The Way of the Brother Gods (19 page)

A large desk rested on its side a few feet ahead. Malja sprinted for it, diving behind and tucking in as a wide door crashed nearby. She couldn't keep this up — not when Wolf had an enormous supply of weapons all around.

And he had grown arms and gotten taller. How, by Kryssta and Korstra and all the gods of all the worlds, how had that happened?

The answer lit in her brain right away — magic. When Wolf plugged in to the schuco, he took on a massive amount of magical energy. Especially when Harskill overloaded the whole thing.

An idea formed, risky and dangerous, but the only other option was dodging until she made a mistake. She peeked over the table's edge. Wolf was scanning again. His rapid assault had covered the Dish in a fog of dirt. It would clear fast enough. No more time to debate.

Leaping over the table, Malja charged the giant Wolf. Her plan required two things she had no control over. As she ran, she did her best to look around for the first. She passed right under Wolf's legs and headed up the other side. Wolf growled while heaving a bit of ceiling at her. She pushed on, her entire focus now on the second key to her plan — Tommy.

"No, Malja!" Fawbry yelled. "You're leading him to us. Turn! Turn!"

Malja pumped her legs harder, feeling the shaking ground behind as another bit of the Dish smashed down. "Tommy!" she screamed. "Wake up and help me!"

As the blood drained from Fawbry's face, he waved her away as if shooing a scavenging animal. But then Malja's words seeped in, and Fawbry lit up with understanding. He turned to Tommy and slapped the boy's face. He shook Tommy's shoulders and yelled his name.

Panting, sweating, aching, Malja pushed on. So close now. If Tommy didn't wake, Wolf would kill them all.

"Come on," Fawbry said, pouring his panic into this one task. "Wake up."

Malja took the final steps and collapsed at Tommy's feet. Fawbry cried over the boy. She looked back and saw Wolf pick up an entire wall. He spun, building momentum, and let loose. The wall pinwheeled through the air, perfectly thrown. It was over.

As it closed in on them, Malja stretched her hand out and rested it on Tommy's leg. They were about to die. The spinning wall covered them in shadow as it descended. She felt Fawbry's hand cover her own. Though she smiled, a sadness flowed through her — regret that Tommy had not enjoyed a better life. But part of her hoped he felt the love of family surrounding him. She certainly felt it. It was unlike anything in her entire life's experience. Fawbry and Tommy were with her. They would die together. Had she believed in the brother gods, she would have thanked them for this moment.

A thick blast of energy shot out from behind and the wall exploded into tiny pieces. Tommy. Malja faced the boy. He strained to keep his right arm raised while he focused on the tattoos marking his left knee. Malja caught a glimpse of Barris Mont's slug-like body, his eyes fully open and staring at the tattoo as well. Another blast emitted from Tommy's hand. As it soared by Malja, she felt the air chill around her.

The blast smacked into Wolf and his body stopped moving. His skin turned bluish as if frozen. He was still alive, and Malja knew he would heal from the attack soon enough. But for the moment, Wolf had been stopped.

Tommy let out a long breath and fell back. Before Fawbry could open his mouth to admonish her, Malja took off. Tommy had come through for her; she wasn't going to let his actions go to waste.

The first part of her plan, the most important thing she needed, still hadn't surfaced. As she looked for it, she brought Viper out and prepared to do the last part she had full control over. She raced down to Wolf, got behind his legs, and hacked into the tendons at his ankles.

Three strong hits — and nothing. She flipped Viper over, and instead of hacking, she swung the hooked blade's point into the soft skin behind the tendon. Viper sunk in with ease. She dug in deeper before summoning all her strength to yank the blade out, severing the tendon from behind. The task required four hard pulls, but when she broke free and blood spurted out, Wolf let out a horrible shriek — satisfaction to Malja's ears.

She hobbled the other leg in the same method. It wouldn't last. Wolf would heal and be ready to attack, but she had bought time on top of that given by Tommy's magic. Hopefully enough.

"Fawbry," she called out, "help me find the schuco's conduit."

Fawbry jumped to his feet and started looking. Malja climbed over rubble, searching for the key piece to her plan. Every other second, she peeked at Wolf's tendons. They had begun to reform — sooner than she had expected. She searched on, staying close to Wolf. If they ran out of time, she would attempt to hobble him again.

Fawbry muttered as he scrambled around the Dish. "I don't see it," he said, wringing his robe as he hurried along.

"Don't give up," Malja said, though she didn't see how they were going to have enough time to find the conduit and drag it over.

When she heard the sound of shifting rock, she knew Wolf was starting to move again. She glanced back to see him lift his left leg but his right had not healed enough yet, and he stumbled forward. Malja dashed towards him, raising Viper to cut the right tendon again, when she saw it. The conduit. Wolf had been standing on it.

Without missing a step, Malja slipped Viper back into its sheath, bent down, and wrapped her arms around the conduit. Her entire body tingled from the strange sensation. Her skin prickled. She heaved the large bundle of wires out of the ground and dragged it toward Wolf's open tendon.

Her teeth ground together, but she refused to let go. There was no time to readjust. No time to let her body free from the magic surging through it. Another heave. Another few inches. Almost there.

"You," Wolf said, his ability to talk rough and ugly but developing as the rest of him continued to grow. "You ... are ... dead."

Malja sneered and let out her own roar. She pulled on the conduit one last time and plunged its head into the open wound at Wolf's ankle. Wolf's body stiffened as if struck hard on the back of the head.

"Take cover," Malja yelled to Fawbry as she sprinted away from the giant.

She found the sideways desk ahead and jumped behind it. From there she watched as the ankle covered over the conduit with new skin. Wolf popped up, triumph on his face, and raised all four arms in a show of strength. He had grown to thirty feet and his muscles stretched against his skin. His fingers burst into flames and he laughed.

"I'll burn you all down," he said, pointing toward Malja. A stream of fire shot out. She tucked behind the table, saw the flames leap over her, felt the scorching heat surround her, and waited it out. "You've made me stronger," he said. "You're a fool."

When the fire stopped, Malja peeked out again. Wolf's face had lost its sense of superiority. Instead, he looked worried and ill. His lower arms clutched his stomach. His upper arms thickened, puffing up at the fingers and spreading upward towards the shoulder. His head snapped to the left, snapped right, back and forth.

"What?" he said like a small boy.

And he exploded.

From the Journal of Malja:

I've been afraid in my life before. Everyone is afraid at some point. But most of my life, most of the challenges I've faced, have thrilled me or given me the feeling of anticipation. Even the times I worried for my friends or thought I might not live to see another rising sun, most of those times were not faced with fear but something else. I don't have a word for it. My dear Uncle Gregor never told me that one. Yet today I am truly afraid about what we're going to attempt.

In this journal, the parts that Cole Watts wrote, I've discovered a lot of entries about me. Ever since I fell into this world, clutched in my mother's arms, Cole was fascinated by me. And when I became an adult and our lives intersected again, she thought I was the key to her success. So, she researched and pondered and did all she could to learn about me — all because I could go through a portal without burning up. I wonder what she would think now, if she knew the truth — it's not me, it's my do-kha. It protects me in many ways, including travel through a portal. Cole even suggested that possibility in one entry, but for some reason she discounted it. Well, Cole, if it helps you to know this, you were not only right, but you've provided us with an idea to help save Tommy from Barris Mont forever.

Cole considered that if the suit protects me in the harsh portal environment, it must do so by creating a field of energy around me. That's why my clothing and my hair and anything on my body also survives the experience. If I hold Tommy close to me, he should be within that field. He should be fine. The key question, the part that makes me afraid, is that Cole also thinks there exists an in-between area from one portal to the next. Though stepping through seems instant, Cole wrote that mathematically, there had to be something in-between — and I think that's where we can get rid of Barris Mont.

It scares me that if I'm wrong, Tommy could be maimed like Fawbry. Or worse. I don't know what I'd do if I was the cause of that boy's death. When do I stop feeling responsible for him? Maybe never. Maybe that's what it's like to be a parent.

I have a greater responsibility, too. It's why I must attempt this, fear or not. Harskill is out there, traveling between worlds, trying to dominate all of them, and somehow bring back the Gate. Who else is there to stop him? Who else even knows this is happening? If I found it within myself to fight for the wasted lands of Corlin, then surely I will fight for all the worlds that exist.

I will.

And I can't do it without Tommy.

Chapter 23

Malja placed the last stones on the burial mound of Cole Watts. She was just outside the Dish building in a clearing with plenty of sun. She hoped Cole would approve.

In silent respect, Malja paid her honor. She recalled the little she knew of Cole's life and, more importantly, Cole's final, brave actions that saved Fawbry. At length, she fished the journal from her coat and set it atop the stones. "This belongs to you," she said.

Fawbry stepped out of the Dish building — the main entrance had survived the explosion somewhat intact — and combed his hair back with his fingers. He lowered his head when he arrived and said, "Tommy's resting inside. Other than that disgusting thing that's Barris Mont, I think he's okay."

"Good. You look like you could use a little more rest, too."

Fawbry cocked his head, silently pointing out that they all needed rest. After pieces of Wolf had descended from the sky, after Malja knew for sure the threats had ended, all three of them fell asleep on the Dish. They had no way to tell for sure, but Malja thought an entire day had passed before they awoke.

Breaking the silence with a sniffle, Fawbry said, "Thank you for taking care of Cole. I don't think I could have done it without falling apart a dozen times."

Malja nodded.

Pressing his palm against his eyes, Fawbry coughed. After a sharp breath, he pulled out his copy of
The Book of Kryssta
, and though awkward to do one-handed, he found a specific passage to read.

Watch the body in death.

Watch death join the earth.

Watch the earth in life.

Watch life rise above.

All in all is all.

He closed his eyes and prayed. Malja stood by his side in silence. That was what family did sometimes — be there and stand together.

Later, Fawbry composed himself and turned away from the grave. "I'm worried about Tommy. He's okay for now, but he's very weak. I think Barris Mont is draining him, trying to get back inside his body. I'd say you should just slice Barris off, kill him, but I think that would do serious damage to Tommy. After all, they've been linked a long time."

"That's why I went to Cole's journal for an answer. It's pretty simple, really. My do-kha, my assault suit, will protect us in the portal. That's why I can travel and you couldn't."

Fawbry rubbed his stump. "You want Tommy to open a portal?"