Heir of the Elements (7 page)

Aya now stood directly in front of Draknorr. She touched the water on her prisoner’s head with the tip of her finger and it turned into ice.

Before Falcon could assess what was going on, Aya uppercutted the block of ice. A thunderous blow echoed as the ice along with the helmet blew to the wind.

Falcon stood in shock. He had always thought Draknorr to be a human. But the red hollowed eyes, the four-pronged jaw that opened widely, revealing two sets of tongues, and the fur-covered face were definitely not human. He fell to his knees, his mangled arms dangling uselessly by his side as he looked up at the girl before him in awe, as if still in disbelief of what had just happened.

“This isn’t over, girl,” Draknorr finally said, his voice filled with wounded pride. “I took your sister, and I will take more and turn them before this ends.”

“The dead can’t take anyone,” said Aya, as calmly as if she were describing the weather. Her hand drove back. A water lion appeared around it. A heart-stopping crunch emitted from Draknorr’s neck as the punch landed under his chin, snapping his head back.

The hateful red in his eyes dimmed into dark coals as his head bounced off the ground and his breathing ceased.

Chapter 8

The three of them walked silently through the forest as they headed to Falcon’s former home. Once Draknorr had been killed, Falcon had space wielded Kraimaster’s lifeless body back to K’ran’s home. Immediately after that, they hurried out of the city before the guards arrived in full force.

Falcon glimpsed over at Aya from time to time, trying to gauge what she was feeling. She walked with her head up, but Falcon could tell by her stern face that there was much going on inside her head. He had been far from her for months. He’d thought that seeing her again would be a cause for celebration, but instead it turned out to be a nightmare.

“Hear that?” asked Faith, a second before Falcon asked the same question.

“I think it came from the left,” Aya added.

“Very good, Nakatomi,” said a cheerful voice Falcon hadn’t heard in quite some time. A tree before him twisted in circles until it became a mangled mess of dark brown. A second later Sheridan stepped out. He wore his usual trench coat that reached down to his knees. The tattoo over his right eye stood out from his pale skin. “I was hoping that I could sneak up on you, but I see that won’t be happening.”

Aya turned to him. “What are you doing here, Sheridan? I thought you were going to find Grandmaster Zoen.”

“I did.” He scratched his head. “Well, he and Kraimaster found me to be precise.” He scanned his surroundings with a confused look. “Speaking of that. Where is Hyromi? I thought she would be with you. And where is Kraimaster? Zoen sent him ahead to assess the situation in Ladria.”

Falcon cleared his throat. “He’s…” A pit formed in his throat. Days ago he wouldn’t have thought Kraimster’s death would affect him in any way. But now that it had actually passed, he found himself in disbelief.

“He’s dead,” whispered Faith. “Murdered by Draknorr. And Hyromi, well.” Her eyes met those of Sheridan’s. “We heard she was badly injured in a fight with the poison wielder, Dokua. We’re hoping she’s with her father.”

“That’s disheartening news,” said a low voice. The air beside Sheridan twisted, and out of it emerged an ancient man with a large hump rising from his back. His dark robe flapped slowly as he scratched his wrinkle-marred face.

“Hello, Grandmaster Zoen,” said Falcon, surprised that the ancient wielder had appeared out of a space rift. The grandmaster was powerful, yes, but he was a mind wielder, not a space wielder. That was until he noticed Sheridan’s glowing emblem.
Of course, Sheridan wielded him here.

The grandmaster looked at around sadly. “Where is his body?”

“Back at my master’s home,” said Falcon. “We learned that Emperor Romus is also there.”

“And Hyromi, too, I’m sure of it,” added Sheridan eagerly. He looked over at Zoen. “Master, you must head over to Ladria and avenge Professor Kraimaster’s death. You’re the only one capable.”

Zoen’s cane materialized in front of him. He moved forward at a snail’s pace toward K’ran’s cabin.

“You’re going the opposite way,” said Sheridan, pointing back toward Ladria. “Draknorr is that way.”

“I think you’ll find that the Suteckh general will no longer be a threat to the people of Va’siel,” declared Zoen matter-of-factly. He didn’t bother to stop, or even turn as he spoke.

Sheridan gazed over at Falcon, Aya, and Faith with an awed expression plastered across his face. “The three of you are amazing. You defeated one of the most powerful wielders of this era.”

“Faith and I didn’t do anything,” said Falcon.

Now Sheridan craned his neck toward Aya. His jaw was so wide open that Falcon thought it might crash to the floor at a moment’s notice.

“Don’t say anything,” said Aya. “I mean it.” She still had the same bored expression on her face as she trudged behind the grandmaster.

Falcon looked on sadly at both girls. One was being hunted down by a mass murderer who had lived over ten thousand years and had defeated armies single-handedly. The other had just found out her entire life was based on a lie, and to top it all off, her family was dead center in the Suteckh invasion.

Playing with his fingers nervously, he tried to find the right words to say to them, but no matter how deeply he searched, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was nothing he could say to help them.

Once again he was that child who stood defenseless as Volcseck murdered his mother before his eyes. Once again he was that boy who waited all night for his brother to return, the same brother who disappeared and abandoned him to fend for himself. Despite all the power he had gained throughout the years, he remained as powerless as ever.

He rubbed his stomach, taking in the warm feeling of anger stirring within. If he was to help them, he needed to rely on that unholy power, even if it meant his own demise.

~~~

The air smelled of medicine as they knocked on the door. Falcon felt weird doing so. With the death of K’ran, the old cabin belonged to him for all intents and purposes. Nonetheless, it felt wrong to simply barge in.

He staggered back as the door suddenly swung open with tremendous force. It snapped loudly as it bounced off the interior wall. A short, twitchy woman stood to greet them.

“Good to see some people using the door,” said Doctor Solis. “Been having so many people appear out of strange ripples in the sky lately.”

“Doctor Solis!” Aya exclaimed. For the first time in hours, Aya formed a smile as she hugged her medical mentor. “It’s so good to finally see you.”

The doctor tapped Aya’s back awkwardly, almost as if she were trying to beat something out of her. “Very good to see you alive and well. Perhaps you can explain how people seem to be appearing everywhere.”

“That’s actually my fault,” said Falcon. “I space wielded a group of children here and…”

“The dead man,” finished the doctor.

“Yes,” said Falcon, a bit irritated. It bothered him how she spoke of Kraimaster as if he weren’t even human. But he remained quiet. He knew the doctor didn’t mean it; it was just the way she was. Always rush, rush, rush.

“What are you doing here, doctor?” asked Aya.

“Emperor asked that I come here check on daughter. I come do that but then stay to keep on checking on her. Then kids come. Very malnourished. Nursing them back to health.”

“Hyromi is fine. I knew it!” Sheridan rushed past the doctor so fast that he thought he might knock the small lady over. “Where is she? What do you mean by continuing to check on her? Is she in some kind of pain?”

“No. No pain whatsoever. However—”

Sheridan did a small dance which looked like some crazy mix of jumping jacks and spins.

Falcon didn’t dance, but he did share in Sheridan’s joy. He had been extremely worried, thinking that perhaps Hyromi could be seriously hurt, or worse. Now, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The rest the day was far less eventful. They went into the cabin and rested. Some of the kids came over to thank Falcon for what he’d done. But most of them kept their distance. Falcon couldn’t blame them; he’d probably be acting the same if he’d gone through what they had gone through.

He had hoped to spend some time with Aya, but she had immediately locked herself in the guest room, along with Faith. He could hear their voices come through the thin wooden doors from time to time. He suspected they were speaking of what had occurred back in Ladria, which honestly saddened him a bit. Weren’t they all supposed to be friends? Why were they ignoring him and leaving him out in the dark? He couldn’t even count on the company of Sheridan. Upon hearing that Hyromi and her father had gone for a walk through the woods, he had taken off to search for them.

Falcon sighed as he looked out the window. From where he was standing, he could see Zoen sitting cross-legged over on a tree stump. He was chanting with his eyes closed, no doubt putting an enchantment over the area that would render the home invisible to any enemy that came near.

Restless and tired, he headed off to his room. He opened the long door and slowly stepped into his room. It smelled of musk and wood. He ran his fingers atop the grainy walls. Dust settled on his fingertips. Everything from the tidy bed to the painting of his hero, the Golden Wielder, that hung on the wall to the toy elemental glove on the floor took him back to those years he had spent with his master in the cabin: burning the stew, re-organizing the cabin, building a guest room from the ground up. How could he sleep with such memories of K’ran haunting him?

He closed the door and headed for the backyard. His stomach lurched as his eyes settled on the pile of rocks where his master lay. Next to it lay another pile of rocks, and above it was a piece of wood that read: ‘Here lies Drogan Kraimaster’.
Doctor Solis sure does work fast,
he mused.

“Hello, Master K’ran,” said Falcon as he walked in front of the grimy rocks. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He knew his master was gone and there was no chance he could hear him, but he needed to say something nonetheless. “Things haven’t been going so well since you left us, master. The Suteckh have sacked Ladria. I’ve had some progress controlling the chaos inside me, but am still a long way from having full control.” He sighed deeply. “I wish you were here to give me your guidance. But I have no guide. My father and mother are gone, my brother is gone, and now so are you.” He reached out and felt the cold rocks. Soft green moss had overtaken some of them. “I’m afraid I’m going to need to give in entirely to the chaos. It is the only way I will be able to even stand a chance against Volcseck.”

“I’m sure you’ll find another way,” said a voice. A hand landed on his shoulder and rubbed sympathetically.

Falcon breathed heavily. “I don’t see how.”

Grandmaster Zoen stood beside him. His eyes twinkled with sadness as he stared back at him, and for a split second he could have sworn that Zoen knew better than anyone else the power struggle he was going through. But that couldn’t be true. No one in Va’siel knew what he was going through.

Zoen gave him a reassuring pat. “A good friend of mine told me that even in the darkest of nights, there is always moonlight to be found.” He stared at the graves with great focus. “So you see, no matter how bleak our situations may be, there is always a light to guide us. It can come in many forms, be it a person, hope, love, or the desire to be the best one can be for the person who has left us behind.”

“Yes,” challenged Falcon. “But I doubt your friend had to face what I’m facing.”

“You’re right, he didn’t go through exactly what you did.” Zoen spoke softly, as if he were speaking to a child who didn’t understand, which angered Falcon. He had enough people mocking him. He didn’t need it from the grandmaster as well. “But, on the other hand, you also did not experience his tribulations.”

“Whatever they were, I’m sure they were nothing special.”

“You’d be surprised,” said Zoen calmly. “The Golden Wielder faced many challenges in his life, as I’m sure you’re aware of.”

Falcon’s mouth went dry. Indeed he was aware of just how unjust the legendary wielder’s life had been. But despite these injustices, he had overcome. Could he do the same? Sometimes he thought he could. But every time he allowed himself to hope, something would bring him back down to bitter reality.

“Grandmaster?” asked Falcon, voicing a question he’d many times wondered. “How come you don’t face Volcseck? The students at Rohad talk about your duel with the Golden Wielder. They say you fought him to a stand-still.”

A wry smile came over Zoen. “I’m afraid those stories are greatly exaggerated. I was never a match for my good friend. If we ever tied, it was only because he was holding back.”

“Oh,” mumbled Falcon, feeling disappointed. “Then how come the Golden Wielder never even tried to put an end to Volcseck? Surely he had to know what Volcseck was doing.”

“The Golden Wielder
did
attempt to find Volcseck.” He took a long sip of his pipe, puffing out a trio of circles into the air. The air smelled of spiced cinnamon. “Volcseck knew this, so he hid himself from him. Even with the Golden Wielder’s amazing energy-reading abilities, the chaos wielder’s teleportation abilities allowed him to mask his signature very well.”

Falcon scratched his head, blinking quickly. “He was scared of the Golden Wielder?”

“You could say that. This is all speculation, of course. But I’m not called the greatest mind wielder of my era for nothing. I’m certain that my deduction is correct.” Zoen gazed at Falcon, his keen eyes full of knowledge. “I suspect Volcseck knew that fighting the Golden Wielder was too much of a gamble. He might have won, but then again, he could have lost. So he opted to simply forego the battle and wait until the Golden Wielder was no longer here.”

Falcon smiled inwardly. All his life he’d heard nothing how powerful Volcseck was. Many were the stories of his legendary feats: destroying armies, easily demolishing any wielder that got in his way, toppling entire kingdoms. To hear that the chaos wielder actually feared someone felt like a victory in itself. A small victory but better than nothing.

“But the Golden Wielder did not simply give up once he became clear he wasn’t going to locate Volcseck,” added Zoen. “He laid out a plan.”

“
A plan
?” Falcon’s curiosity peaked. This he had to know. “What kind of plan?”