CITY OF BRIDGES

19

Melee in Yellow Mist

Taking tentative steps, Leonie entered the yellow mist. There was a moment when she detected a foul odour. She held her breath and climbed back up a few feet to clearer air. She then tightened the straps of the mask and purged before taking a tentative breath.

“You can ‘see’ through this?” She peered into the yellowish cloud below.

In a fashion.

“Can Riff and Dwer check out the nooks and crannies, even the ceiling.”

Riff is making his way to the end of the cavern. Dwer will climb to the roof on the left. To get a better picture of the overall terrain, they will compare soundings as they go.

Leonie nodded, concentrating on her movement.

Why not float down?

With a bit of experimentation, Leonie was able to adjust the harness’s setting to slow her descent. All around her yellow clouds slowly billowed. At the bottom, she changed the settings to normal.

Riff and Dwer have detected movement. In her mind, she saw strange images in multiple shades of grey and black, initially finding it perplexing. With guidance from Styx, and concentration, it soon made sense. Closing her eyes made it easier, but now and then, more out of reflex than a real need, she opened them.

A pattern soon emerged as she continued, the lighter the shade, the closer the obstacle. Conversely, the darker it was, the further away. With that in mind, the terrain about her came into perspective. As she turned her head, Styx fine-tuned the image to match.

“This’s incredible. Is this what it looks like to you?” she whispered.

Similar. What you are visualising is your brain’s interpretation of the signal. I can only work with what is already inside your head.

“Good luck with that.” Leonie moved on as his thoughts entered her mind.

Styx rolled along beside her. A faint aura follows the left wall. Can you sense it?

“Nope. It must be very weak.” Leonie squinted, but saw nothing through the cloudy gas. “That’s all I need. A powershaper.” She moved to the left, slowly. “That’d explain how they can see in the dark; he must’ve cast a spell.”

In front of Leonie was a small depression. It took her a few moments to realise it was full of water and was roughly circular. Choosing to go to the left, she carefully moved around the columns and stalagmites. A faint noise reached her. A boot scraping on ground?

There. A different image formed in her mind; the path ahead descended in a series of natural steps. Five figures moved halfway along the floor on the other side of a pool of water.

Leonie continued confidently. Shortly, a wall loomed in front of her. It was cold and damp; rippled but smooth to touch.

From centuries of limestone deposits, Styx explained.

There was a small path between the pool and the wall. “Can you tell if they have the book?” Leonie whispered, placing her hand lightly on the wall and proceeding with caution.

There is not enough detail to be sure. One of them appears to be injured.

“That’ll slow them down a bit.” Leonie kept on moving, concentrating on the shifting shades in front of her. She soon came to the area where the floor angled downwards. Mindful of the slope, she moved slowly.

She jumped in fright when an ear-piercing scream split the silence, rapidly fading to nothing.

There are now four of them. The injured individual has fallen into the chasm.

“What are the others doing?”

They seem to be unconcerned and making their way across the fissure one at a time.

“If they’re not panicking, he hasn’t got the book. I wonder why he fell. Wouldn’t his harness support him?”

Unknown.

The mist diminished slightly, leaving a patch of clear air around her. They were now at the top of the steps. The area below was devoid of obstacles, so she took advantage of the situation and rapidly jumped down each level. Turning the dial to the lightest setting, she barely heard herself land. Within moments she reached the bottom, but waited for Styx. The mist gathered around her again.

They are moving across the edge of the chasm by way of a narrow ledge.

To stop her heart racing, Leonie concentrated. With four of them, any lapse would be costly. As she approached, she heard a muffled grunt. “I can hear them,” she whispered, moving silently across the floor. So far, she’d had to contend with the Woorin Brotherhood and, indirectly, those sick fanatics from the Death Sect. She idly wondered who this bunch was.

One has successfully crossed over, one is in transit, two are still on this side. Riff confirms there is a new aperture at the end of the recess. A small tunnel showing a residual aura of power.

“Hmm.” The news confirmed Leonie’s suspicion a powershaper was present. “Is it possible to send a message to Feiron?”

Yes. I am relaying information to other staff.

“Good. See if he can locate the exit outside and keep an eye on it.”

Your illios friend has no eyes, but I understand your meaning. Riff will block this side.

“Give him my thanks.”

You just did. He can detect your thoughts as well as I.

Leonie heard soft muttering from one of the two still waiting to cross. With eyes open now since she was so close, she made out dim figures as the mist thinned and swirled.

They kept no watch; apparently confident of not being discovered or pursued. They were also wearing masks and strange looking helmets, but it was the dark-grey leather armour that alarmed her.

“What are Jart’lekk doing here?” Leonie muttered to herself, considering her next move as she crept closer. “Can you see those helmets they’re wearing?”

Not clearly. I will get closer.

Leonie briefly saw Styx roll toward the intruders, almost underneath their feet.

Intriguing. I can only suggest it somehow blocks our psionics. There are certain rudimentary exercises that can accomplish this, but never before has a device been able to do it. This is a serious matter.

“You want one?”

We will retrieve the one from their fallen companion to examine. Our preference is to get them all, but the book has priority, even over this.

Leonie was almost upon them. Three paces separated them when a clear patch suddenly developed, exposing them all. She froze. The two leather-clad assassins watched as their comrade climbed across the chasm and up to the other side.

The figure on the far side turned. He called out and pointed. His voice was muffled, but his comrades understood the warning. With startling swiftness, they both spun with short swords released from their scabbards.

Crap! Leonie barely managed to dodge the first swing as she dived to the side, back into the clouds. She landed, turning her momentum into a roll. The metallic clang of the blade rang out as it struck the ground inches away.

She leapt up and darted to her right, away from the chasm.

Stop. There is a stalagmite in front of you. Move left a pace.

In the sudden melee, she had forgotten about the input from Styx. It was completely against her nature, but the only way she’d be able to navigate in this mist was to close her eyes and concentrate. She slid behind the stalagmite and composed herself. Images of the two intruders came; they were behind her, closer to the chasm. They were both stationary.

Leonie reached down, picked up a pebble and tossed it to her left. When they shifted to face the threat, she stepped with utmost care to the right, making her way toward the closer one.

The two on the other side are making their way to the exit. They must not escape.

Leonie couldn’t afford a prolonged fight with these two. She had to assume the book was with the others and these two would now try to stop her pursuit. If she got close enough, she might be able to remove their masks. That would certainly distract them and allow her to move on. She’d deal with them if the need arose on her return; right now she had more important things to do.

Time seemed to stand still as she carefully closed the distance. She was now within arm’s reach of one of them. She wouldn’t be able to undo the mask straps, but a hard enough swipe should dislodge it enough to put them out of the immediate picture. Raising her paw above her head, claws out, she swung, striking as the target turned, landing a glancing blow to the head.

The reaction was almost instantaneous. His sword came up in an arc, grazing Leonie’s forearm as she whipped her arm back, but the sword-wielder’s racking cough brought him to his knees.

Hearing the attack, the other intruder rapidly closed the distance. Leonie knew there was nothing behind her for about ten feet. She twisted the harness dial and leapt backwards with a somersault, landing next to a ribbed column of limestone.

The remaining leather-clad thief was protecting his companion while he adjusted his mask. However enough gas had entered to do damage; he remained on his knees coughing almost continuously.

Leonie realised their weakness. “Are they arrogant or stupid?” she said to herself. The assassins hadn’t considered all the options the harness allowed, only considering attacks from ground level.

Gauging the distance as accurately as possible, and assuring herself she wasn’t going to crash into any of the spikes above, she jumped at them, turning her harness to the maximum setting briefly. With claws extended, she sailed through the air in a graceful curve, emerging above the mist momentarily before descending upon the unwitting pair.

“Sometimes, I amaze myself.” With the advantage of surprise, she kicked at each one, again slashing at the masks. The impact sent both reeling backwards as a sword whistled past her face.

Both assassins went down coughing and gagging, crawling further away from the chasm.

Leonie had to admire their dedication, for they continued to swing the swords about until the effects of the fumes took their toll. They dropped the swords, unable to re-adjust the masks one-handed. While they were doing this, Leonie tiptoed in, grabbed their weapons and tossed them into the fissure. “Let’s see them use blowpipes now,” she chuckled to herself.

You joke?

“I always try.” Remembering they might have throwing daggers, she considered twisting their dials off. Her thoughts were interrupted.

Riff has been discovered.

“Can he be hurt?” she asked as she quickly moved away from the pair of incapacitated intruders.

Not easily, but if there is a powershaper, who knows what will transpire.

“Guide me.” With his help, she pictured the chasm clearly in front of her. Again, gauging the distance, she ran towards it. She leapt off the edge and landed in a run on the other side.

Dwer confirms the book is not with the body below. There was a loud thump as Styx landed beside her. Other than a series of columns in the centre, there are about forty paces of clear ground in front of us.

“I see them. Now that stealth isn’t an issue we can move quicker.” Leonie adjusted her dial back to normal. After a few strides, she realised its charge was waning. “I’m starting to feel heavier.” There was a brief pause.

I agree. Your harness’s aura has lessened. Perhaps your acrobatics were not part of the designer’s intent.

“You don’t say.” She didn’t have to think too hard on the ramifications of this. If too much power were lost, she’d be useless in defending herself, leaving little doubt regarding the outcome of another encounter with any disgruntled assassins.

Leonie and Styx quickly covered the distance to the far side. In front of them lay the steep slope leading to the new tunnel. Ascending in relative silence, they left the cloud cover. The way ahead was completely visible. From out of the shadows of the rift to her left she spied sudden movement.

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