Suddenly, a feeling of helplessness and intense loneliness crashed into Jenny like a tidal wave. She felt lost, both physically and mentally, and she struggled to maintain her hold on reality. “What am I doing here?” She looked at Sally. “Why am I here with you?” Jenny’s eyes filled with tears. “Why can’t I see my mom instead?”
Sally reached out her hand. Jenny took it and gasped. It felt solid. Sally grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace. Jenny collapsed into Sally’s arms as the dam on her emotions exploded. Hot tears flowed down her cheeks, and a strange numbness spread through her body. The air grew dense, more like water. Circular waves moved languidly out from the depths of the drain. A wave hit her, and the world spun.
9
Astrea
Jenny walked down a dark, arched stone corridor lined with tapestries. Half the art depicted men in plate armor attacking giants with bladed polearms. The other half illustrated the path of Christ from birth to death. Jenny tried to turn and study the tapestries in more detail, but her body would not respond. She walked differently too, from toe to heal rather than heel to toe. For a few frightening seconds, she fought to control her body. Failing that, she surrendered to the strange vision. She heard the sound of footfalls. I’m not alone.
A man wearing full plate armor and carrying a tallow candle walked next to her. A long sword hung from a leather scabbard at his waist. “We must abandon Fort Esperanza,” the man said.
She faced the man. “I agree, Father.” Her voice and words were not her own. “But where could we go that the Risi would not follow?”
His brown forehead wrinkled. “Home.”
A sense of panic washed over her. “I will not take our people back to Spain. We lived on the edge of society, begging and stealing to survive. The people feared and loathed us. They treated us worse than animals.” She gripped an object hanging around her neck. It was warm and slippery to the touch. “I would rather die.”
“There is another way, Astrea.”
“The Riftkey?” Astrea looked down past her leather cuirass to her leather boots. “But Ramus warned us that it was dangerous.”
“But he also encouraged you to practice with it, and he said that one day it would save our people.”
“He didn’t know what I could do with it.”
The man—Jenny somehow knew his name to be Walther—placed a gauntleted hand on her shoulder. “We are the last tribe of Simeon. This may be our only hope of survival.”
Astrea took a deep breath. “You are right.” She looked into her father’s eyes. “I will use the Riftkey.”
Walther held the candle out and led them down a narrow stone staircase. The air chilled as they descended. They reached an underground vault through a long hallway. Wooden stands for holding weapons and armor littered the columned room, but the light of the candle failed to reach the distant walls.
Walther picked up an empty grain sack and walked over to a barrel filled with arrows. Astrea continued walking toward the back wall of the vault. She stopped in front of a wooden table where a long, thin mirror seemed to float a few centimeters above its top.
Astrea reached under the mirror and lifted it free of its resting place. The object was more substantial than Jenny had expected. It had a handle, and the proportions were that of a longsword. But where the blade would have been, there was a rectangular prism. The sides of the prism were impossibly black, as if there was a chasm instead of a solid edge. The top and bottom were mirrors that felt slippery and warm to the touch.
This is one strange sword, Jenny thought. No, this is the Riftkey, Jenny heard inside her mind. She shivered. Jenny wasn’t sure if the thought was Astrea’s or hers.
Astrea transferred her grip to the handle. A moment later, there was a loud crack, and the black edges of the Riftkey sparked with blue light. Astrea swung the Riftkey. It resisted movement as if passing through water and trailed blue sparks. The air filled with the clean, chlorine-like smell of ozone.
Suddenly, a surge of energy exploded inside Jenny’s mind. She felt herself drift away from Astrea’s body and gained control of her movements. She looked down at herself and gasped. Her body was insubstantial and had a silvery mist quality to it. She looked like her ghost, Sally, or more accurately, Astrea. Jenny turned around and faced her host.
Astrea’s open-faced helmet revealed almond eyes of green and brown, a sharp nose, wavy black hair, and brown skin. “Sally?” Jenny asked.
“Nimue?” Astrea cocked her head as if she could see Jenny. She looked closely at Jenny’s short hair and dichromatic eyes. “No, you are not her.”
“What did you say?” Astrea’s father asked as he filled up another grain sack with arrows.
“Nothing, Father.” Astrea returned her attention to Jenny and lowered her voice. “Who are you?”
“My name is Jenny. I’m, uh, Jenny Tripper.”
Astrea shook her head and whispered, “I do not know why you are here, but I pray you do not interfere.”
The Riftkey’s light faded and the room plunged into darkness. Astrea turned and joined her father. They left the basement, and hurried down the passageway. Though Jenny finally had control over her own movements, she soon found that there was a limit to how far she could be away from Astrea. When Jenny strayed, she was dragged along behind Astrea like a fish on a hook.
Up ahead, Jenny heard the shouts of men echoing down the tapestry-lined hallway. They reached the end of the hall, and exited into a grand space. Clerestory windows lit rows of pews. The scent of wood and perfumed oil mixed with polished stone. Astrea and Walther ran down the side aisle and out through a set of massive wooden doors. Jenny was pulled along behind them.
The shouting was louder out here. A dozen men wielding spears and halberds lined up behind the gatehouse. Some were armored in chain mail, but most wore boiled leather. More men wearing padded armor and armed with bows lined the battlements. Fat drops of rain fell from a dark-gray sky and passed through Jenny’s ethereal form.
I know this place, Jenny thought. These are the ruins that Sally led me to.
“Tristan.” Astrea turned to a lanky, black-haired boy. “Gather everyone in the courtyard.”
Tristan hefted an iron-tipped spear and ran off in the direction of a large building.
A soldier wearing chain mail and a pot helm approached them. “Walther, we need you at the wall.”
Astrea’s father handed the sack of arrows to the soldier. “I will return,” he said to Astrea as he pulled a helmet over his head. As he marched to the wall, Walther called out orders and pointed to areas with weak defenses.
Outside the fort, huge drums boomed, deep voices chanted, and metal clanged. The lanky boy, Tristan, returned with a group of thirty women, children, and elderly men. They huddled together in the muddy courtyard, clutching at each other and sobbing. As a group, they flinched at every beat of the drum.
Astrea was the same height as Jenny, but at that moment she appeared a head taller than any of the men. “You have a choice.” Her voice rose above the din. “Come with me now and hope to live, or take your chances here. I warn you, this is not without risks, but it is our only chance to save the last tribe of Simeon.” She wiped the rain from her face.
The crowd murmured to itself, and within a minute, they’d all agreed to join her. Walther returned with four young men in gambeson armor. He instructed them to guard the villagers while Astrea used the Riftkey to open a portal.
Astrea took a stance in the center of the courtyard. Even from a distance, Jenny felt the explosive power as the Riftkey activated. Steam billowed out of its glowing blue edges. Starting with the tip pointing at the ground, Astrea swung the Riftkey in a circle. A ring of blue sparks hung in the air, then fizzled out. Astrea cursed.
Meanwhile, arrows twanged from atop the battlement. Men shouted directions and pointed outside. “The Risi are scaling the wall!”
At that moment, a huge head emerged between the crenellations, followed by a hand the size of a
dinner plate. An enormous body rose from the wall. Arrows stuck out from the Risi’s thick, padded armor, giving him the appearance of a monstrous porcupine.
“To arms!” a halberd-wielding soldier shouted as he charged along the wall. He sank the spiked tip deep into the Risi’s shoulder, but the giant didn’t flinch. The monster hauled himself onto the wall and grabbed the shaft of the polearm in one hand. The soldier looked like a child as he struggled to free his weapon from the giant’s grip. The Risi took a club from his waist and swung it with the force of a falling tree. It struck the soldier’s neck and sent him flying outside the fort. A nearby archer jumped from the wall. His leg snapped with an audible crack on the cobbled stone of the courtyard.
Two more soldiers approached the giant from behind. One ran forward and sank the long point of a halberd deep into the Risi’s back. The giant turned and swung his club, knocking the man from the wall. The other soldier thrust his polearm at the giant’s face. The Risi slapped the halberd away with his open hand and slammed his club against the man’s head. His helmet crumpled like an aluminum can, and his halberd clattered to the deck.
The Risi reached back to remove the polearm stuck in its back. Gobs of thick blood pumped from the wound. Within seconds, he tipped and fell off the wall, landing on top of the archer with the broken leg.
A Risi wearing padded armor and brandishing a falchion gained the wall. He shouted in a voice like thunder, “This is our land!”
“To me!” Walther yelled as he charged up the stairs to the wall. The shield on his back clattered against his armor as he climbed the steps. Astrea’s father leaned down and grabbed the fallen halberd. Four young soldiers in chain mail and wielding halberds followed him onto the battlements.
The falchion-wielding Risi charged at Walther. Astrea’s father propped the butt against the stone grout and waited. The Risi swung his sword at Walther’s head. He ducked. The giant stumbled forward. Walther raised the polearm, and the halberd’s long spike embedded itself into the Risi’s chest.
The giant wasn’t dead yet. He swung his falchion. Walther dodged to the side, and the sword sparked against gray stone. The shaft of the halberd snapped into splinters, and the Risi tumbled to the courtyard where a soldier finished the job with his sword.
Two more club-wielding Risi gained the wall. Nearby archers fled from the monster. Walther slid his shield onto his arm and pulled his sword from its scabbard. “To me!” He took the lead in a formation with the four soldiers who followed him onto the wall.
“Simeon!” Walther yelled the name of their clan as he charged. The giant swung his club at his head. Walther deflected the attack with his shield and spun to the giant’s side. He thrust the tip of his sword into the Risi’s exposed armpit until it sank to the crossguard. The monster stumbled for a moment, then fell off the wall.
The other giant moved to attack. Two soldiers thrust their polearms over the top of Walther’s head. The Risi twisted away, but one of the spikes managed to pierce his neck. Enraged, he swung his club in a wide arc that knocked Walther off the wall. He landed in the courtyard with a crunch. His helmet and shield skidded in opposite directions across the wet stones.
Astrea looked frustrated but determined as she swung the Riftkey in a circle for the sixth time. Another curse passed her lips as the blue sparks faded away. She looked up and watched as three more Risi gained the wall. They fought past the inexperienced soldiers. From there, they descended the stairs and ran toward the gatehouse. A horde of giants waited outside the gate. More than enough to eradicate every man, woman, and child in the fort. “We are all doomed if they open the gate.”
Jenny moved closer to the three intimidating giants. Even in the rain, their body odor was overpowering. They had thick, hairy arms and thicker legs. One held a cruel, curved falchion, while the other two wielded large clubs. Though their bodies were massive, their heads were only large and very human-looking. She’d seen eyes, noses, and hair like theirs on other men.
Astrea ran to join the two swordsmen guarding the gate controls. Water sparked and misted on the edge of the Riftkey as she stared down the three giants. Nearby, Walther rose to his feet; blood matted his dark hair and corrupted his white beard. He stumbled to his daughter and raised his long sword and shield against the Risi. The eight remaining soldiers, each armed with a halberd, moved behind the giants.
Astrea charged with her Riftkey. The foremost Risi swung his club with enough force to knock down a tree. She ducked under the blow and slid on her knees along the wet stones. As she came within striking distance, she swung the sparking Riftkey up between the giant’s legs.
The Risi let out a blood-curdling cry as a gray aerosol mist filled the air. The giant split open from crotch to chest. His guts spilled out, striking the courtyard with a wet smack. With his pelvis destroyed, the Risi’s legs wobbled, then collapsed.
The destructive power of the Riftkey made Jenny stagger backward, and the sight of the bisected body made her sick. She wanted out of this terrible nightmare.
The falchion-wielding giant swung down at Walther’s unprotected head. He dodged to the side and stabbed at the giant’s gut. The Risi swung sideways, hitting Walther in the shoulder and knocking him to his knees. Walther slashed at the giant’s thigh, scoring a shallow gash. The giant swung again, aiming for Walther’s exposed neck.
Before steel met flesh, the giant’s sword arm fell to the ground. A cloud of gray mist exploded into the air and mixed with the rain. Astrea aimed her next attack at the giant’s chest. After she pulled the glowing Riftkey free, the dead Risi fell to the ground.
Two polearms protruding from the chest of the third giant. One of the soldiers lay on the ground with a smashed face. It reminded Jenny of the man in the gray uniform she’d discovered in the woods earlier. The giant batted the halberds away, but other spikes found their mark. The Risi collapsed, and the soldiers cheered.
Walther recovered his shield and helmet. “Astrea, you must open that portal.”
“But you need my help.”
“No. Even with your help, we will lose the fort to the Risi. Our only hope is to escape.”
“Tch.” Astrea gritted her teeth. “You are right, Father.”
Walther nodded and led the remaining seven soldiers toward the wall. Together, they held back two more Risi making their way down the stairs. These giants soon fell under a barrage of spear thrusts. Yet the last tribe of Simeon wasn’t without their own casualties. Another man fell, leaving their total count of able-bodied soldiers at six.
Astrea ran back to the villagers and skidded to a stop in the center of the courtyard. Streams of water poured into a drain beneath her. She took a deep, shaky breath and focused. “Take us to an Earth where I never found the Waypoints.”
As she spun the Riftkey, the blue sparks remained, and a window opened to a world of yellow grasses, sunflowers, and cypress trees. A thin blue line separated this world from the rift in space and time. When viewed on edge, Jenny realized that the portal was all but invisible in the rain.
A cacophony of deep shouts erupted from outside the fort. A wild-looking Risi with a red Mohawk jumped onto the wall. His dark skin was bare, tattooed, and pierced. Four more naked giants joined him a moment later. The berserkers ran along the wall, slashing through the remaining archers with knives the length of long swords.
These giants were a stark contrast to the first attackers. Their speed and agility belied their vast size. Their whoops and screams paralyzed the defenders. The red-Mohawked giant jumped from the wall with ease and ran toward the gatehouse.
Seeing the berserkers, one of the guards struck the gate latch with a hammer. The inner portcullis dropped, but it was too late. The Mohawked Risi slid under the falling gate. He swung his large knives and cut the legs out from under the guard. When he stood, the Risi’s red Mohawk brushed the ceiling of the gatehouse.
Outside the wall, over twenty heavily armored giants roared and pounded their shields. Three of these grabbed the o
uter portcullis and heaved. Inside, the Mohawked giant hauled at the winch. Soldiers stabbed through the inner portcullis with the butts of their halberds in an attempt to distract the giant. Behind them, the four other berserkers leaped from the wall.
In the center of the muddy courtyard, villagers screamed and clutched at one another. The sun-drenched land beyond the portal stood out in stark contrast to the bleak setting of the fort. Astrea pointed to Tristan. “Get everyone through the portal.” Astrea turned and rushed toward the berserker giants.
Tristan touched the butt of his spear to the portal’s edge. A slice of the handle fell to the ground. People gasped in fear and awe at the power of this magic. Gathering his wits, Tristan directed the children and their mothers through the portal first. He kept them away from the edges of the portal. Mothers clutched their children to their breasts as they passed into the golden lands beyond. Next through the gateway were the men and women unable to fight.
With the portal open, Astrea joined Walther in the fight against the berserkers. Even with the soldiers’ skills and advanced weaponry, the Risi drove the humans into a defensive posture. In spite of their best efforts, one of the berserkers broke free of the defenders and ran toward the portal. Jenny watched in slow motion as the giant’s footfalls blasted water over the courtyard. His blood-curdling cry sent shivers down her spine. Jenny stood close enough to see his red-rimmed yellow eyes.
Tristan directed the line of people behind the gateway and stood so that he was between the charging berserker and the portal. He raised his spear. The Risi grinned and brandished his knives. Spittle flew from the giant’s mouth as he lunged for Tristan. Instead of cutting Tristan in two, the giant’s forearm disappeared through the portal.
The Risi stared at the stump of his arm in confusion. Tristan took that moment to stab the giant in the neck. The berserker gurgled and fell forward into the side of the portal. A red line bisected the giant from shoulder to groin.
The Key of Astrea Page 10