Ice Phoenix
Chapter 40 - Nashim's purpose

The sky was heavy with dark clouds, and the first raindrops started to fall. Weather stations forecasted thunderstorms and lightning, accompanied by torrential rain for the next two days.

The line of carriages occupied the entire front area of Minda Yerra, as they waited to be filled by nervous students and teachers alike, preparing to evacuate for Al-Kalindrome 77. The carriages were silver and box-like, with deep grooves cutting through their hard exteriors, and they hovered a good thirty metres in the air.

It was still early morning but the students were already being ushered out into the halls, where they formed neat lines and waited to be assigned to the appropriate carriages. The process proved to be quick and efficient as the students steadfastly made their way to their designated carriages.

Terrana stood outside by Lorn, dressed in her black, fitted spacesuit while carrying a displeased Kazu in her arms. The chubby kitten’s ears twitched at everything happening around him, and, no doubt, he wanted to frolic. He wore his own version of a spacesuit, which was a metallic collar that monitored his vital signs. Attached to it was a short leash which Terrana held onto.

“Lorn, Terrana!” The two of them looked around and saw Bindal and Bagruth rushing towards them. Headmistress Marl, Master Drummik, and Master Raimus also stood nearby, keeping a watchful eye on the students. Like Terrana and Lorn, Bindal and Bagruth were dressed in their form-fitting spacesuits and thick boots.

“It’s so good to see you guys again!” Bagruth beamed at them. Terrana was struck by how genuinely happy he looked to see them.

“Yeah, you guys made quite an entrance last night,” added Bindal, also beaming but looking at them curiously. “Where in Dartkala’s name have you been? And where is the prince?”

“Long story,” said Lorn, quickly. “Where’s Mikin?”

Bindal and Bagruth looked at him in surprise. “Didn’t you know?” said Bindal.

“Know what?”

“He was taken by the same people who brought you to school. He had some information about those creatures that were attacking Pa Gumpina.”

“What?” Lorn was shocked. So was Terrana. “So he’s not evacuating with us?”

Bagruth and Bindal shrugged and shook their heads.

“Anyway, I gotta get back. I’m travelling in the last carriage where I gotta keep an eye on Niku,” said Bagruth.

“You’re travelling in animal storage?” Lorn said, throwing Bagruth a disbelieving stare.

“Yep. Niku hates being cooped up in transportation of any kind and so I gotta be there with him. Would be good if Kazu could accompany him — he has a soothing effect on Niku.”

All eyes swivelled to Kazu, who was suddenly interested in playing with his tail.

“Any chance you could let him ride with Niku?” Bagruth gave Terrana a hopeful look.

Terrana hesitated. “Well ...” she began.

Kazu is not going to animal carriage. That’s where they put all the animals!

You are an animal!

You’re still angry I called you a retard, aren’t you?

“Sorry,” said Terrana. “I haven’t seen him for so long I’d like to spend a little more time with him.”

“Children, back to your lines,” ordered Headmistress Marl sternly. She loomed over them from behind. Bagruth and Bindal took one look at her face and fled.

“Terrana, Lorn — this way.” She herded them to the suction area beneath one of the carriages and they were quickly pulled up and deposited into the drop-space, which was nothing more than a large waiting room. Then, they made their way towards the pods. When they reached their pods, Terrana leaned over and placed Kazu in a hollow confined space between her pod and Lorn’s. She removed his leash, and as soon as she stepped away from Kazu, a transparent shield activated around the kitten.

She and Lorn then climbed into their pods and a similar shield activated around them. Terrana looked around. The carriage was already quite full with the other students.

“Is that your cat?” someone said roughly.

Kalindra’s face loomed in front of Terrana. Misa stood next to her and they were both glaring at Kazu, who had a hind leg in the air and was happily licking his nether regions.

“Yeah,” Terrana answered. “Why do you wanna know?”

Kalindra’s mouth pulled into a straight line. “Three weeks of detention for failing to keep him in during curfew hours.”

“But I wasn’t here,” protested Terrana.

“Add another three weeks for animal neglect,” sniggered Kalindra. “Whether or not you were here is not my problem.”

Terrana wanted to retort but, instead, she reigned in her temper. She could see Kalindra was spoiling for a fight, and with Misa to help her, Terrana didn’t see how it could end well. Besides, it was going to be a long flight and she was nervous enough already. She didn’t want to have to worry about Kalindra and Misa.

“Detention isn’t going to apply on Al-Kal 77.” Lorn’s voice cut through, and Kalindra swivelled around.

“Lorn!” she cried happily. Terrana had to admire the speed with which Kalindra snagged the empty pod next to him. Misa took the one across from her. There was still one more pod remaining, and it was across from Lorn.

“Lorn, where have you been?” Kalindra asked as her shield activated. “I was so worried about you! You were gone for three weeks and no one heard from you!” Genuine concern plastered her face and she would have grabbed his hand if it had not been for the shield.

“I’m fine, Kalindra. Thanks for worrying.”

Kalindra’s eyes narrowed, but she maintained her pretty smile. “At least, tell us where you’ve been.”

Lorn sighed. Like Terrana, his hopes for a peaceful flight were becoming dim. A familiar voice caught his attention.

“Excuse me, coming through! Excuse me, I’m trying to get to my pod.”

Mikin pushed his way through the students as they glared at him, occasionally kicking him as he trod on their toes.

“Watch it, elephant! It’s not the ground you’re walking on!”

“Yes, yes, toes. Sorry for standing on your toes. They are very well camouflaged with the floor.”

His last comment sent him flying, only to land him in the empty pod opposite Lorn. There was the sound of a shield being deactivated and hands reached out to sit him upright. Mikin looked up, ready to express his gratitude, but stopped short when he saw who had helped him.

“Lorn!” he cried happily. He saw Terrana smiling at him from inside her pod, and he beamed. “Terrana!”

Terrana flashed him a small smile and waved. She was glad to see Mikin, and she could tell that Lorn felt the same way. If anything, he was a welcome distraction from Kalindra and Misa.

“Good to see you too,” said Lorn.

“Gee gosh, guys, it’s been so long! I never thought three weeks could feel like three years! You looked awful when I saw you last night. I wished I could have seen you sooner, but I had some work to do for Master Kuldor.”

Terrana wondered how much he knew. Would Master Kuldor have told him anything about what happened in Si Ren Da and Olden Kartath? Would Mikin have been sworn to secrecy like she and Lorn had been?

“I had some information on the wrails,” said Mikin, flapping his ears. Because he wasn’t centred in his pod and his shield had not yet activated, his ears brushed across Misa’s face. He felt a painful flick on his ear, and he paled when he turned to see who was sitting next to him.

“Oh, hi, Misa.”

“If you flap your ears one more time, I’ll glue them to your back!” she growled.

Mikin pulled his ears back and shrank into his pod. “What ears?”

Misa scowled and looked away.

The carriage shuddered and the students began murmuring excitedly. Master Drummik and Master Raimus suddenly appeared, and they each took an empty pod not far from where Terrana was sitting.

“Looks like we’re leaving already,” said Mikin. Terrana admired the way his eyes gleamed with excitement. She wished she could share his enthusiasm, but a suffocating feeling clutched her. How could she ever be eager and excited about anything again? Baneyon and the queen were dead because of her. The entire world was in jeopardy from a supposedly mythical feiyed person called the Dream Walker. The Dream Walker would be the undoing of the whole world — not the demons or the wrails. And somehow, she was supposed to be like him — a feiyed human being.

Terrana would have found it nonsensical had it not been for the very real pain of Baneyon’s loss.

You worry too much about nothing. Why don’t you bring Kazu his sardines?

Terrana glared at Kazu. People are going to die if the Imeldors and L-Masters fail to stop the demons. Aren’t you worried about that?

Kazu worries only about the present. Right now, Kazu is worried you forgot to bring his sardines!

Mikin’s voice brought her back to reality. “I wonder what Al-Kalindrome 77 will be like? You think they’ll have enough food?”

You see? This elephant is smart, almost like Kazu.

“Mikin, the whole planet is being evacuated and you are worried about there being enough food on the space station?” barked Lorn.

“Well, you never know. The wrails are increasing in numbers and because they can manipulate qi, who knows how long it’ll take to get rid of them?” replied Mikin.

“Qi? They can manipulate qi?” Kalindra hissed, leaning forwards in her pod. “Are they feiyed?”

Mikin shook his head. “They’re not feiyed in the true sense. Some can nullify qi, others absorb qi instead, and when that happens you’ll become paralysed, and finally, some use poison as their weapon. But the greatest danger is in their physical forms. Wrails are the ultimate killing machines!”

“How do you know all this?” Lorn asked, looking stunned. It wasn’t just him; Terrana’s mouth had fallen open, and Misa and Kalindra were leaning as far out as their shields would allow them to.

Mikin squirmed slightly. “My family are librarians. We collected a lot of books over the centuries and converted them into digital data.”

“Why are the wrails here now?” growled Misa.

Mikin seemed surprised by her question. “Didn’t you watch the news last night?”

“All outside communication was cut from the school,” Misa answered.

“Oh, I forgot,” said Mikin. Then, “The wrails were brought to our planet in eggs, on board a ship.”

“Who brought them?” barked Kalindra.

Terrana caught Mikin’s eye, and in that instant she knew that Mikin knew about what had happened on Si Ren Da and Olden Kartath.

Mikin continued to speak. “UWIB can’t confirm it, but most likely the eggs were brought in by an alien race that used to exist a long time ago. The UWIB Council has also issued an execution measure against Pa Gumpina.”

“What do you mean by that?” Lorn asked sharply.

Mikin glanced over at Master Drummik and Master Raimus, who had remained silent, even though he was sure they could hear him. He wasn’t relaying anything that hadn’t been broadcasted over the news anyway. He flapped his ears sadly.

“It was on the news last night, Lorn. If Pa Gumpina cannot clear out the wrails in the next three days, UWIB will vaporise the planet!”

It was a curious experience for Mikin to study the varying shades of paleness from each of the students around him. He had never seen a Pophusian, Daiphus, and a human turn pale at the same time.

Not far from Minda Yerra, in the Solar Aria Domes which spun slowly over the city, Grandmaster Deitrux sighed heavily. He walked with Master Kuldor over the lightly marbled surface, passing by the occasional fountain and statue as they made their way to the viewing room.

Lost in his thoughts, Grandmaster Deitrux began to drift across the floor, not realising he wasn’t walking anymore.

“That went rather well,” said Master Kuldor, as he eyed his friend. “They gave us three days to eradicate the wrails or we lose this planet forever.”

“The nerve of them, Kuldor,” muttered Grandmaster Deitrux. “I have never seen such cowards in my life that they would so easily vote to remove a planet from existence.”

“The queen’s death thoroughly rattled them. And it is no secret that her biggest council of supporters exist here in Pa Gumpina. They always wanted to remove the council, this was their best excuse.”

“What is UWIB’s current combative status?”

“As you know, every sector has now shifted to Defensive Battle Action to prepare for any invasion from the wrails. Troops throughout the ten sectors have been mobilised.”

“I know that already,” snapped Grandmaster Deitrux. “I mean, what have they done to prepare for the destruction of Pa Gumpina?”

“High Councillor Bilatrix has already issued the order to focus the Nuclear Chain Matrix on Pa Gumpina. The unified troops are positioning the pins around the planet as we speak.”

“So, they not only plan to vaporise Pa Gumpina, they mean to first burn every living thing on the planet before turning us into dust?”

Grandmaster Deitrux was livid. He flung open a heavy door and he and Kuldor walked into a dark room with a high ceiling. The only light came from a thin slit high on one wall. The room was hardly used, judging from the dust which had settled onto the numerous fixtures.

“Before we proceed, I detect —” Kuldor ducked as the grandmaster directed chairs, ornaments, and even drapes past him. He watched them build up in the centre of the room, and then, within seconds, they were compressed into a ball of dust.

“You were saying?” asked the grandmaster, scowling at him.

“The room doesn’t appear to be bugged in any way,” said Kuldor smoothly. “And we don’t have to worry about repaying the cost of the five-hundred-year-old vase you just destroyed, since UWIB intends to obliterate this planet.”

“My reasoning exactly. So, those bureaucrats think this is the best way of keeping the situation under control? It hurts my brain to think that they are not even searching for the Valpuri’s ship! There may be more eggs on board, which could be transported to who knows where, and those idiots are more excited about testing the matrix?”

“Well, their reasoning is not unsound. It has been five thousand years since the war and our technology and weaponry have advanced so much since then. The imminent threat of invasion from one race against ten united sectors hardly terrifies them. Furthermore, we failed to provide evidence of the Valpuri’s existence.”

“Which explains why we have to take five representatives with us into the Voron Cloud,” growled Grandmaster Deitrux. “And then we are to hand over the pendant to the UWIB Council after our return.”

Grandmaster Deitrux was wearing a dark kimono with elegant stripes running down his collar. His hair was done up in the Donkinongan traditional fashion, which was a single braid wrapped high on his head and held fast with a silk ribbon.

“Please run the nine by me once more, Kuldor.”

Master Kuldor nodded and removed a small cube from his waist-pocket. He threw it into the air and it hovered above them, spinning slowly as it lit up with tiny blue lines that converged into one spot on the wall. From this point, a virtual screen appeared, and the room came alive with life-sized, three-dimensional images of weavers and lacers. Grandmaster Deitrux stepped between them, noting how their bodies moved with the gentle flow of their breathing. Kuldor walked with him, and pointed to one of the weavers. “Guild Master Asendroth of the Ceramic Guild,” he said.

Grandmaster Deitrux found himself staring at a skinny man of average height. He had a long floppy nose and orange skin. His eyes were as muddy as the earth itself and the skin on his hands appeared permanently caked with mud. Grandmaster Deitrux nodded. “Ah yes, he’s the weaver with earth moulding skills to rival both Quempa and Raimus.”

He turned to look at the woman next to Master Asendroth and quickly looked away. Grandmaster Deitrux knew Lady Skiss very well since she was one of his Imeldors.

“Next?”

“Guild Mistress Lakara of the Metal Guild, armoured division.”

“Ah yes, the one with the gift for explosives and metal wielding.” Grandmaster Deitrux examined the form in front of him with interest. Guild Mistress Lakara had a very narrow waist and long insectile legs. She wore a sleek, elongated helmet which covered her face, but Grandmaster Deitrux could still make out her eyes glowing from behind the visor.

“Interesting armour she’s got on.”

“Casophynite, a rare metal found on her home world of Plythos. Not only is it difficult to mine, it requires an extremely complicated process to melt it into a malleable metal. Lakara is the only known person able to weave it.”

“If I recall correctly, casophynite has qi nullifying properties? How does Lakara get around that?”

Kuldor cleared his throat. “Theoretically, it is not impossible, and I have my theories. Lakara, however, guards her achievements zealously.”

Kuldor looked a little put out, and Grandmaster Deitrux smiled inwardly. Master Kuldor may have appeared almost nonchalant at Lakara’s achievement, but he was most likely stewing inside at the fact that she had two up over him. Not only had she managed to solve the issue of wielding qi while wearing casophynite armour, she had also avoided Kuldor’s spies. Grandmaster Deitrux was impressed.

“Who else do we have?”

“There’s L-Master Hadrick, who is considered to be one of the fastest sealers. He’s in charge of leading the lacing incantation. Rumour has it that he entered the Voron Cloud and managed to last for eight hours before being forced to leave.”

“That explains why his eyes lit up like two comets colliding when I mentioned we were in possession of the pendant,” muttered Grandmaster Deitrux. “There is something about this man I do not trust. If we succeed in containing the Dream Walker, he will do anything possible to remove the pendant from us. We must keep a careful eye on this Hadrick.”

They discussed the other members of the team quickly before Grandmaster Deitrux nodded to indicate he was ready to move onto other matters.

“Have you managed to uncover the real identity of the Nipponian boy’s family?”

Master Kuldor shook his head, his eyes narrowing. “As far as I can tell, they appear to be a normal, law abiding family with ordinary professions. The father works at a food processing plant and his mother is a stay-at-home housewife looking after their three-year old daughter.

“I’ve run every code to try to discover the transloader’s creator, but so far I’ve come up with nothing. I’ve also had to return the cube to the boy.”

“Interesting — an unassuming family in possession of an advanced piece of tech, one that has not been influenced by any of the current models. How is it possible that not a single member of the family has any background in data technology development or technical engineering?”

“They are obviously hiding something!” growled Master Kuldor. He changed the subject — he disliked being thwarted twice in one day — by Guild Mistress Lakara who could conceal her technique for weaving casophynite, and Mikin’s family who possessed a very advanced piece of tech. “Are you certain you do not want me to accompany you and the other nine through the Voron Cloud?”

Grandmaster Deitrux nodded. “I’m certain, dear friend. You are required here on Pa Gumpina more than anywhere else. It has already been agreed, the troops will be under your guidance. That includes all the weavers and lacers currently brought in to help with the situation. I’m sorry to have burdened you with such a task, but I’m relying on you to stop the wrails while I’m away.”

“I understand. You will have a planet to come back to after you are done with the sealing.”

“Thank you, old friend.” Grandmaster Deitrux waved his hand over the screen, which was still showing the nine members of the sealing team. They disappeared from view and, instead, a sleek chrome starcraft appeared. It was the Dark Star, belonging to the governing body of Pa Gumpina. The government was lending the starcraft to Grandmaster Deitrux.

Grandmaster Deitrux remembered the pleading expressions of the ministers all too well. “Save our planet!” they had cried. Many of them had looked grief-stricken that the home they loved would be so ruthlessly destroyed on the orders of the UWIB Council. Unease stirred in the grandmaster’s heart; the decision had been made too easily, and he feared that centuries of peace had clouded the ten sectors’ principles of unity and protection.

They had come so far since the Dream Walker had last made an appearance; cybernetics, robotics, DNA manipulation, weapons-defence systems, and space travel. The military capability that existed today far surpassed anything from back then. Each sector possessed its own weapons of mass destruction and planetary defence systems to guard against unwelcome life-forms. Military no-go zones were established in almost every sector, and many gates in the In-Between were guarded by some of the most advanced weaponry unknown to neighbouring sectors, regardless of being allies or foes.

The problem was all too obvious to the grandmaster; the United Worlds of the In-Between was cradling a toy of insurmountable power, and, unfortunately, there was no place to test it. Until now. Pa Gumpina was the perfect excuse for the UWIB Council to play with their new toy, and the looming threat of the Valpuri and the Dream Walker didn’t terrify them; on the contrary, it excited them.

“Deitrux?” Master Kuldor’s voice finally reached the grandmaster and he looked up with some surprise.

“You were brooding. Is everything all right?”

“Not really.” Grandmaster Deitrux glanced at the Dark Star, noting its zalamantim fortified body, the only known material that could withstand being in the Voron Cloud. It could last for fifty hours before it started to disintegrate. In another hour, the Dark Star would be transporting twenty people through the cloud in a race to seal the Dream Walker. Just what they would face out there, Grandmaster Deitrux had no idea.

“Any information on the whereabouts of Nashim’s ship yet?”

Master Kuldor shook his head. “He’s using some kind of cloaking device. We are scanning all areas, but so far, nothing.”

“A ship that has already released a thousand eggs shouldn’t be too hard to find. What about the In-Between? Are we searching asteroids, dark sides, lakes, seas?”

“We are leaving no stone unturned. We will find it. But Deitrux ...”

Grandmaster Deitrux looked at his friend.

“Why would Nashim still be in Pa Gumpina and not in the Voron Cloud? The wrails appeared over two weeks ago, when he escaped from Si Ren Da. He’s been here all this time, judging from the wrails’ presence.”

Grandmaster Deitrux had been juggling the same question in his head when the answer suddenly hit him like a thunderbolt. It was so simple that he could have kicked himself.

Almost a full day had passed since he and the others had returned from Olden Kartath, but he had not had a moment to himself to think. They had barely landed when he had to rush off to the Council meeting to inform a shocked audience of the queen’s death and the demise of the L-Masters.

What erupted from the stunned councillors and ministers was nothing less than pandemonium. Without any time to lose, Grandmaster Deitrux had raced from one meeting to another, while trying to organise the next team to go through the Voron Cloud. He had been so consumed by his duties, that the simplest answer to a troubling question had evaded him until now.

Grandmaster Deitrux stared at Master Kuldor, his face ashen. “Nashim!” he whispered. “Dear Dartkala, where is Terrana right now?”

Master Kuldor eyed his friend with some surprise. “You already know that; we left her at the school under Degra’s care. They are being evacuated today.” He blinked, quickly checking the time that had appeared over his left eye. “In fact, they should already be entering the outer atmosphere, heading to Al-Kalindrome 77.”

Grandmaster Deitrux began running towards the door. “We’ve got to get her out of there now! Nashim is after her!”

Master Kuldor sprinted after the grandmaster, scooping him up onto his shoulder. Then, he raced to the radiation belt where their air vehicle was parked.

“How do you know that?” Kuldor asked. “Has he figured out who she is?”

“No,” barked the grandmaster. “You asked me why he hasn’t entered the Voron Cloud yet. The answer was so obvious that I missed it the first time. He hasn’t passed through the cloud because he cannot.”

“What? That makes no sense!”

They exited the building and continued running towards a small air vehicle parked on the radiation belt. The sky was dark, and it was raining heavily.

“He has the pendant! Of course he can travel through the cloud unless ...” He suddenly understood the grandmaster’s reasoning.

“Unless the pendant is broken,” finished the grandmaster. “Remember what the people of Olden Kartath told us — Skra was the stronger one, and in the end her pendant reflected it. Namasar could not defeat the Dream Walker with his pendant. According to Quempa, it required a lot of qi just to activate Namasar’s pendant. Its power was almost out of control when Nashim fought the queen. But as you’ve already witnessed, Skra’s pendant barely required qi to activate. Its power is precise, and it was able to detect Namasar’s pendant through the In-Between.”

“So Nashim realised this and he waited for us to return?” said a shocked Kuldor. They had almost reached the air vehicle that would take them to the Dark Star.

“He and the other demon met Terrana. They would have seen her wearing Skra’s pendant. After barely escaping Si Ren Da with their lives, they’ve had three weeks to do some serious problem solving.”

“But Terrana doesn’t have the pendant anymore. We do!”

Light suddenly reflected off the air vehicle, and Grandmaster Deitrux had barely created a shield in time when it exploded. Even so, both he and Kuldor were sent flying. Steel-like clamps lashed out from Kuldor’s boots and gripped the ground, bringing him and Grandmaster Deitrux to a stop. The shield around the Solar Aria Domes shimmered and then collapsed inwards.

Wind and rain flooded through the domes, and the Imeldors watched horrified as the remains of the air vehicle hurtled towards them. Grandmaster Deitrux reacted instantly, and before its whirring blades could dice them into pieces, he stopped the air vehicle in mid-roll, crumpling it into a gigantic lump of scrap metal. As the Imeldors waited and watched, a dark form leapt onto the crushed metal ball.

Nashim crouched in front of them, wearing a dark spacesuit and an evil grin. His red eyes gleamed through his skeletal mask, and around his neck hung Namasar’s pendant. “So, which one of you has the pendant? I didn’t quite catch the last part,” he called out.

Grandmaster Deitrux stepped forwards, his eyes narrowed and his face hard. “You are Nashim, I take it,” he said through the whipping wind.

“The one and only,” replied Nashim, flourishing a bow. “No doubt with your high stature and braided topknot, you are the grandmaster?”

Grandmaster Deitrux did not reply. His silence, however, did not faze Nashim. “I finally get to meet you. I’ve always been curious about the little man who sits above the queen. Oh my apologies, the former dead queen who was, alas, murdered by the young girl who, curiously, you failed to mention at the council meeting. The faces of those fat, shocked councillors ...” he let the sentence hang.

“What is your point?” snapped the grandmaster.

Nashim sniggered. “Those councillors — they didn’t look too terrified at the mention of my race, did they? A bit flustered perhaps, that they would have to correct history, but there was absolutely no fear of the Valpuri and the Dream Walker. Even I have to say, my feelings were slightly hurt at their reaction.”

Grandmaster Deitrux clenched his fists. The fact that Nashim had made the same observations about the UWIB Council’s indifference to Pa Gumpina’s plight burned him like the concentrated pinpoint of the sun’s light. This indifference was a serious flaw in the council members’ thinking. If it was not addressed soon, that flaw would deteriorate into a fatal disease. He took a deep breath to calm himself, looked Nashim in the eye and asked, “How did you manage to sneak into the council meeting?”

Nashim laughed. “Now, now, Grandmaster. No need to get all tetchy. Security isn’t what it used to be, what with all the DNA and retinal scanning required for entry.”

“You merged with another mind.” It was a flat statement. Mistakes. They were happening by the dozen. Grandmaster Deitrux bit down on his frustration.

Nashim shrugged. “Now that I’ve provided you with a wonderful insight into your Council’s sad state of affairs, perhaps you could return the favour. Do you possess the pendant or ... does he?” He pointed at Master Kuldor.

“There’s only one way to find out,” called out Kuldor. “Come at us.”

Nashim grinned. “Oh, I don’t think so. The queen was formidable enough on her own, I don’t quite fancy taking on the two of you at once. But you should realise, I am here on my own.”

Both the Imeldors stiffened. Nashim wasn’t lying. They could see no sign of the other demon, Meldogan.

Kuldor, you need to get to the evacuation ship immediately! The other demon’s gone for Terrana. I will handle Nashim.

Don’t forget, the Dark Star leaves in less than an hour. You need to be on board.

I will be there. Fight hard, my friend.

Master Kuldor began running. A cloud of black smoke, controlled by Nashim, detached itself from the smoking wreckage of the air vehicle and gave chase. It shot towards the large Imeldor, but Kuldor dodged it nimbly. Behind him, the platform crumbled as Nashim’s smoke enveloped it. With one giant leap, Master Kuldor hurled himself off the radiation belt and spun through the air. Giant metallic wings sprouted from his furry back and, in an instant, he was gone.

Nashim watched him escape with narrowed eyes, before returning his attention to the grandmaster.

“He doesn’t have the pendant anyway,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“You are right about that,” said the grandmaster. “He doesn’t have it. I do.”

Nashim smiled. “What say we make life easier for both of us? You have three days to eliminate the wrails. Hand the pendant over to me, and I will remove them for you. A fair exchange, don’t you think?”

When the grandmaster didn’t reply, Nashim pushed further. “You will also get to save the life of your comrade, with whom it appears you share a close relationship. Not just him, but everyone else who’s on board the evacuation ship with the girl.”

Grandmaster Deitrux turned cold. Nashim saw his change in expression and smirked. “That’s right, Grandmaster Deitrux. If you thought Meldogan was the only one trying to reach the child, you were very wrong. The end of Pa Gumpina is not in three days; it is today.”

“What did you do?” said Grandmaster Deitrux, shaking with anger.

Nashim laughed out loud and pointed in the direction of Minda Yerra. He then turned and pointed to the outskirts of the city. “Have you ever seen this land look so alive?”

Grandmaster Deitrux fixed his gaze towards the horizon where the edge of the city met the sky. The blood drained from him. “Dartkala, you didn’t!” he whispered hoarsely.

A cancer crept slowly into the heart of Pa Gumpina, polluting the veins of the land. Wrails, in the thousands, lumbered eagerly towards the city, sniffing out the last of the living. There must have been five wrails to every living person in Pa Gumpina.

“Don’t worry,” jeered Nashim. “Not everyone will die. In fact, that’s not what I want to happen.”

“Explain yourself!” demanded Grandmaster Deitrux.

“Very well. There’s a new breed of wrails that was engineered by my world. They weren’t designed to kill on first bite. Instead, they carry a virus. One bite or scratch from these wrails, the infection is passed directly into the victim’s bloodstream, which then moves on to attack the brain stem and other essential motor functions of its host. But most interestingly of all, it instigates a hunger in its host so excruciating that its host is driven to kill and eat the next person alive in order to satiate its appetite.

“The host cannot stop, and will continue eating until he or she explodes. They can feel, see, and understand everything, but they have no ability to fight the virus. It only takes an hour after being infected for the host to start feeling the hunger. Pa Gumpina is going to be our first test subject. Today, Grandmaster Deitrux, you and the rest of UWIB will see just how fearsome the Valpuri are. And ... people have already been infected. People who are no longer on this planet.”

The implication of his words sunk in. Grandmaster Deitrux realised with dread that the infection had spread beyond Pa Gumpina into the other sectors. The general populace, animals, the military troops, guild members, and every single lacer and weaver fighting out there could have been infected already, and there was no way to pinpoint their locations. Many had been evacuated to the space stations circling above the planet. Others had returned to their home worlds beyond Sector One.

“So, Grandmaster Deitrux, I ask you again — the pendant, or the lives of your people and planet?”

When next the grandmaster looked at Nashim, his eyes were glowing. He took a step towards the Valpuri, and the ground cracked beneath the grandmaster’s feet. The rain no longer fell, but sprayed around him like the parting of a waterfall. Even the air seemed dense. The wind no longer blew through the domes — instead, it pushed down on them.

Nashim noted the change in both the grandmaster and his surroundings, and took a step back. To his surprise, his foot would not leave the ground.

“That’s right,” growled the grandmaster. “You will need to slap life into that broken pendant of yours if you wish to escape from here!”

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