by Clayton Wood
“Your friend has not returned,” Petra observed, changing the subject. Kyle glanced at her, then at the mouth of the cave, realizing that she was right. It had been quite a long time now. Kyle felt fear grip his innards; where was she?
“She'll come back,” he promised. But Petra was unswayed.
“I do not have more time to wait,” she stated coldly, turning away from the mouth of the cave. She nodded at Tavek and Machete. “I have a meeting with Isha. See things through here,” she ordered. Tavek nodded, walking up to Kyle and raising the point of his spear to Kyle's chest. Machete hesitated.
“What if he uses magic?” he stated nervously. Petra slid the strap of her backpack off of her shoulder, reaching in to retrieve something. It was a small white crystal...a Void crystal.
Terror gripped Kyle's heart.
Before he could react, blue rays shot out from him, converging on the stone. Within moments, the rays faded. What little remained of his magic had been drained.
Petra placed the stone back in her backpack, slinging the pack over her shoulder and turning to look at Kyle one last time. Her expression was cold, not a hint of emotion on her face.
“Tova sho.”
She strode away, weaving through the trees until she was no longer visible in the distance, leaving Kyle alone with the two armed men. Tavek stared at Kyle silently, his spear still pointed at Kyle’s chest. Machete grabbed for his axe, striding toward Kyle menacingly.
A cold sweat trickled down his sides, and he took a step backward, raising his hands in front of him. Tavek and Machete stepped forward, and Tavek pressed the sharp point of his spear into Kyle's chest. Kyle yelped, backpedaling rapidly.
“Wait!” he cried, glancing behind him. He saw the mouth of the cave there, some twenty feet away, with near-vertical rock walls surrounding it. Machete and Tavek continued forward slowly, their weapons trained on him.
Kyle continued to back up, realizing that there was no place to run. Tavek and Machete were blocking his way forward, and to the sides. There was no way he'd be able to run away from them without being cut down...and even if he did manage to slip past them, the men looked to be in incredible shape. They would almost certainly run him down and kill him.
Come on, he urged himself, reaching into his mind's eye, searching for a thread of magic. Just one pattern...
But there was nothing.
He continued to back up, until the cave was only ten feet away. Tavek and Machete hesitated then, and Tavek's eyes narrowed.
“Jop!” he yelled.
They're afraid of the cave, he realized, glancing behind him. They know it will kill them.
“Jop urot!” Tavek barked as Kyle continued to backpedal, now only five feet from the cave entrance. “Cov nur sop! Bak tor nat wa?”
Anyone who goes into the cave dies, Kyle recalled, his heart hammering in his chest. He glanced back, seeing the gaping maw of the cave ready to swallow him whole. But there's no magic there. If there was, he'd be able to see it, after all. He noticed the corpses of many small animals scattered on the cave floor some twenty to thirty feet in. Whatever killed them wasn't magic.
He remembered Petra's words then: “Those who try, their skin turns red. They go crazy, then fall asleep. Sometimes their arms and legs shake. Then they die.”
So it wasn't some beast that killed them, Kyle deduced. Which meant that whatever it was must be invisible, all around them...but not magical.
The air!
Kyle turned back to Tavek and Machete, stopping a mere yard from the cave entrance. Both men had stopped, and were staring at Kyle incredulously.
“Lokas ur orot?” Machete exclaimed. “Nav vuy ruan!” Tavek raised his spear above his shoulder with one hand, as if ready to throw it.
Kyle took a deep breath in, then bolted toward the cave.
“Jop urot!” he heard Tavek scream.
Kyle sprinted as fast as he could, leaping over the corpses of the animals underfoot, then continuing onward toward the cave. He heard shouting behind him, followed by a whistling sound by his left ear. Tavek’s spear whizzed past him, bouncing off of the rock wall to the side of the cave.
Oh shit oh shit...
He dodged to the right, running right into the cave, taking one last deep breath before plunging into darkness. He slowed, now utterly blind, reaching out with his hands on either side to feel the rocky walls of the cave closing in. He felt his lungs starting to burn, already struggling to continue to hold the breath he'd taken. He ignored the discomfort, then felt his boot cave into something with a loud crunch. He nearly toppled over, only barely managing to keep his balance. He felt lightheaded now, his lungs burning terribly, the urge to take a breath in becoming more and more urgent.
I'm going to die, he realized. I'm actually going to die.
And then his foot struck something hard, and he toppled headfirst toward the ground, barely able to get his hands in front of him before he landed...on something soft.
Kyle grimaced, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees, his lungs on fire now. He felt the ground with his hands, his fingers slipping over hard, cool rock, then coming up onto something soft...very soft. It felt like skin, although it was very cold. He slid his hands forward, feeling the lip of a slightly rough fabric...and then something that felt like a leg. His heart leaped into his throat.
Ariana!
He crawled backward, feeling shoulders, then a neck, then...something squirming, under his fingertips. He frowned, knowing that this was where her head was supposed to be. He raked his fingers across the writhing mass, and felt whatever it was fall away, felt a soft nose underneath.
It was Ariana!
Kyle slid his arms back more, finding her arms, then her hands. He grabbed at her wrists, then pulled, feeling her slide back a foot. His lungs complained bitterly, the urge to breath nearly unbearable now. He had to take a breath, and soon. There was no way he was going to be able to get Ariana out of here fast enough, though...he had to go back.
Kyle let go of Ariana's wrists, turning about and bracing his hands on the rocky walls on either side of him. He sprinted forward then, feeling his head started to swim. His heart was nearly pounding out of his chest, his entire body slick with sweat. He felt a short breath burst from his lips, and stopped himself from breathing in only with the greatest of effort.
Come on come on...
He ran faster, feeling as if he was getting lighter and lighter. His lips began to tremble, and he felt breath escaping through them, his body betraying him. He grit his teeth, terror gripping him.
No!
In the distance, he saw a hint of light splashing against the rocky wall, not even fifty feet away. His throat spasmed, and he felt the overwhelming urge to breath come over him.
Come on!
He stumbled then, the world starting to spin around him, and barely kept his balance, staggering toward the light before him. The light grew brighter and brighter, and at last he burst out of the cave. He opened his mouth, sucking air into his tortured lungs, his legs giving out beneath him. He fell to the ground on his hands and knees, gasping for air, the world spinning around him.
“Yaruv!”
He looked up, spotting Tavek and Machete standing not a dozen feet away. Machete still had his axe, but Tavek hadn’t retrieved his spear. They were both staring at him, their eyes wide, their jaws slack. Kyle rose to his feet, clutching his burning chest.
“Ariana!” he cried, pointing to the cave. “Ariana's in there! We need to get her out!”
“Ariana?” Tavek replied, pointing to the cave. Kyle nodded.
“She's there,” he repeated.
“Ariana com cov,” Tavek told Machete, who shook his head.
“I’m going to get her,” Kyle stated, stepping backward toward the cave. Tavek and Machete just stared at him. Kyle took another step backward, then took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to hyperventilate. He'd used the trick back on Earth, when he'd wanted to swim a whole lap in the swimming pool
at his grandparents' house underwater.
“Com cov!” Tavek shouted.
Kyle took one last breath in, holding it. Then he turned back toward the cave, running into it. He half-expected the two men to stop him, but they just watched him go. Kyle made it through the cave entrance, stepping around the corpses littering the floor and making his way deeper into the tunnel beyond. He moved faster than he had before, more confident now. He went at a steady pace, using one outstretched hand to feel along the left wall. He continued forward, feeling the walls on either side narrowing. He slowed his pace, knowing that Ariana was somewhere nearby. Then he felt his boot strike something soft, and he caught himself before he tripped, crouching down and feeling around with his hands.
It was Ariana!
He found her wrists, and tugged on them, feeling her slide backward a little. He paused, then dropped one wrist, turning back toward the cave entrance and walking forward, pulling her along with him. She was heavier than he'd expected, forcing him to yank her forward one or two feet at a time, then rest in-between. He felt his lungs starting to burn, and he paused.
Get out, he told himself. You can always come back.
He dropped her wrist, then sprinted back the way he'd come, feeling the burn in his lungs steadily increasing. It wasn't long before he saw the faint light of the cave entrance ahead; he increased his pace, running toward it. The mouth of the cave greeted him and he burst through it, finding Tavek and Machete waiting for him on the other side. They were both staring at him, their mouths agape.
Kyle ignored them, getting a good ten feet from the cave, then hyperventilating again. Once he felt his lips starting to tingle, he took a deep breath in and held it, running back into the cave. This time he reached Ariana a little sooner, sparing no time in grabbing her wrist and hauling her back. He'd made it halfway back when he had to run outside for another breather. On the third trip in, he reached Ariana's side with surprising quickness, and managed to drag her to within ten feet of the cave's entrance before running out.
Tavek and Machete stared at Kyle, then at Ariana.
“Juvak Ariana!” Tavek shouted, pointed at Ariana. Kyle turned to look at her, and frowned, seeing something moving around her head. Something white. He held his breath, running up to her and staring down at her. There were white things covering her head, crawling over her. They looked like bugs.
“Oh!” Kyle gasped, crouching down and sweeping the things off with his hand, grimacing as he did so. The bugs flew away with each swipe, revealing her masked face. Her eyes were staring lifelessly outward. Kyle looked down at her body, and realized that the surface of her entire uniform was moving, as if hundreds of bugs were crawling underneath.
“Oh!” he cried again. He hesitated, then peeled back the neck of her uniform, exposing a mass of white bugs underneath. He recoiled in disgust, then grabbed her wrist, hauling her away from the cave entrance. He was surprised to find Tavek and Machete running up to help him, grabbing her limbs and bringing her well clear of the cave. They lowered her onto the ground, and Kyle peeled back the neck of her uniform again, exposing the bugs for them to see.
“Juvak,” Tavek exclaimed. He turned to Machete. “Cov tog Petra,” he urged. Machete nodded, leaping to his feet and sprinting into the forest the way Petra had gone. Kyle watched him go, then turned back to Ariana, sweeping bugs from her neck. More emerged from her uniform, crawling toward her head, toward her temple.
“What the...” Kyle began, then stopped in mid-sentence. He stared at Ariana's temple, seeing a hole in her uniform there. He grabbed at her mask, peeling it off of her head, revealing her pale face. There, at her temple, a mass of bugs lay squirming. He brushed them aside, then had to peel off the remaining bugs that clung to her flesh, revealing a small hole in her temple. He stared at the hole, seeing the stark white of her skull exposed within. Even that was partially eaten away.
“Oh, god!” Kyle exclaimed. He felt something crawling up his arms, and jumped to his feet. swiping bugs off of his forearms. “Quick, get them off of her!” He crouched down again, lifting the edge of the uniform at her neck again, swiping away bugs as they scurried out. A few clung to his hands, crawling up his arms again, and he swiped them away. Then he heard footsteps approaching, and he looked up, seeing Machete and Petra running toward them. Petra stopped beside Ariana, pushing Kyle away.
“Ruav es ounav,” she ordered. Kyle stared at her uncomprehendingly. A small ray of blue light shot out from her forehead to his right ear. “Stand back,” she ordered. “Take the boy away.” She gestured for Tavek and Machete to leave with Kyle. “I need to undress her!” Both men nodded, and they grabbed Kyle's arms, hauling him away from Ariana and Petra and back into the forest. Kyle glanced back, seeing Petra peeling back Ariana's uniform, a wave of white bugs gushing out all over her. He turned away from the sight, feeling suddenly queasy. Tavek and Machete led him far away, walking silently through the forest for several minutes before stopping. The two men sat down then, and gestured for Kyle to do the same.
They sat, waiting. Tavek and Machete spoke to each other in hushed tones, too quietly for Kyle to hear what they were saying. Several minutes passed, and then Kyle heard footsteps coming toward them. He turned around, and saw Petra walking toward them...with Ariana walking at her side!
“Ariana!” he cried, jumping to his feet and running toward her. He crashed into her, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her as tightly as he could. “Oh, thank god you're okay! I thought you were...”
“Dead?” she asked, smiling at him. “I'm alright,” she added, glancing at Petra, then back at Kyle. “What happened?”
“You don't remember?” Kyle asked. Ariana shook her head.
“The last thing I remember is walking into the cave,” she admitted. “After that, everything gets hazy.”
“You were gone for a really long time,” Kyle stated. “Petra left, and then Tavek and uh, the other guy,” he added, gesturing at the two men, “...tried to kill me, so I ran into the cave after you.”
“He almost did our job for us,” Machete muttered. He turned to Petra. “He ran into the cave for over a minute. He held his breath and lived.”
“Fascinating,” Petra murmured. “And how did you think to do that?” Kyle shrugged.
“There wasn't any magic in the cave, so I assumed the it was the air that was poisonous,” he replied. Petra arched one eyebrow.
“Well done.”
Kyle nodded, then glanced at Ariana. She was giving him a strange look.
“What?” he asked her.
“You ran into the cave to save me?”
“Yeah,” he answered. “You were lying on the floor, covered in those bugs,” he added. “I dragged you out.”
“Kyle, you could've died!”
“Well I couldn't let you die,” Kyle retorted rather defensively. He'd saved her life after all...she should be grateful, not scolding him! But she was clearly pissed.
“Kyle, you can't risk your life like that,” she scolded. “You're too important.”
“You're important too,” he countered.
“Not as important as you,” she insisted. Kyle stared at her, then lowered his gaze to his feet, realizing that she was right. He was the only one who could activate Ampir's bomb, the only one who could save the Empire. If he had died in there...
“Sorry,” he mumbled. He felt Ariana's hand on his shoulder, and looked up at her.
“My sweet Kyle,” she murmured, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. “Thank you.” He blushed, then glanced at Petra, who was watching them with a rather amused expression on her face. Kyle blushed harder.
“I'd ask you what she said,” Petra stated, “...but I think I get the idea.”
“So what now?” Kyle asked. Petra turned about, walking away from them. She gestured for them to follow.
“Now we go home,” she answered, lifting up one hand and opening it, revealing a small white crystal within. Kyle blinked, then glanced at Ariana, who
just smiled back at him. Tavek and Machete flanked Petra, and Kyle and Ariana followed behind. Kyle found his eyes naturally resting on Petra's posterior, and jerked his gaze upward, not wanting to get caught by Ariana again. To his dismay, Ariana pinched his arm, then walked in front of him, blocking his view. Kyle sighed, then looked at Ariana's posterior, finding a great big tear in her uniform exposing the upper part of her left butt cheek. Then he remembered when he'd first fallen onto her in the cave, how his hand had touched exposed skin above her leg.
“Uh...” Kyle began.
“Figures you'd look,” Ariana shot back. Kyle blushed yet again, fixing his eyes firmly on the ground ahead of him. He'd never imagined that his eyes could get him into so much trouble. It was as if the world had suddenly been filled with visual landmines...mines that pulled his gaze toward them constantly with their formidable magnetism. How could he possibly be expected to safely navigate around such effective and deadly weapons?
“I saved that butt you know,” Kyle muttered under his breath.
“I can hear you,” Ariana reminded him. Kyle sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets and trudging across the forest floor behind Ariana and the others, keeping his eyes – and his thoughts – to himself.
Chapter 27
The infinite blackness of space opens up above Sabin as he steps into the massive underground cavern where his Behemoths have been assembled and stored. Originally the largest cavern in the mine, the Resistance had deepened and widened it to accommodate the massive bulk of Sabin's twelve Behemoths, and had demolished the domed ceiling far above, revealing the starlit sky.
Sabin stares at his creations – his masterpieces – and smiles.
It had taken the better part of two years to create them all, with men working day and night to assemble them. They are massive, each of them standing hundreds of feet tall when fully erect. The relatively limited space of the cavern had necessitated building them in a bent-over position, their arms and legs planted on the ground, their domed heads bowing to the floor. But in an hour, they would stand tall below the huge hole in the domed ceiling above, and would fly upward through it into the night sky.