Chapter 12
Illuminated by the ethereal green light of Kyhrex's lantern and the cold torch Shardak carried, the Labyrinth appeared foreboding, mysterious, and enigmatically dangerous. Grim, half-toppled spires stood like grim witnesses to time's unceasing destruction, and half-formed and collapsed buildings and rock formations made the small, winding tunnels even smaller.
Despite himself, Shardak shivered. The Circle, while tyrannical and cruel, had been wide and open. However, the Labyrinth was a massive crisscross of intersecting, claustrophobic tunnels and passageways that led far deeper into the earth then the Circle.
Once again, Shardak had wondered how deep underground they were. Silencer had told him the Circle was not far from the Kodax Fells and was not much deeper than the passageway Banrax had captured them in.
A sudden thought made him turn to Blast. They'd been running through the Labyrinth for the past twenty or so minutes, too scared that the Ix would catch them to talk. Now they'd slowed slightly, Kyhrex easily leading them through the maze like she'd lived here her entire life.
"Where'd you find the Blade of Arcturas and the scythe?" Shardak asked.
Blast looked puzzled. "It was strange. One moment I was thinking that I needed a weapon, the next I was holding both of them in my hands. I don't understand how or why-"
Kyhrex looked puzzled. "You're obviously not a Toa. However, I don't think you can use the aura field, and you certainly don't have elemental powers."
Shardak was about to ask Kyhrex how she could be so certain, but Blast spoke first.
"I know. But I didn't get tired or weaken or anything after summoning the weapons, it was as though-" Blast broke off, a confused expression on his face, as though his subconscious had realized a missing piece to a puzzle but his consciousness had yet to process it.
Kyhrex halted finally near a small, rundown building.
"We've lost them now. If they can still sense where we are, they haven't shown it yet."
"How do you know?" asked Blast. Shardak wanted to grab his hand, beg for his forgiveness for the mess he'd gotten them all into, but he didn't dare. However, Blast seemed eager to let bygones be bygones, and looked delighted to have been rescued.
"The way Shardak can sense the aura field...I can sense elemental energy. Unlike auric power, I can tell where it's coming from. If any of the Kranr pursued us, they're far behind now."
"And the Ix?" asked Shardak.
"The Ix could very well be following us now. However, hopefully Barit wounded the Ix girl badly enough to keep them off our trail for a few hours."
At the mention of Nightshade, Shardak tensed. She was an Ix! How blindingly obvious her betrayal had been, yet Shardak, thinking with his heart and not his mind, had rushed off to save her, never considering she'd been the real murderer all along.
Her and the Fury, thought Shardak. At the thought of the ghoulish Ix commander, his heart froze with dread. Even Silencer spoke the Fury's name with no little awe or fear.
"Hopefully." he answered. Then he asked, "Who is the Fury? I've heard Silencer mention him in the past, always with hatred. What did he do to him?"
Kyhrex's expression grew somber. "Silencer has lost much in the fight with the Ix. For years he has fought the Ix, and lost everything he loved because of it. Well, not everything." she amended. "He still has Melnox."
As she spoke, Shardak felt a thought, or was it a memory, flash across his mind.
He was standing on a massive island. Winged Rahi flew through the skies; legions of black-robed Ix strode from the darkness...
Silencer, and another Toa, a Toa of Water, fighting against the massive horde of enemies. More beings, Glatorian, Agori, and Matoran, running in all directions...
The Fury, scythes drawn, facing Silencer and the same Toa of Water...
"Shardak!" Kyhrex's voice brought the world back into focus. "Shardak, are you okay?"
"Yes." he lied, deeply unsettled by what he'd seen. He wondered for a moment where the vision had come from? Was it his imagination? Or the Shadow Orb? It had seemed so real...
"Hopefully she'll not be able to follow us." said Shardak. As he said this, his voice broke with pain and exhaustion. He'd truly severed the last tie that bound him to Intax.
"I can't believe her." said Blast, angry. Then his voice became sad. "They'd beat me, in the hold. The Kranr would laugh, and the Ix would just...stand there and let them do it. Nightshade would often come and watch."
"Blast, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to get you involved in-"
"Shardak." said Blast calmly. "I can't blame you. It was the Ix. They're the ones to blame, for drawing us into this. And besides, sooner or later the Fury and Nightshade would've figured out what had happened and come after us. And we'd have both been dead weeks ago."
In the next few minutes, Shardak and Kyhrex told Blast about Silencer rescuing him from the Spire, his days as a slave miner and apprentice to Melnox and the others, and Silencer's revelations about his past and about the prophecies.
"I believe you." said Blast immediately, surprising him. "Some of the questions the Ix asked me...had no other explanation. Eventually they gave up questioning me about you when they realized I knew nothing."
Shardak nodded, and then turned to Kyhrex. "Why were all these buildings built within these tunnels? Some of them were once so large it's as if the earth itself has shifted and destroyed them."
"That is not so far from the truth." Kyhrex answered. "Many years ago, the Labyrinth was part of the Circle, the noble's district. During the years of the plague, the Labyrinth sank beneath the earth and eventually the raw elemental energy within the earth twisted them into the maze of tunnels they are today."
"Where did the plague originate from?" asked Shardak. "From the Nameless City?"
Kyhrex seemed surprised, but answered, "Silencer told you of the Mindeaters?"
"Yes. He said the city was their capitol, their main base." Shardak answered.
"No one knows if the city exists." answered Kyhrex. "However, if it does exist, it has almost certainly been devastated by now. One of the ancient legends calls it a place of horrors and half-formed shades, from which terrors stem and darkness rises. If it does exist, it would be somewhere in the void."
"What is the void, exactly? Silencer called it the Grand Abyss."
"The Void, the Abyss, the Pit- it has had many names over the years. Some say it leads to complete annihilation, a complete destruction of mind and body. Others say it's an ultimate prison, where forgotten deities and demons from ages past are locked away, a sort of void between realities."
"Will the Ix ever invade the Fells?" Blast asked after a few moments of silence.
"No." Kyhrex answered at length. "They won't attack. Many, many Kodax serve the Empire in the realms above the Circle, as the Kranr do here. The Kodax tribes are so nomadic that the Ix already control the entire area without even posting guards there.
"However, you can't hide there. The Ix are patient. Sublimely patient. No one has ever left the Circle and survived, save one."
"Who?" asked Shardak curiously. He felt a strange sort of anticipation flow through him, as though he already knew the answer, as though it was just beyond his reach.
"He was an Elemental, like Banrax. His name was Arcturas."
Arcturas! The name tore through Shardak like lightning. Was it possible that the Glatorian who'd raised him and the only being to have escaped the Circle were one and the same? It seemed completely inconceivable...but he'd been thrown overnight into a world where nothing, not even life and death, was certain.
Before Shardak could inquire further, Kyhrex got to her feet.
"Ix." she whispered the name quietly, as though it were curse.
Shardak felt raw terror flood his senses again. Could the Ix have caught them so soon? It seemed impossible. But, if Silencer was correct, the veiled torturers and the Copies were the least of the Ix's servants.
"Here? So soon?"
"They're coming...and there are Kranr with them."
"Kranr?" asked Shardak. "Don't they want to have our escape be as secret as possible."
Kyhrex nodded. "Usually, yes. It surprised me, too. I think it may be that the veiled ones will send the Kranr first, then have the soldiers follow on mop-up duty. It's one of their tactics. And then we've got the division ahead of us-"
"The division?" asked Shardak.
"White Lightning." said Kyhrex. "They're the Ix's border guard. They maintain the lowest, darkest reaches of the labyrinth, as well as a gateway to the Void."
"More Ix? Great. We're completely cut off, then?" asked Shardak, fearing the worst.
"No." answered Kyhrex. "There are many escape routes in the Labyrinth, and the Ix can't possibly patrol them all. There are other dangers, such as hunting Lumidrax, but nothing you can't handle, even with your limited auric skills."
Shardak was about to reply, when Kyhrex grabbed his arm. "We'll have to rest later. I know an air shaft that leads upward, toward the Circle. It leads to many other tunnels, so we can double back and return here if we have to."
Shardak raised his torch, illuminating the shadowed passageways ahead. All was ominously silent, and Shardak wondered for a brief moment if his auric senses where also confirming what Kyhrex had told him or if he was simply scared of impending danger.
"No..." whispered Kyhrex. Shardak looked at their guide and was startled to realize her features were scared. "He's coming. I should have known he wouldn't take the passageways, he'd just blast his way in."
"Who?" asked Shardak and Blast at the same time, their voices equally full of fear.
"Flareus, Elemental Lord of Fire. And it seems he's not going to wait for the Ix to arrive. He's coming now to take us prisoner."
"He's disobeying the Ix?" asked Shardak.
"No. The Kranr's presence I sensed was either a diversion, or the Kranr and possibly the Ix are following Banrax to make sure all the loose ends are tied up. Either way, he's trying to blast through the walls of the Labyrinth."
Her final words were accompanied by a burst of fire and an explosion like a thunderclap. Shardak winced as more flames exploded from the wall, and was fire and ash spiraled through the cold darkness, a being, moving through the flames as though they were nothing but air.
"Shardak! Blast! Run!" yelled Kyhrex. The being had destroyed the wall completely now, he was staring at Kyhrex with murderous intent in his eyes.
"I'm not leaving you!" Shardak yelled back, his voice hoarse. Flareus, in a dark cloak and crimson armor, looked absolutely terrifying in the miasma of flames. His Kanohi had the same hungry twisted expression that Banrax's had, but unlike Banrax his eyes were darker, smoldering with flames. Worse still, Shardak could sense his aura, a burning sphere of pure flame that surrounded his entire being.
Flareus wasted no time with words. Drawing back a hand, Shardak saw a sphere of flame begin to form within his hand. Before Shardak could move, Flareus launched the sphere at Kyhrex.
Shardak watched as Kyhrex threw up a shield of elemental water, then to his horror, saw that the fire was burning through the shield, evaporating the water. Shardak watched helplessly as the elemental's sheer power flung her against the wall. Kyhrex slammed against the wall with a jarring thud, falling limply to the ground.
Kyhrex raised her head, trying to clear her vision. "Run..." she whispered, "It's our only chance..."
"You never had a chance, rebels." hissed Flareus disdainfully, his voice sounding like the crackle of burning embers. "This conflict is over. Now give me the Shadow Orb."
The Elemental raised his hand, a second sphere coalescing in his palm. His eyes flicked back and forth between Shardak and Blast, as though deciding which being to kill first. Then finally he settled on Blast, his eyes fixed on his target.
Shardak felt a cold surge of pure anger flow through him, one he never completely understood. Maybe it was because of the anger he felt at Barit's death and Nightshade's betrayal. Maybe it was because the Ix had interfered with his life when they'd had no right to, and now Barit was dead and Kyhrex could be dying. But in any event, he raised the Blade of Arcturas and charged the Elemental.
Flareus was about to release the elemental sphere when Shardak struck. Surprised, Flareus whirled around, his eyes smoldering with rage. His expression turned to recognition when he saw the Blade of Arcturas slam down on his foreleg, sinking into the muscle and bone beneath.
The Elemental snarled and swiped his claws, aiming for the Toa's head. Shardak dodged narrowly, and the blow struck him below the shoulder blades, damaging his armor.
Pain shot through him, a cold lance against the dying embers of his rage. Before he could react, he felt Flareus' burning claws grab him, and felt the heat flow through his body. Before he could react he heard Blast scream his name, and felt a rush of cold air tear him from the Elemental's arms. Shardak landed lightly on his feet, and saw Kyhrex channeling the energy into him out of the corner of his eye.
Flareus screamed in rage, and released the fireball at Blast. Shardak watched its progression with horror, thinking for sure Blast would be incinerated or flung against the wall.
However, just as the sphere was about to strike him, something inexplicable happened. Just as the fireball was about to make contact with Blast and Shardak was about to charge Flareus again in retaliation, Blast suddenly vanished, then appeared at the other side of the cavern. Flareus snarled in confusion as his sphere of flame splashed uselessly against the wall, then turned around in horror to see Blast standing directly in front of him.
"What-" Flareus began, but Blast had already gathered blue energy in his hand and flung it at Flareus. The Elemental retaliated with a burst of sonic energy that sent both Blast and Shardak reeling. While they were distracted, Flareus flung a crackling bolt of dark energy at them, striking Blast in the arm and Shardak in the leg.
Shardak winced in pain as his leg was knocked out from under him and he fell to the ground. The force of the impact sent the Labyrinth spinning wildly around him, and it took him a moment to realize he'd fallen. As he looked up, he saw that Flareus had callously swatted Blast to the ground and left him injured while moving in to finish off Kyhrex.
"No!" screamed Shardak, and leapt at the Elemental. Flareus whirled around, then, in one hard strike, tore the Blade of Arcturas from his hands. He then used the force created by Shardak's jump to reverse his momentum, flinging him to the ground once more. Again, Shardak felt his fall slowed by Kyhrex's air Elemental powers.
Flareus hissed in rage, when he saw Shardak had not been killed, then struck Kyhrex again with a bolt of fire. The bolt narrowly missed Kyhrex's head, and struck her arm. Shardak winced as the flames literally burned through it.
"No!" he screamed as Flareus readied to deal the final blow.
At the last minute, Kyhrex dodged to one side. The trick did not fool Flareus at all, and the Elemental matched her blow with one of his own. At the same time, Kyhrex drew her laser crossbow, and the Elemental was forced to take a step back to avoid being stuck by the weapon.
Kyhrex slashed the blade wildly, and Flareus quickly disarmed her. The Elemental snarled in confusion as he watched the remains of her laser crossbow shatter against the Labyrinth's walls.
And at that moment, Kyhrex struck. Raising her hands toward the cavern ceiling, she fired a cyclonic blast of energy upward. The beam impacted at the same moment Flareus' bolt of fire did, and the combined weight of those attacks brought down a massive rockfall of debris.
Shardak watched in horrified fascination as hundreds of tons of rubble came crashing down on Flareus. The Elemental uttered a final screech of rage and hatred that was abruptly cut off as the cavern collapsed on top of him.
"Quick, follow me!" yelled Kyhrex over the roar of the crumbling tunnel. "This entire section of the Labyrinth will cave in at any moment!"
Shardak needed no further urging. Grabbing Blast's arm, he hauled the Glatorian to his feet and together they raced down the tunnel.
"Is he dead?" asked Shardak. His voice sounded different to him, smaller and more afraid. Earlier in the Spire, Nightshade had been about to kill him with her sickle. He'd never felt closer to the edge of death then he had then, until Flareus grabbed him and held him in his claws, ready to snap his spine.
"No." said Kyhrex. Shardak looked at her with gratitude and admiration. She'd been injured badly by Flareus and had used the last of her elemental powers to bury the Elemental beneath a stretch of tunnel, but was still standing despite her exhaustion and injuries. "How long do you think it'll take him to blast out of there with fire? He tore down a cavern wall made of cold iron with three blasts."
"So he'll be on our trail soon? Before we run into White Lightning?" asked Shardak.
"No, he'd already exhausted much of his elemental powers blasting through the cavern wall and in the battle. He'll recover, but he'll almost certainly return to the Ix and report failure."
"You're sure?"
"White Lightning guards the Labyrinth. Every exit tunnel is monitored by the Ix. His failure to kill us was only a temporary setback. And now they all know we have the Orb."
Shardak nodded once, then turned to Blast. "How did you do that?" he asked. "You slowed down time around Flareus."
"I...don't know." said Blast. He sounded very confused. "It was similar to when your sword and the scythe appeared in my hands. It was as though...I'd suddenly developed skills far beyond my years of training."
Kyhrex was looking at Blast with curiosity and slight suspicion, but she was obviously tired and they both abandoned questioning. It was obvious both of them were wounded badly and needed rest.
"We should rest here." said Shardak. "There's no way we'll get any further, and if Flareus isn't following us, we aren't in any immediate danger."
Kyhrex nodded as though relieved. "I'll take first watch. We still need to take precautions. It's not unusual for the Ix's division to patrol this area of the Labyrinth."
Shardak silently acknowledged Kyhrex, but his own comment continued to haunt him. We aren't in any immediate danger. Shardak shivered as he thought of hundreds of grim, cold Ix soldiers barring all hope of escape from these claustrophobic tunnels, and wondered as he surveyed the area with his Cold Fire torch what dangers lay ahead.