The Way of the Power (26 page)

Abrazkia tumbled through the air, but Malja knew how powerful Gate could be — especially in an emergency. She put out her hands and concentrated on the air beneath Abrazkia. Before the fogs could swallow her up, Malja pictured the air ripping open. She could see it shimmer.

With a thunderous crack, a portal opened and Abrazkia plunged through. Malja held it open long enough to see volcanoes and seas of lava. She wanted to watch further but lost control, and the portal clamped shut. She collapsed to the ground, her head lolling over the edge, and the swirls of fog evened out below her.

After a minute, she rolled onto her back. Sweat tickled her nose. She wanted to sleep for a few days, but she had to see if Tommy and Big Nose needed any help with the Artisoll. Groaning, she shifted to her feet.

With a load crack, a portal opened in the air above. Malja stared, trying to figure out how she had accidentally opened this thing when Abrazkia passed through and landed a few feet ahead. Though her body still had a gargantuan shape, the snout had retreated, leaving Abrazkia’s burned face in full view.

“You think a barely-controlled portal’s going to beat me?” Abrazkia spit out blood with the words. “You freakish piece of trash. You’ll never be Gate.”

“That’s fine with me.”

Abrazkia grabbed her stomach and frowned. She winced as she looked at Malja. “What are doing to me?”

A light rose behind Abrazkia. Big Nose could be heard whooping. “The Queen has risen. Long live the Queen!”

Both Malja and Abrazkia faced the light. The new Queen rose into the air, ethereal in her beauty, radiating warmth and caring. Tommy sat on the ground, panting and sweating.

The Queen opened her hand toward Abrazkia. “All in Life is ever-changing. You cannot control Life. Doing so begets evil, and evil always is its own undoing.”

With a defiant howl, Abrazkia said, “I’m still here. I still control more worlds than you ever could dream of.”

The Queen snapped her fingers once. A soft sound that died in the fog as fast as it had been created. Abrazkia’s body exploded into the fog like a burst balloon.

Malja didn’t bother staring dumbfounded at the Queen nor at the spot where Abrazkia last lived. Instead, she stumbled towards Tommy. But the Queen beat her to his side.

Holding him to her chest and stroking his hair, the Queen kissed his head. “My Tommy, my love, your Queen is here.”

Malja halted. Tears slid out of her eyes as she watched this other woman comfort Tommy. It hurt worse than her bruised body.

But as the moment lengthened, as she watched the Queen hold Tommy, her pain subsided. Something caused her lips to rise. She felt like laughing.

She turned away. Too much emotion. Shaking her head, she turned back. Using her emotions had saved her life. Perhaps there was a power to be found in them. Yes. No more hiding from herself. If she wanted to use her do-kha to its fullest, if she wanted to unlock the true warrior within, she would have to learn to embrace and control her emotions — not simply lock them out. And there was no better place to start than with Tommy.

Chapter 26

Through her old, dented spyglass,
Malja watched as the fleets of the Large Three Countries approached Castle Tunistall. Months had passed since the Rising, and much of that time had been spent healing — for Malja, for her friends, and for Reo-Koll. It had been ages since one of the smaller countries had taken control, and many people found it a difficult concept to accept. But when the Queen chooses, the world follows. Still, she had wisely done nothing drastic since taking over to allow her world to come to terms with the change.

Standing on one of the many castle balconies, Malja enjoyed the clean air and the steady rhythm of the surf — a sound she would forever associate with Stray. Days after the Rising, they held a funeral for Stray. They buried him at the top of the Temple. As the Holy Men went through the ceremony, Malja looked out from the cliff’s edge and listened to the ocean break against the rocks. The sound soothed her, and she hoped it would be enough to let this tireless warrior rest.

The Queen attended the funeral, too, and her presence surprised many of Reo-Koll. But as she said, “I would not be here to rule were it not for the sacrifices of many — most especially, my dear guardian, Aldous Stray. If we cannot pay tribute to those who do such things for us, then what good are we?”

Hearing those words, Malja knew Reo-Koll would be well taken care of.

Watching the fleet approach the Castle, Malja wondered how long it would take the Large Three Countries to cause the Queen political trouble. She turned her spyglass on Daku, the Dovell leader, standing tall and firm on his extravagantly dressed ship as he arrived from the North. He scowled at the sea, and Malja guessed he would be one of the last in all of Reo-Koll to accept the loss of Dovell’s standing and the first to pick a fight. Off to the South, the Bechstallons entered looking clumsy and haphazard. Yet none of their ships hit each other, so there must have been some type of organization to their movements. Finally, the Ro fleet approached directly behind Dovell. The Commander led the way with her stern face and sharp eyes.

Until that moment, Malja had assumed the Commander and all those at the Ro camp had died. But it appeared that Tommy had only frozen them, and a part of Malja blustered with pride. He had spared them. Something she would never have done. Something better.

Malja brushed away the tears wetting her cheeks. Lately, whenever she thought of Tommy, she ended up crying a little. Opening herself to her emotions had given her greater control over her do-kha and made her a greater warrior, but it had its drawbacks.

It was more than that, though. She had to be honest with herself, and that meant admitting that the Queen had made another important choice, one that impacted Malja greatly. The Queen had chosen Tommy, and he had chosen her. In two days, they would be married. Big Nose, his real name was Thaddeux, would be conducting the ceremony, and while Malja felt honest joy for Tommy, her heart cracked a little each time she thought of the wedding.

A knock at the door. “Come in.”

Fawbry stormed in. “I can’t believe that they still won’t take care of Hirasa. I mean, by Korstra, she helped save the Queen. You’d think they’d have no problem using a little magic to heal her.”

“She’s healing fine on her own. The doctors here are quite advanced.”

“But they said it would take another month or two before she’s walking. Meanwhile, I’ve got to push her around in that wheelchair all day long.”

Malja chuckled. Despite his protests, Fawbry had grown quite close to Hirasa. In fact, Malja wouldn’t be surprised if in a year or so, she would be attending another wedding.

“Did you want something, or are you here to complain?”

Fawbry’s mouth opened into a wide grin that brightened his face and gave him the look of a boy thrilled with new toys — a real Fawbry smile. “I just wanted to visit. Life’s been pleasantly busy with the wedding coming up and all, and I feel like I’ve barely seen you lately.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not running off again.”

“Did I say I was worried?”

“I know you.”

Fawbry stepped onto the balcony and inhaled deeply. “I think I’ll miss this place.”

“You going somewhere?”

“We have to get Hirasa back to Carsite, don’t we? After she’s healed up.”

“Of course.” Malja had been practicing with her do-kha every day. She had spent a month trying to create a portal before she reached any success. Another month passed before she could hold one steady. Only recently could she focus on a place she had been before and bring up that location within the portal. She’d yet to step through — no guarantee she could ever get back. But she approached her do-kha like she did all the combat training she had endured growing up — disciplined practice that bore small improvements over time and eventually led to mastery.

Tapping the balcony rail, Fawbry licked his lips. “I had a question for you.”

The real reason for his visit.
“Go ahead.”

“I wondered if you might be willing to take me to Carsite. Now. Today. I want to assure her family and those close to her that she’s okay. That she’ll be back soon. I also want to bring back a few of her things to help her cope while she’s stuck here. A touch of her home. And, well, I need to make amends for Lynoya. She didn’t deserve what happened to her.”

“You were being controlled by magic. It’s not your fault.”

“We both know I’m still responsible. I need to face them. I can’t bring back the dead, but I can face what I did.”

Malja thought about it for a moment. “We have to be back in time for the wedding.”

“You think I’d miss Tommy’s wedding for anything? Besides, this shouldn’t take long. A few visits, get Hirasa’s things, and talk with Canto about Lynoya.”

“It’s that last part that’s the problem. What if they choose to imprison you? I don’t want to have to kill a bunch of Carsites breaking you out.”

“I kind of hoped that with you at my side, they wouldn’t be dumb enough to do anything like that. Besides, if you can get us to Carsite, you can get us back here before they can lay a hand on me.”

“I’m not like Tommy. I can’t do it that fast. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to get us back.”

“Then Tommy can bring us back.”

“You know how I feel about that.”

“Then the Queen can do it.” Fawbry faced her, and she could not miss the passion in his eyes. “Please. I think I love Hirasa. And I think she’s falling in love with me. I’ve got to try to get Canto to forgive me. If I don’t, they’ll never let me rejoin them, and then Hirasa would be forced to choose between me and her family. I can’t do that to her.”

Malja crossed her bedroom to the closet and pulled out Viper. “I’ll take you. But we go back when I say so. No arguments.”

“Absolutely. Thank you.”

“Not a word to Tommy. He’d get worried about us and want to help. He’s got a wedding to focus on, not traipsing around with us.”

Fawbry paused. “It really is just going to be the two of us now, huh? I mean, once Tommy’s married, he can’t just go checking out other worlds with us anymore.”

Malja clenched her jaw and held back her tears. Needing her emotions to be a better fighter was one thing. Showing her emotions to Fawbry was an entirely different matter. “I thought you were falling in love with Hirasa. You think she’s going to want you checking out other worlds with me?”

“I guess not.” His genuine disappointment warmed Malja. She wanted to hug him.

“We’ve had an exciting time together, but all things that start have an end. All things change. This is a good change. You both have found people to love and safe places to enjoy that love. What else could life be for if not that?”

“But what about you?”

Malja dismissed the sentiment with a shrug. “I’ll be fine. Maybe I’ll settle down here and wait for the Queen to make some babies.”

Fawbry laughed. “You want to be a grandmother? I doubt that.”

“I guess not. I’ll figure something out. That’s still a few days away. Let’s get you to Carsite and back. I swear if I miss even a second of that wedding, you’ll pay for it far worse than anything Canto could dream up.”

Malja moved to an open space in the room and concentrated on her do-kha. She pictured the rocky Carsite landscape and the reconstructed town of Raxholden not too far off. Most importantly, she tapped into the way Carsite made her feel — all her mixed emotions about the place. The strong sense of community but also the dark undertones of religious fervor. The way they treated her as both a savior and a demon. All the good and bad swirling in her heart burst forth energizing her do-kha, and with a sharp boom, the portal opened.

Fawbry wrapped his arms around Malja. “You sure your portals work?”

“I’ve never stepped through one of my own.”

“What?”

“We’re going to find out right now.”

Before Fawbry could protest, Malja jumped in.

* * * *

And they tumbled on the hard ground of Carsite. When Fawbry stood, he laughed and danced around in a circle. “You did it! We’re here!”

Malja sifted pebbles through her fingers. She couldn’t believe it. Despite all the evidence that she would be able to succeed with this, part of her had doubted it all along. But she had succeeded. She could feel the rocks of Carsite beneath her and smell the ... burning?

Malja popped to her feet. Fawbry’s shocked face said more than anything. She looked at the town of Raxholden — smoldering ruins. Black smoke poured into the sky and a few flames consumed the buildings in the back. The rest had burned out a while ago.

In stunned silence, Malja and Fawbry hiked into the town. They had seen many horrible things in the past, but both of them tried to avoid seeing the burned bodies let alone smelling the cooked flesh.

“Malja?” a deep but choked voice said. “Fawbry?”

Off to the right, they saw a hastily constructed shelter. Within its shadows, several people moved. Survivors.

A large, dark man stepped out — Canto. “You came back.”