11. CORRIDOR OF WIND (ANGELA)
The climb up the second half of the mountain was significantly easier, with three of them to fight off the accumulated monsters. By evening, they had reached another bridge, and thankfully what appeared to be the top of the mountain.
"That bridge leads towards Rolante…" Lise explained, a wistful look creeping across her eyes. "We're not ready to go there yet…"
Opposite the bridge there was a cave. "The Corridor of Wind," the Amazon announced. Determination replaced sadness on her face, and she strode towards the entry.
Duran followed quickly enough, Angela creeping behind, trying to take it all in. Before the trio was a long staircase hewn out of the rock, leading them ever higher up the mountain, the weight of the surrounding rock seeming to press on her. Her companions did not seem to notice. She distracted herself by observing the statue blocking the passageway in front of them, as tall as they were, in a primitive depiction of a human head.
Wordlessly, Lise went to the right wall. To Angela, the spots she touched looked no different from the rest of the wall, but with a groan, the statue pulled aside, creating an opening for them to pass.
The rest of the Corridor found them pretty much dependent on Lise's guidance. More and more of the ancient statues faced them, and from most emanated a strong wind that propelled them backwards. But at each obstacle, Lise was able to find the triggers to let them past, and slowly but surely, they made their way forward.
As they emerged at the top, the sun was setting, the light barely illuminating the path beyond the exit. Lise chose a small alcove to shelter them for the night, for which Angela was thankful; she did not relish the idea of navigating the ridges in the dark. Duran tried to make his bed by hers, but she shifted a few feet away, suddenly feeling very self-conscious at the thought of Lise seeing them close together; though, the way Lise was peering towards the mouth of the cave, she doubted the other woman would have noticed much of anything they did together. Duran finally took the hint, and Angela curled up into a ball to stay warm before finally nodding off.
Morning found them finally leaving the caves behind, and stepping out into a gale.
The dark caverns opened up onto a curved ridge, blocked east and west by high stone walls. But north to south, a high wind blew, and Angela and her companions had to brace themselves to avoid being knocked off their feet. Anxious minutes ticked by as Lise led them carefully through the treacherous passage.
Eventually, they completed the crossing and ducked into an opposing cavern. Expecting another dark interior, they were greeted by a diffuse cool light. Looking towards the source, Angela stared at the giant crystal, twice as tall as she was, floating eerily in midair.
"Is this... a Mana Stone?" she breathed. But in the depths of her memory, she knew she had seen one before.
"Yes... the Mana Stone of Wind," confirmed Lise. "I've been here twice before, once when my mother died, and second when I officially took over the Amazon army. I wasn't ready to class change then, though, I was only twelve."
"You know how to class change?" Angela was surprised.
"Yes, all the Amazon officers do, though only the best do so twice." Angela vaguely recalled thinking, growing up, that only mages were suited to receive the Gift of Mana, but it was obvious that was not the case. Apparently many nations were on to this trick.
"Can we do this now?" Duran interjected.
Angela didn't know what to say, but the Fairy, having been quiet for some time, chose the moment to reappear. "You can, Duran - if you think you're ready."
Lise blinked, but her calm composure was back quickly. "A fairy," she breathed. "I am honored to meet you, messenger of the Goddess." The fairy nodded in appreciation, and Angela realized she probably owed Lise quite a bit of explanation.
Duran stood gazing at the Stone. She could see the longing in his eyes, but she remembered the Priest's warning about emotions clouding their choice. "Are you going to do it, Lise?" he asked.
"No... not yet," she answered, warily. "I've been deprived of my family, my kingdom... I can't think straight about this. We usually test our Amazons extensively before we let them do this. I don't think I will be able to make the right choice without knowing Rolante is safe, however helpful the class change might be," she finished.
Duran's shoulders slumped after hearing Lise. "I guess I'm not ready, either," he said.
Angela had to admire Lise. She herself was tempted to jump right in, but Lise's well-reasoned speech had made her realize that she was not ready, either. She was the Princess of Reason, after all, she had to remind herself to think through things logically. Besides...
"Something about this Stone doesn't feel right," she told her companions. "Like it's contaminated, somehow."
She was still frustrated, though. Something else bothered her. "Fairy," Angela inquired, "when should we do this? How will we know if we're ready?"
"I can't answer that," the Fairy replied. "It's always a risk, but I think my three are going to make the right decision." Lise gaped slightly at her inclusion in the Fairy's statement. "Yes, you too, Lise, are one of us, now. You made your choice to come along, and the Goddess smiles on it." That seemed to soothe Lise. "But enough talk!" the Fairy continued. "I sense a spirit nearby!"
Angela could feel something herself, though to her it was undefined, merely a center of Mana beyond the exit of the cavern. The Fairy flitted forward, and the party followed.
Stepping out onto the cliff beyond, they were greeted by a peculiar sight. Near the edge, a round-bellied figure lay crumpled on the ground. Angela could sense the power from the creature, and realized they had found the Wind Spirit.
But standing over Jinn was a broad-shouldered knight, dressed in armor so black it seemed to absorb the light shining on the metal. His visor was down, offering no view of his face.
"Watch out! Something's wrong with Jinn!" cried the Fairy, as Lise started forward to check the guardian spirit. The black knight turned to face them, then, as he raised his sword, he and Jinn both shimmered away. Lise looked skyward for any sign.
Angela was the first to spot it. "Watch out, Lise!"
Lise wheeled around, spear at the ready, just in time to block the dive of the creature that came swooping down. "It's Tzenker, the harpy!" Lise shouted.
"That's bad, right?" Angela called back.
Duran was already running forward, sword in hand. Joining Lise near the cliff edge, they quickly flanked the creature, forming a deadly pincer surrounding it.
Angela stood back. Remembering how vulnerable the flying creatures on the mountain had been to her gem missile attack, she cast one at the creature, holding back on the force to avoid depleting her energy as she had done with the Jewel Eater. The attack was profoundly effective, shards raining down on the creature hovering in midair, leaving it squealing in pain. Duran and Lise alternated strokes and stabs before Tzenker could recover.
"Angela," shouted Lise, "Was that earth magic? Wind creatures are weak against earth!"
By way of response, Angela began casting her spell repetitively, sending an almost continuous barrage that gave Tzenker little time to recover. She was so focused that when the air blast came, it almost carried her over the edge.
The wind tore at her, no ordinary gale but a sharp wind that cut like a knife. Angela wrapped herself in her cloak, but the wind still attacked wherever it could reach open skin, scraping like a burn, until after what seemed like forever, the wind died down. Angela turned to check on her companions, just in time to see Tzenker grab Lise in her claws. Lise screamed, spear tumbling to the ground as she flailed frantically.
Angela heard herself scream too, terrified Tzenker would carry Lise over the edge of the cliff. Instead, Tzenker only flew a few feet above before dropping her burden. Angela saw Lise instinctively position her forearms and legs for the impact. She hit the ground with a thud, but rose to all fours immediately, and Angela knew, bruises or not, at least there were no bones broken.
Angela barely knew the girl, but seeing someone with her bravery being attacked renewed her determination. The spells she called now came harder and faster, and Duran had to put down his sword and step back to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. The stones driving towards the creature were wearing the harpy down, and directing one final spell, she aimed for the wing joints, squarely hitting her target.
It just so happened that Tzenker was hovering past the top of the cliff at the time, so as the spell hit, and her wings failed, she had that much further to crash down. Lise looked over the edge of the cliff; the sickening splat, and the expression on Lise's face, was enough to tell her what her magic had achieved.
The crumpled figure of Jinn shimmered back into their vision, and Lise turned her attention to him instead." Are you all right?" The round-bellied figure only groaned, eyes shut.
"Jinn, hang in there!" the Fairy spoke up. She flew over to the spirit. A touch from her, and Angela felt a small surge of Mana. Jinn's eyes flew open, and the spirit bounded up from the ground to float in front of them.
"Thank the Goddess! I'm saved! I was just minding my own business when that knight attacked me! He brought that harpy with him, and used some crazy magic to drain my energy into it!"
Angela turned to the others. "I suspect Mother and Koren are not the only ones trying to unseal Mana Stones." Her companions both nodded.
"I think as much myself," responded Lise.
"Jinn... " the Fairy began, turning to the spirit, "I am trying to lead these three to the Mana Holyland. Will you help me open the gate?"
"Are you kidding? After you saved my life? Anything you want, fairy!" Jinn did a somersault in the air, then disappeared. Angela felt the now-familiar feeling of the spirit's company.
She squinted towards the sun, now only a short distance above the horizon. "It's been a long day," observed Duran.
"And it's a bit of a way back down," Lise replied. Angela just slumped against the rock wall behind her, suddenly worn out completely. By mutual consent, they stayed that night on the top of the mountain, to begin the trek back down to the Rolante hideout in the morning.
The Fairy appeared as they settled down for the night, this time with an idea from Jinn for retaking the Rolante Castle. Lise listened, and nodded thoughtfully; Angela took note as well. They might not be able to manipulate the wind from inside the castle, but with the Wind Spirit on their side, they could do so from without.
--
Angela had become so used to only having Duran around - which was nice, really, when she was in a good mood - that she wasn't sure she was comfortable with having a third party along. Especially when the third member was a long-legged Amazon princess who was as beautiful as her (well, almost, Angela thought to herself).
Worse still, on the trip up to the Corridor of Wind, Duran had asked some questions about Lise's spear, and the two had gotten into an extended discussion about spear vs. sword techniques, the advantages and disadvantages, etc., and in the evenings they had a practice session. Hardly flirting, but it did leave Angela bored out of her mind.
Lately, she had found herself getting a little annoyed with him. She wanted his attention focused on her. He had pretty much let her know where his feelings stood, shouldn't he be spending his time trying to sweep her off her feet? After all, did he really think she was just going to fall for him just like that? Instead, he seemed to have given up completely. She thought she had him snared.
She couldn't figure out Lise either. She seemed completely immune to Duran's good looks, incredible as that seemed. She wasn't sure if Lise's sweet facade was real, or Lise had her own flirting game going on. Angela had seen the girl fight, and there certainly wasn't anything sweet about her then. And the way she talked about her kingdom, her kidnapped brother... there was definitely anger under that surface. Angela hadn't quite been able to bring herself to be friends with her yet.
--
Duran was happy to have Lise along. He loved spending time with Angela - well, especially the nighttimes, he thought to himself - but she definitely liked to keep a man on his toes. It was almost a quest in itself, looking for ways to keep her happy.
Lise was totally easygoing, however. She was almost like having one of his knight buddies with him all over again, but her sweetness was refreshing as well. She was tough, and he respected that, and he definitely understood her desire for revenge. The two of them had a lot in common. And with Lise, he didn't feel obligated to talk, she was fine just being in silence together.
He hadn't understood how an army could be composed of women, until he had seen her fight with her spear. Though strong, the female Amazons could not match the brute strength of Forcenan knights. Put a sword in Lise's hand, there would be no contest between him and her. But the use of a spear changed all that. Lise's spear was a brutal object, the blade sharpened on both sides like a double-edged sword. The length of the spear gave her leverage to increase the force of her swings. Her motions employed precise technique, the minimal armor she used gave her freedom of movement. Watching her drill, Duran stared in fascination. It was like watching a dance, but her knew it was a deadly dance.
He hadn't noticed Angela coming up as he and Lise sparred, the evening they had stayed inside the Corridor of Wind. When he finally saw her, she had wrapped herself tightly in her cloak and glared at him, daggers in her eyes as sharp as Lise's spear.
Angela didn't seem to share his high opinion of Lise - at least, she seemed rather wary of the girl. Well, Angela was so temperamental, it was hard to figure out what she was thinking. He usually just waited for her to tell him. Only, sometimes, by the time she was ready to tell him, she was already angry about it.
They hadn't been intimate since leaving Byzel. Duran had first assumed it was due to the lack of privacy, but this was something unexpected. He thought her look indicated jealousy; but she had started pushing him away even before then. Every time he tried to get closer to her, she froze up like the ice princess she was.
--
Lise appreciated her new companions, but as they journeyed back down the mountain, she often felt more comfortable being silent beside them. She had felt a resurgence of hope for Rolante after finding the Amazon hideout, but afterward her worries crept back in. She didn't feel entirely at ease speaking of her brother, or her murdered father - she felt these topics were too intimate for people who were still, to some degree, strangers to her.
She had taken to Duran immediately as a fellow warrior, and she knew he was seeking revenge against the man who had attacked his country. That, she could understand; she was just glad Forcena had been spared the disaster Rolante had suffered.
Angela, however, was another matter. She didn't make Lise feel unwelcome, exactly, but neither had she been terribly friendly. Lise wasn't terribly experienced in relations with the opposite sex - she had too much on her mind as is - but even she could tell that something was going on between those two, and at the moment it did not seem to be going terribly well. Surely that had nothing to do with her? Angela couldn't possibly consider her competition, could she?
Sighing, she turned her thoughts back to her kingdom.
