The First Kaiaru (12 page)

Enashoma slipped out of the Throne Room and returned to the lavender field within the Canvas. Again, she sat in the center. With both hands, she adopted the
mudra of energy drawing
and meditated. Keeping her focus was difficult. Her mind kept drifting to the Maker’s Brush, the very item that Chonda Lu had used to make Motekeru and all his other creations, except Lu Bei, who was somehow special. There was always more to Lu Bei…always.

Enashoma went erect. It suddenly occurred to her how ridiculously minor her little animated origami creatures were. That brush, doubtlessly along with other magics, had created Motekeru and Lu Bei, and who knew what else. And now she, Chonda Enashoma, had the power of a kavaru to use along with it, and someone who could teach her how to use it.

T
uresobei and the others didn't have to venture far into the rainforest before they found Iniru on the ground, leaning back against a tree. Her face was scratched, her arm was bleeding from a cut, and her left leg was a bloody mess.

In a faint voice, she moaned, “I can’t wait until we get back…need healing now…got two bad cuts…think my thighbone’s fractured.”

They had practiced for this. Awasa placed one hand on Iniru's forehead and held the
mudra of extending peace
with the other. This kept Iniru calm and reduced the amount of pain she felt. Meanwhile, Zaiporo dressed the wounds using supplies from the small packs they carried with them, and Kurine checked to see if the bone was broken, and if so, how badly.

“She doesn't need a splint,” Kurine said. “Probably just fractured.”

Once they were done, Turesobei recalled the Storm Dragon, then did a casting of the
spell of summer healing
.

“You're going to be fine,” he said, “but don't put too much weight on your leg for a couple of days. Remember, the spell—”

“I know, I know,” Iniru said. “The spell won’t make it better instantly. It just greatly accelerates the natural healing process. Go get the heart stone, and let's get out of here.”

Smiling, Turesobei squeezed her shoulder. “That was good work, Niru.”

“I wouldn’t have survived without the spells you gave me. As it was, I barely made it.”

“What happened?” Kurine asked.

“I circumvented most of the knobs, but then had to fight my way up to a big stump that was constantly spitting out more of the things. I got hurt destroying the stump. After that, I managed to limp to the big root ball the vines were growing out from. I was on my way back to the waterfall, but then I passed out here for a few minutes.”

“Well, you saved the two of us,” Kurine said, gesturing at herself and Awasa. “The vines had us pinned underwater, and we couldn’t have lasted much longer.”

Motekeru stayed with Iniru, just in case, while everyone else went to the cave. Zaiporo carried Sumada instead of Iniru. The pedestal with the heart stone had appeared. Using the same technique as before, they attacked the force field, only this time without Motekeru’s help.

When the force field shattered, they all sighed with relief.

Turesobei was exhausted, but he was about to feel a lot better. He grabbed the heart stone. Once again, he heard hundreds of faint voices, and a mind-altering, reinvigorating rush of energy surged into him.

“Let's go,” Turesobei said.

Kurine scanned the ground around the pedestal. “Hold on.” After about a minute, she picked up a gray pebble identical to the one she'd gotten from the Spring Realm, except the spiral pattern on this one was a pale green instead of blue. “Okay, I’m ready now.”

W
hen they returned from the Forest Realm, Lord Gyoroe took the heart stone, thanked them profusely, and rushed off. Hannya told them to rest for a week, then followed him. Smiling, Enashoma hugged everyone, starting with Zaiporo. Turesobei was glad to see her happy.

“I made contact with Nāa,” she told him.

“And….”

She exchanged a meaningful look with Lu Bei. “I learned exactly what it means to be a bonded host, and it isn’t dangerous at all.”

“That’s good,” Turesobei said.

“He gets to experience the world through me. Everything I see and hear,
he
sees and hears. Everything I feel,
he
feels.”

Zaiporo scowled. “Everything?”

Enashoma blushed. “It’s okay.”

“I don’t like it,” Zaiporo said.

“It really isn’t that bad,” she said. “We’ll talk it over, okay?”

“Yeah. Fine.”

Turesobei sympathized with Zaiporo. He wouldn’t be comfortable having a Kaiaru experience his most intimate moments through Iniru or Kurine either.

“He doesn’t know why he woke again, not yet,” Enashoma said. “And he didn’t get to talk long. His kavaru is weak right now, but it will grow stronger again.”

“Why don’t you tell us all about it over dinner tonight,” Turesobei said. “Right now, I need to cast some healing spells. And I think we all need baths.”

“And naps,” Kurine said. “Long, long naps.”

While the others rested and goofed off, Turesobei spent the week replenishing his spell strips and rehearsing his castings. Now that he had fought guardians twice, he recognized that he needed to significantly improve his casting times.

It worried him that Lord Gyoroe wasn't teaching him anything about the heart stones. He felt certain that if there was a way to beat him, it would involve those stones. But all he could do for now was survive the battles, retrieve the stones, and wait. Pushing Lord Gyoroe would just anger him or, worse, make him suspicious.

Turesobei had been dreading the Sunken Realm, and as soon as they stepped through the gate, his instincts were confirmed.

The island they arrived on was barely large enough to hold the stone arch, much less their whole group. A huge, crimson sun hung in the deep purple sky and cast ominous shadows that made them imagine monsters surfacing out of every wavelet. The dark, languid sea stretched to the horizon in every direction, broken only by a few tiny islands. Yet despite the dim sun, it wasn't cold. In fact, it was sweltering.

“Is this my Okoro, only with all the ice melted?” Kurine asked.

“Yes. This sun is overheating even as its light fades,” Hannya replied. “
All
of the ice on this world has melted, and the seas now cover everything but the highest mountain tops. Until you reach the highland shelf, all of Zangaiden is underwater. If you see any people, avoid them. This is an incredibly savage age where life is cheap and killing but a casual thing.”

“Oh, that’s just lovely,” Iniru said.

Turesobei teleported them to the site. But instead of arriving near the the plunge pool at the bottom of the now familiar waterfall, here they came out at the top. Iniru immediately slipped backwards off the edge of the cliff and would have fallen if not for Motekeru’s quick reflexes. He lifted her up and set her safely beside him, apologizing for scratching her arm in the process.

They spread out along the edge of the highland shelf and stared down at the ocean twenty feet below. The majestic waterfall from the other realms had dwindled to a shallow river that spilled directly into the waves crashing against the cliff face.

“Please tell me,” Zaiporo said, “that the stone cylinder is going to appear up here and not in some underwater cave.”

Turesobei finished evoking the Storm Dragon, then waded out into the river to stand above the spot where the pedestal would be if it were on top of the shelf rather than in the cave. He scanned with his kenja-sight, then focused his mind on what the kenja signatures of the other cylinders had felt like.

He groaned. “There’s a cave directly below me, and I’m certain that’s where the heart stone is going to appear.”

“It’s just as well,” Awasa said. “We’re going to have to go underwater anyway.”

“Why do you say that?” Kurine asked.

“Where else would Naibane, Lady of the Waves, put her guardian generators?”

“Sobei, we're all going to need that water breathing spell you used before,” Iniru said.

As he waded out of the river, Turesobei drew the strip and did a slow casting so that he could make the spell powerful enough to last longer than before and to affect everyone who needed it.

“Sobei, hurry,” Iniru said. “There's something big moving out in the sea.”

“I don’t see anything,” Zaiporo said.

“You will soon,” Iniru replied. Her eyesight was significantly better than everyone else’s.

Turesobei couldn't go any faster. He could, however, back away from the edge along with the others. He finished the spell and said, “There, for the next half hour, we can all breathe underwater.”

“Land-bound enemies!” Lu Bei shouted down from above. “Coming in fast!”

Turesobei whipped around. Charging toward them was a horde, maybe two hundred strong, of disgusting creatures. They were human in shape, except that they had squid heads and massive tentacles instead of arms. Luckily, most of them were still several hundred paces away. But a smaller group of about two dozen were much closer.

“What the heck are those disgusting things?” Iniru asked.

“No idea,” Turesobei replied.

Zaiporo groaned as he drew his bow. “Well, if you don't know, then it's got to be bad.”

The Storm Dragon swooped around and blasted the creatures back with a gust of wind. Then she opened her mouth to breathe lightning. But before she could, a long octopus tentacle, as thick as an oak, flew up out of the ocean, wrapped around her body, and slammed her down.

Turesobei and the others dived out of the way as the tentacle dragged the snarling, thrashing Storm Dragon along the shelf, over the cliff, and out into the sea.

T
hey had only a moment to stare, mouths agape, before two more giant tentacles snapped out and swatted at the shelf. The unaimed attacks missed Turesobei and his companions, but not by much.

Turesobei glanced out toward the sea. Six of the giant octopus-kagi’s arms were wrapped around the Storm Dragon. The other two, however, reared back then flailed toward the cliff again.

“Incoming!” Turesobei shouted.

They dodged aside as the two tentacles struck the cliff, cracking rock and pounding earth.

Meanwhile, the squid-headed monsters closed in.

Lu Bei zipped along, firing small lightning blasts into the cliff face. Turesobei had no idea what he was shooting at.

“Got another problem, master!” Lu Bei shouted as he swept overhead.

“
More
problems?” Zaiporo asked.

A score of small sea demons crested the cliff and scuttled out onto the shelf. With claws, fangs, and tentacles, they were a lot like the orugukagi that had nearly killed Kurine in the Ancient Cold and Deep, except these kagi were more like crabs.

When Kurine saw them, a sick look spread across her face. Trembling, she dropped her warhammer and her shield. Then she sank to the ground. As the crab-kagi charged, she mewled and hugged herself, rocking back and forth.

Dozens more raced over the precipice. Turesobei incinerated all the ones he could see using a fire-blast spell. Then he knelt in front of Kurine and put his hands on her shoulders.

“You've got to snap out of it. We need your help.”

She didn’t respond.

“Kurine, I need you.”

She shook her head and muttered unintelligibly.

“I think she’s gone into shock,” Turesobei said.

“We can't protect her, fight off the guardians, and destroy the generators at the same time,” Zaiporo said as he fired an arrow at one of the humanlike squid-heads. “Not out here in the open.”

Motekeru and Awasa had engaged the first group of squid-heads, while Iniru, Rig, and Ohma rushed in to defend the cliff edge. Storm Dragon Lu Bei darted along helping out wherever he was most needed. Out in the sea, the Storm Dragon continued to battle the giant octopus, but she still couldn't break free.

A giant tentacle sped toward them. Everyone dived aside, except Kurine who saw the attack coming but did nothing to defend herself. Iniru raced in and tackled Kurine, knocking her aside. The tentacle slammed into the ground just inches away from them.

“Either we get her somewhere safe or we teleport out and come back another day,” Iniru said.

“Zaiporo, take Kurine down into the cave,” Turesobei said, drawing another fire-blast spell strip. “That’s a much more defensible position.”

Turesobei placed the
spell of the strength of three men
on Zaiporo, followed by the
spell of the lesser force field
on Kurine. He took her head in his hands and made her look into his eyes. “Kurine, you are going to go down into the cave with Zaiporo. You'll be safe there. I promise.”

She didn't budge.

Another giant tentacle thrashed towards them, but only struck the side of the cliff.

Zaiporo strapped Kurine’s shield to his back, then grabbed her by the arm, but she resisted.

Turesobei had no choice. He cast the
spell of compelling obedience
on her, using the least amount of power necessary. “Follow Zaiporo.”

Turesobei went to the edge of the cliff and blasted all the crab-kagi climbing up. Then he handed her warhammer to Zaiporo. “Go now!”

Kurine followed his orders mechanically and plunged into the sea along with Zaiporo. Turesobei collapsed to his knees, dizzy and gasping as he tried to catch his breath. This would be so much easier if he had an hour to rest after each teleport. Then he’d easily be able to cast three times as many spells.

Turesobei looked inland. Motekeru, Awasa, the hounds, and Storm Dragon Lu Bei battled the squid-heads and were barely holding them at bay.

“Motekeru,” Turesobei said, “you and I will take out the land generator. Niru, you and Awasa take out the—”

He lunged out of the way as a giant tentacle slammed into the earth. The tip of the tentacle clipped Motekeru in the back and knocked him down. Half a dozen squid-heads pounced onto him, but a moment later, he stood and tossed them away. More and more of the squid-heads streamed toward them. Soon, they would be surrounded.

At least the crab-kagi weren’t coming after them anymore. Of course, that probably meant they were attacking Zaiporo and Kurine.

“I think splitting up is a bad idea,” Iniru said. “Even with Motekeru, you are not going to be able to fight through all of those things to reach their generator. Think about it: for every one we kill, another will take its place.”

“But if we don't take out the water source,” Turesobei said, “then Zaiporo and Kurine are going to get overwhelmed in the cave.”

Awasa sprinted toward the cliff. “You three take out the land generator! I’ve got this.”

She dived headfirst into the water.

“So much for the chain of command,” Turesobei muttered.

“Let's form a wedge and try to break through,” Iniru said.

“Lu Bei, fly ahead and find the generator. Maybe your lightning blasts will be strong enough to take it out.”

The fetch didn’t respond.

“Lu Bei!” Turesobei shouted. “Find the generator!”

The small dragon peered at him, cocked his head, then flew off. He was losing his identity to the dragon already. Until Turesobei recalled the Storm Dragon energy, Lu Bei would be little more than a mindless beast.

“Do you think he understood the order?” Iniru asked.

Turesobei shrugged then stabbed a squid-head in the face with his sword. “Not a clue.”

With Motekeru taking point, they charged right into the horde of monsters. Iniru fought behind and to the left side of Motekeru, while Turesobei took the right flank. Rig and Ohma followed directly behind them, protecting their backs.

Turesobei wished he could order the Storm Dragon to fly ahead and take out the generator. He felt certain
her
lightning blasts would be strong enough, but she was still wrestling the giant octopus in the sea.

Turesobei sliced into a squid-head, sending it reeling back to be finished off by Ohma. “I hope Awasa will be okay on her own.”

Motekeru picked up two squid-heads and slammed them together. “She will be, master.”

Iniru sliced into a squid-head with Sumada, and the beast melted into a puddle of goop. “She’s come a long way since—”

A squid-head tackled Iniru. She kicked it off, and Turesobei stabbed it in the back. She kissed him on the cheek, then she spun around and heel-kicked one of the creatures, breaking its jaw.

They pressed on inland, but were soon surrounded and could no longer move forward. The source of the creatures was still nowhere in sight. Turesobei had to do something.

“I'm going to send a big fireball straight ahead of us. I want both of you to run right behind it and get as far as you can. Don't worry about me.”

He drew a strip and cast the difficult
spell of the rolling fireball
. A flaming orb the size of a denekon appeared in front of Motekeru and rolled forward, incinerating every squid-head it touched, until it fizzled out after about eighty paces.

Turesobei collapsed. Motekeru charged ahead as ordered. Iniru flicked a worried look at him and hesitated. Then Storm Dragon Lu Bei swooped in from on high and blasted some of the squid-heads closing in on Turesobei.

“Go, Iniru! Lu Bei will protect me.”

She nodded then sprinted off behind Motekeru. The hounds stayed with Turesobei as well and darted about keeping the squid-heads off him. Instinctively, Lu Bei remained nearby, aiding the hounds.

After a minute, Turesobei was able to stand and defend himself with his sword. Which was good, because the hounds were getting overwhelmed, and even in his dragon form, Lu Bei could only do so much.

Rig cried out as a squid-head wrapped him in its tentacles and bit into his flank. Turesobei sliced open the creature’s belly, and it released Rig. But in saving the hound, Turesobei had exposed himself.

One of the creatures tackled him, and soon a mass of them lashed him with their tentacles and kicked him with their feet. He had no way to break free, and his armor couldn't hold up forever.

One of the hounds yelped, and the other howled in pain. Small lightning blasts sparked into the nearby squid-heads, but then Lu Bei shrieked and the bolts ceased.

The squid-head that had tackled Turesobei latched its face tentacles around his head and bit him at the base of his neck. He felt nothing more than a pinch, but he was certain it was about to get much worse.

He was going to have to quick-cast something. But all the spells he could think of that had a chance of saving him required more kenja than he had left. The squid-head tightened its hold, its beak sinking deeper into his neck. Another struck him across the jaw. He was going to have to take the risk and cast whatever might work. He might die in the attempt, but there was no other option.