Mythborn: Rise of the Adepts (62 page)

The four duplicates eased into combat stances, ones she was intimately familiar with, because they were identical to her own. These doppelgangers looked to be more dangerous versions of normal elementals, as they clearly had her combat knowledge. The one made of fire acted as leader. It said, "Defend yourself." And then the four attacked, jumping and spinning with kicks and punches thrown with deadly intent.

Jesyn’s training took over and she moved with lightning speed. She intercepted the fire elemental first, but the moment her arm made contact she felt a sudden shock of pain and smelled her flesh burning. She disengaged and tried to punch her opponent, but her fist went completely through the fiery body without harming it. A kick to her chest from the water elemental sent her skidding back into the wall made of earth.

She flipped to her feet and took stock of the combat situation. Her opponents were arrayed in front of her in a loose semicircle with her back to a wall of earth. She breathed out, relaxing her muscles and her mind, and opened herself to the Way.

Time slowed and she could see all four shift imperceptibly, making room for the earth elemental, which moved in quickly. She braced herself, knowing the impact would give her an opening, but was shocked when nothing happened. Then she felt a blow to her head that shot purple stars across her vision.

The earth elemental had flowed around her, then under the stone, and reappeared on the earthen wall behind her. One hammer-like fist had smashed into her skull, sending her reeling forward and into the midst of the other three. She fell at the feet of the air elemental, who picked her up and threw her back against the stone and earth wall. Her breath left her in a whoosh and she slid down the wall, barely conscious.

"Hold!" the lore father commanded. The four elementals bowed and moved back, allowing Jesyn her first moment of proscribed rest. She hacked up something and realized it was blood, but couldn’t tell if it was from something broken inside her body, or just her mouth.

She eased her way up, then staggered over to the wall of air. Dragor stood behind it, concern written plainly on his face.

"How am I doing?" she asked, smiling, then spitting more blood.

"No better than any of us did," her teacher replied neutrally. "And no worse."

Jesyn nodded, then reached for the Way. Power flowed into her, but she was only an initiate and her ability to heal herself was limited. She would have to pass this test of her skills alone, such as they may be. She slowly rose to her feet.

The lore father looked at her and said, "Do you wish to continue?"

Though he sounded concerned, Jesyn knew this was part of the ritual and she only had two responses. She wiped blood from the corner of her mouth and nodded, "I do."

"Very well. Begin," he commanded and the elementals exploded into action again.

The water elemental sank to the stone floor and flooded toward her like a liquid snake. She leapt up, over it, only to be intercepted by the air elemental, who threw her back to the ground. Instantly the water elemental flowed up over her, covering her nose and mouth, clearly intending to drown her.

Jesyn rolled and jumped to her feet, her head and face still encased in water, and fought down her panic. She looked about, her mind racing. How could she stop a creature that had command of the elements? She pushed at the water, but her hands went through it. Before she could try again, the earth elemental kicked her and she felt bones snap in her ribs as she was hurled back against the wall of fire.

She could feel the burning again as she bounced off and landed on her face. The water elemental released her in an explosion of steam from contact with the fire wall and she fell on all fours, gasping for air. She could tell her ribs were broken. She pushed herself up, wincing at the pain and clutching her side. The elementals began to close in and she knew she would not be able to survive the next encounter.

Then the lore father shouted, "Hold!" The four elementals bowed and moved back, allowing Jesyn her second and last moment of rest. She fell in a heap, her broken ribs leaving sharp stabs of pain at every breath, her body bruised from the earth elemental’s kick.

Jesyn knew she could not continue to fight them this way. She was missing something, something vital. The test was designed so initiates could pass with their skills, so she needed to think.

Dragor moved over to the wall closest to her and said through it, "If you cannot prevail, its better you do not continue."

"You’re telling me to quit?" she said, incredulous. She spit out more blood, this time knowing without a doubt something internal was damaged.

"No, but if you have no inkling how to defeat them, you should not continue. If you go past this point, neither the lore father nor I can stop the test. These elementals
will
kill you."

Jesyn pulled herself together, anger giving her strength, and pushed herself up to her feet. "I’m going to pass this test, Master."

Dragor looked at the young initiate, his concern for her plain on his face. His eyes searched hers, then softened in defeat. He shook his head and said, "Pay attention, then." He backed away, then nodded to the lore father.

The lore father looked at her and intoned, "Jesyn Shornhelm, do you wish to continue?"

Jesyn took a deep breath, her mind racing. What was she missing? Something nagged at her, a detail, something small. Then, a moment in the fight leapt into her memory. The water elemental! It had had her at its mercy. Why then, did it release her? The lore father had not yet called time for rest, so why had it given her respite?

Then she asked herself, had it
given
her a chance, or had it been forced? Her mind narrowed the possibilities, something fell into place, and she looked at the lore father and said, "I do."

Giridian locked eyes with Jesyn, assessing her will, then said, "I cannot stop the test from here out, so I must ask again, do you wish to continue?"

Jesyn took another deep breath, exhaling out her fear, and replied, "I do, Lore Father. Let them bring their best."

The lore father sighed then said, "Continue."

The elementals moved into action, but something in Jesyn’s manner was subtly different. She didn’t move forward to engage the first that moved, but instead focused, watching.

The earth elemental moved in, its earth and stone fists ready to finish the dance of pain they had started on her body, but Jesyn shifted. As the earth elemental struck, she pivoted under the strike, then used the creature’s great strength against it. She pulled it toward her, spinning in place, then added a shove from behind.

This sent the creature made of earth stumbling forward and into the target Jesyn had chosen, but it was not another elemental. Jesyn had cleverly pivoted and pushed the earth elemental into the boundary wall made of water! The elemental struck it, then stood upright, trapped by the current of the wall. Slowly its body began to dissolve into a sludge as the wall of water ripped its earthen skin away.

Jesyn didn’t stop to gloat over her victory. Her match with Piter had taught her a valuable lesson, and she did not hesitate. Biting down on the pain that shot from her ribs, she charged the water elemental that had nearly choked her to death.

The creature moved to encompass her, but Jesyn struck with open palms on the creature’s body. The elemental relaxed, making its body less dense to absorb the blow, something Jesyn had counted on.

She slapped her hands together inside the creature, creating a shockwave of force throughout the elemental’s body. The double shattered into tiny droplets, but Jesyn’s strike directed it to rain on the wall made of fire. An explosion of steam billowed out and the water elemental disappeared with a scream.

Jesyn moved quickly and put her back to the wall of earth. She could see the air elemental moving toward her, but in order for it to cause harm, it had to find purchase. With her back to the wall, the elemental could only try to dislodge her. She smiled and waited. It would have to close, then she would have the advantage.

The air elemental looked at her and paused, as if understanding her strategy, then dove at her, a dart made of wind. Before Jesyn could move, it had surrounded her completely, whirling about her limbs and pulling her away from the safety of the earthen wall. Every time Jesyn tried to breathe, it sucked the air from her lungs. She had not expected this and as a result found herself gasping. Her vision began to dim and she heard a mocking version of her own laugh as she fought desperately to breathe.

Her eyes cast frantically about, looking for something, anything that could help. Then her gaze fell upon the fire elemental, still standing with its arms crossed. Why did it not attack?

The edges of her vision were now going from gray to black. Tunnel vision: a sure sign she was losing consciousness. She sucked in a little air stolen from the winds surrounding her, as her mind kept turning the question over with lightning rapidity. Why had the fire elemental stayed back?

Then she had it and forced herself to remain calm. Her battle-sense took over and time for her slowed in response. She knew what the fire elemental feared, and with supreme effort, she twisted herself in mid-air so one foot came briefly in contact with the stone wall behind her. Before the air elemental could react, Jesyn pushed with all her might and threw herself and the air elemental into the fire elemental.

The three collided, surrounding her in a fiery maelstrom.

She could breathe again. The air elemental fought to disengage with her. It knew what she attempted, pitting wind against flame. Jesyn shook her head. They would not escape so easily.

Her push had positioned them against the corner of the walls made of water and earth, leaving no direction for fire to escape. It forced them into the same space, and in doing so, made each choose. Would fire burn brighter, sucking in air? Would air blow harder, dissipating fire? Her strategy worked, as both elementals sought to protect themselves from the other.

The conflagration surrounding her brightened and the heat grew in intensity until it shone like the sun, surrounding her in a whirlwind of fire and air. Jesyn felt the pain but remained calm, ignoring it. Her training and mental discipline offered her that focus and she used it to center herself on the Way.

The heat became greater and she could feel her skin burning, blistering along her back. She could smell her hair burning away, but closed her eyes and kept her focus. She was the master of her body, not the other way around. The elementals would destroy each other before she would let them go, and this further strengthened her resolve.

"You will die, Jesyn." She heard the fire elemental say in her own voice. "You will throw your life away, needlessly."

Jesyn tightened further on the two, feeling the skin on her arms blacken and burn. Still, she did not let go. She knew they could not kill her. The Way was everything. All they could do was return her to it, in one form or another, but the price for their victory would be their own destruction. She could no longer see and knew much of her face must be burned away. A small laugh escaped her then, a protest at the absurdity of a test that killed the tested, but she still said nothing.

"No!" screamed the air elemental. "I acknowledge your worth, you may relent!" She could feel the air elemental stop fighting her, but she did not let go nor drop her guard. She would not fall to trickery, again remembering her duel with Piter and the lesson the masters insisted on in
rhan’dori
. You never stop until victory is achieved. She understood that now.

"What of you, fire-born?" she croaked blindly, her eyes having been burned away entirely. Though she could not see anything, she could feel its gaze upon her and continued in a hoarse whisper, "Do you... yield?"

Slowly the heat reduced in intensity and she could feel the fire elemental acquiesce. "I acknowledge your mastery, Adept Jesyn. We submit." They dimmed themselves and waited to be released. When Jesyn did so, both coalesced back into strange elemental versions of her, uncanny in their likeness, more because their movements were so similar to her own.

As soon as they retreated, Jesyn collapsed into a smoking heap, barely conscious. Her body lay blackened and burned, without hair, eyes, or other recognizable features. She did not move, but whispered, "Then I prevail." A small smile escaped through charred lips, then the barest of sighs, before Jesyn sank into oblivion.

The two remaining elementals were joined by earth and water, reformed by their walls. The fighting square became opaque to any outside view, as the four elementals bowed to her, palms to foreheads. They intoned into the air, "Anala, come forth and be bonded in Ascension."

From behind Jesyn’s crumpled form came a light, shining pure and silver. It flared like the moon, bathing her in its argent brilliance. Out of that light stepped the winged figure of a female warrior, an angel who looked born and bred for battle.

It was immense, powerful, armored in silver and blue. Its wings stretched to each side, each feather a blade made for killing. Its visored helm sat across glowing eyes, eyes that demanded nothing less than fealty. The dazzling light receded and Anala of the Fire stood above the still form of the adept-to-be, called forth by the elementals of the test.

"Do you accept the bonding, Lady Anala, knowingly giving your life for hers?" intoned the fire elemental with deference.

The angel tilted its massive head, looking down on the smoking ruin that was Jesyn’s frail form. "It has strength and nobility, but most of all, perseverance." The voice was soft, but held the edge of a finely forged weapon. She seemed to smile, then completed the ritual, "I accept the bonding, and surrender my life to become one with her."

The fire elemental stepped forward. "Welcome, and rejoice. You shed the ephemeral and ascend to a new life." It spread its arms wide and stepped back and all four elementals went to one knee, waiting.

Slowly, as if sinking into the ground itself, Anala gathered Jesyn into her powerful arms. She pulled the young girl to a kneeling position and then held her still form from behind. Her armored wings embraced Jesyn, enclosing her in a cone of feathered steel and pure light.