The morning came far too early, as it tends to when one is exhausted both physically and emotionally. Sam was the first to stir, her lower body stiff from the long clacker ride. More accustomed to a plush chair and a controller in her hand, she wondered if she would ever get used to all the walking and riding.
As she stretched her back, she wished she’d paid more attention in shop class and could build her own car.
Nate and Charlie both snored softly in their beds. The coast was clear, so she quickly relieved herself into one of the chamber pots. Her modern sense of propriety hated the lack of privacy, and she did not like having to sneak moments to use the bathroom where prying eyes wouldn’t sneak a peek.
Not that Nate would. Or Charlie, despite his perverted posturing. Her two friends had been quite respectful of her needs, making sure to look away and give her space.
And if she was being honest, she had snuck several peaks at them over the last few days. Nate especially, though she was loath to admit it was anything more than curiosity. She had been vaguely aware of Nate’s puppy-dog attraction to her since they had first met. But her self-esteem did not allow her to believe it was anything more than a mild infatuation, one he would be readily cured of if the attraction became mutual.
She finished just in time, as Charlie rolled over on his bed, his face covered in lines.
“How’re your lungs?” Sam asked.
He inhaled and exhaled. Gone were the trademark morning wheeze and rattle. “Still good I guess.” He sat up, rubbing his face in his hands. “I miss showering in the morning. I never feel fully awake until after a steaming hot shower.”
Sam nodded. “How are you feeling, by the way?”
“Fine? Do I not look okay?”
“Well, you look like yourself, so…”
Charlie grinned. “I’m uglier on the inside, and that’s what really counts.”
“Charlie, you killed a guy yesterday.”
“Oh. That.”
She waited.
He sighed. “I don’t know. If I think about it, I feel weird, but not really bad, you know?”
She nodded. “I felt sick right after, but everything happened so fast, with the fire and Thom being killed.”
They sat in silence for a moment.
“Do you feel guilty?”
He shook his head. “I thought I would. But I don’t.” He scratched his scalp, then began running his fingers through his hair in a vain attempt to untangle the oily rat’s nest. “I keep running through it in my mind. He was going to kill me. You guys too. I stopped that from happening. I’m guessing we’re all going to have to get used to killing and death and all that before too long. In addition to the lack of hygiene and pleasant smells.”
Nate finally woke up, rolling out of bed, his face twisted in a squint and his hair jutting out in every direction. He mostly fell out of the top bunk and staggered to the corner with one of the chamber pots, and loudly urinated for what felt like an eternity.
“Morning,” he mumbled as he slid the nearly overflowing pot back under the bed.
There was a soft knock at their door, and Doctor Professor burst into the room before they could reply.
“I’m sorry to intrude, but I was just informed our meeting with the Council of Kings has been arranged, and it starts in five minutes.”
Shaking the sleep from their heads as best they could, they followed Doctor Professor along another long, winding route through the castle. They emerged into the courtyard. The air was crisp, and nothing they did seemed to shake the chill from their hands.
“What exactly is the Council of Kings?” Sam asked. They stepped passed another group of soldiers - again, all scantily-clad women, hoisting enormous stones to their shoulders before tossing them with a loud grunt as they made a satisfying thud on the grassy ground.
“Our world is a vast and dangerous place. Within it are ten kingdoms, each with a ruler who protects their land, holdings, and the several villages and hamlets nearby. In order to keep the peace among the civilized people, the Council of the Nine Kings was established several millennia ago to consolidate defenses and trade, and settle disputes between kingdoms. They convene annually, unless an emergency meeting is called by any of them.”
“Ten kingdoms? But only nine kings?”
Doctor Professor nodded. “Uzusia, keeper of the Sacred Wood, has had no king for seven generations. A regent is instead appointed by the Council to oversee the kingdom, until the prophesied heir of Brenius the Divine returns.”
They passed through an ornate silver archway, which led to a staircase lined by long vines with conical-shaped blue and red flowers. It descended and opened into the main courtyard at the center of the castle.
Unlike the training grounds, this area was covered in concentric rings of pure white sand that sparkled in the morning sun. Between the channels of glittering dust, were paths of pristine ivory, polished to near mirror like proportions.
At the very center of the courtyard, a lush garden of white flowers and albino trees surrounded the smooth marble of the white spire. Several young girls dressed in priestly robes of white and silver tended the garden, pruning and caring for the strange milky plants that filled the air with the perfumed scent of plums.
It felt sacrilegious to even enter the courtyard, as filthy as the three of them were. Doctor Professor led them along the ivory path and through another set of doors at the base of the White Spire. Inside, the seamless floor was made of the purest white stone Nate had ever seen. It had not a single mark or scuff, or even visible seam in its surface.
Looking up, Sam’s eyes reeled. The spire was entirely hollow. The walls stretched endlessly up above them, ending in a tiny point of blue light. Following Sam’s upward gaze, Charlie’s head begin to spin as his eyes tried to gauge the distance to the tip of the spire.
In the center of the imposing chamber sat an onyx platform about fifteen feet in diameter. There, two more monastic worshipers stood on opposite sides of the black circular stone. They each carried an intricate lantern, a lattice of interweaving white and silver metals wrapped around an impossibly white, glowing ball that cast long, harsh shadows across the entire room.
“What will the Council want from us?” Nate asked as the four of them stepped onto the platform. The two priests closed their eyes, their free hand clasped to their chest. Noiselessly, the platform began to rise.
“Cool! Magic elevator,” Charlie said as she stepped as close to the edge as he dared, watching the floor below them slowly disappear into the distance. He spat into the void, and smiled as the gob of saliva disappear. One of the priests opened a single eye to glare at him, causing their ascent to slow.
“Best not to do that, friend,” Doctor Professor said. “Though I’ve often been tempted to pee off the thing myself.”
He turned to Nate. “They’ll want to hear your story. The Soldiers of the Sun answer to none save the unanimous decisions of the Council. No single king can order us to do anything, only ask for aid or advice as they see fit, and which has no binding effect on our order. Nonetheless, Captain Stormbow is wise to seek their counsel in this matter.”
“So we tell them how we got here, and what we saw? That’s it?”
Doctor Professor nodded. “And answer their questions. Then they will decide upon the best course of action.”
“We should maybe plan this out,” Sam said. Nate and Charlie both nodded in agreement. “I vote Nate does the talking.”
“What? Why me?”
“Because our goal is to get home, right?”
Again they both nodded.
“We don’t want to stand out here; we want them to assume we’re unimportant nobodies who they won’t miss. Nate, no offense, but you’re easily the most forgettable one here.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but she pressed the point. “You’re also the least offensive. Charlie will end up saying something terrible about their children.”
Charlie opened his mouth to argue, but then nodded in agreement with her assessment.
“And I’m not much better under pressure. You saw what I did to my step-dad at the wedding, and I actually kind of liked Brenden.”
Nate did not relish the thought of taking the lead, but it was hard to argue with her reasoning. “I guess that makes a kind of sense,” he finally relented.
The glowing cerulean light at the top of the spire was approaching rapidly. The surface, which rippled and swirled with different shades of blue, slowly parted as they ascended into it.
Inside, the onyx platform fit snugly into place on a polished marble floor. To either side was a set of stairs that twisted sharply upward.
Doctor Professor again took the lead, his heavy boots thudding loudly against the smooth white stone until they came to an ornate set of double doors.
One half of the doors was carved into a baroque portrait of humans at their best, creating art, living in peace, playing and singing music, families dancing and smiling.
The other had humanity at its worse; scenes of war, a mother dashing her child to pieces at the feet of an idol, a crazed man devouring the body of another who screamed in agony.
The design reminded Nate of the Hieronymus Bosch painting he had seen at far too young of an age, and had given him nightmares for years.
Flanking the door were two gnomes, each no more than two feet tall, dressed in the full regalia of the Soldiers of the Sun, crackling spears held tightly to their shoulders.
Sam squealed, bending over to look at the two scowling men. “They’re so cute! I just want to dress them up.”
“I would give Peep and Plop some space,” Doctor Professor warned. “They are not known for their sense of humor.”
“But even their names are adorable!”
Charlie and Nate pulled Sam away as one of the gnome’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Are you ready?” Doctor Professor asked.
Nate nodded. “I think so, yes.”
“Remember, don’t do anything memorable,” Sam said. “Make your usual zero impact on people. Our fate depends on it.”
“Awesome pep talk, Sam.”
They pushed through the double doors. Inside the room was a massive round table, its top over a foot thick and made of some exotic looking polished wood. At the center of the table was a glowing map of the continent, which moved as though it was a living replica of the world outside. Tiny trees swayed in the wind, the seas rippled, storm clouds moved slowly across mountain ranges.
The ceiling was a light lattice, a shifting sculpture of pure energy, which slowly transformed in a hypnotic swirl of colors and shapes.
Near the door, Alianna stood, her piercing eyes giving no indication of her emotional state, her face a mask of cold indifference.
Around the table sat the Kings, or so they presumed. They were an odd collection of strange-looking creatures, each flanked by a banner-man holding what Nate assumed were the garish flags of each nation. The banners were brightly colored each with some combination of constellations, weapons and/or mythical monsters embroidered on them.
Doctor Professor cleared his throat.
“May I present, the Prince of Lions, King of Whitespire.” The broad-shouldered giant of a man nodded curtly to the three friends. He wore silver armor, with a maroon tunic. His body was covered in golden fur, and his head was that of a lion with a glorious mane. His amber eyes studied them as his rough tongue licked his fanged maw.
“The Lord of Shadows, Ruler of Dracitha.” The man wore a black robe, lined with a dark silver that sparkled with its own light. His skin was a deep blue, so dark it seemed to absorb the light around it. From his back, a set of black blades fanned in all directions, each etched with strange violet ruins.
“The Snow Maiden, Empress of Gogratha.” Her skin a pale blue, covered in frost, she smiled at the friends, revealing a row of diamond teeth. Her clothing was made from liquid silver that coursed and churned over her skin. Atop her pale blue hair, a crown of ice crackled, but did not melt in the warm air.
“The Faceless King, Magister of Yonate,” Doctor Professor continued the introductions. The Faceless King indeed lived up to his namesake. He wore elaborate golden armor over a long white cloak, his crown covered in ruby gemstones the size of a man’s fist. But the armor was strangely empty, though his armored hands waved. As he bowed his invisible head, his armor squeaked as it moved.
“Warlord, King of Drunate.”
“Just, Warlord?” Charlie asked. “Who names their kid just ‘Warlord?’”
“You can ask him if you’d like,” Doctor Professor said.
Charlie stared at the goliath of a man, whose knees were too tall to fit under the table. He was covered from head to toe in thick iron plates; each of his arms was thicker than Charlie’s waist. A double-headed axe and thick broadsword were strapped to his back, and his armor was covered in long, barbed spikes. His horned helmet sat squat between his shoulders.
“It’s a great name,” Charlie said.
“The Forest Shaman, Queen of Menoa.” Dressed in long, flowing green robes that barely covered her chest, she was the first elf the friends had seen. Tall, impossibly thin, with high cheek bones and pointed ears, she appeared so fragile that her arms might snap if she was touched. She wore a wooden helmet of twining roots and flowers that covered most of her face; only her nose, pointed ears, and mouth were exposed. Two long horns came to rest over her eyes, giving the appearance that they were sprouting from her skull. A circlet of leaves floated around her head, suspended by some unknown power.
“The Eyeless Gladiator, Ruler of Fequar.” The man wore elegant purple armor with complex, blood-red etchings all along its length. Only his face was uncovered, which would have been handsome were it not for the two empty sockets that explained his namesake. Instead of flesh, only blackness could be seen where his eyes should be, like to sunken pits of infinite depth.
“The Golden Queen of Khozar.” Her body and hair gilded with gold, the beautiful woman wore an ornate, flowing dress that constantly moved, sparkling in the light. The effect was dazzling, as though her entire being glittered like a river at sunset. Even the whites of her eyes were a warm yellow hue, as if she were jaundiced.
“And last, but certainly not least, the Child King of Ovedural.” The young elven boy was dressed in simple brown clothing. He wore a modest hood that was pushed back by two white horns, like those of a sheep. His horns had been decorated with blue and white opals, along with a net of chains that wove in and out of holes that had been bored through the horns. The child’s oversized green eyes looked as though he were perpetually on the verge of bursting into tears.
“Welcome, travelers,” the Snow Maiden said. “We thank you for answering our summons. Captain Stormbow has told us you have an extraordinary tale to tell.”
Doctor Professor glanced at Nate, who stared blankly at the Eyeless Gladiator, trying to understand where his eyes were. Sam poked Nate, and he blushed and cleared his throat.
“Sorry. Yes. I, er- we do.”
Nate recounted their story for a third time in as many days. By now, he had the details rehearsed, from the bizarre book to the falling star to their salvation at the hands of Elred and her untimely death.
When he finished, the room fell silent.
“This is troubling news indeed,” the Forest Shaman said, her voice deep and husky.
“If it is true,” the Child King squeaked. “What evidence have we that they speak the truth?”
“They bore the armor of Elred Elebar,” Doctor Professor said.
“Could they have not killed her?”
Captain Stormbow snorted derisively. “No. Elred Elebar was my second in command, and one of the finest warriors I have known. Her connection to the Aether was as deep and strong as the Stonebarrow river. Only a miscreant as powerful as the Queen of Storms could have defeated her.”
“Now we know the Conclave of Flame and Salt is on the move,” the Warlord said in his deep booming voice that echoed within his helmet. His armor screeched and screamed as he moved, as though the metal itself was being bent by his tremendous strength.
“What is the Conclave of Flame and Salt?” Sam asked. “The Queen of Storms said she wanted Elred to join them.”
“As worshipers of the light, there will always be an opposition to our Council,” the Golden Queen said. Her voice rang like melodious music. “Though we are nine, they are only three. The Queen of Storms, the Magister of Rot, and the Lord of Ash. As we seek to protect life, they seek to end it. To spread their decayed and blasphemous influence across our lands.”
“It is clear the Aether brought these three to us, to aid us in our struggle against the Conclave,” the Faceless King said. Or they assumed it was him; he had moved his hand and crown as the words were spoken. “We must discover to what end.”
The nine all nodded somberly.
Charlie turned to Sam and Nate. “How do we even know these are the good guys?”
“We can hear you, you know,” the Prince of Lions growled, his lip pulled in a fanged sneer.
“It’s not polite to eaves drop,” Charlie said without looking at him. “We’ll just be a meow-ment.”
“Did he just meow at me?” the Prince of Lions snarled as his claws carved deep groves in the wooden table.
“Charlie, maybe don’t piss of the man-lion with giant arms and fangs who also happens to be a king?” Sam said.
Charlie ignored her warning. “Not for nothing, but have you guys taken a good look at this group?” He pointed at the Council as he spoke. “That guy is called the Lord of Shadows, one of them is invisible or whatever, the frozen lady definitely looks like a Disney villain, and that guy doesn’t even have eyeballs, which I can tell is freaking Nate out.”
Nate glanced sideways at the Eyeless Gladiator and opened his mouth as if to protest, but pursed his lips. “So what’s your point?
“My point is, we don’t know anything about any of them. Are we certain we’re on the right side here?”
They thought about it for a moment.
“All I need to know, is they are opposed to the Queen of Storms and whatever that monster was that attacked us,” Sam finally said.
Charlie nodded thoughtfully. “Okay. Fair point.”
He turned back to the royal assemblage. “Alright, we’re good. For now.”
“Should we consult the Quorum of Trees?” the Eyeless Gladiator said, his voice hoarse and wet. Nate involuntarily shivered.
“The Quorum has been silent for two decades,” the Forest Shaman answered. “They will be of no aid to us now.”
“What about Nikinevin and Tigeltuk?” the Eyeless Gladiator offered.
“Witches, dragon friends, and servants of the gray!” the Golden Queen spat. “I’d sooner drink from the chalice of eternal canker than ally with those conjurers.”
“Captain Stormbow, you have remained silent. What is your recommendation?” the Snow Maiden asked as she stared daggers at Charlie.
Alianna cleared her throat. “We all agree they were brought to our world by the Aether, much like the heroes of ages past.”
“Ashley Williams?” Sam asked.
Alianna ignored her. “If there is anyone who can shed light on their presence, and their purpose, it is Gadium the Lightkeeper.”
“And where is the Diviner of the White?” the Lord of Shadow asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I do not know, precisely,” Alianna said. “He left on a journey to the Scarlet Peaks some months ago. The purpose of his journey, he did not confide in me.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“Secret even from his captain?” the Prince of Lions growled. “Should we be concerned about your leadership?”
“I may be his commander,” Alianna said. “But Gadium is my superior in every way. I do not presume to counsel the wisest and most powerful mage in the Ten Kingdoms.” She thought for a moment. “Though I do wish he were here now. I believe all would benefit from his wisdom.”
There were nods and murmurs of accord.
“If he is not here to meet these three travelers, then perhaps they should go to him?” the Forest Shaman said.
“The journey is a perilous one,” the Prince of Lions said. “I know my lands well, and even the hardiest of traders and miners avoid those bloodied mountains.”
“Maybe we should wait until he gets back?” Nate suggested. “I mean, he may already be on his way back, right?”
Alianna sighed. “That the Aether would summon such a cur will always remain a mystery to me,” she said, making no attempt to hide her contempt for Nate.
“Thank you,” Nate said, looking delighted.
“Cur is not a compliment, Nate,” Sam said.
His smile dissolved. “It’s not short for courageous?”
Doctor Professor cleared his throat. “These pilgrims may be new to our world, but they have good hearts. I will accompany them on their journey and lend what assistance I am able.”
Alianna nodded. “I suppose I must go as well. Your formidable healing skills will only keep them alive so long.”
“It is settled then,” the Faceless King said. “The five of you will journey to seek out the wisdom of Gadium the Lightkeeper.”
Sam squealed and shook with excitement. “The five of us? Would you say we’re a fellowship?”
“A fellowship?” the Faceless King answered. “I’m not sure what you mean.” He turned to the Warlord “Did I miss something?”
The Warlord’s armor screamed loudly as he shrugged.
“May the Aether guide you and protect you,” the Forest Shaman said loudly.
Doctor Professor bowed low, and the three of them clumsily followed his lead. They then stood in an uncomfortable silence. Nate fidgeted, unsure what to say or how to hold his hands.
“You…” the Golden Queen finally said. “You may leave now.”
They bowed again, and exited. Captain Stormbow followed them.
“Those idiots are going to help us defeat the Conclave?” the Snow Maiden said as Peep and Plop closed the doors behind them.
“We heard that,” Charlie shouted through the door.
“I said it loudly,” the Snow Maiden answered.
“Come with me,” Alianna said. “We’ll eat while provisions are gathered for our journey.”
“Listen, Alianna,” Nate said. “Can I confide in you?”
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
“I’m not entirely sure we’re the heroes you’re looking for.”
She stopped and turned to him, closing her eyes and inhaling sharply. Nate was not entirely unfamiliar with the effect he had on adults. Alianna reminded him of his dad; perpetually annoyed and on the verge of backhanding him.
“Listen- Nate, was it?”
He nodded his head.
“The Aether brought you three to our world. That means we are in a time of crisis and something unique about you three will save us from catastrophe, and pull the world from the brink of darkness and destruction.” She looked him up and down. “I do not pretend to understand the Aether in all things. But I will trust to it, and serve it.”
“Why do you hate me so much?”
“I don’t hate you.”
“You don’t?”
“Not yet. But I do think you’re a pathetic coward.”
“I’ll take it!” Nate grinned.
“Is this it?” Charlie asked Sam. “Is this Nate flirting?”
“You know, he is single,” Sam said to Alianna. “And his uncle is an American Apparel franchisee. He might be able to get you ten percent off a crop top.”
Alianna sighed, and turned to Doctor Professor. “Bring them to the mess hall; I have duties to attend to.”
They ate a spartan meal of boiled wheat mush served with a thin cabbage soup that smelled of burned hair and sulfur.
They met Alianna at the city gates, where their clackers awaited them. Neekerbreeker chittered affectionately at Charlie, who hid behind Sam until he was forced to mount his clacker. Their mounts had fitted with leather packs, filled with supplies for the journey; iron rations, fire kits, tents, and waterskins.
“Are you ready?” Alianna asked as she hopped easily onto the back of her blue-and-white-colored clacker.
“How far of a journey is it?” Nate asked as he clambered into Garthim’s chitinous saddle.
“Three days will bring us to the foot of the Scarlet Peaks. From there it is a day’s journey to the Winterwood Lake at the heart of the mountains.”
“Doesn’t anything here have a real name?” Charlie asked.
“What do you mean?”
“In our world, people who discover things get to name them. Here, everything has some weirdly vague name.”
“The Scarlet Peaks are so named because they are rich in iron, which makes them deep red and orange in color.”
“Sure, but I’m guessing there are places called, like, ‘the Barrens,’ or ‘Blackwood,’ or ‘the Prairie of Buzzards.’”
Alianna blinked heavily.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” Charlie grinned.
“I suppose it would be better if we named everything after you,” Alianna grumbled before leading her clacker along the northern road.
Their attempts to engage Captain Stormbow in conversation were rebuffed as they traveled. She insisted they keep their words to a minimum.
“Why?” Sam asked.
“Because we must remain alert. These are dangerous lands filled with strange beasts.” Alianna thought for a moment. “And your inane conversations distract my connection to the Aether.”
“Well, aren’t you just a cold fart on a warm summer day,” Charlie said.
They rode on in silence, only stopping for the briefest of rests during the night. Though they tried to act like it was not an issue, all three of them had blisters and sore muscles by the second day. The clacker’s thick armor was comfortably shaped to accommodate a human, but still had no cushioning and chaffed in all the most delicate places.
As the sun crested the horizon on the morning of the third day, they could see the blood soaked tor in the distance. The color was remarkably deep, particularly when contrasted against the cloudless blue sky overhead.
As the mountains grew larger, a subtle feeling of disquiet began to form in the pits of their stomachs. Sam was the first to notice it, but stayed silent until it grew undeniably strong.
“Either I ate something that didn’t agree with me, or something is wrong.”
Captain Stormbow appraised her, studying Sam’s face before speaking. “Describe what you’re feeling.”
Sam thought for a moment. “Like there’s a weight pushing down on my stomach. It doesn’t quite hurt, but it is making me feel nauseous.”
Alianna nodded her approval. “Very good. At least one of you isn’t completely hopeless.”
“I felt something too,” Nate said, his subconscious impulse to flatter anyone who didn’t like him on full display.
Alianna rolled her eyes, then clicked her tongue and trilled a whistle, directing her clacker off the road and into the foothills.
“Where is she going?” Nate asked.
“To discover the source of the dark feeling,” Doctor Professor said, before following his captain.
The three friends hesitated a moment.
“This is how we die…” Nate muttered before following the two Soldiers of the Sun.
Sam shrugged, and followed him, Charlie on her heels.
The three of them crested a hill, and nearly crashed headlong into Captain Stormbow and Doctor Professor. Alianna glared at them in annoyance, and pointed.
In the distance, a short man dressed in charcoal robes walked, holding a long black chain that glowed a dull orange color. The chain led behind him, and wrapped around an enormous creature made from wood and stone, like it was constructed from the floor of a living forest. Its broad limbs were trees, three times as thick as the man leading it, and were held fast to its sides by the thin chain.
It shuffled along clumsily, its massive legs bound at the knees. The creature’s enormous head was bowed, giant stone horns and poisonous-looking thorns created a crown. Instead of a face, the creature wore a white mask, its expression one of sorrow as red tears poured down the ivory cheeks.
“What is that?” Sam asked, mouth agape.
“One of the Watchers,” Doctor Professor said, his furor palpable.
“None of us know what that means,” Charlie said. He couldn’t explain it, even to himself, but he felt an overwhelming sadness at witnessing such a majestic creature held captive. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.
“The creature you saw Elred defeat, the Archon,” Doctor Professor explained. “They are the physical manifestation of the dark Aether. Pure chaos, champions of evil. The Watchers are their counterpoint; creatures of growth and life, embodiments of the light Aether. To commit such an abominable act… to enslave one in this manner…” His anger cut off his words.
Alianna closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling slowly through her nose, and exhaling through her mouth.
“What do we do?” Nate asked.
Alianna’s eyes opened. “We free it.” She drew her spear, which crackled to life, and charged straight towards the black robed figure.
“You’d best stay here, I think,” Doctor Professor said as he drew his mace and followed his captain.
Sam watched for a moment, before drawing her own weapon.
“You’re joking, right?” Nate said. “What about the first law?”
Sam smiled, and clicked her clacker forward into the battle.
“Dang it, Sam!” Nate shouted. “Come back!” She either didn’t hear him or ignored him outright. A quick grim glance at Charlie was all he needed, and the two of them plunged after her.
The dark figure saw Alianna’s charge. Licking his dry lips, he reached both hands into the air, his fingers twisted and snapped into an awkward configuration. A globe of purple energy formed within his grasp.
He threw the sizzling ball at Alianna, who veered her mount to the right. The energy ball exploded with a crack, and though he missed his target, the force of the explosion threw Alianna from her clacker.
She hit the ground hard, rolled twice, and flashed to her feet. A second ball of energy sailed over her head, and connected with Doctor Professor’s shield. A loud thrumming sound vibrated their teeth as his shield absorbed the attack.
The black wizard dropped the chain. With a flick of his wrist, a glowing staff of burned wood materialized in his hand, the top splayed open like a claw, grasping an unshaped purple gemstone.
The staff began to glow intensely as he pointed it at Doctor Professor, his other hand twisted into another unnatural shape. As he slowly raised his arms, the earth under their feet began to groan and tear.
Giant boulders tore through the ground and flew straight up like rockets. Doctor Professor jumped from the back of his clacker, whistling the creature away to safety.
Alianna darted and rolled as the stone slabs came smashing down. The ground shook with the force of their impact. One clipped her shoulder, and she stumbled.
“Look out!” Nate screamed as another boulder screeched toward Alianna’s head. She dove to her left, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow that would have imploded her skull.
Alianna held her spear out. It glowed so brightly Sam had to shield her eyes. A searing beam of light shot across the battlefield, cutting through stone and earth as it tore toward the wizard. The sorcerer calmly stepped aside and let the beam pass as casually as one would avoid walking into a stranger.
"And we’re immediately out of our depth,” Charlie said.
“This has to be the final boss, right?” said Nate.
“What do we do?” Sam asked.
Nate rubbed his chin. “Maybe we can even things up a bit?”
He pointed to the glowing orange chain that bound the watcher. Clicking his tongue, he ran his clacker along the edge of the hill, trying to stay out of range of the attacks, praying that the dark wizard would assess Nate in the same way Alianna had, and simply ignore him like one would an ant or a raccoon with a traumatic brain injury. This wasn’t technically a violation of the first law, he attempted to rationalize. They weren’t joining the fight. Not really. Right?
Sam and Charlie followed his lead.
Doctor Professor began to tramp like a tank directly toward the evil mage. Beams of purple energy bounced ineffectively off his shield, ripping the ground and air around him.
Alianna tested her arm. Probably broken. She held the injured limb to her stomach and, with her free hand, gripped her spear. In a blinding flash of light, she charged the wizard, screaming as her blade sliced audibly through the air.
The force of the blow would have cut him in twain had it landed, but a sphere of purple energy appeared around the wizard, blasting Alianna to backward from the explosion of energy released.
The wizard began to back away slowly, speaking in a strange, garbled language. His hand twisted and turned in the air as he summoned a barrage of energy.
Alianna circled around him, the bolts thundering into the ground behind her. Pivoting as the last bolt hit the earth, she swung low. The wizard blocked this attack with his staff, but with two quick feints, she cut underneath his defenses, her blade biting deep into his calf.
The wizard slammed his staff into the ground, and the explosive force knocked even Doctor Professor to the ground.
Blood pooled at the wizard’s foot, seeping into the thirsty ground. He limped backwards, his staff held aloft.
“If you surrender, I can promise you a quick death,” Alianna said through grit teeth as she painfully pulled herself up. Her broken arm now hung uselessly.
The wizard’s paper-thin lips peeled back in a smile. “Foolish child. Pain fuels the dark Aether. Each time you strike me, I grow in power.” To prove the point, he withdrew a small blade and used it to widen the cut Alianna had made. He grimaced, and his staff glowed more intensely.
Doctor Professor approached, his mace at the ready. The wizard unleashed a volley of lighting, which pounded into his shied. Leaning into the force of the attack, Doctor Professor pushed forward, swinging his mace high.
He connected with the wizard’s staff, which shook under the force of the blow. Again and again, Doctor Professor brought his heavy mace down onto the wizard’s staff, until tiny cracks began to appear in the gemstone.
“No,” the wizard muttered in disbelief. “That is impossible!”
His arm outstretched, an invisible force slammed into Doctor Professor, sending him flying through the air, his shield and mace clattered to the ground.
Alianna charged, but the wizard deftly swung his staff over his head, connecting with Alianna’s chest plate. A purple explosion blasted her backwards several feet, where she once again bounced heavily to the ground.
The wizard examined the damage to his staff. The gemstone was cracked. “If you broke the Root of Daggoroth, then death will be too generous a gift for you. I shall bind your souls to-“
His threats were interrupted by the sound of heavy chains clattering into a pile near his feet. He glanced up and saw Sam, Nate, and Charlie, grinning at him.
Sam waved. “Hey, remember this guy?”
The wizard’s face blanched as the Watcher roared in righteous fury. Drawing to its full height, the creature towered over them, some one hundred feet tall.
The wizard began to backpedal, his staff pointed at the monster in an impotent attempt to keep it at bay. “Please, mercy, I beg of you.”
The Watcher grabbed the wizard in its enormous hand, lifting him up to its face.
“Please. I meant no harm. Mercy.”
The creature roared, and squeezed. Bone and sinew snapped as the wizard’s screams were quickly muffled by the monster’s fist. It then turned and threw the wizard’s body far into the distance.
Charlie watched with a grin as the wizard sailed silently through the air, its tattered robes and broken limbs fluttering uselessly. Only a faint thud could be heard as the corpse finally landed.
“I thought I told you lot to stay behind,” Doctor Professor said, a grin on his face as he limped toward them. “Thank you for saving our hides.”
“Yes,” Alianna said with a begrudging tone. “Thank you.”
The Watcher knelt and bowed its head to the five of them. Alianna raised her hand, and touched the creature’s mask. “Go with the light,” she said quietly.
The beast then stood and trudged heavily off into the distance, its thundering footsteps shaking the ground.
“Where is it going?” Sam asked.
“Wherever the Aether wills,” Alianna said. “We do not pretend to know the will of the Aether, nor the Watchers who serve the light. We simply seek to serve.”
Doctor Professor walked to his captain, and placed his hand on her shoulder. “This is going to hurt, lass,” he said. Alianna nodded, and he closed his eyes.
Nate nearly fainted at the sound of the bones popping back into place, and the skin stitching itself back together. Alianna groaned in pain, but bore it as her friend healed her. Both collapsed to the ground in exhaustion as he finished.
“What about your injuries?” Charlie asked, approaching Doctor Professor.
“I’ve not the energy to heal myself,” Doctor Professor said. “But in the morning, I’ll be able to fix myself up.”
Charlie hesitated. “Could I try?” he asked.
Doctor Professor gave a questioning look to Alianna. “It’s your body,” she said. “Do with it what you will.”
“Alright then.”
Charlie kneeled down next to him. “What do I do?”
Doctor Professor twisted his leg, exposing a deep gash in his thigh. “Place your hand over the wound.”
Charlie gingerly placed both hands over the injury.
“Now, close your eyes, and try to stretch out with your mind. Feel that warmth in your chest?”
Charlie clenched his eyes shut. “I think so.”
“Concentrate on that feeling; help it grow, sink deeper into it.”
“I can definitely feel it now.”
“Now, slowly - will the feeling, that energy, out of your chest. Feel it roll down your arms and into your hands.”
“It feels like my palms are tingling. Like blood is pooling in my fingertips.”
“Now, will that energy into my wound.”
Charlie pursed his lips. Doctor Professor began to grunt and groan as the wound in his thigh began to stitch together. It was not nearly as fast as the healing Doctor Professor had demonstrated, but it still left Nate’s jaw on the ground.
Charlie slumped to the ground, panting, his long hair clung to his face that now dripped with sweat. The wound was mostly whole, only a thick purple bruise left a clue that there had once been a deep laceration in the skin.
“Not bad, my boy. Not bad at all,” Doctor Professor said, grinning.
“We may as well camp here for the night,” Alianna said. “We could all use some rest. The mountains can wait until morning.”
Night fell quickly. The five adventures huddle close around the fire that crackled and popped, sending sparks fluttering and twisting into the night air.
“That man,” Sam finally said. “He was a servant of the dark Aether?”
Alianna shook her head. “No, a user of the black, but not a servant.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Anyone with the discipline to study can learn to manipulate the Aether. To use it to their own ends. But there are few who truly understand the living Aether and seek to serve its will. Who see it as more than simply a tool.”
“So Soldiers of the Sun are not the only ones who use the white Aether?”
Again she shook her head. “To become in tune with the Aether, and to tap into its power requires a single-mindedness that most lack. But there are many who dabble; the Council of Kings, their advisors, many of the wealthier merchants.”
“And the Servants of the Gray?” Nate asked.
“Yes, the Gray use both the light and dark Aether. They too believe they serve its will.”
“How do we learn to use it?”
“To use the Aether requires an innate connection to the source, to Eloa. It is in your blood and bones, a gift from the light that one can develop and grow. That is something the two of you lack. But her?” She nodded in Sam’s direction. “She shows potential.”
Sam blushed in pleasure, making no attempt to hide her smug grin.
“Great, just what Sam needs, an ego boost,” Charlie muttered.
“Charlie managed to heal someone,” Nate said. “Are we really so hopeless?”
Doctor Professor grinned as Alianna’s mind grappled with the reality of Charlie’s accomplishment against her growing disdain for the two boys.
“A contest then,” she said finally. She stood, and selected three, fist-sized rocks for the rubble strewn about the battlefield. She placed them on the ground about five feet away from them.
She turned, and held her hand out to a boulder nearly as tall as Nate. Her eyes narrowed in concentration, and the rock slowly lifted off the ground. “By stretching your senses through the Aether, you can feel the rock’s essence, become one with it. Feel its intelligence, its being. And in that unity, you can command the trees and the wind, and even the mountains, and they will obey your will.”
She let the rock gently slide back into place on the ground. “Now, you try.”
“I bet I’m better at making rocks float than you nerds,” Charlie said as the three friends stood shoulder to shoulder, lined up in front of the stones.
“Concentrate,” Alianna said. “Reach out with your senses, feel the air, the energy that exists between all things.”
“I feel it!” Charlie said, before unleashing a fart that sounded like a clogged drain asking a question. Doctor Professor held his hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter as Alianna’s eyes lit with fire.
“That, Charlie,” Sam said. “That is why you’re always getting pinkeye.”
“Concentrate,” Alianna said, her voice like ice.
The three of them stretched out their hands. Nate put two fingers to his temple, a single eyebrow arched.
“Do you really think that’s going to help?” Sam asked.
Nate’s rock began to wiggle ever so slightly. He grinned at her.
Sam’s eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated. She could sense something; a warmth extending out from her chest, filling the air around her. She closed her eyes, but it was as though she could still see her surroundings. ‘See’ was perhaps the wrong word, but feel them; the ground, the fire, the grass bending in a breeze, a small insect pouncing on an even smaller one, her friends. It was though she were in a dark room holding a small flame, her eyes straining to glimpse details just beyond the reach of the light. But as she focused, the fire grew and the field of her perception extended outward. After a few moments, she finally felt the rock.
She focused on it, feeling each of the tiny molecules that made the stone a whole entity; each had a mind and will of its own. Like it was a living thing. Wordlessly, she asked it to float with her. She felt a one-ness with the stone, something inexplicably beautiful.
Her rock rose slowly into the air.
“No fair!” Nate said. “She’s cheating somehow.”
Sam opened her eyes and smiled. Her stone now floated gently at her eye line. Alianna’s face was a stone mask, but her eyes belied the shock of Sam’s success.
Meanwhile, Nate’s rock was hopping about a foot off the ground like a frustrated frog, thumping heavily to the grass.
Charlie’s rock spun slowly in place like a top. “Guys, it’s not a contest,” he said, wincing, as if concentrating this hard was painful.
Sam extended her hand, and the rock gently floated over the fire, until it came to rest in her fingers.
“Now you’re just showing off,” Nate muttered, before giving up.
Alianna studied Sam’s face for a moment.
“We should sleep while we can. We have a long journey in the morning,” Alianna finally said, before sitting down, her legs crossed, her hands folded neatly across her lap.
“You’re a complicated person, Alianna,” Charlie said. “Someday I’d love to do drugs with you.”
Nate stared angrily into the fire. Here they were, in some sort of mystical fantasy world, which was probably all a dream anyway. But even in his dreams, he was kind of a loser.
He felt a heavy hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t despair, lad,” Doctor Professor said. “Even your friend Charlie here did exceptionally better than most recruits on their first attempt. Simply getting the rock to wiggle is enough to become an apprentice in the Soldiers of the Sun.”
“You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”
“One of the tenants of my order, is the virtue of honesty and truth above all else. Truly, I would not lie to you, even to spare your feelings.”
Nate believed him. As he lay down in his bedroll that night, the strange stars singing above him in the clear sky, he decided that even if his raw talents were no match for Sam’s, he would make up for it with tenacity. Maybe he didn’t have the blood talent Sam did, but he could be stubborn.
If there was one thing Nate had learned from years of persistently being pathetic, it was how to wear down a challenge by refusing to surrender to his failures. Which were legion.
Alianna and Doctor Professor woke them at first light. Their clackers were already prepared for the journey into the mountains, and Doctor Professor seemed fully refreshed. No hint of the previous night’s wounds could be found.
After a quick breakfast, they were off, their mounts scrambling across the dirt and rock. The Scarlet Peaks soon loomed overhead, the crimson stone glinting in the afternoon light.
For an hour, they traveled along the base of the mountains, until the rough path they followed veered sharply up the foothills, and disappeared into the rouge cliffs.
They ascended the mountain, staying on the path that carved through a shallow, braided valley. Ahead, they saw an odd rock formation towering over the trail.
“The Lover’s Cliff,” Doctor Professor said. The name fit, it looked as though two giants, a man and a woman roughly carved from the red stone were leaning out of the mountainside, their crude, wind-worn lips locked in a kiss.
As they passed under the stone paramours, they came to a steep incline. Their clackers made slow progress, climbing cautiously up the pass. At the top, they came to another path that followed the thin edge of the cliff. The right side of the narrow road dropped off so sharply it made Sam dizzy if she looked down.
Around a bend, they came to a colossal fissure in the mountain, as though some enormous force had cracked the stone in half.
Alianna drew her spear.
“What is it?” Sam asked.
Alianna gestured with her blade. At the top of the crack, gigantic ropes, each as thick as a man’s arm, stretched between the two mountain halves, crisscrossing in a web.
Then Nate saw movement. A giant spider, likely the size of a school bus, though it was difficult to gauge from this distance, was curled in a hole that had been bored into the mountain. Its giant legs extended, resting gently on the web, feeling for vibrations.
“Can it see us down here?”
“Can what see us?” Charlie asked.
“You don’t want to know,” Nate said. “Really, you don’t. Just look straight ahead.”
Charlie nodded, his face grim.
“We should be safe, but be prepared to flee on my command,” Alianna said, her eyes glued to the webbing overhead. They slowed their pace as an eerie stillness fell over them. Only the gentle whistling of the wind and the soft clicks of their mounts broke the silence.
A blur of motion to their right made Alianna pull her clacker to a stop. Several heavy rocks clattered to the ground to their left as an orange-and-blue-colored lizard scrambled up the cliff face. It was about twelve feet long; its scales glimmered in the sun as its squat body wriggled with each step.
Up it ran, oblivious to the danger at the top. It charged headlong into the web, and hissed as it stuck fast in the thick ropes, entangling more of the strands as it yanked and battled with the sticky cords.
Without a sound, the spider struck as fast as lightning, shuffling down the web toward the lizard.
“I looked,” Charlie said quietly, suddenly light headed. “I think I’m going to barf.”
“Move, now,” Alianna hissed, clicking her tongue. They plunged deeper into the chasm as the spider bit deep into the lizard, which went limp. It began to wrap its prey in sticky gossamer, its mouth chittering, dripping chunky saliva to the ground below.
Nate shuddered as he noticed the spider’s young - dozens of nearly translucent babies, each roughly the size of a German Shepherd - which clung to their mother’s abdomen.
Further into the fissure, they came across the Lizard’s nest. A single giant egg, its shell a shimmering rainbow of swirls, sat in the center of a roughly assembled nest of dirt and stones.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the guy from Twitter who told me to go eat a bullet,” Sam said.
Doctor Professor clicked and whistled, and his clacker scooped the egg out with its horn, which Doctor Professor grabbed with two arms.
“What’s that for?” Nate asked, dreading the answer.
“Dinner,” Doctor Professor said with a wink.
They emerged from the crevice and came to another arduous slope. Further up into the mountain they rode until, at last, they came to a ridge that overlooked the crystal waters of Winterwood Lake.
Across the valley on another peak stood an old man, his long, white beard reaching nearly to his knees. On his head, he wore a long pointed hat with a wide brim, and his bushy eyebrows hung over his piercing eyes, which glowed with white energy.
He wore simple, dusty blue robes with silver runes etched along the edges and seams that were impossibly brilliant. His robe swirled and snapped around him in the wind. Two gargantuan books floated off the ground near him, their pages open, the text glowing a bright green.
His arms were crossed over his chest, his palms upturned, his fingers twisted into strange configurations similar to those the dark wizard had used. Energy and power warped and distort the air around him.
Behind him, a black obelisk stood. A perfect rectangle with sharp clean edges, it looked as though it had been stabbed into the side of the mountain. Strange, white runes had been engraved onto the monument. Staring at them for too long caused Sam’s head to buzz like the static on a television.
“Who is that?” Nate asked.
“Gadium the Lightkeeper,” Doctor Professor answered. “The man we seek.”
“What about the other guys?” Charlie asked.
Alianna reared her clacker to a stop. “What other guys?”
Charlie pointed to a point further down the mountain where Gadium stood. A mob of twenty creatures climbed upward like a pack of ravenous wolves. As they stepped closer to the edge of the cliff, there were countless more below. Twice as tall as an ordinary man, the creatures were formed from pure iron, rust covering their bodies in long patches.
The center of the torso was split in half like an open maw, where tendrils of black, rotten flesh led to a white corpse that hung free in the center, suspended by the ropes of sinew. The mangled bone and meat was stitched together with metal, weapons built into their bodies, bound by some unholy magic. Even Nate could sense the cold emanating from the creatures as they scaled toward their intended victim.
“Those are the Rustborn,” Alianna said quietly. “Foot soldiers of chaos, and a blight upon these lands.”