The Compass Key (Book 5) (33 page)

Nyx pulls the
Compass Key out of her pocket and tries to focus on the relic. She aims it at the Island of Pallice, her eyes wide and glowing a bright gold. Her knuckles turn white as she grips the relic with all of her might causing steam to rise from her head and veins to throb in her temples. The Compass Key turns a blinding red until a bucket of sea water is dumped over Nyx’s head, drenching her and breaking her concentration.

“Never do that again!” she screams at Luke, who blocks her punch with the wooden bucket. She cringes in pain and stares at the splinter between her fingers. “Damn you, Luke Callindor!”

“Sorry, but it looked like you were going to blow up,” Luke states while handing the bucket to a passing sailor. “Steam was rising from your head, Nyx. I’ve seen that before and it tends to lead to something igniting.”

“I was being careful
.”

Timoran steps between the feuding half-elves and grabs both of them by the back of their shirts. “Please stop fighting. We are all tired and hungry. We must conserve our energy for the voyage home.”

“Trouble! Big mouth trouble!” Fizzle yells as he darts out of the crow’s nest. The drite lands on the railing and excitedly points with his tail. “Sea elves in trouble! Big mouth chase! Lots of teeth!”

The sailors join in the yelling when they see a giant shark fin break through the ocean’s surface. A brief series of splashes draw their attentio
n to the area ahead of the predator, where a group of nimble sea elves are leaping out of the water. One of the males turns in mid-air to throw a harpoon at the shark, but he misses and the enormous beast explodes from the water to catch him in its jaws. The sea elf’s dying shriek is cut off as he is dragged under the blood-tinted water. It is not long before the fin reappears and the sea elves return to swimming for their lives.

“Is that normal?” Luke asks a nearby halfling sailor.

“Shark attacks on solitary sea elves are known to happen, but this isn’t normal,” the woman claims with a worried expression. “That beast is gigantic. I have never seen one that big before and I’ve seen one that could swallow me whole. That monster has to be at least twenty feet long, which is a size only found in the tropical Cerascent region. Definitely too big for the temperate zones, but I guess nobody told it that.”

“Thanks,” Luke mutters. He
starts to walk away, but quickly turns back with a broad smile. “Are sharks edible?”

“Yes, I-” the halflin
g begins. She stops and chuckles at what the half-elf is implying. “Good luck fishing, kid.”

Luke watches as the giant shark devours a female sea elf, her screams startling the helpless crew. Nyx is about to hurl fireballs in the direction of the
beast when Timoran grabs her wrist. He gently places her hand at her side before drawing his great axe and climbing onto the railing. The barbarian takes several deep breaths and is about to dive off the ship when Luke startles him with a high-pitched whistle.

“You can’t beat that thing in the water,”
the forest tracker says as he hops onto the railing and begins his transformation. “Be ready, Timoran, because I’m going to bring that tasty monster to you. Seriously, I need you to kill it before it eats me.”

Stepping off the Matriarch, Luke transforms and soars several feet over the ocean’s surface. He can feel the nervousness of the griffin, the
spirit hinting that sharks might be one of the few things it fears. The fin cuts through the water to her right and Luke veers toward it, her left wing skimming the water. With a roaring screech, she slashes the fin with her talons and soars higher. The shark leaps from the water, its teeth narrowly missing the griffin’s tail. She loops around to strike the shark in its underbelly, but a rough tail slaps her in the face. The force sends her careening to the side and she is barely able to avoid falling into the ocean.

“If we fall into the water, we are dead
. This is why my kind do not stray so far away from land.”

“So, you’re fearless against dragons, but scared of sharks,”
Luke thinks as she flies away from the approaching shark. The large predator bursts forward and leaps at the griffin, who kicks it back into the ocean.
“That thing is fast! I shouldn’t waste any time.”

Luke wheels around to head back for the Matriarch when
she stops and hovers. The shark is nowhere to be seen, but she can sense it prowling beneath the dark waters. She scans the area for signs of the sea elves, seeing them bobbing in the gentle waves next to the ship. The griffin spirit screams for them to hurry, her fear bringing a metallic tang to her mouth.

The moment Luke moves, the giant shark explodes from the water in front of
her. With a powerful flap of her wings, the griffin pushes herself backwards. The shark’s mouth closes near her face and the extended snout hits her in the head, briefly stunning her. Luke manages to claw the predator in the side before it crashes back into the water. Without waiting for it to return, she flies low over the ocean toward the ship. Glancing back, she can see the fin following and steadily gaining on her. She gradually gains height as she nears the ship and focuses entirely on Timoran.

The shark vanishes for an instant before bursting from the water and sailing toward the ship. Luke transforms back into a half-elf as
the beast nears and he uses its snout to flip onto the Matriarch. He lands back first on the railing where Nyx and a sailor grab him. Caught by its own momentum, the shark is thrashing in mid-air until Timoran’s great axe sinks into its underside. With a mighty roar, the barbarian heaves the giant fish onto the deck, forcing sailors to scatter for safety. Timoran cuts the shark’s head off with a single swing, the body still flapping about for a few seconds.

“And stunts like that are why I’m more likely to get killed than you,
big sister,” Luke says with a wild grin.

“You’re really going to test Gabriel’s belief that we’re all going to be alive to face the Baron,” Nyx teases,
glancing over the side to see if the sea elves are still around. “It looks like the sea elves left without saying thank you. I guess they were in a rush.”

“Not really,” Luke mentions, pointing behind Nyx.

She turns around to see five blue-skinned sea elves standing on the deck. They are dressed in scanty clothes of seaweed and shells, the two females drawing attention from some of the less subtle male sailors. They approach Timoran and begin speaking a gurgling, bubbling voice, but the barbarian can only shrug helplessly. When it looks like the sea elves are getting frustrated, he waves for the half-elves to join him.

“Please translate, Luke,” Timoran politely requests.

“I can, but I won’t be able to speak to them,” the forest tracker explains. He nods to the sea elves and the tallest male speaks to him in a slow, meticulous voice. “They say that they were on the way to take us to the Island of Pallice when the shark attacked them. Their colony lived among the ruins before they rose to the surface and the island is protected by the tides. Unless you know the exact path, you will never reach the shore and only the sea elves know the way. They also say that our ship will be protected from the sea monsters that have been released from the depths. Their mistress’s undercurrent will keep them away.”

“Mistress’s undercurrent?” Nyx asks, suspiciously eyeing the sea elves.

“I think they mean Sari,” Luke states, his voice tinged with excitement. “Whether she realizes it or not, Sari is controlling the ocean currents. Back when I was fighting this construct, I was pushed deep underwater and a current brought me back to shore. I was injured and thought it was luck, but I guess it was Sari.”

“Even when asl
eep, she has to save your butt.”

Timoran gently grabs a sailor by the shoulder and points to the sea elves. “Tell Delvin and the captain that our new friends will be guiding us to the island. If anyone knows how to speak sea elf, please have them act as translator. Thank you.”

“We’ll be with you soon, Sari,” Luke whispers as he anxiously looks to the distant silhouette of the Island of Pallice.

15

The Matriarch bobs a few miles offshore of the Island of Pallice, the crew silently staring at the island. White chunks of rock are scattered about the shore, many of them showing signs of sculpting and ancient writing. Several crumbled archways sit in an area that might have been an ancient dock, but it is nothing more than worn stone pylons. In contrast to the desolate land, the central mountain is icy blue with rivers and waterfalls covering its surface. An occasional rumble shakes the mountain and sends waves against the hull of the Matriarch.

“It looks so strange,” Kira whispers as she stands among the crew. “The land is al
ready dry and there’s no other signs that it was ever underwater. It doesn’t look or feel natural, so I’m worried. Are you sure you don’t want some of us to help? At least let us travel with you to the mountain.”

“No,” Luke bluntly
replies, slinging a waterskin over his shoulder. He gives Kira a quick kiss on the lips, silencing her argument. “There’s either magic or monsters out there, so all of you have to stay here where it’s safe. We’re leaving Fizzle to protect you.”

“Fizzle guard all,” the drite announces from his perch in the rigging. “No monster get through Fizzle!”

“I want all of you to be careful,” the heiress insists, stopping herself from crying in front of the crew. Visions of Luke dying on the island flit through her mind, causing her to focus on the other champions. “Take good care of him, Nyx. I know you always do, but I want him to come back alive.”

The caster
chuckles and slaps Luke on the back with a force spell that sends him stumbling forward. “I promise this idiot will come back alive. I can’t promise he’ll be conscious when I drag him back, but he’ll be breathing.”

“I guess that’s the best I can get
.”

“We look after each other, Lady Grasdon,” the barbarian assures
Kira with a pat on her head. He throws his satchel onto a lifeboat before the sailors begin lowering it. “All of us have agreed that caution is very important. I will take special care to look after your fiancée and make sure he keeps his recklessness at bay.”

Luke hops onto the railing and watches the lifeboat touch the water.
“Why does everyone act like I’m going to be a source of trouble?”

“It’s call
ed pattern recognition,” Delvin answers while examining the new buckler on his forearm and adjusting it until he feels comfortable. “Lady Grasdon, if we aren’t back in twenty-four hours then you must head back to Gaia. We can send a flare or find our own way back depending on what happens out there. I don’t want anyone coming onto the island to search for us.”

“I understand,” Kira begrudgingly agrees.

Luke and Timoran are the first to slide down the ropes to the lifeboat, which rocks and bumps the Matriarch when the barbarian lands. Delvin swiftly follows, expecting Nyx to use the other rope. Instead, she walks down the side of the boat and jumps onto the lifeboat, taking a seat at the back. The ropes are detached the moment Delvin hits the lifeboat and there is some brief shuffling while the men figure out where to sit. Timoran patiently stands in the middle, holding the oars over his shoulders. Delvin and Luke continue switching spots for a reason known only to them.

“Sit down!” Nyx angrily shouts, only getting Timoran to take a seat. With a scowl, she stretches her arm b
ack and unleashes a powerful gust of wind. The lifeboat races forward and sends Delvin tumbling over his seat and Luke crashing into the barbarian. “That’s why you should listen to me when I yell.”

“Damn it, Nyx!”
the forest tracker snaps as he takes his seat. He leans over the edge of the boat to glare at the grinning caster. “You could have knocked Delvin overboard. He can’t swim with his chainmail on.”

“Actually, I bought some enchantments for my armor
a year ago,” Delvin mentions, steadying himself as the lifeboat hits a wave. “My armor becomes weightless when it’s submerged and it allows me to breathe underwater for thirty minutes. I had quite a few jobs that required fighting on the open sea, so I thought those are smart purchases. They really came in handy during my last job with my mercenary band.”

“
Good to hear you got your money’s worth, my friend,” Timoran loudly says.

Delvin smirk
s and leans back until his head in Nyx’s lap, the caster blushing and using her knee to push him away. The lifeboat abruptly veers to the side due to her break in concentration, but Nyx quickly regains control. Hitting a small wave, the lifeboat flies into the air and skips a few yards. Luke is heaving over the side and cursing about the salty water drenching his face.

“The island is coming up pretty fast, Nyx,” Delvin points out as he watches the stony shore rushing toward them. “We should start slowing down or we’re going to crash. I’m telling you to slow us down, Nyx!”

“I stopped my spell a few minutes ago,” the caster replies, holding onto the side of the lifeboat for dear life. “The current is drawing us in and it doesn’t care about our speed. It might be Sari trying to hurry us along. Everybody hold onto something and prepare for a rough landing!”

“There’s nothing to hold onto!” Luke exclaims as
he looks around the lifeboat. “Use magic to protect us!”

The ocean rumbles and sends a wave toward the
tiny vessel, which flies off the crest and careens toward the island. Nyx casts a spell to make them hover in the air as the lifeboat smashes into a stone archway. The archway topples to the ground as the adventurers gently land on the shore. Luke sits on stone pylon, but it snaps in half and he falls into the ocean. Timoran holds out his great axe for the Luke to grab and hoists him back to land.

“Such a glorious entrance,”
Gabriel says in a sarcastic voice. The god materializes in front of Timoran, who rigidly stands at attention. “I can see that you four will make a grand show out of this adventure. It’s been so long since any champion has made it this far.”

“Not since before the Great Cataclysm,” a beautiful woman declares as she steps out of a pile of stones. Her red hair blows in the wind, but her pure white dress remains motionless on her slender frame. “I am happy to see you again, Luke Callindor. It has been
a long time since I sent you on your path.”

“I’m honored to speak with you again, Zaria,” the forest tracker claims with a bow to the godd
ess. He blushes when he feels her hand on his head and the goddess’s power dries his clothes and body. “Thank you, Pure One.”

“Stop playing with the mortals,” Gabriel demands, incurring an
icy look from the goddess. He ignores the threatening expression and returns his attention to the adventurers. “We are here to give you a small warning. I prefer not to visit the same mortals too often, but my allies have pointed out that we are in a new stage of your destiny. The danger will become greater as you grow in power and the Baron gets more desperate to stop you. It is a very delicate stage of your growth, which must be taken seriously.”

Zaria places a gentle hand on Gabriel’s shoulder to politely interrupt him. “
To be more precise, it is a stage in your destiny that even we are unsure of. Only a handful of champions have ever made it to the temples. Even then, none of them were successful in purifying any of them.”

“You are saying that we will find bodies of dead champions in that mountain,” Timoran says, feeling a surge of excitement run through his veins. “As morbid as it sounds that may give us a clue as to the dangers.”

“I doubt it would that easy,” Nyx mutters under her breath.

“Of course not, my perfect weapon,” Gabriel states
, grinning at the pained expression on the caster’s face. “The previous champions did not always come to this temple. It was whichever one they were closest too. As I have said, there is free will to consider here.”

“Besides, their bodies would be dust by now,” Delvin says, keeping his eyes on his feet. He is startled when Zaria touches his chin and lifts his face, her eyes shimmering vivid
silver as she examines him. “There is also the issue of time. The corruption inside the temple has had centuries to gestate and change. Whatever is in there could be entirely different than the thing that killed our predecessors. Although, I get the feeling that Gabriel planned for this and made us stronger champions.”

The Purity Goddess
gives the warrior a kiss on the cheek, leaving a glowing mark on his skin. “You are very intuitive, young warrior. That gift will keep you and your friends alive as long as you remain calm and keen.”

“Thank you, milady
.”

Gabriel turns his back on the adventurers and hums a lilting tune. The stones shift and twitch around the island, the noise loud enough to make the mortals cover their ears. Archways reform and their ancient etchings become clear. Pillared structures and simple homes rise from the ruins while ancient roads are revealed by a sand-clearing wind. Far to the west, a crystal-encrusted spire twists into the air and sends a faint beam of energy to the mountain’s peak. More crystal
spires appear, emitting their own energy beams to the summit.

“There was once a primitive civilization that thrived on this island,”
the Destiny God explains as his song fades from the air. He faces the adventurers with a wistful expression that is remarkably human. “The Baron’s forces wiped out the denizens in order to mine the mountain for ice crystals. Upon his defeat, I transformed the mine into a champion’s temple. Sadly, the remaining forces attempted to make a fortress here and the forced me to let them continue. Still loyal to the Baron, these men and monsters made sure to challenge any champion that arrived. The only thing I could do was prevent them from invading the mountain, but corruption still seeped in.”

“Why rebuild the city?” Timoran asks, holding his breath in case the god finds his question insulting.
“If you do not mind my curiosity.”

Gabriel smiles and lets his gaze wander the island.
“This place is special to me and I wish to see it repaired. The island was destroyed by an act of the gods, so it is within my power to restore its face. The remaining denizens will not appreciate it, but that cannot be helped.”

“There are living things on this island? I would think
everything drowned,” Nyx says while nervously shifting from foot to foot. She looks around the island, hoping to see signs of a living creature. “They have to be very powerful beings to have lived under the ocean for centuries and are already adapted to land. Even a sea elf needs a day to make a perfect transition to land living. What are they?”

“They have been slumbering since th
e island sunk,” Zaria tells the curious half-elf. She looks to Gabriel for help, but he shrugs and motions for her to continue. “I cannot say more than that and I believe it is time for us to leave. We trust that you will survive unlike the previous champions. You have already made it so far and proven that you are superior to your predecessors.”

“I guess that’s where the free will comes into play,” Luke
states while drawing his sabers and rolling his head to stretch his neck muscles. “That means we can use our free will to get through the temples. Thank you for the warning and letting us know that we’re in new territory, but I’m sure we can handle it.”

Delvin stares at
the half-elf in disbelief while leaning over to Timoran. “Is he assuring a god and goddess?”

“Are you that surprised, my friend?”

“I shouldn’t be. I really should stop being surprised by him.”

“Take a lesson from me,” Nyx whispers, enjoying the annoyed
scowl from the forest tracker. “Roll your eyes and groan when he does something stupid. It’s a simple reaction that lets him know he’s been bad. Getting stressed about him is pointless because he’s only going to do something stupid again.”

“Hey!” Luke shouts. He gestures toward the deities, but sees that they are already gone. “Great. We could have learned more about this place from them.”

“They wouldn’t have told us anything,” Delvin says, drawing his sword and walking down the nearest road. “Keep your eyes peeled, people! We have no idea what is waiting for us, but I’m sure it’s bad.”

*****

Timoran and Luke dive into a building as the stone pillar smashes the spot they were standing in. They look across the road to where their friends are standing back to back in the open street. Delvin stays close to Nyx as a boulder bounces off her magic shield. The deflected stone hurtles across the street toward the other champions. They rush out the back of the building as the boulder slams through the wall. The two warriors make it a few yards when another pillar crashes between them, missing Luke by a few inches. With a muttered curse, Timoran scowls at the sound of distant, baritone laughter.

“That was close,”
the barbarian says, scanning the distance in search of their enemies. He sees brief flickers of movement, but they are too far away for him to get a clear view. “Those beasts are staying out of sight and reach. If only we knew what we were fighting, we could make a plan.”

“We need to get back to
the others,” Luke states. He dives to the side as a stone spire slams into the ground. “Whatever these things are, they have incredible aim and they’re really strong. Nyx might be our only chance to survivor this.”