CHAPTER ELEVEN: LANDSLIDE

The next hour was a tense one for Kyle's party. Not only did they have to be on guard for Rathbone and whoever his new friends were, but the discovery of the frozen corpses had put them all in a morbid mood - especially Kyle, not surprisingly. He was still burning with humiliation from his breaking down in front of Sarek and Rayner, and he avoided looking them in the eye.

The endless plain soon came to an end, leading to a wall of rocky hills and boulders, creating a labyrinth of valleys and paths. Sarek, carefully reading the map, led them through one narrow valley. The rocky walls were almost suffocatingly narrow, and Kyle couldn't help thinking what a perfect place this would be for an ambush. There was hardly any room to swing a weapon here, and if there were any archers lying in wait, they were all done for.

To make things worse, the further they went, the sooner Kyle expected to find his father's remains. Any second now, he was expecting to trip over Gryffin's corpse, sometimes envisioning it as nothing more than a tattered skeleton, sometimes seeing Gryffin completely preserved by a tomb of ice. He broke out into a cold sweat at the very thought of it.

Mercifully, however, the narrow valley eventually widened, leading to another frozen plain. They hurried towards it, but stopped in their tracks as they noticed a large, surprisingly unfrozen lake nearby the exit. It wasn't blocking their path, but its very existence was puzzling...and suspicious.

"Strange place for a lake," Rayner observed. "How can it remain unfrozen?"

"By the same enchantment that created the other monsters we've run into," Sarek said. "So be on alert. This may be the home of another of the island's guardians."

As if on cue, the waters of the lake suddenly began to churn, and a cluster of greenish-gray tentacles sprang from the water's surface, thrashing wildly in the air.

Kyle glared at Sarek. "You just had to say that, didn't you?"

Several tentacles darted towards the adventurers, but Rayner managed to deflect them with his magic shields, while Kyle and Jessica slashed at them with their weapons. Sarek struck at one with his staff, and fired a barrage of magic bolts at a cluster of tentacles, causing them to writhe violently.

The tentacles were soon joined by a monstrous head attached to a long, serpentine neck nearly thirty feet long, coated with thick rubbery skin. The thing was a zroatzid, unknown elsewhere on Lunar, even to Damon. The zroatzid roared, revealing a mouth filled with serrated, dagger-like teeth, and its dull yellow eyes glared at them malevolently.

"Sarek!" Kyle cried. "What the hell is this thing?"

"We can find out after we've killed it!" Sarek replied. "Barak adir!"

A bolt of lightning struck the lake, and a horrendous screech echoed through the air as the monstrous tentacles flared wildly. The zroatzid's head surged forward, biting at Jessica, who nimbly dodged and slashed at it with her metal claw. Purplish blood oozed from the wound, and the monster drew recoiled instantly. Sarek unleashed another lightning bolt, this one striking the monster right between the eyes. The massive neck quivered as it rocked back and forth, but it recovered from the attack and opened its jaws to swallow Sarek in a single bite, but Rayner warded off the monster's attack with a shield in the nick of time. As the beast's head careened off the barrier, Sarek swung his staff at its jaw, the crystal headpiece charged with magic lightning, causing it to howl in pain.

"Didn't care much for that, did you?" Sarek taunted.

More tentacles surfaced, the zroatzid sensing Rayner was the one keeping it from its prey. Its tentacles rushed and jabbed at Rayner, who waited calmly behind a magic barrier. When the tentacles slowed down and paused, as if musing how to proceed, Rayner scorched them with a Flamer spell. There was a hideous squealing sound as the tentacles withdrew. As more tentacles surged towards him, Rayner used a combination of lightning and fire magic to keep them at bay.

The tentacles were now flailing around even faster, and the party battled them off as best they could, Sarek and Rayner continued to use spells, while Kyle and Jessica slashed at any that got too close for comfort with their weapons. "This is taking forever!" Kyle complained. "Cover me, Jess! I need to Power Up!"

"On it!" Jessica said, standing before Kyle as he focused his energy. Three tentacles darted towards them, but Jessica struck at them with her claw, the metal blades tearing through the creature's rubber hide. One of the tentacles snaked around her leg and pulled her off-balance, but she furiously hacked away at, chopping it to pieces. She felt a slight stinging sensation where the tentacle had made contact, so she cast a Cleanse Litany on herself just in case it had poisoned her.

"All right!" she heard Kyle call out behind her. "Stand clear!"

She dove out of the way as Kyle unleashed his Sonic Riser attack, the energy wave tearing through the mass of tentacles, sending them crashing to the ground, and leaving a huge gash in the creature's neck. The zroatzid writhed in agony and fury, and the remaining tentacles began to withdraw, slowly receding back into the lake.

"Keep your guard up!" Sarek said as he prepared another spell. "It might still be alive!"

Almost as if on cue, one of them wrapped itself around Sarek, lifting him high into the air. It had happened so quickly, nobody had any time to react.

"Dad!" Rayner cried. "Shegel kherev!" The young magician aimed a trio of ice lances at the tentacle, but although they sliced through the creature's rubbery hide, it maintained its grip and sank beneath the lake, taking a still-struggling Sarek with it.

"Relax!" Kyle cried out. "I'll get him!"

"Let me go with you!" Rayner insisted.

"No! If it's still alive, I need you to guard Jessica!" Kyle ordered. "Against those tentacles, you can do that better with your shields than I can with my blades!"

Without waiting for a response, Kyle dived into the frigid lake, and was almost immediately numbed by the intense cold. Remembering an old trick his father taught him, he thrashed around in the murky water, keeping his limbs moving. He looked around for some sign of Sarek, hoping he was still alive.

Suddenly, he could make out a strange flash of light under the water, and in the dim glow, he could faintly make out Sarek struggling with the zroatzid. The headpiece of his staff was emitting a brilliant white light as Sarek fired off one spell after another, even resorting to jabbing at the zroatzid with his staff.

Now with a perfectly clear view, Kyle swam rapidly towards Sarek and hacked away at the tentacle holding him. The water slowed Kyle down, so he Powered himself up even more to make up for it with stopping power. Once he was all revved up, he Slashed at the tentacles again and again, until there was a hideous howling sound, and a dark cloud of blood emerging from the withdrawing tentacles. Sarek was now free, and hesitating only to nod to Kyle in a gesture of thanks, he swam towards the surface, Kyle following behind him.

But the zroatzid wasn't done yet. It was still hungry, and even worse, it was angry at the creatures that had managed to hurt it. It still had a few tentacles left, and one of them snagged Kyle by the ankle. Kyle suddenly found himself being dragged incredibly quickly, and in the murky dark, he could faintly make out the image of the creature's wide-open mouth – which he was headed right for.

-x-x-x-

"Dad!" Rayner exclaimed as Sarek emerged from the lake, coughing raggedly for breath, and he paddled towards the shore as quickly as he could, Jessica and Rayner helping to pull him out of the water. Sarek collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.

"You okay, Dad?" Rayner asked anxiously, kneeling besides his father as Jessica quickly cast an Althena Litany.

Sarek nodded weakly, quivering from the cold. "I'm fine, son. Thanks to Kyle."

Rayner nodded in relief, using a low-level flame spell to gently warm his father up. "Sorry I couldn't stop it."

"That thing took us all by surprise, Rayner," Sarek said gently. "There's nothing to be sorry for."

"Wait...where's Kyle?" Jessica asked urgently, her eyes widening in alarm as she looked around him.

"What?" Sarek immediately bolted upright. "He was right behind me! He didn't make it out?"

Jessica turned toward the still lake, her eyes starting to brim with tears before she turned on Sarek and Rayner, shaking the elder mage's shoulder. "Do something!" she cried. "Use your magic and fry that thing!"

"I can't see beneath the surface of that bloody lake!" Sarek snapped. "I could end up killing him instead of that monstrosity!"

Jessica's eyes fixated on the lake, with no sign of life of any kind. Come on, Kyle, you dumb bastard! You can't die on me!

"So what are we going to do?" Rayner asked.

Jessica wiped away her tears and removed her vest. "I don't know about you two, but I'm gonna get Kyle back, even if I have to cut that thing open to do it!"

-x-x-x-

Kyle was almost out of breath, and he could barely lift his arms, but he refused to just give up and die. He kept hacking away at the zroatzid, again and again, until the last of its tentacles was gone. Once again the monster's giant head began to snake towards him, jaws wide open. Kyle remained where he was, weapons at the ready, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. I didn't come all this way to be your lunch, you ugly mother…

Just when the teeth were close enough to be touched, Kyle propelled himself to one side, and plunged the blade of his sword into the zroatzid's eye, almost to the hilt. He couldn't tell exactly where he'd hit it, but he could make out a dull roar, and as Kyle withdrew his sword, ready for another strike, the monster sank to the bottom of the lake, its wound apparently fatal.

Kyle chose not to test this theory and kicked madly towards the surface. He barely had any strength left, and his sword and dagger were weighing him down. It seemed that no matter how far he swam, he wasn't getting any closer to escaping the frozen hell of this lake. An image of Jessica suddenly appeared before him, gliding towards him, and Kyle wondered if he was hallucinating. I hear people's lives flash before them when they're about to die. At least I get to see Jessica one last...

Suddenly, his wrist was seized in a vice-like grip, and Kyle was jerked back to reality. He prepared for a new assault from the zroatzid, back for one last shot at him. But it wasn't the zroatzid. Instantly, Kyle realized that it wasn't a mere image of Jessica, but she was really there, pulling him back to the surface of the lake. She was kicking with all her considerable strength, and Kyle did likewise with the last of his own, helping her out as best as he could.

The two of them finally burst through the surface of the lake, Jessica gently pulling Kyle towards the shore. Kyle eagerly drew in huge gulps of air, sputtering and shivering from the intense cold as he stumbled out of the lake. Jessica paused only long enough to cast an Althena Litany on Kyle and then herself before wrapping him in a tight hug. "Kyle, I was afraid I was gonna lose you," she said softly, finally letting the tears come.

"No such luck," Kyle grinned, hugging her back and wiping away her tears. "Thanks to you."

Sarek and Rayner held back a moment, letting Kyle and Jessica have their moment, before speaking. "I owe you my life, Kyle," Sarek said, draping his heavy overcoat around the two of them. Rayner said nothing, too relieved to speak, but the look on his face said it all. As he had done with Sarek, he conjured magical flames to warm Kyle and Jessica and dry them off.

"Nah, nobody owes me nothing," Kyle said, savoring the heat from Rayner's flame spell. He ran his fingers through Jessica's wet hair and grinned. "I always did know how to get you weEEEEOW OW OW OW OW!" he suddenly shrieked as Jessica grabbed his arm and bent it behind his back in a way nature never intended an arm to be bent.

"Finish that sentence and you're going back in the lake," Jessica growled angrily.

-x-x-x-

That evening, the travelers huddled around a campfire, grim and silent. The horrific discovery of the remains of the expedition, plus the close calls at the hands – or more appropriately, the tentacles – of the zroatzid had put everyone in a solemn mood.

Kyle in particular was unusually distant. He'd stared into the fire, not moving, hardly even blinking. In all the years she had known him, Jessica had never seen him so quiet, so still. "Sarek, do you have any Aynekian brandy left?"

"A little," Sarek said, handing her the bottle, his brows furrowed with worry. "What's wrong with Kyle?"

"I'm not sure. But this oughtta make him feel better."

She walked over to Kyle and took a swig from the bottle before offering it to Kyle. "Want some?"

Kyle shook his head, ever so slightly.

Now Jessica really was worried. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kyle mumbled.

"Yeah, right. Come on, Kyle, talk to me."

Jessica stared at Kyle, and then looked back at Sarek. Sarek took the hint and motioned to Rayner. "Rayner and I will be back in a while," Sarek announced. "We're going on sentry duty to keep an eye out for any trouble. Rayner?"

Rayner nodded and followed Sarek. Jessica smiled at the two of them, grateful for the privacy. Kyle, however, still didn't react in any way.

Jessica grit her teeth. "Kyle, you've been doing this since we first sailed from Meribia. I don't know what's behind these random deep blue funks of yours, but I know when something's wrong." In a firmer tone, she added, "And I know when you've been keeping something from me. Now tell me what the hell is going on with you."

Kyle looked at her for a long moment before answering. "Yeah, it's about time," he said in a low voice.

Jessica could immediately tell this wasn't going to be your everyday "Kyle screwed up and didn't tell me" talk. "Time for what?"

"Jess, when I told you my dad had left to find the Dragon's Graveyard without me...what did you think of me?"

"I dunno," Jessica said, surprised by the question. "I wasn't really thinking about that at all, actually. I was too shocked by the kind of shape you were in, and wondering what in Althena's name had come over Gryffin that he wouldn't take you along with him."

"Yeah, but you didn't think...you didn't think I was afraid or anything, was I?"

"Afraid? No," Jessica said, laughing at the idea. "You're one of the bravest people I've ever known. Sometimes to an idiotic degree, even. Is that what you've been worried about all this time?"

"Nah, it had nothing to do with being afraid. It was about..."

Kyle's voice faded suddenly, and he took Jess's hands in his own as if he was afraid she'd slip away. "I've wanted to tell you this for the longest time, Jess. You've gotta believe that. I've really wanted to tell you about this."

"Tell me about what?" Jessica said anxiously.

Kyle hesitated a moment and sighed heavily. "About why I didn't go to the Dragon's Graveyard with my father."

-x-x-x-

Four years ago…

"The Dragon's Graveyard, huh?" Gryffin said with a scornful laugh. "Are you guys insane, or just suicidal?"

The two men sitting across from the mercenary merely smiled. "Come on, Gryffin," one of them said. "This is the chance of a lifetime we're talking about here! If we find the Graveyard, we'll be the richest men on Lunar!"

"If we find it, Kurtis," Gryffin replied. "Anyway, speaking of chances, what makes you think you have a chance in hell of finding it?"

"Simple," said Kurtis's companion. "We'll have you. The greatest adventurer on Lunar since the Four Heroes! With you guiding us on our way, how can we fail?"

Gryffin snorted. "Playing to my vanity won't get you anywhere, Geddo. I don't know anything about the Graveyard. I wouldn't even know where to start looking. And I'm not gonna waste my time meandering around the world aimlessly hoping to stumble across a lost temple holding a cursed treasure."

"You've never failed on a mission before," Kurtis drawled. "Perhaps you'll bring us good luck."

"I don't believe in luck," Gryffin retorted. "Luck can't be trusted."

"I'll tell you what, Gryffin," Geddo said, taking out a heavy pouch. "Five thousand kevesim as a down payment. If we don't find the Graveyard after six months of searching, we'll return to Meribia, and I'll pay you twenty thousand more for your trouble."

"However, if we do find it," Kurtis added, "The offer of fifty percent of the value of any Dragon Diamonds we bring back stands. Plus the money Geddo's offering. What do you say to that?"

"It's a tempting offer," Gryffin murmured. "Best I've ever had, actually."

"Does that mean you accept?" Kurtis asked eagerly.

Gryffin sat there lost in thought for several long moments. This would be a mission he wouldn't come back from; his instincts made that fact very clear to him. He doubted they'd actually succeed in finding the Graveyard, and even if they did, there had to be a reason nobody ever came back. If Gryffin accepted this mission, he knew for sure he wasn't going to survive it.

On the other hand, he was getting older. There was less demand for an aging mercenary. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life as a has-been, an aging warrior gone to seed. He wanted to die the way he lived the best years of his life: defying the odds, scorning danger, and facing death head-on, the danger be damned. Just as he'd always done.

Except this time, he'd be doing it alone.

"Yeah," he finally said. "I'm in."

-x-x-x-

"Whaddya mean I can't go with you?" Kyle exclaimed.

"Sorry, Kyle," Gryffin said. "But that's how it's gotta be."

"Why? This is the Dragon's Graveyard we're talking about! Our ticket to a lifetime of fame and fortune! You're not gonna shut me outta this!"

"It's not like that," Gryffin muttered. "This adventure is different from anything else you've ever faced…or anything you're likely to encounter on Lunar. You've heard about what's happened to all the other poor bastards who've tried to find this thing. The Dragon's Graveyard is going to be a one-way trip, and we both know it."

"So what? We're a team, damn it! We fight together, and we die together! I'm not going to abandon you!"

"You won't be abandoning me," Gryffin said. "I don't want you to come with me. I won't have you getting yourself killed just to follow me on an old man's vision of a glorious death. This isn't worth you dying for. Trust me on this."

"I'm not afraid of dying!" Kyle roared. "I could've been killed lots of times, and I always knew that! I'm not gonna run from danger just because I could die!"

"What about Jessica?" Gryffin asked quietly.

Kyle seemed taken aback by the question. "What about her?"

"You know how she feels about you...how much you mean to her. Think about how she'd feel if you never came back. Do you have any idea how devastated she would be?"

Kyle stood there silently, unable to meet his father's gaze. He hadn't thought about how Jessica would take it, and he wasn't sure he liked the idea of not seeing her again.

Gryffin sighed heavily. "Kyle, listen to me. You mean everything to Jessica. I can see it in her eyes whenever you're together. If you got yourself killed, it would destroy her. The pain will never go away, no matter how much time passes. I don't want her to lose you the way…the way I lost your mother. I don't want a sweet girl like that to go through that kind of pain. It's one thing to lose someone to old age, or sickness, or something like that. That's nature taking its course. But to have them taken from you when they still have so much to live for, for no reason…it tore me apart when Ferris was killed on account of one madman's ambition. You can't put Jessica through that."

It was the first time Kyle had ever heard Gryffin talk about his mother. He could feel himself starting to cry, for maybe the first time in his life. "What about me, Dad? How do you think I'd feel if something were to happen to you?"

Gryffin nearly choked, moved by Kyle's words. "Kyle, you and I have been through a lot together, and we've survived countless dangers. But you knew that one day, there would be an adventure I wouldn't come back from. I'm one of the toughest bastards still in the adventure game on Lunar, but I'm not invincible. Sooner or later, my luck will run out, or I won't be as quick as I need to be, and I'll be dead. And even if I survive all that, time will separate us sooner or later. It's the way the world works. You've always known this would happen someday."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kyle replied angrily.

"Kyle, I've had a good run. I've been blessed so many wonderful things: a life full of amazing adventures, the love of a wonderful woman…and a son who I've always been proud of, and who will one day grow up to be a great man. But my time is over, and yours is just beginning. You've got an amazing life waiting for you. You and Jess are gonna get married, have kids, and build a future of your own together. Don't throw that future away because of me. Think of what you'd be missing out on. Think of what you'd be leaving behind. Think of Jessica, and how she would feel if you got yourself killed. Is any treasure really worth that?"

Kyle clenched his fists, picturing himself and his father returning from the Dragon's Graveyard, showing off satchels of plundered Diamonds to a cheering crowd and a dazzled Jessica. He then thought of Jessica hearing of his death, mourning the loss of the boy she loved. Hadn't he promised her to never let anyone make her cry? Didn't that include him?

"You're right, Dad," Kyle whispered. "I'll stay. For Jessica, I'll stay."

Gryffin nodded. "Kneel and draw your swords," he said sternly. "Not that I don't trust you, but a sacred oath will bind you to your promise."

Slowly, Kyle did so, taking the same pose the Knights of Khavod did when they took their oaths of knighthood. Gryffin placed his hands on Kyle's head.

"Kyle, son of Gryffin of the house of Jor-dan," Gryffin said solemnly, "do you swear by your life and honor and by the Goddess Althena that you will not accompany me or try to follow me to the Dragon's Graveyard, and that you will never seek it out for the remainder of your days?"

Kyle took a deep breath. "By my life, my honor, and in the Goddess's name, I swear it."

Unable to bring himself to rise, Kyle remained kneeling, overcome with emotion. Gryffin helped him to his feet. "You've made the right choice, Kyle. Trust me. There are many things in this world worth dying for. But a girl like Jessica and the life you're going to share with her is something worth living for. There will always be other adventures waiting for you. Let this one go. And let me go too. It's time for you to stand on your own and build your own future."

Kyle nodded, and lifted his sword in a salute. "I'll miss you, Dad."

"I'll miss you too, Kyle," Gryffin said, returning the salute. "And who knows? I just might make it back safe and sound after all."

-x-x-x-

"That's why you stayed behind?" Jessica whispered. "Because of me?"

Kyle nodded uneasily. Jessica was staring at him with the inscrutable expression he always dreaded because he never knew what it meant she was thinking. He'd rather Jessica blow up at him, just so he'd know for sure if she really was pissed.

"So when exactly were you gonna tell me this?" Jessica finally said, in an angry tone Kyle knew all too well.

"I dunno," Kyle said awkwardly. "I wasn't, I guess. I never thought I'd have a reason to."

"What, you mean you were gonna keep this from me forever?" Jessica exclaimed, storming to her feet.

Kyle also rose to face her. "It wasn't something I thought you needed to know!"

Flaring, Jessica backhanded him across the jaw with all her might, knocking him to the ground. "Since when the hell do YOU get to decide what I need to know?"

Kyle wiped away a trickle of blood from his mouth as he got back on his feet. "Why are you acting like I did something horrible to you? I was trying to…"

"If you say that you were trying to protect me, I swear by Althena I'll…"

"Well, that's too damn bad, Jess, because that's exactly how it was!" Kyle snapped, cutting her off. "I didn't want to hurt you by dying along with my dad, and I never told you about it because I didn't want to hurt you by making you feel guilty about it, or thinking I was blaming you for what happened! There, it's all out in the open now! You wanna be mad at me, fine, but don't ask me to be sorry about what I did!"

Jessica said nothing; her arms were folded, and her eyes were smoldering. "Do you blame me?" she finally said, her voice barely more than a cold whisper.

"Of course not," Kyle said. "Dad made a choice, and so did I. I chose to stay with you."

Jessica stared at Kyle, and she too saw an all-too familiar expression: the apologetic look on his face that she saw every time he tried to do something he thought was right, and ended up making things worse in the process. Every time she saw that look, she couldn't help letting go of her anger. "You really gave up the adventure of a lifetime, fortune and glory, just to be with me?"

"Yeah," Kyle said. "Like Dad said, there are great adventures all over the place. Hell, just think about the one we shared with Alex. But you're one of a kind, Jess. I've always known I made the right choice, sticking with you, no matter how guilty I feel sometimes about not being there to protect my dad when he needed me, no matter how much that temper of yours pisses me off...it's all been worth it."

Jessica wiped away a tear. "All this time, you've been carrying this burden by yourself?"

Kyle shrugged. "Like I said, I didn't wanna lay a guilt trip on you. Anyways, who else was I gonna tell? My gang back in Nanza? Yeah, I can see it now: me bawling my head off about Daddy to one of my enforcers in some seedy pub. That'd do wonders for my rep."

They both laughed at the mental image, and then Jessica cradled his head in her arms. "Kyle, I told you we're in this together. That means we share everything with each other, including our burdens. You shouldn't have had to bear this one alone. Promise me you won't forget that again, okay?"

Kyle nodded. "Yeah, I'll remember. Thanks, Jess."

"For what?

"All sorts of stuff," Kyle said, grinning. "For this adventure. For understanding me and knowing I needed to do this. For never giving up on me no matter how many times I screw up."

"Of course I'm not gonna give up on you," Jessica replied. "I love you, you dumb bastard."

Kyle grinned. "I love you too, honeybomb," he said before kissing her.