The Weaponsmaster

Chapter 43

Danny sat silently against the tree, waiting impatiently for help to come. Why would Andrea do this? He wondered, his heart beating out of his chest with worry. It was the Lori. He convinced her. He stared at Mike in contempt, who only ignored Danny’s dirty looks and stared ahead at where Drea was.

After a while, Mike turned to face him, but said nothing. He only stared, a contemplative look in his eyes.

“What?” Danny said after a while, looking up at him.

“I’m trying to figure out what she sees in you.” He paused. “I thought you’d be more open-minded. She was able to forgive, so why can’t you?”

“How do you know anything about her past?”

“She told me. Believe it or not, she trusts me.”

Danny looked down at the ground. “Why should she trust you? And why should I? The Lori tried to kill my sister.”

Mike inched down in front of Danny, trying to look him in the eyes, but Danny wouldn’t look back. “We aren’t all the same. When my father cut down an eight-year old Kaienshi, I got out. I’m on your side. As to why she trusts me, I saved her. And why should you trust me? Because she does.”

Mike stood back up and leaned against the tree, leaving Danny to his thoughts. He still wasn’t sure, but he had to know, “She said you saved her. How?”

Mike sighed. “I suppose I can’t tell you everything, but let’s say I was working undercover. I heard the Lori had the Weaponsmaster, so I got her out and brought her to somewhere where she could heal.”

Danny didn’t question him further, but moved his eyes back to where Drea was battling. He couldn’t really see her, but he could feel her aura there. Early on in the fight he’d seen a force field go up, but he’d seen little since then.  

A few times he’d seen spouts of fire go up into the sky, but that was it. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt powerless and hopeless. The girl he loved was fighting to the death, and he could do nothing to keep her safe.

Danny sighed in despair. Suddenly he felt four familiar auras appear. Apparently so did Mike, for he tensed and took a position in front of Danny, but he still remained in his human form. Wren, Toni, John, and Shena rushed through the trees to find him tied there with Mike in front of him. This wouldn’t turn out well.  

“Back up,” snarled Mike.

Wren narrowed her eyes; she hadn’t known Mike was a Lori since he was able to hide his aura so well.

“I said back up!” Mike’s hands grew into claws as he roared at the four Kaienshi barring his path.

Danny stared at him and realized there was something different about him.  A normal Lori would’ve killed Drea, a normal Lori would’ve killed him, a normal Lori would be using him as a shield, but he did none of those things. He stood in front of Danny, as if to protect him. Drea would never trust a normal Lori, so if she could trust this one, then why couldn’t he?

“Mike,” he yelled. He could feel Mike’s aura stiffen at the mention of his name. “I trust you.”

He could tell Mike was unsure. He didn’t move, always keeping his eyes on the enemy. “Why?” It was barely a whisper.

“Because Andrea trusts you and I trust her.”

Mike took a breath and nodded. “Very well.”

Then Toni did something surprising. She stepped towards Mike, coming to a stop only a few feet away from him. She scrunched her eyes. “When we came into the forest, I never felt a Lori’s aura. I’m the best tracker there is and I couldn’t sense you. How did you hide it?”

Mike looked at her as if she was some kind of new species. He growled and bared his teeth again. Toni remained impassive. “Even now you aren’t like a normal Lori. Your name’s Mike?”

“Toni what are you doing?” Wren yelled.

“That’s your name right? Mike?” she ignored Wren completely.

“Yes,” he said cautiously. He took a more defensive position.

Toni turned to the others, turning her back to Mike and giving him the chance to kill her. She knows he won’t do it, thought Danny.

 “What harm is there in trusting him? There are more of us than him, and if he truly wanted to, he could’ve killed me by now. Both Daniel and Andrea trust him and that’s enough for me.”

Wren took a breath and relented, “Very well, but don’t try anything Lori.”

Mike growled again and hid his claws and teeth. “I advise you of the same.”

John, Shena and Wren approached as Mike stood behind Danny. Even though Danny couldn’t feel his Lori aura, he could feel his emotions, and could tell Mike was angry and unsure.  

Toni looked over at Mike with concern, but then turned her attention back to Danny as she kneeled down in front of him.    

“So how do we get you out?” 

“I can’t get out until Andrea releases me.”

Toni nodded and walked over to the force field as Shena bent down to test the flaming ropes. “Well we have to find a way to get this field down.” Toni reached out to touch the shield. She closed her eyes. “It’s made from a mixture of both their aura, and I don’t think we could do this without a Lori and Kaienshi equally as powerful as both Alka and Andrea.”

Wren nodded and began to contemplate their next move. Before she could speak though, a bright blue light from inside the force field caught their attention. It was about a mile away with a diameter of maybe fifteen feet. It extended all the way up to the sky, breaking through the clouds and reaching the heavens.

“No…” Mike murmured in shock. His eyes widened as he stepped forward.

Suddenly, Danny felt his restraints loosen. The flames dissolved, setting his arms and hands free. He scrambled up and looked at the others, feeling a sense of dread.

Wren looked at the light and whispered, “Oh no….” She took a glance at Danny and stepped nearer to the light.

After a moment of silence, Shena said to both Wren and Mike, “You know what that is.”

Mike and Wren looked at each other in horror. Mike looked away and Wren replied slowly, “That’s the seal. All the leaders of Koracan are informed of this technique, but only the Weaponsmasters know how to use it. It was Kaien who first used it to seal Alka away.” She looked down, then back up at the four of them. “The seal is a sacrificial move. It requires two souls to make it work.”

As soon as she said it, they all knew what she meant. Drea used it because she knew she couldn’t win, and now she’d be sealed along with the beast she was fighting. She’d be killed when the seal was done.

Danny’s heart instantly plummeted as he dropped to his hands and knees. His eyes widened in fear and pain. How could this be happening? He thought. How can I lose the one I love without being able to do anything? He wanted to cry, but no tears would come.

He felt Toni’s arms wrap around him in comfort. She rested her head on his back as she held him there. I know, she said in her mind. I loved her too.

“Maybe this is what she meant when she said she might not come back,” said Mike in defeat. 

They remained silent, watching the blue light move through the clouds. Even Shena’s eyes became teary as she looked down at her feet.

“Can’t we do anything?” John said quietly, though anger laced his words.  

Wren only shook her head in loss. “Even if the seal was stopped, Alka would kill her. She’s doing the only thing she believes she can do.” She looked into the distance toward the light again. “We’ll just have to wait for her to finish.”