by Otto Schafer
Rural Chiapas State, Mexico
Gabi spun around to see the silhouette of a tall man standing on the opposite side of the ledge from the Jeep. Something was heaped in a pile next to him, but she couldn’t tell what it was.
Ogliosh moved past her. “Stay behind me, Gabi. When we get close, get inside the Jeep.”
“Who is that?” she asked.
Ogliosh didn’t answer as he strode forward.
As they drew close, the tall man pulled something that looked like a jagged crown from his cloak and placed it on his own head. Gabi felt a pressure in her head; the closer she drew, the worse the pressure became. Still, she stared at the crown, unable to take her eyes off of it. The object was radiating beautiful colors until finally one appeared she had never seen! The harder she looked, the worse it hurt – but the color! She couldn’t look away.
The pressure in her head turned to pain that turned to an unbearable anguish. Blood began to trickle from her nose. Everything became muffled and then something wet ran down both sides of her neck. The colors changed from one to another, then to another still, until she once again saw the color she couldn’t understand. Both her eyes began to bulge, and everything took on a blood-red tint. Bloody tears ran from her eyes and her stomach began to curl.
Gabi tried to scream, but her mouth went dry and her throat constricted so tight she couldn’t draw a breath. She doubled over as her stomach surged, but nothing could come up. Just when she thought she was going to pass out, she felt something inside her head pop with a loud crack like a snapping branch. She sat down hard on her bottom and fell over onto her side.
Slowly, too slowly, the pain started to pass. She wiped her bloody eyes and nose and looked at her hand covered in wet crimson. Her heart pounded against her chest. Ay, María Purísima, she was bleeding! She stretched her jaw and her ear popped, allowing her to hear again. Gabi sat up shakily, still nauseous as she began pushing herself backward toward the wall, trying to catch her breath.
Leaning back against the wall of the pyramid, she observed the two creatures talking through blurry eyes. As her senses returned, it appeared King Ogliosh might kill the other creature. She was sure it wasn’t human, though it wasn’t a giant either. But now they seemed to be just staring at each other. Suddenly Ogliosh pointed at her and both began walking toward her. She realized he wasn’t pointing at her, but beyond her, toward the back of the corridor. As they passed, the tall man looked over at her with a sneer. She gasped. She could feel his hatred toward her and, for a second, she thought he might kill her. Soon the two disappeared from her view, moving deeper into the pyramid.
As the pain in Gabi’s head subsided, she realized something was different. Two and a half days she had spent with the king and most of that time was spent speaking to each other with their minds. So far, she had only been able to hear what he wanted her to hear, but now something was different. There was some other noise, some kind of buzzing…
Her thought was interrupted as the soothing voice of her father spoke in her mind. “Gabi, you have been exposed to the Sound Eye. Most humans would not survive such an exposure. You are lucky to be alive. I must deal with this creature. I will explain soon – go to the Jeep if you can, and rest,” Ogliosh said.
She never really got used to that voice coming from him. “What is a Sound Eye?” she asked.
“The key to the doorway home. Now, when you can stand and walk, I want you to go and rest.”
She wanted to ask a million questions, but she knew this wasn’t the time. Okay, she thought back. She wrinkled her brow, hearing that something else again. This new buzzing sensation mingled into the presence of Ogliosh.
She sat a moment longer trying to catch her breath, trying to understand the fuzzy noise in her mind. It was coming from far in the background of her mind, like static from a radio. Not the kind where you can’t listen to a song, but the kind that is just slightly annoying. She focused on the sound, pushing her mind into the static, trying to hear it. She frowned. There was something there alright, she was sure of it.
Gabi let her mind wade deeper into the fuzzy noise until it was completely submerged. What is this? she wondered as the strange static changed to something else. Gabi cocked her head to the side, listening as she instinctively tuned the frequency of thought until what came into focus was a muffled conversation. The static now formed into words.
At first, the words didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t her father’s voice, and it wasn’t speaking Spanish nor English. She couldn’t understand it at all, but she could hear it clearly now. She took the words and pulled on them, stretching them. Then she pushed them, working the words into something pliable. As she worked, she found she could almost shape them, like when she helped her mom make tortillas for the entire dig team. The memory of sitting by the campfire and working the masa dough broke her concentration and sent a pang through her heart.
Determined, Gabi pushed the pain down and refocused on the words. They came easily now, but she still couldn’t understand what she was hearing. She twisted them, bent them, and even folded them in upon themselves, only to stretch them back out again just like the masa dough. Somehow, she knew this was solvable. And then it happened. Gabi’s heart raced as an invisible cog slid into some place in her mind, completing the puzzle. And with that she understood! It made no sense how, but she understood!
There were two voices. One called himself Apep and the other was King Ogliosh, but he no longer sounded like her father. Now, she realized with a gasp, she was eavesdropping on a conversation happening in a language she shouldn’t understand. The conversation was taking place somewhere deep inside the pyramid between Ogliosh and this new creature.
“The interior structure will need some work, and the sub-level stone water column was destroyed by Azazel, but the rest has been preserved well and is mostly intact.” The giant king’s voice was no longer warm and kind. Instead his voice had a grim, gravelly tone – still deep and heavy like a vast ocean, but no longer smooth or soothing.
The creature called Apep spoke next, and she noticed right away that he sounded like he should be a king. His voice had a regal tone to it. “Fine. How long before the others arrive?”
“The others, yes. First tell me again, what happened to General Balor?”
“I already told you, it was chaos. The humans beat me to the chamber and were about to cut off Balor’s head when I stopped them. I was able to break the spell, but Sylanth woke too and everything went bad. Balor assembled the Sound Eye, knowing it was our only hope to make it out, but Turek’s descendant killed him while I was dealing with the dragon.”
“Humans killed my general?” Ogliosh asked, and Gabi could feel mistrust in the question.
“That’s what I said.”
Gabi felt sudden annoyance with the giant. It was a strange sensation to become annoyed over something she didn’t understand.
“I find it hard to believe a few humans killed my general all by themselves. You – what were you doing to help Balor? You had the Sound Eye, did you not?”
Gabi felt skeptical, as if she had just been told a lie she could see right through.
“I already told you, I was dealing with the dragon, which is now dead! Turek and the ones who killed Balor are all dead! I’ve told you what happened, Ogliosh – let’s move on. You will have vengeance on the humans soon enough.”
Vengeance on humans? But Ogliosh doesn’t hate humans, he wants to help them, she thought. She didn’t like the conversation, and she didn’t like this Apep either.
“Turek?” Ogliosh said in surprise. “One of the seven?”
“Seven what? Mages of old? No, he is the descendant of the old mage. Rather, was before he died,” Apep said simply.
“Not mages. Turek is a very old name not spoken on Karelia since the humans were banished. It is the true name of the humans’ god.”
“What are you talking about? I am speaking of the descendant of the human mage of old. The one who cast t
he spell on you. That Turek.”
“The descendant of the god Turek then?”
“Why do you keep calling him a god? I killed the human mage hundreds of years ago. His bones are submerged over a hundred feet underground on an island, so he couldn’t very well be a god now, could he? This was some prophecy he concocted to try and keep the humans following him even after death. All part of their plan to try and keep me from the God Stones!”
“Prophecy?” Ogliosh asked, and Gabi was consumed with a deep dread.
“Yes, a last-ditch effort, a Hail Mary, a pathetic last line of defense. Humans are quite dramatic that way.”
“Last ditch? What is a last ditch?”
“Never mind!”
“If the human god is interfering on this planet, we should be very concerned. Creating a prophecy, allowing you to kill him – you should be asking yourself why, Apep. What is the human god planning? Are you positive the human descendant is dead? You saw him die?”
“Yes, now let’s move on to more pressing matters than that of human children and false gods! Did the others survive their awakening with the dragons? How close are they? We’ve an army to build!” The anger poured off Apep and washed over Gabi, overwhelming her until she too became angry.
The conversation stopped and her mind became abruptly quiet. She could feel Ogliosh stare down the smaller creature. In the silent pause, Gabi realized these rapidly shifting emotions were not hers. They swirled strangely inside her, two separate creatures feeling different emotions at the same moment, and she was feeling both while also feeling her own. Annoyance, anger, and impatience from Apep, while skepticism and mistrust radiated from Ogliosh.
Finally, the king said, “Some I feel are very close, the others have to cross the ocean. All five survived their awakenings with the dragons and should be here within a few days. The main army will take much longer to make the journey.”
“What main army? What journey?!” Apep asked.
Gabi’s mind exploded in a burst of confusion.
“My army, Apep. Did you think all was lost? Did you think I was not smarter than humans? When the sages came to put us down, do you not think I had a back-up plan? My army is secure. I led only a hundred into battle – the rest I sent away to multiply and prepare in case we were to fall. By now they will number in the tens of thousands. We are nephilbock!” the king said, and pride filled Gabi’s chest.
“That’s impossible! There is nowhere you could have hidden an army that size for thousands of years!”
Then, as Ogliosh formed the thoughts, she gasped in horror. The army wasn’t hidden on earth, it was hidden inside the earth. Deep inside. Her mind reeled. Why? His people were astrologists, they were teachers! Why did he need an army?
“Inside, Apep! My army waits, deep in the bowels of the earth!”
“Inner earth?” Apep scoffed. “I knew it could be possible. After all, legends say Karelia has an inner world, but earth? Interesting… And you’re sure it was large enough and habitable for an army this size?”
“Of course, I am sure. The inner core is made up of liquid iron quartz. It is like an internal sun and provides for photosynthesis. The inner world is quite sustainable.” Gabi could feel Ogliosh’s impatience with Apep’s questions. “There is an opening not far from here in South America, in what is now called the Amazon. It is guarded by a native tribe of humans. They were to wait for the one phrase to be spoken. Once the phrase was spoken, they were to go and summon my people.”
“The Amazon in South America? How do you know these modern terms, Ogliosh?” Apep asked.
“I have a human. I have read through her mind and learned everything useful. She is a young human, but knowledgeable.”
Gabi felt her stomach tighten as she realized something was very wrong.
“Ah, the small one we walked past. Yes, very good.” Apep’s thoughts returned immediately to the army. “Do you understand how much time this will save us? You have ensured I have an army! If this army is as big as you say, you have done well, Ogliosh! Well indeed! For your efforts, let me offer a modest gift. I also have a human girl. Take her! She is young, but she is very intelligent for a human. She will be beneficial in furthering your knowledge. When you finish with her, have her for lunch, or whatever you like – just make sure she dies.” Apep laughed.
Apep was so suddenly happy that Gabi felt like giggling, but then Ogliosh spoke and his words left her feeling twisted again.
“Yes, I am quite hungry, and I expect my army will hunger for humans too.”
Gabi felt the giant’s hunger pangs as if they were her own. Tears filled her eyes. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, she didn’t want to believe. The shock racked her body, and she began to shake as she fought back sobs. He wasn’t going to help her. He wasn’t going to kill the dragon for her. Worse, he was going to kill her and… eat her! All this time, he was only pretending? He had been lying all along. He was supposed to be her friend! Ay, María Purísima, if he lied about this, what about Sarah? Had he eaten Sarah?
“Well, good. These two will get you started then! Mine is called Breanne. She is well educated. She was favored by the descendant of the mage who imprisoned you, and she helped kill your general. Make sure she suffers,” Apep said evenly.
Gabi’s breath came in rapid pants as panic set in and the tears stung her eyes. She couldn’t breathe. Ogliosh was going to check in on her any second and find out she had been listening. She just knew it! She was going to die! Her face was hot, and her vision narrowed. Think, Gabi! What had Apep said? Mine is called Breanne… Breanne? Sarah’s Breanne? Could that be? She looked over toward the heap crumpled on the platform. It was unmoving, exposed under the hot sun. She had to do something. She pushed herself up onto wobbly feet as the conversation in her head continued.
“What is the phrase that must be spoken to call forth my army?” Apep asked.
“Why does it matter to you, Apep?”
“I will go and speak the words while you do what needs to be done here. We need the army moving now,” Apep said as if the question were stupid. “How can you even be sure after thousands of years the humans you have entrusted will still be there? Will they still know the phrase?”
“They worship the nephilbock as gods. We are their religion. They will be there,” Ogliosh said confidently.
“We are wasting time!” Apep countered.
“You were never supposed to hold the stones in their assembled form. That was our agreement. The nephilbock were to be the keepers of the stones. We would assemble the Sound Eye only when it was time to return. The power is too great… too tempting for a—”
Apep’s crazy laugh flooded her mind. “For a dökkálfar? Is that you were about to say, Ogliosh?”
Gabi staggered past the Jeep and out onto the ledge. Something stirred inside her – inside Apep. It was a hateful feeling and she didn’t like it.
“You think me a fool, Apep. You think my army would follow you without the nephilbock to lead. Would you be so arrogant to try and cut us out? Would you try and leave us here? Or maybe you would try and turn my army against us? But you forget, Apep, you must place the Sound Eye atop the pyramid to open the gate. The words must be spoken, and you don’t know how. Don’t you forget that!”
“And once the gate closes, the Sound Eye comes back to the one who placed it atop the pyramid. Don’t you forget that, Ogliosh!”
“We have a treaty! You signed it in your own blood. When you rule Osonian there will be peace between dökkálfar, nephilbock, and dragons. That is why we all came, Apep. That’s the promise!”
“Yes! And that hasn’t changed! Once I overthrow my father, I will keep my word,” Apep said.
“And the nephilbock will be standing next to you all along the way, ensuring you keep your word. And ensuring you return to us our God Stone.”
“Of course,” Apep said. “Now allow me to go signal them so we can get on with this.”
“I would never allow an elf to
call forth my army!”
“Careful with these new words you have learned, Ogliosh! Do you think it wise to insult me?” Apep said.
Gabi felt the Sound Eye begin to react to the Apep’s anger, and her own chest grew hot with rage. The rage she felt from the two creatures was flooding her mind and was almost too much to control as she reached the unconscious girl.
Gabi shook the girl. “Wake up, Breanne! Please, please wake up!” The sudden thought of kicking the sleeping girl in the ribs sprang forth in her mind. The angry emotions were not her own, and, amidst the rage that wasn’t hers, she felt ashamed for thinking of hurting her. She threw her palms to both sides of her head, shutting her eyes up tight, trying to somehow force the feelings away. She wanted to scream. She shook the girl again. “Wake up!” she shouted.
Breanne moaned and opened her eyes, fixing them on her with confusion.
“Your service is not required, Apep. It has already been taken care of!”
“What! How?” Apep asked.
“I ordered one of my five to give the signal before reporting here. So you see, it is done!”
“Well, good! Then I can get on with more pressing matters.”
“I still don’t believe you, Apep. Just like I don’t believe Balor was so easily convinced to obey you, nor that he was destroyed by a tiny human boy.”
Gabi sensed Apep’s anger turn to something else, and she didn’t fully understand the emotion, but it terrified her.
“You would be best to remember your place. You can think whatever you want but understand this. You and all your half-breeds are mine to command until this is over, and I am on the throne. Do we have an understanding?”
Ogliosh hesitated only briefly. The decision lingered between them. Finally, he nodded.
“Good. Now, how long before they arrive?”
“Three months hence, maybe longer. Now, perhaps you should deal with Azazel? I am sure she will be making her own plans.”
“Just leave her to me. Her dragons will have plenty of humans to feed on, with plenty more to enslave. You have no idea how their population has grown over the millennia.”