Chapter 14
Shardak took one look at the figure and gasped in relief.
"Silencer, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me" The figure said tensely. "We've been watching out for you since the escape went wrong. It's a miracle you made it out of the Circle alive. Another war squadron is coming to cut you off any minute now." Like shadows, Ion and Melnox materialized behind Silencer.
"We need to leave. Now," Melnox said urgently. "The White Lightning is coming, and they've brought reinforcements from the Circle." Silencer nodded.
"Where's Kyhrex?" asked Shardak. "We have to find her first, if she's alive."
"I'm here." came a new voice. Kyhrex stepped out of the darkness and stood beside Silencer. "I was about to be overwhelmed by the Ix before Silencer, Melnox, and Ion arrived. If they hadn't showed up, I'd be dead now. How did you evade the Eliminators?"
"I'd like to know the entire story while we're travelling." said Silencer. "The Eliminators are out on battalion strength, as are the Stalkers. They won't rest until we're dead, and we will be, if we don't hurry. It's just a matter of time."
As the group of Toa and Glatorian slipped into the shadows of the Labyrinth, Shardak recounted their tale. He told of their capture by Nightshade, Barit's sacrifice, their narrow escape from Flareus, and their battles with the Stalkers and Eliminators. Finally, he told Silencer of how he'd killed the two Ix in battle and wounded many more.
"You were only acting in self-defense. You couldn't have done anything more." Silencer said. "If you hadn't killed them, they'd have done worse to you."
"Are we near the exit to Intax?" asked Shardak.
"No." said Silencer grimly. "The plan's changed."
Melnox inspected their injuries, his face grim. When he saw Shardak's shoulder and leg wounds, he winced. "Stalker got you?" he asked. Shardak nodded mutely.
"We're here." said Silencer grimly. Shardak blinked in surprise. Before now, he'd just assumed Silencer was leading them away from the Ix patrols. "Void's Edge."
Shardak paused, then looked down at his surroundings and gasped.
Behind him, about a bio away, Shardak saw a massive opening into a horrible black abyss of pure darkness. Like the Ix's cloaks, it absorbed light from the lantern he carried, but the abyss seemed to pull him toward it, as though asking him to jump into the bottomless depths of cold darkness. While he could tell where the ground gave way to the void, he could not see where it ended.
"The Grand Abyss." said Silencer, seeing his reaction. "The Void of Dimensions. Some also say it's literally a gateway to other worlds, as well as the ultimate prison."
"Do you think we've evaded the Ix?" Shardak asked Blast at length. His mind was full of questions about the Abyss, but he held his tongue. The most important thing was to know they were out of danger.
"I hope th-" Blast broke off.
Suddenly Shardak saw what Blast had seen. He drew the Blade of Arcturas. Silencer and the others readied their blades.
The Fury stood before them, hooded and masked. His dark cloak obscured most of his body, leaving only his corpse hands visible in the shadows. Behind his mask, his eyes burned with feverish intensity.
Flanking him stood a virtual army of Ix soldiers. All were armored in green and black, and carried standard Ix Division weapons. Shardak saw Flareus standing directly behind the Fury, Banrax at his side. Both the Elementals looked cold and impassive, though Shardak saw a gleam of excitement in Flareus' eyes as he looked at them, eyes smoldering with their usual hatred.
"Fury," Silencer spoke the word coldly as he faced his archenemy.
"Silencer." said the Ix. His voice was raspy and nasal, and his being emanated pure evil and barely controlled rage.
For a few moments, the two beings, Toa and Ix faced each other, as though recalling their ancient struggle. Then, as if by some unspoken signal, they tensed. The Fury raised his hands, and to his horror Shardak saw he was carrying small scythes, similar to the one Nightshade had wielded in the Spire.
No, thought Shardak. It was his worst nightmare. They were trapped between an Ix army and the most secure prison in the entire universe or a void of complete annihilation, depending on who you asked.
"Silencer, no." said Melnox, his voice pleading. "Don't fight him."
Silencer looked his brother in the eye, and nodded quietly. "It's time I finished this," His eyes remained fixed on the Ix commander as he raised his weapons, a long, curved sword of cold iron and an icy club.
"Die." whispered the Fury. "Let this be the end of all your dreams to use the Spirit Toa against us."
Silencer said nothing in reply, simply drew his sword and struck. In an instant, the Fury crossed the distance between them. Their blades locked in a deadly dance of scythes, sword, and club as they fought their duel to the death. Shardak, Ion, Kyhrex, Melnox, and Blast watched helplessly as the two beings continued their deadly dance.
Silencer's two weapons were unwieldy, yet they dealt the same amount of damage as the scythes did as they were more powerful. Silencer was fast, but the Fury was almost supernaturally agile, dodging and weaving around Silencer's weapons to score hit after hit.
Silencer winced in pain and struck the Fury a glancing blow to the shoulders. The Fury tore the club from Silencer's hands. Silencer retaliated with a bolt of elemental fire, but the Fury dodged it with speed and grace that rivaled that of a Muaka Cat and brought both scythes down on Silencer's legs, tearing open an old wound. Blood welled from the cut.
"That's not good." whispered Melnox quietly as the Fury brought his scythes under Silencer and the Toa was forced backward, toward the watching Toa and Glatorian.
Silencer slashed one knife at the Fury, who leapt away quickly, tearing the club from Silencer's hands. The Fury then attacked again, tearing a ragged wound in the Silencer's side. Silencer staggered backward, and the Fury tore another gash with his deadly scythes. Blood, cold black in the pale green illumination, flowed down his chest plate.
"No!" Melnox screamed as the Fury readied to deal a death blow.
At the last moment Silencer staggered backward, and the dagger scythe struck Silencer in the shoulder, driving deep into muscle and bone. Shardak winced as he watched the Fury tear the scythe free as Silencer winced in pain from his wounds.
The Fury leapt up with his dagger and struck, ripping a terrible gouge in Silencer's side. Shardak winced as the deadly, icy pain of Shredsteel took its toll. Silencer staggered backward, weakened horribly, and the Fury lunged forward at the weakened and disoriented Toa.
And at that moment, Shardak knew what Silencer was about to do.
His old lesson on combat forms weeks came back to him. Many of the moves I used against you were not Sila. The final attack was Vauhti, which involves using speed and cunning to penetrate defenses.
The Fury had been using Vauhti against Silencer. But now, Shardak saw Silencer bring his weapons together as elemental fire grew between them.
The Fury struck Silencer like a viper, both scythes extended. At that moment, Silencer pounced. Leaping upward, he brought his club down, tearing one of the Ix's scythes from his grasp. As the weapon clattered to the ground, Shardak watched as the Fury snarled, stabbing outward at the Toa
As the Fury's scythe neared Silencer's heart, Silencer leapt to one side. The Fury, unprepared for such a sudden and forceful attack, staggered back as Silencer struck him in the chest with the club. The Ix snarled and knocked the club from Silencer's hands with his scythe.
Then Silencer struck, switching his grip on the scythe and, with the full force of his momentum behind him, slashed upward, blindingly fast, and tore open the Fury's neck.
Blood sprayed between the two combatants as the Fury's scream was abruptly cut off by a ghastly choking sound. The Fury, mortally wounded, staggered away from Silencer, mouthing curses as the blood poured from his throat.
Silencer grabbed the Ix's fallen scythe and sank both blades into the Fury's chest. For a few minutes, mortal enemy stared at mortal enemy silently, both pairs of eyes burning with hatred.
The Fury's body convulsed and grew still. Silencer tore both his knives from his dying enemy, and the Fury slumped to the ground, blood pooling all around him. His eyes, the spark of life fading from them slowly, glazed over.
The Fury was dead. Excited murmuring passed down the ranks of Ix as they stared at the body of their fallen leader. For a moment, they hesitated.
Silencer wasted no time. As he staggered back to Shardak's group, Shardak was shocked to see the injuries the Toa had suffered. The Fury's scythe had impaled him through the chest and side twice, and blood was still pouring from his open wounds.
Then Banrax snarled an order. The Ix drew their scythes, and readied to charge.
"Go!" Silencer yelled at them from atop the ridge.
"We can't leave you!" Ion yelled back.
"You must." Silencer's breath was slowing. "My destiny has been fulfilled…but theirs has yet to come. Remember the plan, Melnox. Guide them in the ways I never was able."
"I…cannot" Ion spoke sadly. "We need you, Silencer!"
As Silencer shook his head, Shardak felt another vision engulf his mind, heard the clash of spear and sword.
The Fury, stabbing both daggers into the Toa of Water's back...
Silencer, screaming in rage and pain, forcing the Ix hordes away from his fallen friend...
Silencer, holding the Toa's hand as the cold of death took her...
Melnox, eyes grim, standing like a dark shadow behind his brother and the dying Toa.
"You must." Silencer spoke as though, in his darkest dreams, he'd known the moment would one day come. "I'll die anyway. I may as well buy you some time." Shardak looked at Silencer helplessly, but knew he was right. The Fury had injured his body beyond repair.
"This is…not the end." Silencer slurred. "It is a new beginning. Go!" his voice regained some of its old strength in that last syllable.
Melnox and Ion grabbed Shardak's and Blast's hands, and as the Ix charged, led them down the tunnel, not away from the Void, but around it.
Shardak's last view of Silencer before he vanished forever was the Toa, a war cry on his lips, his weapons held high. A lone red Toa in the midst of darkness.
Then he was gone, his screams and the clash of weapons growing fainter with each turn down the tunnel.