Azra of the Burning Sands (Genesis Project) (23 page)

With a surge of raw strength, Shakla broke free of the ice and fell to the side, the spear cutting open his left arm. He let out a roar, and a stream of dark red blood began to run from the wound.

Shakla crouched low. Ahaki readied more frozen spears and threw them towards the crouched form of Shakla. With a blast of wind from where he had been crouched, he launched forward in a blur. One of the spears caught him along the side of his head, tearing away scales and leaving raw flesh, but not stopping his flight.

He was coming right at Ahaki, and she tried to drop the ground, swinging wildly with her staff.

Shakla passed just over her, and Ahaki went tumbling from something. The Sorcerer landed on the ground in a fury of sand and dust. Kont blinked back tears as he strained to see.

He saw Ahaki getting shakily to her feet, the hand she had been holding her staff with cradled against her body. The dust settled, and Kont saw Shakla standing, Ahaki’s staff between his teeth.

The Sorcerer snapped the staff in two with his teeth. There was flash of bluish light along the length of the staff, and frost and ice formed around the snake man’s teeth, sealing his mouth shut. He didn’t seem to notice though, as he was already charging at Ahaki again.

Kont heard something behind him and spared a look. Three white-robed Wyzards were rushing into the plaza.

Kont pulled himself against the frame of one of the inactive Archways and tried to not be spotted. He looked back to the fight.

Shakla was being kept back by a barrage of spears. The Sorcerer was roaring furiously, while he focused his wind toward the deflection of the ice spears.

Two of the white robe Wyzards ran to either side of Ahaki, and added bolts of fire, and light to the barrage. The third had spotted Kont and was standing over him, glaring, arm outstretched.

‘Don’t move,’ the white Wyzard snarled.

Kont nodded quickly, but didn’t look away from the fight. He wondered, for a moment, if Shakla might be outmatched. Part of him hoped he was, but another part was
terrified
at the thought.

Ahaki, using one hand, sent her water at Shakla’s feet, freezing them in place again. Then she threw what was left of her globe of water at the Sorcerers face, it hit him on the nose, and engulfed his head. There it stayed. The Sorcerer tried to free his legs, but was struggling for breath.

The white-robed Wyzards lowered their hands and watched.

One of the Archways next to Shakla became active unexpectedly.

The cloud of blue and white light spun within the ribs of the Archway, silently, serenely, but no one came through.

‘Mistress Ahaki are you all right?’ one of the White Wyzards asked, turning to her.

‘I’ll be fine, Ethram,’ she said.

Shakla, dropped to one knee. Then his hands came out, and he swiped them towards himself. A furious wind blew towards him, picking up Ahaki’s two companions, and pulling them towards Shakla. Ahaki managed to brace herself against the wind, and didn’t lose focus on her Mahgic, which was slowing robbing Shakla of breath.

The white-robed man guarding Kont turned and raised his hands, firing bolts of fire towards Shakla.

The bolts struck Shakla in the side, burning off scales and scorching his side, but the wind still blew.

Shakla dropped onto his other knee, now fully kneeling. One of the white-robed Wyzards came close enough to Shakla, and the Sorcerer grabbed hold of the man’s leg.

With a sudden surge of strength, Shakla swung the helpless man by his leg, into the frame of the active Archway next to him.

The man’s body struck the frame, and it crumbled inward, killing the man. The Archways light flared brightly for a moment, and then dimmed. Then the plaza was engulfed in a blinding flash of light!

Kont felt the force of the blast reach him across the plaza, and was thrown back by the concussive force. He slammed against the Archway he had been cowering beside. Pain flooded him, and his vision was blurry from the light of the explosion. He struggled for breath, and waited for his vision to clear. He slowly regained his sight, but everything was blurry and indistinct. It was still hard to breath.

Kont saw the shadowy form of Shakla, walking slowly across the plaza. The Sorcerer stopped next to a form on the ground, and lifted it up with one arm. He pulled it close to his mouth, and there was sudden jerk from the lifted form. Shakla let the figure drop the ground, and turned toward Kont.

Kont was still feeling the after-effects of the blast, but, as Shakla got closer, he saw he was lucky. Shakla now only had one arm. The side of him that had been closest to the blast was burnt and still smoking. His right arm had been reduced to a charred stump, and the right side of his body was red and raw. When Shakla reached Kont, he reached down and grabbed him by the robe, and began to drag him along the ground. Kont struggled against the grip, and saw that Shakla was dragging him to another now active Archway.

Kont looked to his left, and saw the form of Ahaki, lying motionless in the sand, a pool of blood staining it. She was missing part of her throat. Kont looked up and saw more blood around the Shakla’s mouth.

Kont felt a chill run through him. He lost any thought of his own discomfort. He looked away.

His eyes landed on Dykyn’s form, thrown further across the plaza by the blast, but his eyes open and staring. Kont followed his gaze and saw it was on Ahaki’s body. He looked back at Dykyn, and tried not to think of what was going through the mind of the young man.

Shakla reached the Archway, and the plaza disappeared.

‘All that is broken, leaves pieces...’

-From the Wisdom of Zug Twill

COAST OF MILLA – NEAR THE ASH SEA

A
zra was helped down from the Graath by Gentle Current, and he started to walk slowly along the ocean floor. They were near land, and the light from the sun above was visible through the ripples.

They had followed something in the water that was completely undetectable by Azra.

‘Child of Sky, we have arrived,’ Gentle Current said.

‘Where are we?’ Azra asked.

‘We followed a trail of essence to here. Survivors of the island’s disaster came
here.
The essence started near the sunken island upon the sea,’ Gentle Current explained.

‘There was a trail from the ship, to here, from something?’

‘A current of distress. It goes to here.’

Azra nodded and walked closer to the shore. Gentle Current grabbed his hand and stopped him. ‘Caution Child of Sky. Nehhom will wait beneath the waves. When you return to the sky, remove the essence of sea from yourself.’

Azra pointed at the blob of material around his lower face that let him breath and talk underwater. ‘I have to take this off when I get above?’

‘Yes. Do not lose it. You will need it to return.’

Azra nodded again. Gentle Current let go of his hand and he walked the rest of the way out of the water.

The air felt good on his skin as the water fell away. He was sopping wet, and he felt a chill from the air. He tried to take a breath but couldn’t. He remembered the glob on his face, and reached up, pulling on it. It stuck to the hairs of his beard, causing him to wince as he tugged at it. It finally came away, and it stuck to his left hand.

Azra took a moment, and summoned his powers, generating heat from within. It took the chill off and he felt more comfortable and at ease.

He looked around the desolate land. It was a harsh, rocky, land, with short thick bushes scattered some distance further from the shore. The shore itself was a lower sandy bar, which lead to a raised, rocky, section.

Waves lapped around his feet as he stood.

There won’t be anything on the beach. The water would have taken care of that,
Azra thought.

He started towards the raised ground. When he got higher up, he stopped and looked back over the beach. He spotted a few pieces of wood that looked like planks.

Probably part of the ship. What am I even looking for? John would be better at this sort of thing than I.

Frustrated, Azra closed his eyes, and cleared his mind, intent to finish his search with Mahgic.

His awareness left his body, and he surveyed the area with eyes of Mahgic. Everything had a slight haze to it – an indistinct quality around it. It was unlike what he usually experienced while looking like this. He raised his awareness higher, and noticed something to the north. He focused in that direction. It was like a vast fog. He moved closer, but found it difficult to progress, like moving through water. Even though he could still move forward, it was a fruitless pursuit, as nothing was visible; everything being lost to a thick fog-like state.

He opened his eyes, back in his body, and looked to the north. Nothing odd seemed to be in that direction, but something had
definitely
been very strange.

I may have to travel that way on foot. I’ll need supplies to do so,
he thought.

Azra turned and walked back to the shore. He walked into the water, pausing long enough to reapply the blob of material that would let him breath.

Gentle Current was waiting for him.

‘Did you find what you seek?’ Gentle Current asked.

‘No. I need to travel further inland and look for something. I’ll need supplies.’

‘We can go to more Children of the Sky. You can acquire what you need. Small colony is not far, there is one within its lands that is known to us. She is friendly to the Nehhom.’

‘Let’s go. Also, I notice your use of the speaking stone is improving.’

‘The longer it is used, the more used to the listener it becomes. Time wastes. We must depart.’

They moved towards the Graath.

*

ALONG THE COAST OF MILLA

Vosco’s ship was making good time back to the hide out. Kia was still uncomfortable with the thought of helping the man, but she didn’t want to leave the area, in case Azra turned up.

Her companion, the snake, had been strangely quiet lately. Normally it made its presence known any time someone got near, but right now it was just draped across her shoulders, watching quietly.

She’d almost grown used to it.

‘Princess Kia,’ said Ty, Vosco’s right hand man, ‘would you like something to eat?’

Kia looked back at the dark-skinned man. He had half a loaf of bread and a bit of cheese – part of the supplies they’d picked up at port.

‘Yes, thank you.’

Kia took the food and started to eat it absently. Ty stood next to her on the bow of the ship.

‘What’s next for you, Princess?’

‘Please, just call me Kia.’

‘Very well, Kia, what’s next?’

‘Go hunt a sea monster,’ Kia said, looking out over the coast that was in the distance off the starboard side. ‘And after that, go find my Uncle.’

‘And if you can’t find him?’

‘Then I’ll go hunt a certain snake,’ she said with venom.

‘Is that what you’d normally do?’

‘No, but I’m tired of other people fighting my battles for me. I’m tired of waiting for other people to solve my problems.’

‘This is a good start, Miss. You’d learn a lot from Vosco, if you give him a chance.’

‘That’s what I’m afraid of.’

*

GRANAVIC – KINGDOM OF HALLON – HALLI

Kont lay on the ground next to the still inactive Archway. Shakla stood in his fullest, imposing, height, and seemed all the more terrible and powerful, despite his missing arm, marred body, and the ring of soldiers surrounding him with weapons drawn.

It had taken everything within Kont to stand up and rip the focus crystal from the Archway after they had stepped through. Shakla had been consumed by his battle, and seemed unable to recognize friend from foe.

Two armoured soldiers lay unmoving against the far wall of the Archway chamber, having been thrown there by Shakla’s wind Mahgic.

‘By order of King Shanti you are to stand down!’ one of the men barked, brandishing a spear in Shakla’s direction.

Kont laid there, the crystal resting on the floor next to him, clutching his injured hands against himself. The act of pulling the crystal had been blinding, but the thought of having the Mahgic users of Sallock hot on their heels had motivated him.

He was less sure if he was safer here though.

Shakla’s mouth hung open, slime dripping from his open jaw, mixed with blood from his open wounds along one side of his face.

The soldiers stood tensely in their circle. Shakla was breathing heavily, though hadn’t attacked any more. His eyes were darting around.

With a ragged, wet sounding, breath, Shakla dropped to his knees, and slumped forward in the dirt, unable to hold himself up anymore.

The soldiers moved quickly and tied him up. One of them rushed towards Kont.

‘That was quick thinking to pull the crystal from the Archway.’

‘I didn’t want to risk being captured, not after what Shakla did,’ he said, gesturing to the prone figure of the Sorcerer with a nod of his head.

'We had to reestablish the link to Sallock after the Archway unexpectedly shut down.'

'The sorcerer destroyed the Archway that you had linked to,' Kont said tiredly.

‘Is this
really
the beast that King Shanti was working with?’

Kont nodded. ‘He is, but I fear we’ve got more than we bargained for.’

‘Why are you here anyway? The King didn’t say anything about another person.’

‘I’m with the Sorcerer, and his associates, though my being here wasn’t part of the plans.’

‘Did you come from off world too?’

‘No.’

‘Why are you with them then?’

‘I guess... I got caught up in the moment.’

‘No, I mean, why are you following the Sorcerer and his associates?’

‘I have my reasons,’ Kont said quietly.

Kont was helped to his feet, as the soldiers dragged Shakla off, leaving a trail of blood along the stone floor. The Sorcerer was still breathing though, but at least wasn’t intent on killing indiscriminately anymore.

That was a good sign, Kont supposed.

He couldn’t shake the hateful, focused, eyes of Dykyn though; nor the thought of Ahaki’s pitiful fate.

He hoped he could be done with his part in this madness soon.

END OF VOLUME IV