The Wanderer lunged and stabbed at Aram’s chest. Raising both swords high, the half giant made no attempt to block the thrust. Instead, he pivoted, so the Wanderer’s sword struck his coat of rings at an angle. The tip scraped across the armor, failing to penetrate.
Aram brought the torivorian swords down viciously, severing both of the Wanderer’s arms at the shoulders, slicing neatly through the chitinous casing. As the Wanderer struggled to recover, Aram paced forward, torivorian blades hacking in rapid sweeps. Chunks of the Wanderer flew free, turning to dust when parted from his central bulk.
Shrinking as he sprouted new arms, the Wanderer tried a punch and lost the new appendage. The other limb broadened into a defensive rectangle of titan-crab shell, but Aram cleaved it in half. As the Wanderer spun to flee, a brutal horizontal slash bisected him at the waist. The bottom half of the Wanderer crumbled, and Aram savagely attacked what remained. A few more swings, and there was nothing left to cut.
The half giant sank to his knees, breathing hard, as Jason and Corinne returned to the island. Jason’s shoulder ached, but he hardly felt the pain through his enormous relief.
“Want to know one of the many things I learned from Drake?” Aram asked without facing them. “With enough force behind them, torivorian blades can tear through the shells of titan crabs. The Wanderer appeared surprised. He had formed a thick shell, and was reinforcing it wherever the blades landed.”
“Are you all right?” Corinne asked.
Aram glanced down at himself. “I’ll live. I lunged away and got low while Nia shielded me from the worst of the blast. You two bought me enough time to recover. Thanks.”
“I shouldn’t have thrown it,” Jason said, his insides writhing.
“You did the right thing,” Aram assured him. “There was no way to anticipate what happened. You aimed low. You did it right. We had to try orantium. The shape-shifter was starting to look unbeatable. He caught the sphere, and Nia paid a price to protect us. That fight could have gone either way, Jason. We got lucky at the end. You two were magnificent. You crossed swords with the Wanderer and will live to tell the tale. I tried to act more stunned than I really was, and the Wanderer took the bait. He expected to finish me quickly. And I suspect he was overconfident about his shell armor. I would wager he has killed many an opponent while they fruitlessly strike at him.”
“Are you all right?” Jason asked Corinne.
“I was using Drake’s breastplate,” she said. “The tail struck me there. How about your shoulder?”
Jason shrugged it, rolled it, and rubbed it. “Sore, but I don’t think he broke anything. It might turn an interesting color.”
“We got off easy,” Aram grunted. “Others paid the price.”
“Farfalee,” Jason remembered. “Jasher thought she might have a chance if we plant her quickly.”
Corinne went and gingerly collected the seed from where the Wanderer had tossed it aside. She held it in her palm while Jason and Aram investigated it. The casing was split on one side. There was no telling how deep the knifepoint had penetrated.
“I’m no expert at growing seedfolk,” Aram announced, “but this island seems to be little more than a rock pile. All of the ledges and other islands have been similar. I have seen nothing growing down here. There is no soil, and infrequent sunlight.”
“You’re right,” Jason said. “It won’t do her any good to bury her seed under barren rocks.”
“Back by the lake,” Corinne said. “On the other side of the caverns there were some fertile areas by the lakeside. At least as fertile as the Fuming Waste gets.”
“I won’t fit through those caves until after dawn,” Aram said.
“I can do it,” Corinne offered. “I was paying attention to the way.”
“I was trying to do the same,” Aram said. “There were some puzzling junctions. You don’t want to get lost in there.”
“There could be fertile ground up ahead,” Jason said.
“Possible,” Aram allowed, “though not likely based on what I’ve seen.”
Corinne had crouched to rifle through Jasher’s pack. “Here is his orantium,” she said, holding up the last of their spheres. Setting the globe aside, she kept searching. “I know Farfalee translated the directions. They must be in here somewhere. Here we go.” She produced the pages of notes. “Thankfully, he kept them dry.”
“I should double-check what I need to do,” Jason said.
Holding a glowing strand of seaweed close, Corinne scanned the writing. “I see nothing they failed to tell us. The entrance is under the waterfall. You should enter alone and unarmed. If you are unworthy, you won’t survive. There are no further details.”
“I hope I’m worthy,” Jason said.
“I’ve been watching all of this closely,” Aram said. “That oracle knew her business. If I harbored any doubts before, they have flown. We would not have made it this far without each person she selected. Drake stopped the duel with the torivor. Corinne got rid of the spying lurker. Jason figured out how to defeat the Maumet. Farfalee translated the scroll. And the Wanderer required a team effort. Jasher weakened it. Nia shielded us. That same oracle who chose our team wanted you here, Jason. She would not have sent you to perish as an unworthy trespasser. I don’t expect this seer has ever had a more worthy visitor.”
The reasoning brought Jason comfort.
“I should go,” Corinne said. “I want to get Farfalee and Jasher in the ground.”
“It will be dangerous,” Aram said. “You won’t be able to start immediately after an eruption.”
“I would face the same peril whenever I return,” Corinne said.
“Let me study the instructions,” Aram said. “I paid close attention, and I have a reliable sense of direction. Give me a moment to memorize what I need. Then you bring these pages with you and wait for us on the far side.”
“Are you sure you can make it though without them?” Corinne asked.
“I could probably retrace our route even without studying the instructions,” Aram claimed. “As we came through, I looked back often. Give me a moment.”
The half giant sat staring at the writing, one finger sliding across the words, his lips moving occasionally. At times he would close his eyes, move his lips, and then check himself. Finally, he handed the pages back to Corinne. “Keep out of sight on the other side.”