The Fenimeldiyaan: Origins - Chapter 10
Little remained of the dungeons. Most of the cells had collapsed, along with part of the walls and ceiling. Lava bubbled up through the large cracks in the floor, making the atmosphere smoky and steamy.
Andreas set Gerald down on the twisted frame of a bunk in what had previously been Fiametta’s cell. He used a banishing spell to clear the air and make it easier for them to breathe.
Satisfied that Gerald would be safe for a while, he joined the fight, adding his strength to that of Mazia and Judaas. He directed one of Ciracea’s flaming shurikens back at her, noting that she struggled to move out of its way. “About now, she’ll be reaching for the nearest crystal” he muttered under his breath.
Ciracea grimaced and fired an energy blast at Andreas. She could not work out how the annoying little man had managed to cut off her pathway to the network of energised crystals. It was bad enough that she had been tricked by the false mind signatures which he had created. Anger blazed within her and she extended her enhanced senses to the very limits of their reach. Nothing. Her power reserves had vanished.
Mazia began again, shaping fresh equations to replace the ones which Ciracea had destroyed. Noticing her grandfather’s arrival, she projected the telepathic equivalent of a hug. “I be sorry, Grandpa. I should’ve realised that she wouldn’t let go of River Meer. When all this be over, I’ll help ye find her. I promise”.
“I carry an equal share of the blame, me dear” Andreas replied. “If I’d discovered the network of crystals sooner, I might have been able to divert the dimensional pathway back to our galaxy and ensure River got sent to one of our enclaves. But we can count a small victory at least. All the crystals have been destroyed. Ciracea has no extra power to draw on”.
“Only her anger” Mazia stated. “Anger and hate will keep her going. She be hoping that we can’t fight on two fronts, that we can’t stop the eruption and finish her off. She may have a point there. So we’ll have to let this place be destroyed”. She grinned and gestured to the equations. “While I concentrate on unmaking her. Twill be easier than sending her back to her proper time and place”.
“What about the fragments?” Andreas required.
Mazia gave a helpless shrug. “Some of them will be born. At least two already have been. Both of them will become psychopathic killers, although only one has powers of sorcery and Chronomancy. The Elders will have to take action at some point”.
Ciracea shoved a huge fireball towards Judaas, aiming for his head. “You’ll regret deceiving me, Fendor! Soon I will have earned the distinction of having beaten the most powerful sorcerer who ever lived”.
Judaas chuckled. “I regret a great many things, dear Ciracea. As do we all. But I never let it bother me. My work will continue, regardless of what you do here today”.
The fireball connected with him, but instead of destroying him, it became part of him. His neatly bound dark hair came loose and turned into flames. His eyes glowed red like hot coals. Scarlet robes replaced his customary black ones, rippling with heat-haze. He drew energy from the volcano, sensing the presence of Ledni, Goddess of Fire, linking with his consciousness.
Ciracea staggered backwards and withdrew, knowing that she could not fight a Goddess. At that point, she noticed the new wall of equations. “Another of your deceptions, Fendor! This will be the last, I guarantee it!”
She launched another fireball at the shifting equations, expecting them to dissipate like the previous ones had. However, glowing multi-coloured tentacles reached out from the equation wall, grabbing hold of her and pulling her in different directions. One of her arms flew off and landed on what was left of the main dungeon wall, sending a shower of sparks into the air as it made contact. Another tentacle twirled around her neck, snapping it. More of them ensnared her remaining limbs, wrenching them from her body and unravelling her genetic material. Glowing strands of DNA spooled out from what was left of her, fading away to nothing.
With her last remaining spark of energy, she sent a telepathic transmission across the dimensions. “Apprentice Jaekatha Urnost, hear me. Tis your time. Go to the world of Thraesh and begin work. Have fun and create chaos, my dear. Do it in your name as well as in mine!”
-----------------------------------
Strong arms grabbed Morgan, pulling him upwards to safety. He stared into the grinning face of Andreas. The little Carpathian shook his head. “No dark thoughts now, me friend. Apollo wouldn’t be better off without ye, nor would the rest of us. We’ve still got work to do”.
Lying on the stone floor, Morgan’s breath came out in uneven gasps, his lungs burning with each laboured breath and his body shuddering in agony. He managed to pant out a weak “Thank you” before collapsing into unconsciousness.
----------------------------------
Three children appeared. The boy leaped onto the guard’s back and locked his skinny arm around the man’s throat. One of the girls held a sword and the other a laser blaster. Mazia’s strident voice issued from both girls simultaneously. “Release him or die!”
The guard loosened his grip on Apollo’s staff. Apollo took in a deep breath and clutched at the staff, managing to grab it before it fell down the crack. He rolled back from the edge in time to see the girl with the blaster firing it at the guard. Another death on his conscience.
“We couldn’t afford to let him live” the girl stated in a calm voice, lowering the blaster. “He might have been a vessel for Ciracea to draw power from”.
The boy grinned. “She be unmade now. Torn apart by conflicting equations. Nasty way to go”.
-----------------------------------
Gerald watched as the equations unmade Ciracea, tearing her apart — literally. Then she disappeared, turning into glowing strands of something that slowly faded away into nothing. He propped himself up against the wall, watching, trying to ignore the dungeon crumbling around him. Ciracea was gone; no longer could she control and threaten anyone. Hopefully.
Andreas hurried over to Gerald. “We need to go,” he said, grabbing Gerald’s arm.
“What? Why? I thought Ciracea be dead!” Gerald said, not understanding the need for haste.
“The whole place still be about to blow,” Andreas explained briefly. “We all be evacuating.”
Since Gerald didn’t want to be caught in any sort of explosion, he didn’t protest as Andreas translocated them outside, a decent distance from the fortress. The man laid Gerald down, and the mercenary groaned slightly, staring at the sky. “Elsa ever finds out about this, and she’ll kill me,” he muttered.
“Elsa be yer wife?” Andreas questioned with obvious amusement.
“Aye,” Gerald said. “And a good woman she be.” He didn’t say anything else, but his mind was obviously miles away.
Another form of Andreas translocated to them with Morgan in his arms. The mage was unconscious, but he seemed otherwise unharmed as Andreas laid him down beside Gerald. Gerald glanced up. “He alright?”
“Aye, just a close call,” Andreas said, before returning to what Gerald assumed was the original Andreas. Now there was only one of him, along with all the prisoners broken out of Ciracea’s prison, the man who had somehow absorbed the flames, and Mazia.
Then all the children arrived with Apollo, who looked unhappy. They waved at Apollo before disappearing back into Andreas and Mazia, and Apollo knelt down beside Gerald, holding his staff. His free hand pressed against Gerald’s chest as golden light illuminated it. Gerald eyed him. “Ye alright, mate?”
“People died, Gerald,” Apollo answered, focusing mostly on his spell. “They died because I was too weak to stop them. Better?”
“Aye,” Gerald said, as Apollo pulled his hand away. “I be sure it ain’t yer fault.”
“I’m glad somebody is, because I’m not,” Apollo replied, moving on to Morgan. He silently tended to any injuries he had.
At that moment, the fortress rumbled, and exploded, flames shooting up. Gerald watched it go, shuddering to think that they could have been inside when that happened. “Well, least we all still be alive.”
“That’s something,” Apollo said without enthusiasm, and sat down hard beside Gerald.
----------------------------------
Mazia dabbed at her eyes and took refuge in Judaas’s arms. He held her for a few minutes, sending out emanations of comfort and reassurance.
“Anything from the Elders yet?” she dared to ask.
Judaas grimaced. “Only a brief message thanking us for containing an awkward situation”.
“Awkward situation?” Mazia screwed up her face in disdain. “Innocent people were coerced into serving a dangerous sorceress, lives were lost and an unnatural disaster were unleashed. Still, tis typical of them to play down a tragedy when it don’t affect them directly. Sometimes I be ashamed of what we do”.
“Aye, I can appreciate how you feel” Judaas concurred. “Yet we must continue our work, doing the clean-up jobs that no-one else wants to get involved in. Speaking of such, tis time we returned these good people to their rightful places. Shall we?”
Mazia nodded. “Tis better than standing around analysing our failures. Since Grandpa seems to have made some new friends, I’ll leave him to deal with getting them back home and we’ll take care of the rest”.
She called the prisoners over and began the process of translocating them, assisted by Judaas.
Noticing people disappearing, Gerald turned to Andreas. “They be sending people home? What about us?”
“Don’t ye worry, me friend”. Andreas grinned and took a herbal cigarette from behind his ear, lit it and blew out fragrant smoke. “I’ll do the honours. I’ll need to merge minds with one of ye so that I can get the pattern for translocation”.
Gerald grimaced. “Merge minds? Sounds painful!”
“Not in the slightest” Andreas assured him. “A little uncomfortable, mayhap, but a light scan won’t hurt. Tis the only way I can get ye back where ye want to be”.
“I’ll do it” Morgan spoke up. “Not like it’s the first time. Go on then, do it before I change my mind!”
Andreas nodded. “Afore ye go, I’ve got a suggestion. Although we met under difficult circumstances, I’d like us to be friends. I feel a strong connection with the three of ye. Tis entirely up to ye, of course, but I’d like us to meet up again in a more peaceful place. What d’ye say to that?”
-----------------------------------
Apollo watched the prisoners being taken away and felt a vague sense of relief. At least all of them had escaped. The healer desperately tried to not think about how many soldiers and other innocents had died in the explosion. He couldn’t save everyone, and he couldn’t keep beating himself up for everyone that died. That lesson had been learned a long time ago, with Cora.
It took him a few seconds to realise that Andreas was addressing his two friends. He tore his gaze away from the destroyed fortress, looking at them as Morgan volunteered for a mind merge. Morgan must have trusted Andreas greatly to allow the man into his mind. It never would have happened otherwise.
The healer hesitated for only a moment before bowing to Andreas politely. “You have our humblest thanks for your aid,” he said. “We would never have survived if it wasn’t for you. I would have no trouble with meeting you again, in a better time.”
“I’ll go, if there’s good food,” Morgan put in, grinning slightly as he nudged his cousin.
“Aye, ye and I be similar,” Andreas said with a laugh. “We can eat the best food in me home universe.”
“Well, ye got Morgan,” Gerald said, grinning. “I hope ye find the girl, Andreas. She don’t deserve to be lost in some far-off world.”
“Will ye come with me for a vacation, then?” Andreas asked, smiling at the three young men. “Seems to me we could all use it.”
“Give us a day or so to recover from this,” Apollo said, finally laughing a little at Andreas’s enthusiasm. “Then I’m sure the other two will be happy to oblige you. I’m afraid I won’t be able to join you at first. The Queen is with child and I am to be on hand at all times, aside from emergencies. Forgive my rudeness.”
“You’re missing out,” Morgan warned.
“How do you know?” Apollo asked, now fully laughing.
“Because I have a feeling we’re going to be having a lot of fantastic adventures,” Morgan answered. He stuck out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to be friends, Andreas.”
“Aye, so we shall,” Andreas said with a wink, and shook Morgan’s hand firmly.
THE END
Story written by Xanxa Symanah and R C Fletcher © 2018 Symanah Publishing
Andreas set Gerald down on the twisted frame of a bunk in what had previously been Fiametta’s cell. He used a banishing spell to clear the air and make it easier for them to breathe.
Satisfied that Gerald would be safe for a while, he joined the fight, adding his strength to that of Mazia and Judaas. He directed one of Ciracea’s flaming shurikens back at her, noting that she struggled to move out of its way. “About now, she’ll be reaching for the nearest crystal” he muttered under his breath.
Ciracea grimaced and fired an energy blast at Andreas. She could not work out how the annoying little man had managed to cut off her pathway to the network of energised crystals. It was bad enough that she had been tricked by the false mind signatures which he had created. Anger blazed within her and she extended her enhanced senses to the very limits of their reach. Nothing. Her power reserves had vanished.
Mazia began again, shaping fresh equations to replace the ones which Ciracea had destroyed. Noticing her grandfather’s arrival, she projected the telepathic equivalent of a hug. “I be sorry, Grandpa. I should’ve realised that she wouldn’t let go of River Meer. When all this be over, I’ll help ye find her. I promise”.
“I carry an equal share of the blame, me dear” Andreas replied. “If I’d discovered the network of crystals sooner, I might have been able to divert the dimensional pathway back to our galaxy and ensure River got sent to one of our enclaves. But we can count a small victory at least. All the crystals have been destroyed. Ciracea has no extra power to draw on”.
“Only her anger” Mazia stated. “Anger and hate will keep her going. She be hoping that we can’t fight on two fronts, that we can’t stop the eruption and finish her off. She may have a point there. So we’ll have to let this place be destroyed”. She grinned and gestured to the equations. “While I concentrate on unmaking her. Twill be easier than sending her back to her proper time and place”.
“What about the fragments?” Andreas required.
Mazia gave a helpless shrug. “Some of them will be born. At least two already have been. Both of them will become psychopathic killers, although only one has powers of sorcery and Chronomancy. The Elders will have to take action at some point”.
Ciracea shoved a huge fireball towards Judaas, aiming for his head. “You’ll regret deceiving me, Fendor! Soon I will have earned the distinction of having beaten the most powerful sorcerer who ever lived”.
Judaas chuckled. “I regret a great many things, dear Ciracea. As do we all. But I never let it bother me. My work will continue, regardless of what you do here today”.
The fireball connected with him, but instead of destroying him, it became part of him. His neatly bound dark hair came loose and turned into flames. His eyes glowed red like hot coals. Scarlet robes replaced his customary black ones, rippling with heat-haze. He drew energy from the volcano, sensing the presence of Ledni, Goddess of Fire, linking with his consciousness.
Ciracea staggered backwards and withdrew, knowing that she could not fight a Goddess. At that point, she noticed the new wall of equations. “Another of your deceptions, Fendor! This will be the last, I guarantee it!”
She launched another fireball at the shifting equations, expecting them to dissipate like the previous ones had. However, glowing multi-coloured tentacles reached out from the equation wall, grabbing hold of her and pulling her in different directions. One of her arms flew off and landed on what was left of the main dungeon wall, sending a shower of sparks into the air as it made contact. Another tentacle twirled around her neck, snapping it. More of them ensnared her remaining limbs, wrenching them from her body and unravelling her genetic material. Glowing strands of DNA spooled out from what was left of her, fading away to nothing.
With her last remaining spark of energy, she sent a telepathic transmission across the dimensions. “Apprentice Jaekatha Urnost, hear me. Tis your time. Go to the world of Thraesh and begin work. Have fun and create chaos, my dear. Do it in your name as well as in mine!”
-----------------------------------
Strong arms grabbed Morgan, pulling him upwards to safety. He stared into the grinning face of Andreas. The little Carpathian shook his head. “No dark thoughts now, me friend. Apollo wouldn’t be better off without ye, nor would the rest of us. We’ve still got work to do”.
Lying on the stone floor, Morgan’s breath came out in uneven gasps, his lungs burning with each laboured breath and his body shuddering in agony. He managed to pant out a weak “Thank you” before collapsing into unconsciousness.
----------------------------------
Three children appeared. The boy leaped onto the guard’s back and locked his skinny arm around the man’s throat. One of the girls held a sword and the other a laser blaster. Mazia’s strident voice issued from both girls simultaneously. “Release him or die!”
The guard loosened his grip on Apollo’s staff. Apollo took in a deep breath and clutched at the staff, managing to grab it before it fell down the crack. He rolled back from the edge in time to see the girl with the blaster firing it at the guard. Another death on his conscience.
“We couldn’t afford to let him live” the girl stated in a calm voice, lowering the blaster. “He might have been a vessel for Ciracea to draw power from”.
The boy grinned. “She be unmade now. Torn apart by conflicting equations. Nasty way to go”.
-----------------------------------
Gerald watched as the equations unmade Ciracea, tearing her apart — literally. Then she disappeared, turning into glowing strands of something that slowly faded away into nothing. He propped himself up against the wall, watching, trying to ignore the dungeon crumbling around him. Ciracea was gone; no longer could she control and threaten anyone. Hopefully.
Andreas hurried over to Gerald. “We need to go,” he said, grabbing Gerald’s arm.
“What? Why? I thought Ciracea be dead!” Gerald said, not understanding the need for haste.
“The whole place still be about to blow,” Andreas explained briefly. “We all be evacuating.”
Since Gerald didn’t want to be caught in any sort of explosion, he didn’t protest as Andreas translocated them outside, a decent distance from the fortress. The man laid Gerald down, and the mercenary groaned slightly, staring at the sky. “Elsa ever finds out about this, and she’ll kill me,” he muttered.
“Elsa be yer wife?” Andreas questioned with obvious amusement.
“Aye,” Gerald said. “And a good woman she be.” He didn’t say anything else, but his mind was obviously miles away.
Another form of Andreas translocated to them with Morgan in his arms. The mage was unconscious, but he seemed otherwise unharmed as Andreas laid him down beside Gerald. Gerald glanced up. “He alright?”
“Aye, just a close call,” Andreas said, before returning to what Gerald assumed was the original Andreas. Now there was only one of him, along with all the prisoners broken out of Ciracea’s prison, the man who had somehow absorbed the flames, and Mazia.
Then all the children arrived with Apollo, who looked unhappy. They waved at Apollo before disappearing back into Andreas and Mazia, and Apollo knelt down beside Gerald, holding his staff. His free hand pressed against Gerald’s chest as golden light illuminated it. Gerald eyed him. “Ye alright, mate?”
“People died, Gerald,” Apollo answered, focusing mostly on his spell. “They died because I was too weak to stop them. Better?”
“Aye,” Gerald said, as Apollo pulled his hand away. “I be sure it ain’t yer fault.”
“I’m glad somebody is, because I’m not,” Apollo replied, moving on to Morgan. He silently tended to any injuries he had.
At that moment, the fortress rumbled, and exploded, flames shooting up. Gerald watched it go, shuddering to think that they could have been inside when that happened. “Well, least we all still be alive.”
“That’s something,” Apollo said without enthusiasm, and sat down hard beside Gerald.
----------------------------------
Mazia dabbed at her eyes and took refuge in Judaas’s arms. He held her for a few minutes, sending out emanations of comfort and reassurance.
“Anything from the Elders yet?” she dared to ask.
Judaas grimaced. “Only a brief message thanking us for containing an awkward situation”.
“Awkward situation?” Mazia screwed up her face in disdain. “Innocent people were coerced into serving a dangerous sorceress, lives were lost and an unnatural disaster were unleashed. Still, tis typical of them to play down a tragedy when it don’t affect them directly. Sometimes I be ashamed of what we do”.
“Aye, I can appreciate how you feel” Judaas concurred. “Yet we must continue our work, doing the clean-up jobs that no-one else wants to get involved in. Speaking of such, tis time we returned these good people to their rightful places. Shall we?”
Mazia nodded. “Tis better than standing around analysing our failures. Since Grandpa seems to have made some new friends, I’ll leave him to deal with getting them back home and we’ll take care of the rest”.
She called the prisoners over and began the process of translocating them, assisted by Judaas.
Noticing people disappearing, Gerald turned to Andreas. “They be sending people home? What about us?”
“Don’t ye worry, me friend”. Andreas grinned and took a herbal cigarette from behind his ear, lit it and blew out fragrant smoke. “I’ll do the honours. I’ll need to merge minds with one of ye so that I can get the pattern for translocation”.
Gerald grimaced. “Merge minds? Sounds painful!”
“Not in the slightest” Andreas assured him. “A little uncomfortable, mayhap, but a light scan won’t hurt. Tis the only way I can get ye back where ye want to be”.
“I’ll do it” Morgan spoke up. “Not like it’s the first time. Go on then, do it before I change my mind!”
Andreas nodded. “Afore ye go, I’ve got a suggestion. Although we met under difficult circumstances, I’d like us to be friends. I feel a strong connection with the three of ye. Tis entirely up to ye, of course, but I’d like us to meet up again in a more peaceful place. What d’ye say to that?”
-----------------------------------
Apollo watched the prisoners being taken away and felt a vague sense of relief. At least all of them had escaped. The healer desperately tried to not think about how many soldiers and other innocents had died in the explosion. He couldn’t save everyone, and he couldn’t keep beating himself up for everyone that died. That lesson had been learned a long time ago, with Cora.
It took him a few seconds to realise that Andreas was addressing his two friends. He tore his gaze away from the destroyed fortress, looking at them as Morgan volunteered for a mind merge. Morgan must have trusted Andreas greatly to allow the man into his mind. It never would have happened otherwise.
The healer hesitated for only a moment before bowing to Andreas politely. “You have our humblest thanks for your aid,” he said. “We would never have survived if it wasn’t for you. I would have no trouble with meeting you again, in a better time.”
“I’ll go, if there’s good food,” Morgan put in, grinning slightly as he nudged his cousin.
“Aye, ye and I be similar,” Andreas said with a laugh. “We can eat the best food in me home universe.”
“Well, ye got Morgan,” Gerald said, grinning. “I hope ye find the girl, Andreas. She don’t deserve to be lost in some far-off world.”
“Will ye come with me for a vacation, then?” Andreas asked, smiling at the three young men. “Seems to me we could all use it.”
“Give us a day or so to recover from this,” Apollo said, finally laughing a little at Andreas’s enthusiasm. “Then I’m sure the other two will be happy to oblige you. I’m afraid I won’t be able to join you at first. The Queen is with child and I am to be on hand at all times, aside from emergencies. Forgive my rudeness.”
“You’re missing out,” Morgan warned.
“How do you know?” Apollo asked, now fully laughing.
“Because I have a feeling we’re going to be having a lot of fantastic adventures,” Morgan answered. He stuck out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to be friends, Andreas.”
“Aye, so we shall,” Andreas said with a wink, and shook Morgan’s hand firmly.
THE END
Story written by Xanxa Symanah and R C Fletcher © 2018 Symanah Publishing
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