The Compass Key (Book 5) (36 page)

“It’s this shell,” Luke announces.
Only Nyx smiles at him while the others nervously wait for an explanation. “I thought you two knew I could see sound. I focused on the different vibrations and matched the rhythms by tapping my foot along.”

“I apologize for forgetting,” Timoran says with a small bow. He reaches out to take the shell, but Nyx gently slaps his hand away. “I can handle more severe injuries than the rest of you, so I should do this.”

“I have the strongest armor,” Delvin contends, putting his hand on the shell. He is promptly pushed away by a magical gust of wind. “Don’t cause trouble, Nyx.”

Luke smiles and gestures for
the caster to step forward. “I know that look on your face. I’m not going to try to volunteer. Just be careful, big sister.”

“I always am.”

Nyx floats the shell to the Compass Key and gently pushes the opening onto the central pearl. Turning her head to the side, she twists the shell as if it was a key opening a difficult lock. A spark of magic erupts from the Compass Key and the shell crumbles into dust, a new shell reappearing on the table. The waterfall slows down as the Compass Key floats out and returns to Nyx’s hands. With another high-pitched whine, the waterfall reverses and flows back up the mountain until it disappears from view. The four adventurers stare at the large, open doors made out of royal blue wood. They see nothing beyond a wall of ice that blocks their path and view of the inside.

“Another obstacle,” Luke groans in dismay.

“It depends on your purpose,” says the mysterious voice. The sound of crackling ice and strange groans slip out of the opening. “If you are enemies then I am an obstacle. If you are the champions then I am your friend.”

“We are the champions and we wish to rescue our friend,” Nyx announces. She jumps over the hole and steps towards the opening, pausing when something yawns. “Please believe that we mean no harm to you, your temple, or the champion inside. She is my childhood friend and this young man’s lover. She is a dear friend to our companions as well.”

The ice wall shifts and bloats as it moves out of the opening, smooth arms and legs growing out of the surface. A thin body grows out of the ice along with a head that looks slightly draconic. Its reptilian eyes and long snout remind them of Fizzle, but with a deadlier look due to the sharp edges of its face. Ice spikes grow from its head and along its back, hitting the pelvis as a thick tail of flexible ice unfurls behind it. By the time it is done emerging from the opening, the monster is over twenty feet tall. It lazily yawns and scratches its chest as it looks at the adventurers, looking oddly docile.

“I am the guardian of this temple,” the monster politely states, beckoning to the open door. “Please enter, so that we may discuss your purpose.”

*****

The crew of the Matriarch cautiously watch the red-sailed vessel drifting toward the other side of the island. Many
are thankful that the mysterious ship is showing no interest in them after their lookout confirmed that a dead body is strapped to the prow. The newcomer drops anchor while still in view and the sailors see strange shadows flit across the riggings and deck. These shadows are the only sign of the crew, even by the eagle-eyed lookout using telescopic goggles from the crow’s nest.

“Whatever they are, they’re moving too fast for me to track,” the
halfling calls down the dwarven captain. “Could be ghosts, Captain Waterhyde.”

“Ghosts can’t man a regular ship,”
the seasoned captain replies, stroking his salt-encrusted beard. He squints at the ship as if he can see better than the lookout. “I don’t like the look of this, Lady Grasdon. We don’t have the firepower to take them on. I think we should do what your friends suggested and head back to port.”

“We can’t abandon them,” Kira insists, grabbing the dwarf by the shoulder.

“They want us to be safe,” he says, shaking her hand loose. His gruff face softens as he bows his head. “I humbly request that we pull back with enough distance to give us a head start if they approach. This ship is fast and we still have the sea elves looking out for us. We can escape.”

“My friends-” Kira begins before Fizzle lands on her shoulder. He puffs a burst of rain
bow mist in her face to calm her nerves. “Not fair, Fizzle.”

“You go home. Fizzle handle,” the drite declares with a serious expression. He flutters off her shoulder and loops in the air. “Ship bad. Smell blood. Sense darkness. Fizzle need help friends.
Fizzle need strike first.”

“I refuse to let even a drite
sacrifice his life,” Captain Waterhyde says, reaching up to grab the tiny dragon. He yelps in pain as Fizzle’s tail slaps his hands. “I apologize for my rudeness, but you don’t know what’s over there. Your friends would be angry with me if I let you go off to get killed.”

“Fizzle no die,” he assures the worried dwarf. “Fizzle have plan. Fizzle strong. They never ex . . . exp . . . think of Fizzle.”

“Return to the ship if you’re in danger,” Kira tells him. She catches his tail and kisses it before he can pull it away. “Don’t be like Luke and take risks.”

“Fizzle promise.”

The drite spins in the air and flies away from the Matriarch as Captain Waterhyde barks orders for them to set sail. Instead of flying at the enemy ship, Fizzle zips around the island and gains as much speed as he can. With a deep voice, he casts a spell that creates a barrier of aura in front of him. The enemy crew have no time to see the drite before he smashes through the hull like a battering ram. Shouts of surprise and anger rise from the deck as the ship lists to the side, several crewmen falling overboard.

“Fire at the drite!” Vile shouts, the armored halfling standing by the wheel. He waves his sword at Fizzle, pointing him out to the confused crew. “Damn you,
Dawn Fangs! Kill that drite now!”

The crew look up at Fizzle with eyes that glow with a growing battle lust. Fangs are bared by the vampiric crew with several of them firing various elements into the air. The sky is a mess of ice, fire, and lightning along with beams that
the drite cannot identify. Two vampires begin rapidly spitting fangs at him until they have to stop and wait for their natural ammunition to regenerate. Through it all, Fizzle loops and weaves around their attacks, slowly getting closer to the ocean.

A
female vampire in the rigging grows leathery wings and takes to the air. Drool seeps from her mouth at the thought of drite blood and she excitedly flaps her wings to gain more speed. It is a brief chase around the ship before she loses track of Fizzle and stops near the anchor. The vampire can smell him and she lands on the chain, her white eyes scanning the area for invisible forms.

“
Bye-bye,” the drite whispers from higher up the chain.

She turns in time to see Fizzle finish a spell that shatters the chain and
wraps the lower end around her body. She screams in fury as the heavy weight drags her to the depths where hungry sea monsters make a snack out of her.

“He’s over here!” shouts a crewman, who throws a spear at
Fizzle.

The projectile passes through the drite, who vanishes and reappears above the vampire. A quick
slash of his tail beheads the vampire and it zips into the rigging. Vampires claw and hiss at him as they scramble around the thick ropes and sails. Fizzle snaps a rope that sends a boom swinging out and knocking several vampires into the ocean. Shrieks and curses erupt from the water as the vampires are devoured by massive sharks that have come to investigate the scent of blood.

“Stop falling into the water and attracting sharks!”
Vile demands. He dives down the stairs when Fizzle splinters a mast, the remains crashing into the wheel. “Prepare to abandon ship and swim to shore! If you don’t want to get eaten then I suggest you throw the person you hate into the water first! I’m leaving for reinforcements!”

Fizzle swoops low and races toward Vile, hoping to stop the halfling from getting off the ship. He is stopped by a web of black ooze that snares him from behind and drags him toward a chubby
dwarven vampire. As he is hoisted into the air, Fizzle casts a minor fire spell to ignite the black ooze. The flames race up the net and into the vampire’s arm that houses the ooze-dripping net. With an ear-ringing scream, the creature rushes to the railing, his arm bursting into a small inferno. Fizzle escapes the burning net as the vampire leaps to the ocean and is eaten by a shark before he hits the water.

The drite
flies above the ship and watches the vampires escape the sinking ship. Most of them jump to fight with the sharks while others grow wings or transform into a flying animal. A few vampires burst out the side of the ship as it rolls and crushes those vampires that can barely swim. There is no sign of Vile, but Fizzle doubts the armored halfling has been eaten by a predator or has made it to shore already.

“Make ship go poof,” the drite hisses when he sees more vampires crawling out of the sinking ship. “
Dawn Fangs go poof too.”

With a rumbling voice, Fizzle casts one of his most powerful spells. A
rainbow cloud appears over the ship with Fizzle in the center. Disintegration blasts rain down on the ship, cutting through the vessel and puncturing the ocean. Terrified by the display, the sharks swim away and disappear into the safety of the churning waves. The few surviving vampires stop trying to swim and let themselves sink under the roiling waves. Fizzle can sense them drifting beneath the surface, the ocean current carrying them toward the island. Once the ship has been reduced to flotsam, the cloud dissipates and he flies off to the Island of Pallice.

“I think it’s time I played with this drite,” whispers Stephen as he rises from the
wreckage and calmly walks after Fizzle.

16

The ice giant sits on the floor, his longs legs bent so that the knees are the same height as its head. With a calm stare, the guardian observes the champions sitting before him. They are too busy looking around the ice-covered room to notice the quiet examination. Ice statues of beautiful men and women run along the walls, each one under an associated painting. Two fireplaces crackle and keep the room comfortably warm without melting the magic ice. The finely crafted tables and chairs around the room show no sign that they have been underwater for centuries.

“
Do you have a name?” Luke suddenly asks from a plush chair. He smiles when the ice giant laughs, the creature’s voice the melodic sound of crackling ice. “I don’t want to keep calling you guardian or ice giant.”

“My name is Risar,” the guardian says as his laughter echoes throughout the room. The sound of falling icicles causes him to look behind him, revealing his nerves are on edge. “I thank you for wishing to know my name. Previous champions have not been as polite, but I could not blame them considering the trials they faced to get her. I assume your path was not as difficult since you are so calm and relaxed.”

“It was a mess,” Delvin bluntly states, experimentally tapping his foot on the floor. He is still surprised to find that the ice is not slippery even after walking across it. “We’ve had everything from a castle assault to a dragon battle since I’ve become a champion. It feels like months have passed, but I think it has only been days.”

“Our enemies have not given us much time to relax,” Timoran adds
from a small couch. He yawns and stretches his arms over his head until his shoulders pop. “It has been exhausting, but we must carry on.”

“I know,” Nyx says, shaking the sleep from her head.
She leans against the arm of the wooden chair and nearly falls asleep before zapping herself awake. “I think this place is making me sleepy. I can barely keep my eyes open. Is this a trap?”

“It’s fatigue combined with the warmth in the room,”
Luke replies, getting to his feet and bouncing on his toes. “We’ve been going too hard for too long. I think we still have the energy to push forward.”

The caster drags herself out of the chair and leans against a table when the room spins.
“Easy for you to say, little brother. You barely sleep. A few hours of meditation and you’re back at full strength. The rest of us aren’t so lucky.”

“I’ve had to transform so many times the last few days that I’m at my limit,”
the forest tracker argues, his stomach suddenly roaring for everyone to hear. “Transforming takes a lot out of me unless I eat afterwards. I don’t remember getting anything more than small, simple meals. I might not be tired, but I’m starving.”

“Isaiah treated us,” Delvin reminds the forest tracker.

“Luke did not eat much because of the sea travel,” Timoran reminds the other warrior. “We are all worn and ragged. I say we stop sitting here and rescue Sari.”

Risar shrinks until he is only twelve feet tall and makes his way to a side door. He knocks seven times on the
portal, each strike in a different position. A loud clattering and clinking emanates from the other room, ending with the crunch of breaking ice. After a few minutes of mysterious noises, the door opens and four animated carts roll in the room. The wooden carts carry food and drink to the champions, three of them containing a vial of amber potion. Most of the adventurers try not to salivate at the sight of the shrimp, crab legs, and lobster on their plates. Everyone notes that Luke has three times more food than the others, but his vocal stomach makes them believe that he is capable of finishing everything.

The half-elf
looks at the collection of seafood with hunger and caution. He dips his finger into a red sauce and tastes it, the sweetness catching him off-guard. His curiosity overtaking his hunger, Luke taps at the hard shell of a lobster and grimaces when he looks at its underbelly. He puts it down and picks up a handful of shrimp, dipping one into the sauce and popping it into his mouth. The tail tickles his throat and tastes disgusting even as he chews and swallows.

“You’ve never had seafood before?” Nyx asks in surprise.

“I’ve only had river fish, which are nothing like this,” he answers. Luke grabs a crab leg and tries biting through it before the caster comes over to take it away. “I’d figure it out at some point, Nyx. Please give me back my food.”

“You’re going to break your teeth, little brother
.” She snaps the crab leg open and hands it to the blushing warrior. “The meat is on the inside of the crab legs and the lobster. Don’t eat the shrimp tails. Enjoy your meal, bumpkin.”

“Thanks,” Luke mutters sheepishly. He sucks the meat from the crab leg and goes about ripping the lobster apart. “Why do people eat such difficult food? The least one could do is get rid of the shells and tails.”

“I am sorry that the temple’s cooking is not up to your standards,” Risar apologizes with sincerity. “We have been under the ocean floor for centuries. The customs of this new world must be taught to us by our champion.”

Timoran finishes his potion and feels his body surge with renewed energy. “
So, you obey the champion of your temple. Can Sari summon you from afar?”

“I see this is the first temple you have found, so I will explain
. The champion is our master and we are the caretakers. There are invisible servants within the walls and they work to maintain the temple’s balance. Before the corruption, each temple had loyal monsters to help, but I have sensed that most of them have been turned to the Baron’s side.”

“I guess we have to hire more help when we defeat the Baron,” Delvin
says before grabbing a long crab leg. “I assume you’re a key part of the temple’s defenses, which makes me wonder why the corruption hasn’t taken you over. If it was me, I’d try to take over the guardian first.”

A few crystal tears run down the ice giant’s face as he leans against the wall, his back merging with the freezing surface.
“Guardians are only as strong as their masters. We are strongest when our champion rules our temple and weakest when our champion is off the path. The corruption took advantage of the times when the prophetic energy was between death and rebirth. Though I have not heard from the other guardians since this place was swallowed by the ocean. I can only assume that all of them have fallen.”

“You seem okay, Risar,” Luke points out with a mouthful of lobster.

The mountain shakes and a terrifying roar emanates from beneath their feet. Furniture bounces along the floor, including a footstool that falls into one of the roaring fireplaces. Risar reaches out to catch a portrait, his arm stretching across the foyer. Luke grabs his food cart when it starts to roll away, the floor slanting slightly. The other carts race toward the entrance, leaving a trail of food in their wake. Unable to stop, they bang into the doors with a chaotic crash. A final shrieking quake knocks over every statue and sends cracks across the walls.

“What was that?” Nyx asks a
s she hurries to the food carts and takes the remaining potions for herself and Delvin. “I expected monsters, but that sounded huge. Did a sea monster get trapped in here when the island rose?”

“In a way,” Risar replies with a creaking sigh. “That was the true guardian of this temple. It was once a beautiful sea serpent that patrolled these waters. The corruption has turned it into a rotting beast called the bile serpent.
Over time, this monster has become the center of the corruption, so you must destroy it before you can save your friend. The source must be destroyed to preserve this temple.”

Delvin drinks his potion and
licks the last few drops off his lips. “That’s what we’re here to do. Though, that story doesn’t explain what you are.”

“I am
one of the few remaining loyal denizens of this temple. My true purpose is to protect the crystal peak where the moon power is harnessed to control the tides. When the great serpent was corrupted and we were left open to attack, I assumed the mantel of guardian. It is nothing more than a declaration and I am always hoping that Gabriel sees fit to support me. Sadly, I have never felt his presence, so I know I am working without his will.”

“I c
ommend you for stepping into such a heavy burden,” Timoran kindly says.

“Thank you
. It is nice to be appreciated after all these centuries,” Risar admits in a melancholic voice. He pulls away from the wall, the sound of cracking ice making the champions cringe. “When our champion awakens, I will be relieved of my position and return to guarding the crystal peak. Unless my actions are seen as rebellious and I am cast away or destroyed by your friend.”

“You’ve obviously never talked to Sari,” Nyx happily laughs.

The ice giant stares at the caster for a few moments before nodding in agreement. “You are correct. I have not attempted to talk with your friend through the temple bonds. It is for true guardians only and I would be overstepping my bounds if I did so. Your friend would be quite angry for my transgression.”

“
Again, you do not know Sari,” Timoran states as he gets off the couch. He cracks his back and grunts in mild discomfort. “She is a loving and benevolent soul. A tad mischievous and flirty-”

“A tad?” Nyx rudely interrupts with a smirk. “Sari is fun and love incarnate. She’s going to be dragging Risar around to explore this temple until his legs fall off. I’ve seen Sari get mad, but you really have to hit a
deep nerve with her. Being nice and trying to help people will earn you her favor.”

“Where is your champion and why haven’t you brought us to her?” Luke asks before taking another bite of lobster. He shrugs when his friends stare at him disapprovingly. “I want to know where Sari is.”

“You must be her anchor,” Risar chuckles. He pats the half-elf on the head with enough force to knock the half-elf down. “That chubby lizard told me she had an anchor for her heart and spirit. A fiery warrior that refuses to accept when he is outmatched. He shows no fear because he’s too brave and foolish to recognize it.”

“Why do these complim
ents always sound like insults? I feel fear all the time. I simply don’t let it rule my thoughts and actions.”

“The sign of a brave soul. Not a wise soul, but a brave soul.”

Risar walks toward the double doors that lead to the rest of the temple. He pushes them open with one wide hand, letting in a blast of frigid air. Flakes of snow float into the room, but they are gray and smell of ancient ash. A dull light reaches a few feet into the room, giving that side of the room a grotesque appearance.

Risar gestures for the adventurers to follow him as he steps into the icy gloom.
“Your friend is sleeping within the crystal peak. First we must prepare.”

“Prepare for what?” Nyx a
sks before she can stop herself. She skids to a halt when the ice giant’s head twists around to look at her.

“For the true revival of the Island of Pallice.”

*****

Fizzle circles the area, dodging the boulders that the yelling ogres are throwing at him in vain. The
surviving vampires continue battling the powerful beasts, who refuse to believe that they are loyal to the same master. Bodies litter the landscape as the Dawn Fangs prove to be the stronger force even though they are heavily outnumbered.

“Fizzle not sure what do,” the drite whispers while watching the battle. He lands on a nearby crystal spire and scratches his head with his tail. “
Ogres bad. Dawn Fangs bad. Fizzle good. Too many for Fizzle. Fizzle confused.”

“Poor little drite,” booms a mechanical voice from above. “I will be happy to focus your attention.”

Fizzle drops off the crystal spire and flies into a nearby building as a flaming chunk of metal smashes the spire to pieces. He peeks out to see an enormous Sword Dragon circle the mountain, its golden wings reflecting the sun. The slender monster of flesh and metal unleashes a swarm of flaming iron orbs. Fizzle zips out of the building before it is demolished along with half of the block. He can hear the screeching of metal on metal when the beast turns to follow him.

“Save yourself the trouble, drite!” shouts Nyder’s voice from the ruby in the Sword Dragon’s forehead. “This is my newest version. It is faster, tougher, and more responsive to my controls. A n
atural creature like you has no chance.”

“Fizzle better!” he yells, veering away from the gnashing jaws of the larger dragon. He hurries toward another crystal spire, leaving a trail of rainbow mist in his wake. “Fizzle real. False dragon fake. Real beat fake. Fizzle stronger.”

Enraged by the drite’s words, the Sword Dragon smacks its tail on the ground and smashes ten ogres and two of the vampires. Buildings are knocked over as the dragon chases Fizzle, who goes around the crystal spire. Unlike the nimble drite, the larger creature carelessly crashes through the spire. Magical lightning rushes along the metal body, bursting from the tail to blast a hole in the city. With a grinding roar, the beast barrels after its prey and fires a volley of fiery orbs.

“Too slow!” Fizzle announces, turning around to fly through the swarm. He darts under the Sword Dragon and turns invisible before
it can turn around.

The construct lands on the ground and scans the air for the elusive drite.
“Such a foolish creature. Keep playing your little tricks! You will tire long before I get bored with hunting you down.”