The Compass Key (Book 5) (44 page)

Gradually, Luke gets closer to the coffin and prepares to reach for Sari when the smallest
Lost One jumps in front of him. Before the forest tracker can slash at the creature, it melts into the watery coffin. The Compass Key floats above Sari’s chest as the remaining Lost Ones dive into the casket and turn it into a bubbling mass of angry water. The coffin sits up, growing limbs and a long tail that whips over its head to force Luke away. Standing up, the bulky Lost One steps toward its enemies, keeping Sari in its center.

“How in the world is that protecting her?” Luke asks, dodging the monster’s punch.

“They know you will not attack,” Timoran replies, rushing in to slice at the Lost One’s leg. He stops his axe a hair from the watery flesh when Sari floats in his path. “We cannot physically harm it with our weapons, but now we cannot even try. There must be a way to destroy this beast.”

“I think they get their strength from Sari.”

“It is another possibility, but that does not help us.”

“It does if I can pull her out of there.”

Luke sheathes his sabers and leaps away from the Lost One, its fists denting the floor where he once stood. He backs against the wall and prepares to plunge into the watery monster. The moment he touches the crystal wall, the Lost One shrieks and charges. Caught off-guard, Luke tries to roll away, but is kicked in the side before he can get clear. With primal aggression, the monster chases the half-elf around the room, growing extra arms with icy claws. Luke is panting and slowing down while Timoran continues trying to swing at openings that are quickly filled by Sari.

“What made it so mad?” Luke asks through gasping breaths. He skids to a stop and jumps back to avoid the creature. “All I did was back up.”

“That is all you did,” Timoran mutters to himself as he stops his pursuit. “You touched the crystal. These creatures came from the crystal. The source of their power is not Sari, but the crystal peak itself.”

The barbarian
puts his great axe on his back and takes a deep breath, focusing on his lungs and diaphragm. Steadying his breathing, Timoran reaches into his core for the wild rage and power of his people. When he opens his mouth, a nerve-jarring battle cry erupts from his very soul. The crystal peak vibrates as his voice grows louder, causing the Lost One to turn toward him. Luke dives through the creature, tackling Sari free and landing in front of the barbarian. Confused by its master being in the way, the Lost One stops moving and joins in the noise with an ear-rattling screech. The crystal peak shatters around them and the Lost One melts away, its remains running down the mountain with the crystal shards.

“Where did you learn that?” Luke asks in amazement.

“Barbarians are trained to have powerful voices in case we are lost,” Timoran proudly answers with a faint, scratchy voice. He wipes the drool from his chin and smiles, blood seeping from his gums. “I have yelled like many times in the wild, but it is more powerful in an enclosed space. Troops of barbarians have been known to shatter glass and crystal with their united battle cries. Though it truly was a desperate act and only worked because the Lost One matched my voice.”

“The
Compass Key!” Luke shouts, looking around for the relic. It takes him a few seconds to see that it is sticking out of Sari’s shirt. “That was lucky. I would have hated searching for that thing on this island.”

“Why is Sari not waking up?”

“Maybe she needs something else.”

“What do you suggest?”

“A kiss.”

Timoran shakes his head and laughs. “This temple was made without gender in mind. I do not think anything like a kiss will wake her.”

“What do you suggest?”

“You could ask her to wake up.”

Luke stares at the barbarian before shrugging and putting his lips to Sari’s ear. “Please wake up, Sari. We need you. I need you. Come back to your family.”

The forest tracker
is startled when the gypsy’s emerald eyes open wide and a flood of water erupts from her body. Before the two warriors can get away, the top of the mountain is engulfed in churning water.

*****

“Finally caught you,” Stephen declares with a victorious smile. He can feel his body already healing from the burns and cuts inflicted by Fizzle. “I should rip out your wings and strangle you with your own tail.”

“Fizzle no scared,” the drite defiantly swears, struggling under
the man’s tight grip. He is pressed against the mountain, his wings fluttering rapidly. “Evil man not stronger than Fizzle! Evil man weak!”

“I’m going to start by removing your tongue and tying your mouth shut with it
.”

The blast of solid fire strikes Stephen in the side and sends him flying while Fizzle slips from his grasp. He lands in a pile of rubble and
is about to get up when a pair of air fists appear above him. They land with enough force to shake the island and drive Stephen a few feet into the ground. Repeated blows rain down on him until the hole fills in with the surrounding stones and dirt.

“I’ve wanted to crush you since Hero’s Gate
,” Nyx growls as the fists slam down a final time and dissipate. “Are you okay, Fizzle?”

“Fizzle tired and safe,” the drite replies,
perching on Delvin’s shoulder. “Funny shield melting. Go back inside?”

Mad laughter erupts from where Stephen is buried as
the man pulls himself out of the rubble. Shaking dirt out of his hair, he calmly eyes the champions before him. A look of disdain crosses his face when he sees Delvin, but it is quickly replacement by an amused expression. In the blink of an eye, he is in front of the warrior to grab him by the face. Fizzle whips Stephen in the eyes, causing him to drop Delvin and focus on the drite again.

“Leave them alone!” Nyx screams, knocking
the man away with a lightning bolt to his back. “I don’t know what you are, but I’m not afraid of you.”

Stephen stands up and appears behind her, his body already healed from her spell.
“You should be, little champion. I control the essence of the world. Time is mine to manipulate, so you can’t hurt me. I am where you and your friends die.”

Nyx moves to hit Stephen with a fireball, but he grabs her wrist and
snatches the spell out of her hand. Unable to break free, the caster can only watch as he throws her spell at Delvin. Still reeling from having his head squeezed, the warrior manages to get his ice shield up to block the roaring flame. The shield shatters and the explosion sends Delvin slamming into the mountain, his aching body slumping to the ground.

“He is a lucky one,” Stephen whispers, impressed that
the warrior is still breathing. With a carefree sigh, he knees Nyx in the stomach and lifts her by the chin. “I had a lot of fun experimenting on your curvy friend, but I really want to play with you. A creature with such beauty and power needs to be delicately explored. You smell even better than Trinity and she’s nearly intoxicating. I think your life has matured your essence perfectly. Not bitter and harsh like your aura sister, but sweet and smooth.”

“Leave Nyx alone!” Fizzle screams as he barrels toward Stephen. The drite misses when
his target vanishes, the villain appearing several yards away.

“
Looks like I found a way around you already. Still, try to attack me again and I snap her neck,” the man threatens with a wide grin. He squeezes Nyx’s throat while her hands slap at his wrist. “I don’t want to kill her yet, but I will if it teaches you a lesson.”

“What do you want with me?”

“I learned a lot about you champions by working on your friend,” Stephen claims, ignoring her weak hits. He licks his lips as he flips her and slams her onto the ground, his hand tight around her neck. “Unfortunately, her powers prevented me from having my favorite type of fun. I don’t like cold women. Now, I already know how to get around the defenses of a channeler thanks to Trinity’s . . . help.”

Nyx looks into his blackening eyes with fear and confusion. “A channeler?”

“Yes, but it’s more entertaining for you to find the details yourself,” he whispers into her ear, his tongue tracing the sensitive point. He groans at the feel of her trembling body underneath his touch. “Now, where should I begin with you? With your friends nearby, I think it’s best that I skip playing and get to work.”

Stephen’s hand
moves down Nyx’s stomach until she figures out what he is going to do to her. With a scream of rage and fear, the caster bursts into white flames and struggles against the black-haired man. The smell of his burning flesh makes the half-elf sick, but the thought of what he is planning drives her to stand up. Nyx is almost on her feet when Stephen slams her headfirst into the ground. He repeatedly hits the half-elf against the ground until her fire sputters and fades away.

“You’
re beautiful, so please don’t make me do that again,” Stephen coos, waving a hand over Nyx’s bloody face. Her wounds vanish as a sickening power flows into her aura. “Now we have even less time for our fun. Please don’t struggle or I won’t be as gentle as I want to be during our first time.”

As his hand grips her shirt,
the caster tries to cast a spell only to find that her aura has been locked by the magic Stephen used to heal her. She closes her eyes and whimpers, her eyes flying open when she hears a rage-filled scream. The moment she falls free of Stephen’s grasp, she scrambles to her feet and runs toward where she saw Delvin land. The caster skids to a stop when she sees that he is not there and the familiar sounds of a brawl are behind her. With a brief yelp, Nyx realizes that Stephen’s severed hand is still hanging from her shirt. Ripping it off, she turns around to throw it back, but stops at the sight before her.

“You sick son of a
troll!” Delvin shouts as he angrily slams the hilt of his longsword into Stephen’s face.

“Do you truly think you are winning?”
the man asks, pushing the warrior away and raising his handless arm. The missing hand vanishes from Nyx’s grasp and reappears in place, wiggling its fingers as if it has always been there. “Neither of you have the power to kill me. No champion has the power the destroy me.”

“Maybe not now, but I swear on every god that I will grow stronger,” Delvin says in a low voice that chills Nyx’s blood. The look in his
ice-blue eyes is that of the Mercenary Prince who has no problem killing for those he cares about. “If you ever touch Nyx again or try to have your way with her then I will kill you. No matter how much blood or how many lives it takes, I will destroy you. Remember the name of Delvin Cunningham because that is the warrior that will wipe you off the face of Windemere.”

“Very scary, but t
hat doesn’t help you now. Be thankful that I see no point in wasting energy to kill you.”

The mountain rumbles and a flood of water explodes from the entrance.
It dives low to the ground, depositing Luke and Timoran on the ground before racing forward. The flood harmlessly passes over Nyx and Delvin, crashing into Stephen and lifting him into the air. As if alive, the water beats him against the stones like a helpless doll. Through it all, the arrogant man grins and laughs in amusement.

“I take it you’re angry, little gypsy!” Stephen
yells as he is thrown against a column that topples over. A pair of ice spears drive into his legs, running into his knees and out the bottom of his feet. “That’s the type of fighting I love to see in my enemies. These are the champions we always wanted, old man. Sadly, it still isn’t enough to kill me.”

The water explodes and covers the entire island, leaving only the champions and Stephen on dry land. Sari stands before him, her eyes shimmering with malice and her blue hair waving in the air. Her skirts flow around her as she walks up to Stephen and leans on the ice spears, driving them a few inches further through his legs. The look of joy on his face causes the gypsy to shudder in disgust.

“Get away from my friends,” Sari says in a low, cruel voice. With a quick twist of her hand, a water tendril wraps around Stephen’s arm and snaps it in half. “That’s for what you did to me. Now get off my island.”

“
Make me, water slut.”

Sari is
carried into the air by a geyser that she sinks into and transforms into a towering water giant. She grabs her enemy and makes sure the squeeze him until more of his bones splinter. The water flows off the island and into the giant’s arm, making it bloat and churn with Sari’s fury. With the sound of an underwater explosion, the entire giant becomes a horizontal geyser that launches Stephen across the ocean.

“I hope you land on a kraken and it
slowly eats you,” Sari says while she drifts down to the ground. No sooner has she landed than she is tackled from behind and spun around in a crushing hug. “Nyxie! Let go! I missed you too! I can’t breathe! I just woke up and you’re going to make me pass out!”

“I missed you so much, little sister,” Nyx declares, easing her hug. She continues to s
pin around with Sari who gradually takes control of their awkward dance. “What was it like? What can you do?”

The gypsy slips out of Nyx’s grasp and stretches her arms, enjoying the feeling of freedom.
“I’ll explain the details later. I can hear the water and feel its emotions. The water of Windemere is alive and now I can talk to it. I’ll need to practice here for a few months before we travel on.”