Champion of the Titan Games

by Brandon Mull

  “I don’t trust it,” Merek said.

  Seth tried to get a sense of the stone ball with his power and was surprised to hear words repeating, like a mind stuck on a looping thought.

  All who enter must be crushed. All who enter must be crushed. All who enter must be crushed. All who enter . . .

  Why crush people? Seth asked.

  The repeating mantra halted, and the ball swerved slightly off course, interrupting its perfectly circular route. You hear me?

  It must be tough having the same purpose for so long, Seth communicated.

  It is my mandate, the stone replied.

  Who gave the command? Seth asked.

  One who reached me long ago, the stone replied.

  Like I am reaching you now? Seth asked.

  Much like this, yes, the stone acknowledged.

  I have a new command, Seth conveyed. You can finally rest.

  I can rest? the stone verified. No more crushing all who enter?

  Rest, and crush no more, Seth soothed.

  As you command.

  The stone ball lazily spiraled to the bottom of the bowl until it settled and became still.

  “The ball was going to crush anyone who entered the room,” Seth reported. “I gave it new instructions, like I would with the undead. Might be smart to keep our guard up, just in case.” Seth probed with his power. “The ball seems quiet now.”

  “Let me go first,” Merek said, stepping gingerly into the room. He walked lightly to the other side of the shallow bowl and out the far doorway.

  Seth followed. The stone ball never budged.

  More stairs continued upward. Seth’s leg muscles were burning when at last the stairs ended at a wall of boulders. Merek stepped forward, hands running gently over the fitted stones.

  “Well, we tried,” Seth said, panting from the climb. “At least we got some exercise.”

  Merek looked at him dubiously.

  Seth winked. “Let me check for a hidden door.”

  As he had done at the bottom of the stairs, Seth mentally searched for a lock and was surprised to find one right in front of them. Drawing on his power, he willed the mechanism to unlock, but the effort was met with considerable resistance.

  Planting his feet, clenching his fists, Seth concentrated all his energy on the problem. Still the mechanism defied him. Gasping for breath, Seth kept pushing, and all at once the resistance relented, as if he were in a tug of war and the other team dropped the rope. The mechanism unlatched, and a previously unseen door composed of multiple rocks swung open.

  “That looked like a fight,” Calvin said.

  “Something opposed me,” Seth replied.

  Merek extended a hand to keep Seth from going forward. “Let’s survey the room first.”

  Beyond the doorway awaited a room that looked to be inside the top of the pyramid—at least, the lofty ceiling came to a point in the center. Occupying the middle of the room was a large block of stone so black that no subtleties of texture were discernible. Part of a long knife jutted from the top, much of the blade buried in the rock.

  “Now, that is a black stone,” Calvin said. “It looks more like a void than a rock.”

  Seth mentally scanned the room. “The space feels empty.”

  “I get the same read,” Merek said, stepping into the room. Seth followed.

  The moment Seth set foot in the room, he became acutely aware of the dark well of power inside himself. He had never sensed it so distinctly. To his alarm, the darkness within was irresistibly drawing him toward the black stone. Seth walked jerkily, straining to resist.

  “Are you all right?” Merek asked.

  “I’m being pulled,” Seth said, unable to look away from the fathomless darkness.

  “Take the blade and we’ll depart,” Merek said. “This shrine is dedicated to darkness.”

  Seth quit resisting and felt the pull lessen. He hurried to the stone. Looking down at the dark shape, Seth could discern no surface, as if it were made from the essence of shadow. The stone seemed much deeper than it should be, a window into endless night.

  “Claim the blade, Seth,” Merek said. “I can’t do it for you. Be extremely careful. Wounds from that edge will never be repaired.”

  The words reached Seth from far away. He extended his hand, not to the ebon handle of the Unforgiving Blade, but toward the darkness encasing it.

  “Seth!” Calvin shouted from his pocket. “Not the stone! The knife.”

  Seth heard the words, and he numbly glanced at the nipsie waving at him. He felt deliciously drawn to the stone, as if an unnamed appetite that had starved throughout his life was finally about to be sated.

  “Seth!” Calvin yelled. “Wake up!”

  Seth paused. He was here for the blade, not to commune with the darkness.

  His eyes flicked to the dark handle and the darker blade. The blade seemed made from the same shadow substance as the stone. He grabbed the hilt and lifted the long knife. The stone offered no resistance. The knife felt so light, Seth wondered if the hilt provided the only weight. A shudder ran through the pyramid, then subsided.

  “I’m not sure that’s a stone,” Seth said, forcing his mouth to speak and his legs to back away. “It’s more like the absence of a stone.”

  Merek watched the dust trickling down from the fitted stones of the sloped ceiling. “We should not linger.”

  The darkness did not speak to Seth with words. But he knew the absence of stone wanted him to cut off a piece of it to bring with him.

  “Merek?” Seth asked, feet sliding toward the absence of stone against his will. “Can you get me out of here?”

  Strong arms encircled Seth and carried him from the room. Once he was back on the stairs, the draw of the void ceased. Seth didn’t look back at it.

  “Hurry,” Merek said.

  “What about Isadore and Basirus?” Serena asked.

  “We’ll solve that problem when we reach it,” Merek said. “Let me lead the way. Don’t forget the room with the draining stone.”

  “I wish this knife had a sheath,” Seth said, holding it away from himself.

  “I’m not sure such a weapon can be sheathed,” Merek said. “Except perhaps in pure darkness.”

  “I think you’re right,” Seth agreed.

  The pyramid did not tremble as they descended the long stairs. The spherical rock remained at rest in the bowl-shaped room, and Seth crossed the room with the draining stone the same way he had coming up. Seth held the knife out in front of himself, careful not to let it touch anything.

  When Seth reached the bottom of the stairs, the pyramid began to quake. A huge boulder dropped from high above and crashed against the floor, spitting dusty fragments in all directions.

  “Run,” Merek urged, staying behind Seth.

  Seth sprinted to the opening and dashed along the triangular corridor. The rumbles of the pyramid were punctuated by rocks falling behind him. Seth burst out of the passage into a torrential downpour. Lightning slashed across the sky, producing thunder that overpowered the crash of tumbling boulders. Merek emerged behind Seth, and he pointed to where Isadore had found shelter beneath a dome visible only by the rain being repelled off of it. Basirus waited beside her in his human form. Both of them looked perfectly dry. The sorceress waved for the others to join her.

  “She’s using magic,” Merek said.

  “Do we go to her?” Seth asked.

  Lightning struck the pyramid, and the thunder felt like a physical blow. Seth was already halfway soaked.

  “Take care if you do,” Serena warned.

  “We have matters to settle with those two,” Merek said. “And having shelter is preferable to being caught in this storm.”

  Seth ran to where the rain splattered against the invisible dome. Isadore waved a hand, and p
art of the dome stopped repelling rain. Seth figured the barrier was gone, and he stepped into her dry refuge. After Merek entered, Isadore made another gesture and the dome re-formed, significantly muting the storm.

  “I see you were successful,” Isadore said, eyes on the shadowy blade.

  “We got it,” Seth said. “I think the pyramid is collapsing.”

  “May I hold it?” Isadore asked.

  “No,” Seth said.

  “Don’t be selfish,” Basirus pressured.

  “This blade stays in my hand until I’m done with it,” Seth said.

  “And what are you going to do?” Isadore asked.

  “We have a long road ahead,” Merek said. “Thank you for your help with this leg of our journey.”

  “We’re not fair-weather friends,” Isadore assured him. “This dome will protect us from the storm. It is a specialty of mine. It even repelled some nasty rocks who took an interest in us.”

  “Can the dragon fly?” Merek asked. “We need to travel.”

  “What is the destination?” Basirus asked.

  “The wild highlands,” Merek said.

  “Could that involve the Dragon Temple?” Isadore asked.

  “Our business is private,” Seth said.

  “Am I not part of your business?” Isadore asked. “I seldom give charity.”

  “I can’t fly in this weather,” Basirus said.

  “What about running?” Merek asked.

  Basirus sneered. “Run through the Perennial Storm to the highlands? For what?”

  “To reach the Dragon Temple before the storm abates and entry becomes impossible,” Isadore guessed. “Why did Humbuggle involve the Dragon Temple? What has he hidden there?”

  “You ask many questions,” Merek warned.

  “You need a key to enter the Dragon Temple,” Isadore said. “Is that already managed? Do you have other partners?”

  “We need transportation,” Merek said.

  “A run to the Dragon Temple from here might not be possible until the storm ends,” Isadore said. “Even for a dragon as strong as Basirus. Not to mention the danger from the lightning and the thunderbirds. We would need to be full partners to attempt such folly. And I would have to carry the blade.”

  “We’ll find our own way,” Seth said.

  Isadore laughed richly. “Oh, you will? How fast do you run during hurricanes? I’ll take Serena back.”

  “No,” Serena said.

  “Excuse me?” Isadore responded.

  “Our partnership ends tonight,” Serena said.

  “After so much time,” Isadore said. “I wonder what prompted such an abrupt change of heart.”

  “We all want to win,” Serena said.

  “Well spoken,” Isadore approved.

  “We know your task involves the Dragon Temple,” Basirus said.

  “I believe that will have to suffice,” Isadore replied. She moved closer to Basirus and her hands fluttered.

  Merek drew his sword. Part of the dome folded inward, and suddenly there were two domes repelling the rain. One held Seth and Merek along with their nipsies. The neighboring dome contained Isadore and Basirus.

  “We’ll wait out the storm separately for now,” Isadore called, her voice barely audible.

  “This is a prison,” Merek said, clanging his sword against the dome.

  “Should I test this knife?” Seth asked.

  “We won’t make it to the Dragon Temple if we’re trapped here,” Merek said.

  Seth slashed the dome with the Unforgiving Blade and it tore open, vanishing completely an instant later. Isadore staggered as if injured, and her dome disappeared as well. Rain showered down on her and Basirus.

  Merek drew his stake and charged forward as Basirus expanded into his dragon form. The transformation had barely finished when Merek plunged the stake into the dragon’s side. Instantaneously, the dragon disintegrated to ash.

  Lightning flashed and Isadore screamed. Thunder partially masked her cry as the enchantress turned and ran. Sheathing his stake, Merek did not pursue her.

  “Merek, wasn’t that our only ride?” Seth asked.

  “Our partnership had ended. We weren’t going anywhere with them.”

  “How did you kill him so quickly?” Seth asked.

  “A Dragon Slayer has tools of his trade,” Merek said. “I lack my preferred sword and shield and my favorite bow. But if I can get close enough to use it, nothing ends a fight like my stake.”

  “What about Isadore?” Calvin asked.

  “She might double back and attack us,” Serena said. “Right now she’s devastated. Her regard for her brother was sincere.”

  “She’s also wet,” Merek said. “She won’t be able to create that dome spell ever again.”

  “Really?” Seth asked.

  “The wounds of that blade are permanent,” Merek said. “You used it well. We were at her mercy.”

  “We’re stranded in the Perennial Storm,” Serena reminded him.

  Merek shook his head. “We’re only stranded if we act helpless. We’re drenched anyway—let’s head in the right direction and search for mounts.”

  “And pray we don’t get struck by lightning,” Serena said.

  “You’re catching on,” Merek replied, setting off at a brisk pace. Seth ran to stay with him.

  With clouds blanketing the sky, Seth found it hard to gauge the time of day, though it was growing so dim, he assumed it was heading into the evening. Dazzling bursts of lightning and explosive concussions of thunder became a nearly constant accompaniment to their jog. Behind them, the pyramid had not fully collapsed, though it looked less steep and tall than before, and the summit was crumpled. The structure began to shrink in the distance as they progressed over the muddy prairie.

  As they reached the top of a little bluff and started across it, the wind lulled. A searing bolt of lightning struck off to one side, and the electrical current reached Seth through the ground. The brutal shock hurled him to the mud, unconscious before he could register what had happened.

  Raxtus breathed again onto Vanessa’s eyes, with Kendra lending support, her hand on his neck. The various exhalations he had attempted featured subtly different colors and scents. This yellowish vapor smelled chiefly floral, with hints of the sea.

  “How about that one?” Raxtus asked.

  “I don’t feel any progress,” Vanessa said. “I’m sorry for costing us so much time. I’ll be a liability if I continue with you. Please leave me behind.”

  “Normally I would stay with you,” Warren said.

  “This is an emergency,” Vanessa implored. “All of you need to push onward. With me sidelined, you’re already shorthanded. There are two more guardians to confront.”

  “She’s right,” Tanu said. “I wish she wasn’t.”

  “What if we apply more of your healing ointment?” Warren asked.

  “A greater quantity will not be more effective,” Tanu said. “This injury is beyond my skills to heal.”

  “Please,” Vanessa said. “You have to go.”

  “I found a door that leads forward,” Tanu said. “From here, we can walk around the perimeter of the maze to reach it.”

  “Go,” Vanessa said. “We all have a better chance if you hurry.”

  “Here is a gaseous potion,” Tanu said, putting the little bottle into her hand. “If trouble shows up, become vaporous.”

  Warren knelt, clasped one of her hands, and kissed it. “I’ll be back for you.”

  “Don’t get eaten,” Vanessa said.

  Warren grinned. “With this potion, I’m far too chewy.”

  Tanu led them to an ornately carved wooden door. Beyond it, in contrast to the bright mirrors and gleaming piles of treasure, they found a dim, snaking corridor.

  “I�
�ll hang back,” Raxtus said. “Go invisible. Other dragons have a hard time sensing me if I lie low. I might be more effective if I attack out of hiding.”

  “My gumminess is fading,” Warren said. “Could I do another?”

  “I think so,” Tanu replied. “Remember that how well it protects you will depend on the dragon. The gummy potion won’t do much against fire, for example.”

  “I still have my speed potion,” Kendra said.

  “Keep it handy,” Tanu said.

  “I don’t like leaving Vanessa behind,” Warren said. “It feels like we lost our adult.”

  “Kendra can step up,” Tanu said lightly.

  The tunnel wound for a long time. Finally, it led them into an immense cavern where a tiny dragon splashed in a puddle. The creature was no larger than a chicken, with an oversized head shaped somewhat like a pterodactyl’s. The diminutive dragon hopped and flapped stubby wings, head bobbing left and right, big round eyes staring.

  “How did that get in here?” Kendra asked.

  “It can’t be the next dragon,” Warren said. “Did they give us a freebie?”

  They ventured farther into the room as the little dragon bounced and splashed. Head swiveling, it made some croaky caws, then shook its tail vigorously.

  “Maybe the dragon had a weird kid?” Tanu asked.

  “It might be like the cat,” Warren said. “We kill it and it comes back bigger.”

  “I don’t think we have to kill it,” Kendra said. “Let’s just pass it by. The goal is to find the prize.”

  “I don’t know,” Warren said. “On our way out, it might be a thousand times bigger or something. The dragons aren’t stupid.”

  “Could it have wandered in here?” Tanu asked.

  “There is a doorway on the far side,” Kendra said. “Let’s just keep going. On the way back we can send it to dreamland if needed.”

  Tanu shrugged. “We’ll have the Harp.”

  “Sure,” Warren said. “Live and let live.”

  The little dragon hopped from one foot to the other, head bobbling. As Kendra and the others neared the doorway at the far side of the room, the huge stone door crashed shut. A door slammed closed to block where they had entered as well.