Chapter 7

  Whatever the imps were doing in that clearing had their energies flaring like flames kissing oil.

  Hurry, Finn, I thought as I darted for the clearing, using the thick leaves and branches to hide as I bounded from tree to tree, passing various imps below who glanced at the swaying branches with a passing curiosity.

  I stopped at the edge of the clearing, perched atop the last row of trees. I looked, and there were a hundred or so imps all standing and talking in an amphitheater made of that grey, smooth, wet-looking stone. It had a large oval stone platform in the center, and there Perhan was tied up with iron bands that glowed and covered his arms, feet, mouth, eyes, head, and throat. Behind him was the large circular mural of space with various planets.

  Just my luck, they had bound Perhan with silence bands. Looks like he’s not gonna be able to free himself. How can I grab him and get the hell out of there before they can start slinging their spells? And those sting, let me tell you. Hmm, think, Finn, think. I could just use my speed. I certainly was faster than them, but what if they had nasty little traps? And there was the problem of getting out of here and back to the Grey once I rescued him. And that damn imp still had my cup finder.

  Just then one of the imps got up on the stage. It was the same one who had taken Perhan before. It was Jop. He raised his hands to quiet the crowd. The chatter died off as he began to speak.

  “Imps and Impettes, it’s a lovely day, is it not?”

  The crowd nodded and clapped.

  “What do we have here in our grasp?”

  He turned to Perhan, who strained against his bands.

  “I’ll tell you what we have. A rotten charlatan, a thief, a bojogo who thought he could take advantage of us, mock us.”

  Jop’s face sneered as the crowd roared and shouted their disapproval at Perhan.

  “How should we punish him? Any suggestions?”

  “Tie him to a red sun!”

  “Break his bones into ice!”

  “Force-feed him gelatin worms and make him dance!”

  The crowd’s ideas were getting more and more crazy.

  “All good suggestions, all good, but he needs more. After all, it was my own dearmother he stole from.”

  The crowd did not like that one bit. They all started shouting at once. They were a tidal wave of noise.

  Finally one shouted, “Give him to the Purple Monarch!”

  Jop cocked his head at that suggestion.

  “The Purple Monarch, you say?”

  This didn’t sound good. I got a pit in my stomach watching.

  “It has been a long time since the Monarch had such a snack. Yes, a little wizard spice, hehehehe.”

  Jop’s ugly laugh was echoed by the others.

  Yeah, this was definitely not good. I needed to grab him now.

  I flew toward the stage. I could hear the gasps of the imps who managed to use their senses to read my energy signature as I flew by. In my rush I knocked several of them back. I was within a finger of Perhan when the trap sprung. A warping circle activated under me.

  I should have been paying attention. I’m an idiot.

  The warp circle energy encircled us and sucked us right into the mural. I felt my body like sand in the wind. I caught a glimpse of Jop, who had this shit-eating grin and gave a tiny wave as Perhan and I went into the mural.

  That’s twice he’s gotten me. Fleck, there won’t be a third.

  Inside the mural was a jarring experience. The place was a vast pocket of space, black as sable, with glittering stars that looked like drops of crystal bathed in a moon’s lightful embrace. The Star Winds here were a force, and they caused the planets to move around like balls on a choppy ocean.

  I tumbled about as planets whipped by. It took me a moment to right myself. I used some of the Strength, my other gift of Edaras, to anchor myself from the Star Winds’ fury. My far sight looked for Perhan. I found him. He was between two planets that were circling each other like they were going down a drain.

  My eyes caught something else in the corner. A massive form was moving. Planets appeared tiny near it. It had a small golden crown atop its head and fat arms and hands and squat legs. It lumbered forward, literally walking on space. It reached out and grabbed a planet and bit into it like it was some type of fruit. I could hear the crunching and grating.

  It’s a Cosmic. It was the Purple Monarch. They somehow trapped this Purple Monarch in this place.

  He reached out and grabbed Perhan with his fingers. Then he spoke in a loud voice like a thunderous storm.

  “A wizard here in my midst? How delicious. It has been too long since I have tasted one.”

  I saw Perhan struggling to free himself. He knew he was about to end up becoming cosmic crap.

  I activated the Flow. I felt like a gate had been lifted off me. It felt raw, the rush of power. I wanted to push more, but no, I needed control.

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  I roared toward the Purple Monarch, who had begun to toss Perhan into his mouth, and in the Flow I’m faster than fast. I grabbed Perhan right before he fell into that abomination’s mouth. I took us to a planet far in the corner. I landed on it and placed Perhan down.

  “All right, wizard. Time to prove you can hold your own.”

  I swung my sword and severed the silence bands holding him.

  “What happened? Where are those imps?” Perhan removed the band from his eyes, looking around.

  “No imps. They sent us to some pocket, and we got company,” I told him with authority as I summoned my armor. It appeared on me in its brilliant aqua-green color, beautiful plated armor that swirled about me like a shell of celestial protection. I felt my power, speed, and senses boost.

  “Company? What com—”

  Perhan’s words were cut off as a giant purple hand came out of the sky, slapping at the planet. Both Perhan and I leapt up as the whole thing crumbled like a stale cookie.

  “That company!” I shouted, dodging the massive chunks of planet now flying around and colliding with cataclysmic impact.

  I saw Perhan high in the air. He clapped his hands together and his coat turned a brilliant blue. He moved his hands rapidly in some star-like pattern, and this large blue ring appeared in front of him. The ring spun, and this colossal blue beam shard shot out. I watched it fly toward the large lumbering Purple Monarch, who lifted his hand to block it.

  The explosion was like watching a grand hypernova. The Purple Monarch roared so loudly it shook planets to dust and the stars dimmed. I could see the reflection of a bubble shield around Perhan as the roar washed over him. My own armor protected me, but I could feel the vibrations.

  I was in the Flow, and all around me I could see myself moving to places, doing things I had not done or had done already. It’s kind of like choosing a chapter in a book, although each chapter can change the moment you do or don’t.

  I drew my long bow, nocked an arrow, and let it loose toward the Purple Monarch. The arrow flew fast, but the Monarch smacked a planet in front of it to block the arrow. I could see the planet crack in half as my arrow hit it, but it did its job, and the Monarch remained untouched.

  The Purple Monarch spoke.

  “Who is this speck who wishes to pain me? I who am the eater of worlds and the reason stars weep.”

  The Purple Monarch moved his leg and kicked a planet right at me. It zoomed toward me, threatening to smash me like a bug. As it came toward me, I twisted upside and flew to the planet’s surface, where I ran across the face of it, using my momentum to match the planet’s, and I propelled myself back out into space. The planet continued past me.

  I nocked another arrow and shot it. This time it flew true, and it struck him on the shoulder. Despite it being no less than a pinprick to him in terms of size, his whole shoulder rocked back, and large amounts of purple blood flew out of him. His pained cry was terrible.

  From the corner of my eye I saw Perhan, glowing green, jacket firing these chains of green metal. They latched onto the Purple Monarch, each one large enough to hold a damn sun. As the chains began to tighten, I saw the Monarch twist its hips, and Perhan was yanked toward him.

  I could see myself already moving to grab him, and I could see myself firing another arrow or just cutting the chains. Choices. All these choices I had and yet didn’t have because they were changing and becoming more rapid. They talked, the choices, if that makes sense.

  I closed my mind to it, the chatter. I knew what the Flow wanted. I focused and shot an arrow, breaking the link of the chains that held Perhan.

  The Purple Monarch leapt. Yes, you read that, he leapt in space.

  The Flow was changing. I couldn’t see choices anymore. It was now like swirling trails of color. You couldn’t see what they were, only feel a deep intuition. I followed the trails. It was like dancing, like a leaf in the wind, as the Purple Monarch landed, crushing planets under his feet and causing gravitational waves that ripped apart stars as they flew past.

  I moved on the light trails, feeling it as the Monarch stomped its feet, which were of such size they made starlight go dark. I moved this way and that to avoid his foot-stomping rodeo. As I twisted up, the Monarch did a backflip. His enormous toe, which could easily have fit an entire ring of drops, came at me. I couldn’t move in time, and the toe caught me.

  The impact sent me rocketing through six of the planets, and I crashed on a moon, which to be honest was really strange. I didn’t even have time to see if anything was broken before he grabbed the damn moon I was on and smashed it into another planet.

  Let me tell you something. If you’re wondering, does getting kicked through six planets and then smashed through another with a moon hurt? The answer is yes. Very much so.

  My armor, beauty of a thing, took the hits well, but still my bell was rung. I felt hazy. The Flow was now just like this haze of voices and pulses. I tried to clear my head, but it was fuzzy, clouded. I could hear the Purple Monarch but couldn’t understand him.

  I could see Perhan glowing red, jacket on now, and this red goo flew from out of his mouth and wrapped around the Monarch’s eyes. It tried to claw it off, and I saw him fire red lightning at the Purple Monarch, who writhed as the lightning covered him.

  I pushed past the pain. I flew toward the Purple Monarch, my soul reversal fortune forming in my hands. With a shake it threw off the goo and lightning. It saw me and moved before my sword could touch him with her full kiss, instead settling for a quick peck across the side of it's neck. The Monarch roared and dropped to one knee.

  I saw Perhan now aglow in yellow, many yellow glowing orbs around him. He fired them toward the Purple Monarch. The Purple Monarch puffed out his belly, and the orbs bounced back toward Perhan, who I saw warp away as the orbs imploded with such force that anything near them imploded too.

  The Flow was full-on raging. I couldn’t see it anymore. It was just feeling and the occasional ghost of a decision made or waiting to be made. A strange calm that is the most dangerous.

  I channeled it, but slowly, just a bit. I swung my sword and sent a slashing shockwave. The Monarch raised his hand, and a large line appeared and burst open as his purple ichor poured out. It flung the blood, and some got on me, temporarily blinding me as the Cosmic blood dulled my sight.

  I felt for his energy with my battle sense. I had to chuckle a bit. I remembered fighting my master when learning this skill.

  “Master, I will never need this.”

  “You have no idea what you will need, Finnbarr. That is why I am here now again.”

  My master’s words were true, and they saved me as I saw the Purple Monarch and his attempt to eat me. I flew past the snapping teeth, the Cosmic blood flying off me. I saw him now again with my sight. We hadn’t hurt it yet, not seriously, and he was already grabbing a piece of a star and throwing it at me.

  This time I slipped more onto the Flow. I could feel the storm rise and my whole body alight with flame. I swung my sword and cut the piece in two as I went toward the Purple Monarch.

  Perhan was coming from behind him, glowing blue again, and I saw him fire a large blue beam from his hands. The beam struck the Purple Monarch in the back. He lifted his head in pain.

  There! That’s the moment!

  I flew under the arms and across the neck. My sword left her path across the Monarch’s neck, and his head separated from his body.

  I could feel the raging storm of the Flow all around me, inside me, as the whole space wobbled and rippled, first little and then more and more, bigger, until the whole space faded away and Perhan and I were back in the amphitheater.

  The imps had their mouths wide open in disbelief. They were looking at us in total shock.

  The Flow wanted to explode out of me, to overwhelm and consume all around me. I focused hard. I felt anger at the want of losing control and anger at the imps who now looked frightened. Perhan was still trying to come to his senses.

  Steadying myself, I pointed my sword. My helmet faded away, leaving me with eyes glowing and glowing rune tattoos across my face. I pointed my sword at the whimpering crowd.

  “All right. Which one of you bastards has something of mine?”