The Guardian
(Ralion I E)
(c) 1993 Konstantin
Yurievich Boyandin
E-mail:
[email protected], [email protected]
WWW homepage
http://www.cnit.nsu.ru/~mbo
Postal: Russia 630090 Novosibirsk-90 p/b
315
This text has never been published.
Preface
This text is not forbidden to distribute by electronic media given it
is unchanged, the copyright notice is left intact and no profit is gained
through the process of its distribution, directly or indirectly.
This text isn't a translation from Russian texts by the same author,
nor any Russian text is a translation thereof. This is 'raw' text, which should
have been thoroughly revised (but was not, since it became sure it isn't likely
it might be published).
Please view this text as the first author's attempt to write fantasy
books directly in English. Please contact the author on any question related to
this or other texts, in English or Russian.
The Ralion image depicted below have been thoroughly revised and
changed by now; most of the underlying ideas have been replaced and many new
ones added. The text below does *not* refer to Ralion world as the author views
it now.
K.B., 21-st of May, 1999,
Novosibirsk.
Chapter 1. The arrival
The storm was over. All the waves, previously malignant, furious and
roaring now became lazily rolling curbs. Just occasional splashes were heard;
the sky cleared and a sunset glowed peacefully. Nlaminer awakened to find that
Rhissa was not in the cave.
Stretching, he sat and tried to recall all events of the previous
hours. The boat, he thought with a bitterness, is now a pile of wooden pieces.
How will we leave this island ?
He crawled to the entrance and looked out, blinking. The ocean was
completely calm; seagulls were flying over him, their cries bringing him back
to reality.
The boat lay on the
sand just in front of the entrance.
Amazing, he thought. How could it survive ? Then he noticed tiny blue
sparks between planks, felt once more the leaden fatigue and thought with
satisfaction, "At least I have spared our boat." After hours of
trying to keep their boat afloat, it was hard enough to breathe... And the
spell was still working. Nlaminer ceased his concentration on the spell and
sparks died one by one.
There were no signs of Rhissa around. It was a good omen. If something
dangerous were nearby, he wouldn't be left to sleep. The island was mostly
rocky; no big predators were here, so Rhissa had something to do. Undoubtedly
she will return to the same cave. There is time to scout the surroundings,
while the sun still provides some light.
Nlaminer drew the boat to a safer place (though the storm was over, it
could happen again) and began walking clockwise, in the direction of the purple
sun just ahead. The island was a rough circle, a steep cliff one hundred feet
high, with no hints of safe climbing. If we do not find some place to ascend,
thought Nlaminer gloomily, we will have to sail north again. With no water and
no food supplies, the journey can be the last one.
The cliff was dark and sturdy. Only sand, a ring of sand twenty feet
wide - all that separated the cliff from the ocean. In the morning, while they
tried to find a haven and found none, the words about curse befallen this
island seemed not only a dark joke; the lightnings, striking the rocky circle,
the mighty waves trying to smash adventurers to death - as if some hostile will
was trying to prevent them from getting ashore. The tiny pool of quiet water
around the boat - the only effect of his spell - was not safe enough, when
waves fell from above and the tons of foamy water tried to swallow them. And
now, this unsafe barrier between rock and water was not promising any good
shelter.
The recollection ended
after they had crawled into a natural cave; Nlaminer had fallen asleep right on
the spot. As far as he could guess it was about nine o'clock now. He slept
for... for fourteen hours. The spell
drained him too much. Deep in his
thoughts, Nlaminer made several paces more and had a first look at the Ladder.
*
* *
Rhissa dived for several hours; the ocean water was warm and clear; and
the oppressive feelings following the storm has passed away. The island pierced
the abyss like a great tower, rising from the unseen depths. The bottom
descended very quickly; by the time Nlaminer woke up she had dived as deep as
she could trying to reach the lower part of the huge stone ladder; but it
continued deeper and deeper, with no sign of bottom nearby.
It seemed the island drowned, to a depth of several hundred feet.
Whatever secrets now lay under the unreachable mass of silt, they were well
hidden. She thought she saw some outlines of doors... probably walls or
statues... but probably it was just the work of imagination.
The ladder itself was a great discovery. This island was considered
deserted and lifeless. She was always fascinated by any mysteries and events of
the past. When Nlaminer awakens, she thought, they will lead their path up to
the top. Whatever shelter can be found here, there is undoubtedly some building
atop.
She ate. There was fish aplenty; she liked it raw, but Nlaminer,
despite his carnivorous origin, always boiled or fried any meat or fish. Tastes differ; even if his bow wasn't lost
in the storm, there was nothing he could hunt for now - only seagulls.
She had caught fish enough for them both. The food was safe under the
large rock near the entrance to their cave. Nlaminer, as usual, wouldn't find
it. By the time she finished trying to reach ladder's bottom Nlaminer woke.
Rhissa swam to the shore and let herself get dry first. Nlaminer's
footprints were fresh, waves hadn't washed them away. He would wait for her in
the cave. Before she started moving, Rhissa had a look at the sunset. The sun
was enormous and deep purple; the Night Star, first to appear, already sparkled
amidst the rare white feathers of the clouds.
Nlaminer hadn't found the
fish, exactly as she thought.
*
* *
"I hoped we will quickly visit the lighthouse so we could leave
for Onnd," Nlaminer said, looking at the pile of large raw fishes.
"It turns out I will delay my further plans. This haven wasn't visited for
several years now." He picked a fish and after a sigh began to eat it.
Rhissa hid a smile; Nlaminer was brought up by Humans. Their habits were still
strong in him.
"And what are the
plans ?"
"Well... the same ones, I'm afraid. I would like to sail to the
Dragon Isles. As I was said. Now I have money enough to undertake this
voyage." He scanned through his backpack. "The money order was
damaged, I see. Well, that means only two or three days delay, no more. And
what about you, Rhissa ? What plans did you have beyond investigating the
Lighthouse ?"
"Me ?"
Rhissa was surprised. "I am not fond of voyages. Haans
lead a settled life,
you know."
"I cannot believe that. We are traveling together for twenty
years. If this is a settled life..." He smiled ironically.
"I'm a Watcher, remember ?" Rhissa objected. "It's my
task to travel and look for unusual events. Indeed, I like travels now...
probably more than other Haans."
"I see."
Nlaminer remembered the day of their departure. As
usual, they had met at
the wharf of Pink Isle the day before sailing
off. Nine times they
undertook their adventures; nine times they met
the very day before.
He finished eating and
decided to change subject.
"I thought the ladder was built at the same time the lighthouse
was," Nlaminer said. "If the ladder is so ancient, who could
construct it, then ?"
"Possibly the
Akaeff could," suggested Rhissa.
"The race that disappeared one day," said he. "I do not
believe they ever existed. Too many legends say they were very mighty
creatures. And yet, nothing wonderful remained after them. We don't even know
what gods they had, do we ?"
Rhissa shrugged. She
preferred not to discuss cults.
Nlaminer knew this and after several seconds added, "Well, at
least we know nothing now. Time to move along, right ?"
Rhissa nodded. "It's the night already; if you are rested, let's
move." Without any further remark she stood and disappeared in the coming
darkness.
Nlaminer followed her
close. "You are a good hunter," added he. "The fish was
good." There was no reply, for her friend never answered if there was no
question. Nlaminer knew very well that some things are very good until you
tried to understand them better. This was exactly the case.
*
* *
They stood on the top
of the Ladder. Its size and proportions
made it obvious to
call it that way. Its visible part spanned for more
than a hundred feet;
eight feet wide, each stair about one foot high,
good ladder for some
tall creatures. And how much does it continue
underwater ? And why
are there no railings ?
Rhissa sat on the marble stair and studied tiny lines incrusted in the
stone. The outlines were almost effaced, probably due to the fact the Ladder
was several centuries old. There should be a serious reason to erect such a
strange staircase, direct, plain, with no railings.
Nlaminer left the Ladder at once. There was a tunnel leading through
the rock - no more than fifty feet long. Both entrances were wide and high. He
couldn't reach the ceiling of the passage, despite he was six feet tall. And
the carving was very fine. Some runic writings could still be seen, but the
language was unknown.
After searching for a
while he found outlines of a well
hidden door, leading
somewhere into the depth of the cliff. The door
was placed in the
center of the tunnel and was inscribed with a
dancing reptile
figure.
"Rhissa," called he. "Come here. I have just found
something interesting."
"Nothing,"
whispered Rhissa after listening to the stone door.
"But I feel
someone's presence there. Something... sleeping..."
She closed her eyes. Nlaminer saw rainbow circles all around himself, a
sign of mental sending. He frowned and tried to concentrate on the sending.
The walls of the tunnels boiled, dropped down in large brilliant
tongues of flame and he was left in the middle of nothing.
He turned and turned and turned and there was no end to this slow
movement, in the void with no clues and no sights. Out of nowhere, a huge
distant laughing was heard. The floor appeared from below. It rushed towards
Nlaminer, but unexpectedly slowed down and touched his feet gently. Nlaminer
looked around. If this was the usual mental travel, he should stand where he
was, otherwise he could fall off the cliff when he turned back.
The floor was stone, of very fine polishing, with terrible monster faces
pictured everywhere. Their bloody jaws seemed to move, foam dropping from the
waiting fangs.
The figures appeared all around him. Three huge columns of frozen
water, upon them three tall and enormous creatures, tall enough to be deities,
eyes flaming, weapons clutched in mighty hands.
"I expel you from
my domain," said the deep voice from above.
"Your devotees
smashed down my altars and temples, and this is a good
time to repay you for
my pain."
Creatures seemed to struggle, trying to escape from their unusual
places, but in vain, their muscles bulging, mouths opening but no sounds came
out of them.
"Struggle if you like," the resonant voice added.
"Struggle in vain. I demand that all who pained my people are expelled
from here forever."
Reptile-like dancing figures appeared in dozens, all armed with
formidable spiked clubs, running towards Nlaminer, raising their deadly
weapons. Nlaminer stood frozen unable to do anything but concentrate in the hope
that he would travel back.
The scene stood fast. Another voice, tiny, barely audible, came out of
an unknown direction.
"Search my place, stranger. Search my place if you want to fight
the upcoming death."
Nlaminer struggled to escape from the terrible vision. The laughter
came again, the figures continued to move, the statues crying and struggling
helplessly in their ice traps... and the heart beats sounded louder and louder.
The club hissed right behind his back...
He awakened. The door
was still closed. Rhissa was nowhere near.
The stars shone cold and indifferent in the clear night sky.
*
* *
"Rhissa ?"
No answer.
He saw her figure, bowed before some large rock as if reading
inscriptions. A small hissing sound came out of her mouth, but her eyes were
closed and her whole body was tense and inert. Nlaminer detected she was angry,
very angry - by the smell and the curled tip of her tail. Growling came out of
her throat and Nlaminer, with terror, saw the bloody scratch appearing across
her breast, the black line oozing down. He grasped her arm and pulled away from
the rock.
As if hit by a lightning, he stood gasping for air and fighting the
terrible pain in the heart. Rhissa awakened, too, and her eyes were dim and
full of pain. A shallow cut ran across her breast. The wound was trifling, but
the whole scene could terrify anyone.
They sat on the cold
wet sand, unable to speak, just blinking and inhaling fresh cold air.
* *
*
She cured their wounds - Nlaminer was also cut, though he did not
notice this small injury on his neck. He shuddered a bit when her cold scaly
fingers touched the wound... and then it just disappeared.
"This is your hand," Nlaminer pointed out. On the stone
surface of the hidden door there was an imprint of the reptile paw - as if her
paw was red hot and melted the stone. Puzzled Rhissa looked at her hands. No
burns. No wounds, completely nothing.
"What did you see ?" asked she after all. Nlaminer was
puzzled, too, for Rhissa never told her visions, nor asked someone about his.
These parts of her existence were considered private and were never
discussed. Nlaminer did not regard this
experience as too private but always was glad to do well with any people. When
your friend is of another race it is good not to ask too many questions. This
was a pain, for his passion for knowledge was awesome. And this question did
take him by surprise.
Nlaminer described his vision. He could not describe the faces of the
creature standing on the ice pillars; no faces came out of memory. But the
hissing, calm voice that interrupted the horrible scene was clear and familiar
to Rhissa.
"We should find his place," said she shortly. "It should
be here somewhere. And we shall find it quickly, until another vision
comes."
"I would like to search the lighthouse first," Nlaminer
objected, "It seems there was some disaster there."
"There will be
another disaster if we do not understand what is happening now," Rhissa
added and they walked towards the huge stone building rising up as if from the
stone itself. Something sparkled occasionally on the roof of the building, but
in the dark nothing could be seen there.
*
* *
There were visions before, Nlaminer thought. They never were troubled
by them... and never wounded in the visions. Like being wounded in the dreams,
he considered that impossible and ridiculous. This is the time, probably, to
change one's mind.
For Rhissa, the mental travel was a part of her clerical knowledge.
Several gods talked to their devotees in this way; for Nlaminer, though, mental
travel was some inner ability, unpredictable and hard to control. The best he
could do was to oppose the sendings and stay in this reality. This is why he
paid no serious attention to the visions that came to him.
And yet something troubled him now. There is some detail that did not
present before. Nlaminer decided to think about other things; the best way to
let the mind solve the mystery.
They approached the building - sort of a castle, really - and were
surprised again. A round piece of land encircled by the cliff was now a
lifeless wasteland. No grass, no insects, nothing but small rocks. They stood for a while, then Rhissa took
from the earth something weightless, brittle and tiny. She looked at it, then
stretched her arm to Nlaminer. He had a closer look. A leaf of some grass,
withered, as if burned.
"Completely dead," she remarked. "But I feel no undead
around here."
Nlaminer understood it quite well. It was the day they first met when
some terrible vampire-like creature attacked them and nearly killed them both.
He remembered well how the grass withered and died as the monster walked to
them. Its undead essence was so strong it poisoned life with its very presence.
The grass looked
exactly the same now.
They looked over the western corner of the lighthouse, the small grove
of nice birch-like trees. Well, they were trees once; now it was only skeletons
of the trees that they saw. Like the grass remains, the trunks were lifeless,
crippled and ugly. Rhissa was about to leave the devastated grove when Nlaminer
detected something interesting. A branch on one of the trees seemed to survive
the disaster. Though it was also near death now, he took it carefully and
examined it closely. The branch could be restored to life if they found water
quickly.
Another discovery was half-buried nearby--a large marble plate with a
rune engraved in it.
"Murti," Rhissa was astonished. "I didn't know that one
can desecrate Murti's grove and go away with it !" She searched the grove
for some time and found nothing. Nlaminer waited while she prayed briefly to
Murti and then left the dead grove.
"The more I see
here," Nlaminer added, "The more I think this
place is
accursed."
"You are
right," Rhissa nodded. "And we should be very, very
careful now."
Stepping carefully,
the two of them entered the dark and sinister inner yard of the lighthouse.
*
* *
Nlaminer cast the spell of warning, but nothing, nothing was around.
After they had walked a bit around the main building, Nlaminer offered to
search other buildings, hidden inside the outer wall.
"It is unlikely we find something here," he indicated,
"So let's browse through these rooms first. We have no weapons, no tools.
Before we enter the lighthouse," and he pointed at a formidable iron door
that blocked the entrance into the lighthouse, "we should find some
equipment."
Rhissa nodded and they
left for different doors. All were ajar, no sounds except for the whining wind
came out of them. If some danger was hidden in the lighthouse, it lurked
somewhere deeper.
*
* *
Nlaminer did only superficial searching. His thoughts were far away, in
the day and place they first met, in the depth of Wasteland dungeons, under the
barren and lifeless surface of the devastated island.
...He lost all three companions when a flock of blood hawks, terrible
vampire birds, attacked them by surprise. Only Nlaminer, with his superior
unarmed combat skills, smashed three of the lightning-quick birds and got away
with no more than a scratch.
His three friends, though, were ripped to pieces in several blinks of
an eye and before the hungry monstrosities were off for him again, Nlaminer was
forced to flee, with sharp cries of the blood hawks following him close. He
jumped into an old passage, closed the squeaky door after him and sat for a
moment to think how he would find his way back.
Tears did not come, though Nlaminer grieved very much; Marrkes race
never exposed their feelings in this way. In any case, they always were aware
of death that can come in any moment. This dangerous journey was a great risk
and they had lost. The only thing he could do was to find the remnants and bury
them.
That meant he would
confront the birds again. He walked through deserted streets of underworld city
for some time, then crawled into some room, set up his protection spells and
lay to sleep. His powers were very depleted, and now, alone and lost in the
deep maze, he had no other choice than to hide and crawl. These dungeons did
not forgive the mistakes.
*
* *
...He was in a kitchen now. That could help me a bit, Nlaminer thought.
There were pots of many types here. Nlaminer studied them carefully and then
donned one of them. Now there were two things in his backpack - one his
traveller box (tinderbox, candles, some torches, these sort of things), and now
a new pot would help him to eat what he liked.
There were also knives (useful things, though too bad to be weapons)
and all other kitchen stuff. Judging by the dusty odor, there was no food here.
The storeroom that was immediately beyond the kitchen, had also several
useful items. One of them was an oil lamp, half-full of oil, several feet of
rope and a hammer. Nlaminer took everything he supposed to be helpful in the
situation and noticed a sturdy trapdoor in the far corner of the room.
He put his ear to the
trapdoor and listened. He thought he heard distant scratching and squeaking,
but whether it was his imagination or real sounds he could not tell. The air
coming from under the trapdoor was malodorous and damp. No, not now, thought
Nlaminer, wriggling his nose. Why must I always stalk sewers ? It seems every
possible way is hidden beyond the filthy and harmful passages, filled with some
eerie and hungry life.
*
* *
Rhissa passed corridors and rooms with no useful things in them and
listened. No sounds, except for Nlaminer's steps in the far side of the wall
interior. No smells, just dust and rats somewhere near. She was deep in
thoughts about the perished grove and the overall feelings that filled the air
all around.
The sendings that struck them both were highly violent, aimed very
carefully, for they both disliked violence very much and such visions could be
interpreted only as menace. Who could wish them harm anyway ? They never
offended any deities, never desecrated any altars and temples... Who could
chase them, so harshly and intentionally ? The malignant aura predominated
around them, and new visions could come any time, probably more dangerous and
violent. She asked for guidance to Naata, her protector and source of wisdom,
but no signs of contact ever came. This was very strange and frightening now.
She could swear the words has reached her deity, but none came back. For the
high priest of a god it was very uncommon to lose any contact with one's deity.
And the voice of Andrynx, Time Traveller, Dancing with Crystal Ball,
The Guiding Light... what could force this neutral and peaceful deity to
interfere with someone's sending ?
There were no answers. Rhissa, still half-lost in thoughts, returned to
the entrance where Nlaminer waited, also thoughtful and uncertain.
The night was still young. They told each other what was found, and,
after all useful was collected, they decided to return to their cave now. The
whole building emanated unwelcome sensations. It was not safe to rest here.
Chapter
2. The Shrine
He managed to build fire - there were logs in the kitchen as well as in
the smithy - and the two of them enjoyed the warm waves falling on their
bodies. The wind outside the cave was getting stronger and sang its endless
song of cold and infinity.
Nlaminer sharpened the knife - the only weapon he had found in the
outer buildings. Rhissa refused to use any weapon, and just carved the branch
they had found into a sort of staff. The wood was still alive and could be
brought to life again, explained she, but in this accursed place only spells
could help it to survive. So while Nlaminer annoyed the silence with monotonous
gnashes of steel against whetstone, Rhissa chanted over the newly carved staff
and removed the last dead stripes of the bark.
After an hour they managed to make as decent weapons as the situation
allowed and went out hunting. They separated - nothing showed any danger around
- and began to search for food. Rhissa under water, Nlaminer went around the
isle, right by the cliff.
The water was still warm and Rhissa after several minutes returned with
her prey - several dozen fishes. Nlaminer returned only after an hour and
reported there were nothing but gulls' eggs.
Instead, he discovered
another hidden passage.
While he was frying
his fish he told Rhissa about that.
"The entrance is well hidden and the door just slides to the
left," he began. "It was inscribed with Andrynx rune, but there were
no footprints in the cave, as if it had been abandoned for centuries."
Rhissa opened her eyes wider and a spark shone in them. She didn't find
the hidden passage, despite she walked thrice around the isle. Nlaminer had a
definite gift of tracking.
"Wonderful," she said after Nlaminer finished his story.
"You help us a lot, my friend, for this is the only way to learn more. I
wouldn't like to tell that before, but it seems something prevents me from
talking to Naata."
Nlaminer was
astonished beyond measure. "How long is it so ?"
"After we had our
visions there, before that door."
"And you think the thing that sent all of this hides somewhere
behind the door ?"
Rhissa shook her head. "No, that place is quite safe. Well, safer
than you suppose. It's a crypt, very ancient crypt, built centuries before the
lighthouse was constructed."
Nlaminer wanted to ask how she knew such things, but there was probably
no need now. The certainty in Rhissa's voice was strong, and almost never made
suggestions taken out of nowhere.
Nlaminer finished his
meal and examined their water can.
"We have water for just a day, no more," he warned. "We
should find some source somewhere."
"I wouldn't drink the water inside the lighthouse," remarked
Rhissa. "Let's visit that Andrynx place first. If there is some source of
fresh water, it's underground."
They hid the entrance to their new home as best they could and left.
Another storm was building
up.
*
* *
They entered the narrow and dark hole; after moving for some time they
reached the door. It was unexpectedly dry here, with warm air coming from
nowhere. The only source of light was a slight phosphorescence of the walls.
The Andrynx rune glimmered faintly.
"Should I open the door ?" Nlaminer asked in low voice.
Rhissa shook her head and listened to the sounds that came from behind the
door. Nlaminer heard nothing but howling of the wind getting louder. At last,
Rhissa touched the door and it silently slid, opening another passage, lit with
the same shadows of light and giving an eerie feeling. They heard an echo when
they made first steps, as if someone were following them close.
There was noone else here; the passage led them down and down, until
they stood on the top of another stone ladder, vanishing into glimmering void
somewhere far below.
As Nlaminer descended,
always ready to react, part of his mind drifted back to the days of the past.
He went as if sleepwalking, noiselessly and steadily.
*
* *
After he healed his scratches, Nlaminer walked the dust-covered
passages and streets of the huge underground complex, deserted for some unknown
reason and turned into the lair of every nasty being one could imagine. Twice
he confronted huge spiders, four feet tall, who tried to make a food storage
out of him. The only weapon he had was his silver sword Protector, inscribed
with runes that made it deadly against the undead. He managed to slay both the
spiders without being sprinkled by their venom. After thinking for a while, he
cut off their venom bags and put them into the special silver containers he was
always carrying.
The City of Singara
seemed to transform into a monster pit.
The rest of the day he moved outside, to the levels where the tunnel to
the outside should be. He cleared just enough room to make camp, when he heard
feet running somewhere near. His sense of danger warned there was no joke
attack, and Nlaminer, having hastily collected his possessions, broke out with
his Protector.
There were several shadow-like creatures surrounding some figure,
defending with brightly shining pole. The shadows emanated something very dark
and forbidding and Nlaminer rushed to help the unfortunate adventurer.
The Protector began to glow; the enemy was some undead creatures. The
only noise was the hiss of the poles encircling the adventurer; the shadows
tried to touch him, but with no success. The adventurer had no chance; there
was nowhere to escape. The time was short, and Nlaminer struck the nearest
shadow, emerging out of darkness like a furious demon.
The shadow he had hit
dwindled and fled; Nlaminer sliced it
again and the terrible
ghost vanished with deep sorrowful howling. Two
of the five remaining
shadow monsters attacked Nlaminer from two
directions at once.
Nlaminer span around and caught a brief look at
the adventurer he was
helping. It was a small reptile, eyes
blazing with anger. It
looked at Nlaminer and cried something. He did
not hear it; there was
no time and, diving beneath the black hand
descending upon his
head he lunged back. Another moan, another spirit
disappearing.
He was raising his shining blade again when a darkness fell and the icy
wind took away his breath. He managed to see another shadow towering behind his
back when an arm pulled him back and he fell to his knees struggling for air.
The reptile was unexpectedly strong. It pulled him further into the
upper tunnels; his feet were failing and the dark mist still blackened the
eyesight. The danger was somewhere near, even though the shadows were not
pursuing.
Suddenly they were in the open air. There was a sunset; and he was
sitting by a tree. His senses returned to him in a flash and he discovered the
small reptile studying him with a worried look. Nlaminer opened his eyes but
managed to say nothing. He looked around; his backpack was lying near and the
sheathed Protector was still on his belt.
He managed to reach for the backpack and found a flask there. The Water
of Strength, his favourite medicine, splashed at the very bottom. He swallowed
and the fire ran through all his muscles. After a minute he managed to stand.
"Rhissa," said the reptile, pointing at its breast. "I'm
Rhissa Thalasshes ans Shiora."
Nlaminer was surprised. Rhissa spoke Thalen, sort of a common language
for this continent. He studied Rhissa and found it was much like Hanssa,
underground reptile race. Alike but not the same. This one had stronger arms,
head more oblong than Hanssa's. Obviously female. Probably there were other
differences. It didn't matter anyway; they had saved each other from the
inevitable death. "Nlaminer rad Haorsst," Nlaminer bowed. "I
thank you for your help, Rhissa."
The reptile sat near him and drank from her own flask. The odor from
the flask was herbal, clear and pleasant.
"Were you alone ?" Rhissa asked after a while. "I've
seen bodies in that vampire birds lair."
"All my friends perished there," Nlaminer answered after a
short pause. "I intended to bury them, but I think this is impossible
now." Nlaminer frowned.
"There was almost
nothing left of them," Rhissa pointed out. "If
it isn't a secret,
what you were searching there ?"
"There were books in this city," Nlaminer replied. "The
books on magic, a collection of the city's magic circle."
He was surprised how easy it was to tell that. They knew each other
just for several minutes and yet it was quite natural to tell her anything she
would like to know. Magic ? Hardly, he thought. His magic powers, medium as
they were, were enough to detect mental magic cast at him.
Rhissa sat silent for a moment. Then she said, "We could help each
other; I'm a Cleric and I feel you learn magic, too. You saved my life. I am
your faithful friend now, Nlaminer rad Haorsst, until the end of time."
Rhissa stood up and extended her hand to him, fingers outstretched. Nlaminer,
bewildered, saw the bluish shining which appeared for a moment all around her.
Then he stood and extended his hand in the similar gesture. "I
accept your friendship, Rhissa Thalasshes ans Shiora. I'm also in debt."
He thought bitterly that he had no goal now; his friends were dead and the
quest for the books was now senseless. He touched Rhissa's hand and immediately
the bitterness was gone, his spirit rose high and the colors shone all around.
"He heard the oath," Rhissa said. "You have a blessing
of Naata, my friend."
Nlaminer had only scarce knowledge about the cult of Naata but made
himself keep silence (this was not easy). Instead he bowed again.
"The city was devastated during the last war," Rhissa added.
"I think you know this. I should find their sacred place and invoke for
blessing. Otherwise, these undead
darklings will crawl outside again. We cannot destroy them; even an army cannot
do that. All we can do is to seal them in their dwellings. Will you help me ?"
Nlaminer did not hesitate. He can at least help Rhissa in her quest. As
for him, he will continue his studies... later.
"I will help
you," he replied simply.
"We need some shelter," Rhissa said. "We cannot rest in
the caves; undead are near."
Nlaminer concentrated and closed his eyes. A vision came to him...
there was a forest nearby, safe enough to stay. He broke his concentration and
pointed westward. Rhissa was looking at him curiously.
"We can stay in
that forest," he pointed. They took their belongings and left, for the
night was falling. Nlaminer turned and looked at the entrance to the accursed
city. The cave grinned malevolently at him. Come back, it was saying. We will
wait.
* *
*
He shuddered. But it was only Rhissa, touching his arm. "We are
here," she whispered. Nlaminer looked around and understood why she was
whispering.
It was a great cavern, ceiling raising to several hundred feet, all
emitting this unsteady imitation of light. It was dry here, though a pool of
water occupied the center of the cavern. The air was filled with the essence of
eternity and calmness. He had never before experienced such an equilibrium of
mind. Nlaminer looked around.
Several iguana-like
creatures crawled around. They paid
little attention to
the new visitors and were completely friendly.
Their countenance was
impressive. When Nlaminer ventured to touch one it just looked at him with
dignity and opened its "smiling" mouth a bit. Rhissa moved to the pool
and sniffed.
"Here is the water," she called. "This pool is always
clear. Look in the water, over there."
Nlaminer looked and saw a huge shining rune incrusted in the bottom of
the pool. Andrynx rune, no doubt. So it was the shrine.
Nlaminer drank the water. It gave him a feeling of the Water of
Strength (though they had none this time) - clear, with no special taste, but
refreshing and restoring strength. Rhissa pointed to the north.
"And here is the
shrine," she added. "We should visit it now. We
can rest here later;
Andrynx grants rest to everyone."
Nlaminer looked at the rune and his mind was getting clearer. The
battles, losses and victories meant less and less; looking in the pool was like
looking in the whole life. He thought he heard voices,.. sounds... images
drifted beneath the pool's surface. He closed his eyes. This was no delusion,
images disappeared at once. But the feeling of calmness remained unchanged.
"Come on," whispered Rhissa again and he obeyed. He was
vigorous now, full of energy. I should learn more about Andrynx, he thought.
The corridor led down
again... and as they began to descend, the visions again engulfed him.
*
* *
He woke up, senses acute, as if something had changed. He opened his
eyes slowly and looked around.
The moon was full; its pale light fell on the leaves and the grass,
making them surreal and shadow-like. Something was wrong here. He sat and
reached for the Protector.
All was quiet. Everything. It was the strangeness that disturbed his
sense of danger. Rhissa slept nearby, eyes half-open, body coiled up, breathing
quietly. The head became clear; some inner voice was crying alarm, and Nlaminer
drew the sword a bit from its sheath. The blade emitted dull, sparkling light.
Something pursued them. He looked at the top of the hill, where the entrance to
Singara resided, but all was quiet there, too.
Too quiet, he
corrected himself. He touched Rhissa's hand and she immediately opened her
eyes.
"We should leave
this place at once," he indicated at the sword.
"Enemy's near. Try to
move quietly."
The reptile nodded, took her strange-looking belt and grasped the
staff. It was glowing again, with serene white light. They began to descend to
the valley below, when a shadow-like silhouette appeared on the top of the hill
and flew to them, quickly and noiselessly. In the moonlight it was next to
invisible. Nlaminer drew the sword ready and looked around quickly. There was a
good place to meet the oncoming foe; a wide ravine was nearby. Rhissa raised
the staff and sang some incantantions. Immediately the staff began to glow, and
the shadow began to glow, too. Nlaminer felt the icy wind flowing by; he stood
concentrating, ready to react. His crossbow, with several silver-tipped bolts
was in the pack. He managed to open the pack and dropped it. There was no time
to search, the shadow would be among them in a moment.
And when it came, all hell
broke loose.
*
* *
Nlaminer saw the grass going black and withering when the creature
passed over it. The trees seemed to moan and cry, as the leaves dropped in
heaps after the moving monster. It had no face, but its human-like shape was
terrifying. A deadly cold rushed upon them; the shadow drained life out of
everything.
The sword became too heavy, it weighed hundreds of pounds. Rhissa stood
alert, singing her prayers and the blue mist came in a flash; the monster stood
for a moment. Then its armlike wings raised and it tried to encircle Rhissa.
Nlaminer struggled with the sword. He managed to overcome the
frightening paralysis that crawled from the legs upwards. The hilt was
beginning to become intolerably hot when he immersed the blazing blade into the
monster's body. The sparks went in showers, and the sword began to melt. But
Nlaminer continued to plunge his perishing weapon deeper into the weird shadow.
The monster emitted a terrible hiss. Instantly all came black and
white. Time ran wild; he saw Rhissa, hitting the shadow with a terrible hiss,
forcing it to fly back; his hands were burning, and he was still injuring the
undead hunter with the silver, boiling now and dropping to the ground.
It all ended as instantly as it began. Nlaminer saw smouldering grass
all around him; dead birds were scattered on the ground. His vision was still
black and white. Rhissa stood beside him, head bowed, hands closed, - obviously praying. The terrible stench
came from the place where the shadow was. He made several paces away then sat,
blinking.
His hands were all blistered. His sword was gone; honorable decease,
for it saved its owner again. Another battle like this, he thought wearily,
will be my last. He closed his eyes and opened them only when Rhissa called
him.
"Show me your hands," she asked. He extended his hands,
throbbing with pain, and Rhissa touched them for a moment. Immediately the pain
subdued and the blisters began to shrink and disappear.
But he was too weary
even to thank her. He felt he was dragged away, and then his mind fell into
darkness.
*
* *
"Here," Rhissa said when they came to a massive stone plate
blocking their way. Andrynx rune was inscribed over it; Rhissa touched the
plate and it slid down.
They entered a small hall, no more than twelve feet high, where stood
the statue: a huge dancing lizard, with a glowing crystal ball in the mouth.
"We greet Andrynx," Rhissa said and a small echo whispered
the words back. "We greet the great traveler and ask him to grant us
wisdom and guidance." She made a gesture and a small Andrynx rune shone
briefly above her.
Nlaminer thought he
heard a voice... the ball cleared for
a moment, then filled
with mist again. The statue's eyes sparkled and
darkened again.
Rhissa repeated her
greeting twice; twice the ball cleared, twice
it returned to its foggy
state. Nothing came back. When Rhissa turned her
face to Nlaminer, her face
was frightened.
"Something...
prevents him from talking to me..." she whispered.
Nlaminer was frightened,
too; he never saw her frightened before.
"What shall we do,
Nlaminer ?" She grasped his hand and that relaxed
her a bit. Nlaminer saw her
newly-carved staff shining in the dark.
The thought came to
him like a lightning in the night. He took the staff and touched the crystal
ball lightly.
The ball shone like a small sun, and a transparent apparition
materialized before them. Rhissa made the gesture again and again a small rune
sparkled above her. The lizard's outlines blurred and moved, and the voice was
soft, though perfectly audible.
"My blessing upon you, travelers... I cannot speak for long. Find
the mirrors and close them. Beware of hunters who come at night."
And the Andrynx vision
faded away.
They stood there speechless, both curious and frightened. Then Nlaminer
pulled Rhissa gently out of the hall.
"We have to stay underground for a while," he said.
"Your staff shines no more; we shouldn't stay here near the shrine."
They ascended the long ladder and paused near the pool to fill their
can with clear water. They did not speak until they reached the top of the
greater ladder. Though they felt no fatigue, there was little reason to feel
happy. The gods couldn't hear them. There was none here to help them. They had
no weapons, no equipment and knew nothing of what was happening.
The storm raged
outside the cave.
"We cannot leave right now," Nlaminer pointed out.
"Let's wait until the storm is over. Meanwhile sleep if you like."
Rhissa nodded and curled by the wall. Nlaminer sat, listening to the
roaring and splashing outside and thinking. Rhissa's sleep was uneasy. She
spoke incoherently several times, but Nlaminer didn't understand a single word.
Chapter 3. Welcome !
A figure came out of the storm and silently slipped into the cave.
Nlaminer grasped the knife and stood motionless, peering into the darkness.
Rhissa slept farther back in the corridor; if there were an assault they would
descend back to the shrine.
A figure, dark-robed and tall, was not armed. It entered the cave and
stood looking around. Nlaminer tried to identify the stranger by smell, but found
this smell was new for him. Some reptile, no doubt, but with human-like
posture, and no tail... The head was hidden under the cloak and Nlaminer saw no
eyes.
Suddenly the figure
spoke.
"Nlaminer, come
nearer. I would like to talk to you."
The words however were just in his mind. He heard nothing; Rhissa slept
unworriedly, in spite of her good sense of danger. A vision, Nlaminer thought.
This time subtle and detailed. Well, let's see what he wants.
He left his hideout
and walked towards the stranger. His face,
lit by lightnings outside,
was reptile-like, indeed, with eyes deep set
and red. He spoke with no
hiss, his pronunciation was quite perfect.
No, Nlaminer corrected
himself. He has telepathic abilities. That's why his "speech" seems
so perfect.
The stranger turned with no precautions and walked away. The storm
outside immediately ceased; stars shone coldly, wind also stopped. It was cool
and wet here. Even the sea was more than quiet; there were no waves at all, as
if all the sea had frozen.
"I would like to have you as allies," the stranger said and
Nlaminer saw his eyes began to glow faintly. "I cannot tell you who I am,
though you will find it yourselves."
Nlaminer waited. The stranger waved his hand and they walked to the
Ladder. It was geometrically perfect now, a harmony of stone and mind. They
walked to the top and passed through the tunnel.
A huge temple stood in the middle of the inner circle. It was inscribed
with unknown runes, though Nlaminer saw the image of reptile-like creatures
similar to the one walking at his side.
"You see ? There was a temple here; my temple, Nlaminer. I was
thrown out of here; my people were destroyed. You cannot imagine how painful it
was. Now, I will restore all that was broken." The stranger waved his
hand, the temple blurred and disappeared. The lighthouse appeared instead; it
was burning, its walls crippled and falling in great clouds of dust and embers.
"I was stopped," the stranger continued. "But you heard
my call and you came. I will give you a choice. You can serve me and I will
bless both you and all your people. In addition, I can grant you eternal life
if you'd wish."
Nlaminer spoke.
"And if we refuse ?"
"I will find another who will hear my call and will do that [do
what?] <-- until my realm is restored." The stranger laughed, the sound
being
dark and eerie. "And
you will feel the tortures I felt; and the death
will never come, though you
will crave it with all your hearts."
Nlaminer shrugged. "It's hard to frighten
me." [I don't frighten easily.]<--------
The stranger nodded. "And I will not hurry you. You may try to
prevent me from coming back; you cannot harm me. I hope I will persuade you -
you both possess the brilliant abilities that would be very helpful for me. I
am no enemy. But you CAN make me your enemy. Beware that, for I can be
merciless."
And the world around Nlaminer exploded. Lava came in rivers, winged
demons flew around him laughing insanely and chanting weird and dark prayers.
He ran, back to the Ladder that was falling to pieces, back to the entrance to
the shrine. The hungry ocean waves tried to swallow him. Enormous beasts swam
in the sea, roaring and splashing it. But Nlaminer ran and ran and heard the
strange voice inside him. "I will wait, strangers. Choose wisely." And
the wave fell upon him, and he swam upwards, to the air, but the whirlpool
sucked him deeper and deeper. His lungs were aflame, he swam with desperate
energy and was trying to leave this horrible vision.
He regained consciousness. He was trembling, the holocaust pictures
still shone before his eyes. Rhissa stood near him, silent, as if intending to
shake him out of his nightmare. He managed to take a breath and looked into her
eyes. She touched his forehead and the dancing lights disappeared at the same
moment.
"A sending ?" she asked, though the answer was obvious.
Nlaminer nodded and looked at the cave exit. The storm was over, though it was
still night there. Cool draught came for a moment. Nlaminer tried to stand up;
his legs were still failing, but the fatigue was illusion.
"I talked to the one pursuing us," he explained. "He
wants us to help him. And he threatens, too. Very strange creature, I never saw
one before." He described all the events and Rhissa nodded. "I know
this race. That's Akauff, for sure; I saw their crypts. You say there was a
temple atop the island ?"
"At least he showed me that," Nlaminer put on his backpack.
"I think it's time to investigate the lighthouse. Whatever answers could
be found, they are somewhere there."
They quickly gathered everything
they had and left. The air outside was as cold and still as Nlaminer expected.
The storm was over, not even a wave crossed the sleeping sea. Under pale bright
moonlight the landscape was both beautiful and frightening.
*
* *
"The things I cannot understand," Nlaminer said while they
walked up the Ladder, "is how the gods share their dominions ? You told me
they always know their limits and do not violate them. If this is true, how one
can explain the things we've seen ?"
Rhissa thought for a moment. "There is sort of a pact between
gods, you know. They assume none of them trespasses with evil intent - by
"evil" I assume those able to harm the cult."
"And if gods try
to fight some other cult ?"
"They will never participate in that themselves. They have many
erranders and servants to use..." Rhissa's eyes brightened. "Well, I
think I know what you are thinking. You suppose that was an apparition of some
deity, right ?"
Nlaminer shrugged. "I am not sure. I judge only by the things we
saw. Devastated grove... silent shrine... your inability to invoke Naata... All
of these can lead to that suggestion. But there's something missing in the
whole picture."
Rhissa answered. "The most interesting thing is why he talked to
you only. This is what bothers me... You said he referred to both of us ?"
"Exactly."
"That could mean
I will see something similar some time."
"Or it will be something else that he will use. He repeated
'persuade you'. Persuade to do what ? Devastate all other Murti groves ? Build
up the temple again ? I cannot understand his goal."
"Gods can be
vindictive," Rhissa remarked. "But they never plan
to destroy the whole
people. There are things even gods cannot do
unpunished."
They reached the top
and had another look at the sea. Vast and quiet, it breathed of dignity now. No
blind rage, no danger. Calmness and infinity, thought Rhissa. Calmness and
infinity, though Nlaminer. They looked into each other's eyes but said nothing.
*
* *
"Welcome, strangers," Rhissa murmured as they approached the
iron door. It wasn't locked... it was even a bit ajar. Nlaminer looked at her,
surprised. "What ?"
"Here,"
Rhissa pointed to a plaque on the door. "It reads,
'Welcome, strangers'.
In Thalen. Isn't that wonderful ?"
"Wait,"
Nlaminer protested. "When we searched the yard for the
first time, there was
no plaque here. And the door was not opened."
They looked at each
other again.
"I think the
first decision is the best," added Nlaminer quickly.
"I would like to
study the yard again, for whatever hidden parts it
has. If we find none,
then we will enter."
"I will enter," Rhissa objected. "There is nothing I
feel too dangerous behind the door. Do me a favour and try to find something,
too..." [this is unclear,
"try to find something, too"]<---
Nlaminer shrugged and cast Warning. When he looked around, several gray
points flew before his eyes. He concentrated deeper, and distant patches of
brown hue painted the vision. He broke concentration and thought for a moment.
"Some rodents... rats, probably. And poison... I think the water
inside is poisoned, maybe all food storage, too. Beyond that, nothing
harmful."
"Very well." With no further discussion Rhissa pushed the
creaky door and disappeared inside.
Mlaminer shrugged for the third time and cast Detect Hidden. With the
golden glow surrounding, he ran around the building.
A finely carved stone door shone blue on the back side of the wall
adjoining the cliff. Nlaminer made several scratches on the wall (several
hidden passages, especially magically hidden, could be found with only great
efforts afterwards) and began searching for the way to open it. No handle, no
keyhole. Just a contour of the door, with an indecipherable word glowing above.
While he studied
the door, the spell
expired and no signs of the door remained.
Nlaminer spent half an hour trying to find any clue, but in vain. No
pushing, no pulling, no buttons, panels, no movable parts of the wall nearby.
There must be some mechanism inside the building or elsewhere that opened the
door. His feelings told him the door could be opened quite easily.
Suddenly he heard a stamping of feet and Rhissa appeared, running
madly. "Come !" she pulled him by the arm. "You should look at
all of this yourself."
Nlaminer looked at her. Eyes wide, agitated, as if some demons were
close at her heels. "Hold for a moment," he said and touched her
mouth with a finger. "Count to ten. Then tell me again. Please !"
The flame inside
Rhissa's eyes went out and then she said, in
a lower voice. "I will
not describe that... I cannot. You must see for
yourself."
They came back,
Nlaminer wondering what could affect
Rhissa so much. Her mood
became unstable after the contact with
Naata was broken. Well, he
thought, it must surely be a great
loss. I should calm her or
we'll be soon in trouble. When they
approached the door again,
Rhissa looked quite quiet, though her eyes
were still a bit too wide.
She let him in and followed after a small
pause. Nlaminer wrinkled
his nose; the place reeked of stale water
and decay. They entered the
entrance hall; there was nothing here but
a small basin with a
fountain. He approached the basin. Instead of
water, something slimy
oozed out of the fountain. Unhealthy odour
came from the green water.
"Welcome, strangers," he murmured and gave
a wry smile.
"That's
nothing" Rhissa voice came from the right. "There is
another hall ahead."
There were rats
nearby, judging by the unpleasant rodent odour;
Nlaminer shut his eyes
and then opened them quickly. Small shadows ran all around, paying them no
attention.
"I calmed them," Rhissa said as if reading his mind.
"They will not bother us here." Nlaminer noticed she held the staff
in her hand and its knob was emitting soft pink shining. "Be careful,
though." Her voice, ghost-like and barely audible make him shiver for a
moment. He turned and looked at her. There was nothing to see. Except for the
staff knob, there was no Rhissa. Nlaminer felt an unearthly cold begin to pour
down his legs... Then he saw the faint sparks of her eyes and took a breath
back.
He entered another hall, scarcely lit by moonlight trickling through
the smashed windows at the far side. There were doors, one to the left, another
to the right; several tables were turned upside down; pieces of glass and stone
littered the marble floor. But this was not what took his breath away and
paralyzed.
Someone was sitting by the wall, Elf-like with sharpened features and
light skin. He was dead; his hands clutched a broken black sword. A terrible
beast, resembling a wolf, though almost black, with enormous fangs and mighty
and thick paws, lay nearby, with half of the sword buried inside its great
chest.
The smell of death filled his lungs; the chilling sensation grasped him
once again. I can be merciless, he repeated insanely and some voice deep inside
echoed his words. He tried to turn away from this horrible scene, but something
trapped his
attention and chained it
unbreakably. It was the smile on the face of
the fallen Elf.
It gave the sensation
of unspeakable madness and triumph.
Nlaminer thought he
saw bloody fangs growing out of the mouth of the warrior; his smile seemed to
widen. Evil and dead lights glowed deep inside the milky eyeballs. He tried to
close his eyes, to hide from the demonic smile but it hypnotized him and there was
no end to the horror.
And he cried.
His cry echoed from the silent walls and the rest of the glass exploded
into a burst of eerie rainbow. The two bodies fell in a heap of black dust, the
three parts of the sword clanking loudly. His brain was throbbing with the
impact of the seen; [scene?] I can be merciless, he repeated again and again.
He felt himself floating ... Madly smiling Elf walked after him and its lips
muttered these words, again and again.
Then the staff touched his forehead and the nightmare was flown away.
He was sitting before the terrible heap of black dust and Rhissa chanted
something over him, supporting him gently. The room seemed to be more lit than
before. The effect of the shock was so strong Nlaminer was afraid to open his
eyes again.
Guessing by the shadows, he lay unconscious for less than five minutes.
Rhissa, worried but decisive, investigated the adjacent rooms. Nothing
terrible; only several rats and ubiquitous dust. It seemed that his terror
cured them both. The tension that collected inside them had burst out. But,
Nlaminer thought sarcastically, it nearly blew off his head as well.
Rhissa seemed to regain her self-control very quickly. She helped him
to come nearer to the window and he bathed in the cold moonlight until the
bells stopped chiming in his ears. "Are you better ?" she asked
softly.
He understood she was offering him her flask. He sipped a bit; herbal
aroma engulfed him. The potion had no specific taste, just pleasant odour.
"Do you feel any taste ?" Rhissa asked unexpectedly. "No"
he croaked. "Like a water." He managed to return his voice back.
"Good," she nodded. "Good for us I took this with me. If
you felt any taste, it would be very bad."
'Why ?' he would like
to ask but restricted himself. But he
caught a slight smile
on Rhissa's face and hid his own.
"I guess you are all right," she replied almost merrily.
"Well, let's go on together. Let me only..."
And she touched the dust with her staff and sang something in a high,
melodic voice (Nlaminer always was fascinated by her voice; he never expected a
reptile could have such a clear one). The dust turned to gray mist and engulfed
her momentarily; then it cleared away. No more dust remained there; just broken
sword and strange collar, thin but heavy-looking, with deep incrusted dark oval
gems.
"Obsidian," Nlaminer resumed after examining the sword.
"Well, I never knew one can make obsidian swords. And this collar..."
he reached to take it.
"Stop !" Rhissa pushed him; surprised, he rolled over and
stood unharmed. "See this !" And she waved her hand over the collar.
The thing immediately began to radiate ill reddish light. "See ?"
there was a hiss in her voice. "The foul thing is cursed. Gods only know
what could happen. Never touch anything here until we will prove it's
harmless." Her anger passing away, hiss overtones melting away, he saw she
was frightened, fearing for him; he felt himself a naughty child.
"Sorry" he said.
They looked into each other eyes and... laughed. After the newly built
tension had passed, Rhissa let her eyes shut for a moment and said.
"Use your powers, friend, and check the rooms. I cannot feel the
traps; there could be many here. We have to be together if we want to
survive."
"Of course,
Rhissa" Nlaminer intoned the formulae and the
building put on many
colors. Mainly, it became pulsating gray. Trying
to hold on the
concentration, he slowly turned his head from side to
side. The collar
glowed purple and hot; there was something deadly
just over their heads.
Several simple traps were constructed in the
east wing... No more
dangers were here. From below, the emanation of
danger was so strong
he could tell every detail. The place was
mad, ill and
bloodthirsting, though nothing malign waited in ambush.
"You will not
persuade me" he murmured, trying to see some
detail in the great
mass of purple coming from below the floor.
Rhissa looked at him
and her eyes were widening slowly. At last,
Nlaminer broke the
concentration and after a short rest he told her of his discoveries.
"I'm completely out of energy now," he warned. "If we
encounter nothing hostile, we should find a shelter somewhere... to rest. The
Guarding Sight always depletes me to the very bottom."
They found nothing of interest while scanning through the adjoining
wings; resting rooms, sort of barracks, a small storeroom. The ladder in the
western wing led upwards. Drops of something similar to blood sprinkled it
generously. "Blood" Rhissa said. "This one is also fifteen years
old. Like the bodies."
"Then why didn't
they ..." Nlaminer felt it hard to continue.
"I think he made a surprise for us. Well, one nightmare doesn't
frighten me twice. Next time he's to invent something else."
This is what I fear,
Nlaminer thought as he led the way up to the second floor.
*
* *
There was little of interest on the second floor. They found no bodies;
all seven rooms - four guests', one - lighthouse owner's room; library and
storage - contained almost nothing. All were upside down; everywhere all things
were scattered at random.
They found only a strange-looking amulet, an irregular piece of dark
granite with twelve tiny rubies set in a circle. Several books; all of them
completely destroyed - torn to pieces. They looked at the devastation and
nothing explained what had happened here.
"This is something new," Rhissa took a small silver key out
of paper heap. "The trapdoor, the one in the kitchen; was it locked
?"
"I think so," Nlaminer shuddered. "But I wouldn't visit
whatever lies there." He told about the smells and sounds that came from
beneath the trapdoor. Rhissa listened and said, finally, "I think we will
visit those rooms. By the way, look here." And she pointed to a small plan
lying by the wall.
Nlaminer picked up the paper piece and studied it briefly. "It
says there is another underground passage. The entrance is in the smithy."
"What now ?" he asked. "All dangers are underground.
Which door will we enter first ?"
"First we visit
the roof," Rhissa answered and touched a
small panel in the
corner. A part of the wall slid to the left and
there appeared a small
closet-like room. There were splashes of blood
everywhere inside; the
ladder leading up was partly broken and
unstable. A disjected
<[?????] skeleton of another wolf-like creature lay on
the floor. Another collar
glistened in the shades of moonlight.
"Very
interesting," Rhissa said hoarsely. Nlaminer saw her feet
suddenly give way and
rushed to support her. Her body stiffened, eyes
closed, she looked much
like the statue. Nlaminer dragged her farther
from the bones and closed
the secret door. Something rustled above
his head and a bird-like
shadow fell upon him. Nlaminer felt the
chiming bells again. This
time he decided to fight the oncoming
vision. He cast Protection,
though the spell nearly failed; having
surrounded himself and
Rhissa by the bluish glow, he found the
pressure on his mind
diminishing.
The visions were rare;
they had passed just two days here, and there was the third one ! They couldn't
do anything on their own if these interferences would continue. But he could do
nothing at the moment. Rhissa's body was lifeless. Her mind was traveling
somewhere far beyond this reality; the only thing he could rely upon was her
highly sensitive self-preservation instincts.
*
* *
For Rhissa the walls of the lighthouse turned into the caves of Hamnaro
Hills; her people, the Haans, dwelled there. Far away from other races, in the
very center of long forgotten Pink Isle they continued researching the nature
of life. She entered the entrance to the home city. The sentinel greeted her
respectfully and became invisible again, just stepping out to the darkness.
"Why I am here ?" she asked herself as she walked the
deserted passages. People seemed to be everywhere; but as she approached any
door they all vanished magically. The speed of her sleeplike journey was
tremendous. She moved in complete silence; light was very bright and she heard
the distant worried murmur always following her, as if all around her sorrowed
for something.
She came to the temple of Naata, carved with more care than usual. She
entered the sacred place with awe and respect; there were seven Haans here
inside, praying or meditating by the finely carved walls. Light fragrance of
herbs filled the air. But the image of Naata was dark and there was no incense
burning before it. Rhissa frowned and came nearer to the bas-relief. Black eyes
of Naata met her and she felt terror. The statue was dead; no response came
from it. Why was the temple silent ? What disaster befell the city ?
"You are the disaster," one of the Haans turned his face to
her. It was a priest; judging by his bracelet, he was from the Blasted Earth,
lifeless desert island far away to the north-east. "I searched you for
several centuries, Rhissa. Why did you refuse to help us ?"
"I... what
?" Rhissa was surprised. "What did I refuse ? When ?"
The priest came nearer. He was very ancient; his days were coming to an
end. The scales became dark gray, the eyes nearly colorless. "He cursed us
all and banished Naata. You could have prevent that. Why didn't you save your
own people, high priest ? There are no Haans eggs any more; we are the last
Haans knowing about Naata here. There," he waved his arm outside,
"are thousands of graves. I cannot blame you, for you will be punished if
you meant any evil. Tell me only, why ? Why you declined the chance to save us
?"
Rhissa was shocked; the old priest looked at her and quietly left the
temple. Rhissa was nearly mad with the terrible news; somewhere inside her the
gloomy and merciless voice repeated, You are responsible for all of this, you
destroyed your own people. She moved along; passages and streets came one by
one; her senses were confused. The burden of blame blackened all around her.
The ancient Haans looked at her, eyes down, gray-scaled and motionless. The
city was fallen into dust, into ruins; there soon will be none to tend it. An
angry howling of hot winds came suddenly from above. There were holes in the
ceiling; sand fell inside in heaps.
The smell of doom and
eternity.
The dying eyes of
Naata image.
The silent old Haans,
frightened and obedient to their fate.
She was about to accept anything to be rid of this nightmare; she
turned around and stopped. Heartbeats drummed in unearthly silence. Then a
voice, thin but steady, whispered 'Calmness and infinity... Open the door,
now...' and Rhissa remembered everything.
"Let me out
!" she demanded and warded away the luring voices of defeat and obedience.
The roof cracked and fell upon her head; but she felt only wind coming from
above. She closed her eyes and jumped into nothing...
*
* *
...and knocked
Nlaminer down. He lost his concentration, so
sudden was her leap.
They helped each other rise up. In the failing
light of the
Protection she saw the worried look of her friend. "I'm
fine," she said
softly and put a hand to her breast; her heart was
still paining a bit,
but the effects of the vision were melting away.
"He tried to frighten me," she explained, not citing her
vision. "I feel we will jeopardize the whole races, Nlaminer. This was
shown very clearly. Let's think twice before we do anything here."
She opened wide the door; only blood droplets. The bones and the cursed
collar turned to dust. The light wind was flowing it away. They climbed the
cracking ladder and soon were standing on the roof.
Chapter
4. Up and down
"How
beautiful!" Rhissa inhaled the salty air and studied
the view. The roof was
completely clean and peaceful. No
blood, no bones, no signs
of battles that fell on this peaceful land.
There were faint outlines
of mountains far to the north; Rhissa thought she saw a distant line of the
Pink Isle, though she couldn't do that in any case. She closed her eyes and
stroked the wet granite under her fingers. The past was coming at her.
*
* *
She stood at the Eagle Tower, the highest place on the Pink Isle, built
at the time when Melrines, now forgotten, dwelt here. She was quite young
again; her scale was bright and she didn't wear the sign of the High Priest.
She remembered well the lessons of the priests; bound to their deity, they
combined theology and many other sciences.
She closed her eyes and clutched the warm parapet stone. Sun was behind
her; warmth filled her, energy concentrating inside her sought exit, agitating
and sharpening her senses. Like all other cleric novices, she couldn't control
her power completely; sometimes the inner power came out with quite unusual
effects.
And now she imagined herself flying over the planet, where only a small
part was land. She thought about it with some new, weird vision; the great
continent of Swalans, Great North Land, the circle of the rocky and unwelcome
Dragon Islands a hundred miles to the east of the continent. She visited white
and lifeless Blasted Isle, where all the life was either burnt out or buried
under the mass of sand; she had a brief look at Serpent Archipelago, a group of
islands forming a figure resembling a coiled snake. And Ice Lands, lifeless,
polar islands under ice shields a mile deep. She laughed and her laugh stirred
the dreaming winds that took her and carried her farther, farther, farther...
And here she felt too tired to continue her dreamlike flight.
She cried in terror, for she was falling into the green ocean,
occupying all the void around. She managed to shake off her vision and found
herself standing at the top of the Tower, desperately clutching the stone
wall... Her head was buzzing with the colors and emotions of her flight.
"Take care of your thoughts," she was told by the teacher,
High Priest of Naata, gray-scaled Haans more than four centuries old. "The
origin of your power is life; you gather your energy from the life around you.
But this is the power with no mind. You can stir it; but you will find it hard
to stop. So never hurry the forces you are trying to master. Many clerics fall
prey to their inability to control the energy they released."
He paused. Rhissa was listening closely; she was taught to ask no
questions unless told to; this restriction was wise, for thoughts unharnessed
were greater obstacles than any lack of training. In the matter of magic deeds
any loss of concentration could cost a very, very dear price.
"Try to concentrate on your task, Rhissa. Mind: you will never be
allowed to use any other spell until you polish your skill in the simplest one.
You understand that ?"
"Yes,
teacher," Rhissa answered, though impatience sounded
in her voice.
Rmair, her teacher, smiled a bit. His smile didn't hurt her. In fact,
she managed to see whether the teacher was smiling only after several years of
studying with Rmair ans Kanlanss, who personally offered to teach her The Art.
She was a good Haans, patient... mostly patient, in any case, and clever.
"I feel you are
disturbed by the limits I place," he added.
"Well, Rhissa,
teach yourself to control your emotions. You cannot
allow emotions to
control you. This will awaken the Dark Art; the
force without spirit,
the destruction. I will not allow you to follow
the Dark Art, my
child, but you will be always lured by it. Our
lessons are finished
this time. Come here as soon as you have fulfilled
the task."
When he addressed anyone as "my child", Rmair spoke only of
serious things. Rhissa rose in silence, bowed and left the room. Rmair was a
bit troubled. Something strange was about her... he thought he saw some dark
future for her when his precognition talents awakened. But at times... at times
he thought he saw no clear future for her. The visions were dark and
forbidding... yet no gloom was about her; Naata didn't warn him. Well, even
gods can miss the Dark Side coming to life. I will tell her, he thought as she
ran down to the sandy beach. He saw her throwing stones at the angry waves and
smiled again. She's mostly a child now; when The Art will be her spirit, she
will become wise and powerful.
He felt his own fatigue, many years old, unceasing. It was the burden
that all High Priests carried through life. The balance between Life and Chaos
was thin and vulnerable. She will play a very important role... if only he knew
which one.
She came back two years
later.
*
* *
Nlaminer touched her hand and turned her back. She shook her head,
warding off the memories.
"There was something on the roof, don't you remember ? See,
there's nothing here now !"
"What ?" Rhissa turned to him in surprise. "I do not
remember anything here."
"Come !" He
pulled her to the ladder. They moved quickly to the
first floor, then
outside, and to the beginning of the tunnel.
Something dark and round stood on the roof. In the moonlight it looked
like a cracked glass sphere, about ten feet wide, that rested on a small
hut-like support. Rhissa eyed the object carefully; she thought she saw small
sparks run on the surface of the sphere.
"I saw it several times, when a lightning struck," Nlaminer
explained. "And I know we were alone on that roof. What could you say
?"
"I say let's return to the roof," Rhissa made several notes
in her diary and hid it in the belt again. "I have
some idea about what's
happening here."
They turned back. Nothing. They studied each bit of the surface; not
even a sign that it was there.
"Well," Rhissa said. "Now you go to the tunnel and look
at the roof again. I will stay here."
Nlaminer nodded... he began to understand her thought. He did as he was
told. The sphere was in sight again... but not Rhissa. Rhissa, also, did not
see anyone coming to the Ladder. The sky remained clear and cold; a breeze
moved around, bringing salt and moisture. She was deep in thoughts when
Nlaminer reappeared.
"I see," Rhissa said when he finished his story. "That
gives me bad feelings."
"That it is
another roof... not of this lighthouse."
"Yes. And this is not the only strange thing. You remember the
plan ?"
Nlaminer took the lighthouse plan out of the pocket. "Aha... there
is such a sphere here, on the plan. Do you think it's hidden under an illusion
of some sort ?"
"No," Rhissa shook her head. "I think this is another
reality where we are right now."
"What ?!"
"Look," she pointed to the stars. "Try to think what the
constellations looked like. I tried to find a familiar one. Not even a star
known to me ! All is different here."
Nlaminer viewed the
sky for a while and then nodded again.
"We should visit
all the other parts of the lighthouse,"
Rhissa added after a long
pause. "We can find something similar, I hope. But first... let us stay
here awhile."
*
* *
"I detect no
danger behind the door," said Rhissa after
they (with no success)
tried to open the secret door in the yard. They both were studying the door;
they had found the thinnest lines separating it from the rest of the wall, but
alas ! The door didn't move even a hair. Strangest of all, there were no locks,
no magic or other traps, - just a carefully hidden part of the wall.
"I doubt we can break it," Rhissa remarked after trying to
move it by force. "This door should open very easily. Let's think. What
could force it open ?"
"Special key," Nlaminer replied at once. "Some device
that could unlock whatever mechanism holds it shut. But I scanned the door; it
has no definite source of magic emanation. It emanates magic uniformly, no
places with greater or less radiation." He touched the door and stood
listening to the sensations. The door seemed to be alive; as if it waited for
some polite word.
"If only," Nlaminer said and Rhissa's eyes shone for a moment
with red light. "If only..." He touched the door again and exclaimed,
with the known sensation of the discovered clue "Maybe I will ask this
door to open !"
'This is your special ability', Rhissa whispered far beyond his
hearing, after the door slowly opened, allowing them to enter. 'No hidden traps
can stop you'. She made a sacred gesture, asking for guidance. Though no reply
came to her, it calmed her agitation. The clearness of mind cost dearly now.
They entered and, after several paces, they found another staircase.
This one was spiral. Nlaminer led the way, weapon ready, listening and alert.
Rhissa followed; her staff glimmered again, though she paid no attention. No
hostile life was around; they descended into a vast and brightly lit hall
filled with stands, bookshelves and other things. The steps creaked under them;
three glowing spheres shone under the ceiling of the dome-like room and
provided light enough to read.
"A laboratory !" Nlaminer exclaimed as he studied the
surroundings briefly.
"I hope we find something useful here," Rhissa replied and
hid her staff in the sheath on her back. "Nothing harmful... at least
while we do not eat or drink anything."
The door closed softly after they had descended. They both heard the
click and exchanged looks.
"Well, we will find our way out," Nlaminer said carelessly,
fascinated by mysterious books and devices all around him. "Let's study
all of this."
They began to browse
through apparata and books, potions and miscellaneous reagents, through many
interesting things. All of these were set up in some unknown system... though
there WAS some system here. Rhissa began searching through alchemical
paraphernalia and was completely lost to anything else. Nlaminer took a book
labeled "History" from a shelf and began looking through it.
* * *
"No," Rhissa
told him when his attack was parried. "You do not
use a sword. This is a
different type of weapon. Look at me carefully."
She grasped the staff and prepared to meet him. Nlaminer held his,
carved this morning and carefully balanced by Rhissa. Her knowledge of this
type of weapon seemed to be enormous. He had not expected such a small creature
to be so formidable a weaponmaster. The only hope a larger opponent had was to
use his weight and force to break through her defense. Though he considered
himself to be more than a novice in sword handling, his staff techniques were
primitive. None of his attacks were carried out even
halfway. Rhissa's
staff met his somewhere in the middle; but for
her own spells,
Nlaminer's weapon would be broken to pieces already.
*
* *
"The crossbow is
good when you defend a position," she explained
after they scanned the
nearby lands for any intelligent life. "You
will need to attack, not to
defend, mainly; and there will be no
walls to hide behind."
After several hours of work Rhissa cut an oaken branch and made a small
but carefully balanced staff. Nlaminer didn't understand much of what she was
doing; she chanted strange pleasant
songs over it; the
wood became a light, dry, strong and resonant
staff, easy to
handle... so it seemed.
They trained for two
days and Nlaminer thought he
made no progress at
all. But this was a challenge he was proud to
take. Rhissa's
patience seemed infinite; he only noticed
mischievous sparks in
her eyes when she declined his clumsy attempts
to hit her.
Nlaminer had his first
enlightenment... he called
it "voice";
while engaging in a sequence of attacks and defenses, he
suddenly began talking
to himself...
"The arrow that
struck the star..."
...he paused for
Rhissa's sign that she was ready to defend...
"... it then
returned ..."
...he was ready to issue a sliding blow; the staff began to descend and
he was ready to spin in order to bypass his opponent's defense movement; he had
never succeeded before...
"... all charred
and burnt ..."
...the staff was advancing with all the effort he could muster.
Rhissa's eyes were looking in some other direction, but Nlaminer never believed
she was not seeing his intentions...
"... and left the
sky AJAR !"
...and as the inner voice spelled the last word, it was as if some
brilliant light lit the whole scene. An invisible force guided his attack;
Rhissa's staff missed his and Nlaminer almost hit her with all his might. He took
control in the very last moment and raised his weapon quickly. Both staves
clanked
at each other and flew high
in the sky. Still guided by the same
inner power, he jumped in
the air, turned and landed still grasping
the staff, ready to react.
Rhissa's staff was still in the air and
she reached for it, not
slower than he... here the inner guidance
ceased; he found himself
face to face with Rhissa; his staff was
raised above her head; she
was not ready to defend.
Rhissa bowed and
dropped her weapon.
"I cannot believe
!" she said with respect. "You seemed to
radiate energy; as if a god
were guiding your hand. Tell me, my
friend, what was it ?"
Nlaminer, still under the effect of his newly gained ability, told her
of his sensations. Rhissa touched him lightly; his trembling immediately
stopped. "You must learn to
relax," Rhissa
said softly. "Your movement was perfect, but you have
to sustain inner
equilibrium. While under a sudden attack, your
feelings should be
steady and controlled. No matter what weapon
you have, if you
cannot concentrate on the equilibrium, you
eventually will lose
the battle."
Nlaminer knew that the strange rhyme he heard just a few moments ago
indeed gave him additional force and knowledge; but the effect ceased quickly
and led him more quickly to tiredness. After an hour of training Rhissa said
they needed rest. They sat under a tree side by side; Nlaminer drank water from
his flask (he had no Water of Strength any more, though simple water from a
spring was no worse).
He vaguely remembered the events that occurred after that dread night
battle with the undead hunter. Rhissa dragged him to a safer place where he
remained unconscious for several days and nights until he returned to life. The
life draining force had almost
slain him; he survived
and learnt more from his wounds. Rhissa
said he would now be
able to sense undead presence; probably it would
bring more benefits
than troubles. His life until his encounter with
Rhissa was a chain of
losses.
He felt his inner
attraction to Rhissa growing slowly
stronger. He doubted
now that she had been in real danger that time (but
Rhissa said she was in
a dire peril nonetheless). He noticed
there were no grand quarrels between the two of them.
He preferred not to think too much about that. She was a perfect
teacher; as time was passing, his abilities grew greater; Rhissa said they had
about ten days more to prepare for their expedition; when the moon is full, she
said, the undead will come from underground and it will be almost impossible to
stop them. When the island is under their control, the City of Singara would be
as effectively protected as sealed.
He slept poorly these
days; shadows dark and sinister flooded his dreams and he woke up in terror,
his heart beating violently... but all of this slowly was cured. Meantime they
told each other stories from their adventures while Rhissa made many notes in
her diary; Nlaminer had no need to write all of this. His memory held
everything he needed with almost no effort.
*
* *
Nlaminer woke up. Rhissa still manipulated something; the glass lightly
rang; something poured; pages were turned... He looked at the book he had. He
opened it at the page where the history of the lighthouse island was written.
This part of land had drowned several times; all the towns and other
settlements were abandoned and lost in the abyss. Mysterious Akaeff towns were
lost forever. Only their crypts, built up throughout the whole land, left after
the vanished race. Nlaminer looked at the image of an Akaeff... much like the
stranger he was talking to in his vision. A simple thought preoccupied
him... but he couldn't hold it.
He stretched, left the chair he was sitting in and reached for another
book. This one had maps; Nlaminer took a piece of paper - there were several
heaps of the thin perfect paper on the shelf - and began to make drafts. The
underground passages... the lighthouse plan... more and more maps. All these
books seemed to wait for him. Whose will ordered all of this in this manner ?
What plans did that stranger have ?
He put the pen aside... Good pen, he thought. Pity it will break in my
backpack... some things are not meant to survive disasters. He examined
himself. After that night his fur became light gray, almost colorless... His
face, surrounded by gray beard and a set of grayish whiskers made him seem one
of the ancient sages. He smiled and reached for a comb to do his fur. Being his
natural dress, the fur required care, and he was several times soaked in salty
water... time to tidy up his appearance.
When he finished, Rhissa called him. "Come here, Nlaminer. I have
found many useful things here."
He walked to her, through many narrow passages between stands, tables,
shelves. Rhissa sat at the huge stone table, covered with vials, retorts,
burners and other alchemical glassware. She showed him two dozen small colored
vials and books lying nearby.
"These," she pointed at seven opalescent vials, "will
heal you. I've written down the recipes. Many reagents are quite rare and the
process is complex, but the results are great.
"These four," she continued, "will make you resistant to
poisons, though I'm not sure to which ones.
"And these," she pointed at nine small black flasks,
"will boost your energy, though it will hurt you a bit."
"And these
?" Nlaminer pointed at three green
small bottles.
"Well,
these..." she paused. "I suppose they will sharpen
your senses. I do not
know how much... I hadn't much time to study
them."
"Good for you." Nlaminer was quite frank. He
was fascinated by all magic or magic-related things; the simple and quite
obvious steps
that transformed several
strange things into a powerful potion could
not leave him uninterested.
Especially if his own friend could master
such transmutations. For
him this knowledge was opaque and
indecipherable. "How
we will carry them ?"
"Well, I made
something right here..." Rhissa showed her belt.
She had made something like
an oblong bag, inlaid with fur-like stuff.
Indeed, in such a container
the vials could survive even falldowns.
Rhissa offered him the
similar bag. "When did you make it ?"
Nlaminer was astounded.
"While you
were... traveling," she paused, as if picking the
correct word. She was
always particular in psychic matters; his
state was indeed more like
traveling than simple dreaming. "Don't
worry," she added.
"It was quite simple. Besides, there was much
leather here. I cannot even
guess why. If only..."
Nlaminer looked around. Heat suddenly enclosed him; he felt on fire.
Something wrong could happen, if...
"STOP !" he shouted. Rhissa stopped, bewildered. "You
shouldn't... speak... about that..." he added hoarsely and then the
feeling was over. "I understand what you mean. But if you speak that
aloud, unpredictable things can happen."
He looked around again. The room was vibrating. It looked like an
earthquake was coming. Glowing globes began to pulsate. "Come out !"
Rhissa said and pulled him to the staircase. "We should leave at once. Our
time's at an end."
They rushed to the exit. The room was vibrating more violently;
everything seemed to stand firmly. Nlaminer tripped over a step and was hit by
a railing. A bit confused, he ran upwards; the room was trembling and...
getting transparent... their time was indeed at an end here. Rhissa pushed the
door and it obediently slid away; they came out and the door closed immediately
behind them. Nlaminer looked around. No signs of a secret door. The island
shook gently and all became quiet again. Nlaminer noticed his backpack was
unfastened and remembered a metallic clanking as he ascended the stairs. He
browsed through the inventory... his pot was missing. I hate raw fish, he
thought suddenly and began to laugh.
Rhissa looked at him
in surprise but said nothing. She was glad
to escape some unknown
danger they had just awakened. Nlaminer laughed
a minute or two and then
stood up, wiping tears off his eyes. "All
right, Rhissa," he
added. "Let's wait a bit. I think we should
examine the wall
again."
If only someone had
left this room intentionally for us. He repeated this thought again. Nothing
resulted from it. Whatever reacted to this simple idea, it was far away now.
*
* *
Nlaminer was wrong. The door stood where it was; and it opened quite
easily. But this time, an odor of decay and death met them. Rhissa stopped at
the bottom of the staircase and Nlaminer felt she was trembling. He took her
hand in his; Rhissa waved her other hand and a small ball of light floated
above her head. It slowly went down... the pale light showed them the picture
of devastation. All was upside-down; the table turned and broken, the books
burnt and torn; broken vials mixed giving this impossible stench.
A whistling sound came
from below. The bluish ball slid down;
two large eyes reflected
its glow. A giant snake-like creature filled
the hall, coiling above the
ruins of the laboratory. It was uncoiling
now, emitting a low steady
hiss. The eyes glowed with amber light.
The mouth of this
monster was opening... dry and unpleasant was filling the air. Rhissa stepped
back... her hand moved for the staff... and a laughter came, rolling within the
great dome.
'No, no... You try to trick me, strangers... I removed this obstacle
now... You cannot hurt me... but I CAN hurt you!'
The snake flew at
them, its sabre-like fangs oozing with
lethal poison, hiss
overwhelming, its odor making quizzy and ill...
They ran back to
safety and felt the rocks falling down, smashing the laboratory to pieces,
finishing the destruction.
Nlaminer pulled Rhissa farther from the door (though it was a door into
nothing) and gasped for several seconds. The air removed the painful throbbing
and he found Rhissa lying just beside him.
"Water..." she murmured and he poured water cautiously into
her mouth. She closed her eyes and lay again. Nlaminer wondered if he should
give her that poison antidote... but after a small while she sat up and drank
her herbal mixture. The mist in her eyes faded.
"Help me... we should leave this place now," she said and
fell unconscious again.
Nlaminer carried her down to their first cave and built up fire again.
Her breath became steady. Whatever happened to her, it was wearing off. He
examined her; found none of the serious wounds or burns and sat beside her,
frying this endless fish on the sticks. I should change the diet, he thought,
lest I become scaly, too. He smiled again and continued to sing in a low voice.
He sang about roads and stars... and the words brought him the sensations of
peace. They survived another day here on this accursed land.
Chapter
5. The prison
"This is what we have," Nlaminer put on the table all their
trophies; five books, a bag with flasks; medallion and the knife. "I
suppose this is not enough if we decide to explore the underground part."
Rhissa sat, thinking, playing with a pen. They moved their headquarters
to one of the guest rooms. It could be as easily defended as the cave; and they
could always climb down out of the window. The window was mostly intact and
when they started a fire, the room began to give a sensation of some comfort.
The cave in this sense was a trap. Once besieged by whomever could come at
night they would have no escape.
"There are several strange places," Nlaminer continued.
"One is the library. There are void places according to the plan; large
enough for another guest room to fit in. However, there are some strange signs
on the wall, no secret passage or whatever.
"There are also passages leading deep underground and to the
north. The entrance is in the rooms beneath the smithy; the stores under the
kitchen are just monster pits and I feel myself not equipped to confront
anything that lives there. I think we should concentrate on the underground
tunnel."
"You didn't mention the crypt," Rhissa added and her friend
shivered a bit. "You are afraid for no reason, though. There are no undead
lurking there; and all small creatures are easy to calm. The same about the
kitchen. I do not want to fight anything that won't crave for our blood."
Nlaminer sat tapping something on the table. "Well," he said
at last, "I think you're right. But without a reliable rope, hooks and all
other stuff it would be quite risky to continue our searches. And even if we
decide to leave the island,.."
"I doubt it," Rhissa said. "There is no boat any more. I
think that last storm washed it away."
Nlaminer paused. "Then it is normal to find some other way to
escape from here. I cannot cast Fly; and nobody of us could make a boat out of
stone."
"The key to all the events lies somewhere in the building,"
Rhissa objected. "Yes, we will study all the passages, but I think we will
have to explore all the places we did not visit here, in the lighthouse, to
understand how we should rid ourselves of our new supervisor. For me, his actions bring only destruction.
The nightfall is nigh; I will examine all the entrances, if you would not
mind."
"And I will study the books," Nlaminer pointed at the books
he managed to save before the laboratory was ruined. "I think there should
be several helpful ideas here." Nlaminer cast Light on the spent torch
protruding from the wall and began to read. They had little oil to spend; he
had to use the magic now. Whatever force was preventing gods from talking to
their devotees, his magic powers were recuperating normally. He made the Light
a bit yellow and soon was deep into comparing, writing, searching through the books.
Once he looked out of the window and saw Rhissa studying the outside of the
lighthouse.
While he was making calculations, writing down notes, a thought, small
but annoying, moved deep inside his mind. He went on studying until he realized
Rhissa was sitting behind him, meditating. The thought began to materialize
into more solid form... Nlaminer looked at Rhissa and asked softly, "Do
you hear me ?"
"Yes,"
Rhissa answered, her eyes closed.
"I think there is one more strangeness. One simple thing we missed
before and are missing now. Do you recall something unusual; what we should
have done, but didn't ?"
Rhissa slowly opened
her eyes. "What do you mean ?"
Nlaminer considered hastily. The memory came back to him, and the
picture began to restore some of the lost details. "Where is our boat,
Rhissa ?"
"Washed away, in
the storm, what do you..."
"But why didn't
we hide it safely ? Eh ? Do you understand ?"
Rhissa looked at him, and the knowledge flashed in her widened eyes.
"Then we didn't scout the shore, but simply picked a cave..."
"... Came to the
lighthouse in the open ..."
"... Didn't hurry
to study the laboratory more thotoughly..."
"We did not take
elementary precautions. I see !
He weakened our
defense - we did not expect anything dangerous."
"There must be
details we missed while studying the building
and its surroundings.
He makes us feel safer than we are; several
times we were in real
danger and only good luck saved us from worse
consequences."
"So we should
search everything anew," Rhissa resumed. "You are quite right,
Nlaminer. This is what was giving me wry sensations. From now on we should
distrust the obvious."
* *
*
Nlaminer sat before the Archmage Inleir, an Elf, with snowwhite hair
and keen and alive eyes; he couldn't guess how old he was; perhaps a thousand
years; perhaps more. He sat in the guest hall of the Circle Palace of the city
of Onnd and listened.
"There are four basic types of magic known in our world"
Inleir said, "There is your inner magic, The Power; there is your mental
magic, The Wisdom; there is clerical magic, The Art; there is slow and subtle,
but very powerful magic of druids, The Force."
"Everyone can
learn the basics of any one of the four systems,"
he continued.
"They all are meant to balance the Elements in the
Universe. Every
Element has its meaning and cannot be meant more necessary than any other. You
can use your magic freely and with no dire results if you acknowledge the
axioms of the system you follow. There is one universal axiom: the balance of
forces shall be preserved."
"You asked me to teach you of The Wisdom, Nlaminer; you also have
thought you can impress me with some of your achievements. That's good, if
there are true achievements in The Wisdom by now. So I ask you, have you
something to show me ?"
Nlaminer was a bit embarrassed by his stare; there was nothing he could
hide from these eyes. He thought about the question, rested while his emotions
went away and then answered, trying to sound calm, "No, master. I have
none."
"I will not tell you any philosophy until you are ready to accept
it," Inleir replied. "The path of each system is different; but they
all need the balanced state of mind. Remember it now and remember forever:
emotions guiding you will eventually lure you to the Dark Side of whatever
system you follow. The boundary between Dark Side and the Balanced Side is too
thin and it is hard to see you are trespassing. The Dark Wisdom will lead you
to imbalance and to Chaos. Until I am sure you control your emotions well I
will not speak to you any more. Come back when and if you think you are
balanced enough to accept The Wisdom." Inleir rose.
Nlaminer rose, too, and bowed slightly. "I will return," he
said and left the Circle Palace.
He was annoyed by the visit, for the Archmage seemed to be an ordinary
person, with no lightnings coming out of his eyes, with no essence of might
emanating from him. In his dreams he would come to the Archmage, show him
several spells he mastered by himself and win immediate respect from the
wizened master. It seemed that dreams are always dreams, with no substance and
much meaning.
He went through the city; twelve golden eagles, his only possessions,
jingled carelessly in his pocket. Anyway, he thought after all, I should find
some job and lodging. Whether I will be taught or not, I should earn my living.
He was skillful a bit
in smithery and stone carving; Onnd was an industrial city, with ships and
chariots and tools produced in great quantities; they should have need in some
skills, undoubtedly. From now on, he decided, I will hope for the smallest. I
dob't care much for Inleir, but it would be very sad to experience frustration
so often.
* *
*
The fire creaked merrily; half a dozen logs lay nearby; Nlaminer chopped
some and they now sat, in the deserted building, with night looking at them
coldly from the window. It's good we both prefer to work at night, Nlaminer
thought, finishing his job. Rhissa read his notes and was thinking on something
written in her diary.
"The first thing we should discard is thinking we are short of
time," she said, closing her notebook. "First; the disaster here
struck about fifteen years ago. The change of the cosmic scale, given it had
happened here, would not go unnoticed. Nonetheless, I detected only small
changes in the Art's balance here. And I am not the most powerful cleric,
Nlaminer; the High Clerics never let the disaster lurk for a long time."
"Then he should hide his actions... for a while, if he plans to
overturn the current balance. But wait... and how's ruined grove ? Did Murti -
shall I not be cursed - pay no attention to such events?"
"Gods are everywhere and nowhere." Rhissa repeated one of the
rules she was taught in childhood. "They feel all the changes; but they do
not normally guard every one of their sacred places. They have devotees to do
that. Moreover, if our new "master" has powers to destroy sacred
places with impunity, well, then all the other gods could fight him in some
other layer of reality. Here it is our task to solve the problems. However, I
feel the changes in The Art and in The Forcer. Something very destructive
awaits here nearby. And we will find it - in no hurry - because the results for
us and our people can be disastrous. Whoever this creature is, it is vengeful
and powerful. We shall not neglect its abilities; we made several errors before
that could cost us our lives, at least."
"I will study the walls again." Nlaminer put a dish of smoked
fish on the table, and several raw ones for Rhissa. "After we have our
dinner, I will search for more clues here. I hope it will be harder now to put
me off my balance."
"Excellent." Rhissa nodded. "And I will scan The Art
realm for whatever changes were recently made."
A bit of a change will
not harm, Nlaminer thought, when Rhissa came from hunting with a basket of
fish. This time I will smoke them. He was eager to find a forest with game
other than fish. For a corncob he would
trade all the treasures of the world. He understood they should be grateful
even for this scarce food Rhissa managed to catch, but nonetheless... His food
habits were not so easily controlled.
* * *
For every living creature, the way to any mental realm is different.
Rhissa knew there was an infinity of realities, both material and pure energy,
lying side by side. The boundaries between them were impassable by any common
method, though meditation could open the connection briefly. She was strictly
warned against long trips in th ethereal planes, for the body was attracting
mental entities while its mind wandered far away. She never experienced such
encounters but it could be her fatal mistake to let some other mind gain
possessions of her body.
Ethereal voyages, which brought her valuable information, could shake
the Balance violently. She always "crawled" into the outside realms.
No words could describe the sensations there, where matter was not and the
energy could emit sounds, odors and colors.
She was coming to the
Art realm now. Her mind always adapted
the information to patterns
already known. When the voyage ended and
she made steady contact
with the Realm, a storm of every possible
sensation made her dizzy.
This state quickly faded and she opened her
eyes in the world where
there were no eyes.
She was standing in a burnt and charred forest; trees uprose their
tortured limbs in silent moans. Strange shadows were running in the depths of
the forest.
Clouds, filled with fire and water, flew over her head with tremendous
speed. Malignant faces appeared in their depths. Lightnings growled inside, as
if waiting for a command to strike this land. Rhissa concentrated and her
"body" floated above the forest.
Impenetrable mountains
surrounded this strange place.
No sound was heard here.
There were ethereal creatures; several were her
"friends", as
much as one could have friends here. But none of
the voices of the Realm now
sounded. It seemed she was trapped
inside this place of
horror, where no life was to feed her spirit.
She flew over the forest; shadows ran to and fro, laughing, moaning,
crying. They were shadows of life, for fire could not destroy living body; even
in the ashes a trace of life still remained. Only the strike of the polar
force, undead essence, could annihilate life completely. Rhissa thought she
smelled the faint odor of undead presence. It was strange; this side of the
Realm would always destroy any undead spirit. But something forbidden, impossible,
trespassing was nearby. Was it the force that controlled these thunderclouds ?
She reached the mountain barrier. A creature, the Akaeff image that
haunted their visions, stood there, smiling peacefully. Its smile made her feel
uneasy. She landed before the figure and looked into its hot red eyes. Madness
and power glistened in them. Some old and poisonous insanity still lived inside
it.
'Want to go outside ?' it asked and saluted her with a short gesture.
'Why do you hide your name ?' Rhissa asked with her mind, and the
stranger came nearer. Undead presence emanated from him, though in the full
sense,it was not undead. Rhissa worried, for it was something very strange.
'You should find it for yourselves,' it replied and smiled again. 'This
is a test. I could weave both of you with illusions, but I need your sincere
efforts. You are afraid of disasters ? Well, we can agree to something. But
first goes the revenge.'
This incoherent and strange speech was driving Rhissa into more
confusion. There was something both attracting in this creature, and something
horrible as well.
'What revenge ? Did you mean to avenge the Akaeff ? They all vanished,
but none of our races did that. You should know that.'
'Races, maybe. Your
gods are guilty.'
'You want to fight gods ?' Rhissa saw the insanity coming nearer in its
eyes. 'Nobody has the power to fight gods. Besides, you should know the Akaeff,
as any other living beings, were not destroyed, but moved into some other reality.'
'You think so ?' the
creature grinned. 'Well, you are wrong.
Wrong in all your
suggestions. I possess the power to destroy the gods... and if it interests
you, my race was annihilated in a flash. There is nothing left of them in any
world. This is what I will correct. Unfortunately, I need the help of mortals
to do that. This is why I talk to you now.'
Rhissa had nothing to say. To object would bring her opponent to a
madder state. Besides, its statements were too strange to find reasonable words
to reply.
'Go now,' it waived its hand and the storm began. 'I will keep here
life enough to support you. But if I detect you are deceiving me, I will close
the source of your power for a while, to make you obedient.'
Rhissa tried to say
something but felt a powerful impact that had thrown her away. Her journey back
was uncontrolled and swift; when she returned to her body, every cell cried of
pain, so fierce was that mental blow. She sat, gasping, by the fireplace,
unable to speak, unable to think, the mocking voice of the stranger still
ringing inside her mind.
* * *
Nlaminer found many new details and hidden signs; he was glad to move
their searches away from the dead end.
First, there was a hidden room behind the wall in the library. It would
be hard to unlock it; but he sensed no traps and no magic locks.
Second, he visited the
trapdoors. The kitchen had a
regular cellar
trapdoor. No monsters were under it, only rats and
their kind. The smithy
passage was a different case. Something
WAS
deep inside... but it
slept - or waited - with no threat
radiating.
He managed to study
most of the surrounding
cliff, with no
result. The crypt door had been sealed
with a
magic lock. No tool
could force it open. But he felt no desire to
visit this place.
The worst surprise was when he went to the Ladder. The island was
surrounded by a circle of black clouds; rain and storm were raging in the
distance; gray clouds were hanging above his head. There was no way to sail
away from here.
When he returned to their room, Rhissa looked perfectly normal, though
she felt tired. He told her about his discoveries and Rhissa told about her
voyage, concluding, "So we are in a prison now."
This was the exact
word that described his thoughts. A prison. They had an eternity to sit here
and do anything they wanted.
* *
*
They descended into
the underground passage. Their lamp was
a poor source of
light; Nlaminer offered to cast Light, but Rhissa
suggested he save his
powers for more important tasks. They
went very slowly,
searching all around them. Rats were here in
multitudes; Rhissa
warded them away, and the foul-smelling army of
rodents never
disturbed them, though always followed them closely.
Nlaminer looked at
them and shuddered; there were too many to fight. If Rhissa failed to maintain
her mental force, then...
There were about ten rooms here. Two were actual prison cells; others
were stores, mainly. After examining all of them, they entered a vast
underground hall. It was a training room, no doubt; many spears, swords,
daggers and other sort of weapons were hanging from the walls; several well
beaten dummies and targets were all around. A grating in the right wall led to
a small room with a basin.
"Spoilt,"
Rhissa whispered. "Look, Nlaminer."
He looked and frowned. A green slimy mass moved in the basin; a foul
and poisonous smell came from that direction.
Slight but definite waves of hunger and blind hate came from the strange
being living in the marble basin.
"We'll have to clear all of this," she said. "We cannot
leave this monster to live here. But first we will search this place."
Nlaminer found several swords, mostly rusted and useless. After
examining them he found one slightly serviceable short sword and put it on the
belt. All the bows were too rotten to be used.
Rhissa sat in front of the grating, singing the mantras; her staff was
glowing and its glow was clearing the air inside. Nlaminer carefully studied
the walls and found the door right opposite the entrance to the hall.
It had a ring of twelve large embedded rubies; he moved the door and it
slid easily, revealing the smooth and impenetrable wall behind the door. He
closed the door and took the amulet; the same twelve gems, the same patterns.
He felt them pulsating in the same rhythm. If there was a passage beyond that
door, they had no clues as to how to pass through it.
Their prison was strong and
reliable.
Chapter 6. The way beyond
The outside dwellers looked at the place where the Lighthouse was and
saw nothing unusual. It pierced from the abyss and glowed in the dark,
guidelight for those who missed the right way.
The storms fell upon the island and left. There was nothing they could
change.
There were only five in this world that realized the danger hiding
beyond the stone walls of the once peaceful lighthouse. Two of them walked its
halls, trying to find the crack through which the unknown threat could crawl.
Poisonous monsters lived now beneath the old building, spoiling the water and
guarding any way to retreat. Clouds surrounded the small island; for all outer
observers there were no storm clouds - the island lay calm and inviting.
Rmair, the High Cleric, was another. His life in this body was soon to
end; he could hardly move, but his mind was as keen and perceptive as ever. He
felt the black walls that unknown force had erected between Rhissa and him. For
a Haans the mind union was the highest possible value. The mind bond was the
only power that granted them godlike abilities. His spirit always helped his
adoptees (this is how he called all Haans to whom he taught The Art) and always
he received light and power in exchange. Now, his dearest daughter was in so
dark a peril he could not imagine. His spirit walked the Realm and could not
break through the impassable mountains that surrounded Rhissa and her friend.
Younger Haans looking after Rmair were worried, for he was lying for
hours with eyes open, breathing barely noticeable, almost dead. He returned to
his body and each time was near despair. The force that was able to build such
strong barriers was no trifle. He knew not to alert the other clerics. The cost
would be the lives of Rhissa and Nlaminer.
Andrynx, beholding the devastation of his shrine, was performing the
actions ordered by his oath. He could not interfere in this new problem; he was
always neutral. But neutral does not mean passive. He warned as many beings as
he could and now was trying to break the wall of darkness that Unnamed Force
was building around him. He could always travel through time - and he sent
indeed his manifestations guarding the hole between realities that was about to
open. Beyond that, he could do nothing. He had seen the destruction of whole universes;
though all such events grieved him much, it was his task to observe and
remember. He left a small part of his spirit in the desecrated shrine and
observed from there.
Another force that
dwelt far away from the life-abundant isles
and continents was guarding
all the other lands. The same rule forbade
it to tell the truth; but
this mighty watcher did its best to warn
the people around and give
them shadows of the truth. If the
Dark Side managed to
crawl in again, it would not be able to take the world by surprise.
The forces were
accumulating. The Balance, always fragile, was about to crash. The two of the
whole world that could do something did not know that gods already were gathering
around their reality. Mortals always judge the quarrels between gods. This
quarrel could be the mightiest ever known.
* * *
"It seems our achievements are just temporary." Rhissa closed
her diary and sat, watching Nlaminer studying his notes. "I cleared the
basin, but it's poisoned again. We banished all the rats and other nasties, but
some other monsters leaked in. My powers are very limited now, my friend. He is
performing his promise. If I try to break through his walls once again, he can take
my power away. We cannot stay here for long."
Nlaminer was studying the amulet. The twelve gems were found on the
wall of the library, too. The idea, simple but still uncaught, teased him
traveling deep inside his mind. He felt as if clouds darkened the part of his
mind that gave him precognition knowledge. That was driving him next to panic,
but he remembered their decision to fight the strengthening pressure and tried
to assess the situation calmly.
"What was the name of that god... Andrynx ? Do you know any
prayers, mantras that are devoted to him ?"
Rhissa looked
surprised. "Why, yes, of course. Why do you ask ?"
Nlaminer though again. "This sign, twelve gems. That's a hint. It
is on the secret wall, below in the training hall. It is on the wall in the
library, too. And here it is." He extended his arm and showed Rhissa the
glowing gems. "I have a feeling that some words... prayers, or the like,
could do something." He told her how the gems pulsated when she was
chanting her prayers.
Rhissa's eyes brightened. "Well, give it to me, please." She
took the warm piece of obsidian and looked at the gems. Four reddish, four
bluish, two green, gray and colorless. She began to sing one of the mantras
that gave her more concentration and immediately the bluish gems sparkled
inside and started to radiate soft, warm light. Nlaminer nodded. "Exactly
as I suspected. There should be a prayer that influences this thing."
"I know the place
we did not visit !" Rhissa exclaimed. "I have
an idea. Come with me,
Nlaminer, quickly !"
"The crypt
!" Nlaminer said. Yes, it could be useful. He took his backpack and their
lantern and followed Rhissa out of the building.
* *
*
She sang in high voice something in which the name of Naata was
mentioned and the door of the crypt moved aside. Twelve gems appeared in its
depth; the gems pulsated irregularly. The adventurers looked at the amulet. Its
gems were pulsating in the same patterns. Rhissa's eyes glowed triumph. This
could resolve the mystery of this entrapped place. They stood for a moment,
looking into the silent entrance, then Rhissa gently took the lantern from his
hand and extinguished it.
"We should not use external light here," she explained.
"Naata guards all the dead and he will give us light enough if we are
allowed to enter."
They took one step
into the crypt. The ladder led deeper;
it was wide and
descended very slowly. The night engulfed them; the
air was not stagnant
as they might expect. It was cold but fresh, calm
and silent. Naata was
the guiding light for dying beings; he traveled
with them far beyond
this land and taught them the wisdom they need
to be reborn later. If
this place was still sacred to him, no undead
filth could trespass
here; Naata spirit was merciless to anti-life.
Nlaminer saw nothing
in the beginning; he felt Rhissa taking his hand. He felt as if small sparks
ran between their hands. He pressed her hand lightly and stood motionless
beside her. She raised her staff and its knob started to emit dull, grayish
light. The interior of the crypt was illuminated - but there was no light; his
eyes were now seeing in this complete darkness. He looked at Rhissa and she
smiled back. They descended deeper into the ancient chamber with Naata runes
inscribed on the walls.
A great bas-relief of Naata was on the far side of the hall; stately
figures were engraved in the stone; tombs were placed in rows by the walls. But
it was not tombs they noticed; beneath the image of Naata, in the circle of
twelve images of small stars there was a half-effaced inscription. While Rhissa
was praying, Nlaminer did his best to learn the still visible words. The
language was ancient and he did not realize he was reading it effortlessly. The
rhyme that was written there had some deep mysterious power inside; whoever
placed this verse here was a great poet. The words, although unknown, brought
the sensation of unfailing force and certainty.
He repeated the words,
fascinated by their inner harmony and part of his spirit invoked visions of the
past.
* * *
He used to sit high in
the hills, listening and watching.
After he left the
Circle Palace, Nlaminer became a hunter. His bowman skills were high; he spent
little time looking for game; mostly, he sat in the hills and tried to find
that mysterious Balance so often mentioned.
For a year he strengthened his concentration and meditation. His job
gave him enough money to visit libraries. He helped several alchemists gather
herbs and other reagents for their mixtures. Nlaminer decided to learn as much
as he could, regardless of his further magic career.
His only spell, Firework, a bright but harmless illusion, was his
pride; the formula for this simple trick was given him by that strange source
that later gave him precognition images. The first, faintest signs of the Voice
led him to more and greater discoveries.
One winter night - though it was not true winter; it was rainy and
windy season, with almost no rain - one winter night he sat in a cave,
mastering glowing sheets of Firework. He sat thinking for a while; when he
returned to the cave he noticed that the fire images still danced around. He
had managed to concentrate on them even when he was thinking about other things
! Strangely, this thought gave him no sensation of achievement. After all, he
thought, forcing the red leaf-like flame to twirl and twist, this is the only
thing I know well. It's just the start.
"Yes, that's a start; but a good start, too." a familiar
voice said. Nlaminer turned and saw Archmage Inleir standing beside him.
Nlaminer moved aside, to give him a place by the campfire. Archmage sat, extending
his hands to a crackling fire.
"You have found a way to reach the Balance, Nlaminer," he
continued casually. "You are welcome now to come and learn The Wisdom any
time you like."
"I thank
you," Nlaminer slightly bowed to Archmage and asked,
"How did you know
I was here ?"
Inleir laughed. "Your Firework, colleague, could be seen from the
Dragon Isles. You attained the ability to control your mind, but there are many
other things you'll have to learn. It's up to you to decide when and how you
will start your studies."
"And how do you
know I can control my mind ?"
Inleir became serious. "Well, that's hard to explain. I guessed
upon the changes in The Wisdom. You radiate, as other mages do, an emanation of
The Wisdom. After some training, it's easy to see the intensity of that aura.
And to block it. Yours is very strong, but mostly uncontrolled."
They bid each other farewell and Nlaminer was alone again. That he had
passed some test didn't impress him much; during these five long years he
tested his knowledge and skills, changed his job several times and was ready to
meet serious challenges. Civilization gave stability enough; but far from the
big cities there were terrible monsters; in the air, in the sea abyss and deep
underground wonders were lying, unseen and unknown. The world was colorful and
full of adventures. He was quite young and thought sometimes to risk more
dangerous adventures than trapping beasts for their skins and crawling cold
mountain caves for cave moss and strange fungi.
The next summer he
reappeared in the Circle Palace and became an eager and curious novice mage.
* *
*
Rhissa was wandering far away, too. She walked around, reading
inscriptions on tombs and meeting the marvellous and heroic past. She
considered herself to be very young; but she had had adventures enough for many
heroes of the past. She visited nearly every piece of land in the world. She
met fierce dragons, the strangest and mightiest race, sometimes greedy for
treasure and difficult to talk with; but very wise and talkative, if approached
correctly. She visited the settlements of reptile, humanoid and other races.
Some force, beyond the knowledge of mortals, spread more than a dozen races
everywhere; they lived mostly in harmony, for the world was great and the gods watched
over them.
She learnt The Art; the mysterious world, originating from all the
living beings fascinated her. The gloomy Dwarves, curious Elves, humble and
almost invisible Moonpeople, even the Dragons - all clerics from any race were
supported by the same energy, by the same reality they tended. She was assigned
the title of High Priest after she helped fight an invasion of undead warriors
from one of the deserted underworld towns. The history of the world was long
missing any large wars. But the echo of the bloody ancient wars was strong and
destructive; hordes of unrested spirits would come and destroy whole islands.
The number of these haunted sites was reducing, but slowly.
The City of Singara was another case. She never suspected it could be a
stronghold of evil undead hunters; she obviously had no chance but for
appearance of Nlaminer that day. It all happened more than thirty years ago;
from time to time they journeyed together... well, mostly together. Without
warning, they met... and moved to new adventures that could be ahead. She often
thought about their brave assault on the depth of Singara; they escaped in the
very last moment, had sealed the accursed undead lair and cleared the place of
the unholy presence. They were not yet true friends; her oath was sincere and
such oaths were the highest reasons for any Haans. Nlaminer accepted her
friendship later, when they made their visit to mysterious ancient shrines of
the Blasted Lands. He seemed to feel better in hazardous environment; his
countenance of irony
was something of a
protective shell.
This time, when her power was dwindling, his spirit supported her
greatly. Strength of spirit was essential now, when their new
"master" was trying to impose on them thoughts of obedience and
submission.
...When they left the
crypt, Rhissa thought she saw dark shadows hanging around in dozens. Something
was waiting for a signal to begin invasion, if they failed to submit to the
Unnamed Stranger. Nlaminer saw no shadows; he was preoccupied by the rhyme.
Missing words would not come back. After several hours spent trying to meditate
over them, no knowledge came. His precognition gift was diminishing, too. Their
prison was expanding inside their minds.
* *
*
"I think we have no other choice," Rhissa said after
meditating for a while. She looked worse now, Nlaminer thought worriedly. Her
calmness was disturbed as that creature was closing the source of her power.
Nlaminer was trying to invent the missing words, but in vain. The gems
began to glow with no apparent order after he read the rhyme. The Voice was
silent.
"This is the most
powerful way I know," she continued, still
with her eyes closed.
"It's dangerous; especially for you, as you
never visited The
Realm before. We will be most vulnerable and open
there; but we can
learn everything we need, too. I cannot force you
to do that; we can die
while performing the rite. You should agree to
the rite sincerely,
otherwise we are doomed."
Nlaminer felt uneasy; the spiritual matters did confuse him. But the
pressure was becoming intolerable. It was unlikely the benefits from their
"master" were worth betraying all the other worlds. If her intuition
said something, it was good to accept that. Anyway, death will come, sooner or
later. To die while trying to avoid betrayal would be honorable. The matter of
honor
was as important to
him as friendship for the Haans.
He said only, "I
agree. What's the rite ?"
"The rite of Unity," Rhissa answered, "With the combined
power of our two minds we could find the time and place where that rhyme was
first inscribed. It's the key to our prison; we are being forced to accept our
failure. I think the rite is worth trying. From this moment, Nlaminer, do
exactly as I tell you. I am weakened now; any mistake or insufficient effort
could be our end."
"I'm ready," Nlaminer answered firmly and saw Rhissa giving
him a tired smile.
"First," she
murmured, "We'll need warmth. The rite will deplete
our psychic and
physical energies to the bottom. It should be very
hot here to survive the
rite."
* * *
While Rhissa was preparing all necessary for the rite, Nlaminer made
his last notes in the notebook. He collected all their possessions in case they
needed to move quickly. Meanwhile Rhissa was chanting her prayers over two of
the potions she held in her hands. After half an hour the air in the room grew
hot. Rhissa finished singing and gave a potion to Nlaminer.
"Drink this," she said. "This will strengthen your mind;
for me it would not be necessary if I were in normal form. But I am tired now,
so we both need stimulation."
Nlaminer drank the potion. Immediately he felt his senses sharpen and
liquid warmth running through his body. "Now sit and close your
eyes," she told him. Nlaminer obeyed.
"Try to
concentrate on the rhyme." Rhissa's voice
was coming from a distance;
the world was reeling beneath him; he
felt Rhissa supporting him.
It was hard to concentrate on anything
with his thoughts running
in all directions; he was vaguely aware
of Rhissa's hands in his
own; she was chanting something, and the
words were turning into
bells that chimed all around him. A strange
energy was coming through
him. He felt every muscle tense, his heart
beat wildly, his whole body
trembled. The rhyme suddenly became easy
to repeat; the outer world
was falling somewhere far below; he felt
only her hands grasped in
his own and the tremendous flow of energy
passing through him.
And then it happened. A merciless hand pressed his throat; the world
exploded in painful white flames; unearthly strings sang their music. He saw a
myriad of colors, though his eyes were closed tight.
The sensations were too weird to describe. He tried to open his eyes
and was shocked. He had no eyes, though he was seeing a wonderful world all
around him; he had no ears but heard heavenly sounds from all directions; he
had no body but could move easily in any direction in this new place.
First it frightened him. He tried to turn his invisible body violently,
feeling he had no support under his feet and then he managed to think clearly.
His eyes were seeing in many directions at once, though one part of the
surrounding world was more detailed than the other. The world below was full of
such beauty the emotions were wild and dangerous. He fought feelings that
ripped his mind; eventually he calmed them.
Wild, boiling energy filled him. He thought of Rhissa and immediately
she answered somewhere inside his mind, 'I'm here. You have to accomodate to
these new sensations. We have little time, but get used to it.'
'Where are you ?' he
asked, for he turned around but saw noone.
She laughed
mischievously, 'I am in you, you are in me.'
He listened to inner
sensations... he felt strange, her
mind was sharing its
memories and feelings. He realized that she was
sharing HIS memories,
HIS feelings...his whole life was open to her.
He understood what she
meant by 'vulnerable'. He was more open now than ever; there was no way to hide
anything from the other mind.
He heard her laugh
again. 'Trust me, my friend. We are the united mind now... and forever.' Her
'voice' became serious. 'Nlaminer, we are being pursued. Please, think about the rhyme while we have
time.'
Nlaminer thought, and
felt them flying with immense speed.
The air darkened
around them; the landscape was changing rapidly. They landed softly on a
glowing marble plane; the sun shone through the eerie black sky. A large statue
stood in front of them. A rhyme, complete and clear, was glowing white. Nlaminer read it several times, in the hope
that he would remember.
'Now we must find the
way back,' Rhissa whispered somewhere
inside him. 'Leave
that to me. Help me to move, that's all.'
Nlaminer noticed that
the outflowing energy which filled
their 'body' at the
moment of arrival was ceasing slowly. He broke
the concentration and
saw their invisible body moving somewhere upwards, beyond clouds and clouds.
The flight was giving him fantastic sensations; the colors, mountains, lakes,
oceans... Myriads of worlds were passing by. He saw something resembling a
giant whirlpool; Rhissa guided their flight inside that marvellous structure.
Here he noticed a shadow pursuing them. It radiated death and was sucking out
their strength, slowing them, making them helpless.
The shadow was bodiless and shapeless; it emanated hatred and disdain;
it was hunting for them and their forces were running dry. He tried to help
her, though this experience was too new for him; they were near the entrance to
the rotating whirlpool when the shadow nearly seized them. The sky was dark and
forbidding behind their 'back'; despair and anger forced him to coordinate
their efforts.
Their united desperate efforts flung them both into the rotating,
howling black well between worlds; at the same moment a brilliant light filled
the universe between them and the savage shadow. The black figure ran back for
a moment and then was lost in the bright white cloud, separating it from
Nlaminer and Rhissa.
They were falling,
falling, falling. Their energy was almost ended; they couldn't direct their
movement and their minds were thrown violently back into their world. Icy abyss
engulfed them both; it was heavy and painful.
* *
*
Far away, where old
Rmair lay on a pile of herbs, a
radiant light suddenly
emanated from his body. Younger clerics rushed
to him, but it all
ended in a moment. Rmair was dead; he died with a
smile on his lips. The
sorrow and uncertainty left his face.
His spirit had cleared
the tension all around him.
In the north, a huge
black wall of thunderclouds surrounded
the lighthouse island; the
storm raged, lightnings were striking something
in the middle of it. A
column of white light flew for a short moment
upwards, piercing the heavy
clouds. The thunder fell upon the ocean
and rolled all around. It
sounded of triumph and overwhelming force.
And the darkness
closed again.
*
* *
Nlaminer came to his senses; they lay on the stone floor, embracing
each other. There was snow everywhere in the room. The fireplace was covered
with ice; the chilling frost was grasping his very heart. He stood up,
trembling from the deadly cold. His strength was spent; he was tired to the
highest extent, but to sleep right now meant to die immediately. The window was
broken; the angry howling of the wind mixed with other sounds from outside.
He looked out the
window; furious thunder ripped the sky.
Shaggy mighty figures
walked slowly to the lighthouse; red
eyes glowed on their
faces, their hands clutched enormous swords.
Nlaminer had a quick
look around - a complete blackness surrounded the island. The hunting had begun.
He took all their possessions; gently took Rhissa from the floor and
flung the door open. Snow was on the floor; Rhissa lay lifeless on his shoulder
and that gave him no time to tarry. He ran to the library as fast as his
failing legs allowed, taking the amulet out of his pocket. The gems on the wall
glowed as he began to read the rhyme. He heard the first monsters entering the
lighthouse but continued to read. The gems begin to pulsate and then a part of
the wall slid to the right, revealing the black wall, sparkling and blurry.
Nlaminer knew he had no time to reflect. Carefully holding Rhissa he
entered the black wall. In the distance he heard a mighty thud and then they
were in darkness, in a place beyond the lighthouse... beyond any known place.
It was warm and silent here. He put Rhissa on the floor and pressed his ear to
her ice-cold breast. Her heart was beating slowly... very...very...slowly. He
embraced her again, in order to share the last of his warmth with her and here
the tiredness overwhelmed him. The blackness became complete, without thoughts
and pain.
Chapter 7. The eternal
forest
He saw a small light floating somewhere above and realized the dream
was over.
Then came the sensations. Monotonous humming of night insects; the
rustling of leaves above his head, the smell of forest and flowers. He was
lying on the warm and soft earth; the cold was far away now. The strongest
sensation now was hunger. He tried to guess where they were, but in vain. The
memory of the last events were all dream-like - their eerie flight, the terrible
hunter, the red-eyed monstrosities coming at them, snow covering all around.
Nlaminer shook his head and managed to sit up.
The light turned out to be a moon. It was small and cold; and the stars
were all unfamiliar. Their colors seemed amazing, after many days passed in the
stone trap of the lighthouse. He froze in place and listened. Somewhere nearby
a familiar voice was singing a song. It was charming, though none of the words
were in known language. He rarely heard Rhissa singing songs, not prayers or mantras.
He decided not to interrupt her.
By the time she
finished the song his senses returned to normal.
A small fire was
burning about two dozen feet away from him; Rhissa's dark silhouette was
sitting between it and Nlaminer. Then she called, without turning her head,
"Another world, another life. Come here, I know you are not
sleeping." Her voice contained both taunt and joy, the emotions that left
her completely in their prison somewhere far away. It was Rhissa of the long
past days: joyous, living and keen. They took several steps toward each other
and Nlaminer hugged her happily. He heard her heart beating quickly... then he
put her on the ground and sat by the fire, looking into her glistening eyes.
For a moment, they needed no words. The death that towered above them
was tricked again. They waited several minutes in silence and then the life
came back.
"It seems I always miss the most interesting," Nlaminer said,
enjoying the warmth. "Where are we now ?"
"Not so quick," Rhissa moaned. "You are yourself again,
I see. I will tell you why we are here, though it is a short story. I guess you
are awfully hungry, as you slept for five days."
"How ??" Nlaminer was astounded beyond all limits.
"Well, I never guessed..."
"You have to sleep to regain your state," Rhissa added.
"I meditate, and then I need very little sleep. Normally, you do not sleep
very much. After our voyage you were drained and almost dead. I detected it was
only tremendous tiredness. You regain your powers amazingly quickly - the only
thing you need is sleep."
Five days ! Nlaminer looked around, embarassed. For him, only a moment
passed after they entered the black wall and were safely away from whomever was
invading the island.
"Here,"
Rhissa pointed at the miscellaneous food lying covered
with large leaves of
some plant. "The game is abundant here; though I
am no hunter, I had to
become one," and she pointed at the spear,
leaning on a tree
nearby. "There are many edible plants here, too.
While we have to rest
here, this will be enough. I tried to keep this land as untouched as I
could."
While Nlaminer fed his
hunger, Rhissa told him her story.
* * *
She regained
consciousness where there were no sounds and
smells, save their
own. She felt no ceiling; the polished mirror-like walls were uprising
endlessly. The floor was polished, too; it was warm here and she felt her
stolen powers were returning quickly.
She sat up and waited
for a moment; the sensation of returning energy was marvellous and pleasant.
The tiredness washed away; then she saw Nlaminer collapsed beside her and
studied him carefully.
He had lost more energy than a normal being could afford to lose; his
mind and body were one step away from death. She felt, though, that the main
danger had been overcome. So she fed him all the energy she could spare... And
then sat, in peace and quiet, enjoying life. It was wondrous, to be alive.
She felt no contact with the Realm. This place was unusual. She had no
idea how Nlaminer had gotten them there. His amulet, still in his hand, glowed
and emanated warmth and small light - less than a candle, but enough to see
what was around. She took it from his hand and began studying the surroundings.
They were at was a bottom of a well, with thirty-six polished mirror
walls, forming a regular polygon. A sphere, two feet in diameter, floated in
the middle of the polygon, six feet above the floor. Rhissa tried to reach it
but couldn't; the interior of the sphere was dark and impenetrable. Nevertheless she felt tremendous energy
hidden in that object; she decided not to touch it. They had problems enough.
She waited for several hours, without trying to investigate walls,
floor or sphere more closely, when suddenly one of the walls became transparent
and a miraculous landscape opened behind it. She looked at the amulet; its gems
were shining in constant pattern now; she remembered the pattern and ventured to
throw some small thing through the wall.
It landed on the other side. Sooner or later, she decided, they would
have to experiment going through one of the walls. She felt that the other side would be suitable to live in; and
she quickly dragged Nlaminer and all their inventory through the portal. Soon
after they were on the other side, the black hole in the air vanished. The gems
ceased to glow simultaneously.
The forest, endless
and peaceful, surrounded all land around them. The hills, ravines and valleys
made a freakish landscape, but here all was full of peace and calmness, the
things they both missed so much.
* *
*
Nlaminer told her about his awakening in the snow-covered room. She
nodded. "I suspect he will invade our land when he sees us unwilling to
assist him. I can only hope there are forces out there able to withstand his
force. I understood what he wants and from what we have already seen I can
guess he will not be too patient to reach his goal."
Nlaminer was
intrigued, "Which goal ?"
"When gods cannot
agree upon their areas of influence, they
summon mortals to
judge them. This is a tradition; there are many
legends of judges from
our world. This is an extremely rare
case. Mostly the gods
are able to solve their problems themselves.
But a decision of
mortal judges becomes final and cannot be cancelled."
"So it is a god,
then ?"
"That's the thing I am not sure of. His power is truly godlike;
but the way he behaves and some other signs show me this is quite an unusual
being. What's worse, he hopes we will be the judges. You remember his promise ?
He can destroy our whole races and I am certain he would do that. Indirectly,
slowly, he can outwit all the guardian forces and remove our people
forever."
They sat silent for a
moment.
"This is why I think he will follow us; as far as I know he likes
hunting. Well, we have to win more time to find a way to stop him."
"This
means..."
"This means he is
scanning the Realm now. He will find us sooner
or later; we cannot
hide forever. If he were sure we are no more, he
would start seeking
new judges. But I doubt we've fled unnoticed."
"And if we have
?"
Rhissa thought. "That would be a good chance for both us and our
world. But he will hurry; his methods were too violent to go unnoticed. We made
him lose his temper - and this is good, too; for it will be hard for him to
find followers easily."
"Anyway, we have to hide for some time," Nlaminer concluded.
"I think there must be some intelligent dwellers here."
"I think the same," Rhissa replied. "The task will be
hard. I suppose we could spend one day just enjoying the life. Heroic deeds
make me too tired, you know." Her eyes sparkled and they both laughed.
"I think I'll wander for a while," Nlaminer said and
stretched. "It's quiet here; I feel no serious danger."
Rhissa nodded.
"Don't walk too far. It's easy to lose one's way here." Nlaminer
nodded in response and walked noiselessly away. He heard her singing another
song. Her voice was still heard even when the fire and the smell of smoke
vanished without a trace.
* * *
The Stranger lost his temper for a while. He ordered his sublings to
seize the mortals and bring them to a safer - from his viewpoint - place. That
disturbed the world too much; what was worse, he completely lost contact with
them. His spiritual manifestations wandered around the Realm, listening for the
cleric presence. If they are alive, they will be found and he will remind them
of his threat. Stranger laughed; the throne room he was sitting in
trembled. But he was perfectly calm and
joyous now.
The mortals considered him to be a merciless, powerful creature. He was
not evil, of course. He had lost his place in the Universe, and deserved to get
the position back.
If they were dead, well, too bad. He would have to find another judge.
If they were alive, they would obey him. He knew they feared for their races...
and the fear sometimes persuaded better than violence itself.
After all, he was not
a violent being. The circumstances make him violent.
* *
*
"No, that will not do," Nlaminer corrected Rhissa's hand.
"The bowstring should not be so tight. If you overstring it, it will snap
the next hot day." He loosened the string a bit and began carving the point-of-aim. After a hour of
work he nodded and passed the finished bow back to Rhissa.
They traveled for four days now; the trees were magnificient here.
Rhissa said she never saw such a perfect forest. It varied from coniferous to
mixed; she took several good yew branches. They made a staff for each of them
and a bow. Nlaminer's knowledge in bows was nearly as great as Rhissa's in
staves and maces. They traveled and traveled; nature in this world was
undisturbed; the Realm presence was strong, but there were no signs of
intelligent life. Nothing. Civilization cannot be completely invisible; for
magic users such as they were, it could not be hard to find the nearest town.
They continued their journey; one forest was replaced by another forest; lakes,
rivers, springs were crossing the land. A distant mountain was seen on the edge
of eyesight - and no minds, except for their own.
They taught each other the skills they knew; Rhissa showed interest in
bowman skills and Nlaminer was glad to give her the basics of that. After a day
of training Rhissa's skill was quickly catching up his own. Nlaminer sat
evenings writing verses and polishing his knowledge in magic arts.
They were guarding their thoughts and intentions from the spying spirit
of the Stranger, but no spies ever came. As they moved east, onward and onward,
it was obvious there was nothing but endless forest. The whole world was like a
great park, carefully looked after and colorful.
Rhissa was finding new and interesting herbs day after day. Nlaminer
was not skillful in alchemy, but followed her and listened to her explanations,
even if they did not bear the immediate truth.
"I cannot understand," he said one evening, "how you
recognize a particular plant suitable for some mixture. This is another world;
all the herbs are quite different."
"This is only partly
true." Rhissa showed him a leaf. "I do
not know how it would
be called here; but its inner spectrum is just
like our common
athelas. You see ? Alchemy uses this inner
spectrum in its
formulae. I have no need to learn about the plant or
root or whatever. All
I have to know is the core of this leaf."
"And how one can
do that ?"
Rhissa shrugged. "One uses a relevant spiritual plane to see the
spectrum. I use the Realm, the one that is familiar to me. If you choose to
learn alchemy, you'll use your mental plane to see its emanations. Alchemy is
mostly empirical science; without our knowledge, precognition and magic, it
would be almost useless; from a million senseless or outright dangerous
mixtures one must pick the only right one. This is hard to do; I used to throw
away more than seven eighths of my potions when I was learning. This is the
basis of alchemy. Rhymes and rites are mostly a theater; a way for an alchemist
to get into a necessary state of mind. And," she smiled ironically,
"to impress the spectators." She made several passes of her hand and
the leaf withered and blackened. Then she said several inaudible words, made
some other passes and the leaf returned to life again.
"What was it
?" Nlaminer said after he studied the
leaf. It was completely
fresh and vivid; its spicy odour was new and
pleasant. "I cannot
believe what I have seen. Tell me how you've
done it !"
"Some other
time," and the teasing flame flashed in her eyes.
"Anyway, if you
knew all my tricks, how could I surprise you ?"
*
* *
Their dreamlike journey continued on and on. Nlaminer knew Rhissa had
something on her mind. Sometimes he thought he heard some of her thoughts... or
shadows of thoughts. After the rite he felt changes in his mind; as if part of another
entity was dwelling deep inside him. He felt embarassed to ask Rhissa about her
feelings; the sensation of being exposed to all the universe was overwhelming
and alien to him. And it left somewhere in his soul the hunger for more
spiritual experience as if he had been granted the universal knowledge for a
part of second. The rite awakened some previously undisturbed forces deep
within and they were changing him... into what ? He felt the calmness and
stability, yes - but the past Nlaminer was here, too. No other mind was walking
inside his brain, there was no mental injury, and yet...
He preferred not to
ask about her plan. His world was the world of quick actions and swords. The
subtle and spiritual matters were the domain of his friend. So let her guide
their way now. He used every hour of their presence here to master his
concentration techniques and his mind was often wandering far away from his
body. The same independence of mind he felt when sparring with Rhissa with
staves or teaching her to shoot. He decided to let his memory find clues to
their quests, then saw many familiar scenes repainted before his eyes.
* *
*
After five years spent in the Circle Palace, Inleir summoned him one
day and said, "I congratulate you, Nlaminer; for now I cannot teach you
anything new."
Nlaminer felt
surprise. "How it is so ? I hardly
know the
Fire Circle, I know so
little..."
Inleir shook his head. "You possess all you need. The equilibrium
that lives inside is next to perfect; of the basic knowledge I can give you
nothing more. It is now your task to find a way to enhance your magic, your
power, colleague."
Nlaminer waited to be
told more.
"You want to know why I don't teach you more spells. You are a talented mage, you possess many
other skills and can earn money enough to buy any spell in any magic Circle you
choose."
"Your mind prevents me from teaching you any more," Inleir
continued. "We are of different races. Further learning would be like
violence in your mind. Your sources of power differ from mine. If I impose my
techniques over your patterns of power, it could be destructive and poisonous
for you. My title of Archmage does not mean I am absolutely omnipotent. No,
even gods are not that powerful. The highest mages feel the state of mental
field all around our world and take the greatest care using their spells. It
may seem strange, but Archmages should try not to cast spells whenever
possible. It's the cost of the powerful mind, Nlaminer. My task is to preserve
the mental realm from which we take our Wisdom power."
"So I am on my
own," Nlaminer said bitterly. "Teacher, will you
tell me what to do
next ?"
"No, I
won't," Inleir refused. "I cannot risk changing
your life in such a
way. But I will give you hints. Seek creatures
born of magic, that
live on magic, whatever magic they use.
This is how you can
find a way to train yourself. You can start with dragons, for example. They may
be ferocious and bloodthirsty; but they possess abilities far beyond all the
other races. I give you this," and Inleir passed him a small amulet,
"It's the sign of my school. It will help you to make more friendly
relations in our world. Adventuring is a dangerous road and there cannot be too
much help."
The bitterness left Nlaminer at once. Inleir was not right, he thought,
I have to learn too much to control myself. Yet all he knew now was enough for
a lonely mage to protect himself even in great danger.
They parted friends.
Nlaminer left for the port and wandered.
His dearest dream was
to solve the mystery of his origin; he knew only the great underground city in
which he dwelt for as long as he could remember. That city was far to the west,
on a long island, where the Human race lived.
It had been his home for many years, and it was good to start his quest
from his homeland.
Chapter 8. A gift and a
door
"The only thing
that worries me is the time," Nlaminer sat as
they made a raft.
"We have walked this eternal forest for two
weeks; now we will try
to cross the sea, and what then ?"
"Are you disturbed by something ?" Rhissa asked in reply,
"Your words are right if there is a hurry to do something. I feel no
changes in the surrounding world. I feel no changes in the Realm, either.
What's the reason to hurry ?"
"I'm disturbed by
the calmness of this place," Nlaminer showed
all around him,
"Too peaceful, too quiet." He stopped.
Rhissa had a longer
look at him. "You expect a trap, maybe ?"
"Why not ?"
"Well, I've told
you. I do not sense His presence in the Realm."
Nlaminer thought.
"Is the Realm always the same ?"
"What do you mean
?"
"Well, this is another world. I was taught there are millions of
worlds, all scattered around in the Universe. Is the Realm also... present
around all the Universe ?"
Rhissa thought for several seconds. "I think, yes. Because the
Realm isn't a united entity. You have seen several pictures of it; it comprises
the clerical plane of power of all the realities."
"How do you know
?"
The small reptile possessed truly infinite patience. "I know it.
All my experience in all my previous lives tell me that."
"And you remember
all your past lives ?!"
"No, I
don't."
Nlaminer couldn't
understand whether Rhissa was joking or not.
She looked at his
frowning face and added, "In the Realm I meet - how should I say ? -
shadows of my previous avataras. The imprints of their thoughts. Their
memories. As you can tell many things by smell, I can tell the owner of several
things within the Realm."
"I wish I could visit this Realm," Nlaminer sighed, "I
am normally deaf and blind to it."
"No, you are not," Rhissa came closely to him. "If you
were, we would never meet. Besides, the rite couldn't leave you unchanged. All
you need is training. Before you ask that of me, tell me, my friend, can you
take the responsibilities of the Realm traveler ?"
Nlaminer thought for a reason to give an affirmative reply but found
none.
"This is why you feel deaf to it. You understand ? You have
contact with two magic sources at once. Every one of them hinders the other not
to let you have the fullest potential. This is your gift, not your fault. But
this can become a curse, too."
"What should I do
then ?" Nlaminer had a completely lost look.
Rhissa answered simply, "Wait. The sources are quarreling with
each other because you are moving between them. Stop that. Do as you feel, do
not think of your inabilities. There are none. Every being creates its limits
so that it could consider itself limited. Humans, for example. They have no
inner power strong enough. They are, therefore, a most violent and impulsive
race. They consider themselves deprived so they are blaming all around in
that. Instead, they need only to train,
and any power can be theirs."
"Do they not know
this ?"
"Several do. Humans can be brilliant mages, best friends, if they
so choose. I think this is an ideal. We Haans have the strongest contact with
the Realm, are one of few races which have
to look after it.
Believe me, this is dangerous."
The raft was made. It
had no sails; they constructed
simple oars, for the
sea was shallow, not more than breast-deep for
Nlaminer.
They collected a week
store of the food and left for the mountainous island far away. This time
Nlaminer was not worried. Rhissa's words calmed disturbance within him that has
started to break out. He sat and sang, or meditated at times when they did not
speak. The raft was carried by lazy streams to and fro, but they were
inevitably approaching the great mountain.
* *
*
"Did you notice that ?" Rhissa asked suddenly. Nlaminer was
writing something in his notebook and asked only, "What ?"
"Turn around," she said. "But try not to show your
emotions." Her voice was completely calm, evem dreamlike. He turned his
head.
A leviathan, a fishlike creature, was swimming after the raft,
following them at a distance of several hundred feet. Its size was unthinkable;
perhaps four or five hundred feet long, with a fat belly and bulging eyes four
or five feet wide. Nlaminer froze; the size of that "fish" was enough
to paralyze him. It seemed grotesque, toylike but for its size. Without loud
splashes it followed in their wake.
"When did it appear ?" Nlaminer managed to ask, hypnotized by
the alive eyes of the monster. It stared at the raft and its passengers with a
keen interest. Nlaminer knew at once it could be quite impossible to stop that
giant.
"A minute ago," she replied unworriedly. "Out of
nowhere. Now you don't see it, now you see."
Nlaminer handled his emotions promptly. The only thing that could seem
dangerous was the size of the leviathan. But it swam without signs of
aggression, as if waiting for something.
"I wonder,"
Nlaminer said thoughtfully, "What does it want ?"
Rhissa opened her eyes and sat up. "I think it's just curious.
Hungry monsters won't wait too long; besides, there's something unusual in this
pretty little fish."
"The size is
unusual enough, I'd say."
Rhissa smiled and waved her hand to the "smiling" giant. It
slapped its tail against the water, hurling rainbows high in the sky. Rhissa
turned to Nlaminer. "You see ? It just sends us its regards." They
observed their new companion and it left them as suddenly as it joined them
before. One mighty splash, and the leviathan was gone.
"The host sends
us his greetings, I think," Rhissa added.
"The host ? Who
is the host here ?"
She paused for a
moment. "We will see."
Nlaminer looked around. Their raft was entering a natural haven.
Magnificient rocks were supervising the narrow pass between them and a sandy
shore. While they talked about that giant, their goal appeared before them
without warning. A large wave rose from the sea and placed the raft carefully
far on the shore. The passengers rolled upside down; but that was not the only
surprise. A path, paved with opal stones, led up over a small hill. The
mountain's foot rose from the very shore; low hills occupied the rest of this
land. They both raised their heads; white clouds were rolling slowly down the
mountain sides. A wind, coming from beyond the hill, brought them a fragrance
of flowers and they were dizzied by a tumult of odors. Clover, buckwheat,
lavender, primrose, dogrose... flowers of all seasons mixed in a beautiful wave
which flowed over them. The wave passed and they looked at each other with
surprise.
All around them was silent. Only seagulls, always hungry, crowed and
yarked above their heads. This gave Nlaminer an illusion of his standing on the
top of the ancient Ladder, looking down into the encircling sea... The vision
of the lighthouse island came and left. Rhissa felt a momentary disquiet in her
companion and touched her hand to his elbow. "Don't let the past rule the
present."
Her words came as if from hundreds of miles away. He shook the delusion
from his eyes and listened again. Nothing new. Wind whispered in their ears; a
flowery fragrance remained, though not as strong. He bowed to get their
possessions.
"I think we are told to follow this path," Nlaminer said.
"And I think it would not be too bad to do that."
They came down the
blooming hills. Eternal summer dwelt here; there were no other seasons. Colors
were the brightest they had ever seen; springs murmured down the slope of the
hills. The path coiled and twisted as they wandered deeper inside this new
island. The mountain, crowned with a brilliant white cap, looked not
threatening but welcome.
* *
*
"Welcome, strangers," Rhissa read a small plaque on the wall
of a house. "I've seen this somewhere before..."
After they walked the path for several hourse, it descended into a
valley; just near a small lake a beautiful gray house was built, made of fine
marble. The door was not locked. Besides the plaque, written in Thalen, they
saw nothing unusual. A small garden surrounded the house. The windows were
curtained and no sounds came from inside. Yet the valley did not seem deserted.
Nlaminer knocked. The door immediately opened. "Come in," a
voice called from within. As they stepped in, Nlaminer had time to notice the
plaque had vanished without a trace.
"Come in,"
the voice was pleasant and resonant. They passed down
a wide corridor and
entered a hall, decorated with runic inscriptions.
A low end table stood
near two large windows; the host of the house was sitting on the floor. He was
robed and first they saw nothing but a humanlike figure. Then he stood and
turned to them.
Rhissa saw a wisened
old Haans, with darkened scale and
vivid, flaming eyes.
Nlaminer saw a Marrkes sage, with snowwhite fur and gray eyes. The host sat and
gestured, inviting them to sit, too. Cozy wooden chairs appeared beside them.
The host went to the windows and pulled away curtains. Sunlight filled the
hall.
"I am rarely visited here," he said. Rhissa heard hissing
overtones; Nlaminer heard resonant 'r's. "Well, first I think you should
tell me your names."
"I think you know them," Rhissa stood up and Nlaminer rose,
too. "I'm Rhissa Thalasshes and Shiora, the Cleric Watcher and High Priest
of Naata. This is my friend in Unity, Nlaminer rad Haorsst." Nlaminer
shuddered when he heard her spelling 'friend in Unity'. "But our titles
and abilities are nothing to you, Ezoxu the Wise."
The figure laughed. "No, you are wrong. You earned your titles;
besides, you are the ones mastering the fate of your world now. No, Rhissa,
it's just a tradition. I do not use my powers of knowledge here at home."
Nlaminer shuddered again. "This is your home ?" he asked with
much reverence.
Ezoxu nodded. "My race left this world long ago; it was left ever
young and glorious. I doubt there is anyone of my race near. But the world
still lives and I live here, too."
Rhissa bowed slightly again and stood silently. Nlaminer felt as if he
were in a dream. Ezoxu sat. "You
are guests here; no
need to pray to me. I hear you quite well."
His eyes narrowed as
he smiled. "Speak to me as you'd speak to any other, Nlaminer. If you
think gods only sit on thrones casting mighty spells, you are wrong. We all
were mortal beings like you. I like living here just like any of you would. So
don't be afraid. The task you are solving is great and probably you will return
some day to your world. Until then, be my guests." He stood and added,
"Please excuse me; I will return soon." He walked noiselessly out of
the hall.
Nlaminer said in a low
voice, "You never told me that you are a High Priest, Rhissa."
"Well, you never
asked me," and she laughed. "If you think it's
quite usual for me to speak
to gods, you are wrong. I'm also
feeling like I am in a
dream. If he came with thunders and flames,
roaring his words and being
a hundred feet tall, I would be less
astonished. But he never
uses lightnings and flames. His
domain is knowledge."
"I know,"
Nlaminer replied thoughtfully. "I feel I could question him
day and night. He would
soon become tired."
Rhissa smiled mysteriously. "We shall
see."
*
* *
They were having a tea
party on the shore of the lake.
As if by agreement they never discussed the Stranger and the weird
events occurring on the lighthouse island. They talked about many things; Ezoxu
seemed to be endlessly hungry for news; Nlaminer carved a flute and played
several songs. His two companions
listened with great interest. It was hard for Nlaminer to view their host as a
regular creature; he knew his image of Marrkes was an illusion. It was custom for him to behave like his
visitors (or devotees ?). Nlaminer felt awe that made him silent and
embarrassed at times.
They built a modest hut out of dead branches in the nearby forest; the
tea they drank gave them enough energy for even hard work, should they choose
to perform that. Nlaminer sat for many hours observing two forces living in his
mind; here at Ezoxu's home his powers were getting stronger. But the dual
presence was still separating him from his other side. Ezoxu didn't force him
to speak when he was unwilling; Rhissa was always eager to talk to the god and
Nlaminer felt strange discomfort about that.
Days passed; once Ezoxu asked him, when Rhissa was not near, "What
disturbs you, Nlaminer ?"
His piercing eyes couldn't be fooled. But Nlaminer was unable to
express his feelings and he just shrugged. "I know humans raised you; I
know you are wondering where lies your homeworld. Will you feel better if I say
your parents are still alive and remember you often ?"
Nlaminer shook the
gloom off himself at once. "What..."
"No," Ezoxu raised his hand. "Let's not speak of your
world. There are bright and dark ages there, too. You came
from that world, but
you have duties elsewhere. You have a beautiful
friend. I will tell
you one thing only; you are not alone, Nlaminer.
The one that carried
you from your home did that intentionally. I cannot tell you more. But keep in
mind, you are not alone. Your fate is of your own making. Even gods cannot
change your life if you don't choose it."
The darkness fell from
his eyes. Ezoxu touched him for a moment and a crack inside his soul
disappeared immediately. "Your powers will help you if you keep your
spirit alive." They began telling
stories of their lives; Ezoxu listened as well as talked. Rhissa sat beside
Nlaminer; the conversation lasted until stars began to shine on the darkening
sun.
* * *
They stayed for several months in the wonderful forest where time
didn't flow. The shadow that touched Nlaminer in that Realm flight was not
leaving easily. He felt almost jealous observing Ezoxu and Rhissa talking
merrily, but the whispering voice was melting away. He wandered about; he did
not dare to hunt, nor was it necessary. His head was spinning with all he
learnt here and he sat singing his songs or playing the flute... sometimes he
did that far from the gray house. He felt the essence of this world: calmness
and certainty.
One day they woke up simultaneously. Without a word, they took their
belongings. Rain had poured through the night, quiet and steady, as everything
here was. Rhissa took his hand and in the same instant they found themselves
standing in the familiar well-like place, with thirty six mirrors glaring at
them coldly. For some time they did not realize there was a subtle white glow
around them. It seemed to be constant, as if it were a farewell gift from their
host.
"I forgot to say
farewell to him," Nlaminer muttered.
"No need," Rhissa echoed back. "We will never need to
say farewell to him. We will meet from time to time."
Nlaminer went to the nearest wall and grasped the obsidian amulet
hanging on his neck. His homeworld... he sighed but could not let these
memories flow away. They moved before his eyes like distant fog-covered peaks
of the mountains, always on the horizon, formless and unreachable. Rhissa's
voice called him back. "Nlaminer ! It opens !" He opened his eyes.
The mirror melted away; a wonderful land was before their eyes; different from
the quiet Ezoxu land but nonetheless breathtaking. He was about to step over
the boundary between the worlds when a sudden thought struck him deeply.
"No." He pulled Rhissa back. "We will not enter."
His eyes radiated such a strange light Rhissa did not venture to
protest. After a while the entrance dimmed and disappeared; a mirror, still
cold and impenetrable blocked their way.
"It's my
homeworld," he whispered and sat on the floor; Rhissa
sat beside him,
speechless, holding his hand tightly. "If I pass, I
bring him with
me." Marrkes do not weep; but his sorrow was dark and
painful. "He left
a spy deep inside me, Rhissa. If I show him any
weakness, he will
strike. I shouldn't leave this place until I force
him back." His
words thundered with unexpected might and a globe
above them flashed
like a small sun. They ignored it and sat
until the cold had left
their hearts.
Chapter 9. The Twilight
Palace
"These passages
confuse me," Nlaminer complained after they
climbed stairs for
more than half an hour. The only light inside the
great hall came from
nowhere. Thick carpet rustled as they walked;
the stairs were well
tended. They passed many floors and saw
no
other passage but this
great staircase.
Fascinating paintings
decorated the walls of this strange place.
In the dim light they
seemed insubstantial and illusory.
With unfailing interest, the two strangers examined the weird beauty of
the palace. The palace was deserted, yet nothing was falling into decay...
...Nlaminer thought of their arrival here. Unlike their previous jumps,
this one occurred while they slept in that room with thirty six mirrors and a
dark globe above.
They awoke in the nearby alleys. Their interworld journey was quiet and
sudden. They stood up hastily, prepared to defend themselves... but no one
came. Twilight ruled the place; a purplish horizon indicated the sunset that
had ended not long ago. They waited and
waited and nothing changed. Unknown birds sang a strange song, filled with
unalloyed beauty. The sall singers flew over their heads; bushes were trimmed
and a colossal Palace overlooked the surrounding lands. As far as they could
see, only alleys stretched as far as they could see. Distant woods seemed to
begin at the horizon and Rhissa thought she heard splashing of the sea.
As it was before, the whole place was quite peaceful. The quietness
differed from malign silence of the lighthous or the eerie calmness of the
mirror room. The Ezoxu world gave assurance and equilibrium. This place was indifferent to them. They felt lost in the maze of low trees and
bushes. Disordered fountains order produced cascades of water droplets.
"Fresh," Rhissa said at last when she first sipped the water.
"This is good. I feel no one's presence near us; but there must be a
reason why we were brought here."
"I think we are meant to learn something," Nlaminer replied.
They sat on the outer wall of the basin. Water fog gave a pleasant sensation in
the hot air that surrounded this place...
"I think we have
something to learn here," Nlaminer repeated.
They entered a large
room filled with bookshelves. Book everywhere.
The titles were all in
Thalen.
"This cannot
be," Rhissa objected. "Think of it; why would there
be anything familiar
to us ?"
"Someone has
modified this place for us," Nlaminer said. "Why
not?"
"Too much to do.
Besides, why bother for us ? We have to find a
way to rid of our...
well, you understand me. We cannot hide from
him. To be frank, I do not wish to seek refuge
the rest of my life.
"Ezoxu helped us,
didn't he ?"
"Yes and no. Do
you consider gods to be everywhere at the same
time ? Do you consider
them to care for mortals ? No. The status of
god is a way to
establish the cult. The cult is a
self-preserving
entity, you see. For example, if a god said, 'A blindness
upon those
desecrating my
altars', then the one desecrating that altar will be
blinded. But will a
god perform that personally ? No. There
are
billions of worlds;
not even gods have power enough to deal with
every problem. Their cult is their essence. In most cases a
god
doesn't do anything at
all."
"Did we not talk
to a deic manifestation ?"
"This is a case as rare as a god's death or a god's coming. One
chance out of a billion billions. How do you feel about it ?"
"It seems for me
I saw a brilliant dream. What of that ?"
"Exactly. A dream. When - and if - we talk to him once more, he
will remember us. Do not expect a god to come in flesh to talk to a mortal.
Ezoxu is a Wisdom itself; he knows the origins and ways. He cannot predict or
see through time; but he can teach many things. His wisdom is subtle, almost
invisible, yet it forces one to learn. Didn't you feel anything there ?"
"Well,.. what I
learned was very general advice, no more."
"You want too much," her eyes glistened angrily, "If
even a god's words cannot persuade you or teach you, what do you expect of
mortals? Of me ?"
Nlaminer stood silent. His stared at the shelves and absentmindedly
took a book. 'Deities and cults', it was entitled. He put the book into the pack and immediately they were at the
entrance. of the palace. The book was still in the pack. Rhissa sat on a small
stone bench and sat there, ignoring Nlaminer.
"Something is stirring inside me," he said, approaching her.
Rhissa kept silence. "I walk as if in a fog. Something inside me calls for my attention." She sat
silently. He put his hands on her shoulders. Rhissa relaxed a bit but remained
silent.
"I need you," he called softly. "If I hurt your
feelings, I beg your pardon."
"I understand," she turned her face; it was calm again.
"The Rite stirs you. The bridges between your mind and other mental planes
were opened too quickly. Be patient. The first time it is painful. For both of
us, Nlaminer."
He was embarassed
again to ask more.
"Imagine you've
been given new eyes, ears and so on. The old
ones were cut off,
replaced with new ones. It's very painful."
She paused for a
moment. "We cannot investigate this place.
It's laughing at us.
We walk for hours to find something new.
I feel tired of
it."
Nlaminer took a book out of his backpack. "This time, more
luck." Rhissa saw the book and brightened. "How interesting,"
she pointed at the title. It was completely indecypherable now; letters were
unknown. Only pictures remained the same. She browsed through the large tome and
exclaimed, "Here !"
He had a brief look. The stranger was depicted, in colors and life.
Many other pictures and runes commented on the images. Rhissa tried to understand something, but in
vain.
Frustrated, they returned
to the nearest fountain.
* * *
"We should accept the rules of this place," Nlaminer was
explaining his idea. They sat by a fountain; the twilight never ended here.
They slept, one guarded the other. They tried to move outside the alleys and
away from the palace, but with no success.
"We try to follow our own logic. I would recommend not to fight
these weird passages. Simply follow them," he added.
"I do not
understand you."
"Well," Nlaminer searched for a proper word and then the
Voice came again, booming and powerful. He did not expect to hear his inner
advisor again. Weak and subtle, it had
been; now it sounded like thunder. "DO NOT WISH", it thundered and
Nlaminer, with a surprised cry, sat clumsily on the ground. He saw Rhissa rushing
to him... the world reeled and then the vision was gone.
"I... am... all right," he said, smiling wryly. Rhissa calmed
the headache. Then he remembered the words and for several seconds thought
about them. He had another idea now; it shone before his eyes. It was simple,
but could work.
"Stand here, close beside me," he ordered and Rhissa, looking
intently into his eyes, obeyed. "Now concentrate. What's behind our backs
? Do not turn. Tell me, what is there ?"
"Why, the
fountain, of course."
"Is an entrance
to the palace there ?"
"No, of course
not."
"Excellent. Let's repeat that again. There's no entrance to the
palace behind our backs."
"There's no
entrance to the palace behind our backs. What..."
"Look." He turned himself. Even before he did that, he knew
what would happen.
They stood motionless, amazed at what they saw. A path, paved and
clean, led a short way to the entrance. Rhissa glanced admiringly at her friend
and looked inside the opened door. No one came out of there, as usual.
"I think I caught
the idea," Nlaminer added. "But what's next ?"
They didn't know the
answer. Perhaps there was no answer at all.
* *
*
How simple it was ! They visited the library of the palace, which was
behind the entrance door. They found food storage, guest rooms; they knew now
how to behave here. They even saw a
local dungeon just to make sure it exists.
They were sitting in the library. Rhissa was reading miscellaneous
historical books; Nlaminer was learning the magic. There was a spell book in
this collection. After thinking a while, he decided not to take the books with
him, he sat reading them. Rhissa was examining 'Deities and Cults' and, after
reading for several hours, she called Nlaminer.
"Listen," she said. "Toxxar, the deity of Life,
supervises all healing and restoration processes. A peaceful deity, of Akaeff
origin, has the power to banish the undead and cure diseases... and so on.
There is a complete description of this deity. The image is the same as we saw
earlier. It's him."
"But I know nothing of such a deity," Nlaminer objected.
"Besides, I wouldn't say he was too peaceful."
"I feel the same. Be it a local deity, a smaller
manifestation of some universal one, it would not be mentioned here. But my
clerical experience
does not tell me about him, either."
"This is the key we were looking for," Nlaminer said.
"It's not known in our world; yet it is him who is depicted here, no
doubt."
"We must learn more about him," Rhissa concluded. "The
whole story is mysterious. He's universal, but nobody knows of him. He's
peaceful, and I feel frightened of his peaceful intentions." She looked at
the picture again. Toxxar was smiling from the page. "What is it you want
?" she asked. The image did not reply.
"I have an idea," she said suddenly. Nlaminer looked at her
expectantly. "Let's pay a visit to the owner of the palace."
"I doubt he - or
she ? - exists."
"Let's try, anyway." They closed the door and wished NOT to
visit an owner of the palace. The door was opened... nothing new.
"Let's think of
the host's apartments," Nlaminer proposed.
This time the door opened to a small room filled with many interesting
things; fire was crackling in the fireplace and a window looked out at the sea.
Rain fell from the other side of the window. Nobody invited them in, but the
adventurers entered and carefully closed the door. A large chair stood in front
of a solid oaken table.
No one sat there.
* *
*
"This is all so cozy," Nlaminer said slowly, charmed by the
interior of the room. "I would like to sit here, really, for a long, long
time." He saw bookshelves, filled with ancient manuscripts; a book lay on
the table and a cup of something resembling herbal tea stood on the table;
statues decorated corners, hunting trophies hung from the walls. It felt like a
home.
Fire was casting fragile shadows on the floor; they writhed and coiled
up and down.
As if in a dream, Nlaminer sat in the chair. It was perfect and
comfortable. He looked around him; Rhissa walked around, studying the walls and
miscellaneous items attracting her attention as if by a magnet. This was not a
haphazard collection, brought here just to trick them into something. A
definite purpose was behind the whole room. Owner had just went out for a
minute... What if he returned ?
There was a gold-encrusted inkwell just near it; a fountain pen and an
ancient pens stood in the special stand. He opened a book with no title on the
cover; it was a chronicle. The dates and notes were made in calligraphic
writing. The words were in Thalen, too;
but something inside Nlaminer objected: no, it is your eyes that see Thalen.
"How interesting," he murmured, reading the notes from a
distant past. He could not tell how he knew it was a distant past; probably the
same way Rhissa did. "What ?" Rhissa asked him absent-mindedly,
engrossed in studying a collection of staves, leant to a corner. They were all
made of iron wood, with rich carving all over them. Many looked battle-worn.
"It is written here," Nlaminer continued, "It was an
ancient cult; the Akaeff were most powerful druids of that time and the whole
planet thrived."
'The Akaeff scientists discovered another way to move between the
worlds by traveling through the mental planes. All realities could be linked
through a channel in any mental Realm.
'They visited many alternate realities; they sent their scouting
parties and found many unoccupied worlds, filled with abundant life and nothing
more. Traveling became usual for Akaeff, with their powerful mental abilities
and well balanced minds; they met no opposition when they encountered other
intelligent beings and never tried to occupy already inhabitated worlds.
'Then they found the Tunnel.' Strangely, Nlaminer thought. I heard
about a Tunnel somewhere. He looked through the window and shuddered. The sun
was rising; its deep red beams were painting the landscape into fantastic hues.
Nlaminer stood up and came closer to a window. Another building, strange and
dome-like stood on the other side of a large canyon. Many windows pierced its
mosaic walls; light came through the windows and a distant music seemed to
sound there.
Rhissa heard him telling the story, but her mind was wandering far
away. She saw vast unlit halls, long but empty corridors... what were they ?
'One day the fear came through the bright passages of the Tunnel and
the gods gathered to defend their domains.'
An explosion, mute but
violent, ripped the world before his eyes driving him into a smoking and
burning ruin.
* *
*
He saw a terrible ant-like creature crawling from under the ruin. It
raised its head and clutched all four its mighty hands. Its army followed
closely; the bloody clouds were hanging over the devastated town; a hot wind
furiously attacked all the forces surrounding the entrance to the Tunnel.
'The presence of mighty demonic forces scorched all life on the great
island; only hot sand was swirling above. All the gods, however different they
were, guarded the entrance. There was no ceremony of Judgement. The alien
forces made their way harshly; the first victims were the Akaeff towns and they
were put to ashes. In a flash, the wonderful race ceased to exist.'
This time he saw with someone else' eyes. The terrible four-armed
creatures crawled insect-like from amidst the burning passages. Still there
were no attempts to break through the defending circle; the mighty figures of
deities, in their most ferocious manifestations, stood patiently, destroying
everything that tried to pass outside their ring.
'The gods waited for the leader of these forces to come. Flame was
raging throughout the island; from the other islands and continents it looked
like the end of this world. The Balance was supported only by an extreme effort
of the highest masters of magic.'
And the leader did, indeed, come pouring unearthly flame and
disintegration around its army. The moment of the strike was most terrible;
gods reversed the destructive flame against its origin; the army coming
endlessly from the depth of another reality was annihilated; three gods lost
their domains throughout many realities that day. All those who remained
encircled the crater with a web of interworld ways inside and closed it. The
moment of victory was horrible; twenty nine creatures, both creative and
chaotic stood in an allied ring, twenty nine gods themselves were defending the
worlds from attacks coming out of nowhere.
'The gods agreed to prevent such intrusions as best as they could. All
Tunnels were closed and divided between them to control any force that would
want to pass by these passages outside all the worlds. Only those given
permission were allowed to wander the Tunnels.'
And then everyone
vanished. Only the poisonous sand, emitting death many years after the battle,
was moving around the blasted land burying the remnants of a high and glorious
race. Only a few mortal creatures assisted the gods in the Defense. They
carried new and terrible truth: however carefully the Balance was supported,
anything could happen. This day was the day of new philosophies to come and old
to be forgotten. The echo of the Defense was ringing in many outside realities
for thousands of years.
* *
*
Nlaminer shook off the vision. He was still sitting in the chair. His
right hand covered a blank page in the book.
Nothing more written in it. A landscape outside the window was the same
again; dull and motionless clouds, twilight, endless alleys.
He shuddered and removed his hand hastily from the page. He thought
blood was coming from his hand, soaking the white paper. Then he saw letters,
purple and perfect, emerging out of nowhere; text was being written by an
unseen hand.
'I was the one who lost all in the shortest moment. I was near death
many long years; and I will return, with your help or without.'
"Rhissa !" he exclaimed and turn around quickly. Rhissa was
gone. Skulls lay in a heap; swords were carefully sheathed and attached to the
walls. Dark and sinister pictures stared at him.
'You need her no more, stranger. You need only to call my name and we
can join our efforts. What more could a
mortal want than to be a god? I will
show you power and might of a real god.'
The words were appearing right on the floor; wherever his gaze fell,
bloody letters were being carved or written.
A fury encompassed him. He felt terrible pain, as if he were being cut
apart; but the hatred of the Stranger was stronger. He felt immense power
coming through him. He closed his fists; darkness oozed into the room from all
directions.
"Come here !" he shouted; he felt as if he wore armor that radiated
a bright and hot glow. He raised his
hands; they were in battle gloves; his right hand grasped a shining sword. The
floor cracked when his plated feet stepped onto it. "Come here, you coward
! Bring her back ! I will destroy you, you damned demon !"
'You are going in the right direction,' mocked the steady voice. 'Take
another step. I'm behind the door. Force me to do what you want.'
Nlaminer hit the door with a gloved fist; the door shattered. A mighty reptile stood there, eyes blazing,
an iron mace in its paw. Nlaminer saw flame pouring down his armor and sword.
His hatred and fury gave him a demonic force. He struck the enemy and sliced
its mace in two. The foe did not flee;
it laughed. Nlaminer thrust his sword in the chest of the opponent. His sword
met nothing. Still laughing, the reptile retreated.
Nlaminer's swings cut everything they touched. Stone fell to dust, wood
burned to nothing, metal boiled and vaporized.
Though the foe was not harmed, after each blow it became more
transparent. A black hole appeared on a wall nearby. The reptile turned, became
solid for a moment and leapt inside. Nlaminer lunged and cried triumphantly;
boiling blood dropped on the floor and his opponent writhed with pain. But it managed to escape; with flame coming
out of his eyes he rushed into the closing portal.
Chapter
10. Alone in the mist
In the beginning it was mist. It filled the space all around, lit with
soft reddish glow and created walls and floor and ceiling. The mist was
clouding in any forms the mind could imagine. It had no form, no sounds,
nothing at all. It spiraled into ruby feathers, turning on and on.
After mist, pain came.
It had many hues and colors, too.
It seemed to be
endless and strengthening. Every bit of the body ached; the mind was in agony,
too, with terrible efforts having taken most of its powers away. The core of his
mind was full of pain; it was like he was thirsty, hungry and deprived of
everything possible.
The will came the next. It was the impulse that forced him to fight the
deadly fatigue. The battle was short but violent. Eventually, he rose on
failing legs and sat up, in the middle of the devastation.
Memory was the last to
come.
Strangely, the last events did not weaken him any more. He could not
allow himself to sit and bemoan his losses. Rhissa was in danger. He felt she
was alive, but in danger. The room was a weird look; deep cuts and scratches
everywhere. The reptile blood, dried up, was splashed all around. 'I forced you
to feel my anger,' Nlaminer thought, but the thought did not bring him joy. He
was tricked again and from now should behave most carefully.
First, their possessions. He went into the other room. His backpack and
her belt were lying in the heap of skulls. Disdainfully, he kicked them; they
immediately turned into a cloud of white powder. Nlaminer collected all they
had brought here and reached for the amulet.
There was none. He studied his inventory: nothing. He felt for a moment
floor falling under his feet... then he fought panic back, sat in the same
chair and tried to make up something.
The situation: he is in unknown reality, Rhissa in some other reality,
the only known way to move between is lost. Good time to panic, if only it
could help him.
Strangely, a cup with the 'tea' still stood on the table filling the
room with fragrance. He studied odor; it seemed to be not dangerous. Anyway,
there was too many ways to kill them both before. Owner of this place was
indeed a strange creature, with a particularly specific sense of humor, but not
hostile.
He prayed briefly to
all gods and drank.
The mist left his vision at once. Then the room began to change. It was
growing larger; the walls moved to bring more space. A dome-like building
appeared again, then a bridge span the distance between the two buildings. Part
of the wall moved aside to open the entrance to the bridge. It was three feet
wide, with no railings.
Nlaminer had seen too much in the previous several days to be
astonished any more. He grabbed his and Rhissa's belongings, took one of
ironwood staves, with a knob in the form of a dragon head and left his worn
sword instead. With the staff on the belt, and Rhissa's items packed in his own
backpack he came to the bridge and looked down.
Myriads of the paths were entangled in a maddening maze. Lights shone
here and there down in alleys. Probably, some nocturnal insects. A wind was blowing, soft and warm. Nlaminer
waited a moment and stepped on the bridge. Nothing happened. Then he crossed it
decisively; in five minutes he stood on the other side.
The bridge didn't disappear or shrunk or anything else. It was still
there. The Palace was nearby, a mountain of a castle, giant, splendid in some
dark way and motionless. Nlaminer shrugged and entered dark corridor. A plaque
was hanging above his head. It read in fine Thalen letters:
'Welcome to the Theater'.
* *
*
As the Palace before, the Theater was splendid and magnificient.
Nlaminer saw nothing that would be appropriate for a theater still. Passages
and corridors went round and round, spiraling to some mysterious underground
void. Many doors, all of them locked.
There was nobody around, though he heard voices and music, and all
sounds of normal undisturbed life. To hear it here, it was weird, too.
He spent a hour to make a trip around the outermost passage. He
wouldn't descend down any staircases yet. If he found nothing new and returned
to the bridge entrance, he would think of visiting some other floors. He had
water enough to live here for several days; and little food, too. He thought of
Rhissa and frowned. What if she is also
in some stone labyrinth, with no water, no food, nothing at all but her vivid
spirit and clerical skills ? Well,
right now he could do nothing. He sent her his greetings... hoping she will feel them, and stepped on staircase.
Like the passage he had just left, it was lit by a light globes attached to the
walls. The walls were of a very fine carving, with textures rich and
interesting. Whoever built this
Theater, he had excellent imagination.
Radial passages crossed the lower round passage. He saw human-like and
other figures coming through the passages in the distance; the air was a bit
dusty but not stagnant. He tried to open the first door he saw on the curving
wall and it opened easily.
It looked exactly as he could imagine it. A decent room in some small
inn far away from big cities. Fireplace with several logs burning, a supper on
a silver dish that waited for him.
Sleeping room and bathroom were farther, behind fine oaken doors. He
closed the door behind him and approached the table. A card, made of glistening paper was lying on the dish. It said:
'The room is reserved
for Nlaminer rad Haorsst, voyager.
Uaron, the Manager.'
Nlaminer fell into chair and burst into laughing. He laughed until his
throat began to pain. The whole scene was so unexpected he could not help
laughing... Then he stood, waited for several seconds and said, "My best
regards, Mr. Uaron. I appreciate you care very much." He tried to sound as
earnest as he could. Then he thought. This Uaron, whoever he was, should know
much about this place... For Nlaminer it was more Inn than Theater. He looked
at the dish and felt a terrible hunger in the same instant.
He ate with much appetite. The tension of the last events had consumed
too much energy. When he finished, he visited the bathroom to clean himself.
His fur was so untidy... and his comb was lost somewhere between the worlds.
After a while he managed to create more elegant appearance and returned to the
fireplace.
The silver dish vanished. Instead, a small silver key was lying on the
table. Nlaminer took it; it was almost weightless. A strange thing indeed. He
shrugged and sat in the chair.
The first thing he would like to do was to understand where he is and
where is Rhissa. He was quite a novice in the mental journeys and the rite gave
him sensation these journeys need special training to perform.
The second thing was to learn how he could leave this place and visit
any other. Preferably, to find Rhissa, wherever she was now.
The third thing was to learn what so-called Toxxar was doing and why he
ceased to pursue him. He felt no mental oppression any more. That was pleasant,
but was giving unquiet feelings, too.
I should find Uaron,
he decided. After I rest for a while. Beside the warm fireplace, in the
comfortable chair he soon was dozing. His mind was gathering efforts to find a
solution to the three problems. Meanwhile his body rested.
* * *
When he returned to Anlaven, the town where he was adopted and where
was taught the basics of the life, his foster parents were long dead; human
span of life was thrice as short as Marrkes'. The house was occupied by
merchants who were polite and kind enough. Nlaminer was still remembered here.
But humans were always distrustful to alien races. And the six-feet furry
stranger, with inch-sized fangs and growling overtones in his voice couldn't be
as welcome as he would like to.
Nlaminer cordially bid them farewell and left for the cemetery. There
he prayed to Naata and other gods and sat for a while. His appearance was quite
formidable to prevent outright staring at him. With heavy heart he ordered a
room in the nearest inn and began to think over his plans.
The City of Singara had been deserted four centuries ago. The Humans
began to explore it once, when another assault from the dark depths made them
to cancel their scouting. It was rumored to hide unthinkable treasure, as all
deserted places always are. Nlaminer knew enough of Singara history to assume
he could find a treasure there.
The only problem was he wouldn't go alone. Too many hazards lay ahead.
Nobody knew very well what could crawl round the nearest corner, so no
precaution was unwarranted.
And the cost of the equipment was rather high. He had to earn more
money somehow. It was easy. His magic skills, limited as they were, brought him
immediate awe and respect, for common people were always thinking of mages as
mysterious demonic creatures, able to do anything with a movement of finger.
Well, he was good enough to fulfil several simple quests (found lost box with
precious gems, cast protection from thieves and wild animals onto cattle-sheds
and so on), which gave him both money and reputation. He managed to buy an
enchanted silver sword Aimnall (Protector) and gathered a small band of the
adventurers; all four of them were humans. They visited the outermost parts of
Singara and were lucky to find treasure enough to equip themselves even better.
Nlaminer lived near Singara during all winter, mastering his thief
abilities (a good skill in traps removal is never missed), weapon skills (many
trainers were eager to fence with him) and ranger arts. He was a supreme hunter and even the
snow-covered mountains brought him enough food and skins, which he could treat
and sell afterwards. This was life
interesting enough for a small town such as Anlaven. But his inner goals were set aside.
After much thinking he decided to explore Singara deeper. His
companions were eager to join him; thus he left his native town for the next
time. Provided treasure found there were as much as they guessed, he could
start his voyage to Dragon Isles, to begin his long quest, to find where he had
come from and why. He heard of no other Marrkes in this world. Murrkins
distantly resembled his race, but they were more powerful, more cat-like and
with weaker mental abilities. They
accepted him like a kin and were always friendlier than any other race. But
they knew nothing of Marrkes, too.
His theology knowledge was also much in eclipse; he accepted the
existence of deities, but paid little respect to them. They were mostly
mystical beings to him, faraway and too hard to communicate with. In his
opinion, mind was weapon strong enough. Nobody would invoke to deities unless
there were no other way. Sometimes he felt he had to pray, but very rarely.
Their expedition failed completely. All four of his companions were
torn to pieces by a flock of blood hawks deep underground. Nlaminer could
hardly return, too.
But he met Rhissa.
* *
*
Nlaminer woke up. The embers in the fireplace were dying. It was warm
in the room. He slept with a silver key and ironwood staff in his hands. He
scanned his backpack. Nothing missed. Whoever ran the place, he was honest
enough.
Time didn't flow here. He felt his inner clocks stopped. This gave an illusion of stability and being
protected from everything. Well, if he stayed here, probably it would be the
case.
He gathered everything he had and looked outside. The corridor was the
same - voices, soft music, footsteps...
Nlaminer went out and tried to remember the door that led in his
apartments. If only it makes any sense, he thought. The mind was tired of
endless tricks with space and time, it would be so quiet to live in a place
where walls do not move and all paths always lead to the same destination. He
sighed. A passage led down, towards depths of the Theater. Figures walked in
the distance. The way seemed to be no worse than any other and Nlaminer moved
on, looking around. Pictures were
attached to the walls - landscapes, abstract paintings, but not a portrait
among them.
If only I knew where Uaron dwells, he thought. Too strange creature, he
must be. But everything in this twilight realm was strange, sometimes eerie. I
need to find Uaron, but where and when I manage to do that ?
Still thinking, he
made a turn to the right and stood amazed.
It was a great restaurant, all filled with people. Different races sat here. None paid too much
attention to the newcomer. He walked by
the richly decorated tables; a low hum of conversation filled the brilliant
hall, nearly two hundred feet in all dimensions.
A barman was an elegant Human, with white hair and smiling eyes. He
silently offered him a cup of the herbal tea. Judging by smell, it was the same
mixture he drank there at the Palace. The understanding suddenly came over him.
Nlaminer sat by a counter and thanked the barman. The latter made another cup
for himself and sat, intently looking into Nlaminer's eyes.
"Uaron ?" Nlaminer asked, after he sipped a bit off the cup.
The taste was wonderful. It brought him the memory of the Eternal forest and
its fragrance. Nlaminer shook away the images and noticed the barman nodded.
"Welcome to the Theater," he pronounced the last word with a
capital letter. "It seemed you need a good rest."
A music, unknown and weird for Nlaminer, started to play. He widened
his eyes; the inner rhythm was charming. "Where are we?" he asked,
looking around. The place was irreal, fragile, unnatural.
"This is the Theater, that's all." Uaron answered him,
playing with empty cup. "This is my place. I saw you in the Palace and
decided you could need my assistance."
"The Twilight
Palace ?"
"How charming ! Is it the name you gave it ? Wonderful."
Uaron smiled and made himself another drink.
"Do you know
something of me ?" Nlaminer asked.
Something very unusual
was about this Human... or what he were else.
Something mysterious
and powerful. Not the magic power; not even godlike powers. But powerful still.
"Nothing you wouldn't give me. I know only you are in trouble. I
have very few visitors, you see. These," he made a gesture and the hall
became empty; the music was playing still, "These are illusions, images of
my mind. I have strong nostalgy for my home." His face darkened for a while.
"So I decided to remain here and welcome whatever stranger passes through
this place."
"What's the
Theater ?"
"That's all I want. You see, great emperors possess much power and
rule large countries. But they live for a short time. I would like to live
longer... So I placed the limits to my empire and fled from whatever world I
could live in."
"A Tunnel," Nlaminer nodded. "I see it now. This is a
Tunnel. So you are a god ?"
Uaron shrugged. "In a way. I rule this place; it obeys the rules
I'd once introduced. Nothing more. But I will live as long as I desire, for
Tunnels are outside of any time flow."
Nlaminer was amazed. "I thought all Tunnels were under gods'
control."
Uaron laughed. "There are always things nobody could imagine. I
thought the same until I visited the Twilight land. There are no gods here, at
least I evade them. We do not interfere into one another's business."
"No gods at all
?"
"No, no gods. They never visit the Twilight land. No one knows how
it was created. And any mortal can find here a refuge from anything, if he
succeeds to come here."
"It's rain
outside," Uaron added unexpectedly. "Do you like rain?"
Nlaminer shrugged.
"I do not mind it, anyway."
Uaron flapped his hand and the splendid hall vanished. They stood on
the vast domelike roof of the Theater. A warm rain was falling. Uaron made
another gesture and two chairs, under a gray tent, appeared out of nothing.
"You can help me
?" Nlaminer asked. "I seem to..."
"No !" Uaron interrupted him. "Do not tell me anything.
This is not necessary. You want to find someone, right ?"
Nlaminer nodded.
"And you are
ready to do anything to save her ?"
Nlaminer stood up.
"How do you know ? You were..."
"Easy, my friend, easy." Uaron laughed again. "I saw you
both from the window. No need to get annoyed. Believe me, if I wanted to play
with you, you could wander the Theater forever. I had such visitors; some of
them wished to discover my treasury. Stupid ones !" he laughed again, more
shortly than before. "I have no treasure but the Theater, you know. Gold
and everything else has no value here."
He stopped laughing and looked at Nlaminer earnestly, offering him to
sit again.
"You think I am crazy ? No. But... from the other hand, craziness
is like spice. It brings stronger sensations. So, judge me any way you want,
but I can help you. The price is high, though. Very high. Are you still willing
to continue your journey ?"
Nlaminer thought for a while. Then he looked into dark eyes of his host
and nodded. "Yes, I think so."
"I am glad. You will think I am mad and the price is too cruel.
Maybe it is. Let us come to my library."
They stood and entered a door that appeared in front of them. Uaron led
their way. "When you live in a place like that for several hundred
thousand years, you will learn its rules perfectly."
"If there is no
time here, how you could measure time ?"
"You are clever. Well, I brought my watch with me." He showed
him fine watch, fastened on his wrist. Nlaminer heard of such things, but never
had one or even saw. They cost awfully much.
"This is the only thing that shows me the time," Uaron added.
"Well, we are here." He opened wide the great doors and they entered
a vast room, going far into distance. Bookshelves were placed in rows. Nlaminer
stood fascinated. He never saw so many books at the same time. They were going
for several minutes, and there was no end to the room. If it could be real...
"It is real," Uaron replied. "Here everything's real...
except for all that isn't." He smiled. "Well, this collection is
quite real. The only way to keep one's mind working. And here's the
table."
He led Nlaminer to a massive hazelnut table. A thick heap of paper lied
on it, inkwells and pens stood in rows.
"There is a door in the far end of the library," Uaron waved
his hand. "Here comes the price for your freedom. You will sit here and
write everything that occurred in your life. Every day you remember, every
adventure that befell you, every hue of your life."
Nlaminer had nothing
to say.
"You may believe me or not," Uaron added in low voice.
"But that door will let you out only when you finish writing all that
happened until you stepped into the Theater. That's a rule. I cannot change it.
Nobody can."
"She will perish while I write this chronicle," Nlaminer said
bitterly. Despair fell upon him, a dark and endless mist.
"No." Uaron shook his head firmly. "There is no time
here. Decide for yourself. You cannot trick the Theater, but you can play its
rules. Does her life cost the price I've named ?"
Nlaminer replied at
once. "Yes."
"Then pay it. Until then, be my guest. I am a good host, you'll
see that yourself. Pay the price, Nlaminer. You will find no other way
out."
Chapter 11. The Museum
Rhissa remembered only she took an ironwood staff. Its knob was in the
form of grinning skull. She remembered her disgust at such a thing... A flash
blinded her and she sensed matterless void encompassing her.
She heard her heart beating; distorted voices, full of anger and hatred,
filled her head. She thought she recognized Nlaminer's voice... Soon the voices
passed away.
She heard wind whistling in her ears. A calmness and certainty suddenly
filled her heart. Nlaminer was alive, that's for sure. The being calling itself
Toxxar did not achieve its goals yet. No reason to feel panic. This metal
certainty did not leave her even when her feet touched a cool floor, in the
fullest darkness.
She had only the weird heavy staff. The room was large and quiet; cool
draughts were flying it over and over. She raised the staff and it emitted
bright white light.
A giant monster, grinning savagely, stood above her. She was frozen
with terror. When she was about to defend, she noticed there were no noises,
smells and even life emanation from the giant bear-like creature.
She walked around it. An imitation, a stuffed beast, no more. Whoever
worked on it, it was fine and careful work. Even hunger in its eyes was very
natural. Rhissa looked at the floor, amazed... and understood why her footsteps
were so soft. A carpet of dust, half foot deep covered all around. Trying not
to raise it, Rhissa began her studying of this strange place she has been
thrown to.
She tested her contact with the Realm. It was weak, but her powers will
slowly regenerate. The worst of all is she had absolutely no equipment. No
water, no food, nothing at all. She was on her own, with Nlaminer outside this
reality.
As for food and water, it was simple; she will not starve to death.
Judging by the speed here energy was restoring, she will spend most of it to
provide her nutrition for her body. And
this ugly staff was the only weapon.
She sighed. Time to
learn how one could leave this abandoned place and where it was lying.
* * *
A day passed and another. She was still in the endless giant room. But
now it was clear: this hall was sort of a museum. Beasts, monsters, relics of
them and so on stood in the glass cubes, or by themselves, on postaments and so
on. And the dust, thick, several centuries old. Time itself was an exhibit in
this place.
Silence was disturbing. Nearly all the noises were deafened by the dust
or the great span of the hall. She managed to walk from one wall to another; it
took two hours. A labyrinth of the exhibits was also dizzying; the natural look
of the most of them was enough to scare even the bravest adventurers. They were
mostly unknown to Rhissa, but that was not strange. She walked by a wall.
Sooner or later she should reach an entrance to this enormous room. She marked one especially great showcase and
moved amidst the creatures even the most imaginative mind couldn't make up. Soon she was half-walking, half-dreaming;
the only things her eyes detected were possible signs of a door.
When she found a door, it was absurdly small in comparison with the
hall. Just six feet wide and eight high. She had no idea how the biggest beasts
were put in here, but it wasn't what worried her most of all. She opened a
door, not bothering to check what was behind and left the vast hall.
She stood in a narrow corridor, extending endlessly in both directions.
A plaque on the door read: 'Animals'.
Well, it could be translated in that way. She had no spare energy for detailed
investigation. The corridor was cleaner; no dust lay on the floor. Warm air
blew slowly; it made her more vivid and the fatigue of two (or more ?) days
walking immediately forced her body to complain.
She sat by the door to
have a small rest. Another door, twenty feet across the corridor had a plaque
'Science achievements'. That sounded great, but first her feet should rest.
Rhissa closed her eyes and tried to abstract from all that surrounded her now.
* *
*
The several following weeks she spent walking in the great halls of the
Museum; the name was proper enough for such a colossal collection. She guessed
who could establish such a place and why it is long forgotten and never
visited. The only unlit room was 'Animals' section. The number of sections was
infinite, as it seemed. Dozens of other life examples, of classes she never
thought about, filled other sections. 'Knowledge' section possessed the
treasure of wisdom she would never suspect to exist. Temptation to sit and study all of this was overwhelming; the
absence of time here was assuring there will be no dire results of such
studies.
But everything more or less valuable was hidden under a bluish glowing
mist, covering showcases. She threw a small stone at one of such fields and the
small piece evaporated with a glare.
The hall that really attracted her was labeled 'Cults'. She entered it
with awe; millions of gods looked at her from many altars and sacred things,
placed in strict order. There were no dust here and all the images seemed to be
alive. She never suspected the Universe could comprise so many deities. Indeed
the amount of unknown was growing with the amount of knowledge. She felt as if
she was inside all the times and ages of all the worlds.
Gods looked at her;
she heard distant voices and sounds, emanating from the images. Only once she
saw a known altar. It belonged to Zartin, the god of Dragons, fierce, glorious,
covered with perl-like scale. He was so realistic she studied the image for
many minutes. His blazing eyes met hers; she kept her stare and the world
around began to move and melt.
* *
*
The images were foggy and detailless. She tried to concentrate on them
and realized she was seeing many worlds at the same time. Her thoughts moved to
her native world and in the same instant the vision became clear and alive.
She looked at her world from the great altitude, as if she was flying
high in the sky. The Blasted land crawled beneath her. It was sand-buried and white. Dragon Isles
were slightly visible through a thick layers of clouds. Her eyes tried to focus
on the Lighthouse island and she saw at the same instant a great volcano raging
in that place. A column of smoke was rising high; lava was flowing endlessly.
The battle of fire and water was awesome; she understood the rest of the
lighthouse with its secrets were gone along with the Andrynx shrine.
She tried to find her Pink isle, but the dragon whose eyes she was
looking with changed its course and headed for Dragon isles. She thought she heard the booming and
hissing of the steam and the roar of the volcano breath, but it could as well
be just her imagination.
Then she saw a familiar dark shadow and heard the mocking laughter once
again. 'Spying, little cleric ?' A panic grasped her mind. Somehow he managed
to watch even the deeds of other gods !
She tried to break the contact and found herself standing in front of
Zartin image.
His stone eyes showed superiority and irony. The essence of everlasting
energy gave her more strength and strengthened her spirit, too.
She prayed to him
shortly and continued her way.
After a long time she discovered the altar of Toxxar and stood there,
unable to pass the place by.
Two images were mixing in the dark bas-relief. One was the Akaeff
image, agile, tall, with eyes deep set and peaceful. The other was strange,
shapeless violent image, with eyes red and hating, with immense power emanating
from them.
She paused, fighting the impulse to penetrate Toxxar thoughts or use
his senses... desire was so strong she had to close her eyes and walk away
several steps. While she possessed no means to combat Toxxar powers and move
between realities she had no chances to withstand his will.
With Toxxar eyes burning
her neck, she moved along.
* *
*
She stood in front of the showcase with a "portal generator"
device inside. The magic books were just words for her; and her attempts to
break into the Realm were hindered. The only hope was to use some alien
technology based upon other principles.
After scanning the hall of 'Movement' section she find eventually
several portal spawning devices. No comments on how to use them. Well, provided
she could get such a device, she could risk to cast identification, even if it
will take then several hours or days to regain her powers.
She tried to find any switch turning off the blue field, but with no
success. It glowed, destructing anything trying to approach the guarded object.
She was near to despair, when a strange feeling appeared inside hre mind. She
paused to study this sensation. Out of nowhere, an image appeared before her
eyes. It lasted only several moments, but the idea was plain and simple.
She was astonished, as she never experienced the Voice before. Then she
found a massive metal thing taken from some ruined showcase (it was part of
some floating vehicle). She calculated the safe distance and threw the piece of
metal at the showcase.
A terrible sound of
vaporizing metal filled her ears. The
field flashed white
and disappeared. She had time enough to break the
glass and grasp the
device inside. The green indicator on it was
lit and the whole item
gave a sensation of might hidden deep inside.
As she leapt away from
the support, the field switched on again.
In the same instant, some strange, unpleasant sound came from a
distance. Guards, she thought. Time to learn how the damned thing works. She
concentrated on the hand-sized device lying on her hand, but before she had
cast the spell, a heavy footsteps came from behind.
She sprang, trying to block any possible attack, but an invisible force
seized her and the staff dropped to the floor. A metal creature, resembling
tall Human stood near her. Her muscles were paralyzed, her mind was the only
obeying part of hers. She felt her body turned and began walking somewhere, the
guard following. 'Nlaminer !' she cried with desperate strength, and a
blackness fell upon her eyes. She still felt she was going, under the full
control, but her contact with the outside world was vanishing with frightening
speed.
For the first time her
clerical knowledge was useless. The opponent had no mind, she had nothing to
strike at. No life, no mind,... only oppressive, crushing force living in the
ugly metal carcass.
* * *
An imprisoned mind suffers much more than an imprisoned body. The time
stopped its flow; the barrier that closed all the outer world was impenetrable.
The worst was she got nothing from the Realm. With no energy left, she was
doomed to perish here.
After an infinite period of time she felt a mighty stunning impact on
her mind. She felt she was falling down from an unmeasured height. Then she felt she is being supported and saw
a furry hand pressing to her forehead.
"Nlaminer," she tried to say, but managed only to move her
lips. He winked at her and offered her her own flask. She sipped and the senses
returned to her. Nlaminer was standing beside. He looked... somewhat
differently. It was hard to say what had changed in him. She clutched to his
arm, unable to speak. The terror of inevitable death was still strong in her
heart. She saw his lips moving but heard nothing. After a while her hearing
returned to normal. "Can you move ?" he was asking.
She nodded. Nlaminer smiled and helped her to sit. She looked around; a
small pedestal she was sitting on now was a place of her imprisonment, no
doubt. There was many such pedestals, both with remnants on them and without.
She shuddered at such terrible vision and sat with closed eyes for some time.
Then she remembered the metal guard that had taken her prisoner.
"The guard,"
she pointed at the door. "A metal creature that
had captured me. I was
unable to resist it."
"I see," he took from his backpack her belt and helped to
fasten it. "I brought all your possessions," he explained. "I
thought you could make some use of them." And he laughed softly. She
noticed he was carrying another ironwood staff, with delicate carving
resembling tiny scales.
They ate; Nlaminer brought some food, too. Rhissa was very hungry;
Nlaminer ate only a little. For her, the real food was especially tasty, as she
was fed only by spells, which could not bring taste and the feeling of
satiation.
Nlaminer sat all the time and only looked at her. They waited for about
half an hour, when Rhissa asked him, "What are we waiting for ?"
"You need to recover," he answered. "I had a brief study
of this place. I did not made any search, as I had to free you as soon as
possible. We have little time to spend. Did you find the altar of..." he
looked at her and make a vague gesture, "You understand ?"
She nodded. "Yes,
I saw him."
"He is planning a Judgement. I do not know how; no doubt he had
found a Judge. We should hurry. I do not know how we could prevent that, but we
will need his altar, I think. If you are rested, let's go. Right now."
"You want to
threaten a god, Nlaminer ?"
"He is not a
god," he winked again. "It's a long story. Let's
move. The time here
has another speed; hope the Judgement had not
begun."
"Mind the guard," Rhissa repeated as they were approaching
the door. He nodded and kicked the door open.
A guard was standing right near it. Rhissa was ready to strike it when
Nlaminer simply touched the massive figure and it fell heavily, breaking into
small parts. Nlaminer was about to run to the 'Cults' door, when Rhissa called,
"Halt ! Wait a bit !"
Nlaminer watched as she picked a portal spawner and hid it into a
pocket. Then they went as fast as they could and a hour later they stood in
front of Toxxar altar.
"We should make our strongest efforts now," he warned.
"We shall travel through the Realm. I have no doubts he is mostly in our
reality now. There is a small chance we can convince the gods to postpone the
Judgement. If his plans succeed... well, all we will have to do is to try to
hide your and mine people somewhere. This creature is awfully strong. Only the
combined minds can interfere with his actions. His altar will give us the
directions; we should find him and do everything to banish him away."
"If we make the Rite now, we will die," Rhissa said softly.
"But if this is the only chance, let's try it."
"No,"
Nlaminer objected. "Not this time."
He took a silver collar out of his backpack. "This is a farewell
gift," he said, fastening it. "My powers right now are stronger than
yours. That will not last for long, but it could help us for a while."
He gave her a hand. She took it. A warmth, quick and alive, flowed into
her body. "Lead the way," she heard his words, coming from somewhere
inside her mind. "I will move us, but only you know the way."
They felt the same overwhelming energy that hurled their minds into the
other dimension; this time, though, their bodies were following them.
If anyone could observe the scene, he would see them both glowing with
intolerable brightness. Their bodies drew nearer, melted into one. Then they disappeared; a lightning struck
the altar of Toxxar and destroyed it. Echo of explosion ran several times
across the hall; a smell of ozone and black remnants of the altar - it was all
that left.
Chapter
12. The Judgement
Colors whirled around them in a storm. Their wild flight slowed down
and finally they stood in a weird forest-like place. Stars, several moons and several suns shone on the sky. Multicolor shining envelopped all the leaves
and branches. Trees, plants and
everything else glowed with all the hues of a rainbow.
They looked at each other. Their bodies were separate now, but their
minds were still United. They need no words, even a shade of a thought was
enough.
'You look majestic,' Nlaminer heard his thought after he had a look at
Rhissa. She glowed with deep green light, her aura comprised an enormous power.
Her image was perfect, features flawless and godlike. She smiled.
'You too. All are godlike here,' Nlaminer looked at his body and was
amazed. This one was strong, agile, quite young and emitted an intensive orange
glow. He listened. It was not normal hearing that gave him sensation of a
beautiful music filling the surrounding space, but his mind could not find a
proper explanation to many new senses he possessed now.
'What now ?' she asked
him and her aura changed its color a bit.
I see her emotions,
Nlaminer understood.
'I have the following plan,' Nlaminer replied. 'The Realm is a timeless
place, as any Tunnel. We should wait until the Judgement begins. I do not know
who is Judge, but we should distract this creature and affect its mind. Judge
is under the full control of Toxxar or is threatened as we were. This is the
only way I see to change the result of the ceremony.'
'You cannot distract a
god,' Rhissa objected.
'He only tries to look as a god,' Nlaminer said, 'He possesses some
power to trick all the other gods... or part of them, that does not matter,
into thinking he's a god. We should make him to switch his attention to us.
This is a great risk, but I do not know what we could do if he wins the
Judgement.'
They stood for a while, their shining bodies mighty and magnificient in
the forest that was outside of all the worlds.
'And I think his power will be less in the Realm, too,' Rhissa added
unexpectedly. 'His origin of an energy lies somewhere else. This is my world,..
and yours, too. He could force us return to a physical plane, but only if we
allow him to.'
'That's a good idea,'
Nlaminer said thoughtfully.
'Which one ?'
'To find the source of
his energy.'
Rhissa paused for a while. Her aura became golden, then a sparks of
white diluted it. 'One can do that,' she replied. 'But somebody should distract
him. And when he's cut from the energy, his force wouldn't be hard to resist.
How long will your collar work for us ?'
Nlaminer laughed. 'As long as we are inside the Realm. I was told it
will disappear as soon as the contact with the target reality is strong and
stable. You see ?' he pointed at his neck. 'It is no more. All the other things
are with us.'
Rhissa looked troubled. 'But will this not disturb the Realm too much
?'
Nlaminer shrugged. 'You are Cleric. I can do very little here. I do not
know whether my magic will work. But my memory and my mind are with me. And
your powers are enormous now. Together we can oppose him; he can be outraged. When
his power is off balance it can be tricked and defeated. He's a master of The
Wisdom, not of The Art. Something allows him entering into other mental planes,
but we have a chance to defeat him anyway.'
'How do you know all
of this ?'
He sighed. 'I had time enough to learn many things. I will surely tell
you this story, but let's invent a plan first.'
Rhissa looked disappointed for a moment. 'I can find the Hall of
Judgement. And I feel radiation from the domain... of him. What should we visit
first ?'
'The Hall of
Judgement.'
She smiled. 'Your
hand, please.'
He gave his hand...
and they melted again into shapeless blazing comet. A wind whistled among the
leaves of the rainbow forest when this comet soared high in the sky and sped
away.
* *
*
The Hall of Judgement was located in a Tunnel. A place where no god had
a superiority over any other. Gods were discovering more and more Tunnels; and
creatures unknown even to Ezoxu the Wise were roaming those planes of
existence. Ezoxu himself was standing now in the beautiful hall, with floor
decorated with miscellaneous gems and precious metals. Diamond columns were
supporting transparent ceiling. The only entrance to the Hall was through the
Gate of Judgement, a wide arc leading to every reality known to the gods.
He was in the form of the Guardian. His task was to test every possible
attempt of fraud, for Judges were mortals and a god even here could influence
their decisions. His mind was guarding Judge each time the Rite of Judgement,
or the Judgement, was performed. Judge was always summoned by the plaintiff;
the task of the Guardian was to check the Judge's authentity, too. The
Judgement that was about to begin gave him wry feelings. He thought he knew the
Judge... something told him there will be something wrong, even though his
Power of Knowledge was useless inside this brilliant place.
The burden of the
Guardian was very heavy. Decisions that he heard throught a vast span of his
existence were both just and unjust from his viewpoint; they were kind and cruel.
His voice was a supreme force and when his words could wipe off the whole
worlds he felt unease. He stood and walked the Hall. Wry sensations didn't
leave him alone.
* *
*
They moved in a space
with no boundaries and no time.
Nlaminer saw with his
'eyes' all the skies he could ever imagine.
A blue sky and a green
sky; a purple sky and a black sky. Suns
were also of any
possible color. Sometimes it was no sky, shapeless
images crawled high
above. He saw castles in the sky, towns and
worlds floating above
one another. The Realm was combining most
different and contrary
ideas, was equaling all the creatures, was
both rational and
crazy, both kind and evil. He saw things that could
drive him mad, but
this place taught everyone to disbelieve as well
as believe.
He 'floated' inside
their United minds; he was the force
that propelled them
with the speed that seemed infinite. Rhissa's
essence was the same:
vividness, life and a bit of irony.
Uncertainty that
enveloped her in the Museum was long gone. It was her world and she was always
welcome here.
They crossed hundreds of worlds and then with no visible reason a road
appeared before them. It looked like a usual pavement - gray stones were laid
in a chaotic manner. Strange mountain landscape surrounded the road. It ended
with an arc; a golden glowing line with an impenetrable blackness inside.
'This is the Gate of Judgement,' Rhisa announced. 'Judge will come by
this Road. You will recognize it, for no one will ever pass this way. I think
I'd better move to an entrance to the Domain of you-know-who. I will wait for
you signal there. Just call me if you will need me. And listen to my calls,
too. I will not enter his world, but if he is not deaf, he will listen to me
and sense me even outside his place.'
'But Judge will see me
!'
'No, if you will stay off the Road. And be careful if you decide to
enter the Gate. Gods cannot use their unique abilities inside, but legends say
there is always a Guardian there. Someone able to detect intruders. Any careless
action may cause the death of millions.'
'If we never see each
other in this life,' Rhissa added in steady voice, 'I will find you in another.
The Unity is forever.' She disappeared. Nlaminer felt anxiety; she was quite
calm even in the face of death. It was very hard to suppress this anxiety; but
concentration now was the basement of the whole plan. He sat near the edge of
the Road and sighed again. To wait in a timeless place was a fine trick. The
whole point was to make oneself want to see the moment that was desirable. Now
he had to wait until Rhissa was close enough to the Stranger's place.
* *
*
Gods would come one after one. There was no strict rule about order in
which they had to appear. They arrived when it was convenient for them. There
was no time here, thus everyone controlled time.
Judge was the last to appear. Right now it was Palnor who shared the
vast Hall with Ezoxu. Ezoxu distrusted King of Thieves. Mostly because Palnor's
devotees brought trouble to every one of the gods sooner or later. But his
knowledge of mortals was probably greater than Ezoxu's. Master of Stealth was
behind every secret intention lurking in mortal minds. He was even just... well, to some extent.
He had his usual appearance of an itinerant musician; his Flute of
Illusion was always with him, though right now it was just an instrument.
Palnor was a superb musician, too. He stopped near the seat of the Guardian and
greeted Ezoxu with a deep bow.
"It seems it will be an interesting Judgement this time," he
said and smiled as if he was telling a big secret. "Why you are so
worried, Sage ? You expect something strange, right ?"
"Very strange," Ezoxu answered. "Toxxar is back. He
claims the positions of several other gods down there." he meant the
homeworld of Judge. "I would never expect him to be such violent."
"Time can change everyone," Palnor replied. "Would you
mind my playing flute for a while ? You need a good music to think by, I
suppose."
"Of course," Ezoxu smiled back. He liked this music. Palnor
did visit his homeworld at times when Ezoxu manifestations were relatively at
piece and no mortal sieged his mind with endless questions. "You may steal
my unease, if you need it."
King of Thieves nodded
in acknowledgement and started one of his songs. Crystal sounds drifted beneath
a ceiling, entangled the air inside the Hall and brought life and happiness.
Ezoxu listened eagerly, having closed his eyes. The unease did go away with the
charming voice of Flute. His burden seemed less for a while... and it was
pleasant to feel.
* *
*
Rhissa was quite earnest when she bid Nlaminer farewell there, close by
the Road. She felt the danger and enormous power emanating from the domain of
so-called Toxxar. This time she was not afraid, as she was before, after their
first Rite. That Rite seemed to be thousand years ago. The entrance to Toxxar
place was dark and guarded by colossal thunderclouds, casting lightnings of
destructive force all around them and pouring black rain down an invisible
land.
Bushes blocked her way. They reached their mutilated branches towards
her, poison dripping off their leaves and thorns. It was the exact sensation
about the Stranger mind: poisonous and thorny.
She knew that they cannot harm her if she is not afraid of them. Yet the
scene was terrifying; moans and growls came from the maze of thin black
branches. Hot wind moved them and poison drops evaporated into heavy, sick
smoke that was immediately drawn away.
Will that be close enough ? This place seemed to be relatively
safe. When she enters the land behind
the maze of bushes, she will be in greater danger, no doubt. Will Stranger hear
her if she calls Nlaminer now ? There was no answers to these questions. She
had whispered deep in her mind, 'Here, Nlaminer.' in hope he will hear her
voice.
Somewhere in another part of the Realm Nlaminer shuddered. The words
spoken by Rhissa sounded like a gong in his alert mind. He readied his senses
and gathered all the strength he had. 'Come now, Judge,' he said softly. 'I am
ready to meet you.'
And Judge came round the
corner of the Road.
* *
*
Gods waited for Toxxar. Only Zartin ignored the call. Ezoxu knew Lord
of Dragons very well and felt himself more quiet. Zartin's sense of danger would bring him here, if a real threat
were near.
Andrynx the Time Traveler was sitting in his reptile form, half-closing
his eyes, semi-transparent and silent, as usual. Ezoxu knew his temple was
devastated down there, but Andrynx never paid violence with violence. His
strength was his ability to be everywhere, in all the times, in all the worlds.
He would simply move his temple to some other place... when the Judgement is
over. Even if Judge banish Andrynx out of his world, he will lose nothing. Most of the gods were his friends and they
were always glad to seek advice from Andrynx the Predictor.
There were many others; Murti, Naata, Gwenvireth, Xandur, Orkhhos and
all the rest who had their dominions down there. Beastlike and humanlike,
reptiles and insects, with shape and without, they all were waiting for Toxxar.
All conversations stopped. They all expected the one who trespassed the
boundaries and claimed for the Judgement to return his domain.
And Toxxar came. He was robed and tall, his Akaeff countenance full of
dignity and wisdom. It was truly the very Toxxar who had lost all his devotees
during the Defense and hence became a shapeless mind. What miracle could bring
him back to the form and power ? Ezoxu was surprised. Nothing in Toxxar was the
same now; he noticed flashes of a black fire deep inside his eyes.
Toxxar greeted all gods waiting in the Hall of Judgement. They saluted
him back; whatever he would demand, gods will never fight one another. There
were millions of realities, gods also were born and died in due time. Mortals
were forming the image of their worlds.
So Judge was judging himself.
Toxxar named Judge and everyone looked at Ezoxu. It was time to call
forth Judge to come. Who will he be this time ?
"Let Judge
enter," Ezoxu ordered at last.
Footsteps came from the
other side of the Gate.
* * *
Nlaminer tried to keep the balance of his mind but the look of Judge
turned all his mind upside down.
It was he who walked the Road of Judge. But Nlaminer the Judge was a
bit different. When he approached the place where Nlaminer the Traveler sat,
Judge paused for a moment, as if listening to something strange and suspicious.
His eyes would meet Nlaminer's if only he could see him. For an infinite period
of time they looked into each other's eyes. Judge was trying to see whoever was
hiding so close to him.
Judge was the same Nlaminer who rushed after the shadow of Toxxar into
a hole back in the Twilight Palace. It was the Nlaminer who was the essence of
his fighting skills: ferocious, fearless and clever. His wide eyes narrowed
now. He had no ability to see his other self staring into his eyes, but their
minds were hearing each other.
There was not only dark and destructive forces that dwelt in Judge.
Nlaminer the Traveler sensed his self splitting again. His mind was being
divided into two; each part was reaching for the other, each one was in pain
but another power was dragging them apart. 'Nlaminer !' Nlaminer cried with all
his strength. 'Come here ! Stop !' But his double turned tail and slowly
entered the Gate. Nlaminer remembered the desperate face of his dark self. He
would unite with his other part, but a merciless will of Toxxar had chained him
to another mind. Mind ill and poisoned.
Nlaminer had a presence of mind to call 'Rhissa ! Now !' and stepped
inside the Gate of Judgement, with no clear plan of what he would do there.
Toxxar stole a part of him, tricked him into forgetting Rhissa and his oath.
Now this violent double will do anything to get free... for even with his mind
guarded by Toxxar Nlaminer felt double's will for freedom... his own will.
After a moment of darkness he entered a magnificient and brightly lit
hall... Fantastic figures stood all around. Toxxar towered near the Gate,
Nlaminer's double at his right.
And nobody cared for
Nlaminer's presence.
* *
*
Rhissa heard his desperate call. It was obvious Nlaminer was in deadly
trouble. But it was up to him to deal with Judge now. If she fails to distract
Toxxar, he will undoubtedly perish. She flashed beyond writhing and curving
bushes and stopped right under the mighty thunderclouds. 'Toxxar !' she called
with all her might. 'Toxxar, come here
! I am Rhissa, the one who knows who you are !' A lightning fell upon her, but
inflicted no harm. She absorbed its energy and laughed insolently.
Something roared deep within the dark land. A way to Toxxar place was near. She was taking a risk, for she
could be dragged inside and that would be her end. But Nlaminer's voice held so
much pain and fear she had no other way than to taunt Toxxar.
'Come here ! Are you
afraid ? You can only steal and hide ?'
A black shape materialized in front of her, a huge creature, all claws
and teeth, twice as tall as Rhissa. Sweating with poison, the monster
approached her.
She laughed scornfully; her hand raised and a glowing mace appeared in
it. The black shadow flinched back - a mace of pure fire just touched the
fierce spirit and it fell in clouds of foul smoke, moaning with terror.
Rhissa stood straight; her voice was ringing as if she were a goddess
herself. 'Come here ! I know you are not a god, Toxxar ! And everyone will know
that !'
The thunderclouds froze; the storm raging over the scorched land ceased
its mindless fury. All the gloom gathering above suddenly was flown away. She
understood she frightened Toxxar this time and angered him beyond measure. Her
life was at stake. If she is caught, nobody will save her.
She flew closer to the
heart of the terrible land. Some
movement in the Realm took her attention. As if some spirit was flying at a
tremendous speed. She fought her panic that was about to fill every bit of her
spirit and waited for her opponent.
* *
*
Nlaminer feared he will be thrown away the very instant he enters the
Hall. And his surprise was great, for no one had noticed his arrival.
Well, almost no one. A creature sitting in a great wooden chair was
Ezoxu, no doubt. And he saw Nlaminer... saw him and a shadow of surprise
flashed in the calm wise eyes of the god. Nlaminer thought he saw Ezoxu giving
him a slight nod, as if encouraging.
What now ? He decided to stand quietly and wait.
"Let Judge name himself," Ezoxu said and Nlaminer heard the
voice of his double sounding both in his ears and deep within his mind.
"I am Marrkes Nlaminer rad Haorrst, Ezoxu the Wise," the
double said and Nlaminer understood the plan of Toxxar to the very end. The double would say anything to earn
freedom, which was promised him in exchange. He shared Nlaminer's memory; every
god would suppose him to be a genuine creature. But what Nlaminer could do ?
And what Toxxar planned to do after the Judgement was ended ?
Nlaminer listened as the double was naming all the events of Nlaminer's
past, as Ezoxu asked him in order to prove Judge had rights to decide. Every
god was satisfied; Ezoxu declared that Judge had hereafter all the power to
change the fate of his world and Toxxar was asked what was his demands.
"I demand that Andrynx, Naata and Murti are banished from that
world," Toxxar said quietly, but his voice was full of barely hidden
hatred. "And I demand the race of Haans was expelled, too, for they were
opposing my efforts to regain my domain."
Then a change had happened. Nlaminer was the only one who had seen
that. An image of Toxxar flinched back. Dread black fire in his eyes went out
and fear appeared for a moment in them. Then something had left Toxxar's
formidable husk and nothing majestic left in the terrible figure.
The bonds that were dragging the double away from Nlaminer disappeared
at once. Nlaminer rushed to the double and entered his body in a single flight
of a thought. He felt the pain and hatred that filled the mind of Judge and
struggled to control his tongue and his dark thoughts. The efforts he made were
overwhelming, the powers fighting each other were nearly equal. If not for the
United minds that gave him such might, his plan would fail.
"What is your decision, Judge ?" he heard the voice of Ezoxu.
Balancing on the edge of conscience he managed to say with the Judge's lips,
"I think the cause is unjust. I order Toxxar to leave our world forever."
His mind was no longer able to sustain the pressure upon the Judge's struggling
mind.
"So be it," Ezoxu said and stood up. "Toxxar, you must
obey the decision of Judge. Every one heard the decision. I, the Guardian,
announce this decision to be taken into account immediately."
Nlaminer left the
furiously defending being of Judge and fled to the Gate. Having crossed it he
heard a call for help. Rhissa was in danger, too. He collected the rest of his
strength and wished with all his heart Rhissa to become near him, whatever was
happening to her.
* *
*
"So you called for me ?" a dark and furious figure asked her.
She stood her ground with mace ready. The eyes of the false Toxxar flared with
insane fire. "Nobody will threaten me and get away with it. Tell me what
you know if you want to save your life.
Her friend will not help you. " And the spirit grinned.
Rhissa felt terror for a moment... then she understood the Stranger did
not know about Nlaminer presence. Nlaminer was struggling, using enormous power
to fight something. But he was alive. So they did have a chance.
"Try catch me," she said and readied herself to strike
demonic opponent. "You tried to trick all the gods. You failed. They will not trust the one who struck the
innocent."
"I was defending your world together with all your coward gods
!" Toxxar cried suddenly and a crown of lightning fell around him. "I
was deprived of anything a god can be deprived of. Everyone forgot me. All
pretended I never existed at all. Who you call the innocent ?" He raised
his hand and a silver sword appeared in it.
"Not even gods
can live forever," Rhissa answered. "You are
afraid for you life ?
You, claiming yourself to be a god ? A god is
alive as long as
anyone remembers him. You were remembered. And yet
you think it was
unjust that you had lost all your devotees ? Tell me
then who is guilty
?"
A sword was raising high above her. "I'm tired of talking,"
Stranger said. "You believe your spirit cannot be destroyed ? I will prove
you the contrary. I am stronger than any existing god, and you will see that...
if I grant you right to return from Nowhere."
"No !" she cried and aimed a blow at his chest. The mace
struck Stranger with all the might she could find and the sword fell from his
hand. Toxxar made a step back, he
emitted a cry of pain and growled terribly. Rhissa saw him becoming a giant.
His hatred was darkness that enveloped them both. Her mind was pressed so
violently she felt she had only several moments before she will be crushed
under fury of this creature. 'Nlaminer !' she called with all her strength.
Toxxar laughed. His laughter boomed like a mighty thunder. Mountains fell apart
when this laughter rolled over them.
And suddenly Rhissa disappeared. She felt dizzy... Then it was Nlaminer that stood above her.
He touched her arm and her wounded mind brightened again. She listened; a roar,
mad and horrible, was approaching them.
'We'll have to flee,' Nlaminer said, 'I have little energy left.
Please, Rhissa, move us anywhere from this place.' They united again and the
comet of their spirits fell through the Road, to some another layer of the
Realm.
'How it was ?' Rhissa asked him while they were falling into one of the
whirlpools leading outside.
'It was nice,' he answered faintly and managed to laugh. 'We have the
only task now. To survive.'
The whirlpool engulfed them and threw down, down, down, into unknown
and mysterious world.
Chapter
13. Fugitives
It was sunset.
The sky was deep blue, purple in hue around the spot where the sun
should disappear the next minute.
There was an island where they stayed now. A small circle of land,
abundant with plants and trees, full of small rodent-like animals and birds
singing beautiful songs.
Each evening they built fire, sat near it and stared at sunset. They lived
here for two weeks now and nothing wrong was still about this place.
The two adventurers had now time enough to speak on any subject they
could remember. But they rarely did so; they mostly sat and looked. They sensed
they need not to speak. Many things were obvious and known. Only the memory of
their solitary adventures was fascinating for the other. And while they were
not expecting an impulse to leave this island and jump into some other reality
they felt themselves at piece. The events they went through did not offer them
much rest anyway.
"We need some
permanent solution," Nlaminer said after they
jumped into third
reality during the same day. "We cannot flee
forever and we could
make up something to defeat the false god."
"We should know
where to go to," Rhissa said. "This jumper moves
us at random."
She meant the portal generator. It turned out to be an
extremely useful
device. It was getting energy from the environment;
its full charge was
enough to set up about eight portals one after
another. The only
thing they could not work out was how to make the
device to move them
into some desired reality. They were sure that
they will be moved
into a world with appropriate conditions to live
in. Nothing more.
"And he follows
us every time we use our magic abilities,"
Nlaminer said.
"Nice situation. But there should be a possibility to take him by
surprise."
"That means we
know where his place is exactly."
"And he waits us
in both Wisdom and Art domains."
"And I cannot invoke to deities without attracting him
immediately," Rhissa concluded. She was right. They had time enough to
flee into a portal hastily set, when hordes of black shadow guards appeared out
of nowhere. It happened each time they tried to use their mental abilities.
"Have we anything
he cannot detect ?" Nlaminer said. "I still
have my Voice, but it
rarely visits me now."
"I have my
clerical skills, but they are limited if I am meant
not to attract his
sentinels. I can heal wounds, I know several
useful alchemist
recipes. That's all."
Nlaminer sighed. "I see. But I feel the answer is somewhere near,
very near. If only gods would help us !"
"Gods have no intentions to deal with the false god," Rhissa
objected. "We have changed our own reality... well, you changed mostly...
and that's how we see our future. Beyond that, gods will not bother to save us
or the like. Nobody forced us to deal with the false god; and it is up to us to
find the way out."
"Pity,"
Nlaminer murmured. "I would make anything to put an end
to that ill and mad
being. Besides, he could keep his promise and
begin desroying our
races."
"Gods will not allow his demons to enter their dominions,"
Rhissa replied firmly.
"He has a way to change the very laws that control the gods."
Nlaminer objected. "Thus he could trick them. After we have ruined his
plans to return bakc to his dominion - well, the real god's dominion - he
should be very angry indeed."
"How do you know about that ?" Rhissa asked, intrugued.
"You told that before, but I never asked you again."
"I studied some books at the Theater," Nlaminer replied
simply. "There were... well, there are many books there. At last I have
found a reference to similar problems. When mortals are able to trick the laws
of the Universe and acquire godlike abilities for a while." He reached for
his ironwood staff. "And I brought several souvenirs from the Theater...
this staff, for example."
"By the way, why did you make so many notches on your staff ? How
ling did you stay there anyway ?"
"Notches ? A
notch for every day passed."
"What ?!"
Rhissa began to count them. It took more than half an
hour. "It
makes... about fourteen years ?!"
Nlaminer nodded. "I could leave and find you only when I would
have written the whole history of my life. So I did. No other way. The Theater
is somewhere in a Tunnel. Then I opened a door and saw your footprints in the
dust. This is how I'd found you."
Rhissa looked at him and sat nearer. "You had saved my life again.
Should I stay there any longer..." She looked the other way but Nlaminer
felt a flow of energy coming from her hand. It warmed his soul.
"It was terrible to sit there all these years," Nlaminer went
on. "I will tell you the whole story some time. First week I was sure you
are in dire trouble, for I felt something... inside me..."
"I
understand," Rhissa said quietly. "I felt the same."
"Then Uaron had
told me, 'Any time you think about her, you let
the time flow here.
You should forget her for the time being.
Otherwise you could as
well never see her again.' It was even more hard, NOT to think about you.
Remember you, but do not think. I was at the edge of a breakdown those days,
but I had soon found a way to do what I want without letting the time
flow."
"Tell me the
whole story, Nlaminer."
"To spend
fourteen years more ?" he smiled. "Well, I think I
will do that part by part.
Should we build fire now ?"
* *
*
They were building a house. However long would be their stay here, it
was hardly proper for them to have no shelter.
'House' was too loud a name for a shack they were constructing. The
only tools were bones and teeth of some sea predator, looking like sharks of
their native world. They had hard time fighting it, but its long and sharp
teeth were quite handy to cut small trees and vines. The work added more sense to their imprisonment here, and kept
them alive and alert.
After their jumper had accumulated energy enough to throw them further,
Nlaminer ventured to cast several simplest spells. No side results followed;
Rhissa detected no spies afterwards and nobody came for them out of black
boiling gate.
"I suppose it is a projection of a spirit his minions are looking
for," Nlaminer added. "When I cast simple spells, I force only the
slightest part of my mind to visit the Wisdom Realm. As far as I see this part
is too small to be detected."
They were finishing the roof at the moment. She jumped down and said
agitated, "An excellent idea ! Why, the gods smile at us, Nlaminer, for we
are a Cleric and a Wizard. Do you know about spirit traveling ?"
Nlaminer shook his
head.
"That's a simple trick. Many foretellers use that; it's dangerous
and many people do not know how much they risk performing that. I will explain shortly. That's a way to push
someone's mind into the Realm and withdraw it then back. Cleric uses his power
just to open a gate to the Realm. You see what I mean ?"
"Well... not everything." Nlaminer confessed. "You can
push me into the Realm ? What then ?"
"Then you will
travel to some god and ask for help."
Nlaminer thought. The idea seemed to be both simple and effective... if
only their opponent didn't know his "spiritual smell" as well as
Rhissa's.
"What are the
chances I will not be pursued ?"
Rhissa shrugged.
"Nobody knows. When I was fighting the false god out there, he
didn't know you are somewhere close. I hope he suppose you to be a pure Wizard.
Otherwise we will have to live here forever... or jump until we find his
place," she stressed 'his'. They never called Toxxar by name. Methods to
hear one's name were too simple for any godlike creature. "I suppose both
the choices are equally vain."
Nlaminer nodded.
"And how we will do this... spirit traveling ?"
Rhissa closed her eyes for a while and frowned. "Well, I never
learnt this trick in all details. We will wait here until I recall all the
intrinsics of that. Besides, I had to control the speed with which I enter the
Realm. Funny, I never tried to do that before. Who could suggest this would be
useful !"
Nlaminer sighed and
said. "Well, I will go and hunt, I think. It will be rain later in the
evening."
* *
*
It took actually several days before Rhissa prepared all necessary
potions and trained enough to master a spiritual travel.
It was then that a
simple question came into Nlaminer's head.
"By the way, what
god I should address ?"
This question put
another problem immediately.
"You think..." Rhissa thought quickly, "That he can
trace any contact with the gods that were present at the Judgement ?"
Nlaminer nodded. "Why not ? He's very suspicious; he would blame
any of them in what had occurred at the ceremony."
Rhissa put aside her
diary and sat thinking for several moments.
"Then describe each deity you saw there. Be exact, please; I know
much of the gods, but not everything."
And Nlaminer began to describe all the fantastic figures he beheld the
very moment he entered the shining Hall of Judgement.
Rhissa nodded.
"I see. As far as I know, only three gods we know about were not
present at the ceremony. And I am not glad to say their names; because it will
be extremely hard to deal with them."
"Who are they
anyway ?"
"First, Zartin,
Lord of Dragons."
"Dragons ?" Nlaminer felt his heart to beat quicker. "I
wonder why he paid no attention to the Judgement ?"
Rhissa smiled. "He seldom visits meetings if he considers them
trifling and there is no dire threat to his subjects. Mostly they are
Dragons... well, maybe Drakes, too. That's why it will be extremely hard to
obtain his help."
"And the other
two ?"
"Those are chaotic deities. Kundi and Yanati. They possess powers
far beyond those of the other gods... But the prices they demand are hard to
pay. Sometimes it takes several lifespans to pay the whole price."
"And I should try
to learn where the false god dwells."
Rhissa nodded again.
"There should be
other Tunnels leading to such a place - as the
one we had visited,
Ezoxu place, - and back. I know nothing specific
Tunnels. Probably
entrances can lie in the Realms, both yours and mine. Probably not. I was never
interested in such things before."
Nlaminer sat silent
for a couple of minutes.
"Well, I prefer Zartin," he said at last, "He can be
hard to talk to, but I dislike Chaos even more. I would better spend several
years persuading Zartin, whatever terms he would offer."
"As you
wish," Rhissa nodded. "I want to warn you, though. Lord
of Dragons is a
creature of mood. One time he will grant you anything
you wouls ask. Another
time he will not listen to you for all the
treasure of Palnor.
This is a thing I cannot help you with. And keep
in mind: you can be
only sincere talking to gods. They read your mind
as clearly as you read
your books."
"Let's begin,
then." Nlaminer tried to look ready amd alert. It
was hard; something
annoying stirred deep within his inner self and
he still was unable to
understand what it was.
"Listen and
remember," Rhissa began. "Here is the prayer that
will guide you to
Zartin..."
* * *
When it happened, Nlaminer body became heavier and lifeless. His heart
was beating, yes, and he was breathing... well, his body was breathing.
Rhissa sat looking at his spiritless husk. A body would exist as long
as there was energy enough to support it. After the spirit was thrown into the
Realm, body entered kind of lethargy state. It slowed down all the processes
and to almost any person spiritual traveler would seem to be dead.
She sat motionless, her head still ringing with her own heartbeats. The
potions they had drank were mighty mind stimulators. It was a middle of night
now, but her eyes were so acute she felt as it was the brightest daylight. Her ears heard all whispers and whistling of
the night jungle and a tumult of smells was making her reel still more.
She felt as if terrible weight fell from her soul. A great oppression
vanished; it was nearly physical sensation, so might and unexpected it was. She
turned in terror to Nlaminer body; but it was alive and his spirit was still
existing, too. And yet something dark and sinister moved farther when the mind
of her friend had gone into weird depths of the Realm.
She stood up. An energy, wild and almost uncontrollable, filled every
little part of her being. She felt as if her mind had just been released from a
dark and terrible dungeon, back to sunlight, flowers and life. She looked at
her hands; bluish glow was gathering all around them. What happened to her ?
Where was this strange energy coming from ?
She looked at Nlaminer body and shivered; a dark and evil creature sat
by the tree. Not her friend any more, but a grinning monster, emanating
destruction and menace with its very presence.
She touched her hand
to a cold and limp hand of the stranger sitting in front of her and a roaring
explosion came from somewhere. Her vision waved and became transparent; some
other world was advancing upon her. She closed her eyes and waited.
* *
*
She saw several worlds at once; one was that peaceful green island they
were hiding at. Another world was undoubtedly the Realm, but no dark shadows
were awaiting her spirit. And another world, where she was right now mixed with
the previous two. She concentrated and
the third world became solid and vivid. The other two became barely sensible
and far away.
They stood there, Nlaminer and she herself; they were lifeless statues,
exact to the smallest detail but lifeless all the same. Only the faintest mind
radiation came out of these figures.
A hall, great and made of fine crystal was around them. Night stars were its roof; winds were its
hosts. Marvellous landscape was seen through transparent walls and music,
gentle and beatiful descended from above.
She saw her parents, her children and some unrecognizable figures
standing around the two of them. They were like statues, too. Rhissa didn't move; she realized her own
presence was bodiless, yet she could 'walk' here. She saw dozens and dozens
creatures, that surrounded them in wider circles. Who were they ? Why were they
standing here ?
'They are all bound to you,' a voice whispered in the wind. Rhissa
looked up but saw nobody. 'They depend on you. Surely you know that ?'
She saw more and more creatures, all of them vaguely familiar, of many
races, Haans, Marrkes, Humans, Dwarves, some of them long dead but famous,
others still living. There was no end to this flow. She saw faces, postures,
outlines... All the world, any creature known to her was here, no doubt.
'But why they are here ?' she asked and her voice rang in tiny
invisible bells. Another touch of the wind, another word coming with it.
'You judge their fate,' the voice told her, barely audible words, like
falling leaves, 'Ask me no more... Just come and sense all that troubles them.'
And she felt her mysterious host did slip away with endless winds
swirling in this vast space.
She saw a figure of her first child, Sumar Thalasshes ans Rhissa,
standing close to her. He was no more a small and curious Haans, always coming
to places he wasn't supposed to come to. He was a Cleric Guard now, Second
Priest of Naata, with all the signs of his rank inscribed on the medallion he
wore. Where was he now ? She felt
warmth coming from his strong and ironic image; children were always United to
their parents, though they never made full use of that link. Rhissa came nearer
to Sumar figure and felt he was still alive.
She touched his image
and another world came upon her, engulfing her senses and bringing peace and
calmness.
* *
*
Unlike their closest relative, Hanssa race, Haans could control almost
all aspect of their existence. Even a reproductive urge, coming each six years
was under control. Female Haans could beget a child almost any time.
Controlling their animal side, Haans considered there should be important
reasons for any Haans to have children.
Their laws and traditions could allow a pair of Haans to bring up their
children only if they could support them and teach them of all relevant
knowledge. It was a tradition that children of Priests would become Priests,
too. It wasn't a strict rule, of course; Rhissa's parents were Craftsmen. Only
those Haans possessing wisdom and balance enough could give birth to children.
No families existed as other races understood them. The Union and all
other spiritual links were much stronger and would always be more reliable than
any other bonds. The Union could not be tricked or anything; Haans could not
Unite if they were not in necessary harmony of minds.
Rhissa saw herself with Sumar, in the days when he was three years old.
Haans grow up quickly. Young Sumar was very eager to learn spiritual matters.
It was not unusual for Haans to become priests or other cult servants, though
this profession did not make a majority. When he would be taught everything
necessary to survive in this harsh world, he would leave his parents and all
three of them would resume their paths.
But it was still in
the future; Rhissa sat with Sumar on
top of the tower
overlooking their small island. Mostly he wandered
by himself, always
close to Rhissa. At times, though, they sat side
by side and she told
him stories about past, tales of heroic deeds
and fables. Sumar
switched his attention easily. He could spend days
at his father's study,
learning to read and browsing through thick
tomes of lore. Then he
could reappear and they could wander again,
underground or above,
talking to each other and opening doors to the
world of images and
tales.
Seven years passed in a flash. Rhissa was two hundred and five years
old when Sumar was hatched and thus quite young from the Haans' viewpoint. Yet
this experience was very powerful, and with every child's mind attached to her
own, she felt more and more power raising within her.
She had six children
more until she met Nlaminer eighty years later.
* *
*
She came out of a dream of the past. Sumar image was looking at her,
she heard winds and her heartbeats again. My blessing, she thought and touched
the stonelike hand of Sumar again.
Then she turned to other children of hers, to her parents and all other
Haans standing around. Several of them were dead now, but she felt nothing
wrong about them.
She studied briefly two formidable Marrkes statues right behind the one
depicting Nlaminer itself. They could be his parents. One of them was tall and
strong male, in leather armor and with a starlike medallion on his chest. His
eyes sparkled, a good humor prevailed all about his countenance and Rhissa felt
sympathy at once. When she touched the
statue she realized Nlaminer's father has passed away. She prayed for him and
turned to Nlaminer's mother.
A female Marrkes looked powerful, too. Only her furless face and finer features
told she was of another gender. She was alive, though. Rhissa felt her
somewhere far beyond this reality. Rhissa knew her name at once, but did not
venture to share her other memories; it would be more improper than to overhear
one's words. Nlaminer's mother was in
perfect health; she was sure her son was alive and that was enough. I will tell
him, Rhissa thought, when we are together again.
And then she faced Nlaminer himself. She touched his warm stone hand
and a world lit by flowing lava opened to her.
Chapter
14. Thought of Zartin
...A world lit by
flowing lava surrounded him...
This time he felt himself vulnerable and open again; powerful gift from
the Theater could not amplify his powers any more. This time he was on his own;
free spirit, drawn from his body and released in the place where all living
creatures could meet one another.
He was floating in the sky - or it wasn't a sky at all ? - amidst the
brilliant soft clouds, enjoying the sensations of freedom and calmness. He was
being lured to float endlessly here, to abandon all his quests and duties, to
rest here forever. But it would be too easy a way. After several weeks of being
a fugitive he could not fall prey to such simple tricks.
He remembered the words of a prayer (Rhissa called it 'Thought of
Zartin') and the unspoken words began to flow in his mind. He grew more assured
and strong as the words of power were passing through his mind. He saw the
surrounding clouds to become more red, to darken and swirl...
"Alhaes thena oli
Zartin bethaval..."
Then he heard bells ringing and understood his Voice was somewhere
near. In this realm, where all thoughts could materialize into a sensible and
visible forms, all words could be words of power, if uttered correctly.
"...keavel fin
Ariden solajen..."
A lava-spitting abyss replaced peaceful green meadows below. Hot air
flew upwards, bringing reddish sparks and roaring of mighty underworld forces.
Clouds vanished; air was like melting glass - filled with ephemeral images,
dancing, disappearing and coming out of nothing. Air ran slowly, it was thick
and viscous and beautiful landscape turned into a hellish sight.
"...faloinh
kennawas uanot saleg."
A floor came from below; it was warm, too. Quite tolerable to walk, but
reminding of terrible power dozing somewhere beneath. He was in a corridor
built of melted stone. Dragon heads, modelled in obsidian with ruby eyes were
grinning at him. Every several paces they were, placed on the walls, giving him
room barely to advance.
Nlaminer realized he had a body once again; not anything of his
possessions, but just his own body. He felt rather uncomfortable in this hot
environment, but there was no other way. Wind stopped blowing; deep humming
filled the twisting passages and sourceless light fell around, allowing no
shadow to be cast.
Nlaminer moved along. There was no directions here; one way was as good
as another. He preferred not to choose and simply walked the path he was
facing.
Echo followed him; several times he thought someone else was creeping
up behind him. He turned around - nobody. But spirits of shadows were twinkling
around him, and shadows of voices were whispering in his ears. And his Voice
left him altogether.
He touched one of the obsidian heads; he thought he heard hollow
laughter rolling behind his back. Then the sensation passed. He stood,
listening and looking around; no form came round the corner and no spoken word
met his hearing, too.
Something was wrong here. He was far away from Rhissa's buoyant spirit;
some dark and malignant creatures stirred inside him. What were they ? Why they
were here ? For a moment he understood Rhissa cannot help him any more; he was
alone here, surrounded by eerie silence and stone grins of the dragon heads.
"I am alone," he whispered, ready to dart down the corridor,
half-expecting some horrible shadow float to meet him.
Then he heard several voices, talking at the same time, different,
alien, mocking his own voice. 'Alone... alone... alone...' they repeated and
laughed.
"Who are you ?" he asked, feeling ashamed and angry. There
was nothing here that could actually harm him, and yet he was afraid some
irrational, ancient fear. What on earth was happening right now ? Voices
imitated his question and laughed again. He turned around abruptly; was it some
shadowlike figure that retreated round the nearest corner or it was just a
trick of light and his own imagination ?
He looked at his hands and opened wide his eyes. Hands were oscillating
between several forms. They were his own furry hands... then they melted into
bronze-like strong hands of some other humanoid creature... they were turning
into reptile hands, into wing-like Tafu hands, into dragon paws and there was
no end to these transformations. He touched his face; he was shocked, as there
was several sensations relative to one another; as if several Nlaminers touched
their cheeks at the same instant and felt one another's sensations.
I am losing my mind, he thought desperately. Hold, he ordered himself,
stop changing. I am Nlaminer rad Haorrst, of Marrkes origin, thrown into an
alien world. He repeated the words that were the only link between the world of
real things and the one of nightmares. But the weird process did not stop.
He walked along. This was even more confusing, for there was
Nlaminer-Marrkes, proceeding on his feet, and there was Nlaminer-Tafu, flying
on his wings, there were crawling, jumping and whatever possible other
Nlaminers moving to the same goal, led by the same mind... or it was many minds
combined into one ?
"Zartin !" he shouted with all the strength he could muster,
"Lord of Dragons, I ask for your help !"
Walls shook and fell like a card house. He was in another room now; it
was still red and hot, but there was no dragon heads on its walls... and no
ceiling. Purple sky stared at him out of its myriads of stars.
"You are tiresome, mortal," he heard a bright resonant voice.
A wild energy came from this voice, and walls were illuminated with many hues
of red color as this voice touched them. "Am I supposed to answer your
silly questions ? I am no predictor. If you will not turn back, then you will
feel my curse very soon. OUT !!" the voice boomed and Nlaminer felt as if
fierce scalding wind was blowing his being away; several of his new Nlaminer
parts were thrown into a dark abyss that opened behind his back. But most of
him remained where he was and he heard terrible hissing coming out of the
mighty throat. Now Zartin (and Nlaminer was quite sure it was him) will accurse
him... A nice addition to their problems...
"You were not at the Judgement, O Lord of Dragons," Nlaminer
heard his own voice, steady and strong. Strange, it was not his own voice, but
who was speaking with his mouth ?
"Judgement ?" a question was nearly visible; the owner of the
majestic voice had a power giving visible shapes to spoken words. "How do
you know that ?"
"We, I and my friend, tricked the one naming himself Toxxar and we
are chased right now. You are our only hope, Zartin the Great. I would not like
to rely on Chaos. Whatever the price you will demand, I am ready to pay
it."
He stopped after this
awkward speech was spoken and waited.
"Amazing," Zartin replied with hardly concealed interest,
"Name yourself, and then I will talk to you."
"I am Nlaminer rad Haorsst, a Marrkes," he began and saw a
humanlike figure materializing in the room. The 'Human' had deep, blazing eyes
and dark skin. Even in his human form, Zartin emanated power and vigor, and his
voice made the wall creak and wave.
Nlaminer paused. "I can tell you the whole story, Lord of Dragons,
though it could take several years. Actually, we need a help to discover a
hideout of the creature imitating the god Toxxar. He can disclose our camp any
moment; my friend out there brought me here to talk to you."
Zartin smiled. His smile was mysterious and unreadable. "You can
tell me the whole story later. I am fond of stories... well, I like bravery and
jewelry even more,.. as you could suspect..." a tiny hiss was heard.
Zartin was laughing. "... but I am quite impressed. I thought you ventured
to ask my advice... I hate those silly fortune tellers and am merciless to
them." He smiled again, this time his smile was deadly cold.
"But we need your advice, Lord of Dragons," Nlaminer
insisted. "I cannot call it something else."
"And if I refuse
?"
"Then I will persuade you until you either smite us to death or
agree to help us. We are fugitives; we changed the Balance in our world and we
need to eliminate the danger, to the end."
"You hate this so-called Toxxar, I see," Zartin said, "I
can understand that. But my prices are very high, Nlaminer rad Haorsst. I am
always insatiable with heroic deeds and adventures. What if I demand of you the
adventures you never thought of ? Will you risk your life to fulfil your
promise to me ?"
Nlaminer did not
hesitate. "I will."
"And your friend
?"
Nlaminer shrugged. "Our lives have different paths to follow. I
cannot promise for her. She has her own god, her own race and her own goals. I
can guarantee I will take any adventure, if you like them."
"I feel you are not cheating. Good. But tell me again, why do you
hate your enemy ?"
"Hate," Nlaminer repeated and stood silent. Yes, he hated the
foul and mad creature indeed. And this was strange. He never felt that emotion
for long; it never controlled his soul. Something awakened in him; he heard
bells ringing again. His Voice was coming to help him.
"I cannot tell you why," he replied to Zartin. They were
standing on a green meadow now, with green trees all around and gentle breeze
coming from above. "I think something happened to me... but I cannot even
guess what."
"Look," Zartin came nearer and touched his forehead.
"Turn around, Nlaminer and see what is following you."
Nlaminer felt dazzling
light penetrating his skull and turned. And the sky grew bloody again.
* *
*
This was the very moment Rhissa saw with Nlaminer's eyes. She was
terrified as much as she never was in her whole life. Shadows, the whole horde
of them, were gathering behind Nlaminer. They were patient and invisible to
normal eye, but now they were coming to her vision, ghastly, ugly, full of
hatred and thirsty to slay anything that would oppose them. Rhissa saw
footprints of Nlaminer and numberless rows of dark creatures coming right after
him. Where they were - in the nearby reality, separated by the thinnest
barrier, or securely far - it was impossible to say. But they did not escape
the attention of their foe. How long will he wish to play with them ?
They were the parasites that drained his mind, she realized. And that's
why she felt so strong after the contact with Nlaminer was broken. They are
dragging him back; how long will he last ?
She saw several nearest monsters moved uneasily. They feel me, she
thought, they feel my clerical essence. Their shadow eyes were trying to see
the enemy that was hidden somewhere and couldn't be reached.
She made a desperate effort and found herself lying on the sand,
clutching at it and gasping for air. Nlaminer, still dark and alien, was
sitting motionlessly.
She sat beside him,
with portal generator ready. They couldn't take all their possessions... well,
she couldn't help that. If their enemy realizes what they are planning, the end
to his play can come very quickly.
* * *
"These are servants of your enemy," Zartin told him.
"They are feeding upon your hatred, despair, all dark side of your nature.
Would you like to see what you have forgotten by now ?"
Nlaminer nodded. He felt himself terrible. He couldn't say anything;
his courage deserted him.
"Close your eyes," he was said. Nlaminer obeyed and that very
moment his mind was split into a million of minds, and thrown into different
parts of the whole Universe.
He felt himself
thousand creatures at once.
He was sailing a great ship; in quest for some mysterious treasure
buried long ago and forgotten.
He was digging through the stone with his mighty spade-like forepaws.
He was building a huge town with a band of helpers.
He was fighting mighty demons and his weapons were shining like a
fierce small sun; he defended all that were dear to him; he protected the
Balance, the principle of principles.
He was male, female, sexless... He was everything at the same time and
nothing at all. He was a momentary thought and a great long age. He was the
time itself and knew everything of the Universe.
But he was not overpowered by these visions, sensations and all the
other feelings he couldn't even name. He felt himself in strange but perfect
harmony with all of this; he was everywhere and nowhere.
Then all of this
ended.
"Do you understand ?" Zartin asked him again. Nlaminer's mind
was still befogged. But he fought through the fog and nodded... uncertain
though he was.
"I wouldn't expect to see such a guest," Zartin was talking
with much more relevance now. "You are a wonderful being, Nlaminer. I
think this is why you are still alive. Your enemy conquered many parts of you
person, but not all. And your Unity does support the very spark that can help
you to win."
"How do you know all of this ?" Nlaminer was shocked. To be
in frint of a creature reading your mind was... well, improper in some way.
The god smiled coolly. "I think you know perfectly well how. Well,
I think I will help you. I will not tell you where his place is, but I will
help you anyway."
The Voice was upon
Nlaminer in a moment.
"A Tunnel ?"
Zartin looked back. He
seemed to be amazed. "How do YOU know ?"
"You want to show
us a Tunnel to him ?"
Zartin was Lord of Dragons indeed. He calmed his surprise. "Yes, I
will guide you there. But I have several terms to be fulfilled."
Nlaminer felt his
throat dry and pricky.
"Please tell me," he said in hoarse voice. Something told him
Zartin will demand something very hard to do.
"First, you will be allowed to enter the place I talked about when
you regain your Balance and feel yourself whole."
Whole. Split. He began to understand what had happened... his double,
Nlaminer the Judge... was he a part of him ? Was there any other parts ? His
Voice was simple and emotionless. Yes, there are, it told him. They are trapped
inside your hatred and anger. They are closing your eyes and deafening your ears.
"Second, Nlaminer. You will never enter the world you were born
in."
Nlaminer was so
surprised, his surprise was near to rage now.
"Why ?"
"Because I want
it to be that way."
Nlaminer stood silent for a long time. The dream of all his life was to
be forgotten now. Never to visit his homeworld. What to do then ? What is the
sense to live, if you are forbidden to fulfil your dream, so near now, so sweat
?
"I agree," he heard still another voice of him, speaking
unthinkable promise. His whole self was crying 'No !' but his lips answered
affirmatively. Zartin looked at his face, and added.
"And the last. You are in debt now, Nlaminer. You'll have to
undertake the adventures I will demand of you. Do not ask me how much you'll
have to complete. I will see myself."
"And you should enter the dwelling of your enemy barehanded,"
Zartin finished.
"Barehanded ? You
want me to fight with no weapon ??"
"Toys," said Lord of Dragons, "I give you weapon much
more powerful. I give you Thought, not your toys you call weapons. Do not tell
me I am wrong, Nlaminer. I take offense easily."
"As you
wish," and yet another part of Nlaminer bowed before Zartin, who smiled at
him and waved his hand. "Good-bye," he replied. "I wish you
luck."
* *
*
Rhissa woke up in a flash. The fire was almost dead; Nlaminer, still
cold and barely breathing, was sitting beside. But something was advancing
them, at a tremendous speed.
She grabbed their packs, got held of Nlaminer limp hand and readied the
portal generator. Light was coming from the zenith; it flew in large cascade,
in rainbows, with millions of colors and this light was falling upon them. She
stood bathing in this strange glowing when she felt a movement in the Realm. In
the same instant, a shadow Nlaminer stood up, separating from Nlaminer body and
stared at her coldly. She stood frozen, unable to speak, unable to move. The
creature made a step to her and then was washed away by powerful rainbows. Another shadow came out of Nlaminer, and one
more. They were drowning in the falling shining... and then, with no sign of
it, Nlaminer returned back to his body.
He smiled faintly to Rhissa, who was still grasping his hand, now warm
and alive, and said only, "I agreed to fulfil his demands. They were too
great for me... but I agreed."
And he fell asleep on the
spot.
Chapter
15. The Ethereal Bridge
"You are frightening me," Rhissa told him once after they
finished their combat lesson.
Nlaminer sat under a tree and smiled back. "I am frightened
myself," he replied. "I never dreamt to have such skills."
This time they made their camp in a warm, but mostly lifeless world,
where they lived at a small archipelago, comprising eight tiny islands.
They jumped there immediately after Nlaminer woke up. Rhissa told him
something was changing in the Realm. They did not wait for emissars of the
false god.
Nlaminer felt no oppression now. Was it some Zartin magic or anything
else, but he discovered world again. He was writing songs, travelling across
islands, he seemed to be reborn. They knew they were not safe, and Nlaminer
proposed that they would continue their combat training.
He wasn't a clumsy novice any more. Rhissa was brilliant at maces and
staves, but she was far below his present abilities. Nlaminer was quite another
creature now - thoughtful, concentrated, but quick and vigorous. When they
began their first fight in this world Rhissa was defeated ten times out of ten.
Rhissa couldn't understand where her friend took this extraordinary
energy, knowledge, vigor. He only smiled when he was asked. During their second
combat lesson she saw something that made her not only surprised but terrified.
They were fighting with ironwood staves. After a series of maneuvres
Rhissa tricked his defense and was about to touch him with a knob - to indicate
a hit - when she saw Nlaminer outlines changed for a moment... he became
combined from several different creatures... she saw all of them melting
together again and in the next instant he half-turned gracefully and disarmed
her.
"There," he said, with his staff raised above her.
"That's what Zartin has given me. He calls that Thought."
"I am astonished," Rhissa said, wide-eyed, and indeed she
was. "How could you impress him so much to receive such gift ?"
Nlaminer shrugged. "I told you everything. I thought someone else
was speaking with my lips... as if several separate Nlaminers were dwelling
inside my mind. When I was weak, they helped me to speak to the god."
"I think I saw your other selves," Rhissa whispered.
"Right now, when we fought."
"Tell me," Nlaminer asked. After Rhissa described her vision,
he dropped his weapon and sat on the ground.
"This is wonderful," Rhissa added. "If we manage to
return home you will be a living legend. A mortal who spoke to the gods
themselves and has been given many gifts from them." she saw a shadow
passing across his face, "Something bothers you," she said and sat
near him. "What is it ?"
"To return home," Nlaminer echoed. "He forbid me to
return to my homeworld."
"What ?!"
Nlaminer repeated
Zartin's words.
Rhissa shook her head
and added,
"It's hard to understand gods. You can only be sure in one thing.
Zartin would not try to trick you."
The shadow left and
Nlaminer turned to her, smiling.
"You are right. We will confront our opponent once more. But when
we return home, we'll both be living legends." he laughed. "I never
thought I could take such hazards ! They are not yet passed, but the whole
story's enough to write a wonderful book. Well," he added, winking at her,
"Probably I will write it some day. I had a good training, you know."
"You are a perfect fighter," Rhissa added. "Why do you
insist on training me ?"
"You should be able to confront my double," Nlaminer became
very serious. "The false god has stolen a part of me. The double's my
mirror. I know he would be glad to destroy you. He cannot harm me. But he will
venture to kill you."
"That's impossible !" Rhissa felt despair. "One cannot
defeat godlike skills."
Nlaminer took gently
her hand and despair was gone.
"He's a mirror," he said, softly and slowly. "Only a
mirror. He can only imitate me, nothing more."
Rhissa was silent.
"Besides, my
Voice, my inner Voice will help you."
Rhissa looked at him.
"How do you..." she stopped abruptly.
He winked once again. "I know and you know. In the Museum.
Remember ? You were in trouble and my Voice helped you. Rely on it,
Rhissa."
"But I cannot
summon it by will !" she protested.
He shrugged. "We will train until you can control it. I lost this
Voice, I think - after my conversation with Zartin I do not sense it. But you
share this ability, and without it you are doomed. We both are doomed."
After several long
minutes Rhissa stood up. It was former Rhissa, alert, ironic and quick.
"Let's continue," she demanded. "If we are meant to return home,
I would like to return as soon as possible."
* *
*
Days passed quickly. It was always summer here; they woke up early in
the morning and trained until their strength left them. They spent the rest of
day as they liked.
One day Nlaminer sat meditating and Rhissa saw his figure transforming
into a multitude of strange shapes, every one of them being Nlaminer. She felt
he longed for his homeworld; the main goal of all his previous life was
senseless now. At times she saw him
truly alien. Tall, fierce like his father, yet kind, sensible and well
tempered.
Life is wonderful, she thought. I have to return home and tell the
quest is over... as soon as we deal with the false god. And I will ask to
relieve me from my duties. I have done enough. Enough for several lives. She
lay on warm sand and listened to rustling of waves.
She closed her eyes. The other mind, strange and mysterious, was mixing
with her own. We place spirituality above everything else, she thought. I think
we are too zealous to do that. If one serves Balance, whatever path he would
choose, it is right. We secluded ourselves underground and are invisible to
others. Is it right ?
'I think you will decide for yourself,' she heard familiar voice. It
was Rmair, old Rmair that was somewhere far beyond this world. How could he get
here ?
'Never mind, Rhissa. I saw you closing a Tunnel. You with your friend
saved many lives. I am proud of you.'
"It's my duty," she answered. She was afraid to open her
eyes. If Rmair was speaking to her, he was...
'Dead ? Only my body is dead, Rhissa. We never die. We can part for a
while, that's all.'
She opened her eyes. A grayish shadow was sitting beside her. It was
Rmair, tall, gray-scaled, wise.
'We are not secluded, Rhissa. That's how all the others think. Every
race has its destiny. Sometimes even gods cannot change it.'
"But mortals
can," Rhissa smiled.
Rmair shrugged. 'Maybe. I sense you are troubled. You are tired of your
rank, aren't you ?'
Rhissa was confused. "I sense his troubles and I cannot help being
troubled, too. He has to choose his path now."
'You plan to choose
yours, then ?'
Rhissa shook her head. "No. I gave an oath and I will keep it. But
my oath does not prevent me from helping my friends."
'You regain your Balance,' Rmair nodded. 'I feel better now. You are
whole again, you mind is in perfect form. Do as your heart tells you.' And
Rmair spirit was gone. She saw Nlaminer in his place. He was staring at her as
if in a dream. Then he stood up and asked,
"What did I say ?"
"You said I am whole." Rhissa replied without hesitation. She
didn't know now whether she spoke to Rmair or Nlaminer. Probably to them both.
"Whole ?" Nlaminer suddenly turned around. A hole, black as
deepest night, appeared behind his back. He helped Rhissa to stand up.
"Time to
go," he said. "Are you ready ?"
She nodded. "I am
now."
They entered the gate,
stepping into mysterious and unknown depths of a Tunnel. Zartin kept his first
promise.
* *
*
"It's like a
bridge," Rhissa said.
They stood on great stairs, spanning from unbelievable depths under
their feet to unthinkable heights above. They could hardly tell where 'down'
and 'up' were now. No earth, no sky, nothing but endless web of stairs
stretching in all directions.
Light, mild and pleasant was dispersed everywhere. Nlaminer smelt
flower fragrance and freshness; Rhissa smelt sea salt and freshness, too. No
shadows came around them and gentle breeze blew constantly.
The bridge they stood upon was no less than twenty feet wide. Giddiness
fell upon them for an instant and passed. The bridge had no railings, yet it
seemed safe and sturdy.
"The Ethereal Bridge," Rhissa added. Puzzled Nlaminer look at
her but said nothing. "I know it is. Well, what now ?"
"I do not know.
Come along, we have but two ways to go."
They began to ascend (or descend ?) endless path. It was strange. It
looked exactly like a staircase but took very little efforts to move. It was
like in a dream: you floated for a moment, your body gained weight again and
you stood one stair above.
"Are we ready to confront the false god ?" Nlaminer asked her
suddenly. "We have little choice right now. We will be in mortal danger. I
am no longer afraid to meet him again. And you ?"
Rhissa reflected for a while. "I think we should visit several
other deities in case we are defeated. We possess knowledge vital for our
world."
Nlaminer nodded.
"I see. Do you know how to do that ?"
Rhissa shook her head.
"It will come to me. Let's just walk."
Nlaminer saw around them, down and up, to the left and to the right.
Figures passed over other bridges. They were distant, unclear and strange.
Obviously the two of them were not alone here.
"The Universe has more facets than I could imagine," he said.
"How simply it was before ! Deities and mortals, spirits and demons. So
few types, so obvious. When I knew about Tunnels I felt there is knowledge I
would never be able to comprehend."
"The more we know, the more we would like to know," Rhissa
replied. "My race is very eager to learn more about the Universe. You
visited one of the greatest sources of wisdom - that Theater, I mean
- and if you care to
visit our sages they would never let you go."
Nlaminer laughed. "I will tell you the most, then. It will save my
time and feed you curiosity."
Rhissa returned a grin. "You will never feed it. I am insatiable,
too. Uaron, who it is ?"
Mlaminer did not answer immediately. "He lived in some world where
they do not use magic; they use science and machines and reached wonders."
Rhissa interrupted. "It's even hard to imagine. That's obvious
imbalance. If you use machines only, you destroy spirit and life."
Nlaminer shrugged. "Probably. I know now the only absolute truth:
there is no absolute truth. Our concepts are correct when applied to our
reality. They could as well be wrong elsewhere. Anyway he discovered an
entrance to Twilight Land, a Tunnel he dwells in, and managed to create the
Theater."
"Alone ?"
Rhissa could not believe that.
"Alone. He imagined it... and it appeared. He's a peculiar Human.
Sad, mostly. He is alone there. No gods come to Twilight Land. Mortal visitors
are rare and they often are treasure hunters."
"Wherever we live, we are the same," Rhissa murmured. "I
wonder, can be other places - different from ordinary realities and Tunnels ?
Did he tell you about that ?"
"It's better to think there are. Why not ? I thought we can call
any creature mortal or god. But Uaron, he is neither mortal nor god. I think we
should allow anything new to exist."
"How interesting !" Rhissa said, "Pity if we fail to
deliver all this knowledge back to our world. It's invaluable."
They walked and
walked; bridge coiled into fantastic shapes and countless paths passed by,
stair-like and not.
* * *
"I know what I will do when all this is over," Nlaminer told
her several hours later.
They sat on a small platform floating in the air. No need to walk,
Rhissa explained. We will move wherever we wish instantly, or we could walk
eternally and reach nothing. Six bridges started from the platform, all of them
in different directions. The whole sight could drive anyone dizzy. Nlaminer
ceased to think how all of them supported a walker. It couldn't be explained.
It should be accepted as it was.
"What is it ?" Rhissa turned to him. Nlaminer lied on his
back and stared at something above.
"I will learn how to travel between realities," Nlaminer
answered. "I am forbidden to visit only one of them. Many secrets and
wonders are everywhere. If I have no homeworld any more I will travel as far as
possible."
"If you ever need a companion, just tell me," Rhissa replied
earnestly. "I have many other duties. Sometimes I will need a break."
"Surely," he replied. He would like to say much more, but it
wasn't necessary.
Rhissa sat meditating. Nlaminer did not distract her any more but sat
writing down his own diary. It was too much to remember than a mortal brain
could hold.
After a while she opened her eyes. Nlaminer slept beside, placid and
undisturbed. He did not change his appearance. He was whole now, single entity
with several facets melted in one. Was it how all Marrkes were ?
She knew how to move around the Ethereal Bridge. She knew much about
it; Nlaminer told her something about such places. Moreover, gods used to
travel by this Tunnel, hence the idea should be very simple.
She ventured to travel. It was no need to awaken Nlaminer. She touched
his hand and uttered several words. A melodic sound sang high above them,
platform shook a bit and vanished. They were at a place where bridge ended by
an endless wall of stone. Massive door stood right in front of her. Runes
inscribed over it told her it was an entrance to Naata.
Rhissa left her
sleeping friend and opened the door almost without efforts. A smell of incense
met her, charming and luring. She felt the presence of god here, formidable but
tranquil. She had a brief look at Nlaminer and stepped inside.
* *
*
She was alone in grand
temple of Naata.
It was modest and
magnificient at the same time.
Columns rose from the floor. They bloomed in large stone buds high
above; elaborate pictures were spanning them. This was no mere temple; it was
Temple of Temples. Its walls embraced many thousands years of the cult. Great
battles, famous saints, legends and fables were depicted there. Rhissa beheld
this beauty and her mind filled with awe. The essence of her god was
everywhere. The air she inhaled, the floor she stepped on, the walls she looked
at. All of these was Naata, guidelight for dying, wisdom for living.
She stood inclining her head. Since their departure from the lighthouse
she never tried to pray to Naata openly. It was time to recall her duties and
strengthen her belief. Because, she thought with a slight taste of bitterness,
her life can finish soon, with no chance to be reborn later.
Strangely, all words that could be relevant in such situation deserted
her. All prayers were senseless here. They were meant to draw god's attention.
Here the very place was Naata. He always listened to anyone entering here.
Incense smouldered before Naata's image. She saw his stone eyes. Alive,
burning with inner flame, they met hers. Though she was High Priestess and
therefore possessed many powers granted by Naata, she never heard his voice. He
was Naata the Silent. Death was his domain. Death was the judge that balanced
any living creature and chose its path for the next lifespan, provided it were
granted. Yet his Priests opposed murder at all cost.
Many friends of Rhissa wondered why she chose such a dark god. She was
joyous, vigorous, alive - and served Naata the Silent, wordless spirit that
watched as you finished your mortal way. She held no grudgings to such attacks.
She learnt philosophy of Death. It was no trifle and one should accept it with
dignity. To fear Death means waste one's time. It will come regardless of what
one's doing. Sooner or later. So she just smiled when someone paid outright
disregard to Naata.
She remembered Rmair, his words spoken by Nlaminer lips and felt sorrow
for a moment. When she looked again into Naata's eyes she saw him smiling.
Barely visible, but smiling. She smiled back and bowed. Even in this
extraordinary place Naata remained himself.
Rhissa came back bathing in mild white shining. She was radiating that
light, though she did not notice it. At the entrance she turned back and left
all her diaries lying on the floor. If she does not survive their assault Naata
would pass this knowledge to other priests. If she is lucky, she will write
them again.
...She returned them
back on the platform and several seconds
later Nlaminer opened
his eyes.
"I saw a
beautiful dream," he said. "It was about you."
'I know that dream,' she
thought hiding her smile.
* * *
"I think we should visit Andrynx," Nlaminer offered. They ate
all that remained; Rhissa's flask contained again wonderful potion that made
them rested in a flash.
"Let's visit it now," Rhissa replied. "And find the
false god at last. I get tired of endless flight."
Nlaminer nodded.
"What should we do ?"
"Take my
hand," she said and he did. She spoke the only word, and
a sad voice of flute
sang high above. They found themselves standing
in front of large
white door.
"Open it,"
Rhissa said. "He is waiting for us."
Nlaminer pulled the great door and it opened wide easily. White passage
led to a brightly lit hall. All decorated in white and gray it was open to all
winds. It was cold and hot there, light and dark, silent and noisy. A large
stone lizard sat in the center of the room looking at them. Nlaminer looked at
Rhissa and she nodded reassuringly.
"We greet Time Traveler again," he uttered. He could not help
trembling. The eyes of Andrynx image were bottomless and keen. Knowledge of
millions universes sparkled there. He bowed again and put his diary and books
on the floor. "We intend to visit the false god, Toxxar, and to force him
stop devastating worlds. Here is knowledge we obtained in our journeys. It can
be useful, sooner or later. I ask you to accept this gift. It can be our last
adventure."
He saw a small cloud engulfing both of them and when it disappeared his
books and notes vanished, too.
Andrynx accepted his
offering.
"If I survive," Nlaminer said with gratitude, "I promise
to build you new temple, even if it will take the rest of my life."
He felt this was right. He felt obliged to return such a great favor.
What else could he do ? He bowed again and noticed Rhissa bowing, too.
When they walked back
to the Bridge it seemed to them they will live forever.
* *
*
"Do you want to tell me anything ?" Nlaminer asked when they
were again on the Bridge. It was time to meet their foe in its own lair.
Dreadful and mad, he was able to eliminate them altogether, to delete their
names forever from existence.
"You know everything I could tell you," she replied and held
his hand tighter. "Fore !"
...The door was absolutely black, with no carvings or pictures. The
only sign was gray rune 'T' glowing on it.
Chapter
16. The beginning
"Welcome,
srangers," Nlaminer read aloud. A large plaque hung
over their heads.
Beyond entrance, dozens of corridors twisted and
curved to and fro.
Nlaminer shuddered. Silence was ominous and this
plaque was another
joke of the dark and strange creature.
"We've seen it before," Rhissa shrugged. "Not much
surprise, I'd say. But listen, how will we find him here ?"
"That's easy," Nlaminer raised his arm and spoke several
words. A glowing ball appeared above his head. In its bright glow corridors
shrank, dwindled, coiled back. Most of them disappeared. Only two of them
remained; they stood in one of them. Another crossed it hundred feet ahead.
"An illusion," he resumed. "And remember, Rhissa, you
possess magic, too. No need to conceal it now."
She nodded. "Where
will we go ?"
He pointed ahead. "Forward. He cannot be in hiding forever even if
he choose to."
They moved ahead. Echo
filled the corridor and many eyes followed them as they proceeded to the
crossroads.
* * *
"I expected something horrible," Nlaminer whispered.
"But nobody meets us."
They stood in the center of crossroads, weapons ready, senses acute.
Rhissa felt her spirit floating freely. Tensions left her, she was ready to
counteract any attack, any attempt to crawl into her mind.
Steps came from the left. Nlaminer moved the glowing ball there and two
figures highlighted. They saw themselves. Silently they watched as their
doubles advanced. Something strange was happening to them.
"They are aging," Nlaminer said in low voice. "Too naive
to scare me."
The figures were still ten steps away when their flesh withered and
dried up. Fur was falling in clouds from Nlaminer's image; the second Rhissa
fell down, turning to dust as she fell. A second later Nlaminer's double fell
apart, too.
"I detect something undead down that passage," Rhissa said
suddenly. "Over there." she indicated down the passage their doubles
emerged from.
"Let's meet them," Nlaminer lowered his staff and stepped on.
Rhissa followed, guarding his back. They proceeded several paces ahead and
another pair of doubles advanced them. Rhissa sensed strong undead emanation
pouring out of them. False Rhissa grinned at them and black glow flared in its
eyes. False Nlaminer laughed exposing enormous fangs. Something black dripped
from these fangs. Stone floor corroded and vanished in heavy malodorous puffs
of smoke as heavy drops hit it.
Nlaminer began raising his weapon when Rhissa said fron behind his
back. "Not necessary." and a flash of blue light struck two hideous
shapes. They cried in agony and collapsed in nasty dark puddles.
"He shows us our future," Nlaminer grinned in disgust.
"I wonder, what else could he imagine ?"
He concentrated. Glowing ball darted farther and returned immediately.
Large hall opened in the far end of the passage.
"There is nothing beyond that hall," he commented.
"Shall we visit it ?"
Rhissa shrugged.
"I think we could find something interesting even here."
* *
*
Toxxar sat in his study when something disturbed him. None of his spies
reported the two mortals crossing any mental realm. And yet he sensed them
near, very near.
He looked around and
put his hand on the Book near him.
Its powers nearly
allowed him to achieve his goals and resurrect the cult... but for treachery of
Ezoxu, the Guardian. He couldn't delete Ezoxu directly. That could result in
too strong aftershocks in all neighbour realities. Thus he added Ezoxu to his
list of enemies and began to poison his cult, to weaken it. His agents
penetrated many realities, destroying priests, imposing his own cult, his
principles. But the efforts were too trifling. He possessed an absolute power,
yes, with some restrictions. And yet he couldn't rebuild the former Balance.
What was wrong ? He reflected for several minutes and found nothing.
His mind sensed advancing danger and his minions crawled out of all
holes and cracks. His spies shuddered and froze for a moment. The mortals were
near, very near... where are they ?
Suddenly an idea came to him. Yes ! Their power was strong and complex.
He will retire from his position and force the humanoid, Nlaminer to become his
substitute.
"I am old," he said aloud. It was true. Old and tired. But
his wits were still sharp. I will fulfil my promise, mortal, he thought, I will
make you a god.
As for that reptile with her painful aura of Naata, she must die. That
was easy, too. Nlaminer's double was guarding his study outside. She should not
enter his study at all cost.
As he heard this order, Nlaminer's double appeared out of shadows and
hid close to the studio's entrance. He was furious when his double tricked him
and his master. He cannot slay him; that would mean his own death. But he will
destroy his companion. The double will not be dangerous alone.
He grasped his
enormous sword and froze. Steps were heard at a distance. They came nearer and
farther, but sooner or later he will face her.
* *
*
As they approached the entrance to the hall, solid wall materialized
out of thin air. It bore an image of laughing dragon head. In clear voice it
growled, "Entrance forbidden." and breathed a small sheet of flame.
Rhissa recoiled from flame, but Nlaminer only laughed. He came nearer,
taking no heed of the head and touched the barrier. Rhissa didn't noticed which
words he said, but the wall disappeared with a groan. Nlaminer winked at Rhissa and added only, "Uaron taught me
of some useful tricks. Don't stay there; it's safer in the hall."
Indeed it was. Rhissa sensed hostile presence was replaced by specific
temple air. It was a temple. Unexpected, long forgotten, but a real temple.
Rhissa outstretched her arms and walls began to emit soft pleasant glow.
"I couldn't believe it still exists," she exclaimed.
"This is the temple of Toxxar ! Real Toxxar !"
Nlaminer listened to silence. God's spirit was very weak, if any. He
wouldn't perceive it himself. Yet under thick cover of dust he saw inscriptions
and bas reliefs. They entered the middle of the hall. A giant statue of Toxxar,
in blessing posture. It was the exact
copy of the Stranger they saw... but for its eyes. Real Toxxar had eyes
wise and clear. His smile was benevolent.
"What could happen to him ?" Rhissa was astonished.
"It's him,.. well, nearly him. It never occurred to me gods could go
crazy, too."
Nlaminer came nearer and cleared of dust part of the pedestal. "It
was not tended for at least several centuries." he announced. "That
means the false god never enters his temple. Why ?"
They stood in silence. Then Rhissa murmured several words and statue's
eyes glowed white for several seconds. "He's alive," she said.
"He's real Toxxar, but someone keeps him out of reach."
They looked at each
other in puzzlement.
"So it is a mortal being," Nlaminer said at last. "Uaron
was right. A mortal can imitate god. This is an example."
"Why do you think
so ?"
Nlaminer smiled sadly. "Because he cast his projection inside the
Twilight Palace. No gods are allowed to visit Twilight Land."
Rhissa's eyes widened.
She understood, too.
"Then... well, I see now. He cannot have many identical
manifestations, and..."
"... and he fully controls only one of them. That's why we managed
to trick him back at the Judgement."
He looked at the
statue again.
"We probably will never know how he managed to acquire all his
abilities. I suspected he is assisted by demonic forces or the like. If he's
mortal, he should fall prey to some habits of mortal 'gods'."
"Which ones
?"
"He must think he foresaw all our actions. Probably he thinks we
would break into his hideout, or try to sneak some way. I plan to enter his
apartments right now. Simply enter them."
Rhissa grasped his hand. "That's too dangerous ! Let's go together
!"
"No," he turned his face to her. It was calm, but Rhissa saw
how much he desired to live. He was expecting death... and was so quiet ?
"I was told to enter his place alone and with no weapons. You will come
later. Choose yourself when."
He made a broad gesture and a door outlined on the nearest wall.
"Remember Twilight Palace ?" he put down his backpack and staff and
turned to her. Rhissa seemed to be calm, but Nlaminer sensed her emotions very
well. "We will meet again," he added and opened the door. "Wish
me luck."
She had only time to
nod him before the door slammed shut.
She was alone.
* *
*
The study was vast and filled with tables, bookshelves, and nobody
knows what else. In the far end he saw a tall figure sitting at a table. It
didn't notice him; not yet. He was free to choose his tactic.
It smelt strangely here. It gave a sensation of old, even ancient being
living here for ages. Odor was neither unplesant nor too strong. It was merely
the odor of centuries. Probably their opponent sat here all his life. He tried
to recall how long he could sit here. Twelve thousand years, no less. Nlaminer
shuddered again and sneaked between two large tables. It was too far to fly at
him and any magic assault could not take him by surprise. He should crawl
nearer.
Was the false Toxxar ignoring him or it was just another joke of him ?
Nlaminer heard muttering, as if the stranger cast some spell. But nothing dire
happened. Nlaminer realized he was just reading some book lying in front of
him.
If this door opened in front of the false god, he thought, I'd have
much less time to think. Praise all the gods I am still unseen.
Nlaminer knew a way to shield his mental activity. But he would still
be visible for any eyes. Besides, the pretender could hear or sense him casting
spells and then...
Did he really had any
choice ? Probably, no. Nlaminer sat for several minutes gathering his strength.
* *
*
Rhissa waited for several minutes and decided to enter the door,
command it to open to wherever Nlaminer was at this time. When she readied her
weapon the door opened again and Nlaminer returned to the temple.
She felt her heart
beating wildly.
"What did you do ?" she managed to ask. Nlaminer came nearer
and she saw him carrying a great sword. Where did he get it ?
"I was waiting for you," Nlaminer grinned savagely and she
realized whom she was talking to. Fear paralyzed her; she nearly dropped her
staff. Through the deadly web covering her mind she heard bells ringing in the
distance. 'Defend !' yelled someone deep inside her. 'Defend or you will die !'
"I would be free by this time but for you," the double said
and raised his sword. Rhissa retreated, slowly, still unable to react quickly.
"You ruined his plans and make me his slave. Is this how you repay for the
good ?"
"You should not fight me," she managed to utter. "You
should unite with your other self. If you resist the will of the false Toxxar
he could not control you."
"Unite ?" the double grinned obscenely. "No, I will chop
you to pieces. He's stronger than you. And master wants him, not you. You only
bother us all." He prepared to hit her.
"If you kill me, you will die, too," she warned and clutched
her ironwood staff.
"You underrate his powers, puny reptile," he smiled again.
"We will both live. As long as we will wish. Too bad you won't see
it."
His attack was dreadful. She could barely parry his blow and her staff
was nearly cut in two. Bell rang louder and louder. The Voice was hurrying to
help her. I should survive until it comes, she thought desperately and
assaulted her opponent.
He parried her blow
lazily, with no visible efforts.
"Try if you like," he teased her. "I know everything you
know. Care to see ?"
He thrust his sword and she was nearly wounded again. Her opponent
opened his defense and she hit him against ribs. He growled in pain and stepped
back. When he looked at her again, he was smiling wryly.
"Guess who you are hitting ?" he said and Rhissa understood
how seriously she was trapped. She couldn't harm him. And he could kill you
with no problems at all. She was backing away. Her opponent sliced her staff to
pieces and she reached instinctively into her belt. There was no weapon and
soon it will be nowhere to retreat.
The double was about to tease her even much. He lingered with his sword
raised high and laughed. His voice was rolling between the walls and produced
distorted echo.
The Voice whispered
the only word and she had almost no time to follow its advice.
* *
*
Nlaminer managed to advance enough to jump at his opponent. It was tall
reptile creature. Its skin resembled stone; it wore gray gown and was occupied
altogether by the book. It was a big book, probably very old. But her pages
were thin and letters were small and neat. Nlaminer need not to cast a spell to
feel mighty magic bound within the book.
He was preparing to jump when a pain, terrible and imbearable struck
him. He felt as if someone clubbed him on the chest. He gnashed his teeth and
fought to keep his balance. He failed and dropped to his knees, pressing hands
against his side.
Stranger turned his
head and stared at Nlaminer coldly.
"So you came," he said. "I see your friend is having
some problems out there," he giggled. "Soon you'll be in perfect form
to replace me."
"What ?" Nlaminer asked him, standing up. Stranger moved his
finger and Nlaminer fell again. His legs were not supporting him.
"Do not hurry," stranger replied rather distractedly.
"Let's wait a bit. Soon you companion will be finished and you'll become a
god, too. As you see, I fulfil my promises. Am I evil ?"
"You destroyed too much to be called kind," Nlaminer
retorted. "And you planned to wipe away the whole races. Is this kindness
?"
"You are wrong. You cannot tell rightful revenge from senseless
murder." stranger smiled. "Don't worry. I am tired already. You are
young and full of energy. Your powers are too bright to neglect. This is why
you will be granted a status of god."
"Never," Nlaminer sat up, guessing whether he could take
stranger by surprise now. If he manage to cast a spell unnoticed...
"Nobody asks your
opinion," stranger said casually.
In the same instant another pain, pain of ripping mind, buried
Nlaminer's mind under an abyss of agony. She's dead, he managed to think, and I
will die now. This monster will get nothing. Stranger saw Nlaminer's twisted
smile and looked around. Nobody else was here. Stranger watched as Nlaminer
wriggled and said in didactic voice, "She is gone. Do not hope to follow her.
You'll have to wait, yes, wait for a long, long time." he giggled again.
Nlaminer heard nothing. He was gasping for air, but death wouldn't
come. He saw stranger sitting again and heard through melting darkness,
"I see you were too attached to her. Well, I will even make you a
gift. You'll both live forever and..."
Something hit stranger and he fell clumsily off the chair leaving his
book on the table. Without realizing what he is doing Nlaminer jumped at him.
Stranger was standing up and reaching for his book. "Away with it !"
Nlaminer bellowed and hurled the heavy book as far away as he could.
A lightning flared above their heads. Blast of hot air pushed all of
them back and in the eerie white light Nlaminer saw the book being sucked into
a large whirling hole in the air. The hole was shining painfully and angry
lightnings raged deep inside it. The next moment, the book was gone. Nlaminer
threw himself over the table. He raised his fist to hit the foe to prevent him
from casting spells.
A hand met his blow
and blocked it.
It was Rhissa. He looked at her but had no time to realize she was
alive.
"Let him alone," she said gently. "He's dying." she
picked up the staff she flang. "Help me."
They dragged stranger farther from the table. Nlaminer saw him losing
his authority and power drop by drop. Soon it was a reptile, tall and graceful,
with scale as white as snow. Akaeff, he thought. This is what are they like.
"Who are you
?" Rhissa asked stranger when he opened his eyes.
"I am the last of my people," he replied in clear, string
voice. They saw no madness in his eyes. These eyes registered impossible, dire
tiredness.
"You are not alone," Nlaminer heard himself objecting.
"I know there are other Akaeff. They are not gone."
Stranger looked at him and smiled faintly. "Then pray for
me," and he was gone, too.
Wind blew in their faces. Nlaminer protected his eyes and saw Rhissa
falling to her knees. She was sobbing.
He hugged her and they sat
silent in vast and mysterious hall.
* * *
They stood at a beach. Waves rolled over strange looking pink sand.
Nlaminer inhaled fresh sea air and blinked. I am at home, he thought.
"We are at
home," Rhissa said and he returned from his thoughts.
"This is your
island," Nlaminer looked around. A tower overlooked
the beach. It was beautiful
and ancient. Rhissa nodded.
"I wished to
return home and here we are."
"I cannot believe
it," he confessed. "It's like another dream.
Sweet and wonderful. I'm
glad you are in it." and they both laughed.
"Stay here as
long as you wish," she said. Nlaminer looked into
her eyes. They said, stay
forever.
"Thanks," he
replied. "By the way, what happened to my double ?"
"I don't
know," she passed him portal generator. "I know only
he's far away. Take this,
you'll need it."
Nlaminer saw guards coming to greet them, but it didn't matter now.
"He said we will live forever," he murmured.
"I knew that
before," she helped him to climb a rock.
The storm was over.
[X] |