Kastori Restorations (The Kastori Chronicles Book 4) (3 page)

Emperor Orthran gave a short laugh and hugged his daughter.

“Your brother may not have the greatest self-control, but he’s not about to turn into the villain of all living things,” he said.

“I’m going to have to disagree,” Celeste said, bringing a quick “huh” from her dad. “My brother does have good self-control, but he’s just so consumed by hatred that he takes it upon himself to hurt anyone associated with Typhos. It’s not that I’m opposed to killing, but I am opposed to it for the sake of it. He’s just doing it for… satisfy his emotions, I guess.”

“Celeste, he’s not necessarily in the wrong,” her father said, followed by a quickly raised hand to let him finish his thought. “We do not torture our enemies, it is true. We do not kill without cause, that is true also. But with Typhos, we have good reason to hate him. He nearly killed both of us and enslaved Monda and Anatolus for years. He is not a man that I would show mercy to.”

It’s not a question of mercy. It’s a question of whether he’ll always be the villain that he enjoys being. I’m not even sure he enjoys being the villain. I think he just assumes that’s the role that’ll help him quash his pain.

“As long as you keep him alive and give him a chance to repeat.”

“Celeste,” Emperor Orthran said, taking on a tone Celeste recognized immediately.
The tone a parent takes to their child when they think the child won’t understand what’s going on.
“I said it before, we will not kill without cause. But Typhos has provided plenty of causes.”

Celeste bit her lip and said nothing more. She knew the fate of Typhos did not lie in her father’s hands. It rested in the hands of her generation—her, Cyrus, and Typhos himself. Not even Crystil would play a role given her lack of magic.

“In any case, tell me what happened on Monda.”

“I can do that,” Cyrus said as he approached, and he relayed all of the information, from rescuing Hanna to running down the magicologist to seeing Typhos possess the body of the weakened enemy. Celeste watched as her father expressed no overt reaction even as he acknowledged some situations as frightening or close to dangerous. She took mental notes on his leadership, knowing with her powers she would have to assume such a role soon.

“Typhos is on Nubia now,” Cyrus said. “He said he’s going to take the magic. I think we need to head over there.”

“And by we, you mean you and me,” Celeste said.

“Not I?” Crystil asked, hurt and annoyance visible in her eyes.

“Crystil, it’s just Typhos there. You can’t take out anyone from afar. And if things get messy, we can teleport out. If you’re trapped there…”

The soldier sighed but acknowledged her limitations.

“Are you sure that he is alone?”

“He has some Kastori healing him, but he treats them terribly,” Celeste said. “They’re all weakened, and if any are capable of fighting when we arrive, I don’t think it will much matter.”

“So then maybe I could help. I could take them out while you go after Typhos.”

She’s too good at her job
, Celeste thought with an appreciative smile.

“Stay with me, Crystil, we’ll go to Monda,” her father said, much to her relief. “We can oversee the reconstruction of the temple. We should also plan for a way to rebuild our warehouses so we can rebuild our army. I believe some old factories might be largely intact.”

Crystil still didn’t look like she loved the idea, but Celeste knew the woman would follow the commands on her old boss, no matter how far removed he had gotten from the role of emperor.

“Understood, sir,” she said as she gently ran her hand over the rifle on her hip.

“Also, think of it like this,” Celeste added. “If Typhos escapes and is weak, he’s not going to go to Monda. But he might come here, especially when he knows we’ve come to Nubia to try and find him. He’ll know the planet is open. Ideally, we can quell him on Nubia and take him captive, but if we can’t, and he escapes, well, while a weakened Typhos is still going to beat any human one-on-one, he’s not going to beat an entire planet’s worth.”

“Good thing Crystil’s not human,” Cyrus joked, which made everyone laugh once they saw the grin on his face.

“Only you, Cyrus,” Crystil said with a wink specifically directed at him.

You two. I swear…

“We’ll try and surprise you once more,” Cyrus said. “We’ll come back with our prized captive.”

Enough. We have to put things into motion.

“So it’s settled then,” Celeste said, mindful of wasting time. “Crystil and Dad, are you two good with—no, no, hold on. Let me say it. You two will go back to Monda. Rally all of the troops we can and get our factories back up. We have to assume a massive battle is coming. Cyrus and I will go to Nubia and try and stop Typhos. Good?”

Everyone around her nodded.

“Celeste,” her father added. “Nubia once had a human settlement. If Typhos is there, it’s long gone, but you may want to see what information you discover from that settlement. You never know what you’ll find.”

Celeste nodded with a grin.

“All right guys, we got a plan. Let’s do it.”

Crystil and her father stood side by side, bringing Celeste back to her younger days when a better-dressed dad walked the palace with Crystil never too far behind. Crystil, too, seemed more relaxed in those days, able to focus on protecting her father from people who wanted to hug him, not people who wanted to kill him.
No one I’d trust more with my Dad than her.

Celeste closed her eyes, told her she loved them both, and then teleported them to Monda, leaving just her and her brother on the peak.

“You’re trying to usurp the title of emperor from Pops, aren’t you,” Cyrus deadpanned.

“We do need more empresses and fewer emperors in our lineage,” Celeste joked. “I just know that with what I have, I need to be comfortable taking charge.”

Cyrus smiled at his sister, moved beyond words.

“Don’t worry, I won’t boss you around. Besides, we know who the real leader of this group is. The one who has guided us since we woke up on
Omega One.
Your little lady friend.”

“Oh whatever,” Cyrus said, his eyes rolling. “We’re just—”

“Working your way up, I know,” Celeste said. “What are you waiting for, anyways?”

Cyrus shrugged a couple of times, unable to produce a good answer.

“If you’re waiting for this battle to end, don’t. What if you die on Nubia? What if she dies on Monda? Don’t waste time, Cyrus. You don’t need to wait for peace or the end of Typhos. I’m supportive of you.”

“OK,” Cyrus said. Celeste wondered if he would say more, but the growing grin on his face suggested interesting intentions when he next saw Crystil.

“All right, I’m going to prepare to teleport us. Are you ready?”

“Always, sis.”

“I haven’t taken us to Nubia before, so we may have to teleport a few times. I can sense it, though, so we should get close to the source of the energy. And Cyrus.”

She made sure his eyes had locked with hers before she resumed speaking.

“Don’t do what you did on Monda. If you have a chance to capture Typhos without killing him, do it.”

The laughter and jokes faded from Cyrus, but Celeste had no time to analyze his attitude.
As long as he listens, it’s good. And I know he won’t rebel against my orders.

She closed her eyes, held her brother’s hand, and seconds later, felt a blazing heat far hotter than anything she’d ever experienced.

5

Typhos sensed the presence of Cyrus and Celeste the instant the two landed on Nubia.

He bolted out of bed as his adrenaline made him forget the still-healing wounds on his body. He summoned the remaining Kastori to him and ordered them to follow. He led them to the entrance of the base and paused at the doorway.

“The enemy is approaching,” Typhos sneered. “They wish to claim this planet for themselves and end my life. We cannot allow that to happen under any circumstance. If they come here, fight. I will ensure you are handsomely rewarded when we get off this planet. You don’t even have to kill them. Just prevent them from reaching me.”

The Kastori all nodded in acknowledgment.
None of them will survive those two or the destruction of this planet. But as long as they delay them and put up a fight, they will have served their purpose.

“I have faith that all of you will hold off the siblings. You have served me well, and I believe you will continue to do so. Do not give me reason to doubt my faith.”

Without waiting for an acknowledgment from his Kastori, Typhos whirled around, shutting the door with his magic and turning back to the dark hallway.
They will probably run. They are weak. But as long as they delay the Orthrans…

Good thing I am not a human who relies on light. My magic will guide me to where I need to go.

Sparks shot off from crevices and broken machines. Lights flickered in different spots. The lack of anyone present took Typhos back to the darker days of his isolated childhood.
At least I had people around then. Here… I have no one. Just as I have my whole life.

Nonsense. Stop it. That doesn’t matter. Keep going.

He used his sense powers to walk toward the source of the planet’s power. He could use his magic to see a single room, several hundred feet beneath the surface, that had the same magic symbol engraved as on the peak of Mount Ardor. The room, physically speaking, was barren, an empty cavern surrounded by sand, with only the symbol, no larger than a couple of square feet, marking it as a room of significance. But the magic was so intense that it felt like looking at the sun.

Push. It is necessary if only to prevent those two from getting the power. If they get it…

As Typhos carefully sidestepped the wires full of sparks and electrified machinery, he thought about what would happen if Cyrus or Celeste got it. Celeste always spoke of peace, but what good did peace do?
Peace existed for years on Anatolus before my rise, and it just masked the tensions my people felt toward the council. We give Celeste what she wants, the cycle repeats itself. Even for a girl as strong in her beliefs as her.

She is quite the girl. It’s a shame she’s on the other side. If she were with me, we could ensure complete control. No one would rise. Everything would be clear. No one would be subtle. We could bring the salvation I always swore to bring, and I could finally rid myself of this suffering in my head.

No! Typhos, you always do this. You always want to give the girl an out. I don’t care who she is. She is the enemy and will always be the enemy. You did well almost killing her. You at least managed to bring down… the other woman in the process. You can do it again.

For her power, though… and not just her power. But the other things she can give. Her compassion and care…

Her brother needs to die, though. A nuisance of the worst kind. Smart mouth and learning. A lesser version of me. There’s no doubt in my mind what will become of him.

Typhos entered the main room, the last room he had entered before his great battle with the Orthrans. The room had not suffered as much damage as he had hoped when his Kastori began destroying the complex. Numerous screens remained lit, and he could see several areas where machines remained intact, with only mere smears or scratches. Enraged, Typhos considered casting a spell, but when he sensed for the Orthrans, he felt them approaching the entrance. They would run into his white-magic Kastori within seconds. They would stall them, but they stood no chance.

I must go.

Using his sense power, he found a door that led to a shaft. The door did not open, so he used his red magic and slammed the door open with such force that it crumpled on itself on the side. He saw ropes leading down several hundred feet, so far down he could not make out where it ended. He used his red magic to jump and fall at a safe rate, and he landed on sand after gliding down for about ten seconds.

“What are you doing?!?”

An unfamiliar voice rang in his head, a deep baritone of a voice that spoke with such rage that it shook Typhos. Suddenly, he heard a snap and looked up. A platform the size of the opening was speeding toward him. He jumped forward and landed on the sand but felt the impact of the platform as the ground shook and dust blew on his mask and robes.

“You have come to take my power and destroy me?!? For what purpose, Typhos?”

Nubia. The planet itself is speaking to me.

“I’ve come to collect the power that I need to destroy Monda and the Orthrans.”

“You do not need such power!”
the planet said, and Typhos suddenly felt an enormous upswell in heat, so hot that he began sweating before the planet had finished speaking to him. He discarded his outer layer of robes but kept his mask, the better so he could see the planet’s magical power through his red magic vision.

“Not even a planet can defeat me
.
You throw your strongest magic at me, but it is not enough. Nubia, the time has come for you to give your power to the one worthy of it. I am strong enough to collect this power and be so great at black magic, one would consider me a god.”