Kalistra had been studying the newly discovered runes when the rumble hit. The flaring lights had distracted her momentarily, but she thought little of it, right up until the resounding chime of a bell reached her ears. The gorgon had just enough time before the lights went out to panic, recover from said panic, and reunite with Ziz.

  She was with her partner in what remained of their garden base when the monster arrived. Unlike Mickie, Kalistra’s serpentine hair was not so effective in the dark. She was able to share Ziz’s vision to see a little better, but even the primordial was impotent without any light. The pair of them were huddled in tense silence, when, all of a sudden, a voice spoke from mere feet away.

  ‘It is too late. The forge awakens. The cascade has begun. They are clearer now, the words. He says them to me, always he says them…’

  It was hardly more than a murmur, yet both Kalistra and her partner almost jumped out of their skin. The gorgon recovered just in time to place a placating hand upon Ziz’s flank. She knew her partner, and wanted to stop the young primordial before it lashed out.

  ‘Calm yourself. It is just the garden’s lost.’

  ‘Monster is here. Need to be quiet.’ Ziz grumbled, louder than both Kalistra and the mortal.

  ‘I know, but this lost seems to know things about the city. We should listen.’

  She smoothed her partner’s feathers and felt the tension bleed from the muscles beneath. Ziz huffed out a breath as the monster crashed in the distance. It sounded somewhat louder than before, though perhaps she was just imagining things. Kalistra tuned out the beast for a moment, attempting to hear whatever else their local lost had to say. The ragged mortal had descended into inaudible muttering, however.

  ‘What words?’ She asked softly into the dark. ‘Who is speaking them to you?’

  There was no reply, and any of the lost’s mutterings were drowned out by yet another crash. That had most definitely been closer than before. Under her hand Ziz shifted in preparation.

  ‘Calm.’ She murmured. ‘Do not draw it in.’

  Kalistra believed that if she kept quiet the lost might speak again. She wondered if Mickie was still hidden within the tunnels. More than anything though, she hoped that the monster would not stray any further in their direction.

  On all accounts, the gorgon found herself wrong.

  They took to the air the moment Kalistra realised the beast had noticed the light of the runes. Even then, it was almost too late. Ziz had aimed for the ceiling, but this time her partner had no light to guide its way.

  From all directions there came the rush of displaced air, deeper and more threatening than the wind whipping by her ears. Paired with the sound was a titanic sense of motion, the feeling that something vast was passing mere feet away.

  Instinctively, Kalistra began to call upon her power, drawing it back like a cobra preparing to strike. When Ziz was struck by the arm of the beast, she was ready. Kalistra drove her attack forth, not pushing through the tenuous link to her serpentine hair, but her to her partner.

  The power stormed through the link like it was made for it, and even in the absolute darkness, she hit her mark. For a moment, she was linked to her enemy, felt its soul as her power crashed against it. What she saw was something vast and twisted, a monstrous thing of agony and pain. An abomination in the shape of a soul.

  Their enemy screamed in pain as stone cracked, and one of its arms fell away. Ziz used the momentary respite to resume its escape. When the monster came in pursuit, it was with a single-minded rage. Both Kalistra and Ziz noticed the lonely light when it appeared. They noticed it, and thought no more of it. The glow was too distant to aid them, and their pursuer would give them no respite.

  Kalistra struck out blindly again and missed as the beast closed. Without delay she tried a third time and hit home. Another arm fell away as Ziz blindly ascended. It was then that disaster struck.

  Something whistled by at incredible speed, and the gorgon was suddenly falling as her partner screeched in pain. Kalistra hung tightly to Ziz as the primordial tried to stabilize, but something was wrong. Whatever had flown by had hurt the avian, and it was unable to recover properly before they slammed hard into the ground.

  The wind rushed from Kalistra’s lungs in a wave, and she slipped momentarily from the eyes of her partner. When she recovered enough to reach back through their link, the gorgon was greeted by a terrible sight. A massive form was hunched down before her, still vague and indistinct in the weak light. Arms jutted from its body in all directions, framing a collection of innumerable heads, stacked together like the flowers in a bouquet.

  ‘Hecatoncheires.’

  She gasped. Only, that was not quite right. The light was growing with each passing moment, and with it Kalistra saw more of the monster’s features. Its heads were wrong, not those of a human, but of a bull. Their horns twisted out in a hundred crooked directions, scraping skulls and puncturing eyes.

  Kalistra thought how painful even the slightest movement must be to the creature, how much it must crave the oblivion the silver drug provided. Then Ziz’s attention shifted, focussing on the light source that illuminated the monster’s titanic form. Mickie was running towards them, his gun glowing like it had once before, within the desert tower.

  Kalistra opened her mouth to shout at him, but all she managed was a half-hearted wheeze. They locked eyes, her, Ziz, and their human companion. In Mickie Kalistra saw something familiar, a deadly focus that was both reassuring and unnerving.

  The branded man raised his hand and pointed at something past them. For a moment, the gorgon was confused. Then her partner’s head swivelled, and she saw it; the open pipe. Ziz twisted back to Mickie, regarding their friend even as the titan closed.

  ‘Do it.’

  She rasped. The primordial nodded once, and half dove, half tumbled over the open edge. They spun downwards as the titan roared in outrage. Ziz did not bother to slow their fall, not with the monster clawing its way after them.

  As the pair reached the pipe’s base the avian did its best to turn down a connecting tunnel. The primordial faltered as its wings expanded however, screeching in pain and spiralling out of control. They slammed hard into the steel floor, but Ziz managed to keep moving in a limping gallop.

  Darkness swallowed the pair as a titanic crash heralded the beast’s arrival. Kalistra urged her feathered companion onwards, but the young primordial was struggling. It pushed further and further into the darkness, yet it was not enough. Every time the monster took a step it sounded closer than before.

  Just as Ziz was approaching its limit, their enemy gave a terrible scream, and abruptly gave up the chase. Kalistra’s partner limped along a little further before collapsing to the floor, heaving for breath. The gorgon slid free from Ziz’s back, stumbling her way up to the primordial’s head.

  ‘Are you alright?’

  She murmured into the darkness. It took her partner a few attempts to shape the air into a coherent answer.

  ‘Y-yes. Wing hurts. Legs hurt.’

  ‘You did so well, but we need to keep moving.’

  Kalistra rested her hand atop the young avian’s head. She could feel each heaving breath it took, almost as loud as the rage of the distant monster.

  ‘Do you think you can walk?’

  The primordial grunted in answer, rising on shaky legs and taking a slow step forward. Together they started into the darkness, following the curve of the massive pipe more than anything else.

  ‘Mik is fighting.’

  Ziz said once its breathing slowed.

  ‘That he is. I’m not sure what he did to upset the beast more than we did.’

  In the distance their giant enemy continued to shake the earth in a frenzy. Kalistra assumed that if the monster was still angry, then their friend was likely still alive. She hoped whatever plan Mickie had hatched was a good one. If there was one thing the gorgon had concluded after coming face to face with that giant, it was that they had no chance of killing it.

  ‘It was furry.’ Ziz abruptly said. ‘Like I said. Mag was wrong.’

  ‘I’m sorry?’ It took Kalistra’s thoughts a moment to catch up. ‘Oh right, the monster. Yes, it was furry like you said.’

  Her partner huffed in satisfaction as they continued onwards, and the gorgon recalled, once again, the shadowed visage of the giant. A forest of arms, and a misshapen mound of heads. So much of the creature resembled a Hecatoncheires, and yet…

  ‘Minotaur…’

  She murmured, though not so quietly that Ziz could not hear.

  ‘Minotaur? What’s a Minotaur?’

  The young avian asked.

  ‘A Minotaur is an old kind of fiend. Not so old as the Hecatoncheires, but similar in age to my kind. They are part man and part bull, somewhat like what we saw of the giant’ Things started to fall into place the longer she thought on the idea. ‘They are also extraordinarily territorial cave dwellers, ones which prefer the dark.’

  Something tickled the corner of her mind, and Kalistra recalled the shape of the titan’s soul. It had been twisted and warped. Almost as if it was not one soul she had been looking at, but two. Two souls mashed together to create something that could only be described as terrible.

  ‘Are they really big too?’ Ziz asked, sounding a little excited.

  ‘Not so large as our angry friend back there. But that would not matter, not really.’

  ‘Why?’ Her partner asked, but Kalistra’s thoughts were already racing too fast to respond. She already knew that soul bonds tended to shift one’s appearance, as had happened with both her and Mickie’s eyes. If that were the case here, then what she was looking at was neither a Minotaur, nor a Hecatoncheries. It was both.

  ‘Minotoncheires…’

  The word slipped out fully formed, as if her subconscious had been sitting on it while she put the pieces together.

  ‘What’s that?’

  Ziz said, nudging her with its head and almost knocking Kalistra over in the dark. The gorgon righted herself and gave her partner a reassuring pat.

  ‘The monster. I believe it is the result of a Soul Bond, that what we are seeing is the amalgamation of both a Minotaur, and a Hecatoncheires.’

  ‘Soul Bond? Like ours?’

  Ziz sounded a little concerned. No doubt the avian did not enjoy being compared to their monstrous enemy. The question did give Kalistra pause, however.

  ‘Like ours…’ She mulled it over. ‘You know what, I do not think it is quite like ours. There is something off about the beast. Both your soul and my own are whole after the deal. One could even argue they have been improved. That creature though, its soul was just… wrong.’

  There was a moment of silence. Kalistra was just beginning to sink back into her thoughts when Ziz spoke again.

  ‘Does it have one of you somewhere too?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Well, we have a Soul Bond, and there are two of us. There is only one monster.’

  That was a good point. A bond like theirs required two willing participants. That either meant there was another creature tucked away somewhere, or there was no second at all. Both options held implications that concerned her greatly. Even worse however, was that Kalistra did not know which of the two was more likely.

  ‘I think the tunnel has split.’ Ziz said some time later. ‘That or it is turning. We are beginning to move up a slope.’

  It did not take much investigation to confirm that they had indeed reached an intersection. In the distance their giant adversary still raged, furious at whatever Mickie had done. As neither Kalistra nor Ziz was overly enthusiastic about heading back that way, they would need to pick a tunnel. Fortunately, Kalistra had a good idea about how she could go about deciding.

  ‘Give me a moment.’ She said, kneeling on the hard floor. ‘I need to check on something.’

  Normally, when she felt out the intent of runes she could not see, Kalistra would close her eyes to focus. Deep in the tunnel’s darkness and without eyes to close, it took even less effort to find the hidden power. It came to her like a whisper in the wind, a murmur so soft it was all but imperceptible. Kalistra took a steadying breath and focussed, both falling into herself and without.

  The whisper of intent grew, speaking to her of its need to move, to flow downwards. Kalistra felt something else from it too, something that she could only describe as anticipation. Whatever the case, the gorgon now had their heading, all she had to do was follow the rune’s pull.

  They descended for hours, walking along pipes until they dropped away and Ziz was forced to glide further down. Apart from the cessation of the titan’s distant rage, there had been nothing but darkness and sounds of their footsteps against hard steel. Every time they reached a crossroads, Kalistra would pause and listen for the intent of the runes.

  Alongside that, was the call of her own bond. It had come to both her and Ziz as they stepped ever deeper into darkness. A sudden, clear understanding, that a place of power lay somewhere nearby, just as it had when Ziz consumed the blue drug. With each step the pull got stronger, drawing her ever closer, until finally, they found it.

  ‘Kali, up ahead, do you see that?’

  Kalistra swiftly reached through their bond to share her partner’s vision. What greeted her was a single, weakly glowing speck of white light, like a lone star in the night sky. The moment she saw it, she knew, this was the place of power.

  Without sharing another word, both she and Ziz picked up their pace, pulled towards the light like moths to a flame. As she neared, the gorgon began to make out more of the glowing speck. It widened and resolved into a glob of interconnected lines and curves, twisting upon themselves in a mesmerising pattern. Kalistra might have called it a rune, though she had never known a rune to glow with anything but crimson light.

  Oblivious of anything but the gleaming symbol, Kalistra and Ziz rushed forward. The glow it provided was only enough to illuminate a small section of steel floor, and a curious pillar upon which the rune was carved. Only when she was mere feet away, did Kalistra drag herself to a reluctant stop. She reached out and caught hold of Ziz, halting the primordial before it did anything rash.

  ‘Just a moment, we do not know what this is.’

  ‘We do.’ Her partner’s voice was low and eager. ‘It’s a place of power. We will restore your eyes.’

  Kalistra’s empty sockets pulsed with phantom pain, and for a moment, it felt like it was her own eyes that were glued upon the glowing symbol.

  ‘I know.’ She muttered. ‘We just… we just need to be careful.’

  Ziz shifted beneath her hand, muscles tense and ready. For a moment, Kalistra thought her partner might ignore her and pounce. Eventually though, with slow reluctance, the primordial relaxed and settled back.

  ‘Fine, we will try your way first.’

  Kalistra let out a slow breath, relieved and yet also strangely disappointed. Together with Ziz, she got to work examining the rune and the pillar that held it. From what the weak light illuminated, there did not seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

  Having done her due diligence, Kalistra then hesitantly reached out and pressed a hand to the strangely glowing rune. She felt nothing from it but a slight warmth. After waiting a few breaths, the gorgon let her hand fall away with a sigh.

  ‘Why doesn’t it work?’

  Ziz was hunched right beside her, acting as her eyes. The primordial reached out and tapped the rune with a claw, disappointed at the lack of response. It could feel, just as Kalistra could, that this was the place of power. Their bond was screaming at them that it was.

  ‘Maybe we are doing something wrong…’

  Kalistra said, examining the intricate lines of the white rune. Perhaps she was going about this the wrong way. If this truly was a rune, then it was likely controlled like one. The gorgon pressed her hand against the glowing steel, and reached within herself. She drew forth a stream of ethereal consciousness, a link to her very soul, and touched it to the rune.

  In all honesty, Kalistra did not expect anything to happen. For all that the symbol might have looked like a rune, it did not radiate intent like the more crimson variety. In fact, she could sense nothing spiritual from it at all. So, when her grasping strand of consciousness landed upon something, Kalistra almost recoiled in surprise.

  For a brief moment she was aware of something vast and alien, an interconnected thing that stretched beyond the reaches of her internal sight. For that moment, Kalistra was in awe of what she perceived. Then the thing shifted, turned, and saw her.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  She might have screamed if she were able, fled if there were anywhere to go. Only, there was nowhere to hide, not with all those eyes upon her. They raked through her very soul, taking it all in, understanding in an instant the very core of her being. Kalistra tried to rationalise it. Mickie had mentioned something like this, had said he felt eyes upon him when he activated the hidden tower. He had mentioned nothing of how terrible the sensation was, or the terrible presence behind that infinite gaze.

  Abruptly, the tendril of soul that linked her to the presence was wrenched free. Kalistra tumbled back into her spiritual self as her physical body was dragged from the rune. Ziz had a hold of her, bronze feathers encasing Kalistra like a blanket. The gorgon struggled for breath as her mind reeled from what she had just experienced.

  ‘Kali, what happened?’

  A large eye filled the vision of her serpentine hair.

  ‘I… wait.’ Kalistra suddenly realised that there was enough light for her serpents to see by. ‘Why can I see?’

  Ziz blinked slowly and released a long squawk.

  ‘You went quiet. Then the lights came on.’

  With that, the primordial disentangled itself from her, and Kalistra found herself in a chamber that most certainly was not a gigantic pipe. Instead of a cylindrical tunnel, she was in a domed cavern, similar to that of the city. Only, where the home of the lost was a smooth and unblemished half sphere, this ceiling had more holes than honeycomb.

  Broad pipes pockmarked the sloped surface, dozens of cavernous openings into darkness. Between these, scrawled in strange glowing script, were more unrecognisable runes. It was these which had come alive to fill the cavern with white light. Kalistra’s many sets of serpentine eyes scanned the symbols, trying to find something recognizable.

  It was then that she noticed the floor of the chamber. This again, differed from the city up above. Instead of city streets, there were broad channels. Large, empty divots twisted their way along the floor towards the central pillar. They looked as if they might carry water, but were currently bone dry. Kalistra pushed herself upright, confusion fading to be replaced with wonder.

  ‘What is this?’

  ‘The place of power.’

  Ziz added helpfully, shifting away from her side now that she had recovered. The primordial wandered over to one of the channels, sticking its head in to look around.

  ‘I still don’t see how we use it.’

  ‘Yes, well…’ Kalistra shuddered at the memory of that impossible presence. She was not eager to try connecting to that rune again, not unless it was their only option. ‘How did you know to pull me from the pillar?’

  Ziz straightened, stretching its neck out to eye the ceiling.

  ‘I could feel something was wrong with our bond, and you weren’t answering me when I asked if you were alright.’

  ‘I see, well, thank you for doing so. I’m not sure staying linked to that rune would have been wise.’

  ‘What was wrong with it?’

  ‘I… I am unsure how to describe it.’ The gorgon moved to her partner’s side. ‘It was like there was something living inside the rune, and when I linked to it this being took notice of me.’

  ‘Hmm. Should we break it then.’

  ‘What? No!’ Kalistra hurriedly pulled against Ziz’s wing as it turned. ‘Who knows what that would do.’

  ‘I think it would be better than nothing, and it would teach the thing in the rune a lesson.’ Her partner huffed, before abruptly straightening. Kalistra watched on in confusion as the large avian looked towards the ceiling like it too had harmed her.

  ‘Everything alright?’

  ‘I hear something.’ The words were paired with a low squawk. Kalistra frowned, tilting her head to listen. There was something there, distant but seeming to grow louder. A deep, threatening rumble. The pair of them froze as the sound grew, echoing from what seemed to be every direction at once.

  ‘Do we run?’ Ziz asked.

  ‘I am unsure there is anywhere we can run.’

  Kalistra replied, and that was when the first of the liquid flooded into their chamber. It came from every direction at once, pouring from holes where the channels met the walls. Shining silver and blue, the two drugs rushed along the empty pathways towards Kalistra and Ziz.

  The duo did not appear to be in active danger however, for all that the liquids were fast flowing, they did not spill beyond their channels. So, captivated by the scene, the pair watched as the two drugs reached the central pillar and vanished from sight.

  A moment passed where nothing further happened, then the rune upon the pillar came alive. Glowing lines twisted, shifted, and fell apart to form new symbols. Six new runes formed in a circle about the space where the first had sat, and once they were done, the rumbling around the pair settled and stopped.

  In their channels the liquids went still as a lonely pond, leaving the chamber suddenly free of all sound and motion. Kalistra straightened to glance around, waiting for something else to happen. It appeared however, that for the moment, everything was calm.

  ‘Okay, that was certainly something.’

  She took stock of their surroundings, marvelling at the intertwining patterns of silver and blue. The two liquids twisted around one another, one always seeming to disappear when they came close to intersecting. They left only narrow walkways upon which it was possible to move without falling in. Kalistra traced the one they must have taken into the chamber, finding the open entrance of a pipe at its end.

  ‘The middle is different now.’

  Ziz said, nodding towards the central pillar and its six separate symbols.

  ‘Yes.’ Kalistra said. ‘Different, and hopefully more functional.’

  Cautiously, the pair started back towards the pillar. As they approached Kalistra tried making sense of the six runes now glowing upon its slick surface. After failing to recognise the original symbol, she expected to have little luck with these as well. It was to her surprise then, when she almost immediately identified the topmost twisting shape.

  ‘Initialise.’

  The gorgon muttered, caution abruptly forgotten as she hurried forward, serpents fanning out to examine the other five runes. She recognised another two, Dispel and Condense, and felt a third was definitely familiar.

  ‘Impart? No, that’s not right. Attune then…’

  She shook her head, that was not it either. That left only two runes as complete unknowns.

  ‘What is it?’

  Ziz asked, nudging her with its hooked beak. Kalisra laid a hand upon her companion's head, steadying herself. She considered the ring of white runes, and what they likely represented.

  ‘I believe it may be some form of control panel.’

  ‘Controls? For the place of power?’

  ‘Perhaps.’ She recalled what that lost had once said to them. ‘The place of power, or the Soul Forge.’

  If there even was a distinction between the two. Whatever the case, Kalistra knew she was on the right path. Her bond screamed at her that this was the location that it had been seeking. If she could just figure out how to activate it, then she could have her eyes back.

  With that in mind, the gorgon reached out and pressed a finger to one of the runes. She chose one she recognised, Dispel, which occupied the bottom of the circle. Nothing happened. She tried the other runes, including the ones which she could not identify, and received no reaction.

  ‘Physical touch does not work. Figures.’

  Not entirely unexpected, seeing how she had interacted with the last rune. Kalistra steeled herself for what she would have to do next.

  ‘If I freeze up again, make sure you pull me free.’

  She said, giving Ziz’s head a small scratch. The primordial grumbled in ascent, one large eye flicking between her and the runes. Kalistra let out a steadying breath, and reached out to the Dispel rune with a tendril of her soul. She made contact with it, and almost immediately felt something reach back.

  It was almost enough to make her recoil from the pillar, and yet, this presence was different to the last. Less substantive than the titanic entity, closer to the basic intent held within a standard red rune. The presence seemed to want something from her, almost as if it were asking a question.

  ‘How odd.’

  ‘Are you okay?’

  Ziz shuffled beside her, nervous. The gorgon turned a few serpents upon her partner, ruffling its feathers.

  ‘Yes, I’m alright. This rune is a little friendlier than the last.’

  Cautiously, Kalistra probed at the small presence, trying to get something more from it. There was nothing but an urging, a request for something.

  ‘What is that you want…’

  She muttered, trying to make sense of it. If it was asking her a question, then perhaps, the little presence was seeking an answer. Kalistra attempted to reach out with a query of her own, to discern what it was the rune was asking. The glowing symbol only pushed her harder for an answer.

  ‘But what is the question?’

  ‘What question?’

  Ziz asked, close enough to hear as Kalistra muttered under her breath.

  ‘The rune.’ She explained. ‘It seems to be asking me something, I just do not know what.’

  ‘Hmm.’ Her partner cawed low. ‘Maybe you should just try and answer?’

  ‘How can I answer a question I do not understand?’

  Kalistra muttered, eyeing the curves and shape of the rune. Dispel was not an overly complicated symbol, though one which saw little use. She wondered what its shape had to do with the presence that lived inside.

  ‘Just say yes or no. That’s what I usually do.’

  Ziz huffed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Kalistra sighed and made to rebuke her partner, but hesitated. She eyed the rune again. What kind of question would the rune for dispel ask? If she had to guess, it was likely something relating to its typical function, the intent from which its name was derived.

  There was only one real way to find out, and it was just as Ziz had said. She needed to provide an answer. Kalistra pushed her intent through her link with the symbol and at the same moment, she spoke.

  ‘No.’

  The kernel of intent reached the rune’s presence. She received something in return, an affirmative acknowledgement. Kalistra’s heart thundered as she waited a few drawn-out seconds.

  ‘Did it work?’

  Ziz eventually asked. Kalistra released a tense breath.

  ‘I… I think so.’

  ‘But nothing happened?’

  The primordial sounded almost disappointed. Indeed, nothing had happened within the expansive chamber. The only notable change was that the little presence, once so insistent, had gone silent.

  ‘It seems to have accepted my answer.’

  Kalistra said, trying to sense something else from the rune. Ziz huffed and flicked its tail.

  ‘Maybe you gave the wrong one. Try saying yes instead.’

  The gorgon did, but the little presence remained inert. It seemed to be done with her for the moment. Kalistra eventually sighed and gave up, disconnecting from the rune and stepping back from the pillar.

  ‘It’s no use. I must be doing something wrong.’

  She examined the other runes, gaze landing upon the topmost of the six, the one which represented Initialisation. Perhaps she had been starting at the wrong point. Kalistra drew upon her soul and touched the rune, her connection was met with another presence, similar to the one which occupied Dispel. It too seemed to ask something, and this time, Kalistra had an answer ready.

  ‘Yes.’

  The presence acknowledged her, spun in on itself, and the chamber around them began to rumble. Kalistra terminated her connection with the rune, hair fanning out to examine the domed ceiling. The strange runes which filled the space between pipe openings had begun to pulse with brighter light. They seemed to strobe in time with the rumble that shook the ground.

  ‘You did it.’

  Ziz said, crouching low beside her.

  ‘It would appear so.’

  Around them the channels of liquid began to flow. Not in a flood as they had before, but with the lethargy of a meandering river. Nearby the pillar made a series of clicking sounds and released two streams of liquid into the air, one silver and one blue. Kalistra felt a sharp moment of panic at the sight, a feeling which abruptly shifted to awe when the liquid did not fall.

  The two streams flowed upward in a manner reminiscent of the blood waterfall. They came to a stop halfway up to the cavern ceiling, where two globs of coloured liquid began to form. The two substances were close to one another, mere millimetres apart, and yet they never touched.

  Kalistra watched on as the floating mass grew and grew, easily surpassing Ziz in width from beak to tail. The dual streams finally cut off, and all the liquid in the room went still. Above them the two drugs hung like a gleaming moon, reflecting light from all the surrounding runes.

  ‘Okay. So that is what Initialise does.’

  Kalistra said after a tense moment of silence.

  ‘Yes, it doesn’t feel like a place of power though.’

  Ziz muttered. The primordial was not wrong, Kalistra’s bond was still telling her that what they needed was here, but it did not think much of the floating liquids.

  ‘That was just one of six runes, I am certain there is a way we can make it work.’

  She turned her attention back to the pillar. Now they had covered Initiate, Kalistra guessed Dispel likely cancelled whatever process was underway. Seeing as there was a giant ball of liquid floating above their heads, that might not be a good idea.

  The final rune she knew was Condense, and seeing as she was unsure what that might entail, Kalistra decided there was nothing for it but to try. She reached out, and connected to the rune. It posed a query to her, same as the others had.

  ‘Yes.’

  She pushed the response through, received an acknowledgement, and…

  BOOM. A shockwave slammed into them from overhead as the two liquids crashed together. Kalistra was sent stumbling into Ziz, ears ringing from the blast. She gaped up at the floating ball, expecting the mixture to fall inert. Instead, the two substances danced across one another like oil and water, just as they did within the flowers that produced them.

  ‘How…’

  Kalistra muttered, but any musings were cut short by another sound, one which pumped ice into her veins. A roar echoed out of the pipes up above, reverberating through the chamber. It held for a time before fading, replaced by the distant sound of something large slamming against steel.

  ‘Kali, I think it heard that.’

  Ziz was rigid as a stone, head swivelling between the pipes, trying to discern which contained the distant titan. Kalistra cursed loudly, thought for a moment, then cursed again. Now they were on the clock, and she still had no clue what she was doing.

  ‘Should we run?’

  The avian seemed ready to flee at any moment, and the gorgon almost leapt right atop its back. Only, if they ran now, would they get another chance? What if the beast smashed the controls in its fury at the lights, or posted up here permanently to gorge upon the silver drug. No, she needed to figure out what this titanic chamber was capable of. Surely there was something here that could help them.

  ‘Get ready to fly.’

  Was all she said as she got to work. There were three runes remaining, one of which she knew had something to do with attuning or imparting. Kalistra started there. This time, her connection was met with a query of a different kind. It felt strange, more open than the others. She had no time to consider what that might mean.

  ‘Yes.’

  She commanded blindly. The presence within the rune received the answer, appeared to take a moment to process it, and returned a negative. It enquired something of her again in its strange way.

  ‘It did not work. Why did it not work?’

  Panic blossomed in Kalistra’s chest. She could hear the approach of the titan, and with each passing moment it got closer.

  ‘No.’ She tried and got another negative. ‘By the blood, why?’

  There was no time to consider, she still had two more runes left. Blindly, Kalistra reached out to one of them. The presence within unspooled and made its enquiry to her.

  ‘Yes!’

  There came the usual acknowledgement and a resounding crack from overhead. The ball of swirling liquid began to shudder as something strange rippled through the air around it. This went on for a few seconds before abruptly stopping, with no real change apparent.

  ‘Kali…’

  Ziz was getting nervous, tail whipping the air as it watched the skies.

  ‘I know.’

  Kalistra cried. One more rune, she had one more rune to try. The gorgon reached out, and connected to the glowing symbol. It enquired, she gave an ascent, and nothing happened. Above them the monster’s approach was growing thunderous, she could almost hear the chorus of fifty heads grunting in excitement.

  ‘There has to be a way. I just need to know what they all do.’

  She ran her eyes along the runes. Initiate on top, Dispel on the bottom. The rune she was not sure of on the top right and Condense right below that. What did they all have in common? She thought of the presences within each rune, how their questions felt vague, incomplete. Why, why could she not understand them? It was as if each of the presences was part of a picture she could not quite see. Just like…

  ‘Like a single rune in a full script.’

  The realisation slammed into her so hard she almost staggered. Of course that was it. These were, after all, still runes. Even if they were different from the usual crimson script, they likely shared some of its principles.

  ‘Kali, it’s close.’

  Ziz nudged her, but Kalistra was past caring about the beast, past caring even about the place of power. At that moment, she was a girl again, discovering the wonders of Transcription for the first time. The reason she could not discern anything from the runes, was because they were not meant to be considered individually. Like any runic script, to truly understand its function, you had to consider it as a whole. Not just individual words, but the whole sentence.

  As the Minotoncheres roared ever closer, Kalistra stepped forward. She pressed her hand to the pillar's centre and began to connect to the runes. The presences within came to her with their queries and vague sense of purpose. With each additional link she saw further, understood just that little bit more, until finally, she contacted the final rune, and the Soul Forge unspooled itself before her.

  Kalistra had always been a natural when it came to Transcription. Even from a young age she had a good grasp of runes and their intent. Nothing she had seen or studied could have prepared her for the terrifying grandeur of the Soul Forge.

  The runes came together, forming not a set of instructions or concrete purpose, but a collection of controls. Controls which, in the hands of someone who understood them, could create wonders. Overhead the monster boomed in its approach. Wonders, or something straight out of a nightmare.

  The gorgon shook herself. She did not have time to contemplate what she had discovered. She needed to act before the beast arrived. Like a master musician running their hands along the keys of a piano, Kalistra considered each of the runes. With so much possibility, the greatest challenge was considering how to act. The gorgon considered her problems like notes she could play, and from them, she formed a song.

  Overhead, the massive ball of liquid began to bubble and hiss. Kalistra used the rune she had not quite identified, which she now knew to be Imbue, to impart meaning to her creation. She used one of the previously unknown runes, Transfigure, to change the orb’s very shape. It took on the form of complex symbols within the sky, folding another layer of intent atop the liquids.

  Occasionally she would Condense the substance, compacting her work within to build further upon it. She could feel it taking shape through her link to the forge, sensing the moment her song reached its crescendo.

  ‘Kalistra! Look!’

  Ziz stamped in fear as a gigantic arm reached through one of the holes in the ceiling. Another followed, then half a dozen more. The Minotocheres hauled itself into the chamber like a beast emerging from the deep. It crashed to the metal floor and straightened with a triumphant roar, horns almost scraping the domed ceiling.

  Some of the monster’s heads noticed them as others took in its surroundings. Kalistra watched, still immersed in her work, as the titan attempted two things at once. It took a step towards her and Ziz, while also reaching for the bounty of silver liquid within the nearby channels. The result was a chorus of frustrated roars as the titan almost toppled over.

  That moment of internal division gave Kalistra all the time she needed to finish up. The gorgon passed on an acknowledgement and a request to the final of the six runes. The second she had not known, Catalyse. The substance up above rippled, then crumpled in as she compacted it one final time.

  There was a flash, the ball of liquid glowing momentarily as bright as the sun. When the light faded, the silver and blue mass was gone, leaving a perfectly spherical orb of bronze suspended in its place. Kalistra’s bond swelled at the sight, telling her that this was it, this was what she required.

  The finalisation of the forge had also served to draw the Minotoncheres’ full ire. Silver liquid rained in a cascade as it straightened, falling from a multitude of arms as they were pulled from various channels.

  ‘Fly!’

  Kalistra cried as she dove upon her partner’s back. Ziz needed no further urging, beating its wings to push them up and away from their giant foe. The Minotoncheres stomped after them, reaching the floating bronze ball in heartbeats. It made to swipe the orb aside, and met with one of Kalistra’s workings. Not only did the orb fail to move, but the monster recoiled in pain, clutching its hand and screaming. Ziz took the opportunity to gain some height.

  ‘You need to dive into the orb.’

  Kalistra yelled to her companion, receiving a confused look in return.

  ‘It’s solid, it hurt the monster.’

  ‘That’s because it’s supposed to. It won’t do the same to us.’ Not entirely true, what was about to happen would be extraordinarily painful, but Ziz did not need to know that. ‘Dive now, before it recovers!’

  The primordial shook itself, and with a defiant screech, shot towards the bronze sphere. Kalistra caught a momentary glimpse of the Minotoncheres, eyes wide and bloodshot, jaws loose partway through a bellow. Then they passed into the sphere, and the gorgon’s world became naught but fire and pain.

  Within the chamber of the Soul Forge, a titanic monster paced. It had been taunted, beaten, and bloodied. Never in its existence had the creature felt such rage. Even the abundance of silver could not distract it from the bronze ball gleaming in the cavern’s centre. It had battered at the accursed orb, and suffered agony at every blow. Unable to get at the prey that had settled inside, it had taken to pacing and waiting. Eventually the two insects would emerge, and it would finally have them.

  It was then that something pulsed through the Labyrinth, an invisible force, unseen and undetected by almost all. The pulse passed by the Minotoncheres and touched something within it. Instincts that it did not know it had awoke, shivering through it to cry out with one simple message.

  FLEE.

  The beast turned from the orb, prey forgotten, and did as it was bid.