Rampage, page 45
part #1 of Land of the Elementals Series
Karria breathed a sigh of relief at that. Though he was in danger, he would survive.
“I have answered two of your questions. You have one remaining. Choose carefully.”
Karria cursed silently to herself.
The second question had slipped out before she had time to think about it. There were still two questions that she desperately wanted answered, but now she would need to choose between the two.
“Who are you really?” she finally asked. “I know what you are, but I have a feeling that you’re a lot more important than you’ve been letting on.”
Here, Silver’s smile faded slightly.
“I am sorry, but that is a question I cannot answer. You will have to forgive me, but if you knew the answer to this question, you would be in immediate and life-threatening danger. You may ask me another question, as I could not answer this one for you.”
That answer made her even more curious about him, but she knew if he didn’t want to divulge any secrets, he wouldn’t. There was still the matter of the third question.
“Why didn’t you tell me that my brother was alive?”
This was one of the questions she’d wanted to ask, but didn’t think she’d be able to, due to her slip-up.
“Well, the answer is fairly complicated, and would take some time to explain, so I’ll give you the simple answer for now.”
He leaned forward and interlaced his fingers.
“There is a war coming, a war which the likes of have not been seen in thousands of years, and you will both have a role to play in it. You were needed here, and he was needed elsewhere. If I had told you that your brother was alive, you’d never have come here.”
Karria opened her mouth to ask another question, but Silver shook his head and rose from the chair.
“I have answered three questions, as I said I would.”
Karria closed her mouth and glared at him.
He just smiled, a bright warm smile, and she felt her annoyance melting away.
“You still have your wish. Ask for anything, and if it’s within my power, I will grant it for you.”
Karria was stunned, the thing he’d said earlier finally sinking in. Could he really mean it?
“I can ask for anything?” she asked.
She knew what he was. Sylvester had explained to her that he was from the salamander race. He hadn’t explained why he distrusted him so much, but Karria was beginning to see why. Silver kept more secrets than anyone she’d ever met. He had plans for her and her brother, but wasn’t willing to share them. Still, he did answer her questions honestly enough when she’d asked. She now knew where her brother was, and that he would be alright.
She thought for a few minutes about the wish. If she could have anything right now, what would she want? She wanted to see Arbor, but had a feeling that Silver would deny her that particular wish. Money? She didn’t really have any use for that right now.
Then it hit her – she knew exactly what she wanted.
“Can you cure Kya?” she asked, looking at him with a hopeful expression.
“I can, if that is your wish,” he answered. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
Karria nodded emphatically.
“As selfless as always,” he said, flashing her a warm smile. He glowed a brilliant white color for a few seconds, then he abruptly vanished.
Karria stood there for a moment, not really sure as to what had just happened. He was gone! She ran out into the hallway and looked both ways but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
What about her wish? He’d left before anything had happened!
She looked up and down the hall once more to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. Her eyes inadvertently fell on Kya’s door, and her heart began to pound as she slowly approached it. She wrapped her fingers around the knob, too afraid to turn it.
She wanted desperately to believe that Kya was better, but she couldn’t face such a disappointment. Silver had said that he could cure her before he’d vanished, and he had glowed with magic for a few seconds, so maybe that had cured her.
She stood by the door for a few more minutes as indecision wracked her mind. Finally, she just couldn’t stand it anymore. She needed to see for herself.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked once and turned the doorknob, pushing the door open.
The sight that greeted her upon entering the room was Blyss, hugging her daughter tightly as great wracking sobs shook her body. Karria felt her heart freeze as she looked on, fearing the worst.
She took a faltering step forward but stopped short when Kya turned to her, a confused look on her face.
“Karria, what’s happening? Why is my mother crying? I’ve tried asking her, but she won’t answer.” She looked quite distraught and was patting her mother consolingly.
Karria stood stock still for a moment as her mind tried to process what was happening. Then she ran forward, tears already beginning to fall from her eyes. These were not the tears of sadness she’d been shedding over the past two weeks. These were tears of joy.
As Karria wrapped her arms around her friend and the queen alike, only one thought occupied her mind.
Silver truly had granted her wish.
62
“They’re gaining on us!” Ramona yelled into his ear.
Arbor grunted and pumped a little more magic into his legs, feeling his pace increase only a bit. They’d been running for the last thirty minutes, and he could already make out the wall in the distance.
All they had to do was reach it.
They didn’t know what the situation at the wall was, but from what he could see, it was still standing.
“They’re still gaining on us!”
Arbor peeked over his shoulder to the force chasing them. Fifty gremlins on horseback, led by the general himself, were only a mile or so behind them. He allowed more magic to flow into his legs, biting back a curse as the pain intensified.
He was taking a bit of a risk, but there was no other option. He could either push himself and run faster, or they would be caught and killed. He still had promises to keep. His sister needed him, and Ramson was still among the living.
He gritted his teeth as he felt a slow burning sensation building in his muscles. He looked over his shoulder again and saw that they were slowly pulling away from the horses.
By his estimate, they were still ten miles or so from the wall. At their current speed, he should reach it in about twenty minutes. The question now was if his body would hold up until they reached it. He still had the two-minute reprieve his armor could give him, but he didn’t want to use it just yet.
He ran on, pushing through the mounting pain and watched as the wall grew closer. His side throbbed where the iron ball had hit him, and his arm burned where the green lance of energy had struck.
If he were well rested, a run like this would hardly be a problem, but he’d overextended himself earlier when fighting the gremlin Mages and now he was paying for it.
His steps faltered a bit as he felt a muscle tear and was forced to slow down. Steam was pouring continually from his legs as his body tried to shed the excess heat his magic was creating.
“Come on, keep pushing! We’re almost there!”
Ramona was yelling at him again.
He bit his tongue to hold back an angry retort. He was the one doing all the work, and what was she doing? Treating him like a pack animal and telling him to run faster.
He looked over his shoulder again. He’d put another mile between him and his pursuers, but they were now catching up again. He looked to the wall again, calculating the distance to see if they would make it. He felt his heart drop.
At the speed they were going, they would be run down about half a mile from the wall.
He took a deep breath and dug deep. He had to survive! If not for himself, then for his sister.
Arbor kept repeating that same line as he pumped more and more magic into his legs, feeling himself rocket away from their pursuit. Then he tapped into his armor's reserve of power. It would allow him two minutes at his current speed, but after that, it would begin to cost him dearly.
He was running nearly twice as fast as before, the ground seeming to be a blur as he flew over it. He was forced to squint as the wind whistled around him, and dust flew into his eyes. He was closing the distance to the wall at a rapid pace.
They were almost there!
Then the worst happened. His armor’s enchantment wore off, leaving his body to fuel the magic once more. The strain was immediate and excruciatingly painful. He felt his muscles tearing themselves apart at an alarming rate and felt something hot begin to trickle down his legs. The pain was blinding, yet he kept on going, one thought in his mind: He had a promise to keep.
The wall was only a mile away now, just another minute and they would be there! He could see fighting further down the wall but ignored it. The wall was fast approaching now, and he saw that he wouldn’t be able to stop in time. He didn’t think he could stop now, even if he wanted to.
“Hold on!” he yelled and felt Ramona’s grip tighten even further. He gathered up his legs under him and jumped. He rocketed twenty feet into the air, just managing to clear the top of the wall. His momentum took him further than he’d expected, and he was soon on the other side, falling towards the ground below.
They wouldn’t survive a fall like this, especially at the speed they were going. They would hit the ground hard, then continue bouncing and rolling until the momentum from his run was all used up. He didn’t know what to do. He needed time to think!
He slowed his perception, allowing him a few precious seconds to come up with a plan. There was only one thing he could try, but it would be extremely risky.
Closing his eyes, he reached for his second Origin. The magic immediately responded, eager, and willing. White light coated his arms as the ground approached; he could feel the magic sharpen his senses and attune him to the world around him. He could also feel it roiling against his will, demanding to be released so it could destroy everything in its path.
He gritted his teeth as he thrust his arms outward, fighting the destructive energy for control. He heard Ramona screaming in his ear. They struck the ground. An enormous explosion of dirt and debris showered them as his magic created a massive crater in the ground, the resistance greatly lessening the impact and slowing their momentum.
They came to a stop a few seconds later, and he released his perception magic as the fight for control began once again. He fought against his second Origin as the magic lashed out in all directions, destroying the ground around him and showering them in debris. He knew that if he didn’t stop his magic now, they would both be buried alive.
He fought against the roiling power as it tried to escape his grasp, the white light trying desperately to escape. He heard a cracking sound from above and more debris began showering down on them.
Concentrating with all his might, he finally cut off the magic, stopping any more from escaping, then he angled his arms upward and allowed the remaining magic to discharge into open air, where it couldn’t hurt anyone.
He rolled onto his back, panting for breath and wincing at the pain. Looking over to Ramona, she could see she was bleeding heavily from a wound in her scalp, and she wasn’t moving.
He felt his heart seize up in fear as he watched her still and unmoving form. She couldn’t be dead! Not after all they’d been through to get back. He forced himself onto his side and crawled over to her in a panic. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her chest rising and falling.
She was still alive.
He didn’t know the extent of her injuries, so placing his hand on her forehead, he reached for his perception magic once more. He felt the blue sphere of power, pulsing at his center and allowed a small amount to flow down the stream in his arm.
It was extremely painful, especially since his body was so overtaxed, but he couldn’t allow Ramona to die because of him.
His magic flowed into her body after a few moments of effort, and he forced it up towards her head. It was immediately obvious what was wrong. She must have smacked her head against something in the fall.
Her skull was cracked, and a tiny fragment of bone was poking into her brain, causing swelling and heavy bleeding. He hesitated for a moment when he saw this. Arbor didn’t know much about healing, but he knew that injuries to the brain were extremely dangerous.
If he made even the smallest mistake, he could kill her, but if he did nothing, she would most definitely die.
He forced his pounding heart to calm by taking a few deep breaths. Then, he forged on, making the magic flow upward and into the injury. He watched as the magic knitted the cracked skull and began to coat the swollen tissue in her brain, but he could already see that the amount of magic he’d used wouldn’t be enough.
He allowed more and more magic to flow into her, feeling the pain in his own body mounting to an almost unbearable degree. Then, it was over. The swelling in her brain went down and he knew that he had done all he could.
Releasing his magic with a groan of pain, he rolled onto his back and stared up at the lip of the crater he’d made, nearly twenty feet over his head.
This was likely the only reason they’d survived the fall. The massive hole his magic had created had greatly reduced the impact of their landing. He closed his eyes and concentrated inward.
He had to see the extent of his injuries. He knew Ramona would be alright, but he was most likely the only one in danger at the moment. He began to examine his body thoroughly. He had two broken ribs where the metal ball had hit him, but no other bones were broken. There were a whole bunch of partial tears in his leg muscles, but thankfully, none of them were completely torn through. His legs were also covered in burns, as well as small cuts.
That must have been the warm feeling he’d felt earlier. They were all scabbed over right now, so at least he wasn’t losing any blood. There were torn muscles in his arms as well, but once again, the damage was far less extensive than he thought it would be.
It looked like his body was slowly building more of a resistance to his magic. He must be a lot tougher than he thought. The thought made him laugh out loud and he winced as the movement hurt his aching body.
“What’s so funny?”
Arbor cranked his head to the side, to see Ramona, sitting up and looking around in confusion.
“Oh good, you’re awake,” Arbor groaned, staring back up at the sky above. “You really had me worried for a bit, but it looks like your head healed up nicely.”
Ramona stared at him for a few moments, her mind trying to comprehend as to what was going on.
“Tell me what happened,” she finally said after a few more moments.
Arbor looked to her in surprise.
“You really don’t remember?”
Ramona just shook her head.
“The last thing I remember is running from the gremlin camp.”
Arbor sighed.
Brain injuries were unpredictable. He hoped this short-term memory loss was all she would suffer.
He explained what had happened over the last hour, and Ramona sat quietly through the entire thing. He could feel his body beginning to heal his injuries while he spoke and was glad for his accelerated healing. There was still a war to fight, after all.
Once he finished his story, Ramona sat in silence for a few moments, allowing it all to sink in.
“It looks like I owe you my life, once again,” she said in a quiet voice.
He turned his head to look at her once again.
She looked troubled, and there was something else. Something he couldn’t place. She stared at him for a few moments, biting her lip and looking uncomfortable. Maybe she felt like she owed him, and that made her uncomfortable?
“You don’t have to worry about owing me anything,” he was quick to reassure her. “It was my fault you were hurt in the first place, so it was only right for me to heal you.”
Her cheeks went pink as he said that, and she quickly looked away from him.
“No, that’s not it at all.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s nothing. Just drop it,” she snapped and got to her feet.
He didn’t know what he was doing wrong, but decided it was best to change the subject before he said anything else to upset her.
“Well, we’re still technically in the middle of a battle. You should probably head back to the main force. It’ll take a little while for my body to heal, so you’d best go on ahead of me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, coming over to sit down next to him. “I won’t leave you here alone.”
What was it with women? One moment she was thanking him, the next she was snapping at him, and now she wanted to stay here until he was better? He wanted to scream in frustration and rail at the Almighty for making women so confusing. Instead of doing that, he turned his head so he could look Ramona in the eye.
“They need you out there. You can’t just stay here with me while your men are dying out on the battlefield. Just leave me here. I’ll recover in a bit and be right behind you.”
Ramona stood still for a minute, indecision clearly written on her face.
It was odd to see her like this. She was normally more decisive than anyone he knew. She looked at him for a few long moments before finally turning away.
“I expect you back on the battlefield as soon as you've recovered, is that understood?”
Arbor smiled to himself as she said this.
“Yes, Co-founder,” he replied.
She nodded once, then began climbing out of the crater. He watched her go for a few seconds, before closing his eyes. He was exhausted, and the hard ground under him felt as soft as the softest bed at the moment. It didn’t take too long before he was fast asleep.
Arbor woke with a start, blinking up into the glaring sun as he tried to get his bearings. Then it all came back to him in a rush.
How could he fall asleep at a time like this? Men were fighting and dying, while he was taking a nap!
He rose quickly to his feet, shaking off the last vestiges of sleep and peered up at the lip of the crater nearly twenty feet above. He still felt a bit sore but could tell that he was mostly healed up.
