The Gift of Volkeye (34 page)

Lyn took the family by surprise, because they’d forgotten about that particular aspect of her gift. While Khye, Tesh, and Mawg pushed forward in the fight, Asha and Sing stayed below to see about Lyn Sha.

The boys were tearing the castle walls to pieces, but to no avail, as the troops patiently waited around the ledge, out of the line of fire. Seeing that Khyeryn and Teshunua couldn’t hit their targets, Maugrimm took matters to the next level.

“Boys, get outta’ ‘der!”

They turned and saw Maugrimm with his back against the wall, aiming ahead. They sprinted in his direction wanting to get as far away from the blast as possible, and when they were
within a foot of him, he fired.

The shots were spot on. Both bombs flew in a diagonal fashion and ricocheted off the wall, detonating in midair, right in the infantry’s midst. Instantaneous obliteration befell them, and the collapse of their burning, dismembered corpses was trailed by debris. Teshunua and Khyeryn followed slowly behind Maugrimm, inspecting. What they found was a pile of rubble that came up to their chests and Maugrimm’s knees.

“Reckon dat’s it for them,” Maugrimm said uneasily. “Me goes back down for a sec’ to check on Lyn!”

Khyeryn followed him.

Teshunua, however, remained behind, staring at the smoking debris. He had a feeling that none of the key people were in this pile of bodies and began climbing over the smoldering hill, as to make his way up the staircase to the third level. He had no idea what he was planning to do, but with each moment that passed he was certain Phyllamon and Felix were near their escape, and he couldn’t allow that.

As Teshunua foolishly went alone to take on (what could’ve possibly been) an entire floor filled with soldiers, the others, downstairs, briefly exhaled sighs of relief, seeing that Lyn had no internal damage.

“Oh my goodness, sweetie, you are so lucky to be alive,” Asha said, kissing Lyn on the cheek.

Lyn Sha grimaced, replying, “It looks like we’re all lucky…where’s Daddy?”

“He’s working on getting us out of here,” Asha said.

“Is it over? Please tell me there’s no more of them!”

A grave expression came over Asha. “I don’t know, baby,” she replied, seeing Khyeryn and Maugrimm run up.

“Oh no!” Khyeryn said, panicking. He dropped to Lyn Sha’s side.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s okay, Khye,” Lyn said with a puzzled look on her face, meeting Bahzee’s eyes. They were both thinking the same thing.

“Where is Teshunua?” Bahzee asked, voice quivering.

She called out his name, and it echoed throughout the rooms and corridors of the castle. As the last echo died, a new sound came…but it wasn’t a reply from Teshunua. It was another explosion.

17

“Blast!” Zynathian swore, as he pulled his arms (caked in dust, oil, and other gunk) from inside the pipelines of the rocket’s exhausts.

Again, he cursed his arrogance; unable to get over the fact that he probably hadn’t checked the rockets since before Khyeryn was born! He just had a habit of always trusting his things to work!

The wonder dummy does it again!
he thought, chastising himself, slamming his sticky fists upon the wall of the rocket.

He gave up, knowing that he couldn’t do this on his own. Zynathian slid down a ladder, landing firmly on the steel, mesh floor. He wove his way in and out of a maze of moving gears, scalding hot pipes, ice-cold pipes, and entrance shafts leading to other areas of the castle. Finally, he came to a panel of buttons on the wall. He pressed it and waited.

Though it seemed ages to Zynathian, it was merely two minutes later that he heard twenty pairs of steel feet rushing towards him. As they rounded the corner, Zynathian saw numerous bright red eyes and multicoloured, flashing buttons storm upon him. He tapped his foot with impatience.

“It took you long enough, Bazu!” Zynathian said, scolding the leader of this particular group of Mechs.

“Forgive us, Master…what seems to be the problem?”

“We need immediate evacuation from this area, but the rocket’s pipes are clogged. Clean them, and don’t bother telling me when you’ve finished...just get us out of here as fast as possible!”

“Is there any particular area that you would like to take refuge in, Sir?”

“I’m not picky. Just take us somewhere that we won’t be found…as high as possible, please.”

The Mech orderlies nodded.

“Thank you, Bazu. Get to it.”

“Has this sudden need to leave got anything to do with the creatures lurking about in our sleeping quarters, Master?” Bazu asked as they turned to leave.

“It’s got
everything
to do with them! Once you’re finished, stay within the bowels of the castle, so nothing happens to you. These people are dangerous, Bazu!”

They parted ways.

He made his way back to the ladder and tapped a panel of buttons on its side. He was quickly raised to “level 3.” As he got off and ran along the railing, Zynathian took a deep breath as he came to a shaft marked “workshop.” He lifted the latch and dove in.

It was only a matter of walking about fifty feet before Zynathian found himself directly above his workshop. Much to his horrid surprise, he looked through the perforated steel flooring and found Phyllamon roaming about his domain. A hatred that he hadn’t felt in years rose in his chest, and he began wheezing as he fought his urge to growl in anger. He then knelt over and grunted as he pulled up a wide piece of the flooring, sliding it aside. Phyllamon heard none of this, as there was so much noise coming from outside the laboratory.

Zynathian knew he had to kill Phyllamon, as he’d never get such an easy opportunity again. As the roaming Phyllamon made it directly beneath him, he dropped from above. When he landed, he brought both forearms down upon Phyllamon’s back and shoulders. His enemy fell forward in agony, and turned to look at him.

“Yooooooou!” Phyllamon hissed, as an old memory of twenty years resurfaced.

“That’s right,
me
…I’m going to finish what I foolishly stopped Maugrimm from doing that day!”

Zynathian balled his fists together, raised both arms and brought them down as if they were sledgehammers trying to break concrete. Phyllamon, who was not up for being hit in the face, as he was still healing, turned on his side and wrapped both arms around his head. Zynathian wasn’t picky about what he hit, vigorously pummeling Phyllamon’s midsection. After a series of individual blows with each hand, Zynathian cuffed one fist in the other palm and began using his double fist as a mallet, smashing into Phyllamon’s ribs, then his back, and lastly, a blow to the stomach.

Phyllamon was so frail that this final hit knocked the wind from him. He sat up in a wheezing fit. Zynathian gripped his neck and began squeezing the life from him.

Phyllamon’s eyes became bloodshot, and his crooked, broken nose twitched as he desperately tried to breath through it. Soon he began convulsing, for he was on his last breath. Zynathian’s dirt-greasy palms marked Phyllamon’s neck black, as he tightened his grip, hoping to hear something break. Spittle flew through the gaps in Phyllamon’s jagged teeth as things around him began to get hazy. As his back hit the floor, a small, blurry mass approached, blocking out the light from the ceiling.

Zynathian was so focused on putting an end to Phyllamon that he hadn’t even noticed anyone enter the room. By the time he looked up and saw the midget, it was too late. Murlach had taken a thick glass vial from the counter top and swung it as hard as he could. It smashed across the back of his head, sending Zynathian aside, groveling in pain.

“Master, we must leave…they’re coming!” Murlach said, violently shaking him.

Phyllamon, however, continued to roll about the floor for a moment, catching his breath and regaining his senses. When Murlach was sure that he was well enough to stand, he helped Phyllamon to his feet. “Come now, Sire.”

“Nooooo, we must…kill…him,” he said pointing wearily at Zynathian, who was still groaning.

Murlach, however, gripped his arm firmly, steering him to the door.

“No, Master, there’s no time. We’ll be dead if we stay any longer!”

“But…where…is Felix?”

18

Felix shook with rage as he examined the photo once more, telling himself that it couldn’t be possible. In addition to a little black girl in the photo (whom he didn’t know) was: a monstrous creature that matched the description of a beast in his father’s nightmares; that bike-thief-bitch, Sing; Bahzee (the other bitch, who he was destined to marry); his future wife’s mother; a muscular-looking white boy, who was probably just shy of being a teenager; the black male, who’d beat him within an inch of his life; and, to his right, was the man who’d stopped that same boy from killing him in the forest that day.

So this is Zynathian! They’re all in this together—one big family!
Felix thought.

He threw the picture aside and stormed from Teshunua’s guest bedroom. Irrational and eager to fire his weapon at someone, fate dealt him an opportunity with just the person he was looking for. Felix had never forgotten the beating he took from Teshunua that day, and since then, in the back of his mind, he’d sworn vengeance over and over again. He ducked back in the bedroom as Teshunua approached.

Not a soul stirred on this floor. Teshunua cursed his speed, for he was now almost certain that the Xyecahs had gotten away. He pivoted back and forth from the same spot, weapon raised, checking to make sure that he wasn’t missing anything. The size of the beasts that Phyllamon brought with him, ranging from large to enormous, made them unable to hide, so he was certain that none of them were lurking about in corners, for he’d have seen them.

Finally, convinced of Phyllamon’s escape, Teshunua lowered his weapon and decided to check the rooms, seeing if anything was stolen.

First he went to a large stone in the middle of one of the walls. It was no more stunning in beauty than the other rocks, and so within the standards of the entire castle, it appeared to be normal. However, as Teshunua pushed it in, the rock proved to be anything but.

Suddenly, the entire left portion of the wall shifted, sliding to the side. The entrance to the family vault had been opened, and there stood a mountain of Arhyz rocks, stretching all the way to the hundred-foot ceiling.

Unimpressed, having seen it so many times, Tesh was quickly satisfied. It was obvious that no attempt had been made at the money, for there were no dead bodies buried about, crushed in an avalanche of wealth. The rocks were undisturbed. He now headed to his bedroom.

Waiting patiently, Felix caught Teshunua off guard, landing the butt of his gun right in the face. Teshunua smashed to the stone floor. He landed on his right shoulder and though he wasn’t missing any teeth, he was spitting up a gruesome amount of blood. Head spinning, he leered at Felix with indignation.

“I’ve waited so long for this moment!” Felix taunted.

Felix began slowly walking away from Teshunua, giving himself some space from the terrible fate that he was about to unleash upon his long lost enemy.

Knowing that he was at the end of his life, Teshunua decided that he would at least die with dignity. He may have been hurt, but he was still well enough to get cheeky with Felix.

“I like your scars, Felix,” he hissed, mocking the look of him. “Did the love of my life give you those? …Oh wow, where’s the tip of your nose? That’s a beauty! But the fun doesn’t stop there, does it? You’ve got missing teeth, too! Hah!”

Felix continued to back up, nostrils flaring at Teshunua’s cynical tirade.

“Bahzee did a great job of reconstructing that ugly face of yours—at least now you have more of an excuse to be as hideous as you are. What’s wrong? You shouldn’t be surprised that she told me how she mercilessly beat your ass up against that tree. You see, Bahzee loves me, and she’ll tell me anything.”

“You got a lot of mouth!” Felix said, sneering with jealousy.

“Yes I do…I’m not afraid of you. I guess you think that killing me will make you slide into my spot as Bahzee’s boyfriend, but you should know, Felix, she would rather burn in the fires of hell than be acquainted with you. Sorry to break your heart, you fucking Sally, but you should’ve known I would never lose to you. I always win. I beat you in intelligence. I beat you in charm, character, and honesty. I beat your ass in the Mashyuvian forest. And yes, even in death, I beat you to the girl, you pathetic piece of shit!” Teshunua finished, scowling and spitting blood.

Felix’s lips quivered as he grit his teeth in anger.

Just then Bahzee’s voice echoed up the stairwell, calling for Teshunua. As Tesh prepared to yell, “I love you” as his last gesture to her, Felix pulled the trigger.

Two grenades flew from the shaft and exploded on impact. Teshunua was thrown some thirty feet, colliding with the stone wall. Smoldering debris followed, slightly burying him. He wailed in pain, for he was still conscious and burning alive.

Even though Teshunua was engulfed in flames and would be dead any moment, this seemed to not be good enough for Felix. He aimed again, preparing to finish him off. Just as he was about to fire, a firm hand, gripped his arm, yanking him along.

“Come, laddy, we must be leaving at once!”