The Dark Monolith

by F. P. Spirit

  Glo stared at her a moment, a mixture of relief and desire flooding through him, then he reached down and lifted her chin, kissing the seeress passionately on the lips. She returned his kiss with equal ardor, the world around them seemingly fading away. Glo lost track of time—he had no idea how long they stayed like that, but eventually Elistra pulled away. Their foreheads still touching, she gazed up into his eyes and whispered, “Much as I’d love to stay like this, I’m afraid Ruka might still need our help.”

  A wry smile crossed Glo’s lips, yet he held her close just a bit longer. “Yes, you are right. We should go.”

  A tiny, bell-like laugh came from the seeress. “I don’t see you letting me go.”

  Glo laughed in response. “Okay, okay. Give an elf a break.”

  He reluctantly let Elistra go, and stepped back from her mount. Alana floated there next to them, a knowing smile on the lady knight’s face. “When all this is over, we need to get away to someplace nice and private.”

  Elistra grinned at the lady knight and winked. “The more private, the better.”

  Glo shifted his gaze from Elistra to Alana, blushing furiously, the two women bursting into laughter at his embarrasment. Elistra placed a soft hand on his cheek, a warm smile across her lips. “Oh Glo, promise me you’ll never change.”

  Glo, Elistra, and Alana flew back down to join the others. Below them, Ruka still lay on the ground, her head resting on Elladan’s lap. Donnie had returned and now knelt beside her, gently holding Ruka’s hand. Lloyd stood watching over them, a melancholy expression on the young man’s face. Aksel knelt a short distance away from the others, the little cleric deep in prayer.

  Lloyd glanced up as they approached the ground, his expression turning grim. “What happened with the succubus?”

  Glo responded with a thin smile. “She won’t be bothering us again.”

  The trio landed, all eyes turning once again to their fallen comrade. Ruka’s wounds had disappeared, and her coloring was definitely better, but the young teen lay uncharacteristically still on Elladan’s lap.

  Alana’s face was drawn, as she softly asked, “How is she?”

  Elladan gazed up, his normally carefree expression gaunt, more than a hint of sadness in his voice. “Aksel finished healing her. Her wounds are closed, but the poison is still in her system.”

  Donnie gazed up at them, the slight elf’s face ashen. Glo had never seen him this serious before. He looked as if he had aged a thousand years.

  “What is Aksel doing now?” Glo asked quietly.

  Donnie remained silent, so Elladan explained for them. “He’s praying for divine knowledge. He’s beseeching his goddess for a spell that will help with the poison.”

  “Ah,” Glo responded, not wanting to say anymore. What Aksel was attempting could have severe consequences. Glo was not that familiar with the Soldenar, but the gods had a tendency to be fickle when it came to that sort of thing. Often times, they only provided their clerics with the knowledge they deemed fit. If Aksel were to anger his goddess, he might jeopardize his connection with her—the little cleric would never be able to cast divine spells again.

  Alana shifted her gaze to Donnie, her voice just barely above a whisper. “Did you find anything below that might help?”

  Donnie glanced up again with a long, drawn out sigh. “I found what appears to be living quarters below. Once she’s better”—the slight elf’s voice caught for a moment—“once she’s better, there’s a nice couch we can lay her on.”

  Glo wiped a hand across his eyes, drying the excess moisture that had built up there. Unless Aksel could pull off a miracle, then dragon or not, Ruka was probably not going to make it. Elistra had been holding on to Glo’s arm. She gave him a brief squeeze, then slowly stepped forward and placed a hand on Donnie’s shoulder. She spoke softly into the elf’s ear. “There may be something I can do, but it won’t be without consequences.”

  Donnie’s head immediately spun around, a ray of hope returning to his features. “Whatever it is, I’ll do it!”

  Elistra knelt down next to him, a thin smile across her lips. Her voice was measured as she explained to him further. “You must first understand, this is not something to be entered into lightly. It will prove dangerous for you.”

  Donnie gave his head an emphatic shake. “I don’t care. I promised her she would be fine, and I always keep my word. Just tell me what I have to do.”

  The slight elf’s expression was one of desperation. Elistra took a deep breath, and then explained in detail. “I can link your fates... sort of a karmic channel, where you can temporarily share life-forces. You would bolster her life with your own, but it will also distribute the pain and any damage she continues to suffer.”

  Alana interrupted them, her voice filled with more than a touch of concern. “So he would be poisoned, too?”

  Elistra shifted her gaze to the lady knight and slowly shook her head. “No, he would not… but any further damage she takes from the poison… would affect the both of them.”

  Donnie had already made up his mind, the color returning to his face and his jaw set determinedly. “I can live with that. Let’s do this already.”

  Elistra placed a hand on Donnie’s arm, her expression deathly serious. When she spoke, her voice was very firm. “There’s just one more thing you need to know. You would be so closely linked, that if she were to die, you might die as well. At the very least, it would cut your life short.”

  Glo’s eyes went wide. If Donnie were to do this, he might pay the ultimate price. Glo practically wanted to scream, don’t do it, but caught himself. If the tables were turned, and it was Elistra laying there, Glo wouldn’t hesitate for a moment.

  Donnie’s resolve hardened even further, his face taking on a grim cast. He stared Elistra right in the eye, and responded, emphasizing each word. “I... don’t... care…” The slight elf then waved his hand and added, “Link us together already, or whatever you need to do.”

  “Wait!”

  The cry came from Alana. All eyes turned to the lady knight. Alana glanced around self-conciously, but then her face hardened, her gaze returning to Elistra. “I’ll do it.” She folded her arms across her chest, her eyes sweeping around the group. “I care about her just as much as the rest of you”—her eyes finally settled on Donnie—“and no offense, Donnie, but I am a lot tougher than you.”

  Donnie stared open-mouthed at the lady knight, then his features softened, a gentle smile crossing his face. He let go of Ruka’s hand, stood up and crossed over to Alana, his hand gently caressing the side of her face. “What’s a few hundred years to an elf like me? And what would be the alternative? Let you do it, and rob this world of your beauty? I have painted a million faces, across many lands, and never seen one as lovely. Robbing the realms of a face such as yours, would be the true crime.”

  Alana blushed furiously at his heartfelt response. She grasped his hand, and gazed deep into his eyes for a few moments, then finally whispered, “Donatello… I still stand the better chance...”

  Elistra shook her head as she spoke, putting an end to the passionate debate. “Perhaps, but in order for this to work, I have to overcome Ruka’s will—and the will of a dragon, even poisoned and dying, is a tremendous thing.”

  All eyes spun toward the seeress. Elistra wore a wan smile. Her head fell, her voice turning to a whisper as she added, “I only bring this up because I thought… perhaps… if it was Donatello, she wouldn’t resist...”

  Alana opened her mouth to speak, then stopped herself. She hung her head in defeat and sighed, “Very well.”

  Donnie leaned forward and gave her a brief kiss on the cheek, then spun around and strode back to Elistra, kneeling down next to the seeress. “Alright, let’s do this.”

  Elistra responded with a curt nod. “Very well.”

  The
seeress placed a hand over both Donnie’s and Ruka’s hearts, her brow deeply furrowing as she began to concentrate. Glo watched on with renewed admiration for the slight elf. Not many would do what Donnie was about to do for Ruka. Despite his sometimes devil-may-care attitude, the slight elf had a heart of pure gold.

  A wry smile suddenly crossed Donnie’s lips. “Plus anyway, this will give me the chance to answer an age-old question that has plagued my gender since the beginning of time.”

  Elistra hesitated, her expression turning curious as she gazed at the elf. “And what question would that be?”

  “What does go on inside a woman’s head?”

  Hopes and Prayers

  Greater than the gods? What is greater than the gods?

  Seth stood quietly in the darkness, listening to the sharp, ragged breaths that came from just a few feet ahead of him. They were on the ground floor of the monolith, a short distance from the archway that led outside. Night had fallen, the clearing surrounding the monolith dimly lit by the campfires of the Knights of the Rose. The darkness of the forest lay just beyond, the nearest trees flickering with a dull yellow glow that radiated from their fires.

  When the Serpent Cult finally showed its face, Seth had turned invisible, and launched himself off the colossus. He had skidded down to the walkway below, intent on sneaking down the path and surpising the black mages. What he hadn’t counted on was Glo rushing in and starting a fire fight.

  Seth wracked his brains for a way around the conflagration, until he noticed the colossus’ arm rising over the top of the walkway. It appeared that Aksel was going to use the golem against the serpents that had slithered forth. He had also inadvertently provided Seth with a clear path across the chamber.

  Seth had leapt onto the Colossus’ broad shoulder, and raced down the giant’s arm. He reached the hand just as the fire fight ended, the last black mage shaking his fist defiantly, then turning coat and running for the stairwell. Seth rushed across the stone hand, and leapt through the air just over the tops of the serpents, landing in a ball on the walkway behind them. He leapt back up, and sped the rest of the way to the staircase, reaching it just moments before the succubus. Seth narrowly avoided her, and raced up the stairs after the receding mage.

  The succubus, unable to fly in such close quarters, quickly fell behind. Seth had chased the mage all the way up the monolith, and back down again, until they stood where they were now, waiting quietly just outside the monolith entrance. The succubus was nowhere to be seen, most likely having given up the chase, and returned to the battle below.

  Seth was not worried in the slightest—he knew his friends could handle the demoness. His primary concern was putting an end to the Serpent Cult once and for all, and that would not be possible unless they routed them out at the source. They needed to find the cult’s home base, and destroy it along with the cult’s leader. That was the only way to end their mad plans to rule Thac.

  The black mage in the darkness just ahead of him was the ticket to that goal. Seth was certain that if the mage got away, he would make a beeline for the cult’s base, leading Seth straight to it. The only problem with that plan was that the mage appeared afraid to move. The armored guards outside kept a tight watch on the clearing, and the black mage didn’t seem prepared to sneak past them.

  Seth sighed inwardly. Do I have to do everything myself?

  He was going to have to sneak past the mage, and get the company to relax their guard. It was the only way his plan was going to work. Shaking his head, the halfling snuck forward on silent feet. He slowly crept past the heavily breathing mage, and slipped through the archway to the clearing beyond.

  The night around him was clear, the stars twinkling brightly in the black sky overhead. The moon was just barely visible below the tree tops, its pale silvery face nearly full at this time of month. Seth would have to make this quick—once the moon peaked out overhead, the mage might completely lose his nerve.

  He scanned the clearing, focusing his gaze on the large tent in the center of the camp. Seth headed directly for it, passing unnoticed through the campground, and swiftly reaching the tent’s entrance. He peered inside—a dark-haired knight knelt before a makeshift altar, reciting his evening devotions—he had found Sir Craven. Seth slipped silently into the tent, and snuck up next to preoccupied knight. He dispelled his invisibility and said, “Hey, Sir Craven. What’s up?”

  To the knight’s credit, he barely flinched, turning toward the halfling with the hint of a smile on his lips. “It is good to see you, Master Seth. To what do we owe the honor of this impromptu visit?”

  The duo sat down at the knight’s table, and Seth quickly explained what had happened below. Sir Craven listened carefully as Seth outlined his plan, remaining silent until he had finished. The knight sat there stroking his bearded chin for a few moments, then nodded.

  “A sound plan, Master Seth. He’ll probably head for straight for the horses. I’ll have one saddled as if for patrol, and relax the guard on this side of the clearing. I trust you will want your riding dog?”

  A lopsided smile crossed Seth’s lips. “Better than trying to keep up with him on foot.”

  “Agreed.” Sir Craven gave him a wry smile, but his expression swiftly turned serious again. “What about Dame Alana and the others? Do you think they will require any assistance?”

  Seth shook his head. “No, Glo already took out the other mages. Between Lloyd, Alana, and the colossus, those serpents don’t stand a chance.”

  Sir Craven gave him a curt nod, then stood. “Very good. Prepare yourself then—I will have the horse and dog saddled, and then draw back the guards.”

  The tall knight strode from the tent, leaving Seth all alone. A half-eaten bowl of stew still sat on the table. Seth quickly wolfed it down, not sure of the next time he would get a hot meal. The halfling then stood and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, a thin smirk crossing his lips. Well then, here goes nothing.

  Aksel Alabaster knelt at the foot of the colossus, far below the Darkwoods monolith. He was beseeching his goddess, the Soldenar, for the power to counteract the poison that coursed through the veins of his friend, Ruka. Communion with his deity was a very personal experience for Aksel. It was not an easy connection to achieve, requiring a still mind, a pure heart, and an utter devotion to the sanctity of life. Further, it also demanded a keen wit, for the Soldenar was unlike any of the other gods.

  The goddess of the gnomes extolled the virtues of faith, but also of cleverness, emphasizing brains over brawn. Her doctrine taught that outthinking one’s enemy was more important than overpowering them. Thus, a direct prayer to the deity never received a direct answer. It was usually met with a riddle, the success of the prayer solely based on answering it correctly.

  Luckily, not all prayers were direct questions. For instance, as Aksel had grown both in mind and spirit, the Soldenar had rewarded him with the knowledge to cast more complex spells. Once provided with that knowledge, Aksel merely had to renew his vows to the Soldenar in prayer each day. Yet now he had a direct request, and to make matters worse, it was for a spell whose complexity may very well be beyond him. Still, he had to try, for Ruka’s sake. As Aksel reached the deepest level of prayer-state, the question formed in his mind.

  Soldenar, Goddess of all Gnomes, I beseech you. Please grant me the power to cleanse the poison from the blood of one who is pure, honorable, and just.

  Aksel’s request was met with utter silence. That had never happened to him before—his goddess had never ignored a direct query from him. The longer the silence lasted, the more perplexed he became. Perhaps he had worded it incorrectly? Aksel repeated the question with a slight variation.

  Soldenar, my Lady and Master, I beseech you. Please grant me the power to cleanse the poison from the blood of one who is pure, honorable, and just.

  Aksel was met with silence once agai
n. He began to grow anxious. Did his goddess already know what he was going to ask for? Was she upset about it? Aksel considered repeating the question one more time, when the lilting voice of his goddess reverberated through his mind.

  ‘Tis a tall order ya ask for, lad. Are ya certain of the nobility and purity of the lassie for whom ya ask this boon?

  I am, Aksel responded with certainty.

  There was a long pause before the Soldenar replied. Very well. Then first ya must answer me this simple query:

  What be greater than the gods,

  more evil than demons,

  the poor have it,

  the rich need it,

  and if ya eat it,

  ya will die?

  Aksel mentally winced. He knew a riddle was coming, but this one was a doozy. Greater than the gods? What is greater than the gods? There were the greater powers—Illitar, the Essence of Life, being chief amongst them. That might even fit the second line, for the greater power Dirbane, also known as the Dark Flame, was the very essence of evil. Still, that did not answer the rest of the riddle. Aksel continued to rack his brains.

  What was greater than the gods? Love? Perhaps, but could it be considered more evil than demons? If one considered the pain love could cause, then maybe. In fact, it almost fit the rest of the riddle. Love might be the only thing the poor have, and the rich tended to sacrifice love for wealth and power. As for eating it, that might be a reference to the statement, “One cannot survive on love alone.”

  Well, lad, do ya have an answer?

  Love? Aksel responded, the thought tentative at best. He was met with another long pause. Finally, he heard his goddess’ reply in his mind.

  Ah, I’m sorry, lad. A good answer to be sure, but not the right one.

  Aksel mentally hung his head. He had failed, and poor Ruka would pay the price. Yet, just when he thought all was lost, the Soldenar’s voice reverberated through his mind once more.