Battle of the Kerith Caldera

Kerzik, wrapped in a gray shroud like her sisters, stepped forward.  She was flanked by Moxem, who carried Albion’s saber, and Nardu who gazed at us with pained-filled eyes. 

In a raspy voice Kerzik said, “Give it to me.”

Albion glanced at me, “What is she talking about?”

“The Mechanism.  She wants it.”

“Why?”

“I’ll explain later.”   I set my bag on the ground and started to untied it.  Moxem raised the saber and took a step forward, but Kerzik held up a hand and motioned her back.   I pulled the box out of the bag and opened it.   The Mechanism’s gold face glittered in the sun.  Slowly, I lifted it out. 

The Specters began swaying and growling at the sight of the device.

I locked eyes with Kerzik.  “If I give this to you, will you let us go?”

“GIVE IT TO ME!”

“Fine!  Here it is.”  I deliberately tossed the Mechanism in a high arc forcing Kerzik to turn away from us in order to intercept it.  She managed to catch it before it smashed to the ground.  She and the other two crowded around the device, squealing and moaning in delight.

“Let’s go!” I whispered to Albion.  Albion did not move.  He continued to stare at Nardu.  I grabbed him by the arm.  “There is nothing we can do about her.  We tried.  We need to go while we can.  NOW!”  I yanked him into motion.

We tore across the floor of the caldera.  I tried to remember how Sarika had led us, avoiding the thinly crusted areas.  Vents of steam rose around us as we ran.  A few minutes later I motioned Albion to stop.  We were both out of breath.  I pulled out a flask of water and passed it to him. 

“Will you please explain what just happened back there?” he said, taking a swig.

“They wanted the Mechanism.  They think it will help them gain control over Lemuria.”

“And you gave it to them?”

“Why not?  It’s useless to them”.

“How so?”

I paused for a moment to consider my words.  How could I tell Albion that Lemuria is not a physical place and that he, the mechanism, and every other resident in Lemuria were just figments of the imagination?    How do I tell him that Lemuria resides in the imaginations of flesh and blood people, and that its manifestation is not tied up in the workings of an imaginary mechanism, but in the creative actions of real people.  Lemuria is eternal and boundless because the human imagination is eternal and boundless.  How could I tell him that and shatter his world?

I carefully replied, “Because according to the legend, since the Mechanism was created in Lemuria, a ‘flesh-’n-blood’ cannot wield it…only a resident of Lemuria, like yourself, can control it.”

Albion gave me a curious look.  “I understand.  No ‘flesh-n-bloods’, is that it?”  I thought I saw a trace of a smile on his face.  “So,” he said, looking behind him, “I wonder what’s going to happen when they find out it won’t work for them?”

He barely uttered that question when a distant wail cut across the lava field.  “I think we’re about to find out,” I replied.  

Albion threw the flask aside and I grabbed my Kerith stick.  We both started running again.   We had moved only a short distance down the trail when we were suddenly overcome by a roaring wind.  Dust and debris flew into our faces.  I began to cough and could not catch my breath.   The trail disappeared from view.  Before I could shout to Albion that we could not go on, two gray figures emerged from the dust cloud. 

Moxem was the first to rush forward, towards Albion.  When she was within reach of him, she raised the saber over her head.  As she swung the weapon down, he caught her by the wrist and they both tumbled to the ground.   Before I could move to help Albion, a shadow loomed to my left, and a heavy blow struck my face.  I fell to the ground.  Instinctively, I rolled to one side away from my attacker.  Blinded by the swirling dust, I jumped to my feet and began swinging the Kerith stick.  Although I could not see, I felt the stick connect in a loud thud and then snap in half.  

The dust cleared for a moment and I could see Kerzik pulling herself from the ground.  She turned to face me, her pus-colored eyes filled with rage.   I backed away as she approached.   She held a jagged piece of my broken staff like knife.

The sound of the explosion was so loud that it did not even register in my mind at first; rather, I felt the shock of the blast through my body.  Both Kerzik and I froze and looked towards the volcano’s peak in the distance.  An enormous plume of smoke and ash boiled from its side.   The ground began to rock beneath us and cracks in the lava field widened to show the glow of the molten rock that flowed beneath us.

Kerzik returned her attention to me.  A hideous scream issued from beneath her veil as she advanced.   Just before she reached me, a blur of green and brown rushed past my head and into the face of Kerzik, knocking her to the ground.  A large quetzal curved through the air behind her, dove, and struck Kerzik again.   The bird then flew out of sight, over a pile of boulders.   Kerzick struggled to her feet and turned in the direction that the quetzal had flown.  She shreiked in rage. 

Standing on the top of the boulders was a woman, dressed in flowing red gown.  Her face was impassive but her eyes, glowing like embers, said it all.   Kerzik took flight and headed straight towards the woman, screaming in anger.   The woman did not move except to point her finger at the oncoming specter.  A ball of fire erupted from her finger tips and rolled towards Kerzik, striking her in the chest.   Kerzik crumpled into a ball and fell to the ground, her body charred into an unrecognizable mass.

I heard Albion cry out and I turned my attention back to him.  Moxem had him pinned to the ground, the saber just inches from his throat.  I started to move towards him when suddenly a shadow rushed towards the struggling pair.  Moxem was struck from the side and rolled off of Albion. 

Nardu grabbed Moxem by the hair and began dragging her away from Albion.  Moxem rolled over and struck Nardu in the face, forcing Nardu to release her grip.  Moxem jumped to her feet and backed away from Nardu.   She said something to Nardu that I could not understand and Nardu replied something that made Moxem laugh.

Suddenly, the earth shuddered again, widening the cracks in the ground.  One of them opened up beneath Moxem.   She slipped into the chasm, grabbing onto anything she could get hold.  Nardu ran to the edge and reached for her.   Albion came from behind and took hold of Nardu around the waist, pulling her from the grasping arms of Moxem.   Then Moxem slipped out of sight into the orange glow of the chasm.

“We gotta get out of here, I called to them.  The whole caldera is breaking up!”   Albion grabbed Nardu under her arm and I caught hold of the other.  The three of us rushed across the crumbling caldera and did not stop until we reached the edge of the jungle.

L. Gloyd (c) 2008