The Complete Four Worlds Series

by Angela J. Ford

  He lifted his scepter and all the Mermis lifted their spheres above their heads and released them. As if pulled by a magnetic force, the round objects drifted towards the King’s scepter, emitting a low, humming vibration. In a strange fashion, the spheres began interlocking, forming a sort of canopy over their heads. The vibration intensified as the canopy grew, and for a moment it seemed as if a portal would burst open and hurl them into another World.

  Crinte had the strangest feeling as he stood there, apprehensive about the gift the Mermis were imparting. He wanted to pause the ceremony and ask the King questions, but decorum forbade it, and he sensed the power of the Mermis was much stronger than he’d assumed. Marklus could hear the elements within those solid balls speaking to him, and yet they were voiceless. It was unlike anything he had encountered before, and while he was sure it would not harm them, he was sure it would change them.

  Alaireia remembered the first time she had used the Clyear, the rush of power, the headiness when she realized she was in over her head. The giddy sensation returned and she could almost feel herself spiraling out of control, grasping for power that eluded her fingertips.

  Starman’s eyes were wide; he did not know what was happening, but the others appeared to be okay with it. He wanted to walk away somewhere safe, where he could predict what would happen next, but there was no escape from the kingdom in the sky.

  Legone stood frozen in horror. He had seen grand displays of power before, and at first he’d thought them beautiful. Now, he wanted to run away as fast as he could, but it felt like his feet were glued to the floor. He blinked rapidly, trying to stop the dark nightmares from returning, but they came anyway, realistic and horrific.

  King Vincsir pointed his scepter at the sphere of elements and the pulsing increased. “Warriors of the Western World.” He turned his golden gaze on the five warriors. “I give you the gift of invincibility! For sixty days, your power will be unmatched across the Western World, and you shall complete the quest you have placed upon yourselves. Take the blessing of the Mermis, and if you should find life at the end of your journey, return to us. This exchange we grant you in honor of Srackt the Wise, and count his deeds as payment for this gift.”

  A beam of light shot forth from the King’s scepter and pierced the sphere. It violently convulsed and finally exploded, bursting into light that flooded over the five warriors. As it fell, they felt themselves lifted up, weightless, and the strength of a thousand Mermis pulsed through their bodies. A terrible sound filled their ears and in the midst of the unexpected gift, they found themselves reaching for each other, holding tightly as the gift of the Mermis overwhelmed them.

  It may have only been an hour later when they found themselves standing before King Vincsir. The heart of the castle had emptied and only Malaseya, Melair, Ima, and Ena remained. King Vincsir looked at them, and his eyes were no longer golden. The light in the castle seemed to have dimmed, and the perfume from the bubbles had lessened. Crinte was the first to regain his senses. In one motion, he stepped forward and bent one knee, kneeling before the King with his eyes cast downwards. Just as quickly, Marklus followed his lead, then Starman, Alaireia, and finally, Legone reluctantly knelt as well.

  “We thank you for this great honor.” Crinte spoke a bit breathlessly. “We accept the fair exchange you offer, and we will restore this land.”

  King Vincsir motioned for them to rise as he walked down the steps to stand in front of them. “We hope this gift will not be in vain. Crinte, the Order of the Wise is failing. You may be the last to truly understand what feats the people groups can accomplish. You seek to bind together mortals and immortals, and if I could, I would send such an army to fight with you. Understand that although we of the Kingdom of Spherical may be doomed to a slow death, it is a fight we have been unwilling to give up. The immortals are dying; soon, it will only be up to you to ensure the survival of the land. We may be creatures of the air, but the land sustains us all. My kin will take you to the Three Clouds Pass and my Silver Herd will leave you at the Dejewla Sea.”

  Crinte knew words would not be enough to express gratitude for what the Mermis had sacrificed. He now understood Malaseya’s words from earlier, and that his father had only bargained the antidote in exchange for a blessing from the Mermis. He could see the path laid before him, tunnels curling away in the mountains.

  “Again,” he bowed his head, “our gratitude is with you. Your gift will not be in vain.”

  The King looked at each of them in turn, solemnly regarding them. Then he lifted his hands. “Hope goes with you into the darkness, a beacon alight in your hearts. As you journey through weary lands, remember who you are and do not let your hearts grow dark.”

  He turned and walked back up to his dais, dismissing them with his actions. Questions lay unasked on Crinte’s tongue, but all he could do was follow Malaseya as she led them out. Crinte glanced back at his warriors and saw Marklus lay a hand on Legone’s trembling shoulder. Starman appeared rather frightened, and Alaireia looked as if she had drunk from an eternal fountain. As Crinte looked at them, a sneaking suspicion grew, and he found himself worried they would not be able to withstand the powerful gift of the Mermis.

  Part II

  28

  The Dejewla Sea

  Starman strolled with Alaireia through the scattered, overhanging trees at the edge of the sea. The last five days had been less eventful from the air, but at least the Silver Herd had set them down by land’s edge. The five were more than grateful to stretch their legs and walk upon firm ground again. Thanks to the extra speed provided by air travel, Crinte agreed to camp on the Mizine side of the sea for the rest of the day. They had reached a narrow part of the sea, and with all hopes it would take less than a day to reach other side. Alaireia and Starman had walked off to scout ahead, leaving Crinte, Marklus, and Legone to construct a makeshift raft to take them across.

  Starman stood at the shore of the great Dejewla Sea and stared at the enormity of the swaying body of liquid. The water shone like sapphires, beckoning him to crawl into its watery graves and swim and dive as if he were a child of aqua. Waves rippled across the surface but any animals that used to dwell near the sea had long since disappeared. He could smell the richness of the soil as the plants close to the water stretched their roots deep, bloating themselves on salt less seawater.

  Alaireia, on the other hand, had already dropped her pack of supplies and was loosening the black belt that carried her long sword. “It’s good we’re camping here for a time,” she was saying, sitting on a fallen log to unstrap her black boots as Starman continued to be captivated by the sea. “I, for one, would like one last swim before we enter the desert. Swift claims it is a dry, barren place.”

  “It smells like dead fish,” Starman said, wrinkling his nose.

  “Starman?” Alaireia asked, standing barefoot on the shore. “Are you coming for a swim?”

  “Oh.” Starman’s face turned red. “I…I…uh…”

  Alaireia laughed as she waded into the water to see how it felt. “The water is fine!”

  “Uh…” Starman turned to go, almost tripping over his feet. “I’ll go downstream with the others,” he stammered.

  “Wait, Starman,” Alaireia called. He turned around, still blushing, but she stood knee high in the water, staring into it. “What did you say it smelt like?”

  Starman opened his mouth to reply when something leaped out of the water, snatching Alaireia and dragging her under. “Fish! Crinte!” Starman shouted all at once. “Help! The fish have Alaireia!” He drew his sword and ran to the waterside, but all was still again. Eyes like saucers, he ran back to the trees. “Crinte! Marklus! Swift! Hurry!” he yelled.

  He ran back to the sea, only to shout and leap back in surprise as a monster surged out of the water, its long, brown-spotted tentacles waving in every direction. Along the length of each tentacle, suction holes moved in and out as if the creature were breathing in air and water at the same time. Its r
ound head had barely emerged but it was the center of the tentacles with two horrifyingly large, ink black eyes. Starman could see a mirror black image of himself drowning in the sticky elixir of those eyes, and immediately leaned over to vomit in a bush. As he wiped his mouth on the back on his hand he saw Alaireia, wrapped in one of the sucking tentacles. It was one of the most beautiful and terrifying sights he had ever seen as she rose with the creature, streaming with now muddied water. Her black hair hung long and her shoulders were bare as she gripped the tentacle in both arms, her face a mass of concentrated fury as she struggled for release.

  “Alaireia!” Starman yelled, dashing into the water with his sword raised. A tentacle reached out for him and he slashed at it, ripping it open and causing black blood to leak out. Starman almost gagged as the stench of decaying fish overwhelmed him in the water. Despite it, he moved closer to the great creature. It towered above him, lifting Alaireia higher into the air. Starman slashed at the next tentacle that tried to capture him, but ultimately failed as one wrapped its slimy length around him and hugged his body uncomfortably close. Still waving his sword, he proceeded to chop at the thick length that held him, but the creature was unforgiving. It reared its head even further out of the water, displaying a wide, gaping mouth. It opened it and roared.

  Starman was unprepared for the massive stench. Slime, goo, water, and leftovers from the sea monster’s breakfast slapped into his olfactory senses, offending them to the max. He felt himself heaving again, with nothing left to throw up into the churning waters. The sea foamed beneath him and for a moment, he forgot about his sword and realized the real danger he and Alaireia were in of being eaten for lunch. A second later, he found himself plunged underwater while tentacles waved through the air, creating bigger waves above his head. In the instant before his lungs burst, he saw the sunlight, warm, beautiful and caring; a moment later, he was back above the water, swinging high in the air. Coughing and spewing and gasping for breath, Starman felt the fight leaving him as the creature dunked him under again. When he was brought back to the surface, spitting up even more water, he could hear Alaireia shouting. “Starman! Don’t give up!”

  He looked up just as there was a sickening crack and Alaireia broke loose of the tentacle that was holding her. She fell towards the water but another tentacle shot out, locking around her foot and dragging her back, upside down, towards the creature’s wide mouth. Starman lifted his sword. His arms felt heavy as another tentacle smacked into his chest, splashing slimy water into his face. Yet as he lifted his sword, he could feel it begin to zing, and almost before he could control it, it leaped out and slashed at an incoming tentacle before it could slap him in the face. That’s when he felt it. Not the rage he felt in Trazame on his family’s farmland; not the fear he felt at the battle in the Sea Forests of Mizine. He felt certain and calm. His eyes focused. He wiped water from his face as best he could. Taking his sword in both hands, he brought it down hard. A wall of water rose up around him as the creature let go; nevertheless, he swam forward into the fray of tentacles, hacking away with his sword as he went. Pieces of the creature flew through the air, splashing back into the waves to float on the surface, shriveling as if they’d been burned.

  A yell of rage sounded from behind him, and Starman, swinging his sword in one hand, glanced back for a moment to see Crinte running towards him. His mouth was open, his sword was out, and his blond hair blew straight back in the breeze as he splashed into the sea. His first blow sent the creature reeling, but gathering its strength, it moved forward to take on the Cron and Trazame that dared challenge it. Alaireia was tossed aside, dropped into the swirling waters and caught beneath the creature’s body. “Starman, watch out for the arrows!” Crinte shouted.

  The creature’s head reared above Starman, and as he looked up to take on the menace, two blue tipped arrows whistled past him. One of them pierced the creature’s inky eye and continued on into its skull. A high-pitched scream echoed through the water, and the creature began to thrash in pain, slapping the water with its long tentacles, violently throwing Crinte and Starman out of the sea onto the shore.

  “Stay back!” Marklus commanded as he stood with Legone on the shore. But Starman could not have risen if he wanted to. He had landed oddly on the shore with the wind knocked out of him. Marklus let loose his arrow and it flew through the walls of water, past the flying tentacles and into the creature’s other eye. The scream it was emitting became even higher, causing the blood in Marklus’ ears to boil. With one last cry, the creature descended, dashing underwater, leaving foamy waves behind.

  The quiet sobbing of the waves remained, with streaks of black blood floating on its surface. Starman groaned as he slowly picked himself up, looking over at Crinte, Marklus, and Legone, and then he cried, “Where’s Lightfoot!”

  “I’m here,” Alaireia called, deflated, as she dragged herself out of the water. She rolled on the shore in shock.

  Starman hurried over to her. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, cracking a wry smile for him. “It takes more than a sea monster to take me down. Are you?”

  “I don’t know,” Starman exclaimed in frustration. “Tell me, Crinte, we are not crossing the sea now. Not after that! What was it?”

  “That was an Actimic.” Crinte’s voice was quiet and grave. “A sea monster of Oceantic. What it is doing in these parts we can only guess.”

  “Did we kill it?” Starman asked, concerned.

  Crinte shook his head. “No, monsters rejuvenate in the waters of the deep. It will likely hibernate until it is healed and rise again in some other waters. We will not see it again.”

  “Are you sure?” asked Legone, his voice hushed, his bow still lifted.

  Crinte looked at him, noting his stiff demeanor and still voice. “Change of plans,” Crinte announced. “We cross now, before some other monstrosity appears.”

  “The rafts are not yet ready,” Legone remarked.

  “Dry off and finish them then. Be on your guard,” he warned them. “The time of rest has ended. We cannot be soft on the other side of the sea. There will be sleepless nights and relentless days. But none of that matters, because we all have heart, and we know exactly what we are fighting for. And if for a moment you think this war has not affected you, and that you don’t have anything to lose, remember we have lost it all already. Now we are going to take back what was lost. We are the five warriors and we are invincible. Believe it and protect each other. We are all we have on the other side.”

  29

  The Fall Of The Order Of The Wise

  Night had fallen by the time the five warriors pushed their rafts ashore. They had stood, balancing precariously, and paddled across the sea, which shimmered and rippled as if it were no longer hiding monsters in its depths. The nightmares of earlier faded into cold anticipation for what would meet them on the northern side of the sea. But as the shore came into view and the white sands of Asspraineya stretched forward, there was nothing at all waiting for them. Cautiously stepping ashore, they waited a moment, testing the silence for hostility. After a beat, Crinte motioned for them to push the rafts out to sea and they did so, cutting off their path to the south.

  “Now what?” whispered Starman, daring to speak into the cool night air.

  “We walk.” Legone stepped forward, taking the lead, sand caking his wet boots. “The night winds will blow eventually, hiding our footprints. But night will be our only security. There are no hiding places in these lands.”

  Alaireia stood calmly, feeling the white sands shift beneath her feet. “We can’t know for sure what is hiding in the shadows.” In one motion, she lifted up the Clyear, holding it high above her head with both hands. “Borrow the vision of the Clyear. It will tell us all.” The crystal winged horse spread its wings, and even as the five watched, it sprung from Alaireia’s fingers across the white sands. As it flew, the five saw their vision change and align with the Clyear’s, displaying white sands below and relentless darkness
head. It soared higher, showing them endless desert in every direction except the sea. It moved forward until, dizzy and heady, the five at last looked away. Instantly, the Clyear was back in Alaireia’s hands, as if it had never flown away, and she tucked it safely away, turning questioning eyes towards Crinte. “There was nothing.”

  Crinte looked puzzled as well. He could feel a tingling sensation in his brain and he wondered why forces would not be guarding the sea. Would not the transformed be curious to know who would dare venture into their territory? After all, it was how Marklus was caught the first time. Now Asspraineya opened its lands before them, welcoming them inside. Crinte swallowed as he felt a hint of uncertainty and blind fear. What was he leading his warriors into? “We should rest here then,” he said at last. “You all must be weary and will need your strength for what is ahead. I will keep watch.” His eyes blazed gold as he looked across the lands.

  The five settled apprehensively some ways from the shore, but the quiet lapping of the waves was calming, and soon Starman passed out, snoring gently on the sand. Legone paced, anxious and restless. Sleep was not something he wished, for of late his nightmares had increased. What was ahead he knew not; he only hoped there was still life.

  Alaireia sat beside Starman’s sleeping form, watching what she could see of the waves. The night sky was dark, as if the moon dared not shine on such a land. The air was chill but the cold spread deeper than that. She felt herself closing up and in, neutral about what was ahead but well aware of what she left behind. She glanced at Starman every now and then, wondering how he could sleep so peacefully with all the horrors from behind and those unknown ahead. She shivered as she remembered the sea monster snatching and yanking her underwater. How her strength had returned, enabling her to rip the tentacles away. She wondered if the power was her own or a side effect from the gift of the Mermis.