Sanctuary

by Nally, Fergal F

  "Open fire! Anything you've got; aim for the crew." Ducet's voice rang out to her men. They acted, redoubling their efforts. The short cannon spat fire and shredded flesh and bone on the enemy deck.

  A huge explosion rent the air; the Skald disappeared in a giant fireball. Ducet and her men fell to the ground, covering their heads. Intense heat swept over them, searing their lungs. Wood fragments flew through the air, landing on the ground and in the water. Ducet felt sick, her stomach cramped and she heaved. Her ears buzzed; everything was blurred.

  A hand grabbed her from behind, helping her up. It was Elias. He mouthed words at her but she could not hear. He pointed. She looked and saw the Skald had vanished, as had the Magister ship. She sank to her knees, staring. She felt her eyes sting and realised she was crying.

  Smoke and flaming wreckage were all that remained of the two ships. She had survived. Her brother Fingal had survived; she had moved him earlier to a sheltered grove deep within the island, away from their positions.

  The ringing in her ears lessened. She looked around. Her men were in shock but still alive. Elias's words finally reached her.

  "You've done it Captain! You've defeated the Magister fleet. Three ships, three of their warships, all…gone."

  Ducet stared and nodded. She was lost for words. She had defeated the Magister fleet. But, they were stranded in the cursed Maze without a ship to take them to safety. Fate had thrown down another challenge to her. She was tired; all she wanted was to see her brother again.

  Ducet rose to her feet and staggered. She could not think; she needed her brother. She would find Fingal and to hell with tonight.

  Tomorrow was another day.

  CHAPTER 22

  Infiltration

  Magister Nix and Anurein spent the next day together. They loved, laughed and cried. Nix’s world was complete. All she had striven for had come to her, now she was whole. It felt as if they had never been apart. Anurein, the Chaos Serpent, was her perfect foil. They would rule the Erthe; this was their time now and forever.

  She knew the Rhapsody Spell had come at a price. She was tired and drained. She would recover, she always did. The Frost Giants had been crushed and the infected had been cleared by her thrall magic, she had defeated the Raven and taken their heart.

  There was more work to be done. Her mind turned to the next challenge; her fleet had been sent to destroy the Storm Sea pirates. She called for Calim Dove. He arrived minutes later.

  “Servant, what threat remains to our vision? Tell me of the future. Speak.”

  Calim Dove knelt before her, as he always did. He went through the motions of opening his second sight, hiding the fact that he was now blind to the future.

  “Magister Nix, a threat remains. A woman hunts you, a woman you have crossed. She is hungry for revenge.”

  “Woman? What woman? Where is she? Speak, tell me more.” Nix sat up, eyes narrowed.

  Calim Dove paused, then continued with what little he did know. "She comes from the west. Her name is Ducet; she leads the renegade pirates. They have not been destroyed. They are still alive, they thirst for vengeance.

  Nix stood up and laughed. “The pirate queen? Is that all? Is that all that remains? Where is the bitch? Why has my fleet not taken her? We have Echo Island.”

  Calim Dove replied. “The pirate woman has fled the island and is now somewhere in the Storm Sea. Perhaps you can contact your fleet?”

  Nix stood and looked at the waterfall from the back of the cave. It had been an ideal place to reunite with Anurein. Their reunion was over. She needed to leave and attend to detail. She sighed, there was always work to be done. Such was the burden of power.

  Nix nodded at Calim Dove. “Leave us.”

  Calim Dove rose, bowed and left the room. Anurein turned over on the bed and looked at Nix. His long tongue flicked over his lips. The scales down his legs shimmered with green light.

  “He lies, my love. His lips tell a cloaked truth. There's something he's not telling you. He's blind, his second sight has left him.”

  Nix looked at her lover. She thought over his words. “It is true, usually the gifted last for many years. Eventually, their sight runs dry. Then they try and conceal the truth to spin out their lives but eventually they make a mistake. It's predictable and tiresome. I'll see to him later, he has had his uses. His time has come. I will hunt this Ducet; her pirates have been a distraction for some time now.”

  Nix turned and lay down with Anurein. She would attend to these things, later. Not just now. She had waited so long to be with Anurein. It was intoxicating just breathing with him; she shuddered. First there would be pleasure, then would follow pain.

  The waterfall thundered by the cave mouth as it had done since the beginning. The sun rose on the horizon bringing flecks of red and purple to the sky. Birds of the forest flocked in the trees to greet the new day.

  In the same sky, others were closing in on Magister Nix’s location.

  Light was gathering to extinguish the darkness.

  ~

  Luana blinked, she had hardly slept.

  She was back in the foothills of the Dragon Perches. She was provided with food, water and shelter. She rested for a day. The archangels had disappeared, leaving her to her own devices. She explored the forest and the nearby river. She knew her time was short; this was the lull before the storm. Her strength returned and surprisingly, she slept well.

  She used some of her time to meditate; as she had seen the warriors in Numibar do before going into battle. She thought of her good friend Saph, wondering what had happened to her and whether their paths would ever cross again. Finally, she stood looking over the forest canopy from the crags and waited.

  They came at dusk. Rafael saluted her. The archangels were resplendent in dark armour and wore strange helms covered in runes. Luana was curious.

  Rafael answered her questioning look. “Dragon plate armour; from the time of Faerie. We have resources for times such as these. The sun, she sets and we must leave. We'll attack the Magister Queen at sunrise; with the light in her eyes, she'll be blinded. We've found where she hides. She lies in the cradle of the Erthe; where the twelve rivers meet. She is protected by the deep rock.”

  “How'll we get to her? How do we coax her out?” Luana asked.

  Rafael gave her a look. “We'll act as a diversion; a full frontal attack. You and Ananiel will go in by stealth, find the Magister Queen and kill her. We'll keep her distracted for as long as possible. We'll call upon Sagramatha to add weight to our attack. His flames can turn rock to liquid; a sight to behold.”

  Luana looked startled. “What am I supposed to do? I don't even have a weapon."

  Rafael reached under his robe and pulled out a crystal blade; it flickered in the light. "This is the Star Maiden. It too comes from the time of Faerie; it has great power. Only use it when you are close to your enemy. By holding this in anger, you are cloaked with invisibility until the first strike. After that you are plainly seen and vulnerable.”

  Luana took the blade and examined it. Rafael handed her a simple scabbard. She tested the weapon, admiring its craftsmanship. She saw its edge was stained.

  "What's this?" She indicated the discolouration to Rafael.

  "Old foes. The blade absorbs a trace of each enemy's blood and blends it with crystal energy. It's a magical weapon, fearsome in the right hands. Come we must go."

  Luana strapped the Star Maiden to her back and shut her mind down. She would be ready for whatever came. She adopted her old mindset; to live and breathe in the present moment. She locked her mind from past and future. She banished fear. It had always worked for her before; it would work for her again.

  She followed Rafael and saw the other archangels standing ready, their armour glinting with each movement.

  Rafael turned to Luana. "Ananiel will carry you. Our flight will take most of the night. You are taking a different way; a flanking route. We will draw the eyes of the Magister Queen. Remember, you need t
o cut her heart out. It is only then her power will wither. Trust nothing you see or hear. Her powers of illusion are great. We'll see you after the battle; if the divine light wishes it."

  Luana did not know what to say. She felt her body slump and heard her dislocated voice. "Be safe."

  Rafael nodded. He turned and gave the signal for the others to join him. As one, they rose into the air and set off to the north, soon becoming distant specks on the horizon.

  Luana turned and caught Ananiel's eye. "Well, let's get going. We've a Queen to kill. Or should I say, I've to kill a Queen?" Her voice faltered. She climbed onto Ananiel's back and the angel rose into the night. They headed west.

  They flew for hours. Luana's muscles stiffened in the same way as before. She gritted her teeth against the pain and kept her eyes closed. She wanted a release, a conclusion to this insanity.

  The night passed uneventfully and Luana managed to hold on. She opened her eyes; they were losing height. Ananiel was heading towards an escarpment overlooking a great river system. In the distance, as the rising sun took hold in the sky, Luana could see a great cloud of mist fill the air. They were at the sacred waterfall.

  Ananiel made a soft landing on the escarpment. Even though the waterfall was some distance away, the sound was deafening. Ananiel pointed inland and started walking. Luana followed her. When they had gained the cover of the trees the noise from the waterfall lessened.

  "I saw a rock formation from the air somewhere in these trees," Ananiel declared. "This has always been a sacred site, right back to Faerie. There should be an entrance into the tunnel system leading to the Magisters' lair."

  Luana nodded, she was glad to be back on solid ground. Her muscles ached but she was ready, even eager to reach the objective. Ananiel turned and went into the forest. The trees were densely packed and it was difficult to make progress. They stumbled and wound their way over and around obstacles. Thorns and branches scratched Luana's face. The light dimmed as the canopy thickened above. Luana's eyes adjusted to the darkness.

  After thrashing through the undergrowth, Luana caught sight of something ahead. Ananiel grunted and redoubled her efforts. Finally, they broke through into a clearing gasping and saw what lay ahead; not a pile of rocks but a pyramidal stone structure, perfectly symmetrical and of great age.

  There were no markings on its smooth cut surface. Luana could not see any joints in the stone. The whole construction appeared intact. She marvelled at its design. Ananiel did not show the same fascination. Instead, she strode purposefully around its perimeter searching.

  "Luana, over here."

  Luana went to Ananiel and stood beside the angel. She followed her eyes to the stone but saw nothing. Ananiel pointed.

  "It's here. They were clever, these craftsmen. See. Everywhere else there is no join in the stone. Here, there's a fine join. This is the entrance to the cave system. Now to activate the opening."

  Ananiel dropped to her knees and started to explore the join with her fingers. Luana observed and did the same. She remembered the hand imprint she had found on Angel's Landing and so pressed her cheek to the cool surface and looked for a depression. It was not long before she found it.

  A small hand shaped depression lay about seven feet off the ground. She pointed it out to Ananiel.

  "There, put your palm there and press. I think that's it."

  Ananiel looked at the area and nodded. She placed her hand on the spot and pushed. The stone moved inwards and shifted to the left revealing a hole.

  "Put your fingers in there and search for a handle, anything, and pull."

  Ananiel nodded and inserted her hand in the hole. She made a noise and pulled at something. Nothing happened. She changed her position and tried again, this time twisting her arm. A deep, grating sound came from a hidden mechanism within. The join in the stone widened and a section of the pyramid withdrew to one side.

  A staircase led down into darkness.

  "Familiar territory," Luana said, thinking of Angel's Landing.

  Ananiel went forwards and entered the passage. Her armour let off a ghostly glow. There was enough light for them to make their way. Luana felt giddy, she wanted to abandon caution and start running. She fought the irrational urge and held herself back. Something about this place was familiar. Impossible, she told herself. She had never been here before.

  Unless there was more; unless she was tapping into some form of ancestral memory.Luana stopped analysing and concentrated on where she put her feet. The floor was wet and slippery. They were still descending and the stairs, if anything, were steeper than before. Another passage joined theirs from the right and another from the left. There have to be other entrances from above, she thought.

  Ananiel pushed on, her armour clanking as she walked. The passage was heading towards the river system and was deep underground to it. After thirty minutes, they came to an opening. A great room lay beyond, its ceiling lost in the darkness above.

  Luana drew her blade. The Star Maiden's weight felt good in her hand. Its crystal blade held her eye. As she looked through it, she found she could see clearly in the dark. Her breathing quickened.

  She looked up and saw a fine vaulted ceiling above. Amazingly, even though they were below the river system, the room was dry. The ceiling was covered in painted images of people and animals. Gods and wars were depicted; a great voyage was illustrated showing many strange looking beasts. Luana marvelled at what she saw. She wondered what had happened to those who had built this place.

  She pulled her eyes away from the images and looked ahead. Ananiel was already halfway across the room hands held out, searching.

  "Keep up Luana, these places are the ancient halls. They seem benign now, but your ancestors had a habit of leaving protective wards. This hall seems safe enough. There's no sign of our enemy but I think we're getting close. Be ready."

  They passed uneventfully through the hall and then another. Then they came across footsteps emerging from a passageway ahead and disappearing down a new tunnel to the right. Luana's heart quickened, her old thieving instinct came to her. She quietened her breathing and pushed her back against the wall. She listened but could hear nothing except her own heartbeat.

  Ananiel slowed, taking her time. She sniffed the air, holding her hands in front of her. Luana noticed a blue tinge to her fingernails. She tasted the metallic tang of magic in the air. Something was coming and fast. A breeze swept through the tunnel as they turned a corner.

  Green light flashed ahead, intense and searing.

  Luana shielded her eyes. A roar filled her head, she blinked and saw daylight. Their tunnel ended. They had found Nix's liar. Figures darted amongst the shadows as jagged bolts of blue light tore into the cavern from outside.

  Ananiel turned and hissed. "We're here. The Magister Queen's den. She's in there with her lieutenants. The blue flame is ours; Rafael and the others. This cavern lies behind the waterfall. They are using it as a screen. It's no barrier to angel fire. Don't forget Sagramatha's flame can pierce rock too."

  "How'll I know which one is Nix?" Luana said.

  "I'll approach and draw their attention. Whatever happens, you must not come to my aid. You'll see who they protect. It'll be her. Remember, with your blade, you are invisible until the first strike. Choose your time well. Are you ready?"

  Luana nodded. Her hands gripped the Star Maiden, she took a deep breath. Her head spun, she felt sick; a good sign before battle. Then, the ground shook and an intense blue flame penetrated the waterfall, bathing the cavern in monochrome light. It leapt around, like a living thing, searching. A shadowy figure was caught by the flame, which spread up its body and plunged into its chest.

  An ear-shattering shriek filled the cavern. Ananiel made her move. She darted ahead towards the scream. On the ground, in a corner, she found the fallen Magister. He was still breathing. His face was blistered and covered in blood. Ananiel reached out and put her hand over his mouth. She released blue flame into his throat; his b
ody shook and his bones shattered. A deep sigh filled the air.

  Ananiel snapped her head up and looked at the wall of falling water. Through a momentary gap, she saw Sagramatha approach; his jaws wide, liquid flame welling up in his throat. She shouted to Luana.

  "Take cover!"

  An instant later, the cavern was a furnace. The dragon fire burned with an intensity incompatible with life. Ananiel was immune to earthly flame and stood in the firestorm, her eyes glittering brightly. She looked everywhere for Luana but could not see her. She took a step towards a burning form emerging from the furnace; a Magister. They had partial immunity to flame. This one's flesh was charred; bone lay exposed over the jaw line, flashing a skeletal smile.

  The Magister raised its clawed hands and threw a ball of green flame at Ananiel, which struck her in the chest. Three more Magisters appeared. Ananiel knew her time was limited. She drew a ragged breath and summoned her energy, her fingers crackled with blue light.

  Luana kept to the back of the cavern as the dragon fire hit. Clutching the Star Maiden, she was invisible. As the incinerating flame blasted the cave, she was hit and took the full force of the blast. She saw distant forms falling to the ground burning, but she herself was unaffected. The Star Maiden had not only cloaked her in invisibility but had shielded her from the blast.

  She wondered if the protection was part of the invisibility enchantment and temporary, or if it was a permanent effect whilst holding the blade. No matter, she was alive and invisible. She neared the cluster of burning bodies on the floor. They were still alive and dangerous. She watched them; they did not see her. As one, they rose and lurched towards Ananiel's position. Luana could not see her guardian; Ananiel was somewhere in the inferno of blue flame to her right.

  Luana pressed on and approached the far side of the cavern. She saw two figures standing in a recess at the margin of the waterfall. Daylight flooded around them. They hurled green flame out into the sky beyond the great wall of water. An overhang lay above protecting them from the incoming angel fire. One of the figures laughed and threw her head back. Long hair flew back in braids. Her face was shockingly pale; her eyes were covered in a white film.