Lost Empire (18 page)

“
You speak to it,” said Zhou as he stepped back in disgust, all the while keeping a hand clasped across his face. It did little to help, considering the air was already saturated with the being’s stench. “I already tried and it mumbled something about sensing a change in the air. Some sort of imbalance has occurred with nature’s energy. I don’t know, it’s crazy, if you ask me.” He backed away even farther and let Morita approach the monstrosity.

There was a long series of gurgling noises sounding more like an animal being strangled than any real form of communication. Zhou’s mind would have had to be completely engaged with the creature’s through a simple form of telepathy to understand what it was saying. A gift, he had to admit, that was far more polished within his sister than himself. Not to say she was more powerful than he, but their multiple talents definitely lay in different areas.

When the animalistic grumblings had finally ceased, she strolled back over too him with an unusual look of concern. “So what did that thing tell you?” he asked, rolling his eyes.

“
You’re right. This might be serious after all, but I must consult with Hashiki before I can be sure of anything.” She began to head toward the open hole in the wall with unusual haste before turning back around suddenly. “Oh, and brother,” she said with a sharp edge to her voice, “perhaps you should try showing a touch more respect when referring to that
thing
. After all, he is our father, you know.”

Chapter 11

Athel and Jacob sat in silence as the fire fizzled and popped, releasing tiny sparks that floated high into the air before being swallowed up by the cold darkness. Jacob had considered looking for squirrels or some other kind of meat, but Athel promptly talked him out of it. For one, it was too cold, and the odds of finding anything weren’t very good. Her reasoning was sound enough; they still had some rations left, and it would be hard to find anything just hopping around in this frigid weather. But in reality...she just didn’t want to be left alone. Not even for an hour or so.

True, she simply didn’t like being alone, and Jacob’s company had a very special effect on her. She figured he probably made all girls feel that way, but this was different. She didn’t want to be alone because of the odd changes she was going through. She was not even sure she trusted herself anymore. Even now, she could smell him perfectly even though he was several feet away. She could even see every small detail of his face, as if they were standing in sunlight. But what could she do about it? She trusted Jacob as much as anyone she had ever met in her life, but how could she begin trying to explain all this to her friend without even understanding it herself?

Jacob was also battling demons of his own. He sat quietly while poking the fire with a long stick, the end now blackened and charred. It was just a way to distract himself from all that had happened since arriving in this forsaken land. At his lowest moment he had even considered taking his own life rather than face this world alone. If he had not found Athel when he did...
Best not to think about that
. His head was still pounding from the bizarre hypnotic song that took away his free will.
Again you saved me
.

As he turned his gaze away from the fire, it was only then that he realized she had been staring at him the entire time. Without averting her eyes or making any attempt to, she scooted along her leaf bed and moved closer to him. “Jacob,” she said with a pained expression, “I need to tell you something.” She reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. “Something is happening to me. A change I can’t even begin to expla—”

He suddenly jumped back, as if her hand were covered in scorpions. “By the Gods!” he whispered, scrambling backward on his hands and feet.

“
Wha—what is it?” she asked with her hand still outstretched. She got up on her knees, whipping her head around frantically to see where the apparent danger was coming from. But when she turned back, it was clear he was staring right at her.

With his gaze unblinking, he inched back toward her, moving slowly with undeniable caution. This time he reached out and touched her face. She slowly pinned his hand with hers and gently leaned into it. Tears of hurt and confusion ran down her cheeks as she whispered to him, “What’s wrong? What is it?”

“
Your eyes,” he whispered, “I’ve never seen anything like—”

She threw herself backward with a giant leap, landing several feet away. Kneeling low on all fours like some sort of beast, she raised her back and hissed like a cat. Her tongue slowly swept across her silver teeth as a low, gurgling growl bubbled from her throat. Jacob leapt to his feet as his dagger flashed in his hand. Looking out into the darkness, he slowly backed toward Athel, determined to protect her from whatever made her react like that. The truth was, he didn’t see or hear anything.

Seconds felt like minutes as he gazed out into the darkness with one hand on her shoulder and the other probing his dagger back and forth. The puny weapon felt so useless in his hand he might as well have been holding a weed. Suddenly, his blood froze as a set of large green eyes materialized from the darkness. He fought hard to control the terror swelling up within him as the beast moved toward them in complete silence.

The flickering light from the low fire now fully revealed the giant black cat as it stood tall before him. Thick black and gray fur covered the muscular beast, making its body look like a bulky panther, but its large black head resembled that of a jackal, with long wide ears that looked too big to be standing strait up the way they were. Its long, thin snout crinkled up as it growled in a low rolling gurgle, exposing crooked pearl-white teeth dripping with clear saliva. Jacob pushed back against the growing terror as he reminded himself that Athel’s life was in just as much jeopardy as his own and he needed to protect her no matter what. Reinforcing his dagger with a palm braced against the hilt, he hunched down low in order to make himself a slightly smaller target.

Jacob felt Athel stand and press herself against his back while wrapping a single arm around his stomach. Before he could tell her to start backing away slowly, her grip around him tightened. He felt the air rush from his lungs as she lifted him up with ease. She turned him in the air and placed him back down behind her as if he were a five-year-old. He wasn’t really hurt, but the sudden loss of air combined with the shock of her nearly impossible show of physical strength brought him down to one knee. He looked up with a desperate pleading in his eyes, but didn’t have the air to tell her to run.

A long, slow hiss filled the air as she slowly drew her half-moon blades from her back. She crossed them over her face, making a tiny clink as the blades lightly touched, then began stalking toward the beast. Its fur rippled in waves down its side as a gurgling growl vibrated down the giant cat’s body. Jacob was only now getting to his feet, yet he still had no air to call out to her.

But as Athel drew near, she took her crossed blades and held them out wide to her sides, exposing her body to the giant cat as if daring it to tear her to shreds. Jacob could only watch in horror as she did the unthinkable. The blades fell from her hands, landing with a soft thud on the cold, hard ground. He wanted to scream, to rush in and give his own life in exchange for hers. Why would she throw her life away so recklessly?

However, nothing happened as the two stood nose-to-nose, staring into each other’s eyes. In a strange mocking fashion, it began to mirror every subtle movement Athel made. When she slowly weaved her head to the side, it did the same, as if not wanting to break eye contact. As she lowered her head while placing her hands flat on the ground, it also lowered its powerful body to the ground and mimicked her stretching. She let out a hiss as her tongue swept across her teeth, which was met by a returning growl. Jacob just watched in awe. “By the Gods,” he whispered under his breath. Athel could never have explained how she did it, but her mind then reached out to the beast in silent communication.

You’re the one, aren’t you? The one who keeps invading my thoughts whether I wish it or not. The one who warned me Jacob was in danger
. But through her bizarre communication with this cat, not a single word was ever used. Just a series of snarls combined with mental images was somehow enough to form a link of communication between them.

You don’t yet know who or what you are, do you
?
You have no idea what you’re capable of
.

Tears began to stream down her cheeks.
Why is this happening to me
?
I didn’t ask for any of this
.

His large green eyes bore into her like nails through wood as his long snout crinkled up into something between a snarl and a smile just before his eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared.
The humans are coming. They will be here soon
.

This time Athel’s eyes narrowed as she returned his glare with one of her own.
What humans? What are you talking about
?

At first they will fear you, but that is of no importance. You will need to go with them in order to discover your true potential
. He reared his head back and let out a long, sorrowful howl that echoed through the chill night air, then turned and lumbered off into the darkness.

“
Wait, don’t go,” she shouted. “How will I know—”

Your friend is with them
.
Go with them and you will find her
.

Her jaw fell open as she simply watched the beast disappear into the night.

He can’t be talking about Jade
…
is she alive
?!

****

The cool, moist air burned his nose as he inhaled deeply. Sitting on the cold, damp ground with the backs of his wrists resting on crossed legs, Eric let his mind reach out as dark memories swirled about his head—memories he would have deemed pleasant at one point during his staged childhood; memories that were no more real than the stories he would read as a child when he would lock himself in his room and get lost in the adventures of his favorite characters. He exhaled slowly, imagining his former life drifting into the night air along with the cloud of vapor.

With an abrupt surge, he pushed off the ground in a sudden leap as Spark flashed awake in his hands, erupting in deep red flame. The blazing tornado whirled around his body in three complete circles before his feet ever touched the ground. He landed with the grace of a cheetah as his body remained in constant motion. The deadly blade gracefully danced the forms he had practiced since childhood. It felt natural in his hands as it sliced hungrily through the air in a twirling spiral, searching desperately for flesh.

No matter how hard he tried to push them down, to distract himself, the fleeting thoughts invaded his mind anyway. He thought of his father...
Corelle Nenkara
. He whirled Spark in sweeping circles, faster than ever before as it cut through its own trail of fire made a fraction of a second earlier. The forms flowed together as he whirled and leapt across the cold ground.

Immovable Mountain: “
Eric, come back inside. I already told you once, and I’m not going to tell you again. You can play when you’ve completed your studies.”

“
Dad, we’re never going to be finished. I never get to play with the other kids.”

“
I’m sorry, Son, but I promise you...someday you will understand
.”

Dancing Winds: “
Where is my mom? The other kids all have a mother. Where did she go?”

“
Son, I’m afraid she isn’t with us any longer. She passed away shortly after you were born.”

“
Is...is it my fault?”

Gentle rain: “
I’m not doing this anymore! No one else has to study this hard. None of the other kids have weapons shoved in their hands every single day, then forced to push themselves to complete exhaustion.”

“
What the other kids do is of no concern to me. You will do this because I told you to. Eric, I’m your father.”

Skin the Wolf:
Eric
,
I’m your father
.

Thunderstorm:
Eric, I’m your father
.

Quivering Leaf:
Eric, I’m your father
.

His fiery blade whirled around him effortlessly as he transitioned through the forms, each melting smoothly into the other with frightening efficiency. His lungs burned in the thin air as the exotic dance went on for hours before exhaustion finally began to set in. His arms felt like lead as the forms came slower and slower. His body screamed; his muscles burned with white-hot fire, begging him to stop pushing human limits—a pleading request he defiantly ignored.

But human limits were what ultimately stopped the dance of death as he dropped to his knees. His labored breath came in long, hard gasps while he kneeled on all fours, trying to summon the strength to do it all over again, strength not even a God possessed. He pushed himself back up to his feet, determined to go on with the only thing that was able to distract him, to help him forget he had failed his friends when they needed him most; to help him forget he was trapped on top of this cursed platform with no apparent way down. He lifted the blade slowly as if it weighted a hundred pounds before his knees buckled once more, sending him sprawling back to the ground.