TBC: Chapter Thirty-Nine

The Tritum-X neared the outskirts of Solara without interruption. Hoshi now paced the passenger compartment slowly, attempting to work the last bit of aching out of her leg. She repeatedly glanced at Brogan in concern. He looks horrible, she said to Lorcan and Jalena.

Brogan, eyes closed, had his head leaned back against his seat. Bruises now decorated his swollen face—blood still trickled from the cut above his eye and the gash across his cheek.

Yes, responded Jalena, but he is healing faster than Master Valora is, at the moment.

What do you mean? Lorcan asked.

Master Valora is very powerful. She has internalized the ways of her light. So, Akila would have to be doing something to suppress the use of her light energy for her to be able to torture her this much. Master Brogan does not have his powers suppressed at the moment, so his natural ability to heal quickly is still helping to minimize the damage. If he looks this bad, she is worse.

"Where are we going?" Lorcan asked as he studied the monitor at the front of the compartment and observed their movement north. "We are not meeting at the temple?"

The pilot's voice came through the system speakers of the ship. "We have just received word that the internal construction for the new headquarters is complete. Therefore, I will be taking you directly there. Everyone is waiting."

Minutes later the Tritum-X flew directly into the Raging Water Cliffs, or Ira Aug, as named in the ancient language. The cliffs sat northeast of the Grey Forest and were home to miles of enormous waterfalls that dropped into a deep canyon, as wide as the falls were long. The falls masked any construction and other loud noises coming from inside the canyon caves, which made them an ideal location for the main bunkers used by the Order.

"Our new headquarters was built inside the bunkers?" Lorcan asked as the pilot steered the Tritum-X through a waterfall and into a secret entrance in the mountains.

"No," Jalena answered. "I believe they are inside the mountains near the bunkers though." She turned to Brogan. "Can you walk, Master Brogan?"

Brogan opened one swollen eye. "Yes," he said in a hoarse voice. He reached across his abdomen and grabbed his ribs as Lorcan and Jalena helped him stand. Blood seeped through his uniform and onto his hand.

"Please let us help you, Brogan," Hoshi said with concern. "I can't bear to see you like this."

"No." He shook his head defiantly. "They have left her alone for a while anyway."

The door to the Tritum-X lowered, and Brogan limped from the ship with the support of Lorcan and Jalena.

Sorda stood before them next to an underground transport carrier. "Masters," Sorda said as he bowed. His eyes widened as he saw Hoshi. "M—master Hoshi."

"Hi, Sorda," Hoshi said. "It's been ages."

"Too long," he whispered. He stood unmoving as he continued to stare at Hoshi's face.

Brogan raised an eyebrow and sighed. He lifted his left hand from Lorcan's shoulder and snapped his fingers. "Hey—over here."

Sorda shook his head. "S-sorry, Master Brogan." He did a double-take. "What happened? You look terrible."

"Yeah? Tell me something I don't know."

"This way." Sorda gestured to the carrier. "I will take you to headquarters."

The group climbed into the transport carrier and Sorda guided the carrier as it hovered speedily down a long underground tunnel that led north and then curved to the east.

"We are going under the river now," Sorda said.

"Sorda, I thought you were staying at the temple," Lorcan said.

"I was, but when the Order asked for volunteers to help build headquarters, I told them I would. I was just checking in with the ascetas the other day when you saw me at the temple." His ears reddened slightly as he glanced back at Hoshi. "After the construction, I asked if I could stay on permanently."

"You are giving up your studies?" Hoshi asked.

"No. I am finishing them still. They are almost complete. I just work at headquarters now because I like the work for the Order too."

Brogan, who still had one eye closed, nudged Lorcan in the arm. "Yeah, we know why," he said in a low voice.

Lorcan laughed.

"What's so funny?" Hoshi said.

"Nothing." Lorcan shook his head. He looked at Sorda. "So, should we still address you as Asceta Sorda?"

"You can use whatever title you wish, Master Lorcan. Even Sire would do."

"Very funny."

Sorda smiled.

Hoshi laughed lightly. "I never knew you were so funny, Sorda."

"There's way more you don't know," Brogan mumbled to Lorcan, who grinned.

"What does that mean?" Hoshi asked in annoyance.

Jalena smiled, and Brogan laughed but stopped quickly and grabbed his ribs as Sorda brought the carrier to an abrupt stop before a large, metal tunnel entrance.

Brogan groaned in pain. "You did that on purpose," he said.

"I don't know what you mean, but it's great to see you still have your sense of humor despite your injuries, Master Brogan," Sorda said lightly.

Brogan winced. "Sure—helps me forget."

Sorda cleared his throat. We're here," he said, looking relieved.

The entrance to the tunnel opened and Sorda guided the carrier into a vaulted cavern of clear crystals. He slowed the carrier to another stop.

"Wow," Hoshi and Lorcan exclaimed at the same time.

"This is the entrance foyer. It faces northwest, toward the Green Sea. There is another group of falls on this side of the cliffs that mask the crystal caves," Sorda explained.

The group exited the carrier and walked through a clear retracting doorway marked with the Lumsigne on the front. They slowly made their way down a long hallway lined with royal blue lights. Sorda stopped when they reached another hallway perpendicular to the first. A large Lumsigne decorated the surface of a royal blue rug where the two hallways met.

"The doors at the end of this hall will lead you straight into the Thesarei," he said, pointing to the right. "They will open with the scan of your palm. Sir Malik and the others await you there."

"Thank you, Sorda," Jalena said.

"My pleasure." He bowed. "I will be waiting to escort you after the meeting is over."

The four walked as quickly as possible to the Thesarei, and Jalena placed her palm up to a Merkaba-shaped scanner near the doors. The scanner lit and the doors opened before them.

The group entered an enormous room filled with bookshelves, charts, floating holographic screens, and an elongated oval-shaped table engraved with various geometric symbols. The table mimicked the look and style of the council table in the Temple of Kya but was much larger.

The warriors, all standing in their formal Order robes, turned to the door. The speculative small talk ceased as the new masters rushed over to their teammates and hugged them in relief.

Gyan's eyes met Jalena's and relief flooded through him. It took all his control not to grab her to him.

"Over here, Master Brogan, if you will," Malik interrupted the greeting party.

Brogan walked slowly to where Malik stood behind one of the black, high-back chairs positioned around the table. He held out his hand in a gesture for Brogan to sit.

"Sir Malik, I do not want to be healed," Brogan stated, his voice cracking with emotion. "If Valora can't heal her wounds, then I don't want mine to be healed either."

Malik looked upon Brogan with kind eyes. "How noble of you, Master Brogan, but you are forgetting that a door swings both ways."

"Huh?"

"What he means, Master Brogan," said Syam as he stepped forward from the other side of the room, "is that the connection that allows you to feel Master Valora's torture is the same one that will allow her to experience your healing. She may not be able to heal herself since her light energy is being suppressed, but as you focus on her, she will feel your energy internally supplemented by the energy that Malik sends through you. It may not be enough to give her the power to overcome whatever magic Akila is using to suppress her energy, but it will be enough to provide her relief from pain."

Brogan dropped into the chair. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Do it now, please," he said hurriedly, "before they start again."

Malik knelt in front of Brogan and grabbed his forearms. "Think of her and do not waver in your thoughts. You will feel the sharpness of my energy enter you. Do not fear or resist it. Allow it to flow through you and relief will follow."

Brogan inhaled deeply as Malik's eyes and skin began to glow. He gasped and stiffened as multiple streams of visible white light emerged from Malik's hands and wound themselves around Brogan's arms like snakes winding up to his shoulders.

"Do not resist it, Master Brogan," Malik reminded him.

Brogan relaxed as the streams of light wound up to and around his head and down around his lower body, encasing him in a web of light. As his skin absorbed the streams, the wounds he shared with Valora began to disappear.

***

Valora stood against a dark gray stone wall, her arms forcibly stretched above her by glowing red shackles clasped around her wrists. The shackles were connected to steel glowing red suppression rods hanging from the ceiling. The suppression bind formerly around Valora's shoulders was now hugging her ribs accompanied by a thin glowing red bind around her forehead.

Valora's eyes were closed and her head drooped against her chest. The cuts on her face steadily seeped blood that dripped onto the stone floor beneath her.

Akila stood in the corner of the cell, bent over a large black book with navy-colored pages and silver markings inside. Most of the pages were torn and charred.

"So, this is what you have done with my dungeons," Mordán said from the other side of the cell bars. He pointed to the red glowing bars.

"Yes. I have been busy designing cells that would be strong enough to imprison a light warrior," Akila said without turning around. "The suppression is effective on the cells in the cave, but the spell combination works best with the metal used to make the cells here in the palace."

"I take it she will not disclose plans of the Order," Mordán said as he gazed at Valora.

"She will not," Akila said.

"Just kill her then if you have taken the blood you need for the potion."

"I have to get the formula exact, so she will best serve me alive in case I need a fresh supply. After that, I will have no use for her."

"You may have to work on your suppression formula some more, Akila. It seems our prisoner is healing somehow."

Akila whipped around.

White streams of light had emerged from Valora's chest and were spreading across her uniform. The streams wound themselves around Valora in a web-like pattern and disappeared into her skin. Valora stirred as the healing effects of the light swept over her and sealed her wounds.

Akila rushed to her side. Her eyes flashed angrily as she studied the light. "Malik," she hissed. "He is the only one that could override the suppression."

"How is he doing it?" Mordán asked.

"There must be a connection to this warrior that he is using—" Akila paused, "—her twin."

"What do you mean?"

"The light warrior, Brogan, is her twin. He must have survived the fall from the mountain somehow. Malik is using him to do this."

"How do we stop it?" Mordán asked.

Akila returned to her work. "We can't unless we shut down their connection. To do so, I would have to kill her. The suppression rings will be enough to keep her subdued until I perfect my formula."

Valora's eyelids fluttered open. She looked around in confusion until her eyes met Mordán's through the cell bars. She closed her hands into tight fists. "Mordán," she said in a dark tone.

Akila grabbed her red staff—the blue stone at its tip lit just before she touched it to the middle of Valora's back.

Valora arched her back in pain and her eyes rolled back into her head. Her head slumped forward as she lost consciousness again.

"Why her?" Mordán asked Akila.

"Her cells have the most probable chance of binding properly with the cells in the blood of other species," Akila stated. "Her connection to nature provides a flexibility in her cellular structure that the other warriors most likely do not possess."

Mordán nodded in understanding and turned away from the cell. "You know they will come for her."

"I do."

"I must travel to Uthar, so you will have to take care of them."

"I am prepared, Sire. The warriors will not be able to penetrate the cell bars with their power."

"And what if Malik appears?"

"I will take him on directly and leave the warriors to fight the Vaznaun I have summoned to guard the temple in your absence."

Mordán gave Akila a curt nod. "Very well," he said as he walked toward the dungeon exit, "just try not to destroy my palace in the process."

***