Secret of the Sunstones, Part 1: The Wanton Kingdom

Chapter XCVIII : Flight

Earlmorn of Quartus, Third Day of Duskmoon

Matthias felt a force lift him off his feet and carry him through the tunnel. For an instant, he watched the heart of the Substratum—the entire central stairwell—break apart and fall. But he was spared the impact as his body whizzed past, into the adjacent tunnel.

And not a moment too soon. Just as he passed the threshold, the corridor was closed off, buried under innumerable tons of rubble. He landed lightly on his feet as the spell dissipated and immediately recast his ball of light, as well as a bubble of clean air to protect him from the thick cloud of dust.

The pitch dark was replaced by an imponderable fog of particles, but his companions were nowhere in sight.

"Mica? Quon? Bram! Speak up if ya can hear me. Or do something to tell me where you're at."

The only sound was of falling rocks in the distance. Panic descended. He struggled to speak as he was overwhelmed with fear and grief.

"Please. If anyone's out there … say somethin'!"

Though his manna was dangerously low, he cast a spell to search for life signs. He was overjoyed to find two of them, though one was quite faint. Worried that one or more of his precious friends were in danger, he raced to the source. He found Quon lying face down, half-buried in rubble. The Kenju's body was battered and bloody. He must have faced multiple impacts as he hurdled through the tunnels. Matthias summoned what little manna he had left and cleared the dust from Quon's throat.

Behind him, he heard rocks shifting and pebbles tumbling. Someone coughed.

"Matthias!" Bram's scratchy voice called out in the distance.

The old scholar shouted back. "Ova here! Ah found Quon, but he's hurt."

Bram responded between more coughs. "I think … my leg is broken." He sounded like he was in great pain.

Matthias couldn't be in two places at once. "If yoo can move a'tall, find mae voice. Ah've created some clear air ova here."

He closed his eyes to focus on his magic. He had nothing but fumes to work with, but it was enough to remove the chalky debris from Quon's lungs and force some air in its place. He then mended the cuts and scrapes along his body and adjusted a broken arm back in place. The Kenju coughed.

"What … happened?"

Matthias believed he knew. "It had to be Mica. She must'a cast a spell to get us outa th' tunnel safely. But, where is she?"

He heard someone approach from behind. Thinking it was the priestess, he turned to greet her. But it was Bram.

"Your leg …."

He looked down, but the Knight appeared to stand just fine.

Bram entered Matthias' bubble. "I fixed it on my own." He sounded fine, too.

Matthias didn't think anima was capable of directly healing wounds, but the Knight broke his chain of thought. "Where's Mica?"

The old scholar felt his heart drop.

His first instinct was to call out. "Mica!"

Bram and Quon followed suit. "Mica! Mica!"

He summoned his magic once more, ignoring the burning sensation of manna depletion. He used it to check for life signs, but all he sensed came from Bram and Quon. There was nothing else he could do. His magic was spent, yet he still felt nothing.

The Knight pulled his arm and led him to the front of the tunnel, which was completely blocked by rubble. "Just tell me Mica isn't on the other side."

The gap inside Matthias' heart widened. "Ah've already tried searchin' for life signs. There's nothin' out there, Bram."

The Knight's grief-stricken face was resolute. "We are not leaving her behind, you hear me?"

Matthias was tongue-tied. He didn't want to believe that Mica hadn't made it, but without his manna, he couldn't say for sure.

Quon approached, his voice still weak and wheezy. He coughed between words. "What about anima? Could you use it to sense a connection?"

Bram's eyes looked bleak. "I've already tried, but let me concentrate once more."

He closed his eyes, and it looked like he desperately wanted his magic to work. But as time passed, the look on his face grew increasingly frustrated.

He let out an exasperated gasp. "Ever since the battle in the cistern, I could sense the presence of my friends. I feel you both right now, in fact. It's as if anima senses the souls of those who are close to me. Your presence gave me strength during the battle with Abaddon. But now … when it comes to Mica … I can't sense her at all. If she … if she didn't make it … I'd still sense her soul, at least. But …."

The Knight was clearly choked up. Matthias felt it, too. The pall of loss descended upon the three companions as a new reality dawned: One of their members had passed.

Matthias tried to think it through. "Yoo said ya used th' power of anima t' enter the Zohar and find her soul once before. Could ya use it now t' contact her? T' send her a message and let her know we won't stop lookin'?"

Bram shook his head. "She has to be on the other side of this rubble. Somewhere beyond my range. It's the only explanation. We have to go back and find her body. She used her magic to save us. We can't turn our backs on her now."

Matthias gawked in disbelief. "What? Have ya gone mad? The central stairwell is gone, Bram, and there's naught but a mountain of rubble between us. Ah'm beggin' you! M' heart aches, just like yours, but goin' back's impossible!"

The Knight opened his palm. Inside was the sunstone. "Impossible for you, maybe. But not for this."

The old scholar huffed. "Now Ah know you've lost your mind! Ya saw what happened to Richard. Now yar gonna use it, too, like a fool?"

"Bram, Matthias, please!" Quon coughed a few more times. "We can't turn on ourselves now. I know Mica is like a sister to us. We all want to help her. But if she's under that rubble, it means she made a sacrifice so that we might live. She wouldn't want it to be for nothing. We're not safe. This tunnel could collapse just like the other one, and there's nowhere else to run. We won't know when, either. It could be any moment."

The old scholar agreed, but he saw the Knight's frown. "Think it through, Bram. We might've defeated Abaddon, but there are three other sunstones. An' only one Savior. Mica wouldn't want you t' throw yur life away, nor would she want you t' end up like that thing back at the cavern!"

Bram was insistent. "Listen, Quon. Matthias. You don't understand what happened after Abaddon entered the sunstone. But I can sense it. The demon has gone into a deep slumber. And while it's dormant, we can use the sunstone without consequence. Please. If I can save her, don't stand in my way."

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Matthias shook his head in disbelief. He would have argued further, but it seemed the Knight was intent on being stubborn. "Then do it, if yur so sure. Just be careful. An' do it quickly. Quon wasn't wrong about this place bein' unsafe."

Bram took a deep breath and grasped the sunstone. As he closed his eyes, his lips trembled and his hands shook. A tear rolled down his cheek. "I sense something. Quickly, it's further down the corridor."

Quon looked surprised. "Toward the hangar?"

Bram nodded. "Yes. Let's go."

He led the way, while Quon and Matthias struggled to keep up. The Kenju was usually the nimblest of them, but he was slowed by his recent injury. Matthias ran as fast as he could, while Bram led them deep into the tunnel, far beyond where the old scholar thought the priestess could have ended up. Hundreds of paces further down, he caught up to the Knight as he bent over a crumpled body.

Bram looked over his shoulder and shouted. "Matthias, bring your light and your bubble over here!"

The old scholar hobbled over as Bram adjusted the body into a sitting position. It certainly wasn't a priestess, but it appeared to be someone important to Bram.

Quon approached. "Who is this?"

Bram's expression was a mix of relief and disappointment. "It's not Mica, but he's an old friend. He used to be Angkor's Grand Craftsman. He's alive, but he looks thin and haggard. He must have passed out from exhaustion. Matthias, can you wake him?"

Matthias crouched down and examined the body. It was a middle aged man, coated white with dust. He was lucky he wasn't closer to the front of the tunnel, or he would have suffocated by now.

"Sure, Ah can wake 'im. But mae manna's too low t' do any healin'. An' … what's this?"

At the bottom of the man's legs were dark orbs where his feet should have been. They radiated with powerful magic.

Bram looked concerned. "Yeah, I saw those, too. They weigh a ton. What do you think could have done this?"

Matthias felt weary. Being at full manna depletion was taxing on the body. Any complex spell risked burning out, but he hoped to squeeze out something simple. "Without mae magic, Ah couldn't tell ya. You'll need t' hear it from 'im."

Bram nodded. "Very well. Do it."

The old scholar cleared his mind and focused. In his state, even the simplest spell left him nauseous. He leaned against the tunnel to steady himself. Fortunately, the spell worked. The man's eyes slowly opened.

Bram was overjoyed. "Cedric, thank Gaia you're still alive."

The man named Cedric blinked a few times before answering. His voice was weak. "Do my eyes deceive me? Bram, is it really you? What are you wearing?"

Bram laughed and hugged his friend. "It's me, and you wouldn't believe what I went through to get here. But first, we need to leave, and I need to know what happened to your feet."

The Craftsman's eyes watered. "They're … gone. Broken by that villain, Virgil Garvey, and replaced with these … these things!"

Bram's eyes went wide. "Virgil did this to you?"

Cedric sobbed. "Aye, he did. With that dark magic of his. He's working with demons and has everyone under his spell. He forced me to finish my Zounds design, so he could take it. And—"

"Listen, Cedric." Bram cut to the chase. "We're in danger and don't have much time. Quon and Matthias are friends of mine, and together, we defeated the demon behind all the tragedies here. But we …" He paused to choke down a few sobs. "We lost a dear friend in the process."

Matthias' heart sank. To hear Bram admit it meant the Knight had made peace with Mica's second passing. Moments ago, the old scholar had argued against searching through the rubble for her body. But in his heart of hearts, he wanted to believe another miracle was possible. He hadn't known Mica for long, but he witnessed her goodness and strength. She died so that he might live, and it didn't feel right to leave her body behind. But with the chances of finding her practically nil, it seemed even Bram recognized the urgent need to press forward.

The Knight continued. "I won't let that happen again. We're taking you with us, Cedric, but Virgil's curse made you too heavy to carry. You need to trust me while I figure out a way to heal you."

The Craftsman looked at him like he was crazy. "There's nothing you can do. Virgil's dark magic caused this."

The Knight peered into his friend's eyes. "I'll explain everything later. Right now, I want you to close your eyes and trust me."

Cedric stared at him blankly before nodding. "Sure, but, uh … this isn't going to hurt, is it? You're not planning to cut them off, are ya?"

Bram smiled and shook his head. "I won't, I promise. Just lay back." The Knight positioned his friend against the floor of the passage. "Now, close your eyes."

Cedric did as he was told, but Matthias was wary of what Bram was planning and felt it was his only chance to object. He reached for the Knight's arm. "Are ya sure?"

Bram wrenched his arm free and glared. His mind was clearly set.

Matthias backed away, but he was worried. Sure enough, Bram took the sunstone in hand. The old scholar looked away, unwilling to face the possibility that the Knight was wrong about the Ahriman being dormant. He saw a blue flash of light, but it was gone in an instant. When he turned back to see if Bram had succeeded, he was surprised beyond his wildest expectations.

Cedric's feet were completely restored. The Craftsman opened his eyes and blinked several times, as if doubting his own eyes. Bram helped him to stand, which he accomplished with ease. His eyes watered, and he held an expression of utter disbelief, combined with utmost joy and gratitude.

He sputtered while tears streamed from his eyes. "I don't know what you did … but it's a miracle!"

The tunnel shook, and rocks tumbled in the distance.

Bram grabbed Cedric by the hand. "We need to go. Now. Do you think you can run?"

Cedric nodded, and the four companions took off.

Matthias heard a thunderous roar as more of the tunnel collapsed behind them. But he lifted his robes and ran as fast as he could.

He soon emerged into another cavern. Littered along the ground were wrecked airships, a graveyard of vessels that had already been crushed under tons of rock. He cringed as he looked up and saw the vertical shaft to the surface heavily damaged and almost completely blocked with boulders. The prospect of escape looked grim.

"There!" Cedric pointed.

Bram's face lit up. "I can't believe it. It's the Heron, and it's in one piece." He turned to Matthias, grinning widely. "If there's any ship I trust to get us out of here, it's this one. Let's get aboard. Quickly now!"

Matthias wasn't so sure. Even the strongest and fastest airship couldn't burrow through solid rock.

Cedric took charge. "I'll start the engines. Quon, is it? I could use your help."

The Kenju Master nodded and followed.

Bram grabbed Matthias by the arm and led him to the loading platform. "Come with me to the deck. We need to clear the blockage."

The old scholar had to remind the Knight that his manna was badly depleted. "Bram, Ah don't think Ah can—"

"Trust me."

Matthias groaned, but he followed the Knight onto the boarding platform and up to the deck. It was a fine ship and fortunate to have been spared any damage. But if even one of the large boulders overhead were to loosen and fall, the hull would be split in two.

He felt a jerk as the ship's engines engaged and the propellers along the sides started spinning. Meanwhile, the cavern shook. A large crack formed along the walls, running straight up the vertical shaft. An avalanche of stone fell.

Bram raised the sunstone, and a colossal force held the stone in place. But it looked like the Knight struggled. Drops of sweat rolled down his cheeks.

"Matthias … please. I need your help."

He held out his hand, the sunstone resting in his open palm. The old scholar gawked at it. He didn't need the Knight to tell him that his life depended on clearing the rock from overhead. Perhaps it was a sense of self-preservation that overcame his feeling of dread. Despite how he felt about the sunstone, Matthias joined hands with his companion.

As his hand grazed the sunstone's surface, he felt a jolt of magical energy. Inside the simple stone was a vast spring of manna. A sea. An ocean. Thousands of scholars combined wouldn't have come close to what he could draw. He could even take his pick. Corpus, menis, and cor … all of the colors were present, and possibly the colorless ones, too, if he had the power to detect them.

Bram tried his best to use this magic, but he was an amateur. He directed corpus and menis like they were blunt instruments. Richard probably did the same. But Matthias was a trained scholar, capable of weaving manna like a master couturier. He directed a tapestry of corpus and menis toward the rock. It was effortless. He could manipulate boulders the size of houses like they were like grains of sand. He cleared the path like he was swatting away cobwebs.

Meanwhile, the Heron lifted off the ground. Cedric wasted no time. He emerged onto the deck and took the helm with both hands. While Matthias cleared the path of rubble, Cedric zigzagged past debris and ascended the vertical passage.

As they neared the top, it was clear the passage was sealed with solid rock. Matthias flexed his powers, but it seemed like there was more than just a superficial blockage. They were buried deep under rock, and even the sunstone's limitless well of manna would need time to clear it.

But there wasn't any time. The Heron hurdled straight toward it.

"Let go, Matthias." Bram looked at his friend. "I know what to do."

The Knight spouted rubbish. Here was a man who spent his life as a layman. He had some nerve thinking he could tell the world's famous ambisanguinous scholar how to do his job. Matthias held on tighter. The power belonged in the hands of an expert.

"Matthias. Let go. Please."

Bram looked at him pleadingly. Something was wrong. The old scholar didn't know what he was doing. The sunstone was poison. He let go immediately and watched as the Heron was moments away from crashing into the blockage. He averted his gaze, unwilling to face the prospect of a gruesome death.

But, death didn't come. He opened his eyes and saw the air outside the airship full of sand. Bram directed the sunstone's magic to transmute the blockage into tiny particles, while simultaneously protecting the Heron and its crew. The old scholar would have never used his magic that way. Not on an obstacle so large.

The Savior had done it, again. But … at what price?