Lost Empire

by Jeff Gunzel

  Jacob was always one to adapt to any situation easily. It had been his very nature for as long as anyone could remember. His many sexual exploits were nothing short of legendary. But for the first time, he had serious doubts as to what was happening here. For one, he could not even decide if this was pleasure or agony. And why was she acting like this now?

  He could feel the light ridges along her bare back, left from the whipping she had received not so long ago. He ran his hands across them twice before sinking his fingers deep into the back of her beaded hair. She seemed to be purposely fighting against his every movement. When he tried to pull her head down to kiss her she reared up with a hiss, wiping her tongue slowly across her silver teeth. When he pushed her away using his grip on her braids for leverage, she lunged down effortlessly, as if he had the strength of a mere child, and sunk her teeth into his neck.

  He could taste his own blood as she licked his neck and face like some sort of animal. “So you believe the two of us are the only survivors,” she hissed between her licking and biting. “That both the Gate Keeper and Guardian have succumbed to a little water while the two of us yet live. My, my...how convenient that would be.” She stopped her aggression momentarily. Gazing down on him, the crazed look had left her eyes, replaced by sudden clarity. She finally looked sane, in control. “I suppose we no longer have any responsibility to our friends or our most important mission. We can just run off now and have a family of our own. Let the world fend for itself, for it’s no longer our problem.” She leaned down and gave him a soft, sweet kiss before moving in close to his ear. “Tell me Jacob...now who is the coward?”

  Wait, how did you—you heard me?

  As if nothing had happened, she rolled off of him and crawled on all fours to her private leaf pile. Athel flopped down on her stomach while facing away from the fire. “Good night, Jacob,” she whispered sleepily, then yawned innocently. Her breathing became deep and steady, as if she had just...fallen asleep.

  Jacob spit out a bit of blood before looking back to her. Wiping a bit more from his chin, he shook his head in disbelief. “What the hell was that about?” After spitting a few more times and wiping his hand across his burning face and neck, he thought it best to just follow her lead and sleep it off. Flopping down on his own pile of cool leaves, he gazed up to the starless sky. Despite her obvious bout with insanity, she might have actually made a point. After all, neither he nor Athel were anything special, but somehow they had survived. Eric had proved over and over again that he was a survivor, and Jade had beaten impossible odds most of her life. They very well could be alive.

  He had never felt so ashamed. If there was even the slightest possibility they still lived...I won’t give up again. I swear I’ll find you. Both of you. Completely exhausted, he rolled to his side, trying to forget about what had just happened.

  ****

  The fire popped loudly, causing Athel to stir a bit before opening her eyes. She gazed around in a sleepy haze, completely confused for a moment. Thinking hard, she tried to remember why she was laying in a pile of leaves next to a fire. Searching her memory, she instinctively knew that Jacob was supposed to be here with her, but he was nowhere to be seen. Over to her side was the rustled-up pile of leaves where she was sure he was supposed to be.

  She got to her feet as she scratched her head. What a bizarre dream. She never denied the ongoing crush she had on Jacob, but in her dream her fantasies had played out in such a twisted way. Of course she would never have done that in real life. It’s probably best I don’t even tell him about my sick dream; he’ll think I’m crazy. But where is he anyway?

  Her state of confusion was beginning to worry her. Everything seemed...off. She was sure he had been here with her, but didn’t have any real memory of it. That is, except for that bizarre dream, of course. It—it was just a dream...right? And what time of night is it? It certainly seemed to be the middle of the night, but for some reason she could see perfectly. Just the fire playing tricks on my vision, nothing more.

  Moving away from the small blaze while gazing around, she still felt disorientated, yet her senses seemed sharp as a razor. Heightened in some way. The wind had died down considerably, yet she could hear its light whistling as it moved tiny blades of grass and made the leaves of far away trees flutter ever so slightly. The moon had decided to show itself at this late hour, casting an incredibly bright illumination across the land. The strong scents of fresh grass, moisture left behind by the steady rain, salt from the sea, and the smells of multiple animals far away suddenly became very clear and distinctive. The flurry of different scents didn’t necessarily threaten to overwhelm her, but had certainly become identifiable, each with a very unique characteristic. Her state of confusion and suddenly heightened senses began to frighten her.

  He is your friend? Came an uninvited voice echoing around in her head. But it was not actually a voice at all, more of a snorting growl that somehow translated into a question, although she never heard any actual words. You must stop him. The gurgling growl that somehow carried meaning rattled through her head once more. “Who is there?” she shouted while whirling about.

  She fell to her knees, gripping her braids tightly in both hands. This was simply too much for her to handle. The fact that her vision had become so sharp even at night, her sudden ability to smell scents from far away...these voices! Hurry. To the forest. Before it’s too late. “What do you want from me? What have you done with him?” she cried with her ears covered, bent low to the ground. Her trembling fingers ripped at her own braids as they began to pull loose. What was this bloody growling voice and how was she able understand it? Where did Jacob go? What is going on?

  Her shoulders shook with sobs as she remained bent over, her face pressed into the cold grass. Keeping an iron grip on her braids, she rolled her head back and forth in disbelief. She sniffled hard, trying to regain her composure. Then sniffed again...and again. Athel raised her head while continuing to sniff the air. “I can—I can smell him. I can smell his scent.” The forest. You must hurry, came the snarling growl once again.

  ****

  A strong, tangy aroma flared up in her nose. Jade tried to sit up with a burst, but quickly found she was unable to move. Her eyes flashed open as she tried to blow the stinging taint from her nostrils. She could even feel the burn traveling down her throat as she coughed and wheezed, blowing air from her nose and mouth to release some of the pungent vapor.

  “I’m sorry. It appears I’ve used too much grandit root, but I must say it seems to have done the trick,” came the youthful voice from her bedside. There stood a young woman with slightly tan skin, full lips and long black hair that hung to her waist, straight as a board. A sparkling green-jeweled Tikka clung tightly to her forehead from a thin gold chain. She wore a black one-piece suit which left little to the imagination as it hugged her curvy figure. Her eyes were dark and lovely, but held an odd slant to them which Jade had never seen before. Given her unusual ethnic look, it was hard to determine her age, but Jade guessed her to be about ten years her senior. The woman watched Jade patiently as her coughing slowly began to let up, then turned away without another word, still holding the steaming wooden bowl she had held under Jade’s nose a moment ago.

  Jade was only able to move her head around while the rest of her remained strapped tightly to some sort of thin mattress. The cozy room didn’t seem very large at all. The yellowish tan canvas walls that looked as if a stiff wind would bring them down were covered with wooden hand-carved figurines of mostly deer and wolves, but some looked to be people as well. Each hung by a flimsy leather cord attached to wooden pegs. Instead of paintings or tapestries, there were colorful scribbles traced directly onto the walls, mostly nonsensical patterns of color as opposed to any real objects. The crudely sanded wooden floor was partially covered by a green and black checkered throw rug. It too looked to be quite worn.

  “Release me now!” shouted Jade through scattered coughs.

  Her captor ju
st continued to work over a plain wooden counter and never even looked back. “Perhaps you should tell me your name instead of making demands. You might even consider thanking me for saving your life.” Her accent was sharp and quick but she seemed to speak common perfectly. “If you are upset by the fact we have you tied at the moment, I assure you it is no more than a precaution. We don’t know anything about you. Who you are, who sent you, or even how you got here. The only thing we are sure of is that you are not from our lands.” She glanced back over her shoulder while continuing to stir something in another wooden bowl. “Do you blame our caution?” she said with a pleasant smile. “Would you not have done the same?”

  Jade couldn’t deny the other woman’s logic, but still didn’t care for being tied up either. Leaning up as far as the multiple ropes would allow, she blurted in a rush, “Where did you find me? Was I alone? Was there anyone—”

  “Shhh, shhh. Calm down,” she replied as she walked back over and placed a wet rag on Jade’s forehead. “No. We found you alone on the beach. You were near death at the time. Are you saying there are more of you?”

  “Yes,” she replied in a light whisper as a single tear rolled down her cheek. “My friends are out there somewhere. I need to find them. You don’t understand. I really need to—”

  “We have scouting parties patrolling the entire area. I will let them know to be on the lookout for your friends. For now, that’s all I can do for you. Besides...” The stranger’s light smile returned before walking back to the counter, “If we are going to trust each other, I need you to answer a few of my questions as well. The more you cooperate, the sooner I can see to getting those nasty ropes off of you.” Jade shook her head, now growing desperate. She wanted so badly to believe they were still alive, but she couldn’t do anything for them while staying tied up. “We’ll start with a simple one,” the woman said. There was a long pause. “Who is Eric?” she finally asked without ever turning her head while continuing to stir the bowl.

  Instantly Jade began to thrash violently. Had there been one less rope wrapped around her, she surely would have broken free. The wooden cot with the thin mattress hopped up and down as her long black hair whipped around in a frenzy. “Where did you hear that name? If you did anything to him, I’ll gut you like a fish! I’ll—” Jade thrashed wildly while screaming insults she didn’t even know were in her vocabulary. Saliva flew from her mouth and foamed down her chin as she shrieked like a caged animal. The very thought that someone might be hurting the man she loved sent a storm of animalistic rage coursing through her.

  “I’ve heard enough from you!” The women marched to a small wooden bench on the other side of the room. She lifted up what Jade recognized as one of her spring-loaded wrist holsters with its ring of daggers still full. She skillfully pulled one free without setting off the trigger and stormed toward Jade, who never stopped thrashing for an instant—or cursing, for that matter. She pressed the cold blade against Jade’s throat.

  “You think I care? Do it! I’ll take you with me, I swear,” Jade shrieked while still thrashing and now trying to bite the hand that held what was once her blade.

  “I said I’ve heard enough,” but her tone was suddenly soft, almost remorseful. She eased the blade across Jade’s chest, and with a quick slice the bonds fell to the floor. “I’ve heard enough to know you are no threat to me or my people. As to whether or not you are dangerous, we shall see. But any woman who loves that deeply could never be inherently evil.”

  Jade’s eyes began to tear up. She never even cared when it seemed her very life was in danger. But now... “But how did you—? Where is he?”

  “You talk in your sleep, girl,” her captor replied in a quiet voice as her dark eyes began to glisten. “I have no idea what your name is, but I think I would know this ‘Eric’ even if I met him in a dark room.” She gently wiped a running tear from Jade’s cheek. “My name is Nima, and I’m going to help you find your friends.”

  ****

  Stalking along the edge of the beach, Athel kept sniffing the cool air. It was impossible to explain, but she had definitely caught his scent. Moving quickly, yet with the smooth grace of a panther, she darted through the tall grass. The moonlight might as well have been sunlight as she raced on with no limitations from the darkness. She came to a sudden halt, dropping down on all fours. Clear as day she could see his subtle tracks sunk into the ground—nothing more than slightly bent grass to anyone else, and that would have been on a well-lit day. But to her, they were incredibly obvious.

  His clear scent was untainted by others, and there were no other tracks she could see. No one took him prisoner. It seems he wandered off by himself. What is going on? It also seemed the odd snarl in her head had not lied either. The tracks led right toward the dense forest just up ahead. Although it was still a ways off, she could make out all the subtle details quite easily: the few yellowed leaves that still clung to their branches, as though trying to defy winter’s lasting grasp; the ridged black bark peeling from each tree, giving the appearance they were much older than they might have looked at first; even the slight jerky movements high up in a few of the treetops, movements too skittish and twitchy to have been made by wind.

  A slow hiss filled the air as she drew her heavy half-moon blades from their inverted sheaths. There was no danger about as best she could tell, but wielding a blade in each hand was more about familiarity; a way of making her feel more secure when the world around her had clearly gone mad. Feeling a touch more confident, she pushed on with a renewed sense of urgency. What was Jacob doing and why did he leave her alone? I don’t know if you are in trouble or have decided to abandon me, but I’m coming for you either way.

  She sprinted along at a torrid pace, a deadly animal bounding through the night in complete silence. Her senses seemed even sharper than before; the combination of pure adrenaline and worry for her friend bringing her to full alert. The tiny movement of a skittish rabbit a hundred yards away and the slight flash of a shooting star that would never have been noticed by anyone were apparent to her. Athel could feel the changing world around her. Her perfect vision was slowly becoming the sense she trusted the least.

  She went from a dead sprint to a sudden halt as the wall of trees now stood inches from her nose. She dropped down low once more and began to sniff along the ground; her eyes clearly seeing Jacob’s unassuming footprints barely pressed into the cold hard ground. However, something different now invaded her heightened awareness: the sense of nothingness; total calm that seemed completely unnatural; a thorough and complete lack of life. Her sudden shiver had little to do with the icy cold. But his scent was undeniable, and even stronger than before. Clearly she was gaining on him. Just hold on a little longer. I’m coming for you.

  Her momentary hesitation and growing sense of fear all but evaporated at the thought of her friend being hurt, or worse. Athel’s eyes narrowed as she firmly gripped her jeweled blades. Determined to find him no matter what, she stepped through the living wooden wall. Her breath escaped in a misty cloud of vapor as her eyes scanned about, taking in the wondrous scene.

  Tiny glowing orbs floated about, radiating a light blue twinkle as they hovered in the air. They seemed to move in packs while groups of twenty or so drifted lazily in one direction before jerking suddenly back the way they came. They were reminiscent of a school of fish, the way the entire group gracefully moved as one. The hundreds of different packs paid no attention to Athel, acting as if she wasn’t even there.

  As breathtaking as they were, Athel felt no apprehension while approaching the first group of glowing spheres. Each individual globe lethargically drifted past her face, giving off a barely audible hum. Her curiosity got the best of her as she sheathed one sword, then reached out to touch it. The little blue orb offered no resistance as she cupped it gently in her hand. The little miracle hummed and vibrated in her palm, continuing to sing its happy song. She couldn’t help but smile as she gently gave it a little toss back into the a
ir and watched it rejoin its group as if nothing had happened. Whatever they were, the trusting beings clearly were not used to any sort of predator. They must have such a simple, carefree existence.

  But her smile vanished as her ears perked up again. The faint sound of a different music hung softly in the air. Barely audible even to her sensitive ears, she had to strain hard to hear it. Even the light wind giving the leaves a slight rattle was significantly louder than the musical female voice drifting through the forest. The hypnotic singing was simply lovely. Her body seemed to move on its own as she drifted off in its general direction. It was so beautiful that it took all her willpower not to dance as she skipped along through the forest.

  Don’t listen to the song! The snarling growl boomed through her mind once again. This time it was so loud it rattled the inside of her skull. She shrieked as she fell to her knees with both hands gripping her head. The debilitating pain was so great that she nearly lost consciousness, but it also seemed to clear her mind for a brief second. Through a moment of clarity she realized what the song had been doing to her, and she swiftly tried to concentrate on something else. The aid she needed came in the form of snarls and growls. The intruding sound was not as rattling as it first was, but was plenty loud enough to distract her from the hypnotic singing.

  Concentrating on both the distracting snarls and the burning feeling that Jacob must be in trouble, she unleashed her blades and bolted toward the now muffled song. This time it was not hypnotic suggestion spurring her on. It was rage! Rage at being tricked and manipulated, rage and loathing reserved for anyone who hurt her friend. Her own snarling began to overtake the constant growls rattling in her head. Trees zipped past her as she bounded between them like a streaking cheetah. The singing was getting louder now, but so were the growls used to counter the evil song.