The Keys to Ascension Read online

  He waited in the dark corner like he normally did for these meetings with Rylo. The count was always so careful to hide Tyzonio. Society’s transition after the invasion would be much more difficult if the inquisition assassinated the influential noble for harboring a maleefa.

  Rylo finally entered the dark room, then servants shut the heavy doors. The count sat. “You coming here is dangerous. I just saw you last week. Why are you here again? You can always just have one of your bats drop off a message.”

  Holding his hands in front of his face, Tyzonio lightly touched the tips of his gloved fingers to each other. “I wanted to deliver this message in person. I’ve got good news. I’ve perfected the summoning spells. I can start building and training our army under my island. The liberation of Hyzantria’s peasants is near.”

  Lizeto’s voice yelled through the thick door. “Dad! Hey, dad!”

  Rylo scowled, turning his gaze toward the door. “What?”

  “Ring the bell, I need to talk to you.”

  “Blasted.” Rylo faced the wizard. “Hide yourself.”

  Using the power granted by high being Eerra, he manipulated the air in front of him to block all light, making his corner look like nothing but blackness.

  Rylo rang the bell. Servants dragged the doors open, revealing Lizeto standing alone. Fear shown on the boy’s face. From the sides, three white-clothed inquisitors dashed into the room. One held a dagger at Rylo’s throat. The other two searched the area, while two more stood in the doorway.

  “Where’s the maleefa?” said the inquisitor staring into Rylo’s eyes.

  Tyzonio had to get out of there.

  Rylo stayed calm. “What is wrong with you? I’m just having a chat with my friend—” he turned his hand and head toward Tyzonio, freezing while morphing his face to complete and utter shock as he stared at the blackness that covered the count’s wizard ally.

  Rylo muttered, “Where did he go? He was sitting right there?” In a voice of deep anger that only a betrayed noble can produce, Rylo said, “Tyzoniooooo! You’ve been working with demons under my nose? How dare you!? You’ll hang for this!”

  Pressing heavily on his cane, Rylo stood, the inquisitor’s dagger followed his neck. “Show yourself. Nothing you can do will escape my wrath.”

  One of the searching inquisitors stepped toward the manipulated air. Tyzonio’s body inflated with Eerra’s power as he slowly sucked in his breath at the just the right angle. He carefully took control of pockets of air in front of each inquisitor and behind himself. Then, he pushed.

  Air blasted into each assassin, blowing them off their feet before crashing into walls. Simultaneously, air precisely blew behind and underneath Tyzonio. He flew toward the exit, then made air blast from his side. He soared through the epic halls of the fortress.

  He had already planned this escape. He turned a corner, still flying through the air, then approached the black bricks of an outer wall. He held a hand in front of him, breathing to take Eerra’s power, then clenched his fist. The elements of the brick weakened. While soaring, he laid back, flying toward the wall feet first. After blasting another burst of air right behind him, he slammed through the bricks and into the afternoon air.

  He looked down at the ground far below him. Flying with air blasts was dangerous. If he wasn’t precise, he could fall to his death. Footsteps sounded off the hallway. Two inquisitors threw small blades that twirled toward Tyzonio. He blasted himself through the sky, arcing through the scattered clouds.

  He wouldn’t risk flying across the ocean to home. He’d land in one of his safe houses, and wait for night, where his bats could retrieve him.

  He glanced back at the shrinking fortress. Rylo played it well. A man of his power won’t receive punishment unless caught red handed. It won’t matter soon. The oppressive reign of The Sovereign and the tyranny of a false idea, The Divinity, will soon come to an end.

  Ch. 16

  Standing proudly in a row with five other candidates, who all wore their white inquisitor outfits for the first time, covering a full array of deadly metal, Parto was ready for the ceremony to begin. For once it was over, he’d no longer be a student going through massive anguish just for the possibility of becoming an inquisitor. He’d be an inquisitor. Just an initiate, but still, part of the order.

  Candlelight flickered off the side of the cave. The steps of the initiator echoed off the walls as he approached and then stepped on a small wooden platform. He lifted a hand gloved in white.

  All six candidates chanted, “The Divinity. The Sovereign. The Authority. One source, rules all.”

  They all sucked in a breath. “The Divinity. All truth, wisdom, and goodness flows from him. The Sovereign—represents the Divinity on Earth. The Authority—The Sovereign’s tool for The Divinity’s rule. The Divinity. The one true power. Demons. False powers that corrupt men. The Inquisition… Death to the maleefa! Death to the demon sympathizers! Death to the researchers of evil power! Death to all who threaten The Divinity, The Sovereign, The Authority!”

  They went on to chant the first chapter of the scripture of justice. Parto had said those words while crawling through mud under poison tipped spikes; while climbing up walls and mountains even though he had no energy left; while slicing, stabbing, and throwing blades at moving targets; while endless pain screamed at him to give up. He knew those words. He felt those words. He believed those words. And he would kill whoever didn’t.

  The ceremony finally came near a close. The initiator held both hands in the air. “Candidates no more. You all are The Divinity’s Inquisitors. And will kill in his name.”

  The six initiates cheered. The initiator strode toward the cave’s exit. Parto jogged to catch up. “Sir, Inquisitor. A question.”

  The man turned around, his eyes stared down on Parto from above the man’s thin, brown beard. “Speak.”

  “I would like to begin my research in the archives. It is well known and approved by the High Inquisitors that I fulfill these goals.”

  “Initiate Parto, are initiates allowed in the archives?”

  “No, but—”

  The inquisitor held out his hand. “Keep training as The Divinity commands. When we have a mission for you, you will kill. Then, as a full inquisitor, you can find the truth of your parentage.”

  Parto took in a long slow breath. He had hoped to start his research now, but he was prepared for a longer wait. “Thank you, sir.”

  The inquisitor turned around and continued out the cave. When he was saying the chants, The Divinity’s essence flowed through Parto. He knew he could do anything. But standing here; alone in his thoughts, knowing that at any moment he could be ordered to kill…Doubt hung over his mind.

  Can I really kill a wizard? Can I really kill anyone?

  Ch. 17

  Theto leaned forward on his horse, ascending and descending with every galloping stride. Riding next to Hibberro, Theto enjoyed the wind in his face and the exhilaration of flying across the land on a powerful beast. As farmland blurred by them, Hibberro glanced behind from time to time as if he expected an inquisitor’s white horse to have materialized out of the horizon and be gaining on them fast. Theto didn’t feel the same fear.

  Hibb sat back on his horse and slowed. Theto kept going, looking back at his uncle, expecting him to speed up again. He didn’t, so Theto slowed as well to ride next to the crazy man who led him away from his home.

  “Why are we walking?”

  Hibb scratched the line on the right side of his head where hair met baldness. “I don’t have a change of horse for us. We can’t tire these out. It’s a long journey. We put some distance between us and our lands. That’s enough for now.”

  “If inquisitors really are after us, they can search the whole world!”

  “Bah.” Hibb dismissed Theto with a hand. “They’re not that powerful. But yeah, we’d still be in trouble if I wasn’t an illusionist.”

  Theto smirked at his uncle’s goofy smile. He tried to loo
k super cool and mysterious, but really he looked like a doofus.

  The uncle’s face went serious. “We’re traveling northeast. We’ll continue to do so until we reach the mountains. Then, we’ll go north, east, and south, around them and into Crusanadon. We’ll travel through many lands south till we reach Blastonin. We should be pretty safe there. With no evidence of your infidelity, and the belief that I’m incompetent, they won’t risk damaging relations with the Blastonians just to capture us.”

  “Sounds great, but what about you being an illusionist?”

  Clapping his hands in front of himself, Hibb said, “Shoot! Almost forgot to disguise us.” He leaned toward his nephew with one open palm extended toward him. “We wouldn’t have gotten far looking like ourselves! Ha ha haaaa!”

  Hibb’s face went serious. He stared straight ahead of him with his fingers curled and pointed toward each other. Maintaining his fingers aimed at the fingers of the other hand, he twisted his wrists back and forth, making the fingers appeared blurred. At the same time, he quickly sucked in and exhaled air from his mouth while kinda puckering his lips, making a light whistle noise.

  Theto stared while scrunching his face. Maybe my uncle finally went over the deep end.

  Light, with a pinkish-purple hue marbled through it, flashed from Hibberro’s hands, flying into the sky at angles, then circling the two horses and riders before disappearing.

  Theto’s eyes narrowed as his mind heated. He whispered, “Infidel” while clenching his left fist. His eyes widened as he examined his uncle’s full head of hair, strong jaw, and beefy upper body. His horse now looked like a stocky draught horse and it pulled a two-wheeled cart full of goods. The owl on the back of the horse now laid across the back. It looked up at Theto with brown eyes behind its long snout. Theto smiled, “Caa is a wolf-ruffy!?”

  “CAA! Looks like a wolf-ruffy. He’s still an owl.”

  Theto hardly heard his uncle, he jerked his head back at his own feminine voice. He looked at his slender hands and then scanned his body, awkwardly desiring to touch himself. Snapping his head toward his uncle, he said, “You made me a girl!”

  “Ah ha ha ha haaaaa.” Hibb swayed back and forth. “You’re my daughter. Stay in character or we’ll be caught.”

  Theto shook his head, glancing at the long, blonde hair that bounced with his movements.

  A wave of realization and acceptance washed over Theto’s brain. We are mages…My dad…will die. He’s a maleefa. My mom? Is that why they exiled her? We…we really are fugitives from the inquisition. The inquisition! Parto, Finio…may The Divinity protect us all.

  His uncle yelled from the side. “Aaaa! My hat! I forgot my hat! I wanna see how it looks on my new hot face.” He looked at Theto. “We gotta go back for my hat.” He started turning his horse around.

  “Uncle, no! Stop! We can find a new hat. It’s too dangerous, we’re on the run from the freaking inquisition!”

  “Nope. I need it. It’s worth the risk.”

  “No it’s not!”

  Hibberro’s horse and cart walked the other way down the road.

  “You told my dad you’d protect me! This isn’t protecting me. And can’t you just make an illusion hat until we buy a new one somewhere?”

  The cart halted. “I guess it’s too risky after all.” He moved his hands quickly in front of himself while making the inhaling and exhaling whistle-like sound. A black hat with a long, straight brim appeared on his head. He turned around and they moved forward together, disguised as traders.

  #

  After only half an hour of travel, they saw a roadblock ahead. A few soldiers in mail stood on each side of the road. An inquisitor, standing under a tent with no sides, stared at them like he could see their details from far away.

  Theto gripped his reins. “Uuuuuh, the magic will hide us, right?”

  Hibb rubbed his chin. “Yeaaauuuuuh, well, it depends. Some inquisitors are actually sensitive to high beings. They don’t interact with them, but this allows them to detect other sensitive people. If that inquisitor is one of those, yeah, we’re dead.”

  Theto stroked his beautiful blonde hair that seemed so real. He tried to not look at his own body; he didn’t like the idea of being attracted to himself.

  A voice came from the back of Hibb’s horse. “Hey dumb dumb! You should have used Leonardo to scout with a bird or something. We could have easily avoided this!”

  Theto jerked his head back while staring at the owl that looked like a ruffy. Demon?

  “Hey,” Hibb said, “don’t call me dumb dumb in front of my nephew.”

  “Bah! He’s gonna be around you all the time now. He’ll figure out you’re an idiot eventually.”

  “I’m not an idiot. Sush, you arsehole!”

  “Ah ha ha ha. You sound like an idiot calling me an arsehole.”

  The ruffy didn’t seem to move like it was in a conversation. But the voice came from it.

  The roadblock grew in detail as they got closer.

  “Well, dumb dumb,” the voice said, “are you gonna introduce me and Leo?”

  “Not with that language.” Hibb crossed his arms.

  Another voice came from Hibb somehow. “Well, at least introduce me!”

  Hibb pursed his lips. “Fine. Theto. I primarily work with two high-beings. Leonardo, who helps me control and transform animals. He is the non-arseholio one. And Akrah. He helps me with illusions. Leo can talk to me through a mouse that hides in my pocket. Akrah, through CAA!”

  Theto stared at the ruffy, then glanced at the unseen mouse in Hibb’s pocket. “Uuuuh, nice to meet both of you.”

  “Sure thing,” said Leo, “You’re like family to us. We’ve been watching you and your brothers grow up. Don’t worry, we’ll help you guys survive.”

  “Yeah, if dumb dumb here doesn’t screw it up.”

  Everyone went silent as they approached the roadblock.

  Theto tried to hold his body lightly, like he imagined a girl would, letting his limbs, shoulders, and face hang sort of limply. He felt awkward.

  Hibb stopped his cart between the two guards.

  Theto did the same with his horse. He smiled. “Hello, sirs.”

  The inquisitor watched from behind, under his tent. The guards examined the horses and the cart. One looked at Hibb. “We’re searching for a heavy-set bald maleefa and his fifteen-year-old son. They may or may not be traveling together. Seen anything that can help The Authority out?”

  Shaking his head, Hibberro said, “Sorry, sir. Haven’t seen anything like that. It’s been a quiet journey thus far.”

  The soldier asked about where they were heading and what they were carrying. The other one smiled at Theto. “You have good horse posture for a lady. Just like my mom, an expert horse rider.”

  “Tee hee, thank you.” Theto covered his mouth with extended fingers.

  “No need to thank me. It’s true. You guys from around here?”

  “I’m sorry, sir. We’re not, but we pass through from time to time. Do you have a regular tavern?”

  He smiled with a blush.

  Holy crap.

  “I do, actually. The Red Rooster Inn has nice music and drinks. It’s actually right up the road.

  “Hmmmm. Next time we stop in the area I’ll give it a little looksee. Tee hee heeeeee.”

  The man chuckled.

  “Alright!” the guard talking to Hibb said, “Move along.”

  Hibb nodded at the man right as the owl disguised as a wolf-ruffy said, “Whooo, Whoooo.”

  The soldiers snapped their heads toward the noise, scrunching their faces.

  Hibb smiled at the soldier near him. “My ruffy has an old lung injury and sometimes makes a hoot noise.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  Phew. He bought it.

  Hibb gripped his reins. “Aaahhhhhh!” He pointed his fingers from each hand at each other and shook them back and forth while making the light whistle noise. Light flashed from his hands into the eyes of the sol
diers and the inquisitor.

  The soldiers grabbed their skulls and shouted. The inquisitor pulled a throwing blade and hurled it toward Hibb, who had already commanded his horse forward. The blade flew between him and the owl.

  “Heaa! Heaa!” The mounts dashed onward.

  The inquisitor blindly threw a few more daggers.

  After the two of them rode out of dagger range, Theto yelled, “What did you just do!?”

  “I blinded and deafened them.”

  Theto shook his head really fast before looking back at his uncle as they rode with the rising and falling of the horses’ gaits, speeding along the road. “Why!?”

  “I panicked.”

  “Uncle, why didn’t you change the owls voice like you did mine?”

  “Sound is hard.” The two of them rode low and fast. “Plus… I forgot…but I almost never do sound because it’s hard for me to get right. Visual illusions are my specialty.”

  They rode hard for another forty seconds when Hibb pointed right. “East, let’s go.”

  They left the road, traveling fast through an empty field. The Hyzantrian River flowed in front of them.

  “Leo!” Hibb said, “Leo! You here?”

  From the mouse in his pocket, a voice spoke. “Uuuuuh, yeah?”

  “Open your power to me, what are you doing?”

  “Uuuuuuh, I’m… yeah, sure. It’s not important.”

  Hibb closed his eyes. “Ahhhhh, thanks.”

  As they approached the great Hyzantrian River, Theto slowed his horse. Hibb didn’t.

  “Uncle, the river!”

  Hibberro touch his right nipple with his middle finger and made some sort of deep laughing-like noise—like some sort of retarded monster—while his horse ran full speed toward the river.

  The Hyzantrian isn’t fordable!