by Davis Ashura
“Human?” Silt frowned. “That is not good news,” he said in understatement.
“No, it isn't,” Choke agreed, taking a measure of courage from the older Bael's calm assessment. “Patrols from Ashoka should have confronted us days ago, and now there's this blood and death.” He shook his head in worry, and the feathers on his horns jangled. “We need to investigate this matter and find out what occurred here.”
The older Bael nodded. “Who do you want to accompany you?”
Choke considered for a moment. “Just the Kesarins,” he answered, although a small, fearful part of him would have been happy to have had all the other Chimeras come along as well. “I want you to lead our brothers on toward Ashoka. We'll catch up once we've learned what's happened.”
“Are you certain that's prudent?” Silt asked.
Choke grimaced. “No. But if there's something out there that can kill a troop of Humans and three Kesarins, it's unlikely that our brothers would fare much better.”
“It stands to reason,” Silt said. He turned aside and called out orders to the other Chimeras.
*Are you ready?* Aia asked.
Choke nodded. *Let's go.*
The Kesarins slid into the forest. Despite their large size, they moved swift and silent. The only sound of their passage was the random brushing aside of low-lying shrubs and the crumpling of leaves on the ground. Choke was hard pressed to keep up with them and walk as quietly as they. His trident wasn't the easiest weapon to maneuver through the closely growing trees of the forest, nor were his horns.
*We're getting close,* Aia sent as she slowed her pace. She and her brothers moved even more softly now. There was no sound at all to announce their presence.
Choke walked in a hunch, not wanting to disturb any overhanging branches. He held his trident close by his side.
The ground became soft and boggy with the sulfur stink of a swamp.
*Beavers,* Thrum announced. *The ugly-toothed cretins always try to flood an area,* he muttered in anger.
Choke furled his brow in confusion at Thrum's seeming hatred for the small, furry animals.
*One of them bit him on the nose when he was a cub,* Aia explained with a chuckle. *Thrum's never forgiven them.* Her words, humorous as they were, momentarily lightened the tension.
Shon paused. *The smell is strongest just past that break in the trees.* He pointed with his nose.
Aia sidled forward. She eased her way through the remaining foliage.
By now, Choke could smell the blood as well. It was rank, over-whelming, and near. He followed on Aia's paws, doing his best to walk as silently as she.
The forest was quiet. No birdsong.
Shon and Thrum followed behind.
*I don't like this,* one of them muttered.
The trees opened out into a meadow, and Aia crouched even lower. A rumble emanated from her throat, one she quickly silenced.
Choke edged to her side and saw what had her so disturbed.
The meadow was an abattoir. The trees on the far side had been painted with blood, their trunks red. The ground was scarred with burn marks. The Humans must have thrown Fireballs at whatever had attacked them. It had done them no good. Weapons and the shredded bodies of Humans littered the earth. How many, Choke couldn't say. They had been ripped apart. Legs and arms separated from torsos. And where were the heads?
Choke's heart was suddenly in his throat. The scene before him was horrifying enough, but worse, he knew what it portended. A little over a year ago, he had been witness to a similar site of murder. It had been on the Hunters Flats, and the victims had been his brother Baels, the ones who had survived the destruction of Li-Dirge's command.
A movement from up above caught his attention.
A bruised cloud floated low over the trees, ponderously, menacingly heading north. Toward Ashoka.
In the more than two millennia since Lienna had set for Herself the task of Humanity's destruction, only rarely had She skulked when approaching a battle with Her eternal enemy.
She skulked now. She had to.
For the past few days as Her pet, Hal'El Wrestiva, and his claw of Tigons had made their way to his former home, they had unknowingly required the protection of their Mother. Unbeknownst to them, small groups of Humans had lurked in their path, in places where they hadn't belonged. They had likely been scouts sent by Ashoka and without a doubt, they would have obstructed the progress of Her pet.
It was a shame they had been here.
Following the destruction of the UnCasted Humans, Lienna had hoped that She had so thoroughly frightened all their verminous kind that none of them would have ever dared step foot beyond the bounds of their various Oases. She had dared hope that perhaps even the cursed caravans—the wagons of goods that one city sent to another—the so-called Trials, would cease to be a problem. However, with the presence of these patrols, it was clear that Her hopes were misplaced.
Of course, from this unfortunate circumstance had come an unforeseen but welcome opportunity. Lienna had always reveled in the simple pleasure of ending the hideous lives of Arisa's torturers, so with gladness and single-minded fervor, She had torn apart any scouts who might have threatened Her pet Human. Such an occurrence would have been disastrous, and Lienna had worked too hard these past seasons—suffered too much—to see Her plans ruined.
Also, whether Hal'El willed it or not, he would be the instrument by which She would smite his unholy home. For this reason, and this reason only—his survival—Lienna couldn't do as She had always done. She had to approach Ashoka unseen and unexpected. She had to subsume the pleasure She derived from wildly lashing out and slaying these Human parasites, these Ashokan scouts. Instead, She had to be quiet, secret, and subtle. She couldn't give in to unthinking rage and allow any of the Humans to somehow escape Her justice. Those who fled might then carry word further afield, to those who would then impede Her pet's progress.
Lienna mentally scowled. Normally, such a situation would have actually been Her preference. In times past, Lienna would sometimes allow a few of the parasites to escape Her righteous wrath, all so they could then fearfully tell their fellow Humans what awful torment they had witnessed. Of course, death was their well-deserved punishment—death was what all Humans merited—and death would find them, but first, Lienna reckoned that the terror of what these supposed survivors had seen and survived would likely haunt them for the remainder of their miserable days. A long life lived in suffering. It was possibly an even more just punishment for the original sin of being born Human. After all, from such a disgraceful beginning, there was no hope of forgiveness.
“All sins are forgiven through Devesh's holy grace,” Mother corrected in Her typical pedantic tone.
“Devesh is a myth,” Lienna countered. “All deities are.”
“Are you a myth then as well?” Father asked. “Your Baels and Chimeras worship You as though You were their Goddess.”
Lienna paused, surprised by Her Father's presence. She hadn't heard His voice in weeks, and as before during His previous long absences, She found Herself missing Him.
However, be that as it may, His question was still irritating. “I am as I am,” Lienna said. “There is nothing more to Me that I need explain.”
“Then with Your own statement, You stand condemned as a murderer,” Father challenged.
Lienna figuratively ground Her teeth at his insulting words. She wanted to scream at Him, prove Him wrong, shut Him up for all Time. But She couldn't. That way led to loss of control, and control was needed right now. Lienna grappled with Her anger, and somehow managed to maintain Her grip on patience. “Insult me however You wish, but mercy can only be offered to those who deserve it,” Lienna said, proud of how calm and reasonable was Her response.
Father chuckled. It was as horrifying a sound as Lienna had ever heard. Where was the distance and foolish fixation on the Baels that She had come to expect from Him? When had He become so lucid and aware? His response and His laughter
were exactly how Father might have spoken if He were still alive. Lienna was so distracted by what all this might mean that She almost missed it when He began speaking again.
“Devesh's comfort is all around You,” Father said, His words softly spoken and sympathetic. “His mercy is available with every moment of Your life. Beg His forgiveness, and it shall be given.”
Lienna grimaced in annoyance. Always Devesh. For once, couldn't Father do something other than speak of Devesh? The Simpleton. Lienna disregarded Father's piety and wrapped Herself in the cloak of Her certainty and disdain. Her Parents weren't alive. They couldn't be. She'd personally seen to Their deaths. It had been millennia since They had last breathed Holy Arisa's air, and forever would come before either of Them took another breath.
“Your illusions don't cause Me fear, and Your sophistry won't dissuade Me from My plan,” Lienna intoned.
“Your plan?” Mother asked, Her tone dismissive. “How many innocents will die because of Your plan?”
“There are no innocents,” Lienna snapped. “And I do what I must because Arisa needs My protection.”
“You think Me so weak then?” Mistress Arisa's voice whispered. Her voice was the dry rustle of a snake's scales gliding across dead leaves.
Lienna pulled up short. “Of course You aren't weak, Mistress,” Lienna said. “You are Glory Incarnate. You are My—”
Goddess? Father asked with another chuckle. “I thought such a being was a myth.”
Lienna's mind shuddered. Fear gripped Her by the figurative throat. Only rarely had either of Her Parents spoken in a fashion as to imply that They were aware of Mistress's presence. Now, Father did just that. It was terrifying. What if Father truly was still alive?
“Your Father is nothing but a worm, You groveling Idiot!” Mistress Arisa said, interrupting Lienna's thoughts. “Remember whom You should always fear!” Her words were spoken in Her typical contemptuous fashion. They cut into Lienna like the ends of a barbed whip. “I am Your Goddess!”
Lashes of pain bit into Lienna's mind. She howled for a seeming eternity as the agony went on and on, and She clutched a courage She didn't know She possessed. It slipped through Her grasp, but She reached for it again. This time, She gripped it tight. She held it close and with it, Lienna did something She'd never before accomplished. She threw off Mistress Arisa's torment. She frayed apart the bands of baneful hurt as if they were wispy spiderwebs.
“I refuse to be afraid of You!” She shouted. “You are not My Goddess, nor are You My Mistress. Begone Shades. All of You!”
Silence greeted Her rebellious cry. No further voices clamored in Her mind.
Lienna exulted in Her accomplishment, and as distracted as She was by Her sudden freedom, it was with surprise that She came upon a small clump of Humans. Upon seeing Her dread presence, they rightfully howled in fear even as they sought to hide themselves in their Blends.
Lienna grinned lightning.
It wouldn't work. She could see their Jivatmas. Little Humans with their little hiding places, but there were no hiding places from Her. Lienna saw all, just as a Goddess should. She laughed when a few even sought to harm Her with their ineffectual arrows and Fireballs. Some sought to run.
That couldn't be allowed.
Lienna lashed out to stop those who fled. With Her actions, all Her suppressed rage rampaged to the surface of Her mind. Anger overwhelmed thought. Lienna tore apart the vermin, utterly and completely. It was over in moments, and the world was as silent without as it was within Her mind.
Lienna hovered over the forest meadow where She had brought ruination upon the Human parasites, and afterward considered more carefully the meaning of the revelations about Father that had come to Her moments earlier.
She hovered unmoving above the meadow and lost track of time. Her mind circled endlessly, but eventually, She returned to awareness. Whatever the truth about Father's situation, Lienna realized that nothing had truly changed. She still had work to do.
Lienna rose up from the meadow and rolled on toward Ashoka.
Aia's head unconsciously tilted to the side as she watched the purple-colored cloud move away from the meadow. Her ears were cocked forward in interest, but her eyes were narrowed in confusion. The cloud floated at the level of the treetops and drifted against the wind. A single flicker of lightning lit it up from within. When it did so, eyes, red as fire, appeared to light to life. The lightning faded and the eyes slowly dimmed.
The entire scene before her seemed unreal, like a strange dream or vivid nightmare. There were the torn apart Humans, their caked blood and body parts scattered about like a banquet for a vulture. Then there was the strange cloud in the sky. It didn't move like a real cloud at all.
A scent came off Li-Choke: abject terror.
Aia's eyes widened as she realized what she was seeing. She crouched low and growled in fear and warning because it felt right to do so. She'd seen this frightful cloud once before. It was a year ago now. This was the being who had murdered Jessira's home.
*The Demon Wind,* Aia cried out.
Shon and Thrum growled, but they too hunched down. Li-Choke also bent low as fear roiled off all of them.
*What is She doing here?* Shon asked of the Bael. He sounded a moment away from panic.
Choke didn't answer at first. He absently brushed at Shon's forehead, soothing Aia's brother as the big Bael stared thoughtfully in the direction where the Demon Wind had floated off. The Queen was no longer visible.
*What is She doing here, indeed?* Choke asked, still appearing thoughtful rather than panic-stricken. Aia was surprised at how calm his voice sounded.
The fear no longer boiled off of the Bael. He'd mastered his terror, and Aia took heart from his courage. Shon apparently did as well. Her brother leaned his head into Choke's hand, rumbling softly like a kitten.
*What do we do now?* Thrum asked. During all this, he'd crept forward until he was pressed close between Shon and Aia. She licked his forehead, and her brother, so often arrogant and sure of his coming greatness, ducked his head under her chin.
*She's heading toward Ashoka,* Li-Choke mused. *She must be doing as She did when She killed Jessira's home. She must be murdering all of Ashoka's scouts so they can't expose Her presence.*
*But why now?* Thrum asked. *If She means to destroy the city, where are Her Nobeasts that would aid in the killing? Shouldn't they be here as well?*
*And how could She even get into Ashoka? I thought the Oasis kept Her out,* Shon said, right on top of Thrum's words. *Aren't the Nobeasts the means by which She destroys the Oasis?*
*No one knows how She destroys an Oasis,* Choke answered, sounding distracted. *But, yes, the Chimeras are meant to help with the sacking of a city. And, no, they aren't here, but they should be if Mother truly meant to destroy Ashoka.*
*Perhaps She no longer requires them,* Aia said, having a sudden insight. *You said the Demon Wind can now see through the Blends the Humans use. If so, then is it not possible that She can now overcome an Oasis without the help of the Nobeasts?*
*Perhaps,* Choke said, but his tone was doubtful.
*Or maybe She's here because of that claw of Nocats that passed us by a few days ago,* Shon suggested.
Aia frowned in thought. *Didn't you say that you smelled a Human amongst them?* she asked Thrum.
Choke's gaze snapped to her. His expression was fierce. *A Human?* He demanded. *Are you certain?*
*Thrum has the best nose of any of us,* Aia confirmed. *If he says there was a Human, then there was a Human.* She paused. *Why is this so important?*
Choke didn't immediately answer. He kept staring in the direction the Demon Wind had departed. Eventually, he shook his head and rose to his feet. *I don't know if it is important, but of this I am sure: Mother is heading toward Ashoka,* he said. *We have to find a way to warn the city. If nothing else, there may be more Humans beyond the bounds of their Oasis. They will be easy meat for the Queen.*
Just then, Aia gasped with
a horrifying realization. *I can feel Rukh,* she said.
Now it was Shon and Thrum whose eyes snapped to her.
*That shouldn't be possible,* Shon said.
*And yet it is,* Aia growled, anxiety making her irritable.
*But we're so far away,* Thrum protested. *How can you feel anything? Ashoka's Oasis has always diminished our sense of our Humans. You shouldn't be able to feel anything from Rukh at this distance. I can't feel anything from Jaresh.*
*Nor I from Jessira,” Shon added.
Aia had stopped listening. Terror rose. Her ears flattened, and she snarled. *He's outside the Oasis.* Idiot! What was Rukh doing outside the city where it was so dangerous?
She reached for her Human, straining to make her voice heard. *Rukh! Run. The Sorrow Bringer is coming!* Again and again, she shouted her warning, praying to the First Father that Rukh would hear her words. Once more she shouted for his attention.
The Advent Trial had begun, and the warriors of Rukh's command, Black Platoon, had struck out into the forest that grew along the slopes of the hills west of Ashoka. As directed, they'd followed a narrow deer trail west for a quarter mile before striking north. Slowly and carefully, five groups of four men eased their way forward. The warriors were alert even though it was unlikely that they would encounter enemy elements in the forest. Typically the Advent Trial was wholly waged on the plains beyond the Outer Wall—but it never hurt to be cautious, especially if units of the Northern Star had come up with a plan similar to that of the Southern Cross.
If they had, then they were likely suffering the same problems as Black Platoon. Rukh glanced around in worry. Their pace was far slower than he had expected, and he couldn't help but wonder if he should have offered up the Blacks for this unproven plan of his. The northward-bearing animal trail upon which they travelled was as thin as a rat's tail. On all sides grew a dense understory—heavy with pine, juniper, and azaleas—and it made for slow going with barely enough room for even a single warrior to pass along it.