by Clayton Wood
“Wait,” he pleads. “What if you're wrong? What if you don't kill Ampir? He'll come after you!”
“Oh I don't think so,” Gunthar retorts. “My army has been instructed to make it very clear who designed and constructed their Behemoths.” He smiles. “Very clever, to put your symbol on each of them. If they fail, Ampir won't be coming after me...he'll be coming for you.”
“You son of a bitch!”
“You'll be interested to know,” Gunthar adds as Sabin is pulled forcibly down the hallway away from him, “...that I will be having one team specifically target Ampir's wife and child. Such a simple strategy, yet so effective.” He raises one hand, chopping it downward in a straight line. “Divide,” he murmurs, “...and conquer.”
* * *
Kyle felt something tapping at his shoulder, and he opened his eyes, blinking against the bright sunlight streaming through his bedroom window. He rubbed the crust from his eyes, and saw Ariana standing at his bedside, her hand on his shoulder.
“Come on,” she urged. “Get up.” By her tone, it wasn't the first time she'd said it.
“Oh, hey,” Kyle mumbled. He propped himself up in bed, squinting at her. “What's up?”
“We need to go,” she replied, grabbing his wrist and pulling him out of bed. “Get dressed and meet me downstairs, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Don't forget the bomb,” she reminded him. “And hurry,” she added, turning about and walking out of his room. He watched her go, then yawned, stretching his arms over his head and dropping them to his lap.
“Alrighty then,” he muttered.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, hopping off and getting dressed. He checked the backpack he'd stowed in the corner of the room, finding the bomb safely tucked within. He shoved it in his pocket, then made his way through the wide hallways of Petra's parents' house, eventually reaching the large staircase to the first floor. When he took a turn into the main room – the one the family had congregated in yesterday – he found it completely empty. A coffee table in front of one of the couches lay shattered on the floor, split right down the middle. Splinters were strewn across the family room in front of it.
“What the...” he began, then felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, seeing Ariana there. He gestured at the broken table. “What happened here?”
“I'll tell you, but don't say anything,” she replied. Kyle nodded. “I spent all night thinking about what Kalibar said,” she continued.
“About what?”
“Don't say anything,” she reminded him. “I was thinking about how the bomb might end up killing Petra's family, and the other tribes. Most of the family was here this morning,” she continued, gesturing at the large family room. “So I sat on the couch there, and was talking with Petra's mother. Then I stood up and pretended to be possessed by Xanos.”
“You...”
“Shush,” Ariana scolded, making Kyle grimace. “I said that something big was coming, and that the tribes were in danger. The Immortals must return to their creator, and the tribes had to evacuate, or they would surely be destroyed.”
“Oh,” Kyle blurted, his eyes widening. “Oh!”
“Kalibar translated for me. I wasn't getting the response I wanted, so I pretended to pass out, and fell into the table.”
“You broke it?” he asked. Ariana nodded.
“With my face,” she replied rather proudly. “It was very convincing.”
“I'll say,” Kyle muttered, staring at the shattered furniture.
“Anyway, Kalibar played along. The whole family got spooked, and they've been packing up and traveling to the other tribes to warn them ever since.”
“Ariana, that's...” Kyle began, then stopped himself, shaking his head. It was absolutely brilliant, is what it was!
“I know,” she replied with a smile. She pulled him away from the room then, back toward the foyer. “Come on, we'd better get going.”
“Where?”
“Petra's going to take us to the cave like she promised,” she explained. “Kalibar's waiting with her outside.”
“She isn't evacuating?”
“No,” Ariana confirmed. “I told them the Immortals had to return to their creator, remember?”
“Right,” he replied. “Wow.”
“I know, right?”
Kyle shook his head in wonder; Ariana had always been clever, but this was a stroke of pure genius. Unable to say so, he hugged her, then let her lead him out the front door and onto the path beyond. A hundred or so feet ahead, they found Kalibar talking with Petra. The Grand Weaver was once again covered from head to toe in mud; Petra had been serious about not letting him have a Reaper suit...not that any of hers would've fit him.
“The tribes shouldn't all evacuate to one place,” Kalibar was saying. “I think they should spread out at the edges of the forest, just in case this is a trap.”
“A trap?” Petra replied, clearly unconvinced. “The Immortals would not harm us.”
“Yes, well,” Kalibar muttered. “I don't trust them.” Then he saw Ariana approaching, and smiled. “Except for this one, of course.”
“Hi dad,” Ariana greeted. “I told him,” she added, gesturing at Kyle. Petra frowned.
“What did she say?”
“Kyle knows what happened,” Kalibar answered. He turned to Ariana then. “You're sure you're alright?”
“I'm fine,” Ariana insisted. Kalibar turned to Petra.
“And you're sure you still want to do this?”
“I gave my word,” Petra declared. “I will take Ariana to her creator.” She turned then, striding away from them and into the forest, gesturing for them to follow her. Kyle glanced at Kalibar, who appeared rather preoccupied with Petra's retreating form. He smiled, thinking back to what the old man had said so long ago, when Kyle had first met him...that men never outgrew their fascination with such things. He glanced at Ariana, who had clearly located the source of Kalibar's curiosity, and appeared rather exasperated with it. Perhaps women never outgrew their frustration at men's fascination with their particulars either.
“How far away is the cave?” Kalibar inquired, catching up with Petra and walking at her side.
“Up the mountain,” she replied.
“What distance?” Kalibar pressed.
“I haven't measured it,” came the deadpan reply.
“Is it filled with the same gas as the cave Ariana went into?” Kalibar asked. They'd concluded that there must be a poisonous gas throughout the cave, after Kyle's success in navigating it while holding his breath. Petra nodded.
“Anyone who goes inside dies in the same way,” she confirmed.
“That could complicate things,” Kalibar murmured. “We'll have to create a large gravity sphere to trap air inside before going in.”
“A good idea,” Petra opined. Kalibar raised an eyebrow at her, and she frowned. “What?”
“I wasn't expecting praise,” Kalibar replied with a mischievous grin. “I'm speechless.”
“That was my intention,” Petra shot back, giving him a little smirk. Kalibar chuckled, and Kyle caught Ariana glancing at him. Kyle frowned, and Ariana cocked her head at Kalibar and Petra, arching an eyebrow. Kyle shrugged.
“You hardly have to speak to leave me that way,” Kalibar replied smoothly, keeping his eyes straight forward. Petra's eyes widened, and she glared at him. Kyle thought he saw her cheeks turn a little pink, but it was hard to tell with her dark skin.
“Not speaking might be best for you,” she grumbled, increasing her pace. This had the unintended effect of leaving Kalibar behind, giving him an unfettered view of hers.
“What is that around your neck?” Kalibar asked. Petra didn't slow down, forcing Kalibar – and everyone else – to speed up just to keep up with her. Petra ignored the question at first, but when Kalibar let the question hang in the air, she stopped, turning around. Kyle frowned; he couldn't see anything around Petra's neck. Then he realized that ther
e were small bumps under her uniform, in the shape of a necklace. He'd never even noticed it, having spent far more time observing matters immediately below.
“A necklace,” she answered, turning around and resuming her quick pace. “A diamond necklace,” she clarified. “My grandfather gave it to me before he passed.”
“I see,” Kalibar replied. They walked in silence for a few moments, and to Petra's obvious annoyance, Kalibar kept up with her easily. “What do you know about this cave?” he asked, wisely changing the subject.
“It was the main entrance to my ancestors' caves over two thousand years ago,” she answered grudgingly. “The only caves in the world that carry the Void crystals...and the Reaper Queens.”
“The what?”
“Sacred creatures,” Petra answered. “In a way, they are the mother of all the Barrens,” she added. “That is why the caves were so sacred to my ancestors. They guarded the caves from anyone who tried to steal their treasures. Many tried to defeat them, but none succeeded.”
“Interesting,” Kalibar replied. “I've read reports from that time...they discussed a tribe of forest-dwelling Weavers defending such a cave.”
“My ancestors were the best Weavers in the world,” Petra declared proudly. Then she deflated somewhat. “At least until the Outsider came.”
“The Outsider?”
“A man,” Petra confirmed. “My ancestors took him in, and he lived among them for many years.”
“What happened then?”
“The Outsider discovered the key to eternal life,” Petra replied. “He gave this to my ancestors, plunging stones into their heads to make them the first of the Immortals.”
“My god,” Kalibar breathed. “It was Sabin!” Kyle felt a chill run down his spine, and he turned to Ariana, who looked similarly disturbed. It made perfect sense, of course; Sabin had made his lair here, after all. Still, the thought that Sabin himself had lived here, among these tribes, was mind-boggling.
“Sabin?” Petra asked.
“A man from my country,” Kalibar explained. “He was a brilliant researcher and Runic.” He shook his head. “No one knew where he went after he...after he left the country. I suppose it makes sense that he traveled here.”
“Yes, well,” Petra stated. “The Outsider – Sabin – took my ancestors' best Weavers and made them all into Immortals, and then they vanished into the caves.”
“What happened to them?” Kalibar pressed. Petra shrugged.
“No one knows,” she admitted. “The entrance to the caves was filled with water, and then poison air. My ancestors tried to get in, but those who did died. With their best Weavers gone, they lost much of their knowledge of weaving, and the tribes have never been the same since.” She slapped a bug that landed on the back of her neck. “We see the Immortals now and again, but they never speak to us, and most of them are not from our people.”
“That's terrible,” Kalibar murmured. “I'm sorry.”
“It's the past,” Petra said matter-of-factly. “My people hope that one day our ancestors – the first Immortals – will return to us, and teach us the old ways.”
“That's why you revere them,” Kalibar deduced. Petra nodded.
“They are our past,” she explained. “We guard these woods and the caves as they did, and wait for them to consider us worthy of their knowledge and wisdom.”
They walked in silence then, Petra's body language clearly indicating that she was done talking. Minutes passed, the crunching of their boots on the dead leaves and twigs underfoot forming a mind-numbing rhythm as they navigated through the forest. Eventually the forest floor began to angle upward, gradually at first, then more sharply. Kyle's legs, as accustomed as they had become to being put through their paces, began to burn. He soon found himself struggling to keep up with the others.
“You okay?” Ariana asked. Kyle nodded, sweat trickling down his forehead.
“I'm,” he gasped, “...fine.”
“Want me to carry you?” she offered. Kyle stared at her incredulously, then shook his head.
“S'okay,” he replied, trudging forward and upward. Ariana folded her arms over her chest, keeping pace with him with annoying ease.
“What, you don't want to look weak in front of your girlfriend?” she pressed. Kyle gave her a look.
“You don't...care about that,” he replied.
“I wasn't talking about me,” Ariana retorted. “She can't even see you, you know.”
“What are you...” Kyle began, and then he realized Ariana was talking about Petra. He blushed furiously, and turned away. He could feel Ariana's eyes on him.
“Relax, she can't understand me,” Ariana muttered. “And besides, they're too far away to hear.” It was true; they'd gone about thirty to forty feet ahead, up a path through the trees that climbed leftward.
“She's not my girlfriend,” Kyle retorted, feeling his cheeks grow hotter. He silently cursed his traitorous body. “You are.”
“Uh huh,” Ariana mumbled. He stumbled then, and she caught him before he landed flat on his face. “Here, at least lean on me,” she urged. Kyle did so gladly, realizing that Kalibar and Petra had stopped to wait for them. It still amazed him that Kalibar had kept himself in such incredible shape, despite his age. The old man was keeping up with Petra – and hardly even breaking a sweat. Neither was Petra, for that matter...but she had quite obviously spent a great deal of effort in developing the appropriate muscles for the task.
“Are you all right Kyle?” Kalibar inquired as they caught up. Kyle nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. Kalibar turned, looking up the path they were following. It leveled out in the distance, leading to a rock wall some twenty feet high. To the right of the wall was a small stream that cascaded down as a waterfall onto the rocks below.
“Petra, if you could fly us up over that wall?” Kalibar requested. Petra nodded. They both walked up to the rocky wall, and shot up through the air and over it, landing on the ground above. Petra came down, bringing Kyle next, and then Ariana. They faced the small stream then, seeing a row of flat-faced boulders sticking out above the water.
“Why don't we just use magic to fly all the way to the top?” Kyle asked, using the sudden break to catch his breath. He did have a little magic stored up, after all.
“We need to conserve magic,” Kalibar replied. He turned to Petra then. “...seeing as how I don't have a Reaper suit. Unless of course you want to provide the magic?”
“We walk,” Petra replied. When Kalibar raised an eyebrow at her, she put her hands on her hips. “Using my Reaper vines has its consequences,” she added, as if that explained it.
“Very well,” Kalibar replied. “Let's go.”
They crossed the stream one at a time, with Petra leading. They all held hands in an unbroken chain, ensuring that if someone fell into the water, they wouldn't be swept down the waterfall. Luckily the precaution proved unnecessary, as they crossed without incident. The path climbed ever higher beyond.
“Oh man,” Kyle complained, staring upward with dismay. He turned to look down the way they'd come, and saw a steep drop to the forest far below. He felt woozy for a moment, and stepped well clear of the edge. He hadn't realized just how far up they'd traveled. The trees around them were noticeably shorter than the ones below, with moss and lichen growing on the rocks in abundance. It was also a bit colder, the wind sending a chill through him.
“You'll have a break ahead,” Petra promised, starting up the path, Kalibar following close behind. “We'll be crossing the Spine of Grimore soon.”
“What's that?” Kyle asked, trekking up the path. He seriously considered taking Ariana up on her offer to carry him, but his pride would not allow it. No matter how many times his pride had caused him to suffer in the past, for some reason he still catered to it. It was, he realized, a rather abusive relationship.
“A narrow path from here to Grimore's peak,” Petra answered.
“We're almost up the mountain?”
“No,” Petra replied. “We're still near the base.”
“Oh man,” Kyle complained. He heard Petra laugh...for the first time, he realized.
“The cave is also near the base,” she consoled. “We're getting close.”
They continued upward silently from there, the path becoming so steep that even Kalibar and Petra were having a hard time of it. Kyle found himself relying more and more on Ariana to help him up, which she did with silent ease. Still, Petra refused to use her magic, relying on sheer muscle to ascend the mountain. It was obvious that this wasn't her first time; the relative ease with which she climbed certainly explained the impressive proportions of her lower half. Kyle had to reign in his admiration in that regard, especially with Ariana watching him like a hawk.
“Almost,” Kyle mumbled to himself, pulling himself upward one lunging step at a time. “...there.” He glanced down, and immediately regretted it. It was an almost sheer drop below, at least a hundred feet to the nearest ledge. He turned away, clinging to the face of the mountain with all of his might, pressing himself against the cool rock.
“You okay?” Ariana asked.
“If I fall,” Kyle grumbled, “...I’m flying the rest of the way up.”
“You have magic?” Ariana pressed, clearly surprised. Kyle nodded.
“A little,” he confirmed. In fact, he had quite a bit more magic now than before; it seemed that the higher they went, the less powerful the drain on his magic was.
At long last, to Kyle's utter delight and relief, they reached the top.
“Oh thank god,” Kyle gasped, crawling onto the gloriously flat surface beyond. He had half a mind to kiss the ground.
“His first time up a mountain?” he heard Petra ask wryly. He looked up, seeing all three of them standing there staring at him. He groaned, rising shakily to his hands and knees, then to his feet, stepping far clear of the edge he'd just scaled.
“It is,” Kyle answered defensively. He brushed off bits of rock and dust from the front of his shirt, then looked forward.