Chapter 10: Battle
Earlier that day, Jarith and Bekka had set off for the Crystal Forests with their guide, Arysta. Bekka was amazed by the beautiful crystal formations and the sounds-almost like music-that the crystals made."Isn't it amazing, Jarith? There's nothing like this anywhere on Earth!" Bekka said.
"Amazing..." Jarith echoed. "I haven't been here in a long time, I'd forgotten how beautiful they were...Unfortunately, I'd also forgotten the way they resonate."
"Resonate?" Bekka asked.
"Yes...you hear the music, right? In high winds or storms, or sometimes for no apparent reason, some of the sound spills over into the psychic range. It interferes with Corinn's and my powers."
"Oh." Bekka said. "Well, we don't need to worry about that now. Corinn's far away."
Arysta appeared to be oblivious to their strange conversation, but she was in fact listening intently. So, their powers can be disrupted by the crystals...The Lady will want to know this. Perhaps there is some way to deliberately block their powers...She looked up just in time to see Bekka reach out and try to touch one of the crystals.
"Don't do that!" Arysta said sharply.
"Why not?" Bekka asked, pulling her hand back quickly.
"Sorry, reflex," she apologized. "Let me look at it first..." Arysta carefully examined the crystal. "Nothing wrong with this one. But there are some crystals-very rare-that will put you in a hypnotic trance that's difficult to break if you touch one. Some people believe that they capture your soul. They were once used as weapons, but with modern technology, that's not very practical anymore."
"What do those crystals look like?" Jarith asked. "I didn't hear about those last time I was here."
"They're black at first sight: perfect, pitch black. That's what they look like to normal people. But people who have been caught in crystal trances say that they see lights in it, like stars, glowing and moving in intricate patterns.--Of course, that's probably just hallucinations!" Arysta said, moving on.
The next hour or so passed without incident. Arysta pointed out interesting crystal features every once in a while, and they were about to start heading back when a strange high-pitched wailing began. Bekka and Jarith ignored it, but Arysta couldn't stop thinking about it. It was strangely out of place, but it also seemed vaguely familiar.
What is that noise? she thought to herself. It's not a normal crystal song-Suddenly, realization dawned on her. "Crystal storm!" she shouted.
"What?" Jarith asked.
"That high-pitched noise-it means there's a storm about to start. That could be dangerous, as deep in the forest as we are. We have to stay calm and get back out of here as quickly as possible," Arysta explained.
"Dangerous? How?" Bekka asked.
"No time for that. Just start back the way we came from." Arysta said brusquely.
"Don't worry about it, Bekka. We'll be all right," Jarith said. "Not if I have anything to say about it!" a voice said. Bekka and Arysta looked around frantically.
"Corinn! Show yourself!" Jarith shouted angrily.
Corinn shimmered into existence in front of the three of them. He was carrying a long black sword. "You declared the Challenge, Jarith," he said. "I'm here to finish it, here and now."
"You can't!" Bekka said. "Not unless I allow it, right? Well, I don't! Not now, not ever!"
"I'm sorry, Bekka, but you no longer have anything to do with this. I named you our witness; I can cancel that power if I want to. And I have." Corinn said.
"Darkness." Arysta said under her breath. This is not what was supposed to happen, not at all.
"I would suggest that you and your friend leave, Bekka," Corinn said. "Go back to Earth, if you can. This is between me and Jarith, and you really shouldn't be involved. It could be dangerous."
"I'm not going to leave and let you two kill each other again!" Bekka said.
Jarith's own sword appeared in his hand. "I think he's right for once, Bekka. Save yourself."
"The time for talking is over," Corinn said. He charged at Jarith. Their swords clashed, and sparks of energy flew everywhere. It was as much a battle of wills as of strength.
Bekka tried to dodge the energy, but she couldn't avoid it all. Just as she was sure the sparks flying everywhere would burn her, a shield appeared in front of her.
"What?" she asked. "Jarith? Corinn?" Neither one of them heard her. They were to deep in concentration to pay attention to Bekka. "Then who...?"
"I don't have time to explain," Arysta said. "I'm from the Guild of Shadows, and we have an interest in keeping you alive. I don't think I have enough power to shield you again, so we have to get out of here. Now."
"But-I-You're-" Bekka said, confused.
"Run!" Arysta said, grabbing Bekka's arm. "We have to get out of here!"
After a few minutes, Arysta stopped. "We should be okay now," she said. Bekka couldn't even see the clearing where Jarith and Corinn were fighting anymore.
"What's going to happen?" she asked.
"Normally, one of them would kill the other and the winner would disappear. They'd both be reborn as soon as the universe finds a suitable place. But you've changed things," Arysta said, locking eyes with Bekka. "That's why we want you alive. You've managed to get them to think about something other than killing each other, even if only for a short time. With that in mind, I don't know how this particular battle will end up. Most likely one of them will die and the other will disappear, but there's a chance that something else will happen."
"How can you say that so calmly?" Bekka asked. "How can you just accept that they're going to die? Can't you stop this? Can't you make them stop?"
"If we could, we would have a long time ago," Arysta said coldly. "That is the purpose of the Guild of Shadows. We have been trying to stop the battle since before your world existed. Do you think the universe will change just because of what you want?"
Bekka was about to reply, but a large explosion cut her off. She and Arysta were knocked to the ground by the force of it.
"Corinn! Jarith!" Bekka shouted. "Was that...are they..."
One person walked out of the explosion toward them. "Bekka..." he said.
"Jarith!" Bekka said. "Are you all right? Is...is Corinn...?" "He's alive," Jarith said. "I couldn't kill him. I didn't want to upset you."
"What did you do, then, Guardian of Light?" Arysta asked.
"Don't call me that." Jarith said automatically. "Wait...how did you know that name?"
"I'll explain later. Where is the Lord of Darkness?" Arysta asked.
"I locked him inside one of those crystals you told us about. I amplified its powers, and now Corinn is trapped inside it. For how long, I don't know."
"Will he--will he ever get out?" Bekka asked.
"I don't know," Jarith said. "Someone could let him out, or he might be able to break out through his own powers, but I don't know how long it would take. Maybe decades, maybe just a few days."
"I'm scared," Bekka said, hugging Jarith. "He's really angry, isn't he?"
"With your permission, Guardian of Light," Arysta said, "I can teleport you and Bekka somewhere safe. I will explain about the Guild of Shadows there."
"Do it," Jarith said. "I'm too weak to teleport, do you have the power?"
"If the Universe will grant it," she answered enigmatically. She paused a moment, and the world dissolved into a gray, blurred shadow.
Image Gallery: : Characters: : Theme Song: : Link "Darkness and Light"