Xenofall (The Wasteland Chronicles, Book 7) (31 page)

I realized what it was asking. It wanted one person to stay behind.

I’ll...I’ll stay,
Makara said.
The rest of you go on.

Makara, no...

Elekim,
there is no time!
Quietus said.

Alex, listen to me. We are not getting out of this unless I stay here. Alright? Now move.

Makara...
Samuel said.

No arguing! Go now! Do what you have to do, Alex.

Behind, the black orbs were fast advancing. There was no time to think, no time to do anything but what Makara had told me.

I’ll stand my ground here,
she said
. Go, Alex. All of you...protect him. The price I’m paying now will be small compared to what he’ll go through.

Makara...

Go! Don’t hesitate!

I turned my attention back to the black orb.

You give her soul?
the black orb whispered.

I didn’t hesitate; I did just as Makara had told me.

Yes.

Instantly, I felt Makara’s consciousness depart. And like that, she was gone, her life snuffed out like a candle. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t think
anything
as we were allowed to go by, Quietus leading us along the pathways now clear of black orbs. I looked back, but we were already too far away.

I’m sorry,
I thought.

You did nothing wrong,
Anna said.
There was no other way.

She died well,
Samuel said.
She died a warrior.

That was who Makara was. A warrior. It seemed a travesty that I couldn’t cry in this place, couldn’t scream or grieve. I just felt an emptiness that went beyond words. Makara, who had saved my life countless times, had saved it one, final time...and it had cost her own life.

There were no more nodes – just a single, long pathway leading to the point of brightness in the far distance.

And then, we were brought to a stop on a final, hidden node. Nothing but white brightness extended ahead.

It was terribly quiet. No one said anything, and I couldn’t help but feel that this was the final door...a door which only I could pass through.

I have to go on alone,
I said.

No,
Anna said.

You promised me,
I said.
If there was a point where I had to go on alone, you would let me.

Then I’ll break that promise, gladly. You can’t fight her alone, Alex.

She’ll only let
me
in,
I said.
I’m sure of that.

We will defend you here,
Quietus said.
For as long as we can.

Alex, no!
Anna said.

Anna...I’ll always love you. Remember that. Please...I have to go.

We’ve done as much as we can,
Samuel said.
All we can do is hold the line.

No one said anything for a long while. I just waited for Anna to say something. But she didn’t. I was afraid I would never hear her voice again.

And then, she spoke.
Alex...please come back. I don’t know how you can find a way out, but
please,
find a way...

If there is any way, I’ll find it. But I have to do what I came here to do. You know that. And no matter what happens, nothing will ever stop me from loving you.

You must go now,
Elekim, Quietus said.

The black orbs were fast approaching, just several nodes away. I turned my attention to the central point of light, the nexus of Askala’s consciousness.

If there’s a way out,
I said to Quietus,
please use it.

Time seemed to slow, and the black orbs moved at a crawl.

I made a promise to myself,
Anna said.
I promised I would go with you, to the end. And I
meant
the very end. Not the last door. The rest of them can leave. But me...I’m coming with you.

Before I could say anything more, the black orbs lit the nodes directly bordering ours.

Go,
Elekim! Quietus said.

There was no time, so I turned toward the bright light, willing myself to move forward.

But somehow, Anna had caught hold of me, riding along.

Anna!

She didn’t answer – we were both pulled toward the great white light.

I
awoke to find myself in darkness, the brightness gone and replaced with a featureless void. Everything felt cold.

Then, I remembered being pulled away from the others – and that Anna had somehow attached herself to me.

Anna?

There was nothing but blackness, no light for guidance. I walked forward – this place felt physically
real.
The air was so heavy that it felt like walking through water. I touched my arms, my face.

Askala’s voice entered my mind in a soft hiss.

Elekim...

I then felt myself being pulled toward the left, as if by gravity. I was falling, faster and faster, until a burst of light filled my vision, as bright as a star. I was racing toward it, my speed ever-increasing. The coldness faded and was replaced by a sickly warmth that grew increasingly hotter. It would only be moments until I entered that star.

Anna!

She cannot help you now,
Elekim.

In an overwhelming flood of light, the star burst. I felt myself ripped apart from the blast of energy, disintegrating into nothing. I screamed, and all went dark.

***

A
fter a long while, I felt my consciousness return, and with it came Askala’s voice.

You’ve come to destroy me,
Askala said.
But you haven’t the slightest idea how. I must say, though, I am impressed. You walk where no
Elekim
has walked before.

Where’s Anna?

Askala cackled.
And why would I tell you that,
Elekim?
You are already dead, and so is the girl. I will destroy you, again and again, until you are broken and mad.
She paused.
I would hear you beg now.

I beg nothing,
I said.

Did you think you could enter my world and control it? Pitiful fool. You will join the ranks of the other champions, maddened beyond identity.
Askala chuckled.
You will break, in the end. Make no mistake,
Elekim...
I
will
break you.

I stood in the darkness. Askala seemed to have disappeared, leaving me in a vast, empty nothingness.

Anna?

I had to find her, if it was the last thing I did. I ran, never seeming to tire, looking for some change in this emptiness.

I couldn’t say how long I ran, but surely for hours, if there was such a thing as time in this place. Maybe even
that
didn’t exist here. Turning in each direction, I found nothing but a black void. I looked up, down, left, and right, but there was no escape, no indication of where I should go.

I was alone.

Anna?

What if she
wasn’t
here? What if Askala wanted me to
believe
Anna was here, but only to make me go insane? I would never know for sure. The only thing I knew was that I was supposed to infect Askala with the
Elekai
xenovirus. But I had to find Anna first. Unlike me, she wasn’t
Elekim.
She wouldn’t have the same ability to fight Askala.

I reached out with my mind, seeking her consciousness in the void, increasing my scope farther and farther in every direction. And then...it suddenly became very difficult to concentrate. I realized what this was: Askala was weakening my ability to focus. I redoubled my efforts – no matter how much power Askala had here, she couldn’t take away my mind.

Anna, however, might not have the same luxury, which made it all the more important to find her.

The scope of my awareness enveloped hundreds of miles in each direction, an ever-widening sphere. Hours passed, with still no sign of Anna. Even Askala’s influence seemed to ebb, with time, as I became surer of my abilities and the freedom of my mind – but I never let my guard down in case Askala decided to unleash a new attack.

Alex?

There she was. I could scarcely believe it.

Anna? Where are you? Anna, I...

Alex, help me...

Hold on. I’m coming.

She’s going to kill me,
she said.
She’ll kill me if you fight her...

Stay there. I’m coming.

I’m...too far gone, Alex. She’s won. She’s...

And like that, Anna was gone. Tears formed in my eyes as I searched madly to find her voice again.

This happened,
came Askala’s voice, hideous.
You could not save her, Alex. She is mine, now.

No.

A horrible, grating laughter reverberated in my mind. It only grew louder, driving me to madness.

***

...a
nd suddenly, there was light. There was feeling. There was warm air on my skin.

I opened my eyes, a pink light filling my vision.

And I heard voices.

“He’s coming to.”

“Ma...Makara?”

“Stand still. We got it off you, but you were still passed out for a good while.”

I coughed – my throat was incredibly dry and...
slimy.

“Makara...” I said. “I thought you were...”

“Dead?” She chuckled. “I couldn’t die in that place. It wasn’t real, Alex.”

I frowned. Though there was pink light, that was all there was. I couldn’t see anything, just hear the voices, feel the clothes on my skin and the firmness of the ground beneath me.

“Where is this?” I asked. “What happened? Got
what
off me, exactly?”

“There was a tube, going into your right ear,” Makara said. “We all got separated when we entered the whirlpool, and...”

“None of this was real?” I asked. “The orbs...you died, Makara, saving us. I went to fight Askala, and...”

I pulled myself up. I felt as if I were in a dream. I didn’t know where I was, and all I cared about was reaching Anna. But still, I couldn’t see anything – nothing but the pink in front of my vision.

“Anna. Where’s Anna?”

Neither Makara nor Samuel answered.

“Where’s Anna?” I repeated.

Again, silence. A sickening dread twisted my stomach.

“I don’t care what the answer is!” I yelled. “I need to know.
Now!”

With mounting horror, I realized that this wasn’t real. Makara was still dead. The others, probably dead as well. This was just one of Askala’s tricks to twist my mind, and my battle with her was far from over.

With this realization, all went dark.

***

D
id you enjoy that,
Elekim?

My heart still raced, and I still felt sick to my core.

This is only the beginning. I will make you see their faces, again and again. I will make you forget that they are dead, only to kill them again in front of your eyes. Imagine this pain for the rest of time. I have that power,
Elekim.
It can all end in sweet oblivion, blessed annihilation, if only you surrender your power to me.

Never.

Your friends are all dead. Yes, even the girl. That is why you cannot find her. Her memory is like a mirage, beyond the horizon. A sweet dream, never to be recaptured. You are alone,
Elekim...
well and truly alone.

I don’t believe you. I refuse to believe you.

Then you must learn. I have an eternity to teach you.

With each passing second, I felt myself grow smaller. Still, I wasn’t going to back down or give up. Not if this
took
an eternity.

I would always have my mind, and I would always have the ability to choose what to believe. I resolved to never believe a word Askala said to me. I had to assume it was all a lie, every single word, or eventually she
would
win.

So in that darkness, in that smallness, I remembered what the Wanderer had told me, my original purpose for being here: I was supposed to infect Askala with the
Elekai
version of the xenovirus. I had thought this infection would be physical, but this was a battle of wills.

Even here, in this darkness, there must be some line to the real world. I had to
believe
it was there, or I would never find it.

I closed my eyes, and listened for anything that
wasn’t
Askala’s voice. Still, she whispered, sometimes several things at once. I had to expand my awareness beyond that, and let the whispers pass me by.

This continued for a long while. The whispers became more insistent, more permeating, and more difficult to ignore. I refocused myself, remembering why I was doing this. I had no power here, so my only chance was finding a source of power that went beyond this horrible place.

And then, I heard it: the Eternal Song of the
Elekai.
It was faint, but it was there, existing far beyond the confines of this Hell. It wasn’t a mirage or a dream, but entirely real. Even Askala would not have had the ability to profane its notes in imitation – the Eternal Song was not something that could be copied.

So, I embraced it in full, until it became louder, drowning out Askala’s fell whispers. They no longer had any power over me – and what’s more, I realized that they never did. For the first time, I detected a new emotion in Askala’s consciousness.

Fear.

Her new attack became unrelenting, brutal, even panicked. And like that, the song was dashed from my mind. The darkness returned, along with my fear, my sickness, my helplessness.

Desperately, I reached for the Song again before Askala’s assault could continue. It was still there. And I knew: whatever Askala tried, she could never silence it. The Song had found me, even in this place.

Fool,
she whispered.
You have no power here.

I remembered my resolve to not believe a word she said, so I believed the opposite. The Song had
all
the power here.