TRAPHIS COULD BARELY see through the dark, murky water, but what he did see triggered a sense of familiarity. The first person to greet him at the WC was now giving him a chance at life. She continued to instill him with breath as her body pressed up against his, providing a much needed warmth. Sensation slowly came back to his limbs, and blood flowed throughout his veins.
Saleena pulled away for a moment and then mouthed something, but Traphis didn’t understand. Pointing to her neck, she shaped the words again.
For the first time, Traphis noticed that the water had turned Saleena’s complexion into that of pure beauty. Her eyes radiated with a jewel like innocence, and her flesh glittered as if droplets of dew had reflected light from the morning sun.
Not understanding what she meant, Traphis shook his head. Several large bubbles escaped from his mouth.
Saleena pulled herself close to him once again. Her lips pressed up against his as she forced air back into his lungs.
Heat entered Traphis’ cheeks and his heart beat heavily.
When she pulled away, he saw something around her eyes. The object was so thin that he hadn’t noticed it before.
“Revealers?” he asked, but the word sounded more like a sequence of hollow hums. Bubbles escaped from between his lips as he spoke.
Saleena’s index finger raised and pressed up against his lips. Every movement she made was slow and graceful, and her demeanor was so majestic that it made Traphis blush.
She grabbed his wrist, kicked with her feet, and pulled him along.
Her grip was tight yet gentle, and the girl’s slender body moved so gracefully through the water that it seemed as natural to her as walking on land was to him. Not much time passed before Traphis found himself facing a brick wall. He reached out and touched the algae growing at the side, but quickly pulled away from the unpleasant layer of slime.
Saleena swam to the surface, exited the water, and then reached down. Traphis stretched and grabbed hold of her hand. She pulled him through the depths as easily as a stick from the mud; the strength in her arm was amazing. The next moment he found himself set down safely onto dry ground.
With a deep breath, Traphis coughed up water. He gagged and gasped for air, and then rolled onto his back.
A loud clapping echoed across the water. Traphis looked up and saw Tyron gliding toward him.
“Most formidable,” Tyron said. “You released your hold on the Cloud right before I struck, and then the water itself produced a friend to protect you.”
Anjetta’s voice came from behind Traphis. “Don’t let him distract you,” she said. “Traphis, we need to get out of here, now.” Blood smeared her garments, and exhaustion displayed on her face. Wolvarks littered the ground—arms and legs were separated from their hosts and heads lay without bodies. It appeared as if they had all been killed.
“No,” Traphis said, bile rose to his throat as he surveyed the scene, but he pushed it back. “If we leave now, he will only find us again. We have to stop him.”
“Traphis.” Anjetta’s voice took on a tone of motherly authority. “The wolvarks are dead, but we are still outmatched. You are in no shape to use magic.”
“Traphis is right,” Saleena said, speaking in her usual slow pace. “Tyron must be stopped, and it would not be right to leave Titch here.”
Traphis turned to see Saleena hunched over Titch’s body. She passed a hand over the girl’s eyes, which closed for the very last time.
Standing, Traphis bit his lip and staggered over to the dead body of his beloved friend. The muscles in his legs burned, but he didn’t let that stop him.
“I may not have liked her,” Saleena said, “but she was one of us.”
Traphis knelt down and reached for Titch’s hand. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry for everything.”
“How touching,” Tyron said. “Watching you almost makes me feel young again.” He lifted a finger. “But we all die in the end.” Energy released and a loud snap crackled in the air.
Anjetta fell to her knees.
Rexor jumped forward, but as soon as he did, another bolt of energy came and engulfed the warrior. The next moment he too knelt down before Tyron.
“If you will not submit to me,” Tyron said. “Then perhaps they will.”
Traphis gazed at Rexor and his mother, unsure what was happening to them.
“Will you be so kind as to kill your son?” Tyron asked.
Anjetta cried out, but her body remained in an obedient posture.
“I will accept that as a yes,” Tyron said. He lifted his hand and fluttered his fingers like the legs of a spider.
Anjetta stood, hobbled over to a wolvark, and then pulled a spear from its corpse. Blood spurt from the wound and splattered against her face. Her movements were slow and rigid as if her joints had stiffened. With a sharp jerk, she lifted the spear and began to weep.
“Please,” Anjetta said. “Stop this. You can’t make me—”
“Oh, but I can,” Tyron said. “I can do whatever I wish, and you have no choice but to obey me.”
Traphis watched as his mother came closer to him. Her legs snapped outward and the spear directed at his heart.
“The only way to stop her is to kill her,” Tyron said. “It is your choice as to which one of you will live.”
* * *
The words Tyron spoke echoed in Traphis’ head. Was it true that he would have to kill his mother?
She approached slowly, tears in her eyes and spear pointed outward, ready to kill her son.
But he wasn’t her son and she wasn’t his mother. This woman was a warrior commanded by Falin to raise him. She pretended to be his family, and nurtured him by force. Yet, no matter how much this idea pervaded his thoughts, he couldn’t stop the flood of memories. Mother or not, she still provided for him, took care of him, and loved him as if he was her own. Traphis loved her too, and he would rather die than kill her.
“Traphis,” she said. “The spell is too strong. I cannot stop myself.”
“I know. He used the same spell on me, but the Blue stopped it.”
“I-I am a warrior. I cannot use magic like you.”
“But you are stronger than me.”
“No. You are stronger than all of us. You always have been.”
“Fight it . . . don’t give up.”
“Warriors can only manipulate the physical, and he has taken control of that.”
“But I see you struggling. Your legs are resisting.”
Anjetta looked down. Her legs quivered, but forced into another step.
“It is not her fault,” Saleena said. “She cannot stop it.”
“What do we do?” Traphis asked. “We have to help her.”
Saleena grabbed at something that was looped around her neck, lifted it, and then handed it to him. “We found this,” she said. “To stop Tyron with.”
“What is it?”
She grabbed his hand and forced the object into his palm. “That is for you to discover.”
Before he had a chance to respond, Saleena dove into the water and then was out of sight.
“Saleena,” Traphis called out, but there was no response. He couldn’t believe she left him. Saleena was gone; his mother fought for control, but was losing; Rexor stayed bowed down like an obedient servant; Titch was dead; and he no longer had any magic. If there was ever a time to give up, this was it.
Anjetta stood only a few paces away. Her eyes looked empty as if her senses had fled, unable to bear what was about to happen. Traphis would have moved away, but he knew it didn’t matter anymore. He was going to die one way or another and the thought of being killed by Anjetta gave him more peace than dying by the hands of Tyron.
Even if he wanted to kill her, he couldn’t. Besides, it seemed pointless to struggle and make his mother wait any longer. She would be forced to track him down no matter where he moved to, and the results would be the same. His death was inevitable.
As the spear came for his heart, a splash of water sounded in the distance. It was followed by a shout, which ended abruptly.
Curiosity forced Traphis to look. When he turned, he couldn’t believe his eyes. In the place where Tyron stood a large formation of ice had formed. It came from the surface of the water like the tip of a mountain peak. Clear as a sphere of glass, Traphis could see the shape of the dark wizard within.
Tyron remained motionless, frozen.
A thud hit the ground behind Traphis. He turned to see Anjetta’s body collapsed in a heap. She appeared to have lost consciousness.
“Your friend has released us from Tyron’s control,” Rexor said. He stood to his feet. “But I fear it will not be for long.”
Traphis looked back at the ice sculpture. “Saleena?” Traphis asked. A yellow light formed around the circles of Tyron’s eyes and then a crack appeared.
“She is giving you time,” Rexor said. “But you need to act now.”
“What am I supposed to . . .” Traphis suddenly remembered the object that Saleena had given him. He looked down at the circular shape in his hand. Two silver arms were etched into it, seemingly locked into an eternal wrestling match.
“What do I do?” Traphis asked. “Even if I could access the Blue, I don’t have enough strength to use it.”
Rexor offered no response; he seemed to be just as unsure as Traphis was.
Gripping the amulet in both hands, Traphis pressed it against his forehead. “Please, I don’t know what to do,” he said. “I cannot do this on my own, I need your help.”
He fell to his knees, and then looked at Titch’s lifeless form. “You were never able to use magic . . . but you gave your life for mine. In the end, you used a far greater magic than me.” He leaned over and gazed at her closed eyelids. The amulet brushed up against her chest.
Several more cracks could be heard. The ice around Tyron was weakening.
He pressed his forehead against hers and rested his hands against the amulet. The faces of his remaining family and friends ran through his mind, and then he thought of the Founder. From somewhere within him a prayer formed. “Please don’t let his power become stronger than yours. My life no longer matters; you can have it, just save them.”
A splash told Traphis that a large piece of ice had broken off. He bit his lip. “Please, protect them and make this right. Forgive me for not trusting in you sooner.” He shifted and then kissed Titch on the forehead. “Don’t let her sacrifice be for nothing.”
Warmth resonated against his palm. When he opened his eyes to look down, a blue light came from between the cracks in his fingers. He heard a single thump. It felt deep against Titch’s chest. There was a long pause and then another thump came. This time it sounded like the beat of a heart, but it was as strong as a hammer hitting a drum.
Traphis pulled his hands away and gazed down at the blue light. The amulet lay against Titch’s chest and hummed as if it had become a musical instrument. Slowly, the interlocking arms woven into the silver released their grip and stretched out as if waking from a long slumber.
Another deep thump sounded.
The arms flexed and extended until the hands touched. As soon as they gripped one another, the blue light grew brighter and a wave of energy erupted. It flowed from the amulet like water from a geyser, which poured over Titch’s lifeless body. The blood on her shirt washed away as mud from a stone.
Traphis inhaled sharply; beneath the amulet Titch’s chest rose.
A deep thump pounded inside his own chest, which synchronized with the beat of the amulet. As it did, Titch’s chest lowered, and a waft of breath exited her nostrils.
The magical water flowed from the fists and expanded to the bricks below. As soon as it touched the stones, the darkness covering them vanished, restoring their natural redness.
Titch’s chest rose again, and the sound of air rushed through her throat.
“Titch, it’s me, Traphis. Say something. Tell me you’re alive.”
Thump.
Out of the corner of his eye, the water extended beyond his sight, but he wouldn’t take his eyes away from her. If she was alive, then hope was not lost. It felt as if doors, previously shut by an unknown jailer, began to open within his heart. He sensed the presence of both hope and love as the picture of a box came into mind.
Air released as Titch’s chest fell.
“Titch. Wake up. Can you hear me? Wake up.”
Ba-dump.
“Titch.”
Ba-dump, ba-dump.
Her eyelids twitched and Traphis put a hand against her cheek. “Titch,” he said. “It’s me, Traphis.”
Green eyes blinked open and then squinted from the brightness of the blue magic.
He wiped a tear away from his cheek and then brushed her hair aside.
Titch blinked and then said, “Traphis?”
“Yes, it’s me, are you—”
“Why are we lying here?” she asked.
“Don’t you remember?”
She closed her eyes. “Yes,” she said at length. “I remember.” And then the muscles on her face went limp as if returning back to the land of the dead.
* * *
Traphis grabbed Titch’s shoulders and shook her. A single tear streamed down her cheek.
“Come back,” Traphis said. “Don’t leave.”
Her lips shook as she spoke. “I shouldn’t be here. I don’t belong—”
“What are you talking about? You are my friend. You belong with us.”
“I have done horrible things . . . I don’t deserve—”
“Don’t talk like that. The Blue brought you back. Don’t you know what that means?”
Her eyes opened. “The Blue?”
“Yes, it is because of you. You unlocked its power, Titch, not me.”
“I did?”
“I don’t know how, and I don’t care. You are here. You are alive.”
“My father?” Titch sat upright so fast that she nearly knocked Traphis over.
Several sections of ice had broken free, exposing areas of Tyron’s flesh, but he remained sealed in the prison of ice.
“What happened to him?” Titch asked.
“We tried to stop him, but he was too strong . . . just forget about that. You are back. You are with us.”
A large crack stretched across the surface and then for a moment, all became silent. The eerie pause hung in the air until a thick chunk of ice fell to the waters below. Soon after, the yellow eyes of Tyron glared down at Traphis.
“You only delay your destruction,” Tyron said.
“Father?” Titch called out.
The wizard’s eyes darted at Titch, and then a puzzled look took shape on his face.
“Father, I’m all right. You can stop this now. Let’s stop and go home.”
“But you were dead, I saw you, I killed you.” The light in Tyron’s eyes flickered.
“I was brought back. I was given another chance.”
“Impossible,” Tyron said, the yellow returning. “No one can come back from the dead.”
“It was the Blue. It healed me and gave me breath once more. Father, it is beautiful, there’s no reason to remain in the Cloud. There is only ugliness there. The Blue is magnificent. It spoke to me. I could feel its power. It was far greater than anything I have ever experienced before. When it spoke, it was soft and gentle. Father, the Blue is good. It is the right way to go. Please, turn away. Reject the wickedness of the Cloud. Please, come back to me.”
At this, Tyron roared and yellow flames engulfed his body, which shattered the remaining particles of ice. “You are no daughter of mine,” he said.
Magical energy, thicker than it had been before, came from Tyron and headed straight for Titch.
Grabbing the amulet, Traphis raised it just in time. The bolt struck. Yellow light pulled inside like an endless hole devouring a lake of water. As it did, the amulet vibrated and hummed against his palm until every last bit was consumed.
The expression on Tyron’s face was that of confusion, and then he seemed to have noticed the amulet for the first time. “Where did you get that?” he asked. Fear entered his voice. “No, it cannot be. Not again.” He looked around and noticed something else, which forced him to release a scream of terror.
The flow of magical water continued to pour from the amulet as Traphis held it in his hands. The liquid spread across the ground, sinking into every groove and crack. It merged into the lake itself, turning the water from blackened muck to a pure, untainted blue.
Just as the dark wizard prepared to distance himself from the water, Saleena’s hand shot from the surface and grabbed his ankle. It squeezed so tightly that Tyron was unable to pull away. Before he had a chance to send a bolt of energy at his captor, a layer of the blue liquid traveled up and onto his leg.
Tyron screamed and tore at his clothing as if removing it would stop the onslaught, but his attempts were in vain. The water coated his body like grass on a hill, and with one final shout, the liquid flowed over his chin, blanketing his head.
Through the transparent fluid, Traphis could see Tyron’s eyes bulging out of their sockets. They trembled and shook as yellow light streamed out of them like poison from a wound.
The advancement of magical water continued to the center of the lake, which consumed the dark island before heading up the walls of the inner tower. As it went, the stones turned to brown, and the surrounding darkness became light.
As far as the eye could see, Traphis watched the effects of the amulet. Unable to put any words together, he found no way to describe its magnificence. Instead, he remained still and watched with silent admiration.
Titch grabbed his hand and squeezed. He could tell from the grip that she felt the same as he, yet their interests were divided in one area: the fate of the man known as Tyron.