Ch14-4: Shadow Falling

“Is there anything I can do to help, Morh-AsaHi?” Lucci’s silver eyes peered down at her hopefully.

She turned to smile at him from where she was placing the last few fixings on one of the lunch plates. The fact that she was standing up on a step stool to reach across the counter and she still hardly crested the height of his shoulders made him feel momentarily awkward. But it was fleeting as the kindness of her smile soaked into his spirit.

Lucci could only smile back.

“If you could take a few of these plates to the table for me, I’d really appreciate it?” Morh-AsaHi nodded at where neatly folded sandwiches lay on circular plates. There was enough for everyone in the Compound.

“Okay!” he nodded quickly, taking the large plates between both hands.

Being that she was one of the few women that had remained behind after the Migration, Morh-AsaHi tended to take to heart far more than her fair share of cooking duties. Though Lucci was often in battle training, he returned to the kitchens to visit with her and assist with the daunting task of feeding the hungry warriors. He had spent a lot of time there in younger days, helping Aunt Sara and Suzume with household tasks. Something about setting plates and clearing dishes was calming to him in the midst of the tension of war.

As Lucci placed the platter down in the center of the large rectangular table in the dining room, he heard the sound of a heavy door closing down the hall. He didn’t need to hear the sound of voices to know who was there.

“I’m sorry, Father…” Master SoYa’s voice sounded tremulous, as if finally working up the courage to say something that he was afraid to say.

“It’s not your fault, SoYa,” Master ZenToYa paused in the hall, turning to look at his son. There were tired lines under his eyes. “You couldn’t have known. I couldn’t have known.”

“Don’t be too angry with TsuYa,” the Athrylith sucked on his bottom lip. “He’s just… been getting more and more frustrated with things lately. I’ve been watching him – he spends most of his time out training, even when he’s not training with us.”

“I know,” the winged man murmured with a nod. “He pushes himself so hard. That’s why I’m worried. He’s so impatient to find his strength.”

“Tsu’s always been that way…” Master SoYa sighed.

“I don’t remember him being like that before I left,” Master ZenToYa shook his head, running his fingers through the length of his bangs. “I guess I’ll talk to him when he’s ready to come back. It’s so hard when he’s always running off alone.”

Concern sifted through his own mind — Master TsuYa was the closest thing to a teacher, next to Lord Zemi, that Lucci had.

“I guess I would run off, too, if I had all these mind mages around who could–” the Athrylith paused, green eyes flicking up towards the far room, “Oh… hello, Lucci?”

“Uh!?” The boy gave a soft sound in his throat, realizing at the last moment that what he had been doing would be considered rude eavesdropping. Not that he had meant it that way.

The two of them just seem to be so worried about Master TsuYa. I wonder what’s wrong?

Master ZenToYa greeted him with a long, disapproving frown, “LuShi, what are you doing?”

“Helping Morh-AsaHi with lunch,” the boy replied, tensing a bit. He held up a sandwich for the winged man to see as testimony. Just at that particular moment, his stomach let off a particularly long and loud response to the smell of food.

Master ZenToYa arched a slow eyebrow.

Lucci winced in embarrassment. He hadn’t even realized he was hungry… but then, that was usually the case. It came and went with him. At times he found himself ravenous and quite able to eat enough for five. Other times he didn’t feel the need to eat at all for a whole day. He never knew how to explain it… it seemed about as abrupt as what Lord Zemi called his “growth spurts.”

“Sounds like lunch came right on time?” Master SoYa gave an easy grin, walking over and snagging a sandwich for himself. He took one bite, as if to encourage the boy to join in, making a long sounds of enjoyment as he did. “AsaHi’s cooking…. mmmm….”

Unable to contain himself a moment longer, Lucci grabbed a sandwich of his own and began to follow suit. It didn’t matter what was on it. He hardly tasted the food at all at the speed he was eating.

“You should have one, Father?” Master SoYa encouraged. His way of trying to ease the winged man’s apparent stress.

“I’m alright, SoYa. I’m going to shower off.” There was a momentary pause, and then, “LuShi?”

It wasn’t until he realized that both Masters were watching him with dumbfounded looks that he stopped to look. Almost half a plate of sandwiches was now empty.

“Are you going to leave any for the rest of us?” Master SoYa laughed gently.

“I’m sorry…” the boy gave a sheepish look.

As the Athrylith opened his mouth to reply, an eerie, high-pitched keening sound filled every inch of the Compound. Master ZenToYa’s head jerked up, eyes sharpening as if they could see even beyond the solid stone of the ceiling. Lucci didn’t doubt that he could.

“Father?!” Master SoYa choked, his knuckles whitening where he gripped the back of a chair.

“We’re under attack!” the winged man stated with a grim rush to his words.

The words that Lucci had been dreading to hear day after day. The words that he had been readying himself to face, day after day. Words he knew would come. But he still felt the shiver of fear rush over his body now that they had sounded.

The Esgyll…

“Oh no… Tsu! He’s still out there!” Master SoYa’s face fell pale as his eyes widened. His gaze shot over to his father, looking for direction. “And he doesn’t have his weapon?!”

“Tsu!” Master ZenToYa choked, taking a few rapid steps towards the doorway.

“Father, wait!” the Athrylith spoke urgently, knowing exactly what the winged man meant to do, “You must go rally the troops — they need you to lead them. I’ll go back to find Tsu!”

Lucci’s mouth fell dry as his breath rasped between his teeth. All thought of food had vanished as he began to feel a pressing darkness drawing closer, somewhere outside. From the sky. And the thought that Master TsuYa was out there, alone, with the Esgyll coming in left him shaking all over.

Master SoYa needs to be there for the troops too! And someone has to warn the Trine!

“You can’t go back there alone, SoYa! Don’t you feel them? There are way too many,” Master ZenToYa argued, moving quickly across the room towards the halls. His voice was a low mutter, “I can’t lose both of you boys…”

If I can help find him… then maybe Master ZenToYa will be happy with me.

Lucci suddenly piped up, rushing over, “I’ll go! Just let me grab his weapon! I’ll find Master TsuYa and bring him back!”

“LuShi, hold on!” Master ZenToYa’s voice cracked, a tinge of worry hidden behind the usual gruff tones. It was enough to almost make Lucci stop.

Almost.

“I’ll be okay! Don’t worry!” the boy called back at them, taking off with a long-legged run down the hall towards the living quarters.

“Lucci!! No!” Master SoYa implored.

But the boy was already gone, rushing around the corner. And there was far too much to do for them to try and pursue.

Lucci ran straight for a long ways, the flickers of light and shadows flowing over the hall where windows shown in. He knew where Master TsuYa’s room was. And he knew exactly where the black bladed scythe would be.

I can do this! Master TsuYa needs my help! For all that he’s done to try to teach me, I’ve gotta try!

A crackling sound filled the air above the Compound as the ground suddenly shook under his feet. Lucci gave a small cry of surprise, rolled off balance to slam into the wall. Shaking his head out, he jerked his chin up. Then he froze.

Just outside the round window, a dark shadow swelled, blocking out all vision entirely. Lucci felt his skin crawling as his senses screamed of danger. He choked on his breath, fighting to get back up on his feet just as the shadows began to shift.

What is that!?

A single, huge eye socket appeared on the other side of the window. Hollow and dripping grey matter, somehow it focused on him with a frightening intensity. A vision without vision.

Esgyll!!

Lucci gave a quiet whine of fear as he lurched up on the balls of his feet, running once again at full speed. The wall behind him imploded as the large, powerful head came slamming through it. Great jaws of black teeth opened with a terrible rasping hiss as the slender grey neck craned around, lithe for all the spikes that adorned it.  But for all that it tried, Lucci was already far out of its reach.

The boy didn’t even glance back as his feet flew him forward. Arms pumping at his sides, lanky body thrown in full speed, all his thoughts were ahead. The room. The scythe. And hoping that Master TsuYa would be able to hold on for the time it would take to find him.

Again and again the Islands shook under his feet. And though Lucci did not come in contact with another Esgyll so closely again, he could only wonder what was happening to the rest of the Compound. Every now and again, he would rush down a new hall only to find collapsed stone and open sky where the building once stood.

I hope that his room is still there!

Lucky enough, Lucci found upon turning the last corner that it was. Though the hall was dark, as if all lighting in that area of the Compound had been sucked away. Swallowing, he rushed forward, pulling up short in front of Master TsuYa’s doorway. That’s when he realized the one kink in his plan.

I don’t know his lock code.

The boy glanced over at the dim plate of symbols that sat just below arm level on the wall. One had to have the right combination of symbols in order to open the door. And knowing Master TsuYa, his would be very, very complicated to break.

I have to get inside! What do I do?

Lucci drew in a deep breath, the echoes of battle somewhere distant on the other side of the building. His mouth pursed in a firm line as he stared grimly at the unyielding door. Then he took one look over his shoulders in both directions to see if anyone was there.

There was no one.

I know he won’t like me doing this… but I have to help…

Both hands placed, splayed on the face of the door, the boy began to concentrate. His eyes traced the outside form of his hands. Studied the essence of the stone in the door. Searched the hollow area in the room that lay on the other side.

A silent silver mist began to spread, draping across the floor of the hall around his feet. A mist that he didn’t completely understand… but one that he recognized. He knew that it was somehow a part of his power, for the mist always seemed to come as he was gathering concentration and energy around him.

Let… me… through…!

The mist suddenly plumed out from his open palms, spreading in a strange twisting ripple between his hands and the stone of the door. The stone gave way to his command, parting like liquid to his touch. Lucci found himself able to walk forward, pressing through the door as if it had been no more than a curtain.

That’s it!

His steps were unsteady as he stumbled into Master TsuYa’s chamber. It was a room that he had been in many times before, so he spent no time looking around. Instead, Lucci went straight to the corner where he knew the scythe would be. A breath of relief passed his lips as his eyes fell on the dark, cloth-wrapped shape. It had toppled to one side due to the impacts against the Compound. But otherwise, it was untouched.

Lucci reached down and carefully picked up the weapon. Then turning a keen eye, he peered around the room one more time, pausing to look at the rack of weapons on the other side of the room. He didn’t know where Master TsuYa had collected them… but there were a number of swords, spears, and a dagger or two on display in his quarters.

I know he wouldn’t want these to be used, but I don’t have much of a choice. My weapon is all the way on the other end of the Compound.

His hand reached out and carefully pulled a medium-length blade from its casings. He unraveled the sheath and strapped it at his waist, sliding the sword safely to. If there was anything that Master TsuYa’s lessons had taught him… it was to respect the danger presented by any drawn weapon.

It had taken a while before Lucci had begun to understand the complexities of the youngest son of the High Guide. It was hard for him to pick out the truth because Master TsuYa was good at covering up things, both inside and out. However, during the many training sessions they had spent together over the past weeks, the boy had found a growing comprehension about the seemingly stand-offish young warrior.

Once you could get past the cold and calm exterior, Lucci had discovered that there was a tempest of emotion churning behind Master TsuYa’s dark eyes. There was also the capability for compassion and gentleness, though both were skewed, showing through in odd ways. But it did come out, mostly at unexpected times.

There isn’t much time.

His hands hooked tightly around the wrapped scythe as he forced them to stop shaking the best that he could. Then his mind reached out through the choking darkness to attempt to pin point a feeling – the location of his teacher.

Without another thought for himself, Lucci pressed back through the door, out into the raging battle beyond.

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