by Clayton Wood
“Yes.”
Kyle imagined what it would be like to be alone all the time, spending every day training, having no one to talk to most of the time. He couldn't imagine living such an empty life.
“Don't you ever wish you could be, you know...” he began, then trailed off. Petra smiled.
“Normal?” she finished for him. He blushed again.
“Yeah.”
“Yes,” she answered. “I do.” She turned away then, remaining silent for some time, until Kyle began to worry that he'd hurt her feelings. Then she turned back to him. “Life doesn't always give me what I want,” she stated, gesturing to the men and women behind her. “But my sacrifices give my family a chance to have the life they want.”
“I guess so,” Kyle mumbled. He supposed that he was making a similar choice, having risked his own life on several occasions to save his friends. “I think I'd do the same.”
“You went into the cave to save your friend,” Petra replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You already have.”
Kyle heard a shout, and turned to see two men running toward them from the left. They were dressed much like Tavek and Machete, with loincloths and weapons, but not much else. Petra stopped in her tracks, putting a hand out to stop Kyle and Ariana.
“Petra!” one of the men cried. He ran up to Petra, stopping before her. “Petra, we found two bodies south of here, a mile away.”
“Who?” she asked.
“Rul and Tok,” he replied.
“How long dead?” she pressed, her voice tense.
“Less than an hour.”
“How were they killed?” she asked.
“With their own weapons.”
“Were there any tracks?”
“Many,” he replied. “All by the killer. They made false trails, all ended in dead ends.” Petra nodded.
“A skilled opponent,” she murmured. “Take me to the bodies.”
The man nodded, and he and his partner led Petra through the forest, with everyone – even Petra's huge family – following behind. Within ten or so minutes, they came upon two bodies lying motionless on the forest floor. They were both men; one was lying across a fallen log, two arrows in his chest. The other was splayed across the ground, his spear jutting out of the left side of his chest. Blood soaked the ground around them, the air thick with the awful smell of it. Tiny insects buzzed around the bodies, forming shifting clouds over the deceased.
Petra walked up to the body on the log, examining it for a long time. Then she went to the man's back, staring at the arrowhead protruding there. She snapped the head off of the arrow, then gripped the shaft from the other side, slowly pulling the arrow from the man's chest. She stared at its length for a long moment, then walked to the second body, kneeling down before it. Kyle felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Petra's mother at his side.
“Are you all right?” she asked. He stared at her uncomprehendingly, then realized she was concerned about him seeing the bodies.
“Yeah,” he answered. “I've seen it before.”
“Who would do such a thing?” she wondered, shaking her head at the carnage.
“Are they...family?” Kyle asked. She shook her head.
“A different family, but the same tribe,” she corrected. “Good boys, both of them.”
Petra stood suddenly, leaving the bodies and striding up to her mother and father, still holding the blood-streaked arrow in her hand.
“They were killed by a Weaver,” she declared. Her mother glanced at her father.
“How do you know?” he asked.
“Rul has a full quiver,” she explained, pointing to the man draped over the log. “Except for this arrow,” she added, holding it up, “...which is of the same make.”
“So someone shot him with his own arrow,” Petra's mother deduced. Petra nodded, running a finger down the arrow's length.
“The shaft is curved,” she continued. “And the fletching,” she added, pointing to the three triangular pieces at the back of the arrow, “...has been pulled in the same direction as the curve.”
“Which means?” her father asked.
“Rul shot this arrow at the murderer,” Petra answered, “...and the murderer used a gravity field to arc it back to Rul, striking him in the heart.”
“But how?” Kyle asked. Everyone turned to him. “Only the Joined can use magic here,” he explained.
“Or a Weaver with a Reaper suit,” Petra replied, gesturing at her own uniform.
“Outsiders have no Reaper vines to make a suit,” Petra's father protested. “Only a Joined could have done this.”
“The tribes are at peace,” Petra countered. “And Rul would not have shot an arrow at one of the Joined.” She turned back to the body on the log. “It takes incredible skill to pull an arrow through the air and strike a man in the heart like that. Only myself and perhaps one other Joined could have done it.”
“What about an Immortal?” one of Petra's other family members asked, a tall, thin man. All eyes went to Ariana then.
“Immortals have never harmed us,” Petra countered. “And Rul would not have attacked an Immortal, except by accident.”
“I agree,” Petra's father declared. “Even when attacked by mistake, the Immortals have spared us. They have no fear of being harmed by our weapons.”
“So it was an outsider,” Petra's mother concluded. “An outsider who can weave magic in the Barrens.” She looked suddenly pale, and stared at her daughter, who tossed the arrow onto the ground, then knelt down to wipe her bloodied hands on tufts of grass. She stood back up, facing her family.
“Go home,” she ordered. “My wards will protect you there. I will find the murderer, and I will kill them.”
“Yes Petra,” her father replied. He turned about, grabbing his wife by the hand, and gestured for the rest of his family to follow him back through the woods, the way they'd come. Kyle began to follow along, but realized that Ariana hadn't moved, still standing near Petra. He stopped.
“You coming?” he asked. Ariana turned to Petra.
“I want to help,” she said. Petra hesitated, then nodded.
“Thank you.”
“I'll help too,” Kyle stated. Ariana shook her head.
“It's too dangerous,” she countered. “Go with the others.”
“But...”
“She's right,” Petra agreed.
“Hey,” Kyle protested, “...I can weave too, you know.”
“You don’t have much magic,” Petra retorted.
Kyle sighed, realizing he wasn't going to win this argument. He turned back toward where the rest of the family had gone, and realized that they'd already vanished into the woods. Petra gestured for him to go.
“Go,” she ordered. “Run and catch up with-”
There was a burst of blue light, and Petra shot backward through the air.
“Kyle!” he heard Ariana shout. Then he flew back into him, throwing him toward the ground. He landed on his back, Ariana lying on top of him. He wove magic frantically, a blue gravity shield appearing around them both. Kyle turned to Petra, saw her levitating in mid-air some ten feet above the ground. She lowered herself to the forest floor, crouching down low, her eyes scanning the forest rapidly.
“Petra!” Ariana cried.
“Protect Kyle!” Petra ordered. She stood then, rising to her full height. “Come out, coward! Show yourself!”
Kyle saw something flicker in his peripheral vision, and turned to see the spear pull itself out of Rul's body, then launch itself through the air...directly at Petra.
“Watch out!” he warned.
The spear shot toward her with terrifying speed, and Petra barely had time to turn her head to even see it. Kyle felt his heart leap in his throat, and he knew then that she was about to die.
Suddenly a large gravity sphere appeared around Petra, and she leaped to the side, the spear missing her left flank by inches. The gravity sphere contracted rapidly, making the spear spin aro
und her body in a half-circle, shooting outward the way it'd come.
Yes!
Then the spear arced again, shooting right back toward her!
Petra's eyes widened, and she dodged to the side, her feet hovering inches above the forest floor. The spear followed her, picking up speed as it went. She burst to the other side without warning, reversing direction, but the spear locked on her position again, shooting right at her.
Then she slammed sidelong into a tree trunk with a sickening thump. She bounced off, then fell to the forest floor.
“Petra!” Ariana cried.
The spear flew right into the center of her chest.
Kyle closed his eyes, turning away at the last minute. He heard a massive explosion, a shockwave slamming into his gravity shield. A spray of dirt and small stones pelted the shields, trees flying outward from where Petra had been standing, thick trunks snapping like twigs, a few branches ricocheting off of his shield. Ariana pushed herself off of him, rising to her feet and pulling Kyle up to his.
“Kyle!” she shouted. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he answered. Then he turned his head, and saw Petra floating a few feet above the ground, the jagged ends of severed tree trunks all around her. She descended, touching down on the forest floor. Kyle stared at her breastbone, realizing that there wasn't a single mark on it. Or on anything near it, he was relieved to see.
“Not bad,” a deep, masculine voice called out, somewhere to their right. Kyle and Ariana turned toward the sound, spotting a dark shape dropping down from the trees, his descent slowing at the last minute so that he landed on the ground without a sound. The man stood there for a moment, then strode toward them. He was tall, and covered from head to toe in black mud. Even his face was covered, only his eyes visible through that earthen mask. He stopped ten feet in front of them, turning to Petra, then back to Kyle and Ariana.
“Who are you?” Petra demanded. The stranger ignored her question, staring at Kyle and Ariana. Petra strode forward then, pointing at the stranger. “You're a dead man,” she promised, her tone ice cold.
“Then there's no point in killing me, is there?” he replied calmly, not even looking at her. Petra stopped, gravity shields bursting to life around her.
“You think this is a joke?” she exclaimed.
“No.”
“You'll pay for murdering Rul and Tok,” she threatened. He turned his gaze to her then.
“They paid for attempting to murder me.”
“You're trespassing on our land!” she exclaimed. “All outsiders should know that the penalty for this is death.”
“They're trespassing,” the stranger countered, pointing to Kyle and Ariana. “Yet they still live.” He began walking toward them again, and Ariana moved to stand in front of Kyle.
“Don't you even think about hurting them,” Petra warned.
“I won't,” the man replied. “I think they'll attest to that,” he added. He smiled then. “Hello, by the way,” he added, nodding at Kyle and Ariana. “I have to say I'm impressed...you made it much farther than I expected.”
“What?” Kyle asked.
“Do we know you?” Ariana pressed.
“I certainly hope so,” the man replied with a smirk. “After all, I am your father.”
Chapter 28
Kyle stared at man before him, his mouth agape.
“Kalibar?” he asked incredulously. The man didn't look anything like him. Which might have been due to him being covered in mud, but still, he could hardly believe it.
“Indeed,” the man confirmed. Kyle's eyes widened, and he felt his heart skip a beat. It was Kalibar's voice! Ariana nullified Kyle’s gravity shield, running up to the man and throwing her arms around him, ignoring the mud covering him.
“Daddy!” she cried, giving him a big hug. By the way Kalibar's eyes popped out, she'd forgotten to temper her enormous strength. She pulled back, no doubt sensing his discomfort, and apologized profusely.
“I think you broke a rib,” Kalibar gasped, clutching his right side. Ariana's eyes widened in horror, and Kalibar grimaced. “Don't worry,” he added, “...it'll heal in a minute.”
“Is it really you?” Kyle asked, still not daring to believe. He took a step forward, peering at the man. Even through the mud, it was clear that he didn't have any hair, or a goatee for that matter. Without them, he was hardly recognizable as the Grand Weaver of the Empire.
“I'd take off this mud and prove it,” Kalibar replied, “...but your friend over there might kill me if I did.” Kyle glanced at Petra, whose eyes darted back and forth between the three of them, then frowned at Kalibar.
“What's with the mud?” he asked.
“Remember back at the Tower?” Kalibar asked. “When we covered ourselves with mud to protect ourselves from the Void spheres?” Kyle nodded; they'd discovered that the mud insulated them a bit from the deadly spheres, preventing magic from being rapidly drained. In fact, he himself had been the one to come up with the idea. He nearly slapped himself in the forehead, realizing that he could've done the same thing here, and might have been able to weave more magic if he had. Of course, there was no way he could have known about the dangers of the Barrens ahead of time.
“Oh man,” Kyle groaned. Kalibar chuckled, walking up and putting a muddy hand on his shoulder.
“It's all right,” he consoled. “A momentary lapse. From what I hear, you've been remarkably resourceful otherwise. The good Captain had wonderful things to say about you.”
“The Captain?” Kyle exclaimed. “You met him?” Kalibar nodded.
“I did indeed,” he confirmed. “It took a bit of...convincing, but he was quite helpful in assisting me to find you.”
“What are you doing here?” Ariana asked. “I'm not going back,” she added firmly. “Not until I...”
“You’re right,” Kalibar interjected. Ariana stared at him.
“What?”
“I didn't come here to stop you,” he explained. “I came to help.”
Both Kyle and Ariana stared at Kalibar silently for a long moment, barely able to believe their ears.
“Really?” Ariana asked at last. Kalibar chuckled.
“I've found,” he replied, putting an arm around her shoulder, “...not for the first time, that my children are sometimes wiser than I.”
“Enough,” Kyle heard a voice order. He turned, seeing Petra glaring at them. Or rather, at Kalibar. “You may be their father, and they are welcome guests here,” she continued. “But you are not.”
“Please, let me explain,” Kalibar began, but Petra cut him off with a gesture.
“Let me explain,” she retorted coldly. “You murdered two of my people. By law, this is punishable by death. I am responsible for upholding the law.”
“I understand...” Kalibar began, but again, Petra cut him off.
“Then there is nothing more to discuss.” She stepped back then, gesturing at Kyle and Ariana. “Step aside, children.” Kyle stayed where he was, and Ariana did the same. Kalibar sighed.
“Kyle, Ariana, why don't you step aside for a moment,” he requested. “It seems your friend and I have a disagreement to resolve.” He turned to Petra. “I want you to know that those two men...”
“Rul and Tok!” Petra interrupted.
“I want you to know that Rul and Tok attacked me first, without provocation,” Kalibar stated. “To them, I was an unarmed man. I had limited magic to defend myself, as I do now. Had I been possessed of my full strength, I would not have had to kill them.”
“Enough talk,” Petra ordered.
“Very well,” Kalibar replied calmly. He stood before Petra with his arms at his sides, looking unnervingly vulnerable. Kyle backed away, pulling Ariana with him. A bolt of fear shot through him.
“Don't do it, Petra,” he pleaded. Petra glanced at him.
“I know this is your father,” she replied. “But I must uphold our laws.”
“I'm not worried about him,” Kyle countered. “
I'm worried about you.”
“Your concern is misplaced,” Petra promised.
“No, he's right,” Ariana insisted. “You really don't want to fight him.” Kyle saw Petra hesitate for a moment.
“And why is that?”
“He's the best Battle-Weaver in the world,” Ariana answered. Petra turned to Kalibar, eyeing him for a long moment. Then she bent her knees slightly, her eyes hardening.
“We'll see about that,” she muttered. “Get back!”
Kyle obeyed, backing up even further, but Ariana stayed where she was. Kalibar turned to her.
“It's all right,” he told her. “You don't need to help me.”
“But you don't have much magic,” Ariana protested. Kalibar turned to Petra.
“She's correct,” he stated. “You have much more magic than I...this is hardly an even fight.”
“I don't care,” Petra replied. “This isn't a duel,” she added coldly. “It's an execution.”
“By all means then,” Kalibar replied coolly, extending his arms to the sides. “Execute.”
And then he vanished into thin air.
Petra stepped back, blue light flashing from her forehead, and a powerful wind slammed into the ground where Kalibar had been. Dirt and leaves flew upward from the ground, circling around in a mad frenzy. Then the wind stopped suddenly, the dirt and leaves falling to the ground. Kyle saw a faint swirl of leaves, as if something invisible was pushing them to the side.
Petra's eyes locked on that movement, and her eyes narrowed. Kyle felt the hairs on his arms and neck rise, and then there was a flash of pure white light as a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, slamming into the ground with an ear-splitting boom.
Right where Kalibar had been.
Kyle squinted against the flash of light, spotting Kalibar appearing out of thin air to the side of the lightning bolt, a fireball shooting from him and flying toward Petra with incredible speed. Her eyes widened, and she lurched backward, creating a gravity field around herself just in time. The fireball arced around her, then shot back at Kalibar. Just as quickly, it turned around again, swinging right back at her. This time, however, Petra was ready; a ball of water appeared before her, and she shot it out at the fireball. They collided in a hiss of steam, extinguishing the fireball instantly.