The Compass Key (Book 5) (32 page)

“T
hank you, little brother.”

“That is why I plan on hiding behind her,” Timoran claims with a friendly grin.

The caster frowns at the redheaded warrior, sparks dancing in her eyes. “I thought barbarians were supposed to be brave.”

“We are very brave
. We also know that it is wise to stand behind one who can destroy a mountain with a wave of her hand. Take it as a compliment and please stop with the unnecessary spells.”

Delvin pops a few pieces of carrot into his mouth and chews them as he talks.
“I want to agree with Nyx that going through a series of vaults is very . . . outdated. Gabriel has to have an alternative at this point since the Baron has compromised the temples. He can’t be that helpless against this guy that his plan would be undone so easily.”

The tavern goes silent and every patron is frozen in time. The bartender is pouring ale that has become an eternal waterfall,
cursed to never fill the wooden mug. Isaiah is stuck with his drink halfway to his mouth, his eyes narrowed at Delvin. Everyone jumps when Nyx yelps at the sight of Fizzle frozen in mid-yawn on her lap. They look around the tavern for any signs of an enemy, all of them expecting Trinity or Stephen to step out of the shadows. Luke quickly checks outside to see everyone on the docks have been trapped in the same spell.

“Be thankful that the gods’ law stills my hand, mortal,” whispers a melodic voice f
rom behind Delvin. Gabriel the God of Destiny looms out of the wall and stands behind the wide-eyed knight. “Now, I will grant you each one question within reason. The other gods have already allowed me to do this, but I have the right to give you vague answers. Now, ask your questions, so I may return to my important work.”

“Aren’t we your important work?” Nyx asks before thinking. “Wait! That’s not my question.”

“Too late,” the god snaps, reaching out to put his gloved hands on Delvin’s shoulders. He grins at the fear ebbing off the mortal warrior. “Your destiny is very important. In fact, it is crucial to the survival of everything. The four of you and the missing champions are the only ones who can face the Baron when he returns.”

“Why are all of the temples on Ralian?” Timoran asks, surprising the powerful god with the insightful question. The towering warrior cannot stop the prideful smirk from appearing on his face. “Isaiah mentioned they were hidden on Ralian, which I find strange considering the Baron threatens all of Windemere. One wo
uld guess that such a prophecy should span the entire globe.”

“Originally, the temples were important locations within the Baron’s territory. The prophecy was supposed to be the overthrowing of a mortal warlord,” Gabriel explains as he walks through Delvin and the table. He stops between Timoran and Isaiah to sit on an ebony
chair that rises from the floor. “After the Baron grew in power, I was forced to find ways to strengthen the champions while staying true to the original prophecy. I could not change it without undoing the part that kept the Baron contained and secret. Consider the close gathering of temples a boon that can bring you to victory faster.”

The barbarian
leans forward to place his chin on his folded hands and watches Luke and Delvin. The two warriors shift uncomfortably in their seats while they think. Both of them glance at Gabriel, immediately turning away out of fear of wasting their question. Luke reaches for his water glass only to find that it is stuck to the table, which causes Delvin to chuckle until Timoran clears his throat. The barbarian nods at the brown-haired warrior, who sighs and leans back in his chair.

“I don’t mean any offense with this question, Lord Gabriel,” Delvin calmly says while keeping his eyes on the table. He shivers when he feels the piercing gaze of the god locked on him. “How were the Baron’s agents able to corrupt the temples? There should have been guardians, traps, and protection made by your own hands. What happened?”

“The Great Cataclysm weakened the physical bonds around the Baron. This allowed him to recruit more agents and gain a hidden influence on the world,” Gabriel answers in a voice dripping with bitterness. He clenches his right fist, the leather glove making a loud stretching noise. “The corruption of most of the temples has been gradual. Subtle agents and curses slipped in through cracks in the protection. Most of this has been done by a man named Stephen who I believe you met recently. He is more dangerous than anything you have ever fought or had nightmares of. Still, I have the utmost confidence in your abilities to succeed against these threats.”

“Are we destined to live or die in this prophecy?” Luke bluntly inquires. He ignores the worried
expressions from his friends and focuses on the amused smirk on Gabriel’s face. “It was the only question I could think of.”

The god chuckles and claps his hands, the motion making everyone jump.
“A bold question from the champion I would expect no less from. This is why I find you so entertaining, Luke Callindor. Now I cannot guarantee your survival. I have learned that free will must play a role even in destiny. So, I can only say that at least one of you will perish before your destiny comes to an end. That is how this is supposed to play out and it is for the best. Heroes are designed to sacrifice, suffer, and many of them are made to die. That is how it has been since time began. Otherwise everyone would set out to be a hero and get killed in the most ridiculous manners.”

“That does make sense,” Luke agrees, nodding his head and putting his feet on the table. “Thank you for being honest.”

“That is the last of your questions. I assume you have learned your lesson about questioning me,” the destiny god says, his black eyes turning on Delvin. The warrior emphatically nods his head and bows from his chair. “Then, I shall be on my way and next time we meet will be by my choosing. Not because I have to protect my reputation.”

Gabriel vanishes in the blink of an eye and the tavern bursts to life. Everyone is moving and talking as if nothing has happened. Even Isaiah and Fizzle are oblivious to
the god’s visit and departure. Silently the four champions stare at each other from across the table. Their thoughts are stuck on the fact that at least one of them might not have a future beyond death at the hands of the Baron.

“Well, it looks like everyone is done eating,” Isaiah declares as he puts his mug on the table. “Off to the ship to save your friend. This is the first step on one of the most dangerous, grandest adventures in the history of Windemere.”

*****

Luke tries with all of his might to keep the noises of his retching and heaving as low as possible. Draped over the railing of the Matriarch, his only focus is staying out of everyone’s way. He whimpers and groans when the ship hits a wave and the sudden jolt causes a fresh surge of nausea.

“I need to talk to someone,” Nyx says as she approaches the queasy warrior. She leans against the railing and rolls her eyes at Luke’s pathetic expression. “You have no one to blame, but yourself, Luke. I told you to stick with water and bread, but you had to eat an actual breakfast this morning. All of our times on a ship and you still haven’t learned how to avoid this mess. So, I’m talking to you whether you like it or not.”

“What about the others?” Luke weakly asks.

“They’re all busy helping the crew or trying to figure out why it’s taking so long to get to the island,” Nyx answers with a small sigh. She can see the confused look on her friend’s face and playfully flicks his ear. “You’ve been so sick that we didn’t want to bother you with the current problem. We’ve been at sea for three days and this was supposed to be a one day trip. Something is preventing us from getting to the island and we can’t figure out what it is.”

“Well, I can’t be any help with that
.”

“That isn’t what I wanted to talk about,” Nyx admits
, rubbing her thumb against her amethyst necklace while watching the passing waves. “I’m worried about the end of our path. I try not to let death get to me, but it’s been more and more difficult since Fritz. I have friends that I don’t want to lose and now I know that at least one of us won’t make it out of this.”

Luke reaches over to gently push
the caster, causing her to snarl at him. She flicks his nose with burst of air, which leaves a small welt on the tip. He grins and is about to laugh when he abruptly leans over the side to retch.

“This is ridiculous,” Nyx angrily mutters. Her hand glows a dull yellow and she slaps Luke on the back to transfer the spell. “That should help you ignore the seasickness for the next six
hours. Don’t eat anything until the spell is over or else it’ll have a messy end. Only liquids for now. So, what were you going to say?”

The forest tracker reaches for a waterskin and takes a quick sip to gargle the foul taste from his mouth.
“I was going to point out that all of us have free will. Gabriel said it himself, Nyx. He has to leave room for free will, which means we can all survive this if we’re strong and careful.”

“What if one of us dies?”

“Then, the survivors will be very sad.”

“What if all of us die?”

“Then the Baron wins.”

“How can you be so casual about it?”

Luke shrugs and takes another drink, enjoying the feel of the warm water falling into his empty stomach. He offers the waterskin to Nyx, who takes it for a quick drink, filling her cheeks with water. She fights the temptation to playfully spit in Luke’s face and swallows the soothing water.

“I’m casual because I don’t think our death is written in stone,”
he says, leaning on the railing and taking a deep breath of salty air. “The only thing we can do is keep fighting and get stronger, so I’m focusing on the positive. I’m curious to see what happens to us in these temples. Not to mention meeting the guardians and destroying whatever is causing the corruption. This is a grand adventure, Nyx, and we’re in the thick of it. Do you have any idea how special we are to be chosen for something like this?”

“I don’t want to die, Luke,” she whispers as a few warm tears trickle down the sides of her face. She catches the
drops on her fingers and flicks them into the ocean where they vanish into the waves. “I’m trying to keep up the bluster and courage, but I’m scared that I’m heading toward a violent death. It’s terrifying since I’ve finally decided that I want to have a life after my destiny. I don’t know what it is, but I refuse to die before I get to live.”

“Then
don’t die.”

Nyx smacks Luke in the arm with more force than she intended. “It isn’t that easy. The Baron will make me a priority because of my magic. I’ve been trained for this my entire life, so it only makes sense that I would be the one to die.”

“Idiot.”

“Hey! I’m being serious.”

“A serious idiot.”

“Why are you being so mean?”

“I’m sick, tired, and worried about Sari. I’m also worried that Kira is going to get caught in the crossfire. I’m not very patient and calm now,” Luke explains loud enough to draw the attention of a few sailors. They hurry away when he looks at them and pats his sabers. “I’m sorry for snapping, Nyx, but you have to realize that it can be any of us. Sari can be killed because she’s not a powerful warrior. Timoran could be the one if he rages and attacks the Baron head-on by himself. Delvin may be taken out quickly because he’s our strategist. I could die trying a reckless attack because I think I have an opening. Then there is the missing sixth champion and all of the people who are helping us like Aedyn and Fr . . . Selenia. By the love of Gabriel, Nyx, all of us could die and become nothing more than the champions that failed Windemere when it needed them. So stop thinking it’s all about you.”

“You’re not making me feel better,” Nyx says with a half-hearted smirk. She stretches her arms over her head and yawns. “Still, I see your point. It could be any of us, but I can’t tell if it’s better to be one of the dead or one of the survivors. I’m tired of living on while people I love die. My parents came back, but I got lucky there.” She takes a stuttering breath as her mind wanders. “Do you know how many fellow apprentices I’ve seen die because they did something stupid
or were simply unlucky? I lost count and focused on how I could have . . . I mean . . . I’m supposed to be strong enough to save the world, Luke. Why can’t I save all of the people around me?”

“I ask myself that every night before I go to sleep
. I was the last one with Fritz before he went to face Nimby. Thinking back, I realize that he was acting odd and I ignored it. I keep thinking about how I could have saved him.”

“Your friend put himself in danger
of his own choosing,” Timoran states as he approaches the half-elves. He wipes the sweat from his brow and takes a seat on a crate. “People are responsible for their actions. If one chooses to sacrifice for his loved ones then we must honor that decision and remember them fondly. If one is killed because of our inaction then we must learn to be more aware of our surroundings. It is impossible to protect everyone, my friends. That is the unfortunate truth.”

“Both of you need to work on
boosting your friends’ spirits,” Nyx sighs, ignoring Luke sticking out his tongue. “What’s the news, Timoran? I’m feeling rather useless, so I hope the problem can be fixed with magic.”

“We are running out of food and we have no idea why we cannot reach the Island of Pallice
. The captain is preparing to turn around and return for more supplies. If we tighten our belts then we can make it back without worry.”