Something Wicked This Way Comes, Volume 2

by Black, Jaid

  “Shut your mouth and get moving.” Catullus took hold of the rope tether, still tied to Larisa’s bound wrists, and used it like a leash to drag her toward a twisting flight of steps carved into the cliffside.

  “Slow down.” Larisa tugged against the tether as her sandaled feet crunched across the shifting rocks. Catullus pulled her forward as if leading a stubborn mule. With her wrists tied in front of her, it became more difficult to balance with each uncertain stride. The hem of her linen tunic swept against the wet, mossy rocks, and soon looked as damp and green as the many tidal puddles on the beach.

  “Hurry up,” Catullus goaded. “Let’s get this over with.”

  “Ah, you no longer sound so keen on taking up residence in the royal palace.” She stumbled forward a few more steps. “What changed your mind? Was it the island’s gloomy atmosphere? You should give it a chance,” she heckled. “Perhaps you’ll enjoy sharing sleeping quarters with that bull-masked priest and his razor-sharp dagger. Sweet dreams.”

  Catullus gave the tether a swift yank. “I’m done talking to you.”

  Larisa’s eyes scanned the shallow tide pools as she walked. At the edge of one pool was a golden rock the perfect shape of a star. She stopped abruptly and knelt beside the pool, forcing Catullus to stop as well. She leaned down to touch the odd stone with the tip of her finger but the moment she came into contact with it, the star curled away from her and slowly crept toward the center of the pool.

  She gasped in surprise. “That rock is a live animal! It’s not what I thought it was at all.”

  “Who cares?” Catullus hauled Larisa to her feet and pushed her toward the stairs that zigzagged up the cliff.

  The steps were narrow and the climb precarious. Larisa looked only at her feet, refusing to glance at the jagged rocks below, but at last they reached the top of the cliff, where the full splendor of the palace was revealed.

  The structure was tremendous, far larger than the village of Kreios, with columns as tall and thick as giant trees and rooms stacked upon rooms, with staircases leading up and out. The colorful patterns glimpsed from the beach were actually beautifully depicted scenes of men and women dancing, fantastical sea creatures with large round eyes—and everywhere Larisa looked, powerful outlines of charging bulls. All the outer walls were covered in bulls with sweeping horns, leaping over stars.

  The palace was visually stunning but oppressively silent. There were no attendants, no spiraling smoke from a cook fire, not even a cat or dog resting in the shade. There was not a soul in sight. “Where do you think the priest went?” Larisa’s whispered words echoed ominously against the palace’s smooth walls.

  “I don’t know but I’m glad he’s no longer around.” Catullus nervously approached a grand temple. “Something about him was not right. He gave me the shivers.”

  They climbed glittering white marble steps, which led to a hall of carved red columns that looked like a forest of delicately painted trees.

  The interior of the hall was spacious and airy. Thousands of tiny oil lamps flickered in niches surrounding a large shrine at the front of the hall, ornamented with a massive bull’s head carved from glossy blue-black obsidian. The bull had beautiful, compassionate eyes and a golden star in the center of its forehead. Its ivory horns were trimmed with gold and lapis lazuli, and reached so wide they brushed each side of the hall.

  “Why have you come to the Palace of Asterion?” A deep male voice echoed around them, seeming to emanate from all directions at once.

  “Is this not King Minos’ palace?” Catullus squeaked.

  “No!” the voice thundered. “This is not a palace of the living. For years, no one has come to this island—and that is how we want it.”

  Larisa turned, looking all around her, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious speaker.

  “The Palace of Asterion is a dangerous place.” The disembodied voice rose higher. “We moved our people away nearly a generation ago. No one resides here any longer, except for the guardian priests who have pledged to die with the island. How did you find the island through the enchanted fog?”

  Larisa dared to speak. “Our boat found the island.”

  The voice softened. “What is your name, woman?”

  “Larisa of Kreios.”

  The voice dropped in volume and spoke calmly. “Larisa, I’m told you are to be offered to the labyrinth. Do you have a lover or any living family?”

  “No.” She answered quietly and waited through an uncomfortably long silence. She nervously held her breath until her pulse throbbed in her temples.

  “I will accept this woman.” The voice echoed against the ceiling. “Bring Larisa to the labyrinth.”

  The masked priest approached from behind a shadowy column and claimed the tether from Catullus. No hands were visible; only voluminous fabric reached forward.

  Larisa stared into the priest’s face, trying to catch a glimpse of eyes behind the mask, and was startled to see there were none. There appeared to be no human beneath the mask and robe, only a vaporous blackness that somehow managed to hold the costume aloft. Her spine shivered at the sight.

  “What about me?” Catullus cautiously approached the shrine. “I’ve suffered much hardship to deliver a fine sacrifice to the labyrinth. Is there a reward for my efforts?”

  “Yes,” the voice hissed. “You shall be returned to your boat and cast toward your shore. Should you make any attempt to return to the island, a one-eyed, eight-limbed sea monster will snatch you from the boat and drag you to the coldest, darkest depths of the sea.”

  Catullus blanched. “I receive nothing?”

  The voice remained silent.

  The priest’s flowing sleeve silently pointed toward the exit. Catullus looked mortified as he turned and quickly strode from the palace.

  The priest gave Larisa’s tether a gentle tug to urge her forward. She looked carefully for evidence of hands or feet, but again saw none as he silently led her through a maze of columns and polished hallways. They finally arrived at a fragrant garden courtyard filled with the most varied herbs and exotic fruit trees Larisa had ever seen.

  An ornate mosaic pathway twisted through the elegant gardens, past pear trees and banks of star-shaped flowers. The path ended abruptly at a rocky field of charcoal-gray pumice that stood naked beneath a slate sky. No living thing grew beyond the path. The rocky field’s only distinguishing feature was a large mound topped with a stone statue twice the height of a man, which appeared to be a crescent moon lying on its back. Larisa peered closely at the crescent and realized she was actually looking at a weathered carving of horns. A row of blazing torches led to the statue, sending slender swirls of black smoke curling into the humid air.

  The priest stepped onto the rocky field and walked toward the statue.

  Larisa was forced to walk behind, each footstep on the chaotically shifting rocks precarious. She watched in awe as the priest strode easily ahead without displacing a single stone.

  They followed the torches to the far side of the mound, where a rocky alcove contained what appeared to be a torch-lit doorway sealed with a stone slab. The slab bore the image of a bull. The priest stepped forward, pressed a star carved into the forehead of the animal and the slab shifted with a terrible grating before pivoting open. A rush of cool air escaped through the dark doorway.

  Larisa glanced past the priest’s shoulder to the tomblike sanctum beyond. The torches barely lit the darkness of what appeared to be a vast subterranean cavern.

  The priest picked up a torch with an unseen hand and motioned for Larisa to walk through the doorway.

  She realized this was the entrance to the dreaded labyrinth…

  A loud rumble, like the roar of a titanic beast, shook the earth. Fate was mere footsteps away. Her knees trembled as the first jolt of true, primal fear gripped her.

  Larisa came to a halt. “Draw your dagger and kill me now!” she pleaded. “Show mercy before you throw my body to the creature.”

 
The priest turned his head and spoke in a voice that sounded as if he were whispering through a hollow reed. “It is you who must show mercy to Asterion. For years this island sat in isolation, deliberately hidden beyond view and reach of all, and yet you found it. Your flesh and blood shall make the Star Bull whole. Through your sacrifice, that which has solely been spirit can now become flesh. Our last Asterion can cross the island portal before it is destroyed. This is a great day.”

  Larisa frowned in confusion, not comprehending much of anything the priest had said. A roar louder than the most violent thunderstorm erupted from deep within the earth and left her heart pounding.

  “Asterion wants you. It’s meant to be.” The priest led her past the doorway and onto the steps of the cave. “Follow me.”

  She stepped into the dimly lit entrance, using timid taps of her foot to carefully guide herself down the steeply sloping path. She’d taken only a few steps when the priest suddenly turned back and sealed the doorway behind them. Larisa gasped as the stone slab pivoted shut with a grate of stone on stone, trapping them inside and denying all daylight.

  “There’s no going back.” The priest’s voice was a faint whisper. “Stay close.”

  Except for a ring of light surrounding the torch, the darkness beyond was unfathomable. As they descended into the depths of the cavern, the air became cool and dank. The smoke from the torch stung her eyes. Her shoulder brushed against a clump of clingy roots and the almost hairy texture made her recoil in horror.

  After a long descent, they reached a level floor. The faint sound of dripping water echoed from within an immense-feeling cavern. The torch illuminated a small area of floor and a tall, sturdy-looking stone column, which the priest steered her toward. Atop the column was another head of a bull carved in stone, this one with a heavy bronze ring through its nose.

  The priest set the torch near the column. His sleeves reached toward Larisa. “Rise.”

  She gasped in shock as her wrists rose as if by magic. The priest deftly secured her bound wrists to the ring with a whisper of a touch as Larisa trembled in fear.

  The masked figure leaned closer. “During Asterion’s first hours in a physical body, he will have little self-control. You must be secured to the column to prevent you from fleeing into the labyrinth and being trampled or lost.” He drew the golden dagger from his robe, pressed the tip to Larisa’s clenched fist and a tiny trickle of blood appeared.

  Larisa glanced upward, tensely biting her lip. The small cut barely registered as pain but the priest’s ominous motions left her breathless with terror.

  The priest caught a few drops of blood on the tip of the blade and lifted it toward the head at the top of the column. Larisa watched as a dark crimson trace of her blood was smeared across the star carved on the bull’s forehead.

  The moment the blood touched the star, the ground shook and the thundering snort of a bull echoed from within the labyrinth.

  A heartbeat later, the click of heavy hooves pounded the floor.

  “It is done.” The priest stepped away from Larisa. “Asterion has been summoned into flesh.”

  Then the priest dissolved in front of her eyes, quickly becoming so transparent the glowing torch shown clearly through his robe. His image faded until he completely disappeared into vaporous black smoke.

  And Larisa was left to face the beast alone.

  Chapter Two

  The bellowing cry of a large animal rolled through the cavern. Larisa froze against the column, frantically glancing side to side as the chilling sounds of a snorting bull filled the air. The flickering torch provided minimal light, exaggerating shadows and revealing only vague details about the labyrinth. She squinted at what appeared to be several entrances to the chamber across the cavern, but she couldn’t be sure.

  She strained to hear from which direction the creature would approach as a shudder of terror gripped her.

  Nothing happened.

  She waited breathlessly for many long moments as silence reigned. There were no noticeable animal sounds or movements within the labyrinth. The air hung heavy and a cold sweat broke across her brow. A frightened little whimper escaped her lips. Where was it? What was it doing? Why couldn’t she hear the beast walking toward her? Her wrists twisted anxiously from the ring. She listened for some clue the monster was near but the faint sound of dripping water was all she heard.

  Harrumph!

  She heard a single loud animal noise and trembled.

  Snort!

  Her eyes strained to see beyond the flickering shadows as her fear intensified.

  The click of what sounded like hooves echoed through the cavern, each clopping step signaling a creature of great size moving closer. Every muscle in her body tensed. She wanted to cry out but was too terrified to release the hysterical scream building in her lungs.

  A massive black bull, far larger than any she had ever seen in the fields, burst into the cavern with a loud snort! It thrashed its massive horns from side to side and briskly pawed the ground with a hoof.

  Then bull looked directly at Larisa, huffed loudly…

  And charged.

  The beast pounded toward her with the speed and crushing power of a rolling boulder. Larisa screamed.

  The bull skidded to a halt an arm’s length in front of her. She rose on tiptoe and arched away from the beast’s massive head and sharp-tipped horns. The earthy scent of field beast filled her nostrils.

  The bull stared into her eyes as its tail swished back and forth. Huff, huff. Bursts of warm, moist breath panted from the beast’s muzzle. Every breath sounded like a large bellows drawing air into its massive chest.

  Larisa waited in painful suspense to be gored or bitten by the wild creature.

  Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to harm you.

  The deep, gentle voice of a man floated into her thoughts.

  She glanced around, expecting to see the priest lurking in the shadows whispering strange words, but saw no one. “Who’s speaking?” she whispered.

  My name is Darron. The bull inched closer. Its snout brushed the very tip of her nose and sniffed her skin. I’ve waited years for this. I began to believe it would never happen. I am honored you’ve been offered to me.

  She gasped in alarm. Was a bull truly speaking to her? Entering her thoughts? This was madness beyond all madness!

  Phouff! The bull bellowed in her face, its booming roar resonating through the chamber. It galloped around the column, flicking its tail in agitation before bursting into a snorting charge at the far wall. The bull abruptly stopped just short of the wall, swung its head around and looked at her.

  A body is a wonderful thing! He enthusiastically stomped in a tight circle. I’ve had it described to me many times but nothing could have prepared me for how it actually feels. It’s almost too much. So many strong sensations… It’s like feeling everything at once!

  His ecstatic words continued to directly penetrate her mind. “Are you really speaking to me?” she asked.

  The bull glanced at her sideways. Yes, I am, and just as soon as I get my bearings about breathing, moving, thinking and feeling, I’ll take a more traditional form. The bull ran in circles around the cavern, snorting with joy.

  Larisa watched the dizzying sight, suppressing incredulous laughter.

  I’m doing great! It’s not so hard. I’m going to attempt a new form. The bull knelt before her on its forelegs and somewhat clumsily lowered to the ground. I’ve waited ages to do this. The bull fell onto its side with a deep thud and began to vigorously roll back and forth, kicking its legs in the air.

  She was alarmed to see a creature of such size thrashing against the stone and felt certain it would harm itself, but as she watched, the bull slowly transformed…

  As it rolled on the floor, a man’s body took form.

  Hoofed limbs became muscular legs and arms, articulate hands. A man’s broad shoulders and chest appeared.

  Finally Darron cautiously rose on two human legs covered i
n thick, dark hair.

  Larisa gasped when she looked at his handsome face, with its strong jaw and high cheekbones framed by dark, wavy hair. His up-tipped brown eyes appeared highly intelligent. His noble face was nothing like an animal’s—except for a broad set of sweeping horns still attached to his head, which made his tall frame appear even larger. A faint swishing motion behind his thigh alerted her to the presence of a bull’s tail.

  “What are you?” she asked cautiously. “Are you an outcast god?”

  “Can we speak of that later?” He grinned. “I want to enjoy this moment.” He slowly lifted one foot and then the other before carefully approaching her with an expression of wonderment on his face. “Walking on two legs is tricky!” He stood close and stared into her face. “And looking at you through a man’s eyes is a very different experience than looking at you as a bull.”

  His approving gaze swept over her. “I feel quite strange standing near you. My heart’s pounding.” His fingertips grazed her arm, touching with gentle curiosity. “You’re so soft. I would never have felt the smoothness of your skin through a hoof.” He stared at his fingers. “Hands are amazing!” He lightly brushed the tip of one long finger against her parched lips. A look of concern crossed his face. He turned and walked away.

  Larisa sighed in relief and allowed her arms to hang limply from the bonds. Certainly this situation was strange, but it wasn’t nearly as awful as she’d expected. Darron, as he had introduced himself, did not inspire terror. The man radiated awe and curiosity.

  Based on his reactions, she guessed she was as great a mystery to him as he to her. Except for a couple of decidedly bovine features, he was as breathtaking as any god she could image. She gazed in admiration at the rippling muscles on his back as he moved about the cavern, glancing side to side and seemingly searching for something. He disappeared around a shadowy corner of the chamber.