Chapter Nine

The four travelers dared not stop until they were absolutely certain there was no one on their trail, and when they finally did agree to start a small fire, they ensured no light would be visible from the outside. They had already recounted their adventures and what they’d learned, although all except Orde had details that they kept to themselves.

The mood was somber around the campfire. Gelu sat the furthest away, prodding the flames with a long stick. Though the others talked, his mind was on days long past, when he had fought and nearly died alongside the ice warrior Surel. He had never quite given up hope that his old friend might still be out there, but there was no telling how the years had treated him. And ever since his visit to Kabrua’s quarters, he grew more and more certain that the Great Beings had been responsible for his fate.

Zaria had never been very talkative, but tonight he was even less so. There was no question that iron Agori needed someone to lead and defend them. Millennia hunted and on the run had twisted them into ruthless fighters, but had he not also walked that path? The Toa of Iron did not tell the others of the grandiose title Duluus had imparted upon him. But perhaps it didn’t matter anyway: after what he had done, Zaria did not know if the Agori would accept him back. Nevertheless, once the mission was done, he quietly vowed to try.

It was therefore left to Chiara and Orde to carry the conversation. As the former looked on, the Toa of Psionics turned the elemental inhibitor over in his hands.

“The power… to take away power,” Orde mused. “If there are more of these, they could only contribute dissent to our new society.”

“Or you could learn to get along like the rest of us,” Gelu murmured, accidentally knocking one of the logs out of the flame. He leaned forward and used his ice slicer to push it back in. “You could use the exercise.”

“Ackar, Kiina, and Gresh certainly don’t seem interested in giving up their abilities anytime soon,” Chiara remarked.

Gelu snorted. “Nobody asked me if I wanted any powers,” he muttered softly.

Orde shrugged. “We may find a way when we reach the Spirit Forge.”

“Speaking of powers,” Chiara said, turning back to Orde, “next time ask before you need mine.”

The Toa of Psionics shrugged. “There was no time.”

“Make time.”

“None of my teammates ever objected to it before.”

“Then I’ll be the first,” Chiara asserted. She hesitated, then added, “And I’ll be the one to decide how my power is used.”

“Have it your way,” Orde shrugged.

Gelu glanced at Zaria, who had still not spoken. The latter’s gaze remained focused away from the group and on the woods. When he did turn back, their eyes met, but the Toa’s were opaque and unreadable. Zaria pursed his mouth, looked down, then turned his gaze back out again.

✴        ✴        ✴

For the first time since they’d been captured by Vorox, the night passed uneventfully. A thick, eerie mist swept in and lingered into the next morning.

When Chiara and Gelu awoke, Zaria had vanished. Orde, who had ended up with the last watch, simply shrugged.

“You’re the mind reader,” Gelu said, as he and Chiara stood over the crouching Toa. “Did you pick up on anything when he was leaving last night?”

“Hard as it may be to believe, I’m not always listening,” Orde said, standing up. “If I did, I’d have no room for my own thoughts. And those are usually a lot more interesting.”

Gelu frowned. “You don’t think he…”

“He already knows what could happen if he wanders off,” Chiara said, picking up what few belongings she still had. “If he’s scrap metal already, well…”

“You may want to tell him that,” Orde gestured over her shoulder. “He’s returned.”

The Toa of Psionics had detected their companion before any visible or audible sign had appeared out of the forest. But Orde’s prediction proved correct when the Toa of Iron softly stepped through the trees and into the misty clearing.

“I’ve found someone who can guide us to the north,” he remarked.

Without further elaboration, he started back the way he had just come. Chiara and Gelu looked at Orde who just shrugged. The three hurried after Zaria.

The party moved quietly, through brush and overgrowth. The earth was crunching with each step, matted with red and orange leaves mingled with traces of snow. The mist here was thicker than anything anyone had seen, and visibility didn’t extend beyond a hundred yards in front of them.

“Look!” Chiara exclaimed from up ahead. She was pointing down, to something hidden beyond a dip in the ground. And as Gelu crested the ridge where Chiara stood, he could easily make out what she – and Zaria before her – had seen.

A long gorge extended as far as they could see in either direction. At the very bottom was a black-clad stranger in long robes. At her side was a seven-foot tall, lean, biomechanical reptile standing on its hindquarters.

Gelu inhaled sharply.

“Of course,” he murmured. “The Sisters of the Skrall.”

“Who’s she?” asked Chiara.

The stranger turned her gaze upon the Toa of Lightning. She seemed to hesitate a moment, but then with a hoarse voice said, “I am the guide and the path. I seek out the lost and I guide them to the home of those without homes.”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” Chiara frowned. “I’d like to spend one leg of this trip not being led around by complete strangers,” she glanced at Gelu. “I say we forge our own path.”

“The northern frost is where I was raised,” Gelu added with a glare at Chiara. “More than this forest, I can guide us through it.”

“Although I cannot secure our passage as I once could have, I can take you…” her voice trailed off. She looked at each of the travelers before her eyes settled on Orde.

“Your powers…” she murmured.

For his part, Orde’s own gaze was fixed on her, his expression equal parts bewilderment and awe. “We must go with her. She has answers that we need.”

Gelu raised his ice slicer, which had found its way into his hands. “I’ve dealt with enough Skrall to last ten lifetimes. We’ll find our own way.”

The female Skrall gestured to the north that surrounded them. “You are no longer a native of these lands, ice soldier, child of the tundra. The restoration of Spherus Magna has changed the fabric of the Northern Frost. You could no more easily navigate it than the valley before you. Here you would lose your mind hearing the specters of your fallen comrades, for amid these Fields of Mist their cries and screams ring still.”

“Better than the alternative,” Gelu grunted.

“It’s not,” Orde piped up. “She’s telling the truth.”

“Four of us,” Zaria murmured. “One of her.”

“And a long ride from here to the Spirit Forge,” Gelu shot back.

“I say we go with her,” Chiara shrugged. “She’s right. You don’t know the area anymore and only guided us to a Vorox trap.”

Gelu huffed.

“Fine,” he conceded, “But Orde… let’s hope her thoughts are interesting enough for you, because you’ll be listening to all of them.”

Chiara took two steps toward the biosaur who regarded her coolly. She extended her hand and dared another step, but the biosaur snarled and snapped at her. Chiara recoiled and cursed. The Skrall Sister regarded the exchange impassively.

“Your hands have harmed innocent reptiles.”

“Huh?” the Toa of Lightning reacted. “How – but that was just…”

“Chiara is so gentle, after all,” Orde winked.

“She will not let you ride her,” the Sister added. “So let’s hope the rest of you are fine with walking.”