The Trinity Sitch - Book 3: Blade of the Fury
The Tale of the Trinity
Feeling restless, they didn't stay in their quarters very long this time. No one told them they couldn't, so they put their Flex Armor suits on and started exploring the 'Keep.' It was more of a network of tunnels honeycombing the walls of the Spiron crater, many of them proving to be natural rather than man made, than a keep in the traditional sense. They didn't take long to run out of the inhabited portions. Away from the torchlight that illuminated the areas closest to the entrance, they were forced to rely on flip up lights set into the gauntlets of the suits.
After walking in near darkness for what seemed like an eternity (though it was only about forty five minutes by their chronometers) they heard the sound. It was just the barest hissing sound at first but as they approached it the sound changed into a roar. They emerged from the tunnel into a large chamber. The sound was so loud they had to rely on touch and hand signals to communicate. The source of the sound was obvious. They were in a cavern concealed by one of the massive waterfalls. The air was heavy and damp with atomized moisture but it was the deafening sound that commanded most of their attention in the cave. Kim pointed to her light, then ran a finger across her throat. Ron got it and turned his light off as she did the same.
It took a few minutes, but their eyes started adjusting to the light. It must have been right at dawn outside as the cave entrance glowed with a gray light, illuminating the interior with a dim gray glow. Slowly the light was changing from dull gray to yellow as the sun crept over the rim of the crater. As the light grew, they could see the three shapes resting on the cavern floor.
It was still to dark to see details, so Kim reignited her wrist lights, casting her beam at the nearest object. Ron yelped as recognition hit him.
Parked on their metal landing skids were three of the bat-winged fighter planes that had shot them down over Greenland!
"KP!" Ron hissed almost in her ear, pointing at the tunnel they had just emerged from. Flickering orange light played over the walls. Somebody was approaching, probably lighting their way with torches or lanterns. Kim doused her light and pulled Ron toward a low series of boulders just at the swinging lantern came into view. A lone figure was making his way into the cavern walking casually like he knew the way. The light was held too low to make out his face but it appeared to be a man, and a heavy set one at that.
He walked right up to the closest fighter, mounting the short ladder to the cockpit. As he stood on the flat section around the clear canopy it started to rise. Before stepping into the cockpit he raised his arms and chanted something they could not make out. The waterfall turned hazy green, throwing a strange light on the whole chamber, though that was not the most amazing thing about the spell he had cast. The moment the green light fully covered the mouth of the cavern, all sound seemed to stop except for an occasional drip as the moisture condensed on the ceiling and walls. He climbed into the seat, reaching for the control panel. He adjusted some controls and started speaking Arkonian into an oxygen mask.
"Yael corba ten yetna credo noh vael. Gen toba no Kiresmek dael Tragda. Beyada den Possible ban deo Stoppable."
Ron's eyes narrowed, not so much at the mention of their names, but as he recognized the voice.
They had seen absolutely no technology whatsoever back at the keep. Whoever he was speaking to was very likely elsewhere. Probably a force on their way to the keep to capture them and either take or disable their ship. They were betrayed!
"Uri!" Ron whispered through clenched teeth. "He just said something about a sword and mentioned our names."
"I caught the name part. Are you sure about the sword?"
"I've heard the word Tragda enough to know it has something to do with my blade."
"That's it, then. We've got to get out of here and back to the Trinity. We've got all the answers we are going to now."
As quietly as they could in the now-silent cave they made their way back to the tunnel entrance, using debris for cover as much as possible. They were plunged into complete darkness once they got fully inside, forcing them to feel their way along the wall. Once they were around the first bend their lights flared back to life as they broke into a fast jog. Their hearts leapt into their throats as the roar of the waterfall resumed, seemingly louder than before. That meant either Uri had completed his call or the spell itself had run its course. They quickened their pace to a dead run.
Naturally, they made a wrong turn somewhere back in the catacombs.
"I knew we made more turns than that." Kim said, worry evident in her voice.
"Come on, we just have to backtrack until we find something we recognize." Ron said, turning back.
"What if we run into Uri. He'll know his way around better than us and if we're lost…"
"You are only lost when you stop looking for the way." A voice half laughed, half cackled behind them. They spun around to see the Blessed Mother standing behind them. She, of course, needed no lantern and she moved so softly they had not heard her approach.
"Amazing, I would have thought the two of you would be taking every opportunity to spend as much time alone as possible." She chuckled at the thought of the two youngsters together.
"There's a right time and place." Kim said, exchanging a look with Ron.
"I would think that right here at dawn you would either be locked in each other's arms or at the very least trying to get as much sleep as you can."
"I think we've had enough sleep the last week to last us the next three weeks." Kim said. The more she thought about it, the more that seemed to be the case, though not all the time was spent actually sleeping!"
"Yes, yes. Your bodies are used to the long days here in my home. Everything about your world is rush rush rush since your days are so short. Poor Uri hasn't been right since he got back after spending a few weeks on your world."
"Um, about that Uri guy." Ron broke in.
Kim hastily described their discovery of the hidden fighter planes.
"Oh, those things?" The Blessed Mother waved dismissively. "I knew they were there. We stole them from a strike base near Mannoc Keep, that's south of here if you didn't know, a while back. We even sent one of them to your world along with Uri and a hastily trained pilot to aid in his search for you."
Kim gasped, glancing once more at Ron, who met her eyes, realizing the same thing she had.
"Lady, I think your boy Uri has been playing you." He started. "Right before our ship kidnapped us and brought us here, one of those bat-planes tried to kill us!"
"Impossible!" she rasped. "Uri would not dare!"
"Then who was he calling on the radio?" Kim asked, her hands going to her hips.
The old woman looked confused, having no explanation for that. "It just cannot be. Uri is one of the most devout among us. He utterly detests the way our people are turning their backs on the Old Ways and are embracing the sciences. He would never willingly serve them!"
"Like it or not, some how, some way it looks like he's turned against you. Maybe somebody offered him something he just couldn't turn down."
She looked as if she were considering something, then her blind eyes went wide with shock. "Arkon's bones! So that is how the old fool was able to pass the trials after so many failures!" Grabbing Kim's hand she pulled them back the way they had come. "We must act quickly. You will have to return to your ship and leave at once. There is so much you needed to know, I had hoped to have you stay at least one of your weeks so I could properly teach you on your powers and your roles. Now, listen carefully, I must tell you all you need to know in the next short while."
They knew their progress would be relatively slow, but the also figured she knew every little nook, every shortcut in the network of passages. Still, she could only hobble so fast, though she seemed to be dragging Kim along with her.
"Eight hundred years ago our world was torn apart by feuding local warlords. Eventually the strongest among them were able to consolidate their power, intent on forcing our spiritual leaders to name one of them as Master of us all.
"Originally the Council of Arcuses would choose one of their own to be leader, but over the centuries they became weak and complacent. Only a few, such as the great Arcus Oray had the strength and the knowledge to become one of the ageless ones, as the Old Ways dictated the Podondrin must be. The warlords were not content with that, planning to gain power through strength of arms.
"Oray was powerful in his own right, possibly as powerful as the Great Arkon himself, but he was preoccupied with the notion that ancient demons from Arkon's time had returned to the world, unleashing their evil upon it. Because of this and for reasons known only to him, he refused to be called to take up the mantle of Podondrin. However, using the return of these demons as a pretext, he called for the first choosing in three hundred years.
"During that time a man, who was once considered a great hero by his people, assumed his hereditary position as the Prefect of the ancient capitol city of Daganshire. Using his newfound power, Tanith Moondagan assembled an army and set out to conquer the entire continent of Dagan. Now, Dagan is itself an island, though so huge it is considered a land unto itself. It is much the same shape and size as the southern island continent of your world. He almost rolled right over the entire island, though an army from this land was able to stop him for a time."
"Only for a short time?" Kim prompted.
"Yes. Something happened. Lord Moondagan's army should have been crushed, sending him back to his city with his tail between his legs or worse. Instead his army was able to stop the northern Host cold. Then he once again swept through the lands, taking the whole of the island for himself. Some say he called upon dark powers, but I know the truth of it. He had a strange outlander in his army, one who spoke strangely but knew the arts of war. By the time Oray called for the new choosing, Moondagan was in complete control of Dagan, and with it, the Master's Palace in Daganshire.
"The choosing was not going as anyone had hoped. It became clear that Oray himself was going to be forced to become the Podondrin. That is when Moondagan did the unthinkable. Somehow he had Oray murdered, then he brought his army into the city. None but the Podondrin himself is allowed to bring any force inside the walls save to repel and invader. There were none to resist him and he captured the Palace, going before the Council to demand he be made Podondrin. His arrogance was so great he was already wearing the armor and mask of the last Master.
"He forced the council to accept him as the new Master, demonstrating to them that he had his own great power. At first, some of them were scared he had communed with one of the demons Oray had warned of, but they had a series of tests they could do, proving he wielded the proper powers, as they had been laid out in the Book of Arkon. Some still claimed it was because of a demon, others said it was his mysterious general, a man named Arcus Nayeel who was rumored to be a powerful wizard in his own right, but the man simply vanished on the day of choosing, never to be seen again. What mattered is we had a new Master!"
"So this dude Moondagan basically took over the world?" Ron asked.
"He not only took over, he enslaved thousands with his power. It was soon clear that we not only had a new overlord, but he was a servant of darkness! What should have been a golden age turned into one of gloom."
"What has this got to do with Ron?" Kim asked.
"I'm getting to that. First I must tell you of the Great Arkon. He was the first great wizard to tap into the power of the Effurien. He did so in order to wage a war against a clan of powerful demons. In doing so, he discovered the power was too great for one man alone to wield for long so he split it into three aspects, mirroring what he knew about the Effurien itself. Two of his greater followers, along with Arkon himself, became the first Trinity. They were the Sword, the Hand and the Heart of the Effurien. Now, sometimes the Heart is referred to as the Wisdom. That all depends on who you are talking to. Heart is the older, more proper term.
"After the war, he gave the powers back to the Effurien, knowing they were too great without a great need. He set down all he knew of it, as well as all of his demon lore, in a great grimoire known as the Book of Arkon. Inside was the prophecy that a new Trinity would arise at the time of greatest need. You probably remember earlier this morning the words I began the ceremony with; 'At the dawn of the darkness we will see the return of the knights of the ascended to purify the Master.' I suspect it may be because there is now danger to your world as well as this one that led to you being chosen. Then too it may be the power you already have, this Tai Xing Pek Kwar. It may somehow be related to the Effurien or perhaps the two mystical powers may simply attract each other."
"Then what does the sword do?" Ron patted the grip of the weapon at his waist.
She laughed. "It does what any sword does! It cuts, it stabs, it blocks!" She smiled broadly, knowing such a simple explanation just wouldn't do. "Alright. This particular sword does two things beyond that. It is first a trigger, though something else served that purpose with you. It would have awakened your power if it had not already been done. Secondly it is a focal point. You can concentrate on it when you need to access your powers. Beyond that, it's just another blade, albeit a very well made one."
"You mean all this stuff about people searching for it has been for nothing?" He was incredulous, figuring it was some great and powerful weapon.
She stopped and faced him. "No, boy! You are the one they were all looking for! They didn't care about an old relic somebody once in the distant past created for those like you to bear. They either wanted you so they could set you on the path as I have or to prevent you from ever meeting the rest of the Trinity." She looked at Kim a moment before turning back to Ron. "Half of that job is already done. All that remains is the third!"
She started walking once more, oddly carrying her cane as if she no longer needed to use it. Kim thought it strange how one minute she seemed frail and old, the nest she seemed, well, powerful as a force of nature. Something she knew from working with her mother tickled her mind.
They were now back in the dryer, better lit tunnels of the keep itself. She stopped them at a seemingly innocuous part of the wall and despite it being a horrible cliché, she pulled a torch bracket, revealing a hidden doorway.
"Go, now! This passage will lead back to the face of the Keep. Take your sky ship and journey back to your home. I must now lead my people away from this place before those summoned by Uri arrive!"
"What about Uri himself?" Kim asked, worried what might become of the Blessed Mother's people. None of them seemed to be fighters.
"Hah, don't worry yourself about that whelp! If he shows his face to me again It will be the last time. He may be an Arcus, but my power is far beyond that!"
She pulled a curved, black object from the folds of her robes. "Here, boy. My handmaid constructed this for you at my direction. Now you can carry that sword of yours properly on your back and not naked on your belt. I am surprised you have not yet severed your belt and dropped your trousers."
Kim giggled slightly, earning a scowl from her fiancé. He carefully pulled the sword from its sling and slipped it into the leather scabbard. The fit was absolutely perfect. He then used the attached sling to fasten it to his back, the grip sticking up over his left shoulder.
"May the Effurien keep you and those who will one day come after you. You are the hope of two worlds!" She embraced both of them before producing her cane once more, shuffling down the hallway.
The tunnel was smooth, straight and well made but it was obvious it had not been traversed in many, many years. Those years of neglect made it impossible to move at anything more than a brisk jog. That, at least, was until they started having to push through cobwebs. The thought of spiders made her drop back to check on Ron.
"You okay?"
"Concentrating, KP" He said with a slightly quaking voice. "I'm telling myself there are no tunnel spiders in her, just old webs. Just old webs." He added in a whisper.
She squeezed his hand. The last thing they needed right now was for him to start freaking out at the thought of little tiny spiders crawling all over his body.
Now, if she would just stop thinking about the giant spider scene in The Lord of the Rings! Ron might stress out over the little tiny flickable bugs, but big bugs? Big big bugs?
No! Not going to think about them! I know everyone has a weakness, but these webs were made by normal little spiders!
You quit thinking about big spiders and I'll quit thinking about the little ones! She heard in her head, as if she could hear exactly what Ron was thinking. Smiling, she pressed on, a little more at ease. At least whatever creature had spun the silken nets had long since moved on, possibly having its fill of cave bugs and other small creatures. No giant arachnids rose to block their path and Ron, bless his heart, never went into hysterics with one or two of the creatures crawling on him.
The tunnel ended at a wooden door with daylight peaking through the cracks. It took both of them to budge it as the old hinges were so rusty they finally cracked and crumbled away. The door slowly swung outwards, ripping some of the verdant moss away before falling with a clatter to the level below. They were about fifty feet above the old false front of the fortress. There was a stairway of sorts, but it was so steep it was better to think of it as a ladder. It led down to the parapets, themselves some twenty feet off the ground. Sitting just beyond the crumbling outer wall of the compound was their ship!
BEEP-BEEP-DE-BEEP!
The sound of the Kimmunicator for the first time in days was almost jarring.
"Go, Trin!" Kim shouted over the din of the multiple waterfalls.
"Kim, you're about to have company!"
"We know. We're in a doorway about fifty feet above you. Can you see us?"
"I've got your locaters on my scanners now. Want me to warm up the engines?"
"Please and thank you! We're going home!"
"Roger that! We can take off as soon as you're aboard. On another note, I'm reading a transport and two fighter planes inboard, ETA in five minutes."
"Got it! Kim out!"
Ron was already picking his way down the steps, having a hard go of it without any of their usual climbing gear. "I want to know who put these suits together without a grappler!" Ron shouted over the din. Once to the parapets, they were able to scramble down the sloping walls of the crater itself.
Instantly they knew they had taken too much time climbing down.
Fanned out in front of them were at least twenty men in blue and gray uniforms. Their faces were hidden behind the faceplates of their helmets. Each of them was carrying a long, pole like weapon with a glowing end. They stood between them and the Trinity.
"You and that pathetic old fool think you could get away!" Shouted a voice from above. They looked up to see Arcus Uri standing on a high spot of the old wall. He pointed a finger at them and shouted something they could not decipher.
Something ripped its way out of Kim's left cargo pocket. Silver tendrils shot out, wrapping around her arms and legs, pinning them together. With a yelp she fell to the ground, bound by what looked like microfilaments. Attached to the filaments, just at her chest, were the two halves of the device that had once enslaved their ship.
"Kim!" Ron shouted as the men advanced on them.
A/N - it may be Saturday before I get another chapter up with the the site being down for most of Friday. Yes, I know, I'm evil posting another cliffie!