“I don’t even know what you are talking about, Scridule.” Gemini held her tone well for barely being awake.
Beads of sweat rolled down off the side of her face, creating a damp spot against the metal before sizzling out into the sweltering day.
“Lift her up.” Captain Raazin gave his order before stepping to the side.
A handful of surrounding soldiers stepped closer and unlatched the top of the cage holding her and rotated the plate she was attached to, forcing her into a standing position. Finally, being able to see her surroundings, she could see the expanse of the small army with sparkling armour against the southern sun.
The crystalline aquamarine ocean could be seen in the distance, waving at her, mocking her with its freedom. A line of illusionary water formed on the horizon that connected the land to the actual water, making it difficult to tell which was which.
Directly in front of the troops were towering carved stone walls, stretching high up into the mountain range. With broken columns covered in moss and vines, a ruin of a temple littered the desert grassland, lost to the years. Abandoned for an unknown reason, lost to time and given back to Freyolin’s nurture; the greenery had started to take it back.
“Take her up, I will be there in moment.” Captain Raazin grabbed her attention with his words and disappeared from earshot again.
The same group of soldiers that shifted her up, stepped forward and lifted the plate off the cart and carried her closer to the mountain as if she were dead in a coffin. Without being able to move her shoulders, it made it quite difficult to see anything else of her surroundings.
She strained her neck one last time to look up into the sky, the small flock had returned to keep an eye on her. Gemini laboured to try and get more of the mountains above, hoping to catch a glimpse of the hooded scout she saw earlier before the buzzard got to have their meal.
Being dropped feet first to the ground, the steel slab slammed into the dirt and sunk her feet closer to the group. She could feel the stone of the mountain skirt below her heels. The few that carried her shuffled off around behind the plate and with a click, the feeling of something propping from the plate shook her and the whole device leaned back slightly, exposing her face more to the sunshine.
“It’s going to be beautiful.” Raazin’s voice could be heard as he walked up behind her.
“I still have no idea what you are talking about.” Gemini angrily scolded his optimistic tone.
“Once you open the gate, we will finally be able to obtain the secrets we were promised.” Shifting his tone to a very orchestral preach. “By Incinolin herself, we will be honored with their grace.”
A rouse from the troops behind made her roll her eyes behind the glare. She could make out two little hand holds in the rock face she was forced to look at.
“With the strength of the Spiri, the Sigil will gather our earned power. The power to push into our rule without contest. For too long we have.” Caught in this middle of his speech, a giant gust of wind whirled through the gathering around the ruins.
“Be wary young one.” The androgynous voice in her head echoed behind her ears.
A harrowing screech rifled through her bones. It shook every inch of the war bands steel. From behind Gemini, the sounds of an extremely heavy impact shook the ground and sent a shockwave through the ranks. All the soldiers rallied out their excitement to kill something.
Sounds of soldiers being flung into the air, colliding into broken pillars of the ruins, bones breaking or being shattered filled in the ruins. Impacts from all around in every direction with a blood curdling fear, their excitement soon fell into a doom that only death could bring.
Something powerful was behind her, tearing the troops a part in exceptional ways. A corpse of a steel man rocketed past into stone face on the edge of her field of view, leaving a blood splatter and a lifeless heap at the mountain crease. Orders shouted above the screams but never heard as the chaos of the beast rattled on with their feeble attempt at trying to survive.
“Call it off!” Captain Raazin scrambled up to her, holding onto the cage around her and looked at her with a special fear. “Call it off!”
The last of the soldiers could be heard crying out with their final death rattle being carried with a gentle breeze from the beast’s breath. Whatever was behind her had come to end all life and there was only two left. A heavy stomp of its foot and the crunching of bones beneath its weight and the sweeping of bodies around the death field made it known that the creature had spun, sweeping bodies to the side with its legs like they were no more than feathers in a breeze.
Its deep breathing rustled her hair as it grotesquely stepped closer. The fear in Raazin’s face started to raise her own fear more and more. It was close and she had no idea what it was, but he was sure she was the one controlling it.
“Call off the Ahkm’zikar!” Captain Raazin dropped his weapon to the ground in hopes to not provoke the beast.
“A what?” Gemini’s own fear became very real.
Another step closer that sent a shockwave through her feet and up into the steel plate. She could feel its breath whistling through her wings and hair like the beginnings of a tornado. With it being very close now, the sensation through her body gave her the knowledge that it was right above her, starring down at the two of them.
Holding still for what seemed like eternity, the massive wyvern released a blood curdling screech, flinging globs of saliva against everything below. Raazin’s face went instantly pale and collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Gemini closed her eyes with the impending death but could feel the beast be restrained, a torrent from its wings whirled around her as it took back to the skies. Silence filled the death filled ruins, leaving her stuck between the rock and the graveyard.
Looking down at the fainted Captain, she could only smirk at his weak constitution. Against her better judgement, Gemini swallowed hard against her own fear and spoke out to the feinted commander.
“Alright down there?” She could barely see him from her binds but could enough to get an idea of what he looked like.
A slender build gave him a younger man’s look. The rest of his outfit lacked any sort of armouring and had a handful of thin ropes connecting on either side of his arms. Mostly a thin fabric from head to toe, loosely fit with the odd belt holding down any point where his skin was exposed. The shark emblem of the Bardain Islands rest on his shoulder in a neatly sewn patch.
“Little young for a Captain.” Gemini poked with her sarcasm, laughing to herself.
Captain Raazin looked at peace in his unconscious state, his face sort of mocked her in his slumber. His short platinum hair shuffling around with the slight breeze that rolled across the landscape from the nearby ocean.
Sounds of stone cracking echoed around her. A thin black line started to etch into the stone face before her. The scorched line spun its way around from in and out of her line of vision and broke off into multiple others, spreading across the smooth mountain wall. Ornate lines and beautiful writing formed across the rock until the shape of a door took form.
Standing much taller than she was in her prison, the circular doorway had no key or no handle. The sound of something scratching at the stone from the other side made Gemini cock her eyebrows in curiosity.
“What?” Gemini squinted in question at the marking.
“Gemini?” A familiar female voice sounded from behind her.
“Mara?” Gemini called out.
There was more than just her Spiri friend there, she could hear them approach as they stepped over or on the dead. The blade length of a strangely shaped sword slowly slid its way into her line of sight, pointed at the passed out Raazin who remained still. Chyla stepped into her field of view with an angry look her face holding one of her khopesh-like swords.
With a big smile across her face Gemini lost her fear of the Ahkm’zikar she knew was still above.
“Chyla!” She exclaimed.
“We need to get her out of this, help me
Dominic.” Mara poked at the cage around Gemini with the butt end of her scythe.
Gemini could feel the others circle to her left and place their hands on the steel. Whispering carried on the gentle breeze with a few short incantations and the cage holding her chest and legs snapped forward. She was able to push herself free of the metal plate and dropped to the ground, catching herself with her hand and knee, still weak from not being able to move.
Stretching her neck up to see a helping hand offered to her, Gemini was pulled up to be face to face with her sister who had a tear in her eye.
“Mya!” Gemini lunged forward to engulf her with an embrace.
Being nearly knocked over, Mya returned the tearful hug and squeezed tightly.
“Finally, we were able to get to you. I am glad you’re safe.” Mya nestled herself against Gemini’s shoulder.
“Where is Tharissa?” Gemini looked around at the group and then back to Mya.
“Fell in Colde.” The sadness in Mya’s voice welled up Gemini’s eyes and she could not hold back the water.
“What do we do with him?” Dominic drew their tear-filled attention over to the sleeping man at their feet.
“Bind his hands before he wakes up. We will have to ask him a few questions once he does.” Kallis bent down with a strap in her hand and quickly collected his wrists within it.
With the heat of the sun beating down, beads of sweat covered everyone’s brow and dark stains were starting to form around Dominic’s armpits. Everyone had stripped down to a minimal layer of clothing and loosened their packs as to not be touched by the leather.
“Why in Incinolin’s name is it so hot here?” Chyla huffed slightly as she popped another button on her shirt, exposing herself a little more to the day.
“What are these markings?” Mya reached out toward the etched stone. “It looks like a door.”
“Must be the entry to the Crucible?” Gemini guessed.
“From what I remember about what R’nuuk said so long ago, the actual door we are looking for is inside the Crucible.” Dominic placed a hand on the black markings.
“I don’t remember him saying that.” Chyla looked at him with a cautious stare.
“If you weren’t so busy with your hand in your pants, you would have.” Dominic gave her a sarcastic smirk.
“Pretty sure he didn’t.” Chyla huffed and crossed her arms in detest.
“Maybe it is what I remember from before?” Dominic paused in thought. “I forget.”
“Is no one worried about the massive killer lurking above us?” Gemini’s eyes were wide with her concern as she pointed at the circling threat. “It was odd that it flew away so fast. This weakling kept saying that I needed to call it off.”
“You can control it Darling?” Kallis cocked her head and put a finger near her mouth in curiosity.
“There has been rumour amongst my people that Spiri have the ability to connect with few beasts of old and use them as tools, your armour may have been calling the creature for you.” Mara pushed her lips to the side of her cheek. “You could have done it without knowing.”
“Would be the luck of the draw if I knew how to.” Gemini stepped back from the wall, trying not to turn towards the field of carnage behind her. “Were you all able to talk with Thron-din?”
“Yes we did. Able to get the rest of the relics as well.” Dominic stepped forward and held out two small boxes in his large hand. “We still need to get them to the Elder Dragons. You are the only one able to do it.”
“The last thing we need is the map.” Mya drew her attention. “I hope you still have it.”
Gemini reached down to her leg where a portion of her armour opened like a pocket and the edges of a scroll unfurled. Pinching it between her thumb and forefinger, she slowly slid it from its hold and dangled it out in front of her.
“Certainly do?”
Everyone smiled and nodded almost at the same time.
“What do I do with it?” Gemini rotated it a bit in her hold as she spoke.
Silence from the group. The cemetery they stood in whistled with the salty breeze coming from the sea waters. The brief rustle of the wind rippled the pools of blood and helped push them along the ground to fill divots in the soft silty soils. The corpses of the Sigil war party were littered everywhere with their blood and entrails strewn about like a child had found a box of paints.
“The Mother need only stand next to the door.” A deep booming voice carried through the destroyed temple and shook everyone. It was a haunting voice and made the hair on their necks stand on end.
With everyone alerted by the newcomer, all heads snapped to the sounds of demonic evil behind them. A shorter man stood on one of the broken pillars near the middle of the butchered soldiers, his body covered by a shimmering white robe that seemed to gather the light from around it. A heavy hood shaded most of his face and only a shaven chin could barely be seen.
“You must touch the gate, Mother.” His voice made their skin crawl.
Everyone pulled out a weapon, readying themselves for a fight. His tone spoke bloodshed.
“Who are you?” Kallis roared.
“Only the man you were hired to kill Miss Nettlepot.” The white man nodded slightly.
“What?” Dominic gritted through his teeth.
“Where are my manners. My name is Barilos Maratn. But please.” Barilos deep voice resonated around them as he performed a graceful bow with his hands to one side. “Call me Sliver.”
Looking at each other in disbelief, the six standing at the foot of the mountain shared a curious and questioning expression.
“You are not what I was expecting from someone who scares a lot of powerful people.” Chyla called out to the tall white clad mage.
“To be said for many of the characters in this story. We are all but pawns to the balance of life and death. You have all been a prickle at the heel since the beginning, but I am needed to finish my creed. The desire to connect life to death and collect the light and darkness to set free the true heirs to our world.” Sliver reached out with a hand and pointed softly towards the mountain. “Mother. If you please.”
“Why would you want her in there so badly Darling.” Kallis drew back an arrow in her bow.
“For the same reason you need her to.” Sliver shrugged. “The seals are broken, and you need to give the relics back to the Elders.”
“Then why would you want to have that happen, it would seal back what you have been working on.” With a threatening tone, Dominic yelled back across the ruins.
“True, but there is more to the story my dearest.” Lifting his arms up to shoulder height, Sliver rotated his hands to the scorching sun. “You will need to do what my pets have been trying to get you to do since the beginning. You must release the spirits; you must break the chains.”
“That’s what they have been saying?” Mya whispered to herself, loud enough for everyone to hear and gather their attention on her.
“What?” Gemini asked.
“They have been chasing me since we left Uridine and have been repeating the same thing over and over.” Mya answered calmly as she stare at Sliver.
“The Furhdrae that stole Gemini away were chasing you?” Chyla inquisitively asked.
“Perhaps the same ones but why would the Neightur want the Chains broken. They are meant to hold the dead in Necrolis and feed the Dragons energy.” Mya searched for an answer in the back of her mind with her eyes.
“We must not wait any longer my dear friends. Mother, if you are not going to complete your quest on your own, then I will have to incentivize you.” Sliver quickly closed his fists and the shadows against the ruins thickened and darken.
From out of the coalesced shadows, two Furhdrae clawed their way from the ground like they were spirits escaping the underworld. Two more emerged from the sides of the broken pillars to Sliver’s left and another two to his right. Under a larger half arch behind the mage, a single massive form slowly rose from the shade, stan
ding nearly twice the height as all the others.
“Ready yourselves.” Kallis urgently called out as she fired off a volley of light arrows towards the two to her left.
Screaming through the air with a deadly accuracy, the first dug deep into the shoulder of one and the other two hit home into the torso. With a howl of pain, the Furhdrae reeled backwards to the ground and into the sun.
“There is no time for this.” Sliver growled back at the group. “Mother, you must open the door. The light yearns for its release. Break the darkness and let in the light.”
“You don’t make sense; we are the light trying to shut out your darkness. The darkness that you’re trying to cover our world in.” Chyla yelled back at him.
Sliver laughed a deep rolling laugh from under his hood. “The stigma of light versus dark, life and death. You must connect life to death for balance, you must shed light into the darkness in order to keep it. The realms have an overabundance of dark and you must help me bring the light back.” His voice kept the same grumbling tone, the same chilling feeling rippled through the air.
Raising his hand towards the mountain again, the remaining five smaller Furhdrae lunged forward in attack. Sprinting around the corpses strewn about gave everyone enough time to get their weapons at the ready and Mya to spin up a set of blue fireballs in her palms.
Kallis let loose volley after volley of triple arrows towards the hulks, some able to connect and trip one up in its assault. With a roll after the falter, the wounded beast kept the advance as fast as it could. The first connected with Dominic who had stepped forward in hopes to give the others some time to gain an advantage.
With claws out, he was able to sidestep the attack and send the creature into Chyla’s bladed staff. Another scream of tormenting death erupted as Chyla carried the weight behind her and into the mountain face.
“Keep tight, we can funnel their attacks in.” Dominic ordered the girls before the remaining Furhdrae clashed against them.
Sounds of bone on steel and steel on stone filled the battlefield again as the six battled the remaining four shadowed hulks. Mya’s fireballs that missed their target whirled into the corpse piles, sending body parts into the air as they exploded against the flesh. Kallis’ arrows shot with a flash, some just missing Sliver who stood stationary in front of the huge Furhdrae.
Age of Souls Page 46