Oblivion's Queen

by M. H. Johnson

  Malek nodded, though the buildings were little more than mist covered blotches some distance away. “Well then, let us approach this tower. Glory and treasure await!” Malek chuckled darkly. “And treasure or no, there really is no other choice for us, is there, Jess?”

  Jess grimaced. "Of course not. Not if we want to save our friends. Come, shieldbrother, let us destroy whatever foulness lurks within, and cleave this pustule of darkness from the face of Erovering!"

  “By all means, shieldsister!” Malek grinned fiercely, even as they made their way to the base of the great tower before them, Jess whistling at how truly massive it truly was.

  “By all means, make lots of noise and alert the denizens to our arrival,” quipped Twilight, comfortably resting upon Jess's shoulder. “I’d hate for us to miss a possible fight.”

  “Oh, dear kitty," Jess crooned, "there's no way I'd let us miss a chance to test our skill." She chuckled softly as her cat grumbled about mad hellions charging forth where even angels feared to tread, her hand going out to gently caress the massive oak door before them. A hair's breadth from touching it, she paused, forcing herself to relax and gaze closely at the door. Sure enough, odd traces of energy, ebony and crimson, crisscrossed through the great portal. The weaving was complex and multilayered as well as subtle, such that even one with her gift would risk catalyzing several of the chords even as she sliced through others with blood slicked blade.

  “Malek?” She crooked an eye at her friend, who smiled gamely.

  Malek shook his head, blinking with bemusement as he gazed at the massive door. “Oh yes. I remember using my bloodmagic on something similar.” He chuckled softly. “By the gods, Jess. It's like we forget everything of importance, all our true gifts, while treading the paths of our mortal lives, yet it all comes back to us when we dance within the realm of dreams once more!”

  Jess nodded her agreement even as a now intently focused Malek barked a guttural word, carefully manipulating but a singled drop of blood from pricked thumb. Gently he pressed it where the lock would be, and muttered several harsh syllables. Near instantly, the pulsing chords faded to dead black, and Jess almost fancied she heard a scream in the distance. Nodding approvingly, Jess then stroked the oaken door and her heart went out to it, feeling how much the gentle wood hated being bound to such horrors as comprised the tower before them. And somehow, Jess knew even then that the tower was rooted in nightmare far deeper than the Shadowrealms Pomell only skimmed across.

  Like a terrible rent in the prow of a ship, Jess sensed that the hideous structure before them was somehow flooding the lost town with Shadow, pulling it ever deeper into dark hellish depths from which Jess feared it would never return.

  With what Jess would swear was a sigh, the oaken boards promptly burst free of the massive door frame, scattering haphazardly many feet from the faintly glowing tower, as if using the power of Jess's summons to scatter itself free of the horrors within.

  Malek laughed. “We do indeed make a brilliant team! Shall we, shieldsister?”

  Jess nodded, grinning fiercely. "Let's." With that, they unsheathed their fine steel longswords and strode boldly within.

  28

  By the gods, what is that stench?” Malek's nose crinkled in disgust, and Jess found herself in wholehearted agreement, the misty chamber within smelling equally of ash and rotted entrails. The air felt alien, almost crackling against the skin with unseen energies. Yet for all that her nose irritated her, she had no urge to cough, as it was not true smoke that permeated the great chamber but perhaps something far fouler. It tasted, though she knew not how she would know, of burnt and discarded souls.

  “Malek!” Jess hissed sharply, bringing her companion instantly to focus, even as she pointed her longsword toward the glowing pinpoints of crimson light slowly approaching. Jess heard the metallic clank and rattle of gears grinding and massive iron boots pounding the tiled floor, and instinctively flowed into unicorn stance, blade at the ready. Malek followed suit and together they trod careful measured paces to their right on padded feet even as the metallic clamoring paused at the spot where they had been.

  “By all the hells,” Malek whispered softly under his breath, and Jess couldn’t help but nod her head in agreement. Vast figures some ten feet high stood in the midst, their metal covered frames only visible in silhouette, so thick was the cover of mist and fumes. Blazing eyes glowed like hot coals, and when they bent their heads Jess swore she could hear chains rattle.

  “Focus, Jess,” Twilight counseled with a single soft touch of his paw, and Jess nodded, forcing her racing heart to slow just a tad and spent those precious moments before they were discovered in concentration, feeling a frisson of excitement when she at last made out the latticework of ebony power that seemed to emanate from brilliant crystal hearts at the center of each golem's massive steel frame. Then her gut clenched, as she noticed with her ever more acute senses the subtle transfer of energies from the mist to the creatures themselves. For all that the mist hindered one’s sight, it seemed that somehow these monstrosities were feeding upon those vapors of burnt flesh and tormented souls.

  Methodically, almost without thought, Jess slowly slid her blade on first one cheek, then the other, relishing the sharp sting of steel on her flesh, even as her blade began to smoke and hiss. The brilliant coals that served as the guardians' eyes flared, and it was fortunate that the smoke blended with the fumes all about, confusing the great sentries clambering upon the ground, alert as they now were for their prey.

  “By Justice, that's impressive." Malek gazed at Jess's blade. "Too bad you had to alert them." Malek suddenly grinned, looking somehow exultant. "By the Moon's Kiss," he whispered, I think I see the trick of it. Blood magic, that's what you're using, Jess!"

  “So why don’t you quit staring around in sycophantic admiration and do something?” Twilight hissed even as he leaped from Jess's shoulder, his brilliant sapphire eyes piercing even the thick haze, marking him as he began to slowly circle the gigantic iron golems, striving to distract them even as they lumbered in the general direction of Malek and Jess.

  “Bloody hell, cat, you're damn right I will!" Quickly glancing at his palm for just long enough to shake his head, knowing he dared not risk weakening his grip, he was struck by the sight of Jess's cheek, and gently sliced his own against the blade. "Damn, that stings!" Malek's hiss became a cry of triumph as he felt his blood ooze from his cheek, then start to trickle down his arm, up his hand, slowly coating his blade entirely as he started to chant sibilantly under his breath. Jess caught a quick glimpse of his euphoric smile even as they both circled around the still searching metal monstrosities.

  “Are you ready?" Jess whispered, Malek's crazy grin and fever-bright eyes telling her all she needed to know. Heart pounding with excitement, she crept about the massive creations slowly stumbling around them in the dark, her shieldbrother padding softly by her side, the pair of them adroitly dodging the brilliant red gazes emanating from lantern-like eyes that cut through the misty fog with narrow beams of light.

  Finally, spending several minutes dodging around the great metallic sentinels, Jess and Malek were perfectly if dangerously positioned behind one of the armored constructs, the other having begun to scout many feet distant, distracted by Twilight's deliberate efforts to split the metal automatons up. Jess shuddered as she got her first good glimpse of the massive battle axe the golem wielded in its two hands. At least three yards long, its fearsome blade would smash through her, no matter her laughable attempts to parry, crushing her rib cage and organs effortlessly. For even indestructible mithril mail would save her only from being cut. It was of little use against the crushing force of such a massive weapon.

  Jess grimaced. She could only hope to make her first blows count, or dodge quickly enough to avoid being hit by the massive weapons her enemies wielded.

  A moment's inspiration. Jess grabbed her coin purse and threw a handful of coins into the distance, copper feathers and silver ta
lons ringing nicely upon the massive stone floor. As the two creatures turned in unison to face the noise, Jess and Malek slid in place behind the great beasts, and with simultaneous yells swung their longswords in terrific arcs of coiled power, slamming their blades with great Mittelhau strikes into iron covered knees, strike points perfectly aligned to their swords' centers of percussion, allowing every iota of force generated to be conveyed perfectly to their targets.

  Thus it was some surprise for Jess to feel her blade clang fiercely in her hands, her expert grip alone keeping it from flying off. Malek's curse indicated he had been similarly caught off-guard. And with an icy jolt, Jess felt her exuberant confidence instantly morph into a sickening dread. These were not just simple magical apparitions covered in iron, but rather constructs made entirely of solid metal. Even a thunderstrike would have availed her little. And her blooded blade had only managed to damage a single joint, severing but one of the half-dozen ebony life-chords pulsating with the sickly stench of a score of souls trapped in torment, the rest of the infernal spell matrix covered and protected by inches of solid metal. Eyes scanning madly about her for anything that could possibly help them, Jess's heart hammered with a sudden surge of fear.

  “Run!” She cried, frantically pulling a cursing Malek just feet from her, sending him lurching in her direction as the two dashed madly for the far wall of the massive tower. A wall that was several score yards distant, so much vaster on the inside than it had appeared from without, for such was the warping of the laws of nature in the realm of dreams. She heard a terrible screech and could sense the monstrosities clanking after them, Jess too terrified to take satisfaction in the skewed lurch that told her that at least her target had been slowed by her blow to its knee.

  “By the god's, Jess, my blade did nothing!" Jess caught a glimpse of her friend's panicked face in the mist, still holding his blood covered blade securely. Like a slick of oil, the fine embrace of blood coating his blade seemed in no danger of dripping off, adhering to the blade like a fine film. His control of the blood on his blade was something she couldn't fathom, hers just hissed and etched the steel of her blade. She could only hope that sword and blood both would hold out as long as she needed them to. Such thoughts flashed through her head even as she madly scouted the far wall they approached for doors or passageways, seeing naught but the outline of a great staircase etched into the massive wall.

  “Stairs, by the entrance,” she managed to gasp, and as one they pivoted rightwards to make it to the foot of the stairs, even as Jess shoved her friend, screaming “duck!” as a massive iron battleaxe cleaved out of the misty dark to arc over a tumbling Malek before slamming into the great stone slabs at their feet, shattering several in an explosion of jagged fragments pelting their armored forms, so fierce had been the blow.

  “Go, go!” Jess screamed, lifting a stunned looking Malek with a terrific lurch of her free hand, sending him scurrying for the stairs in front of them. Never had they ran so fast in the mortal realm, their feet propelling them with the effortless grace of hunting cats despite their terror. Intuitively, feeling the gathering of death behind her, Jess ducked, slid, and tumbled back to her feet even as she sensed the massive battleaxe whistle through the air, but inches from her head. With a ragged breath, she sent herself dashing forward again, jerking at random to make herself that much harder to line up and strike.

  She then heard a terrible howl cut through the air even as she sensed the undamaged monstrosity's clanging footsteps catch up to her again, the sound seeming to distract it for a second, and she gave silent thanks to her familiar, doing his best to distract their foe. "Go!" Jess screamed even as Malek glanced her way, having made the steps a split second before. Together they raced up massive blocks of basalt, near ten feet wide, free of any balustrade. A slip and stumble could easily mean one's death. A flash of inspiration, and she was in Malek's pack.

  “What the hells, Jess!" Malek gasped between breaths as they raced up the stairs in tandem.

  “Oil,” Jess said.

  “Brilliant!" he nodded, and slowing them down only slightly, Jess jerked free the oil flask.

  “How good are you with fluids?" Jess asked, already certain of the answer. At that Malek simply pointed to his blade, his small film of blood staying sedately in place, coating the blade with almost no effort at all, or so she assumed.

  “It’d be nice if it did a damn thing against those creatures, but still, any edge against dream flesh, I say.” His chuckled softly between heaving breaths.

  “Excellent,” Jess panted. “Up ahead, let’s use your gift. Coat the stones with the oil. Maybe, if we're lucky, those creatures will slip.” Even as she said that she heard the terrible sound of iron slamming against stone.

  The golems had begun to make their lumbering way up the great staircase.

  Malek nodded. "Worth a try." He sheathed his blade even as he made his way up, as did Jess, grabbing the flask from her. With a quick, calculated look back, Malek stopped abruptly, squeezing the flask and watching its contents splash down onto the stone pillar behind them. Centering himself, he pressed his finger into the pool of oil. With a delightful shiver, Jess watched the pool suddenly animate itself, sliding down to cover first one, then two, then three of the great stone steps with a perfect sheen. Malek smiled as if struck by sudden inspiration, touching finger to cut cheek, and soon his blood began to mix ever so slightly with the oil.

  “Don't weaken yourself!" Jess whispered urgently, Malek flashing her a cheeky grin.

  “It's just a drop," he assured. "And somehow, I think it will help."

  Jess grinned back. "Bloodmagic indeed, my brother in arms."

  And in that moment the blazing eyes of their monstrous foes cut through the thinning mist and Jess heard a terrible steaming hiss as the creature pounded up the stairs, close behind them.

  “Run!” Jess cried, lurching Malek to his feet and pushing him ahead, even as she stumbled away from a massive swing of the creature’s axe, feeling it shatter the stone step just to her left.

  Jess heard a terrible shrieking wail then, and saw the beast slowly tip over the side, unbalanced by its mighty swing on oil slicked stone, its joints screeching hideously as it sought to correct itself, massive metal body for a split second held upright only by a single iron coated foot, and in a rush of terrified inspiration Jess roared with all her might, slamming her body with all her force into the creature's side, feeling a jolt of pain as her shoulder smacked into what felt like a solid pillar of iron.

  A fierce sense of exhilaration spiked through the awful fear she felt, for her excellently timed jolt was just sufficient to knock the massive golem off balance, slowly tipping and sliding off the steps, limbs shrieking as it pivoted desperately in a futile attempt to avoid toppling over.

  Jess's burst of triumph turned to terror, however, as she felt herself sliding toward the ledge as well, desperate attempts at balance hindered as she slid on the oil-slicked pavement.

  “Bloody Hells, Jess!" Malek castigated even as he desperately reached out, gripping hair hanging free of her helmet with a painful wrench that nonetheless served to balance her as he jerked her back to safety. She stumbled back, butt slamming painfully upon the oil free step above, and together they watched the shrieking iron monstrosity slowly tumble free before plunging into the mist below. A terrible shriek and clatter roared through the vast stairwell moments later, then all was still.

  Until Jess and Malek made out the slow steady clank of the injured metal golem even now clambering up the stairs.

  “By all the gods,” Malek sighed, even as he roughly scooted a still shocked Jess back, closely examining her boots, pulling the oil to his finger and back on the slick pillars with but a moment's concentration and the smallest surge of his gift.

  “Malek. I think you just saved my life," Jess whispered, still in shock.

  “Yeah, well, how many times have you saved my arse, Jess?" Malek flashed a bemused grin. "We're back in the land of dreams
, so I remember almost dying of that gut wound in our first encounter with that demon we faced. To say nothing of the room with the undead lich and his armored henchmen. We both saved our butts fighting back to back, that day." He chuckled even as Jess gave him a fierce hug. "And that's not even counting your journey to the edge of the abyss itself, in order to save my sorry soul after Galeck's soldiers almost had me done for, even Josie assuring me I was as good as dead before you did, well, whatever it is you did." He shuddered a moment before smiling away the terrible memory. "It's okay, Jess. It's what shieldbrothers are for. Now let's not be here when that second golem comes up the stairs, okay?"

  Jess nodded shakily and together they began to climb again, even as Twilight streaked by. “Run faster! I can’t believe you almost let yourself fall over that ledge, Jess. I expect better from you.”

  “Sorry, Twilight,” Jess apologized as she and Malek continued to dash up the stairs in a mad sprint. A seemingly endless climb spiked with a growing sense of dread as they raced up the massive staircase that seemed to spiral endlessly, some part of Jess wondering if perhaps they were trapped in an odd twist of space and dream before she suddenly blinked, seeing the first outline of something shimmering in the distance. “Malek, Twilight, what is that?” As one they slowed their mad dash, Twilight glancing behind them.

  “Mm…should have realized.” Twilight spent a moment stretching. “I don’t think we have to worry about our metallic playmate anymore.”

  “Why's that?" Malek asked, wild-eyed and breathing heavily.

  Jess nodded, taking fierce crisp breaths of her own, though not feeling at all tired. "I think you're right, Twilight," she said. Strangely, the terror that had been coursing through her only seconds ago was already fading to vaguest memory. Like a dream, the mad fear had been almost instantly replaced with a tingling sense of excitement as she contemplated exploring whatever further mysteries this fascinating structure had to offer, dangerous or no.