“You cannot,” objected Gewey.
“Oh, but I must,” Pali countered. “If Darshan has come, then it means that the elves of the desert shall be reunited with our brethren in the west.” He eyed Aaliyah. “I must see it done.”
“I swore an oath to your mother,” said Aaliyah sternly.
“I may be her child, but I am not a youth to be coddled,” he challenged, meeting Aaliyah's gaze. “If you do not allow me to come with you, I shall make my own way west.
Pali and Aaliyah stared hard at one another.
“Look,” said Gewey, breaking the deadlock. “We can talk about it once we're out of here.” He took his blanket from his pack and wrapped the staff, strapping it and the bow across his back. The dagger he fastened to his belt.
“Are you going to wear the medallion?” asked Aaliyah.
Gewey held it in his hand and traced his finger over the engraving. Slowly he draped it around his neck and took a deep breath.
“Well?” asked Pali.
Gewey reached down and lifted the medallion off his chest and examined it again. “Nothing.” He rubbed it with his thumb. “I feel nothing at all.”
“Perhaps you should draw power from the earth,” suggested Aaliyah.
Gewey did as she suggested, but still nothing changed. “I don't understand.”
A loud blast from a great horn rang out. Even muffled by the walls of the temple the sound was strong enough to cause the corridor to tremble. Gewey drew his sword. The narrow hall would make it awkward, but he knew that the increased ability to use the flow would be needed. He looked down the hall, but no one came.
“They await us outside,” said Aaliyah, after a few minutes. “We are trapped.”
“Maybe they want to take us alive,” offered Pali. A wicked grin crept across his face as his looked at Gewey. “But then we have Darshan with us. I wonder if they are prepared for that?”
“My enemies know about me,” said Gewey, darkly. “If they choose to attack, they know who and what they face. And they know that I bleed just like you.”
Gewey led them down the corridor and up the stairs to the door. It was still shut. The horn blasted once more, making Gewey wince. “Stay here,” he commanded, and exited the temple.
It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the sunlight’s intense glare. When they cleared, he saw a familiar black-cloaked figure, long curved blade in hand, twenty paces ahead.
“Do the Vrykol fear death?” Gewey shouted. The flow raged through him.
The Vrykol took a step forward, then pushed back his hood. “We do not.”
Gewey stared, stunned by what he saw. It was not the burned, twisted features he had seen before. Instead it was the face of an elf. Its skin was lightly tanned, and his long black hair was tied in a tight braid. His face was narrow and angular, with closely set deep blue eyes that tried to stare straight through Gewey.
“You can't be…” said Gewey. “How?”
The Vrykol smiled, as though he had not a care in the world. “My master went to great trouble in my creation, young godling. I am the first of my kind…though not the last, I assure you. I am here to offer you your life.” He chuckled. “Though I already know what your answer will be.”
“Then be gone,” said Gewey. He strengthened his grip on his sword. “Allow us to pass.”
“I'm afraid that is out of the question,” he replied. “That is, unless you surrender what was inside the temple to me. Do this, and I shall let you and your companions go free.”
“If you attack us, I will have your head,” warned Gewey.
“Perhaps,” said the Vrykol. “You may be able to fight your way out of this place. I know you are powerful. But understand that I am not alone. Ten of my more…brutish brothers and sisters are in the clearing, and fifty Soufis await you beyond the Oasis. Do you think your friends will be as fortunate as you? Are they Gods as well? If so, then you should ignore my offer.” He paused, then pulled his hood over his head. “I await your answer in the clearing.” He turned and disappeared down the path.
The door opened behind him and Pali and Aaliyah stepped out.
“What was that abomination?” asked Pali, horrified.
“They're called Vrykol,” said Gewey, still staring down the marble path to the trees. “I'm not sure what they really are, but they're fast, strong, and hard to kill. You must take off their heads to stop them.”
“I have heard stories of the Vrykol,” said Pali. “They were the assassins of the Gods. But I never thought them to be anything more than a myth.”
“This one is different from the others I've seen.” He looked hard at Aaliyah. “We may have no choice but to give them what they want.”
“We will do no such thing,” Aaliyah protested. “We have journeyed too far to simply give this creature what we came for.”
“I agree,” said Pali. “If these weapons are as powerful as you were told, you cannot let them fall into the hands of evil.”
Gewey thought for a moment. “Gerath told me that I must give these things to those I love and trust. And once given they only serve that master. Why then force me to give them up? They would be useless.”
“They may not be aware of that fact.” Pali suggested. “It seems that they were unable to enter the temple on their own, which is likely why they allowed us to enter unmolested. They may not have knowledge of what was kept there. And perhaps it is not the weapons he desires.” He pointed to Gewey's medallion. “If that contains the essence of a God…”
“He's right,” said Aaliyah. “You cannot let it fall into their hands. We must fight.”
Gewey straighten his back and clenched his jaw tight. “Then you should know that Vrykol can block your ability to use the flow. At least when used directly on them. But you can still affect things around them.” He withdrew the Vismal dagger from his belt and held it out to Aaliyah. “Take it.”
Aaliyah stared at it. Finally, she reached out and asked for confirmation. “Are you certain?”
Gewey nodded and she took it from his hand. The moment her hand touched it she cried out and fell to her knees. Gewey rushed down to help her.
“Are you all right?” he asked, cradling her forearms.
Aaliyah smiled. “Yes. More than all right. You have no idea what you have given me.” She looked around wide-eyed, as if seeing color for the first time. “It is beautiful.” She rose lightly to her feet holding the dagger to her breast. “Gerath was right. You must choose wisely to whom you give these.”
Gewey turned to Pali, but the elf shook his head knowing what Gewey was going to do.
“Keep the rest and give them to those who will use them.” Pali held his sword aloft. “I cannot steal life from the Creator, but with this, I can certainly take life from the wicked.”
Gewey smiled. “Then let us meet our foes. They await an answer.”
With Gewey leading the way, they headed down the path, past the columns and into the wooded trail. The surge of power through both Gewey and Aaliyah was so great, that the earth shook with each step, and the air roared before them. As they approached the clearing, Gewey saw a line of black-cloaked figures wielding cruel jagged blades; they stood just a few yards from the opening. He counted ten in total. Just as they entered the clearing he spotted another a few yards behind the others. Though cloaked, he assumed it was the one that had spoken to them outside the temple.
Gewey lowered his eyes and took a breath. “I see you hide behind the others.”
“And I see your answer is what I expected,” he shouted back. “Pity. Your friends will pay for your lack of wisdom.” He spun around and held up his right hand. “Kill them.” Then he disappeared down the path.
The Vrykol charged. A ball of flame burst to life exploding just at the feet of three Vrykol, but they moved with tremendous speed and ran straight through the flames. Gewey hardly had time to react, as two of the beasts were upon him. The four had rushed right at Pali and the rest at Aaliyah. He knew he had to make quick work of these two or they would certainly be killed. He struck at the neck of the nearest foe, but it stopped just before it was in range of his sword. The other feinted and slashed, but only close enough to keep Gewey at bay.