Chapter Fifteen: Ten Iris Treasures
Tia gasped as the platform shattered like a fine crystal vase. Her hand automatically sought the jewel, but brushed against empty space. Momentary panic overtook her. To her knowledge, only the other Tia possessed the guile to save the party in situations like these. How could she have been so careless? All the rest of her time in this damp dungeon, she had been protective of the Iris jewel to say the very least. With a jolt she remembered M'hana's strange kindness, recalled Artea's mentioning the thief's strange obsession with the "cursed" treasures of the cave.
Then she felt the cup of wishes, warm against her hand. Three wishes, Artea had said. One could be spared to save them all. Suddenly Tia's blood ran cold. The cup was in her hands, that was true, and the three wishes with it, just as her other self had predicted. Yet she had not the slightest idea how to summon its power, any more than she knew how to control that which came through the Iris Jewel. Tears of despair and frustration stung Tia's eyes. It did not seem right that she should be the one to gain the cup of wishes while everyone else perished. "I wish…" she whispered. Memories inundated her, the pieces of a time when she was always crying, always wishing for something integral to change so that she could laugh instead of weep. The very words she had spoken so freely as a child filled her body with a strange power as inexplicable as that of the jewel. Tia took a deep shuddering breath, daring to hope. "I wish for everyone to make it to the bottom safely with me."
For several paralyzing seconds, nothing happened. Then the inside of the cup shimmered with golden radiance. Tia shut her eyes to the light. The ground swirled around her, making her long hair and tattered skirts billow. When she dared to open her eyes, she was drifting as gently as a feather in a breeze to the distant floor. The cup's power! Her heart surged with the realization that she could command the power. It seemed that the fall took a long time. Tia wondered how the others had fared. Had she made the wish in time? A thick blanket of darkness concealed the bottom of the cave from her view as she fell through the vast vault through which the ruined stairwell wound.
At last Tia reached the ground. The purple torches at the far end of the chamber provided her with barely enough light to make out the astonished party members. She longed to count them or even run towards them laughing like a fool at the incredible proof of the cup's magic, the torches went out. Tia cried out in dismay. Before she could call their names, a familiar glow winked at her from the floor. My jewel! As she bent to retrieve it, Tia wondered what evil fate the thief had met. Her fingers had nearly closed about the gem's vibrant, living beauty when ten pillars of light erupted from the Iris treasures, illumining the entire chamber right up to its distant ceiling. Tia gasped. Every feature of the party members – all returned to the ground safely, even M'hana – stood out in sharp relief. The light pillars began as rainbow fire and then darkened to rich grays and purples, before finally fading to ghostly silver white. Tia's head pounded and spun; she clutched the Cup of Wishes tightly. It seemed to be the only real thing in this surreal display.
Finally the torches sputtered back to life. This time, however, their fire matched exactly in hue and brightness the mysterious Iris treasures. In the new light, Tia could make out – squinting – the ten Iris treasures scattered on the floor, Artea's ring, her own stolen jewel, M'hana's seven treasures, and the final one that had materialized with the destruction of the dungeon master. All ten were still afire with mysterious illumination that echoed on the eyelids with but a glance. The other party members shielded their eyes. Only Tia and M'hana looked upon the maddened treasures, Tia with awe and fear, M'hana with lust and greed. Out of the ghostly brightness stepped an apparition, a lovely woman dressed in red. She wore her hair much as Tia wore hers, long down her back. Her astonished eyes mimicked the shine of the Iris jewel. In that instant, Tia knew that she was looking upon her other self, the mage who had sealed herself into the Iris jewel. There was one thing, nonetheless, that Tia did not understand. In her dream, her other self had been cruel and cunning. In the waking world, however, the other Tia only appeared baffled, much like one suddenly awoken and pestered with detailed questions. The Iris Treasures flashed one final time in blinding white. When the light faded, the treasures were gone from the cave floor, and the other Tia was no longer an apparition, but a solid woman. Tia felt a queasy feeling in her stomach for the loss of her jewel. In addition, she could not shake the sensation that she knew the woman from somewhere.
M'hana's countenance bore a similar expression of loss. The thief's eyes, however, smoldered with rage. By this time, the other party members were able to look once more about themselves in shock. M'hana flung herself at the red-clad woman with a furious snarl. A dirk glinted in her hands as she lunged towards the woman's throat. The other Tia, however, proved to be as Lexis had predicted– a formidable mage. She held up one hand. A barrier formed around her, a wall into which M'hana slammed. The dirk flew out of her hands. The thief reeled from the impact. The other Tia now bore the countenance which haunted Tia's mind – the one of absent of any kindness, the one that enjoyed inflicting pain. With a smirk, the other Tia sent a surge of power at the thief. M'hana soared straight across the room, cracking her head against the wall. She collapsed and lay very still.
"I recognize that ki!" Guy shouted. "You're-"
"Erim!" he and Artea yelled simultaneously.
"None other!" Erim, the other Tia, faded from view for a moment. In that instant, Tia recognized the Sinistral's original guise as that of Iris, who had convinced Maxim to begin the journey that had ended in his fight with the Sinistrals on Doom Island. When the party could see Erim again, she wore her traditional death armor. Her ki was unmistakable, so powerful that it chilled Tia's limbs.
"This is impossible!" Guy said in disbelief. "We defeated you at Doom Island!"
Erim chuckled, low and menacing. "You did indeed smite me in the heavens. What an exquisite irony that you two, members of the Doom Island Four, have now resurrected me in the bowels of hell."
"But…how?" Shaking with fury and astonishment, Guy was at a loss.
Erim crossed her bare arms. "Pure luck, actually. The vessel that contains my spirit-"
"You mean…Iris?" Artea interrupted.
Erim nodded curtly. "Yes. She is a clever little witch. Thinking to cheat me, she split her soul into ten pieces and sealed each piece within a treasure already infused with great power – that of restoring the flesh!"
"The Iris treasures?" Lexis gasped.
"Yes!" Erim laughed. "The cursed treasures of this cave! When brought together, the body and soul are restored, which, as you can see, restored me!" She lowered her voice to a confidential whisper. "And, as you know, so long as I live, the Sinistrals can be revived!"
"We won't let that happen!" Artea declared. He raised his staff in a challenge to Erim. Guy likewise drew his sword.
"You have little choice in the matter." Erim sneered. "I have better things to do than fight the two of you…how regrettable that there are only two of the Doom Island Four remaining." Her roving eye caught hold of Tia, freezing the young woman in place. "I hope you enjoy fighting in hell," the Sinistral said. "Now, en guarde!" A wave of power crashed from her, knocking Lexis and Dekar flat. Artea and Guy withstood the blast and rushed to their companions.
"This is going to be difficult," Guy said, helping Dekar to his feet. "We don't even have the Divine Armor or the Dual Blade. How are we supposed to fight her?"
"I don't want to get in your way, Artea," Lexis said. "But let Dekar and me help you and Guy! Perhaps we can make a difference somehow."
"It'll be risky," Artea said. "But I don't think we have a choice. We can fight…or we can perish." He looked with regret at M'hana's fallen form. "There is no place to run here." The elf switched his staff for his spear. He and Guy shared a brief mental exchange. Erim was still weak from having just revived. If they could charge her in time, they could do massive damage to her and perhaps save some of the party members in the process. Their rush was swift and their battle cries loud and strong. Erim, however, was a deceptive enemy. Just as Guy and Artea got close to her, she raised her hand just as she had when M'hana had rushed her. A transparent barrier flickered around her. Artea caught sight of the edges too late and turned to the side, grazing his shoulder on it. Guy veered off course, ending up behind the Mistress of Death. Erim laughed. "Well," she remarked in a knowing tone. "I see that you still have some fire in you, even after your scuffle with the dungeon master!" She knelt and began to pray. Only Artea could make out the ancient language she used.
"No!" the elf gasped. "We have to stop her!"
"What's she doing?" Guy asked. He tightened his grip on his sword. It was tempting to attempt to smite the sorceress while she was praying. However, her dangerous barrier was flickering, very much in tact.
"She's praying…" the elf choked "for the resurrection of the Sinistrals!"
"What?!?" Guy gasped, his eyes wide.
The other party members, instinctively wary of Erim's enormous ki, cried out in dismay.
Twin portals opened on Erim's right and left. Within, they gleamed with streamers of darkness. The foul stench of decay wafted out of them. From each of these portals stepped a giant. The two of them blinked, bewildered in the rainbow-lit chambers.
"Amon!" Artea whispered, taking a step back.
"Gades!" Guy's face turned white.
Erim opened her eyes, which shone with gleeful malice. "We'll see how you fare as half of a team!"
The reborn Sinistrals looked around, not realizing even that they had been restored to life, so deep had been their long sleep. Then their eyes locked with those of Artea and Guy. Battle lust filled the Sinistrals' empty veins, and their ki flared to life, materializing around their bodies in varying hues of nonlight. The ki was so powerful that the walls of the chamber began to tremble. Guy and Artea unleashed their long-suppressed powers and raised their weapons to begin the fight. The Sinistrals said nothing, needing no persuasion to seek blood and rain terror. Before the battle began, however, Dekar and Lexis rushed into the fray. Lexis went to fight Amon with Artea, and Dekar took his stand with Guy.
Meanwhile, Erim turned from the battle. She could feel the presence of the Cup of Wishes. She lusted for what those wishes could bring about…she longed for Maxim, the greatest of all the Doom Island Four. She knew that the cup would not respond to her wishes. Indeed, if she were to hold it in her hand, it would likely shatter. However, the one who held the cup, Tia, was capable of making wishes…and of being swayed to make them in accordance with Erim's will.
When she saw Erim, a scream ripped from Tia's throat. She recognized the eyes from her dream, those horrible searing eyes that pierced through flesh, bone, and blood to look upon the very soul. Tia perceived the Sinistral's intention and clutched the cup closer to her. Erim smirked at Tia's futile act. The girl's frailty was laughable. Why, she did not even have sufficient courage to raise a staff to her. Erim smiled. This would be easier than she had thought.
{****}
As the Mistress of Death advanced on her, Tia cowered and cringed away. She felt no shame in doing so, for the ki emanating from Erim was so powerful that it sang in Tia's blood like endless ringing thunderclaps. The Mistress of Death closed the distance between her, her hand outstretched. She spoke words that Tia seemed to remember. I could remember…if I only had my jewel, Tia thought groggily. Her eyes lidded halfway. Then a voice spoke to her, but it was not a voice that she could hear. Rather it was one that spoke from within her mind. At first Tia thought that the Sinistral was speaking to her through telepathy, but then uncertainty overcame her. Perhaps the voice was really speaking in her own mind. Yet why was the Sinistral staring at her as if she knew and relished every thought in Tia's mind?
It was so brave of you to come so far… Yet why are you here, Tia? You still don't know the answer to Dekar's question, do you? Could it be that you really don't want to know the answer – that you came on this journey because it would mean a chance to see Maxim again?
Tia shook her head furiously. That isn't why I am here! It felt decidedly odd to argue with herself. Nevertheless, she knew the debate well; she had fought it in her dreams and sometimes while awake. More often awake lately.
You know it is the truth. Why deny what is? Is love such a terrible thing?
Well…no, but… There was something wrong with this reasoning, surely. Tia was reluctant to give ground to the voice that had lately dominated her thoughts. You're the other me! I thought you were Iris at first, but she was not cruel like you… Her eyes weren't coldly beautiful like that jewel…
Tia's thoughts were so hazy that she did not realize that the Sinistral was so near. She did not feel Erim's strong hands close about her throat and lift her from the ground. All the proof that she had of Erim's presence was a throbbing sensation in her temples and a dull roar in her ears like the buzzing of clouds of bees.
Love is a wonderful, beautiful thing, the voice proclaimed boldly in Tia's head. Look at how powerful it has made you! Even Dekar, the strongest man in the world noticed!
The cup dropped from Tia's fingers as consciousness began to slip through her grasp.
If you revive Selan again, Maxim will love her and not you! Is that what you want?
Tia went limp in Erim's grasp. The Sinistral lowered her to the ground while continuing to fill Tia's mind with her telepathic poison, bending the woman gently yet steadily to her will.
No! Tia replied. Once again she felt that this was the wrong answer, yet she couldn't figure out why that was the case. All around her it was black.
Selan stole your love from you! You should subject her to blackness like this for all eternity! The voice in her head was getting more insistent. Tia remained apathetic. Erim sent the same message, this time treating Tia to an illusion of Maxim and Selan's last embrace.
No! Tia struggled against the persuasive anger that was starting to sing in her blood.
{****}
The Mistress of Death pursed her lips in frustration. Tia was proving to be surprisingly stubborn. She could not apply her stronger methods of mind control without blowing the woman's head off, however. She growled under her breath and continued her spell, slowing wearing away at Tia's defenses, magnifying the unrealized wish and the hurt of unrequited love in Tia's heart.
{****}
Tia swam through darkness, searching for anything to guide her. Then she heard the harsh voice that she had entered the darkness to retreat from. However, she could hear another voice, quieter, speaking from within the crueler one. Tia wasn't certain if she was imagining it. Yet she strained to listen to it, for it had a ring of kindness to it. Her memory, with nothing to distract it, immediately pinned a name to the gently persuasive voice. Iris.
But as Tia listened more, she thought she heard a masculine ring to it. A simple warrior's uncultured tones. When you find that thing, whatever it is, you should use your life to pursue it. Once you catch it, you will find contentment that will endure to the end of your days.
Dekar! Tia thought with a measure of regret. I still don't know what that thing is… She felt dampness on her cheeks, and suddenly she was conscious of her body again. But… She thought of Maxim and the happiness he had brought her. Then she thought again on Dekar's words. Hadn't Maxim found his ultimate happiness with Selan? Looking deep within herself, Tia knew that no matter how much she hurt inside, no matter what Maxim knew or did not know, she could never rob him of that happiness, no matter what the method.
What is the matter with you? It was Erim's voice again, impatient and pitiless. Even I can see what you want! You want Maxim, right? Well it is a simple matter then! Restore his life and wish Selan banished to eternal darkness!
Clarity flared in Tia, running cold through her veins. Suddenly she had the courage to stand and face the Mistress of Death. That isn't how I want it! With that shout, Tia broke free of Erim's hypnosis.
The Mistress of Death gasped. She had not expected Tia to be so resilient. "Damn you!" she shouted to the air, to Iris, Tia supposed. How Iris had gotten inside of Erim was still unknown to her. Nonetheless, Tia knew it was true, as surely as she had known her own love for Maxim. She threw herself at the cup, which was glinting like a diamond amongst the coal. Her fingers closed around its cold base. No longer was it a simple wooden bowl. It had become the richly bejeweled chalice she had glimpsed before. The light of hundreds of stars glittered from inside of it. Tia glanced at Erim. However, the Sinistral was slumped over, her hands digging into her head as if to dislodge a foreign presence in her mind. As if they measured her ki, the torches had died to mere embers, leaving the warriors to fight the Sinistrals in the near darkness. Thank you, Iris, Tia thought with profound relief. Her heart ached from her recent trial. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Her breath was raw in her throat as she made the second wish.
"I wish…for Maxim to be revived!"
The cup twinkled, the stars within it seeming to move. Then they shot out of the chalice into the gloomy air, filling it with beautiful pure light. Chills raced upon Tia's flesh as a portal, much like the one that Erim had summoned, opened before her. Within stood a man. He had not the grandeur of a Sinistral. However, Tia knew him well, for he had been in her dreams many times before. White light blazed behind him, the radiance of eternity. Tia shielded her eyes. How often she had dreamed of this day, of seeing her childhood friend and first love return. The tears continued. She did not brush them away. Then she glimpsed Erim straightening from her seizure. Tia heard Iris's urgent shout in her mind. Quickly, Tia! Restore Selan before Erim…!
Tia took a deep breath and gripped the chalice a little tighter. Then, deciding it would be easier if she shut her eyes, she did so. All the memories, all the old hopes she'd had for her and Maxim upon his return she stored away. "The final wish," she whispered.
No, you fool! Erim shrieked.
The Mistress of Death's voice reverberated in Tia's mind. Resolute and determined, Tia uttered the last of the wish. "…I wish for the resurrection of Selan!"
"No!" Erim screamed. Even with all her power, however, she could not stop the cup of wishes as its last bequest came to pass. A portal blazing with white opened at Maxim's side. An exquisite woman stepped forth from it, bringing with it, her own light.
The cup of wishes, its wishes spent, shimmered in Tia's hands. She closed her eyes tight against the light. When she could see again, the cup was dust in her hands. Tia sighed as she allowed the silver sand to fall through her hands like the countless stars she had glimpsed in the depths of the cup. Before they reached the ground, the sand had vanished entirely.
"Damn you!" Erim screeched. She charged at Tia with her sword held before her.
Tia looked up too late to get out of her way. She gasped and remained frozen where she knelt. Just when it seemed that Erim had secured Tia's doom, silver-blue ki flashed around Tia. Maxim's ki, Tia realized as the warm light filled the space around her. A sad smile formed on her lips.
Erim smashed into the barrier head-on and was flung to one side. She toppled to her knees, panting. "A curse on all of you," she rasped. "Maxim of the Doom Island Four! You might have been mine!"
"Erim!" Maxim's eyes were harsh. "As you well know, there is only one whom I love."
Erim closed her eyes, perhaps to regain her composure. Then she laughed. "Fate may be leading you to another fight," she said. "But…this is one battle that you will most certainly lose."
"What are you talking about?" Tia fumed. "Maxim's worth ten of you!"
"Maybe so…" Erim tossed her head. "But we shall see how he fares with no weapons and without the divine armaments. Is it possible for a mortal to beat the Sinistrals without the Dual Blade?"
Tia's face turned chalk white. Maxim reached for his sword, finding to his dismay that it was indeed, missing. He was not discouraged, however. "I need no weapons to vanquish evil!" Maxim declared. "Prepare yourself to return to the darkness, Erim!" Ki bubbled around him.
Erim laughed. "I have no intention of fighting you, Maxim! I have another vendetta to pursue!" She looked at Tia pointedly. "I think that you won't mind fighting Lord Daos, though, will you?" She began her prayer to the Sinistral of Terror.
"We must stop her!" Selan shouted, preparing to charge at the Mistress of Death.
"Wait!" Maxim commanded, laying a strong hand on her shoulder. "Remember that you too are weaponless, Selan. Furthermore, I am certain that Erim has a barrier around her."
"Well what should we do then?" Selan asked, frustrated. "We can't be defeated here! Who knows what the Sinistrals will do once they break free!"
"We must fight them," Maxim said. He lowered his ki so that it vanished. "That is all that we can do. You and Tia can take on Erim, and I will fight Daos."
"But-" Selan protested.
"There is no other option," Maxim said. "I can feel Artea and Guy's ki too, and Dekar and Lexis's, if I'm not mistaken. They are fighting against Amon and Gades."
Selan shook her head, swinging her long green ponytail this way and that. "This is simply bizarre!" she muttered. "We must be destined to fight on this mortal realm."
"Actually it was pure accident that the Sinistrals revived," Tia said. "Originally Artea started this journey to revive the two of you!"
"There is a balance at work here," Maxim muttered to himself. Then he looked at Tia with that familiar smile. "Tia…thank you…for restoring me to life."
Tia blushed and mumbled something.
"Yes, thank you," Selan said. "I know what it must have cost you."
An enormous ki, the greatest in the room aside from Maxim's materialized at Iris's side. The black portal opened with a groan like the dying.
"Daos," Maxim whispered. Ki flared at his fingertips. Similar ki surged about Selan. Tia gave Selan her staff. "Our packs have been scattered," Tia said. "But I imagine that you can wield this better than I can."
"Thank you," Selan said with a smile. "Maxim…" She gently touched his shoulder. "If Tia and I finish our battle with Erim, we will come help you. You shouldn't have to fight alone."
"Thank you, my beloved," Maxim said, a peculiar shine in his eyes. "We must come out of this alive, Selan. Just think! If we do, we will get to see Jeros again!"
"Yes, that's right, isn't it," Selan said, her eyes distant.
Tia's heart surged with a strange smattering of emotions: happiness for Maxim and Selan, bittersweet for not giving in to Erim's temptation, fear for the upcoming battle. "Let's go, Selan," she said in a firm voice.
"What's this?" Maxim grinned at Tia. "You actually want to fight, Tia? This is new. You seem to have gotten stronger since I was last with you."
"Just stay alive, Maxim," Tia managed to say as she flushed with mingled pride and indignation. "You'll notice many things that have changed since you've been gone."
She was not certain if Maxim heard her or not. His gaze was focused on the closing black portal. Daos, Sinistral of Terror, had emerged. His ki wove around him in vain strands all abuzz with bragging of their own magnificence. Weaponless and unarmored, Maxim strode to meet the Sinistral. Tia and Selan, meanwhile, advanced upon Erim.