Chapter 4 - A Light Goes Out (part IV)

Vyrkon freed himself from the heavy bookshelf, throwing it forward. His breathing was labored, and his rage was rising. His only task was to kill Satir's offspring, but they had escaped. He let out a rough growl and paced back and forth like a beast determined to hunt its prey.

He walked to the balcony, and the rain soaked his handsome face. He examined the height and identified spots on the wall he could descend without difficulty. He jumped to the right side of the wall, swinging from ledge to ledge downward. When he was a few meters from the ground, he leaped, landing in some bushes. He quickly got up and followed the faint trail of blood left by the rain, running at high speed.

Before long, he discovered the blood trail had disappeared. He looked around, analyzing the places they could have escaped to, and not far away, he saw the royal tombs. He remembered his lord Derkno had mentioned a secret passage in the tombs. He didn't need to think further and ran towards them. Upon arrival, the door was closed, but there were Letohoiko footprints that faded towards the entrance. He pushed the massive metal door open with a slight creak. The interior was dark. He moved inside, searching every corner. Unfortunately, Derkno hadn't told him the exact location of the secret passage.

Thunder roared outside, and the light from the flashes penetrated through the open door. That's when he saw almost faded footprints leading to the right-hand corner of the wall, with the royal emblem on it. He assumed the emblem was the mechanism that opened the passage. He placed his hand on it and pushed.

A faint noise sounded behind him. He turned and saw the floor below the altar of the first king silently slide back, revealing stairs descending into the depths of the earth. He curved his lips into a smile, drew his sword, and descended.

He let out a growl when he reached three paths. He couldn't afford to guess which one was right. He closed his eyes and focused on sensing his brother's presence, sighed, and began searching through the three paths.

***

Sayura and Cork waited at the tunnel exit for their companions. They couldn't proceed without getting lost once they entered the misty forest. They waited impatiently, and after a while, they heard hurried footsteps approaching. Sayura, with her sharp hearing, recognized Sipros's footsteps.

"They're here," she said with relief. When their companions arrived, they expressed that they needed to send a message through the wind to their companion Kery.

Their departure from the island of Sascos was days ago, and she had previously communicated through a small kurminos bubble that she would be arriving at sunset. The storm covered the purple sky, and they weren't sure how much time was left until sunset, but they had to send the message. Without a kurminos ball, the message would have to be sent through the wind. They hoped that Kery's ship wasn't too far away to receive the message since the wind couldn't carry messages over long distances.

They started to move. They had to make their way to the Cliff of the Three Whirlwinds. As they progressed, Queen Ukreel's condition worsened. Her wound was so deep that her body could no longer endure.

"Sayura… stop," Ukreel said in a faint voice. Sayura stopped, closing her eyes with sorrow, knowing the queen only had minutes left before she died. The others knew it too. The tigress lay down on her four paws to allow Cork to dismount along with the queen. Ternon approached to take the baby in his arms. Cork walked with Ukreel in his arms to a tree, leaned down, and let her rest her back against the trunk.

"I want to ask one last favor…," her breathing was labored, "…I want you to hide Amiona, in a place where he cannot sense her presence… open a portal… a portal that connects worlds, outside this world… Derkno will not find her." Tears fell down her pale cheeks as she looked at her daughter with sorrow, knowing she would never see her grow, would not be there for her when she needed her.

Ternon leaned toward her so she could say goodbye to her daughter. Ukreel extended her trembling arm, caressed the baby's head, feeling her soft hair. More tears fell from her cheeks.

"I won't be there to see you grow… but I promise, you will grow up safely… my little one." She removed the necklace she always wore, a jewel from the Sipert family of botanists: a turquoise teardrop-shaped diamond enshrined with silver vines, and at the tip of the vines, the Akuanta flower bloomed. She deposited one of her tears in the diamond, and it absorbed the tear. She placed it around Amiona's neck before giving her a final kiss on the forehead. "I know you'll find a place where she will grow up safely." She looked at everyone and smiled sadly before closing her eyes for the last time. The guardians shed tears as they watched her body slowly fade away into tiny sparkles.

That day, they had lost a battle that had stripped them of everything they knew and loved. Cork let out a loud sigh as he wiped away his tears and stood up. He looked at his companions, waiting for them to compose themselves and make a decision.

"Our world could be a safe option," Sayura commented, a bit downcast, looking at Sipros.

"You might be right," he said. He looked at Ternon and continued, "Do you think you can open a portal to Itarmi?"

"There are only two ways to open it, one of them is to go to the sacred island," he said, furrowing his brow.

"It will take us time to get there," the tiger reproached.

"The other option, not so easy, is to use the power of the Three Whirlwinds."

"We aren't far from the Three Whirlwinds," Corman commented.

"No, but we have to get out of this forest to get there," Ternon said.

Sayura raised her head, opened her nostrils, and began sniffing, trying to locate the smell of sea salt. Her sense of smell was very good, but the mist was so thick that it prevented her from sensing anything. She looked at her companions and shook her head. Sipros tried to locate the smell of salt, but it was impossible for him as well. Ternon let out a sigh and closed his eyes.

"Please, old friend, guide us to the exit," he whispered to the wind. Some time passed, and just when he thought his plea hadn't been heard, the wind blew gently, shaking the branches of the trees in one direction.

The others climbed onto the backs of the tigers and followed the trail of shaking branches. It didn't take long before Corman felt that slight itch in his hands. Vyrkon was near, following them because of their connection. He couldn't allow him to discover where they were heading.

"Sipros, stop," he said. The tiger furrowed his brow but stopped nonetheless. "Vyrkon is following us," he said, dismounting from Sipros with a leap, and Cork followed suit.

"Then, I'll stay with you," his companion said. Corman didn't complain, knowing, despite himself, that in his state he couldn't take on his brother alone. He nodded his head in approval.

"You will need a weapon," he said, handing his dagger from the hilt to Corman. Corman took the dagger with determination. His left arm still hurt, and though it was bearable, he couldn't use his arm at will.

"You need to get out of the forest when you've dealt with him," Ternon said. He tore a piece of his tunic and cast a spell on the piece of fabric before handing it to Cork.

"I'll be waiting for you at the cliff." They both nodded once.

Ternon turned on his heels, and with the baby in his arms, he climbed onto Sipros's back. The Letohoiko moved away, and their figure disappeared into the mist.

They didn't have to wait long when Vyrkon appeared before them in a leap, fury blazing. His strike was blocked by Cork's shield, and Corman, without wasting the opportunity, swung at his brother. Shrouded by the mist, the figures of the three battling were almost indistinguishable, their swords intertwining in a whirlwind of steel.

Vyrkon's speed and precision were impressive each strike designed to destabilize and confuse. Despite his exhaustion, he kept fighting. The two guardians didn't relent in their attacks, their coordinated dance of combat honed over years of training. Even with Corman's injured arm, he didn't falter, but he knew he couldn't corner Vyrkon alone. None of the three could afford to catch their breath; the battle was intensifying. Corman saw an opening and seized it, wounding Vyrkon in one of his legs. He lost his balance, and Cork took advantage, injuring Vyrkon in the right side. The wounds destabilized him, making him stumble back against a tree. Vyrkon was momentarily cornered, but he straightened and lunged at them again.

His attacks were easily dodged, and he received another strike on his back, feeling the blade cut through his skin. He let out a guttural growl, the veins in his neck bulging. The pain made him feel vulnerable, and he hated that sensation. Consumed by rage, he continued fighting, but his body felt heavy, blood pouring from his wounds abundantly. Another cut landed, this time on his abdomen. He lost his balance and stumbled, falling on his back. He tried to push himself up, but the strength in his arms had left him, and he fell back again, his breathing labored.

He looked into Corman's eyes for a moment, then smiled slyly.

"Do it," he said, exhausted. "It's what you wanted, right?" Corman didn't respond, clenching his jaw. The muscles in his body tensed. He had waited for this moment for a long time. Finally, his family would rest in peace, and he would find peace too.

He approached with firm steps, gripping the hilt of his dagger. Soon, the mocking smile on Vyrkon's face would vanish.

"Do you know what Ataya's last words were?" he said, breathing heavily. "I really do love you, brother." He laughed, blood spilling from his mouth as he coughed several times before continuing. "Pathetic, isn't it?"

"You don't even deserve to utter her name," Corman growled, raising the dagger, ready to stab him in the chest. However, before it could pierce his brother's skin, it sank into the bloody earth. His eyes widened, and Cork reacted in kind Vyrkon's presence was gone, his body had vanished.

Corman let out a cry of rage and despair, tears streaming down his cheeks. In his fury, he kept stabbing the ground over and over until Cork grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

"He's gone," he said bitterly.

"Damn it!" Corman screamed. There was nothing more to be done. Cork said nothing further, knowing that Vyrkon must have received help from a sorcerer. The only person who came to his mind was Isayri, though he didn't know how it had been done. One thing was clear they had to leave.

"We need to go," Cork said, taking the piece of cloth Ternon had given him. Corman stood, wiping his tears. Cork whispered the sorcerer's name, and the cloth glowed and lifted to eye level, then flew in a specific direction. They both began to run, not to lose sight of the tracker.