The Compass Key (Book 5) (45 page)

“We have to help with repairs in Gaia, so that’s okay
. Will you be staying here the whole time or staying in Gaia?”

“Let’s see what happens, Nyxie,” Sari whispers as she leans forward to kiss
her friend on the cheek. She smiles at the tension in the half-elf’s body, realizing how much she missed teasing her. “After all, I just woke up and I need to reacquaint myself with Luke. You know, the type that is best done on this island where nobody can hear us.”

“You haven’t changed.”

“I have, but the important parts have stayed the same.”

“You have to show me what you can do before we leave Gaia.”

“I promise.”

Watching Nyx and Sari’s reunion
from a small distance, the others let the exhaustion and stress of the constant battling roll over them. Timoran sits on the stump of a column while Luke and Delvin collapse onto the ground, sitting back to back. They cringe from the pressure on their injuries, the pain breaking through the adrenaline rush that has kept them going for the last leg of their adventure.

“Stephen tried to rape Nyx,” Delvin says, feeling the anger well up in his chest. He feels Luke shift as if he is about to transform and fly off. “He didn’t get very far, Luke. I sliced off his hand and beat him in the face. Then Sari sent him away.”

“Nyx could not defend herself?” Timoran asks while glancing at the smiling caster. “I am surprised because she seems so happy.”

Delvin follows the barbarian’s gaze and nods. “
She’s happy because Sari is back, which is forcing her to keep the fear bottled up. Be ready for her to breakdown later. Her magic did nothing to Stephen and he overpowered her without much effort. He managed to steal a fireball from her and throw it at me, so I can only imagine what else he can do. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but I saw what he was about to do. I swear I’m going to kill that monster before this is over.”

“
I can’t believe I’m about to say this,” Luke declares, chuckling to himself. “I actually miss the Lich. He was sinister and conniving and undead, but this is a level that is much more evil than anything he ever attempted.”

“We will have to protect her from this man,” Timoran says, leaning forward to talk in a low voice. “We should protect both of them.”

“The three of us are unstoppable when together,” Luke states, gently elbowing Delvin in the side. “What do you think, strategist?”

The warrior
groans as he stands up and arches his back, enjoying the soothing feel of stretching muscles. Delvin is nearly knocked down by Luke falling against the back of his knees. Stumbling forward, he catches himself on the remains of a building and spins around to face his friends.

“I think Nyx is right,” Delvin
says while running his hand through his hair. “She said we’re becoming bad influences on each other. The excitement of becoming a champion and all these battles have made us reckless. Well Luke was already reckless, but Timoran and I have joined him. We have to take some time to get to know each other and become a better team. It isn’t enough to work off each other and operate off the spontaneous actions of one. We need to understand what each of us brings to the table.”

“I never noticed a problem,” Luke admits, getting to his feet and dusting off his pants. He smiles at the sight of Sari dodging another hug from Nyx. “Our enemies threw a lot of
challenges at us, so it’s only natural that we took risks.”

“We also had no time to train with each other before Sari was taken,”
Timoran politely adds.

“So, do you think she overreacted?” Delvin asks.

“I believe Nyx is correct that we are adopting too much of each other’s traits instead of playing to our strengths,” the barbarian answers with a shrug. The air fills with the sound of popping joints as he stands up. “It is something that we must work on. It is easy to get carried away by the reckless excitement instead of listening to wisdom. Given the situation, we did the best we could and now we have time to become a group of true adventurers. We have already shown that we have good insights into what each other wants in the midst of a battle. If not then we would have failed against the golem in the Lich’s castle.”

“Still, I wonder why we got so carried away at times
. I leapt from a racing griffin to land on a caster tower. You went on a foolish raid, Timoran. Luke fought a dragon in the air, which might be normal for him, but somebody should have been there to talk him out of it. How did it get to the point where we started acting like amateurs?”

“Cheer up, guys!” Sari shouts as she
skips toward the dour trio. Two illusionary Saris split off the original and each one picks a warrior to kiss on the lips.

“Dammit, Sari!” Nyx yells, grabbing the one kissing Delvin.

“Did you really think the real me would be kissing someone other than Luke?” the gypsy asks as the illusions kissing Delvin and Timoran vanish. She wraps her arms around the forest tracker’s neck, her skin sticking to his bleeding wounds. “I think my Callindor and I need a private reunion. There’s a healing pool in the temple that I can bring you to.”

Delvin clears his throat and waves his hand. “I’m injured too.”

“Don’t ruin their reunion,” Nyx growls, dragging the warrior away by his nose. She snaps her fingers at Timoran and glances around the ruined area. “Has anybody seen Fizzle?”

19

Delvin sneaks out of the room where Timoran and Fizzle are sleeping. The chorus of their snoring makes it impossible for the warrior to sleep. He shivers at the touch of cool air on his bare chest while he climbs the stairs. Coming to one of the damaged floors of Rainbow Tower, he looks out at the city and marvels at its silence.

“One would never believe that they were recently invaded by chaos elves,” he whispers to the breeze that caresses his
tender skin. Pulling out a small flask, he takes another swig of a potion to continue repairing his acid burns. “Wish I could drink this in one shot, but I’m not going to go against doctor’s orders. You know, it’s nice to talk to myself and feel like I’m the only one in the world. Peaceful and-”

The familiar sound of a spell
going off draws his attention to the roof. Delvin races up the stairs, taking them in twos and threes until he slams into the trapdoor at the top. He curses and holds his aching head while stumbling away from the locked door. Another spell erupts from the roof, the fringe of fire seen through a narrow window. With no other ideas, the warrior knocks on the door and waits for an answer, which never comes.

“Open the door, Nyx
! I’ll climb up the side of the tower if you don’t let me in.”

Nyx’s face ap
pears in the wood above his head, its miserable expression making his heart stutter. “Leave me alone, Delvin. I’m not in the mood for company.”

“I think this is the perfect time for company.”

“Go away!”

Delvin starts back down the stairs
as the face disappears, but he only goes as far as the next floor down. He walks into the large bedroom where Cyril and Willow are sleeping, the powerful casters worn out from helping to repair the city. Delvin gets the sense they are aware of him, but he refuses to stop long enough to find out. Climbing through the window, he takes a deep breath before leaning out and stretching to grab the upper ledge.

“Use a rope, young man,” mutters Cyril with his sleep
ing mask still on. The dark caster waves his hand and whispers a spell that enchants the bindings for the curtains. “I don’t think you want her to be upset about you falling to your death. Good luck and try to avoid getting burned by her.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Delvin takes the rope, which coils around his forearm and tightens. The other end snakes out of the window and slithers up the side of the tower. Near the top, it burrows into the stone and goes taut. Without looking down, the warrior steps out of the window and gradually climbs, the magic rope gently pulling him along. A lightning bolt soars into the illusionary sky, exploding a passing comet. Delvin waits for the sound of Nyx going to the other side of the tower before he slips onto the roof, letting the rope fall to the ground.

“I told you I would climb up here,”
he says when he sees the tension in the caster’s shoulders.

The half-elf is dressed in a red nightgown that goes to her ankles. Her
upper body is covered by a long-sleeved jacket that looks too heavy for the early autumn weather. Bathed in the yellow light of Ult, Nyx appears vulnerable and ethereal to the worried warrior. She turns to reveal a face streaked with tears and lips trembling with fear. Unable to stay on her quivering legs, she falls to her hands and knees.

“Let me help you up,” Delvin offers, approaching her and kneeling down.

“Don’t touch me!” she snaps, knocking him away with a wind spell.

“I’ll sit here then
.”

“Please leave . . . I want to be alone.”

“I’m a jerk, so I’m not going to listen,” Delvin declares with a smile. He stops smiling when Nyx is wracked with uncontrollable sobs. “You seemed fine on the way back home. What changed?”

“I was
using my magic to keep my fear down,” she replies, rolling onto her side like a wounded animal. A cocoon of flames wrap around her and churn as if cleansing her skin. “I didn’t want anyone to know. I thought I was in the clear since Luke and Sari stayed on the island. I should have known you would butt into my business.”

“We’re friends, Nyx, so your pain is my business. After all, I lo-” he begins. Delvin stops when a wave of heat washes over the roof. “I care about you, Nyx, and I don’t want to leave you
like this. I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but we’ve been through a lot in this short time. I know you’re strong and it takes a lot to rattle you, so I’m not able to ignore the fact that you’re like this. It’s unnatural.”

“What if I’m unnatural?”
she asks, rolling over to stare at Delvin who is silently thinking about her question. The fire fades away, but a few flecks of flame spit from her pores as if an inferno is waiting to be unleashed. “Stephen called me a channeler and Gabriel says I’m a weapon. What if I’m some freak of magic that was designed solely for this prophecy? It means I have no purpose beyond this battle.”

Delvin lays out and
slides forward until he can reach a hand toward Nyx. She pulls her hand away, so he folds his arms under his chin. The illusionary sky moves slowly above them, a red tinge to the stars that draws the warrior’s attention. He can see how the scene has changed in accordance with Nyx’s mood. A dead comet floats overhead, its glowing tail hanging limp. The few clouds are black and ripple with lightning that threatens to strike.

“I don’t have an answer,” he finally admits, turning his attention back to Nyx. “
All of us could be weapons in the eyes of the gods. So we shouldn’t dwell on that. As for being a channeler, you can’t worry about that until you know what it means. For all you know, it could be one of the most natural things in Windemere. Though I’m sure that’s not what’s really bothering you. So, what really has you upset?”

Nyx’s mouth hangs open in shock at the question. “You don’t know?”

“I do, but I’m not sure if I should say it,” he whispers, reaching out again and leaving his hand near her. “I’m willing to wait for you talk about it.”

“
I . . . I never felt so vulnerable. Even when I lost my magic during my first adventure, I still felt like I could defend myself to some extent. Something about Stephen made me lock up and I could only scream inside my head. I’ve felt helpless before, but this was so much worse. My skin crawls at the thought of what he was going to do.” Fire ripples along her skin, the liquid-like flames making her feel protective and clean. “My magic failed me. If you weren’t there . . . he would have . . . thank you for being there, Delvin.”

“I’d say it was my pleasure, but I would rather the situation not have happened in the first place,” he states as a glimmer of
rage flashes in his eyes. He calms down when he sees the half-elf tense and shiver with a sudden wave of fear. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you by showing my anger. I swear, Nyx, that I won’t let him hurt you. As long as I’m by your side, I’ll keep Stephen at bay.”

“Great, we die together
.”

“Or I kill him
. When I saw how powerful Sari was, I knew all of us would gain that type of strength. Once I’m at that level, I’ll be able to destroy him. I find creatures like him more disgusting than zombies because they make the decision to ra . . . do that.”

Nyx
stands and raises her arms to touch a passing storm cloud. She walks to the edge of the roof and hops onto the turret before taking off her jacket. The cool breeze makes her shudder and she wipes some fresh tears off her face. Carefully, the half-elf turns around to see that Delvin is standing within reach. Folding her legs, she sits down and hugs her chest to hide her embarrassment at being seen in her nightgown. She relaxes slightly when the warrior hands her the discarded jacket, which she carefully puts on again.

“I do feel better knowing that all of you are with me,” Nyx admits with a weak smile. She adjusts her skirt to cover more of her legs
, running her hand along them as if to wipe invisible muck from the flesh. “I think you can go back to bed. I’ll be fine up here by myself.”

Delvin crosses his arms and gazes into
her eyes. “Are you serious or do you plan on breaking down when I leave?”

“I’m serious.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Why not?”

“You’re already tearing up.”

“It’s the cold.”

“The cold doesn’t do that.”

“I’m sitting on a pointy rock.”

“Then remove the rock.”

“Fine!” Nyx snaps in exasperation. She throws her arms up to
cast a mild spell and immediately drops them when Delvin refuses to budge. “I just want to be left alone with my thoughts. It isn’t even all about me. Stephen said that he dominated Trinity like he wanted to do to me. I never thought she could be broken like that, so I’m worried that I can’t hold out against him. He had some intense magic and his aura infected me.”

Delvin holds out his hand for Nyx to take and climb down from the
edge. She refuses and slides off the turret, her bare feet tensing at the feel of cold stone. With a tired sigh, the warrior watches her walk to the trapdoor and open it. She gestures for him to leave, but he takes a seat on the roof and leans back to get comfortable. With a growl of frustration, Nyx slams the trapdoor shut and sits on the far side of the roof.

“I’m going to have Fizzle watch you for the next few days,” Delvin announces, shrugging at the furious
scowl he receives. “We’re all concerned about you, Nyx, so I want to be sure you’re okay. Call me overbearing and annoying-”

“You’re being an ass,” she interrupts, her mood making the sky become more chaotic. “I appreciate the concern, but
I don’t want to be watched like a child. You don’t understand what nearly happened to me. You’re angry that I was in danger while I’m terrified that I was nearly . . . violated. It’s different.”

“So, I won’t have Fizzle watch you, but you’re going to be needed to fix things around here,” Delvin
says. A yawn escapes his lips and he takes another drink from his potion flask. “I need some sleep, so we’ll talk tomorrow.”

“I told you to leave me
alone,” Nyx states. Using her magic, she opens the trapdoor and has a cloud turn into a pointing finger. “Just go back to your room. I promise not to cast any more spells or do anything stupid.”

“I have to stay
.”

“No you don’t
! I’ll be fine without you watching over me.”

Delvin rolls over, so his back is to the annoyed half-elf. “I mean that I have nowhere else to go, Nyx. Timoran and Fizzle are snoring. It’s like a
war drum is talking to a panpipe. That’s why I’m still awake. It’s quiet up here, so I’m going to sleep if you don’t mind. I’m a light sleeper, so I’ll wake up if you cry.”

“I’ll do my best
to be quiet,” the caster drones in disbelief at her friend’s reason for staying. She throws her jacket onto her friend and waves her hand to transform it into a crimson blanket. “Sleep well, brave warrior. I’ll see you in the morning.”

A gentle flame engulfs Nyx to keep her warm while
she sleeps. She watches Delvin for a few minutes before her eyes close. Tears continue to slip down her face as she falls into a dreamless slumber.

*****

“So, the sea elves are going to help me” Sari announces as she closes the doors behind her. On bare feet, she pads her way through the elegant bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes in her wake. “I still have to revive Risar, rebuild the crystal peak, and cleanse the serenity room of the bile serpent’s corruption. Being a champion is a lot of work, but all of that work can wait until tomorrow.”

With a mischievous grin,
the gypsy climbs into the pool of warm water that sits in the middle of her room. Dipping under the surface, she lets the soothing bath wash her aches and stress away. Her muscles are sore from days of inactivity and she is cooing with pleasure at the smell of the water. Movement on the other side of the pool draws her attention to Luke, who is sitting on a shelf. With the grace of a mermaid, Sari swims to his feet and tries to tickle him, but gets no reaction.

“Are you asleep, Luke?” she asks as her head rises out of the
bath. She sees him avert his gaze, so she playfully splashes at him. “Stop being so moody after we’re finally reunited. You were excited to see me earlier. Excited to the point where I needed to build a new bed. Though that could have been just as much my fault.”

“I missed you, Sari, but there’s something I need to tell you,”
the half-elf says, taking a shuddering breath. He turns to face her with a few tears in his eyes. “When we assaulted the Lich’s castle, I fought Kayn. I killed him and I still don’t feel very sorry about it.”

Sari cuddles next to him, pulling him close and staring into his stunned eyes.
“If you expect me to be mad or sorry then you’re going to be disappointed. Kayn betrayed me and became something inhuman. It’s terrible that you had to be the one to kill him, but I’m sure he’s at peace. I’m happy that he’s been put out of his misery and hopefully he can be reunited with our clan.”

“How can you be so nonchalant about this? I took the life of another person.”

“I’ve seen you take the life of a lot of things, Luke,” she says, cringing at the harshness of her words. She becomes immovable when he tries to slip away, her hand pressed against his cheek. “It’s easier to rationalize monsters and undead when you’re fighting. They don’t look like us or they aren’t technically alive. So, killing another . . . civilized being can be shocking. It takes time to get over, but you have to realize that it was necessary. Kayn would have killed you and I might still be sleeping or worse. Please focus on the good that came from your actions and come to terms with the fact that it won’t be the only time.”