The Lure of Fools

by Jason James King

  FIGHT, the sword insisted again, but Jekaran’s fear had gotten the better of him. Not magical fear, but sobering, self-preserving fright. This man had a talis that shielded him from harm. Jekaran wouldn’t even be able to touch him.

  “Come on!” he shouted as he turned and shoved Maely into a run.

  Kairah hesitated a moment before ceasing her spell-casting and turning to run with them.

  “Where are we going?” Maely demanded as they barreled down an alley spanning between a merchant’s warehouse and a dockside pub.

  “We have to get out of the city before they raise the alarm and shut the gates,” he said around a gulp of air.

  Jekaran heard another explosion and more screaming behind them.

  Fight him, the sword insisted.

  How the hell am I supposed to fight someone who can paralyze me with fear, throw fire, and can’t be hurt?

  The sword did not reply.

  Jekaran turned a corner onto a connecting street and intentionally barreled into a stagnant crowd of curious locals staring at the smoke billowing into the sky above the docks. There were surprised shouts and angry murmurs as Jekaran shoved people out of their way.

  There was another explosion and then more screaming, this time closer. Jekaran didn’t look back. Instead, he made for an open shop. The storekeeper yelled something at them as they knocked goods off his store shelves, but Jekaran ignored him as he led the two women through the store and behind the counter. They ran into a store room and then out the shop’s back door.

  A five foot, stone wall stood before them. Jekaran helped Kairah and Maely over in turn before he climbed up. But before he could make it over, the roof of the shop behind them exploded into flames. Jekaran shook off another impulse to fight Kaul and leapt down from the wall to rejoin Kairah and Maely on the other side where they resumed their desperate run.

  Kaul ground his teeth as he looked over the crowd of people fleeing from him in every direction. This was going all wrong. He had trapped the boy and should’ve charred his head to a blackened skull, but the sword protected him. And then there was that woman with the talis, shielding against magical attacks. That would be useful if I could get my hands on it, he thought. I bet it was she that also used the gaia stone back in the rock lands. He would need to kill the woman and take her talises, but first he had to get the sword.

  Kaul shoved the short, bald lord forward. “Which way did he go?”

  The little man shook so bad he could hardly walk, and was that piss dripping from the leg of his trousers?

  Pathetic!

  “Th-th-that way,” he stammered as he pointed at a nondescript general goods store.

  Kaul raised his hand and launched a fireball at the building’s roof. “That should draw him out!”

  He needed to end this quickly. Fighting and killing those soldiers had already expended half of the Apeiron charge in his flame talis, almost as much with his dread medal, and a quarter of the power of his shield bracelet. Perhaps he should’ve brought the others to help him, but he couldn’t risk anyone else bonding the sword once the boy was dead.

  “H-he’s moving away,” the little lord said. “He’s not in the shop anymore.”

  He must’ve escaped out the back, Kaul clenched his teeth. “Where?” he roared.

  The little lord pointed past the shop and up the hill to the center of Imaris. “City square.”

  “Run!” Kaul shoved the little man forward almost making him stumble to the ground and the two broke into an uphill sprint.

  Sudden bell tolling began resounding throughout the city and Jekaran swore under his breath. How had they gotten word around so quickly? They shouldn’t have had time for that! Panicked screams and desperate shouting pierced the air, but not from behind them. The alarms weren’t because of the fire on the docks, he realized.

  “Divine Mother!” he gasped.

  Screaming people scattered in every direction as a hulking form turned into the square. The behemoth was as tall as most of the city’s buildings, glossy in a way that made it look like it was made of glass, and had a glowing jewel set in its face like a Cyclops’ eye.

  “Jenoc, no,” he heard Kairah breathe.

  “Jekaran!” Maely screamed as she pulled on his free arm.

  As though Maely’s screaming had been the only sound in all of Shaelar, the Crystal Golem stopped and turned to look directly at them.

  “Run!” Kairah shouted, and the three of them turned and began doubling back.

  You can fight it, the sword urged.

  That’s what you said about Kaul, and he nearly roasted my head off. Still, as insane as the sword’s suggestions were, they tempted him.

  Jekaran began to countdown from one thousand by three’s again. “Nine ninety-seven—”

  They ran down Imaris’ center street, a cacophony of screams, shouts, and breakage trailing them. Jekaran couldn’t help but cast a glance over his shoulder, and he saw the crystal golem tear through a passing wagon in an explosion of wood, scattered goods, and ghern blood. It crushed the street carts, animals, and people who were not able to clear out of its way in time. The ground shook as it gained.

  “Use magic!” Mae shouted at Kairah.

  Kairah looked hesitant, but then nodded and adopted the look of concentration she displayed when shielding them from Kaul’s fireballs. A moment later, a thick spike of rock exploded up from the ground in a spray of dislodged cobblestones and dirt clods. The rock monolith shot up directly in front of the charging golem who collided with it, breaking the rock into pieces as it fell forward. The ground shook as the golem crashed to the ground.

  Jekaran took the opportunity to shepherd Kairah and Maely down a smaller side street and then into a narrow alley. He glanced over his shoulder and glimpsed the golem rise to all fours. Its translucent head turned so that its amethyst jewel-eye focused directly on him. Jekaran turned back to look at Kairah and his question of how to fight the golem died in his throat. The Allosian woman’s already pale face was even paler, and stray strands of amethyst hair fell down her face as she leaned against the wall of the alley.

  “Kairah?” he asked.

  She straightened and made a dismissive wave with her hand. “I am well, Jekaran. Worry not.”

  Maely screamed and Jekaran looked up to see the crystal golem trying to squeeze into the alley amidst a storm of mortar dust and dislodged bricks. Jekaran towed Kairah by the hand around a corner and onto another wide street. “Mae, you said it couldn’t swim.”

  “The docks!” she said in comprehension.

  Jekaran nodded. “If we can lure it to the edge, Kairah can use her magic to knock it into the sea.”

  An explosion of stone followed by screams behind them caused Jekaran to reflexively glance back. The crystal golem had torn through the buildings making up the alley and emerged onto the street, dust marring its pristine glossy skin. Jekaran redoubled his run, Kairah in tow and Maely running beside him.

  “What about Kaul?” Mae asked.

  Jekaran shook his head. “I’m pretty sure we lost him.”

  The words no sooner fell from his lips than a wave of fear struck him, knocking him to the ground. He looked to his left and saw Kaul striding toward him from a connecting street, followed by a disheveled looking Gymal. The short, balding lord was flagging as he worked to keep up with Kaul. That’s when Jekaran saw what Gymal was holding.

  The blood seeker! That bastard is leading Kaul to me!

  Jekaran was fairly certain Gymal wouldn’t have opted to help a Rikujo crime lord by choice, but the fact he was doing it at all ignited a fierce anger inside of him. Remarkably, the emotion provided Jekaran with a buffer that tempered Kaul’s fear aura, and he was able to stand.

  Fight, the sword insisted.

  “Jek!” Mae screamed as she tugged on his left arm.

  Why was she not feeling the effects of the fear aura? Perhaps Kaul was directing it all at him. Was that even possible? They resumed their run, and Jekaran noti
ced Kairah had started to flag. Jekaran’s anger faded, and he began to feel an overwhelming despair. How were they going to get out of this? They couldn’t deal with both the threat of the golem and Kaul.

  Fight, the sword pushed with a new urgency in its mental tone.

  Jekaran’s jaw set. The sword was right. If they were to have any chance of getting out of Imaris alive, he had to fight. He slowed and turned to face Kaul, who had stopped a good distance down the street. Catching sight of a hulking monster made of crystal gave the crime lord pause. Jekaran twirled his sword and raised it to a blocking position.

  He was going to fight. And that pleased the sword.

  “Jek!” Mae screamed. “What are you doing?”

  “Go, Mae! Get Kairah to the docks, and lure that thing into the ocean. I have to fight Kaul.”

  “No!” Maely snapped as she clutched at his arm. Her tone was not angry, but frightened.

  “The same technique for controlling your link to the sword will help shield you from that man’s fear aura,” Kairah said in a weak voice. “His shield talis will drain each time you strike him. Exhaust its charge and he will be vulnerable.”

  “So it comes down to which man’s Apeiron charge will outlast the others’,” Jekaran said as he mentally gauged how much energy his sword held. It was nearly full. Good, he thought. Now if I can just avoid being paralyzed by fear and burned to a crisp, I might have a chance. He began to move forward.

  “No!” Mae shouted. “He’ll kill you!”

  “Go!” he shouted back and then broke free of her grip and launched into a run toward Kaul. He didn’t look back, but he was sure that Kairah had to drag Maely away.

  Maely watched as Jekaran charged down the connecting street toward Kaul. She had just about used her ring to make him stay with her, but he had broken away before she had the chance to fish it out of her dress pocket.

  “Come!” Kairah said as she grabbed Maely’s hand and began to run.

  She resisted, making sliding half steps as Kairah dragged her along. “I can help him!” she shouted. “I can use my mother’s ring!”

  “You would likely be killed before you even got close enough to use it.”

  “You don’t know that!”

  “Maely, I need …” The Allosian woman suddenly stumbled to one knee.

  She’s lost too much Apeiron, Maely realized. She’s dangerously weak.

  The ground shook as the crystal golem drew closer, now only fifty paces away.

  Maely helped Kairah stand, and the woman shot her a glance that said everything. She needed Maely’s help.

  “Dammit!” Maely swore. “Come on!”

  She helped Kairah resume their run downhill. Protect him! She pleaded to Rasheera as she resumed running downhill. Please!

  “If he dies, I’m blaming you!” she half-sobbed. When had she started crying? Had Kairah seen her tears? She hoped not.

  “We will submerge the golem as we did in Rasha and then return to help Jekaran,” Kairah responded in an even tone. Had she even heard Maely?

  “Can he win?” The words came out sounding like a plea.

  “He has a very powerful talis,” Kairah replied.

  That wasn’t really an answer.

  Stronger shaking of the ground made Maely cast a glance over her shoulder. The crystal golem was loping downhill at an even faster pace than before and was quickly closing the distance between them. It suddenly became clear they would not be able to outrun it. She searched around the street for another alley to slip into, but paused when she saw something.

  On the other side of the street was a medium-sized, wooden pushcart, spilling assorted vegetables onto the ground. Maely guessed it had been abandoned when the owner caught sight of the glass behemoth crashing down the street. She veered to the left and grabbed the cart, turning it so that its rear was facing downhill, spilling a few heads of cabbage onto the ground with the other vegetables.

  “What are you doing?” Kairah demanded as she glanced back at the golem that was now only twenty paces away.

  “Get in!” she said as she tipped the pushcart so that the front touched the ground.

  Realizing what she intended, Kairah climbed in.

  The ground shook as the crystal golem drew even closer. Maely raised it, balancing it on two wheels. With a strain, she pushed it into motion, running with it to help it gain momentum. Gravity caught the cart and it began to accelerate. When it began to get away from Maely, she leaped up and fell head first into the cart’s wooden bed. Her weight made it pick up even more speed as it bounced over the cobblestones.

  As their race downhill became wilder, Maely began to wonder if she hadn’t made a mistake and poked her head out, screaming as she saw the golem almost upon them. Panicked, she threw her back against the front of the cart and the shift in weight pushed it forward. To her relief, the cart accelerated even faster, and they began outpacing the loping golem. Before long, they purchased an appreciable lead as they hurled down the cobblestoned slope.

  Then she realized she hadn’t thought of how to safely stop the cart, and her breath caught again.

  The street became crowded with people who hadn’t seen the golem coming yet, and Maely shouted for them to move out of the way. Most heeded her warning and quickly moved out of their path, but one man didn’t see them coming and the cart clipped him on the left side, spinning him like a top. He fell out of the cart’s path and landed on his behind.

  “Sorry,” Maely shouted at the bewildered man.

  “Maely,” Kairah said. The woman was crammed into the cart’s front left corner, her eyes wide with fright. It almost made Maely laugh.

  “We are nearing the bottom of this slope,” Kairah said with obvious forced calm.

  Maely looked at the street ahead and saw that they were fast approaching the back wall of one of the dockside warehouses. “Magic!” Maely screamed.

  Kairah hesitated, but then nodded and began to concentrate. Maely lurched forward as the cart’s wheels locked. It abruptly pitched forward and flipped, spilling them onto the street as it skidded away, crashing into the outer wall of the warehouse where it exploded into several pieces.

  That wasn’t exactly what she had expected Kairah to do, and she turned to chide the woman for it, but paused.

  Kairah lay on the ground with her eyes closed. Maely picked herself up, ignoring the intense burning from a thousand scrapes on her legs and arms, and ran to kneel over the Allosian woman.

  “Kairah!” she shouted as she patted the woman’s cheek.

  She slowly opened her eyes and Maely helped her sit up. “Are you ok?” she asked.

  Kairah looked at her, and Maely could see in her face that she was nearing total exhaustion. What happens if you run out of Apeiron? The question echoed in Maely’s memory. I would die, Kairah had said.

  “Come on,” Maely said as she helped Kairah stand. “We’re almost there.”

  Kaul watched as the gigantic moving statue made of glass lopped downhill after the girl and the woman in the expensive cloak. What was that gigantic creature? It couldn’t be a talis, could it? Kaul had seen the amethyst stone on the glass monster’s head, but could a talis be made to come alive? Maybe, once he finished this, he could find out. Possessing a talis like that would indeed make him powerful. Who wouldn’t fear him if Kaul commanded a titan such as that? The prospect evoked a lust that almost rivaled his desire for Argentus’ sword.

  Kaul smiled as Argentus’ nephew barreled straight toward him. He had chased the boy all over Aiestal, and now was rewarded by his quarry coming, instead, to him. He heard the pathetic little lord at his right trying to creep away and idly thought about rewarding the man’s nauseating cowardice with a blast of fire, but no. He already depleted the flame ring’s charge to an uncomfortably low level. Unless he took the sword now, he would have to withdraw and strike again another day.

  The thought of retreat made his rage intensify. He would kill Argentus’ nephew, Jekaran, and claim the sword as h
is own. Then he would find Argentus and take his old friend’s head.

  When the boy was twenty paces away, Kaul focused the full intensity of his dread medal on him. He smiled as Argentus’ nephew stumbled to a halt and then fell to his knees. Perhaps he would get lucky and the stress of the terror would kill him. It wasn’t likely, as the boy was young and strong, but he could always hope. Kaul grinned at Jekaran as he began to prowl toward him.

  Jekaran couldn’t unclench his teeth, let alone raise his head to see the man with mismatched eyes approach, but he knew he was coming for him. Kairah said I could fight the fear the same way I control the sword, he thought. He began counting down from one thousand by three’s. The fear made concentration all but impossible, and he had to keep restarting the countdown. He tried three times, never making it below nine hundred and eighty-two before having to start over.

  He could now see Kaul’s boots as the man stalked toward him. Anger, he remembered. That’s how I did it before. Jekaran worked furiously to focus on something that would upset him. He tried thinking of the mocking jeers he suffered when the villagers of Genra had only considered him a freak with green eyes, but that didn’t work. He tried to think of when Maely laughed at him for his awkward attempts to woo the mayor’s beautiful, and much older, daughter. But that only made him worry after her. He thought of Gymal betraying him to Kaul and that stirred something within him, but his knowing that the cowardly lord was compelled to do so out of self-preservation doused that spark.

  It was hopeless. He was going to die.

  Kaul’s hand cupped his chin and forced his head up. Jekaran stared at the man’s eyes – one blue, one brown. “Do you know who I am?”

  Jekaran couldn’t have unclenched his jaw to answer if he had wanted to.

  Kaul’s sadistic smile told Jekaran the man knew this. So why ask me a question? To brag, he realized. He’s gloating over defeating me. Well, it wasn’t much of a fight, anyway. He hadn’t even had the fortitude to strike once at the man.