by Clayton Wood
“What now?” she asked.
“You're amazing,” Kalibar replied, shaking his head in wonder. “How can you adjust so quickly?”
“I can't,” she countered, lowering her hand from Kyle's face. She rose to her feet then, straightening out her pajamas. “I just need to get my mind off of it.”
“I need to get downstairs,” Kalibar stated. “Erasmus is handling our defenses, but he'll need my help.”
“Wait, what's going on?” Ariana asked.
“The Tower is under attack,” Kalibar explained, his tone grim. “And if we don't do something soon, we're going to lose.”
Chapter 21
Kyle walked out of Ariana's bedroom, trailing behind Darius and Kalibar. Ariana walked at his side, her eyes on the floor. She looked terribly pale, her skin almost translucent. Her big brown eyes were startling against that whiteness, and lovelier than ever. Caught by a sudden, overwhelming fondness for her, he grabbed her hand in his own, and gave it a squeeze.
Ariana flinched, surprised out of her reverie, and glanced at Kyle. He smiled silently at her, giving her hand another squeeze as they followed Kalibar and Darius across the suite. She smiled back weakly, and squeezed his hand back – gently, thank goodness. She was clearly still shell-shocked by what had happened to her; Kyle couldn't imagine what it would feel like to know he had died, and that the Dead Man's crystal had been placed inside his brain. All things considered, Ariana was handling it pretty well.
“We need to get back to the lobby,” Kalibar stated, leading them across the suite toward the front door. “Erasmus will need my help to organize our defenses.”
“What's the situation?” Darius asked.
“I'm not sure,” Kalibar answered. He opened the door, ushering Kyle and Ariana out into the hallway, then followed behind with Darius. “I woke to find guards in my hallway...I never saw who was attacking us, but they rolled out that...thing, that white sphere.” He shook his head, his expression grim. “I've heard of crystals that can suck magic, but I've never seen anything like that sphere.” Kyle glanced at Darius; the white sphere seemed awfully similar to the Void crystals the Dead Man had shown him earlier.
“Void spheres,” he mumbled. Kalibar frowned, turning to him.
“What?”
“Void spheres,” Kyle stated, louder this time. “The Dead Man had a whole room filled with white crystals, he called it the Void. It sucked magic from me each time I went in to it. The white spheres are the same thing.”
“Interesting,” Kalibar murmured. “Void spheres,” he muttered. “It's a good enough name.” Kyle turned down the hallway toward the riser, then frowned...it wasn't there. The customary shield blocking the way to the riser shaft was missing too. He glanced at Kalibar, who shook his head.
“That one's out of commission,” he stated grimly. “We'll use another one...there are four main risers that come to this level.” They turned about, striding down the hallway in the other direction. Then Kyle stopped, pointing down the hallway.
“Uh, guys?” he stated. “Is that one out too?” For the riser at this end of the hallway was similarly missing. Darius stopped in his tracks, and Kalibar glanced at the bodyguard.
“It's probably my Battle-Weavers,” he stated. But he stopped as well, standing beside Darius. Kyle felt a vibration in the air, saw the faint blue of a gravity shield appearing around Ariana. He began to weave his own shield. Then he felt himself fly backward, slamming into the ground, the impact knocking the wind out of him. He slid backward on the floor, then came to a stop, his ears ringing loudly. He gasped for breath, trying to get back on his feet, but his legs felt like jelly.
Then he heard a thump, and saw Kalibar landing on the ground beside him, grunting as he struck the floor. The Grand Weaver groaned, clutching his side.
Kyle looked down the hallway, and saw the riser lowering itself to their level, carrying three men in elite guard uniforms. The riser stopped, and the three men stepped out toward them, unsheathing their swords.
“Kyle,” he heard Kalibar gasp. He turned, and saw Kalibar still clutching his side, gritting his teeth in pain. “...stream magic to me!”
Kyle complied, shooting a stream of magic toward Kalibar's forehead, realizing that he could see the faintest blue line where the stream flowed. Then he heard a shout, and broke off the stream, twisting his head to look down the hallway.
There Darius stood, his golden armor shimmering in the light of the magic lanterns on the walls, facing the three elite guards, his own sword still sheathed at his side. The guards stopped before him.
“Well, if it ain't Grand Weaver Kalibar,” one of them stated, adjusting his grip on his sword. Darius said nothing, staring at the guards. The guard licked his lips. “As I remember it, you had me locked up what, 'bout ten years ago?” He shook his head disapprovingly. “Now, you shouldn't've done that,” he scolded. Then he cocked his head to the side. “Looks like you met the magic-sucker,” he observed. “This is gonna be too easy.”
Darius shook his head, standing before the three guards, slowly unsheathing his huge sword. He smirked at the guards, lowering his sword to his side.
“For me,” he growled. The guard who'd spoken earlier sneered at Darius.
“Step aside, little man,” he drawled. “Before you get hurt.”
Darius burst into action, moving almost too quickly for Kyle's eyes to follow. One second, he was standing before the mouthy guard, the next, he was crouching on one knee, his sword held to one side, the silver metal flashing in the light above.
Bright red liquid streamed down the edge of the blade, dripping onto the floor.
The guard tumbled to the ground, his head separating from his shoulders, his body falling forward and thumping on the granite below.
One of the other two guards lunged for Darius, swinging his sword at the bodyguard's head. Darius swung his sword upward with such force that it knocked the sword right out of the guard's hands, then spun in a full circle, swinging his sword in a tight arc over his right shoulder, chopping downward at the man's neck.
Darius's sword bounced away violently, throwing the bodyguard backward. He regained his balance rapidly, backpedaling a few steps.
A shimmering blue gravity shield surrounded the guard.
“Surprise,” the man growled. “Time to die, fool.”
“Kyle,” Kalibar whispered harshly, grabbing Kyle's shoulder. “Magic, now!”
Kyle pushed magic toward Kalibar, struggling against the immense resistance of his skull, having been so recently depleted of magic by the Void. He poured as much magic as he could at the Grand Weaver, his head pounding with the effort. Kalibar closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, turning to face Darius.
“Darius, now!” he shouted.
The guard's shields vanished.
Darius lunged forward, chopping downward with his sword, the blade slicing through the guard's left shoulder. The bodyguard continued forward, grabbing the man's left arm with one hand, yanking it hard. In one fluid motion, he ripped the arm from its socket, flinging it down the hallway toward Kyle, at the same time shoving his sword through the guard's back. The arm spun through the air, then landed between Kyle and Kalibar. Kyle scrambled away from the severed limb.
“Arm yourself,” Darius shouted.
Kalibar grabbed the arm, twisting it around so that the exposed bone at the upper arm was facing his forehead. He brought his forehead within inches of the bones, and closed his eyes. Kyle could see faint traces of blue light streaming from the pearly white bone to Kalibar's head.
“Stop right there!” a voice shouted.
Everyone turned, and saw the last guard standing there, clutching Ariana in his arms, a wicked-looking knife at her throat.
“Don't move, or I'll slice her throat,” the guard threatened, gripping the handle of his knife so hard his knuckles turned white. Ariana's eyes were wide, her body rigid. Kyle felt his heart leap into his throat.
“Don't!” he cried.
Darius stood there watching the guard for a moment, then slowly sheathed his sword. When he was done, he shrugged.
“Go ahead,” he stated casually. “We never liked her anyway.”
“What?” Ariana blurted out, glaring at the bodyguard. “Gee, thanks a lot,” she grumbled.
Darius turned away from the guard and Ariana, and strolled down the hallway, stopping before Kalibar and pulling the old man to his feet.
“Stop it!” the guard yelled after them. “I swear I'll do it!”
“Good luck,” Darius muttered, not bothering to turn around.
The guard tightened his grip on Ariana, his arm wrapped around her upper chest. She brought her hands up, wrapping her fingers around his arm.
And squeezed.
A loud snapping sound echoed off of the walls, and the guard howled, dropping like a rag doll. Ariana yanked on his arm – hard – and he flew forward through the air...right at Darius. The bodyguard stepped aside casually, watching as the guard slammed into the floor, his head bouncing off of the hard granite. The man slid to a stop, his arm twisted at an impossible angle, a large dent in his forehead. His eyes were open, but saw nothing.
Kyle stared at the dead guard, then at Ariana, feeling queasy.
“Never liked me, huh?” Ariana quipped, striding menacingly toward Darius. The bodyguard glanced at the fallen guard, then back at Ariana.
“You're growing on me,” he admitted. Ariana shot him a look, then glanced down at the guard she'd killed. She stared at him for a long moment, looking suddenly shaken.
“I've never killed anyone before,” she stated.
“You did what you had to do,” Kalibar replied, putting a hand on her slender shoulder. She shook her head, her eyes never leaving the dead guard's face.
“It was too easy.”
Kalibar said nothing, dropping his hand from her shoulder, then turning to Kyle, who was still on the floor. He walked up to Kyle, offering one hand.
“Come on, let's go,” Kalibar urged, grasping Kyle's arm and pulling him to his feet. “Thanks for the help,” he added, patting Kyle on the back.
“I didn't have much magic left,” Kyle apologized.
“I didn't have any,” Kalibar countered. Then he strode forward, toward the riser ahead. “Come on,” he added, gesturing for all to follow. Gravity shields appeared around all four of them. “Now that we have magic, we might have a chance.” He stopped suddenly, turning back to the three guards on the floor. “We should bring them with us,” he stated, nodding at Darius. “We'll need to search them and identify them.” He glanced down the hallway. “And we'll need more magic...I'll grab a few crystals from the safe in my room.”
Kalibar left, leaving Kyle and Darius standing there in the hallway. Darius stared at the dead guards for a moment, then glanced at Ariana. She met his gaze, then nodded, stepping well clear of the man she'd just killed, and stopping before one of the other two. She paused for a long moment, then knelt, grabbing the man by the shoulder. She grimaced, hauling the man with unnerving ease onto her shoulder, and strode to the riser, setting him down there. Darius grabbed another guard, dragging him unceremoniously to the riser, and motioned for Ariana to retrieve the last guard...the one she'd killed.
“I can't,” Ariana protested, shaking her head. Darius walked to her side, appearing – as usual – wholly unsympathetic.
“He's a dead man,” the bodyguard retorted. “He can't hurt you anymore.”
Ariana took a deep breath in, staring at the corpse, then nodding silently. She walked up to the guard, standing over him for a long moment, then kneeling down quickly. She closed her eyes, her mouth set in a tight grimace, then grabbed the man's armpits, lifting him up and draping him over her shoulder. She practically ran to the riser, depositing the guard next to the other two.
“Guys,” Kalibar called out, stepping into the hallway, his arms filled to the brim with crystals. “Can you grab a few of these?” Kyle nodded, and he and Darius walked up to the Grand Weaver, each taking a few crystals and shoving them into their pockets. Kyle turned back to Ariana, who was standing on the riser as if frozen, staring at something that had rolled out of the dead guard's pocket.
A small white sphere.
“Ariana!” Kyle cried out.
“Get back!” Kalibar shouted. Kyle felt a hand grab the back of his shirt, felt himself being pulled backward from the riser. He resisted, trying desperately to get to Ariana, to pull her away from the deadly Void sphere. But Kalibar wouldn't let him. A large blue gravity field appeared behind them. He felt himself being pulled toward it, the air screaming past his ears, his clothes fluttering violently around him. He slid backward, away from Ariana, watching as the Void sphere rose upward from the center of the riser. Cords of blue light sucked inward from the walls, and upward from the riser below, and even from the center of Ariana's forehead, all converging on the sphere.
“Ariana!” Kyle screamed.
And then the riser dropped, and Ariana fell with it.
* * *
Ariana felt the floor dropping underneath her, felt the cauldron of magical power in the center of her mind's eye draining away. She tried to leap forward off of the riser, but her legs wobbled underneath her, and she fell to her knees on the platform below.
And then the platform fell out from underneath her.
She tried to cry out, but she could make no sound. She tried to move her limbs, but they were limp – and numb – as if they didn't even belong to her. All she could do was watch, catching a glimpse of the white sphere as it sped down the hallway toward her friends. The riser platform plunged faster and faster down the shaft, entering free-fall.
Then her vision faded, and there was darkness.
* * *
Kalibar watched the riser drop in horror, saw Ariana go limp right before she fell with it, the Void sphere sucking the magic out of her forehead crystal. He resisted the urge to run to her, knowing that there was no way to get past that terrible weapon without getting them all killed. He made the awful decision instantly, weaving a powerful gravity field behind them, then bringing it to life.
He felt himself falling as he was sucked violently backward by that gravity field, and streamed magic to his gravity boots, the stabilization runes embedded within righting him before his body struck the ground. He tightened his grip on the back of Kyle's shirt, pulling his son with him. Darius slid backward on the floor beside Kalibar.
And there, floating forward from the riser shaft into the hallway toward them, was the Void sphere. A sunburst of blue light sucked inward from the walls, the floors, the doors...even the magical lamps hanging on the ceiling. The lights winked out one by one as the Void sphere passed, the magically locked doors swinging open slowly as they were purged of their power. Faint wisps of magic were sucked inward from Kalibar toward that powerful void, the ghastly creation draining him despite the forty feet he'd managed to put between them.
He wove magic, then pushed it outward...and watched as the pattern untangled before his eyes, getting sucked into the deadly sphere. He grit his teeth, knowing that the thing would have its fill soon, and would then unleash its devastation upon them. The only way to survive would be to get away from it for long enough, so that it could discharge, then re-enter its absorption cycle, allowing Darius to get close to it...and destroy it. But they would never survive its powerful vacuum if it discharged here.
He pushed himself harder, ignoring the faint trails of magic draining from his body toward the Void sphere, using what remained to fly down the hallway at breakneck speed. He cut his magic stream to the gravity field further down the hall as they approached it, pulling Kyle close to him, so that the boy would be held fast by the gravity boots' stabilization fields. He spotted Darius, still sliding down the slippery hallway, his momentum slowing. Kalibar concentrated, throwing magic outward toward the bodyguard, a gravity sphere to pull the man along.
The pattern untangled, pulled into the rapidly approaching sphere.
>
Kalibar's eyes widened in horror, and he tried again, but Darius was too far away now; being closer to the Void sphere, no magic could be cast to him. The thing was only thirty feet from the bodyguard now. Twenty feet.
And then it stopped.
Kalibar reacted in an instant, weaving automatically, his decades of training kicking in. A gravity sphere appeared around Darius, thrusting him backward violently away from the Void sphere, which levitated motionlessly in the middle of the hallway. The endless streams of magic it had pulled into itself had vanished.
A shimmering blue sphere appeared around the thing, expanding rapidly, followed by countless more. The inner spheres began to rotate.
Kalibar felt a powerful gust of wind slam into his back, threatening to pull him toward that lethal vacuum. He heard a high-pitched screaming sound, the air sucking violently into those expanding gravity fields. He braced himself, streaming as much power as he could into his boots, even then only barely managing to stop himself and Kyle from being pulled forward. He saw Darius sliding toward the Void sphere, granite tiles chipping and flying upward into the spinning void, cracks forming on the ceiling and walls. Chunks of stone flew inward from all directions, disintegrating as they slammed into the deadly sphere's gravity fields. Kalibar tried to weave magic, but there was little left in his mind. He felt the weight of the crystals he'd placed in his pockets, and pulled magic from them, weaving what little he could draw out in his mind's eye, knowing he had one last chance to save Darius before the bodyguard was torn apart. He thrust the magic outward.
The stone floor below Darius groaned, then ripped upward and backward, forming a steeper and steeper arch until it reached the ceiling high above, forming a curved makeshift wall that blocked off the hallway. Darius slid down the floor-turned-wall, leaping to his feet as he neared the bottom of the arch, then stopping before Kalibar. Kalibar dropped his magic stream to his gravity boots, his magic completely drained, and dropped to the ground. Darius turned to look at the wall behind him.