[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
trip much faster if his master would only allow him to use his powers.
He was even holding the graven back, not letting him run even half of
his possible speed. The master had insulted him by requiring him to
take this pathetically weak form. His claws and teeth were much more
effective in his true form. He ran on, forced by Chaos will. He could
not deny Him. He could not even dislike Chaos influence unless He
allowed it. The graven ran, pathetically slow in a disgustingly weak
body, because he had no other choice.
Chaos made effective use of his time as they rode to the
Mountain. First he distracted Lokun, focusing his mind on the ride,
the speed, the horse. A single touch was all he needed. The graven
leapt over a fallen tree that blocked the road, and Lokun s hand came
out of the fold in the hip of his dokai for a moment. Chaos hand was
there and tapped the stone once, lightly. A small flash of darkness
surrounded them, as if the sun stopped shining for a moment, but it
went unnoticed by Lokun. It had taken less than an instant and caught
the attention of only one other in the entire plane.
In front of Meku s throne the chessboard sat. A black piece
moved towards the tallest piece: the white queen. Air sat and thought
about this new development. Her gaze flicked over to the single white
pawn that was his offence. She drew her attention back to the problem
at hand. She caressed the white queen with a single, long, gaunt
finger. She was running short on safe places to go. The world was
safe so long as Chaos remained tied inside his prison, but he still had
many avenues of attack open to him. For a moment the god had a
worried expression on her face. She longed for Meku to return soon.
117
Air reached for the figure that represented Earth.
Lokun dismounted at the base of the Mountain. The rain had
started once again and was buffeting them both in torrents. Muddy
water shot up as his feet landed in the soft ground. Lightening struck
somewhere near the peak and the horse whinnied, turning nervously.
He could hardly hear himself as he spoke.
Thank you for the ride, Damien.
Its always good to help someone, even kaiosu, Chaos large
form replied.
Lokun stepped back, his eyes wide. He had thought that the
man didn t know. His hand went for the inside of his cloak. Damien
continued, Don t worry yourself, the mark doesn t mean what it used
to anymore. The reward would be nothing to me, and I know that all
too often the nat is given hastily. I won t fight beside you, but I have
no qualms helping you. Go; kill Master. Save the world. If anyone
can do it, you can.
He turned the horse around in one fluid motion and urged it on.
Lokun watched Damien disappear into the waves of the dark rain, the
sleek tail of the mare flicking out behind him. He pulled the hood of
the dokai closer around him to keep out what rain he could and turned
to face the mountain. His thoughts bounced around in his head and he
couldn t quite get a handle on any of them. He felt as if his mind had
been disorganized, as if someone had been rearranging his thoughts.
The sky flashed and the air shook as lightening flicked between the
clouds and the mountainside. In between these flashes the visibility
was zero and Lokun was forced to rely on the lightening. Cold rain
sliced into him. His clothes were drenched and the fabric clung to his
skin.
The Mountain of Sorrows was mostly bare rock, pockmarked
with sparse shrubs and trees. The base was shear and offered few
cracks and hand holds. He removed his climbing gear from inside his
dokai and strapped it to his hands and feet. Because of the rain the
claws purchase on the rock was imperfect and his first hold slipped as
he braced his weight upon it. Two more tries proved that the gear
would not aid him in this climb. He removed the claws and threw
them to the side, discarding them. He looked up at the stone wall in
front of him. A flash of lightning revealed that the wall was at least a
hundred feet up. Lokun closed his eyes and focused his thoughts. The
energy flowed through his legs and feet. He directed it, just as master
118
had taught him, and channeled it into his muscles and tendons. For
less than an instant all of his muscles and tendons were ridged and
tense. He let go. He sailed strait up through the torrents of rain along
the face of the wall. At the peak of his jump he floated for a moment,
still, weightless. His hands shot out and grabbed the wall, instinctively
knowing where handholds would be in the surface of the rock. His
body started to fall and his hands caught on the wall. His feet came up
and pressed against it, keeping his body out away from the rock
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]