The Way of the Soul by Stuart Jaffe Page B

across Reon’s legs and sending her to the ground. In one fluid motion, Malja rose to her feet, brought Viper overhead, and chopped the weapon down in the ground. The curved blade formed a deadly belt over Reon’s waist.
    Sweating and breathing hard, Malja said, “Now, give me the Soul of the Sun and I’ll let you live.”
    Reon glowered. “You’re going to fail the test.”
    Her fingers curled into a fist and then snapped wide open. A portal formed beneath her. But instead of dropping into another world, Reon held tight to the ground.
    Her bottom half slid through, escaping Viper’s grasp. She used the momentum like a gymnast, swinging up and out of the portal. As she lifted into the air, the portal closed, and Reon landed with feet firmly on the ground, her blade pointed at Malja’s neck.
    “Cute,” Malja said. Then her eyes narrowed. She had underestimated Reon for too long.
    In one swift move, she lowered Viper flat on the ground and sliced upward, bringing sand along with her attack. Reon dashed back, holding her blade up, and spit the sand from her lips.
    The two launched into vigorous assaults and parries. They used their weapons well — lunging, dodging, swiping to the head, ducking below. As much as Malja could attack, Reon could defend and counter. Malja felt sluggish, but she had far more experience.
    Though they seemed otherwise evenly matched, she could tell victory would be hers. Her stubbornness would win this, if nothing else. As long as she kept her focus and avoided foolish mistakes.
    Reon must have come to the same conclusion. After parrying the latest attack, she turned away and sprinted off towards the blazing woods. She punched out toward the air in front of her, creating a portal a few feet ahead.
    No more of this.
    Malja took a deep breath, ignored the burning air stinging her lungs, and concentrated on her memory of the metal wall surrounding the do-kha factory. A new portal formed in front of Reon’s portal. It happened too fast for Reon to stop. She ran full-force into Malja’s portal, smacked into the metal wall, and stumbled back dazed.
    Malja sauntered over to her enemy. She raised back her fist and aimed to knock out Reon.
    “No,” Reon shouted, thrusting her hand blindly.
    A portal formed beneath Malja, and she fell through.
     
     
    Malja landed on a hardwood floor. Four couples stood around her. The men wore layered suits with long tails and tall, black hats. The women wore ridiculous, overstuffed dresses that ballooned at the sides. All these people had painted their faces with stark white makeup, ruby lips, and heavy blue around the eyes.
    Flowers decorated the room on all sides. A quartet playing metal instruments stood in the back corner. On the opposite side of the room, an animal roasted on a spit — the delicious aroma infiltrated the air as thoroughly as the forest fire had in the previous world.
    The music stopped. All eyes stared at Malja.
    “Sorry to intrude,” Malja said. She looked around. There were doors on all the walls. “Which way is the exit?”
    A man sporting a wispy beard from the chin pointed to a red door on the left. “There,” he mumbled, his stunned expression the closest he came to a deeper reaction.
    Malja hurried out the door and entered a long hall filled with statues, flowers, and more doors. From behind she heard the music pick up again, some nervous laughter, and a resumption of dancing.
    She focused on the blank wall next to a statue of a woman’s beautiful body with the head of an insect. Malja closed her eyes to picture the flaming forest and the determined rage she felt toward Reon. Then she opened a portal.
     
     
    When she stepped back onto the beach, Reon was gone. A tree crashed down, sending up flames and sparks high in the sky. Malja stared at the empty spot in the sand where she had last seen Reon.
    “Korstra and Kryssta,” Malja said and kicked at the sand.
    With her do-kha, she opened a portal back to the swamps and the