Crystal Doors #3: Sky Realm (No. 3) (21 page)

Sharif raised his hands and “traced” the opening in the air. Crackling lines like orange embroidery delineated the crystal doorway. He sketched the outline again and again with his hands. Finally the fiery lines faded, and the door was sealed. Sharif’s legs gave way beneath him and he fell to the deck.

“Did you just do what I think you did?” Vic asked.

Sharif nodded. “It is sealed.”

“That is an important power,” Lyssandra said, offering her vial of greenstepe to Tiaret and Sharif.

While Sharif took a few gulps, Vic tried to console the other young man. “I can still tear open a new portal when the time is right.”

Tiaret said, “At the moment we still have merlons to contend with. Look!” The battle kraken, as if unsatisfied with its attack, continued to smash the debris of the already destroyed war galley.

Though King Barak still had the tentacled monster under his control, his main force of merlons was now engaged in a fight against Ulbar’s rebels as well. Master Polup’s cannon blasted again, and this time the projectile pummeled the enormous battle kraken.

Ulbar and several of his rebel merlons drove their whales and orcas, ramming the tentacled sea beast. Barak, riding beside Goldskin, snarled again and, not wanting to continue this battle alone, sounded a retreat.

The battle kraken submerged, severely wounded. The sea serpents slashed and snapped several of the rebel merlons, but then they all dove, fleeing from a battle that had turned against them. Even though they had won for now, Vic did not feel at all like celebrating.

26

IT WAS A CHEERLESS battle fleet that limped back toward the harbor in Elantya. Red alarm pennants fluttered from every mast. Vic was in shock, as were the other members of the Ring of Might. He had not been surprised by the strength or viciousness of the attack by Azric’s combined forces, but he had not expected the deaths of Helassa and Parsimanias. Admiral Bradsinoreus, still unconscious, lay belowdecks under the watchful care of Lyssandra’s mother, Kaisa. The pitiful few other survivors from the destroyed ship were still being treated by healers.

Vic tried to comfort Tiaret who, despite her stoic nature, had been hardest hit of them all. The girl from Afirik had both admired and understood Helassa, and a mutual respect had grown between the two fighting women.

Vic wasn’t quite sure why he did it — it wasn’t as if he was in charge of anything — but he went to Ven Sage Rubicas and said, “We’ve, uh, got a bit of a break right now with Azric sealed up in Irrakesh, and everyone in the fleet is hurting from all our losses. They know they’ll have to fight again sometime soon, so I’d like to hold a short memorial on the main deck. I think it’ll help us start healing.”

To his surprise, the Ven Sage did not offer to lead the memorial or to take charge of the event. He simply said, “I will attend.”

So Vic and Gwen called most of the people on the
Thunder Shield
to the deck and lit the brazier to signify a time to share. Tiaret was the first to stand and speak. “Helassa is no longer with us. Her name is already honored in the Great Epic and shall be again.”

A smattering of muffled sobs came from the crowd. Tiaret drew herself up straight and proud. “But she would not wish us to weep for her. Helassa’s spirit was made of fire and xyridium. In the face of danger, she did not waver. She did not retreat. She did not break. She told me once that from the first day she became the Vir of Protection, she was ready to give up her life to block the spread of evil through the crystal doors. She had no doubt this day would come. Helassa is dead,” she said bluntly, “but the fire of her spirit is not extinguished so long as it burns in me and in everyone of us who refuse to allow evil to have its way. Do not spend your tears for her — or even for yourselves.”

Vic smiled listening to his friend. He had expected a somber, mournful event. Instead, the energizing effect, as Tiaret’s clear voice carried to the crowd, was already obvious.

“Celebrate the life of our Vir of Protection. Fuel the fire of Helassa in your hearts. There let it blaze and burn away all discouragement and weariness, self-pity, anxiety, insecurity, or any thought for yourself beyond this: that we will never surrender, that we must stand in the way of evil wherever we find it until Elantya and Irrakesh and the other worlds through the crystal doors are safe once more.”

The ceremony continued for another hour as, one after another, people came forward to share uplifting memories of Vir Helassa, Vir Parsimanias, and the many others who had perished with them.

Sea birds cried and circled overhead as the ships pulled into Elantya’s harbor.

27

GWEN HAD HOPED THEY would have more time to recover from the disastrous sea battle at the crystal door. Far sooner than they had ever expected, the war began again.

It was bright noon, and to all appearances, the day was cheerful. The seas were calm. Galleys patrolled the harbor and coastline. Guards stood watch in high towers, ready to signal with quicksilver mirrors and wind crystals. The entire city waited for the next threat, although with the crystal door to Irrakesh sealed, they were sure they had hobbled the dark sage for the time being. King Barak showed little inclination to fight this war all on his own.

Gwen and Vic, with Dr. Pierce and their friends, were eating lunch together when Sharif brought his flying carpet in to hover a few feet off the ground in front of them. “I have just made another circuit. Everything is quiet.”

“Too quiet,” Tiaret said. “I do not trust this peace. It unnerves me.”

Vic chuckled nervously. “Battling merlons and pterodactyl men unnerves
me.
”

“And seeing people get hurt,” Gwen added. Hoping to find out what Azric was planning, she had opened several windows. But after witnessing repeated scenes of torture of the citizens of Irrakesh — without learning anything helpful — she had decided to rest a while before trying again.

“I do not like this waiting,” Lyssandra said. “I continue to dream of things that may happen. One thing I am sure of: we must combine our powers in new ways if we hope to save Elantya, Szishh, and Irrakesh. That time is soon — today, I believe.”

A flock of birds whipped around the buildings nearby, cawing at each other, then winging away. Gwen started instinctively at the sound, but these were birds that lived on the island, not attacking aeglors. She looked up to watch the white-winged birds flying around, chasing insects, then spreading apart. In the sky above Elantya, a network of white cracks appeared, as if someone had spun a spider web in emptiness. The air split like a breaking mirror, then opened, spreading wide. Gwen felt a deep chill.

“A new crystal door!” Lyssandra cried.

“No,” Vic said. “The one
I
created. I thought it was gone.”

“I shut it, but it apparently still functions,” Tiaret said.

Sharif said, “I did not seal that door because I did not yet know my power. The winged soldiers who saw us escape must have told Azric it was there.”

“All Azric needed was a Master Key, and he already had the only one in Irrakesh,” Gwen said. “Jabir.”

Dr. Pierce sounded the alarm. The people of Elantya responded quickly. Watchtower sentries transmitted warning flashes. Armored guards and citizens ran out of their buildings, took whatever weapons they had gathered for this situation, and raced to positions they had been assigned during various drills.

“You kids do what you need to do,” Uncle Cap said. “I’ve got to supervise our defenses on the harbor cliffs.” Giving Vic and Gwen each a hug, he rushed out.

The crystal door opened wider and wider. Gwen leaned backward. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the gigantic object coming through. Because Irrakesh was as large as the island of Elantya, it seemed to move very slowly. Yet Gwen knew how swiftly Azric must be driving it. As the city pushed through Vic’s new crystal door, the boundaries widened to accommodate its passage. Irrakesh hung like an enormous mountain overhead.

A heavy shadow fell across all of Elantya. Gwen knew that even if Ven Rubicas used all of his remaining spell scrolls to create a protective barrier, he couldn’t form a shield wide enough to stop the floating city.

Gwen quickly opened a small window onto the city. They all stared at it. The enormous central palace of Irrakesh had many balconies and openings. Azric was using the one outside the throne room as a command platform from which to guide this overwhelming attack. He held Vizier Jabir. The wizard looked even more battered, bruised, and bloodied than before, and Gwen knew that Azric or King Raathun had tortured the Vizier further, and perhaps his family, until he had opened the new crystal door to Elantya.

Now that the flying city was partway through the portal, aeglors flew up from their perches, leaving the towers and minarets and rooftops, swarming forward in another army. Their numbers seemed far greater than any Gwen had ever seen before. She supposed that Azric, while licking his wounds from his defeat out in the ocean, had gathered reinforcements from the floating kelptree forests where Raathun ruled the aeglors. He must have drawn all the population of the winged men. The terodax numbers seemed infinite as well. This was indeed the final battle, Gwen could see. Azric would have drawn all of his slaves, all of the terodax and the aeglors. He might even have broken the wills of some of the people of Irrakesh. He would not risk failure again.

But before the city had passed completely through the crystal door, it paused its forward motion and floated in place, forcing the crystal door to remain open so that Azric and all his armies could pass back and forth at will. Azric stood on the balcony working his own ancient magic. Mist rose from the water, congealing into swirling clouds, swelling and shifting, not dissipated by the sea breezes.

“There is something familiar in this,” Lyssandra said.

“He’s just grandstanding,” Vic said.

The cloud of mist altered its shape until it formed the enormous form of the dark sage Azric. The blue and green eyes in his ageless misty face glowed as it loomed high above Elantya, larger than several buildings stacked on top of each other. His expression was benevolent, almost kind.

“He looks like an Air Spirit,” Sharif said as Gwen let her window fall shut.

Azric spoke, his smooth voice once again magically amplified. “Surrender now, and become my loyal subjects. Throwing away your lives will serve no purpose. Take this opportunity to save yourselves. I assure you, I would prefer to show you mercy, I truly would.” The voice grew harsh now. “But if you deny me, your lives are forfeit. The consequences will be unavoidable.”

As the dark sage’s voice boomed out, Lyssandra grew pale, and her cobalt eyes went wide. “I saw this in a dream — Azric’s giant form looming over the city.”

“At least you know what it means now,” Vic said. “He’s just a big bag of wind — no substance.”

“A windbag with a huge army,” Gwen said.

From the cliffs near the harbor, cannons fired at the dark sage’s image.

“Fools!” Azric roared. The gigantic misty face became a thundercloud. Then like a plague of giant locusts, the terodax and the aeglors poured downward onto Elantya.

28

WHILE THE CITY OF Irrakesh loomed ominously over the island and Azric’s threatening declaration still resounded in the air, another attack came from the sea. Elantyans scrambled for their final defenses, and the Ring of Might gathered the weapons they had chosen — clubs, arrowpults, sunshine bombs made from collected mirror mill energy, crystal daggers, and of course Sharif’s curved sword and Tiaret’s teaching staff. Again the friends split up on the two flying carpets. Sharif and Gwen sped toward the harbor where the war galleys were about to launch. Vic, Lyssandra, and Tiaret raced away as well. The five of them would use their powers and their imaginations to assist in the fight. All of Elantya had to pull together now.

The merlons rose up, King Barak and his female general Goldskin riding enormous armored sea serpents. Merlon warriors swam in the waves, ready to storm the beaches and the docks. Thousands of branded sharks raced forward, their sharp teeth open in wide jaws. And this time Barak had brought other monstrous creatures from the darkest depths of the sea, lifting them up from the deep trenches and controlling them with water magic.

Gwen saw not only the deadly battle kraken that had destroyed the war galley and killed the two Virs, but two more. In their first attack on Elantya, not long after Vic and Gwen had stumbled into this world from Earth, a single battle kraken had wrought terrible damage on the island, sinking innumerable ships out in the deep waters at the edge of the harbor. This time, faced with so many sea serpents, three battle krakens, and a force of merlon warriors three times what they had seen before, Gwen knew Elantya was in for a difficult battle.

And that wasn’t even factoring in whatever destruction Azric and the flying warriors could rain down on them from the skies.

“Where should we start?” Gwen asked Sharif.

He took the carpet out to the waiting warships. “We can fight and face them over water.”

“Sure,” Gwen agreed, though she was tense. She glanced down. “We’ve already been under the water and faced a battle kraken. How much worse can it get?”

“I can think of many ways,” Sharif said, but she didn’t ask him to elaborate.