Fifthwind (55 page)

"No!"
Kyla denied, "I wanted the world to have the chance to heal itself.
The Fifthwind belongs here with us. My heart aches for me to have to
resort to this, but there's no choice!"

Vincent
said, "The Core cannot be allowed to control such power. As much as
I've marveled at the power and beauty of the Fifthwind, we cannot
allow it to remain and fuel the hand of our enemies! Besides, it's
the only way to save what's left of Kishell Springs."

"There's
nothing left to save," Ben frowned.

Kyla
wilted at the news. "Is there no one left at all?"

Ben
did not answer, and kept his eyes fixed on the nearby statues. If
Mason and the others still lived, it would not be for much longer. In
his heart, he knew that they were already dead. He had the means to
visit that site in his mind, but could not bolster the courage to
look upon fallen friends. He realized that there was nothing left for
him but vengeance.

After
nearly a thousand years, the Fifthwind had finally returned, only to
be removed yet again from this world. With the power of the Fahd
gone, he and Phaetalis would stand on even ground. That ancient
betrayer would hold no advantage over him, no legendary skills born
from magic. He suddenly looked forward to their next meeting.

Around
the edge of the clearing, more Murg were gathering, shuffling
nervously back and forth in the snow like caged animals waiting to be
freed upon their victims. The invisible barrier that held them at bay
was probably more superstition than any tangible magical binding.
Either way, their very presence served as a pointed reminder of what
the people of Kreggoria would soon face if this threat was not dealt
with here and now. He had lost too many friends and had come too far
to allow that to happen. He turned to Vincent and nodded, "How do
we do this?"

It
was getting colder and the snow was falling harder; heavy wet clumps
speckled Kyla's hair and made Ben's ungloved hands sting. Channeled
through the narrow canyon, the wind picked up strength and swirled
around the boulders and statues, making Vincent's cloak flutter out
behind him as he clutched it tightly under his chin. He gathered the
restless folds and cinched his belt to contain the unruly fabric.

They
moved to the center of the statues and Vincent swept the snow away
from the young woman of stone. He momentarily cradled her face in his
palm and looked upon her with sadness. Then he moved out in front of
the statues and placed his large leather book flat on a conveniently
level boulder top some distance away, facing the center of the scene.

"Kyla,"
Vincent said, "take up a place next to the girl. Ben, you will need
to be nearby on the other side."

The
old scholar opened his book and thumbed through several pages until
he found what he was looking for. He traced his finger down the page,
mumbling to himself, until he finally tapped the page and smiled.

He
looked up and spoke clearly over the wind that was beginning to howl.
"Somewhere in this immediate vicinity is a rip between worlds, a
place where the Fifthwind is seeping slowly into our realm. Kyla can
weave that energy, but she can't see its source. That is where you
will come in, Ben."

Ben
closed his eyes and looked out over the vast grayness of the
Witherscape. He sensed that he was near great power, but he did not
see the source Vincent spoke of. He said, "I don't see anything."

Vincent
called out to him, "Mindsight is not enough, you've got to Drift
into the Witherscape and find that rift between worlds. The source of
the Fifthwind is beyond the Witherscape. You'll need to Drift in
order to find it and successfully guide Kyla's efforts."

Ben
understood what Vincent was suggesting, but also understood the
dangers he would face in doing so. "We'll need to act quickly. I'll
be vulnerable during that time. This is precisely the way Phaetalis
met his end."

Vincent
raised a reassuring hand, "I understand your situation clearly.
We'll work as quickly as possible and both I and Kyla will watch for
trouble." The old scholar turned to his daughter and gave her a
brief but nervous smile.

"Don't
worry, father... I'm ready."

"Your
mother would be very proud of you today. I wish she were here to see
you save us all. Do you remember everything you will need to do?"

"Yes."

"Then
stand as close to the girl as possible, she knew well the optimal
spot for the weaving, a fact we can thank her for after we're done."

Kyla
inched up next to the stone figure and laced her fingers behind her
back, waiting for the weaving to begin. She glanced across to Ben and
took in a deep breath. Despite the cold and increasingly damp
weather, she stood straight and without fear. Her face was calm and
relaxed and glowed with life. She was not afraid, and Ben could see
sincere confidence in her eyes.

Vincent
turned a page in his book and rubbed his hands together to warm them.
"Ben, your part in this will be easy. You only need guide her
weaving, you will see the rift grow as she pulls its power to her."

"And
that is a good thing?" Ben asked, suddenly realizing he did not
know what he was supposed to do.

Vincent
said, "At first, it will begin to open as Kyla draws the Fifthwind
to her. Once she has harnessed enough of that energy, she will turn
it back onto the rift and seal it. This is where you will need to
guide her. Missing that intended target would not be a good thing."

Ben
nodded. It seemed simple enough, though he knew Kyla would perform
the bulk of the work. He had seen her before, painfully straining to
contain the force of the Fifthwind, and he had no false hopes that
this weaving would be easy for her. It was ironic that such a great
power could be brought to the point of destroying itself.

Vincent
added pointedly. "She'll be in a lot of pain, but don't let her end
the spell until you are absolutely sure the rift is sealed
completely. It must be absolutely closed, even the slightest error
will cost her everything. You are the only one who will know. Her
safety and the fate of the world rests on your shoulders and your
judgment."

Ben
raised his eyes to Kyla and nodded, "I won't let you down."

Vincent
clapped his hands together and his face took on a very serious mask
of determination. "Everyone to your places. It's time."

Ben
took one last glance at Kyla, who lifted her hands and started
whispering something under her breath. The air around them
immediately grew dry with a familiar bitterness. His skin tingled and
his ears were humming. She was gradually gathering the Fifthwind,
calling it to her. Ben marveled at her beauty and how she radiated a
soft glow that seemed to bring warmth to the cold clearing of stone
watchers.

He
took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The sky above was bleak and
gray, and that colorlessness bled downward to overtake him, until he
had completely entered the Witherscape. There, in the dim shadow of
the world he knew, he stepped forward and out of his body. Upon doing
so, a sliver of golden yellow revealed itself suspended in the air
several meters before him. From that tear, shafts of bright light
stabbed through into the cavernous void of the Witherscape.

Ribbons
of energy, glowing strands of pink and purple spiraled around him and
pulled toward Kyla who was a beacon of bright light. Ben shielded his
eyes and could not stare directly into the brilliant pulsating glow
of her presence. As she pulled more and more energy to her, she grew
brighter, and Ben could feel warmth on his face as if she were the
sun on a clear summer day.

He
turned back to the source of the energy and saw that the rift was
beginning to open wider, and through that portal, Ben could make out
rolling green hills and a vivid blue sky. The Witherscape was
literally a space between worlds. The source of the Fifthwind was not
in this realm, but rather on the other side of the rift. Ben wondered
what it was like there...

Before
he let himself get too caught up in his thoughts, he turned to
Vincent who stood calmly and muttered to himself as he looked over
the book laid out before him. He repeatedly lifted his gaze to Kyla
and nervously shook his head. It was clear that he was very worried
for her.

Ben
spoke, and in the distance he heard his own voice repeat his words,
"Vincent, the rift is getting bigger."

Vincent
did not seem to hear, his eyes were clenched shut and he muttered a
rhythmic chant as he tightly gripped his book. The old scholar had
never mentioned anything about having any skill in the magic arts
himself, only that he had studied the techniques in order to teach
Kyla. But he clearly seemed to be aiding her, participating in the
weaving of the spell.

Ben
turned his attention to Kyla who was beginning to strain from the
forces she pulled toward her. Within a cocoon of twisting and
turning, pulsating, spirals of energy, she steadied herself and
controlled the stream. The occasional errant strain would break free
from her grasp, and release a shower of sparks as it negated itself
against the nearby rocks. The air was beginning to crackle as the
Fifthwind grew in strength.

Ben
turned again toward the rift, and could now see a portal large enough
for a man to walk through. It was a doorway into another world, but a
doorway he did not dare approach. The midday golden sun on the other
side of the gateway sent shafts of light into the Witherscape where
the beams took on the wispy shape of energy that Kyla pulled toward
her. The sun's rays from that alien world were the source of the
Fifthwind. As he watched, the rift grew larger and larger, and Kyla
was beginning to tremble in her efforts to contain it.

The
gateway continued to expand until its edges took on a more
substantial rigidness. The opening was not getting any bigger, but it
also no longer wavered in the air and Ben panicked at the realization
that he had allowed it to go too far.

"The
rift is fully open!" Ben screamed. "Kyla!"

"Something
is stopping me from turning it back," Kyla gasped. "I'm trying!"

Ben
looked to her father. "Vincent!"

The
scholar snapped open his eyes and raised his hands out before him.
His chanting grew louder, and his fingers pulled at the energy
surrounding Kyla. Ben watched as the throbbing fields of power began
to break up and move away from her. Vincent was somehow taking over
control of the massed energy and relieving her of most of that
burden. Vincent commanded the Fifthwind with a stern voice and
cast-iron hands; he pushed and pulled forcefully at it as he weaved
the energy around the statue at Kyla's side.

Then
Kyla screamed.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Ben
ripped his attention from Vincent and saw that Kyla was struggling
against the grip of the stone girl who had reached out and snatched
Kyla's wrist. Slowly, and with the sound of grinding stone, the young
woman was getting to her feet. Kyla screamed again and tried to pull
free with no success. She turned to her father with fear in her eyes.

"What's
happening!" she cried.

"Relax
child, it will be over soon," Vincent said and then continued
muttering strange words under his breath as the girl continued to
move up toward Kyla. "She needs what only you can provide."

Ben
watched in horror as Kyla's arm began to turn gray and stiff as the
girl drew the very flesh from Kyla's body. With each passing moment
the stone girl gained flesh as Kyla began to petrify. Kyla struggled,
but could not break free.

"Vincent!
Stop this... you're killing her!" Ben screamed.

Vincent
smiled, "A necessary loss to reach our goals. She was never going
to be strong enough to complete the spell, but Fahd Phaetalis and
Aurelia can... and no one will be able to stop them this time."

Ben
looked upon a madman and realized what none of them had seen before.
Vincent was the sorcerer of The Magus Core that they had sought all
along. Vincent wanted the very power that Phaetalis had attempted to
gain an eon before.

Ben
cried out, "Phaetalis seeks this power for himself! It's what he
desires more than anything. Do you really think he'll allow you to
live?"

Vincent
laughed, "I hold the key to what he desires most." He nodded
toward Aurelia who was coming more alive with each passing moment.
"After nearly nine-hundred years, they only wish to be together.
They will give me what I want in return for the life I can give them
together. Then, with their help, I will be the strongest of The Magus
Core!"

Ben
shrank back. Vincent had fooled them all, waiting patiently for the
right moment to launch his plan. There was never any attempt to close
the rift, Vincent intended to resurrect the girl in return for access
to the power only she could grant.

And
Kyla was to be sacrificed to accomplish it.

"Father!"
Kyla cried out.

"Stop
calling me that!" Vincent groaned.

Kyla
was fighting against the encroaching stone that moved up toward her
shoulder. She strained her will against it and pushed back its flow
in a battle of strength versus the girl and Vincent's magic. It was a
battle that Kyla was slowly losing.

Ben
knew he had to get out of the Witherscape and back to his body
quickly if there was any hope of distracting Vincent long enough for
Kyla to get the upper hand, but before he even finished the thought,
the air shimmered and Fahd Phaetalis appeared. The familiar face of
William Babbitt grinned and cocked his head to one side indicating
the knife he held at Ben's throat.

"Move
an inch, and spend the next thousand years wandering in this forsaken
place all alone. You should have learned from my mistake.
Never
leave your body unoccupied when your enemies are nearby."