will be up to you to get the diamond as quickly as possible. We will attempt to keep the creature distracted.” He turned to Jason. “You and Meryl should wait out here. Without power or weapon skills, you would be more at risk than the rest of us.”

  Jason nodded, even though he didn’t like the thought of Lenai going in there without him. But what could I do anyway? Other than get myself, or someone else, killed? At least he had come up with a way for them to protect themselves. That was better than nothing.

  Gatlor turned and led them back to the doorway, picking up another of the panels along the way. Just before they got to the door, he turned to Seerka and Nekoor. “Split up once we are inside. Try to keep the beast confused.” Then he turned back to the door. “Now!”

  He ran into the room, closely followed by Nekoor and Seerka. As Gatlor passed the threshold, he slung the extra panel at the creature’s head, causing it to duck briefly. In the time it took to recover, Gatlor drew his sword and moved along the side wall, with Nekoor and Seerka spreading out across the front of the room. Jason moved as close to the door as he dared, so he could watch, as Lenai ducked through the doorway.

  The three warriors shouted at the beast and beat against the panels, making as much noise as possible. Growling, it turned from side to side as it assessed the threat. Gatlor jumped forward and tried to slash at it with his sword. The blade skittered across the feathers, which overlapped like scales, without leaving a mark. As its attention was diverted, Jason saw Lenai change the hue of her skin to match the color of the wall and begin moving toward the diamond.

  The beast lunged at Gatlor with surprising speed for something its size. The warrior rolled backwards as the mandible snapped above him. While the creature was focused on Gatlor, Nekoor ran forward and dealt a leaping blow to the side of its head with her mace. It screeched in anger and swung back to the Yellowtooth, its mandible crashing into Nekoor’s shield and knocking her backwards. As she fell, the beast lowered its head and sent a barrage of feathers streaking toward her. She got her shield up to block the missiles, but cried out as two of them flew under the edge of the shield and lodged themselves in her ankle and foot.

  “Ware the feathers!” she shouted to the others. “They can pierce the metal!”

  Jason saw that the quills that had struck Nekoor’s panel were embedded halfway through the thin metal. Well, at least they’re better than nothing. But he could tell it wouldn’t take too many attacks before the makeshift shields would be useless. He clenched his fists tightly, wanting to run into the room, but he knew, without his power, he wouldn’t be able to help. He felt Meryl’s light touch on his arm, as if she were ready to restrain him if he decided to try it anyway.

  With one of its attackers fallen, the beast focused on Nekoor. Seerka dropped his shield and leapt at it from the side, clearly intending to climb onto its back, but as the cat-man grabbed at the feathers, two fistfuls pulled out of the beast’s side, dumping him to the ground. Gatlor shouted and rushed in from the other side, but the creature slashed him away with its back foot, the long black claws leaving shredded gouges in the leather armor as the warrior flew backwards.

  Nekoor tried to get up, but the leg that had been hit collapsed under her. Clearly, the toxin was already at work. She raised her shield as the head dipped toward her, but a swing of the creature’s mandible knocked it aside. She managed to maintain her hold on her dagger, but the shield went flying away. The beast lunged toward her again, the mandibles opening wide to grasp its prey.

  As the mandible snapped shut, Jason saw Seerka spring forward and shove his shield in between them. The mandibles closed on either side of the shield, giving Seerka time to pull Nekoor away. The creature snarled as it raised its head, and Jason heard the tortured scream of metal as the powerful appendages come together with frightening force, bending the panel in half. The beast tossed the mangled plate aside and focused once again on Nekoor and Seerka.

  Jason spared a glance to see where Lenai was, and saw that she had reached the diamond. As she lifted it from where it was mounted, the movement of the scarlet gem caught the beast’s attention. It roared and turned toward her, Nekoor and Seerka apparently forgotten. Jason knew, without any shield, she would be defenseless against the creature’s attack. Seerka was still helping Nekoor, and Gatlor was behind the creature on the opposite side of the room from Lenai. Ignoring Meryl’s protest, he jumped up and ran into the room, intending to throw a bolt of power at the monster.

  As soon as the power left his hand, it dispersed into the walls of the room. However, the flash of light was enough to distract the creature from Lenai. Jason knew he couldn’t stand up to the monster, but he couldn’t let it get Lenai either. He threw another flare of power. In the brief flash of light, he saw something near Lenai that gave him an idea. I really hope this works. He sprinted toward her, the creature tracking his motion. It lowered its head and sent another wave of feathers flying toward him. Jason slid under the attack with a grace he had never possessed in Little League. And Coach thought I’d never learn to slide. All it took was a ten foot tall, feather covered, insect-wolf thing to give me the proper motivation. He came up and stopped beside Lenai.

  “Jason, what are you doing?” she shouted at him, over the sound of the creature’s fury.

  “I’m not sure!” he answered. He bent down and picked up one of the larger eggs sitting at their feet. It was heavier than he expected, and it slipped a little in his grip before he got both arms securely underneath it. The beast, which was moving toward them, stopped in its tracks, its eyes narrowing as it saw Jason holding one of its unborn offspring. It voiced a low, threatening growl, but didn’t move any closer.

  “Stay behind me,” he told Lenai, as he began slowly moving sideways toward the exit, keeping the egg between them and the creature. He saw the warriors moving toward the door also. Seerka supported Nekoor, and Gatlor appeared to be limping, whether from the creature slashing at him, or from the quill he took the first time in the room, Jason couldn’t tell. He was afraid the monster might see their movements and attack again, but her attention was focused exclusively on Jason and the egg in his arms. It paced them as they moved toward the door, never coming any closer, but not allowing them to get any further away either.

  Although it seemed like it was taking forever to reach the door, Jason knew it was just his nerves making it seem longer than it was. His palms were beginning to sweat, and he was afraid he might lose his grip on the egg before they were safe. He almost dropped it as he felt it move in his arms. Crud, how long before this thing hatches? The last thing he wanted was to be
holding one of these things when its occupant began looking for its first meal.

  They finally made it to the doorway. Jason waited until Lenai was safely outside, and then he carefully lowered the egg to the ground, the mother watching him closely the entire time. He crouched down as he lowered his burden, trying as much as possible to keep it between him and any quill attack. Once he was sure it was safely on the ground, he turned and dove out the door. He heard a scream of fury, and then the building shuddered as the beast threw herself at the door. The mandibles grabbed one side of the door frame and ripped it out of the wall. It would still take a considerably larger hole to allow her to get out, but Jason didn’t want to wait around to see how big of a hole it would take.

  “We’d better go,” he said. He moved to the other side of Nekoor to help Seerka, and the group began moving as quickly as they could out of the building. Behind them, the creature was still shrieking, but it sounded different to Jason. Before, she had sounded angry. Now, she sounded like…