by T. A. Uner
“You don’t look like a skeleton marine,” she said to Caltus.
“That’s because I’m not,” Caltus replied. “But I’m a friend of Tullus.”
When Tullus’ name was mentioned, the woman’s eyes lit up like stars. “Is Tullus here?”
Caltus nodded. “Yes, looking for all of you.”
The woman looked over at the three men in the cell. “I’m afraid the others are in no condition to travel.”
Caltus was puzzled. “Why?”
“Serpentus had us drugged with essence of serpent. It’s quite powerful and renders it’s victims unconscious. I’m a bit more resistant to it due to my conditioning as a Potion Mistress, I wish I could say the same of my friends. But much to their credit they continue lapsing on and off, fighting the drug best they can.” Artia inspected Caltus with her discerning eyes. “You know you shouldn’t have come here. This Serpentus, he’s insane you know, and he’s determined to kill Tullus.”
“Does he know Tullus is the Leopard King?” Caltus asked.
“No,” the woman replied. “But we must escape these confines. If I had my potions I could cure my friends and we could plan a break-out.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Are you a warrior?” the woman asked him.
Caltus thought hard. He did not wish to look like a fool to this woman. He finally nodded and said, “Yes.”
“Our jailor should be returning with our food. You could hide in the shadows and attack him when he opens the gate. Then, with the keys, I can get to my potions and we can revive the others.”
Caltus nodded. “I’ll hide back here and wait.” Caltus paused for a moment. “What is your name?” he asked the woman.
“I’m Artia, and you are?”
“Caltus.”
Time passed slowly, and Caltus began to wonder if the jailor would ever appear with the food. He spent some of the time conversing with Artia and realized he enjoyed her company. When he told her that he was the grandson of Hradack, The Leopard Master, her eyes had widened again.
She told him her father, a well-known Potion Master, knew Hradack during the old days, before the destruction of the Council of Elders and Air Paladins.
A loud clatter alerted Caltus of someone coming. “It’s the jailor,” Artia said.
Caltus nodded and sunk into the shadows. He drew Cutter, and waited for the jailor to arrive. That he had to face an enchanted opponent alone made his sword arm shake, and he cursed his nerves. He had not felt this way during the battle against Merulas’s raiders. The sound of rustling keys became louder before Caltus spotted a skeleton appear in front of the door with a tray in his bony hands. A sword was strapped across his back. Good. He would take this skeleton by surprise. The skeleton placed the food tray on the ground before reaching for his keys.
Caltus sprung at the skeleton and swung Cutter at the jailor’s ribcage. The skeleton archedbackwards, avoiding Caltus’ attack and launched its bony fist at his face. The fist collided with Caltus’ jaw and sent him reeling backwards. With one quick motion, the skeleton had drawn his sword and counterattacked, bringing its sword down at Caltus.
Caltus rolled out of the way to avoid being sliced in two and sprung back to his feet. His jaw still stung from the skeleton’s fist as he parried blow after blow from his opponent.
The battle was taking longer than Caltus had wanted. In the background he could hear Artia’s voice calling out to him.
“Did you defeat the jailor?” she asked.
“Not quite,” he replied as he parried another thrust. His muscles tightened and the back of his tunic was damp with sweat.
I certainly do not fight like a warrior, he thought abashedly.
Finally the skeleton left its right ribcage exposed and Caltus plunged Cutter into it. The blade, blessed by Hradack, shattered the skeleton’s bones before turning the jailor’s body to dust. Only the skeleton’s sword, sheath and key ring remained.
He sheathed Cutter and wiped his brow.
“Caltus? Are you alright?” Artia said.
“Yes,” he replied. He rubbed his sore jaw before picking up the keys. He tried every one until he found the correct key that opened the door.
Inside he freed Artia from her shackles and after they had unlocked the shackles on the others they laid everyone gently down on the cell floor. “Let’s go find my gear,” Artia said.
Caltus followed her out of the cell. She led him to a thick, wooden door and Caltus shuffled through his keys until they found one that unlocked it. The light from the corridor’s sconces provided illumination. The room contained rows of shelves filled with old armor, and large weapons racks covered with dust. Caltus figured these were items seized by the Serpent Cult during the wars. They located Artia’s harness, the potions vials were intact. She inspected them and smiled. “Looks like everything’s here.”
They also found Vulcan’s throwing axe.
They rushed out of the room and returned to the cell. Caltus watched the door while Artia gently fed each drugged troupe member drops of pink liquid from a potion vial. After everyone had been cured Artia introduced Caltus to the other troupe members.
“Where is Tullus?” Masego asked Caltus.
“He’s looking for Serpentus,” Caltus said.
“We have to warn him,” Vulcan said. Caltus handed him his axe and the German looked happy to see it again.
Caltus shot Vulcan a confused glance. “Why?”
“Serpentus has planned a trap for him,” Artia replied.
“Even if we could find Tullus,” Masego said, “how do we get off this island? We have no transportation.”
“No need to worry. Tullus hired a Briton to bring us here. The ship, Neptune’s Fury, is docked in Capri’s harbor, waiting to take us away.”
“But what about Tullus?” Artia told Caltus. “We can’t leave you to find Tullus alone.”
Gansu and Masego nodded. Vulcan stepped up to Caltus. “She’s right,” Vulcan added. “We’re going with you to find Tullus.”
“He would never forgive me if I allowed you to be recaptured,” Caltus said. “Now please, go, get to the ship, or my efforts to free you will have been in vain.”
After Caltus gave them directions to the harbor, Artia kissed him on the cheek. The young man’s face turned red. It was the first time a woman had kissed him, apart from his grandmother of course.
“Thank you, Caltus,” Artia said. “For everything.”
The others wished Caltus luck in finding Tullus. Then, they all went their separate ways.
{V}
The last skeleton marine fell underneath the weight of Jarkos Wolfsbane’s cursed sword. His Wolfguard had overtaken the unsuspecting skeletons. While the skeletons had superior numbers and fought valiantly, Wolfsbane’s men were better trained. The skeletal remains now lay trampled under their Attack Wolves’s claws, who gnawed at the bones like half-starved madmen.
Much to their credit the two new recruits, Stone Ram and Hyena had fought well, but Wolfsbane still didn’t trust them.
“Now let us enter the caverns,” Wolfsbane said.
Byrock Blackheart nodded. They took their positions and followed their Lord into the cavern passage. It was well lit. Large bronze sconces lined the walls while red banners with a white serpent eye hung from the rafters. They entered another cavern. This one resembled a naval port, where a giant warship was docked. It was manned by Skeleton Marines. Wolfsbane eyed the sigil upon its main sail, an eye within a swastika, two hissing serpents flanking it. Sea Viper was etched in red letters on the ship’s bow. A squad of Skeleton Marines approached Wolfsbane and Tiranus.
“What are you doing here?” the Command Skeleton asked.
“Isn’t that obvious?” Wolfsbane replied incredulously. “We are here to speak with Serpentus regarding the Leopard King.”
The Command Skeleton pointed a bony finger at Wolfsbane. “Our Liege no longer requires your services.”
“In that case, we seem to n
o longer be allies.” Wolfsbane turned around to face his archers. They nocked their silver-tipped arrows and fired at the skeletons, shattering the command skeleton and his compatriots.
The skeletons onboard Sea Viper, seeing the destruction of their compatriots, began launching arrows of their own.
“We must retreat,” Tiranus said.
“No,” Wolfsbane replied. “You seem to forget we came here to avenge your brother.”
“Father, we cannot avenge Tijanus if we’re dead.”
For once the fool made sense, Wolfsbane thought.
Around them, some of their Wolfguard had been hit, wounded by arrows, while others sought refuge behind stacked supply crates.
“Our Young Lord is right,” Byrock Blackheart agreed. “We must withdraw.”
Jarkos Wolfsbane cursed loudly, before giving the order to withdraw.
Twenty-one/Viginti unus
Tullus continued on without Celestra.
Before long he found himself upon a rocky ledge, overlooking a small port where a warship was docked. Upon its deck dozens of armored skeletal creatures were firing arrows at a column of retreating troops. Tullus cast the Oculus spell and recognized the black wolfhead sigil of Jarkos Wolfsbane’s clan upon the shields of the withdrawing force.
Did Jarkos Wolfsbane follow me here? Tullus wondered.
The skeleton archers continued launching wave after wave of arrows from their quivers until Wolfsbane’s forces disappeared through the large cavern doors to the port’s entrance. Tullus eyed the warship. It was unlike anything he had seen before. It was constructed of dark wood, three masts stretched out from its deck like swords. It’s silver figurehead shaped in the form of a hissing serpent head. He turned his thoughts back to his mission, and kept walking along the arch until he encountered a rock staircase that coiled down towards the dockyards.
“We have been expecting you….Leopard King.”
Tullus spun around and saw an old man in dark robes wearing a turban. He did not wish to appear aggressive toward this man, even though his senses told him he was not friendly.
“Who are you?”
The old man laughed and pointed a twisted finger at him. “I am called Afaa. But in the old dayssss I wassss known as Serpentsong. But, where are my mannerssss…welcome to the domain of the Serpent Cult.”
Tullus' mind race as he remembered what Hradack had told him.
The Serpent Cult? Has it been revived?
“You must be mistaken,” Tullus replied. “The Serpent Cult was defeated long ago.”
A grin appeared on the old man’s face. “I’m afraid it is you who are mistaken my young friend.”
Tullus drew LeopardClaw. “I tire of this foolery…where is Serpentus? I am here to face his challenge.”
“No need to fussss, my student shall be along shortly.” Afaa waved his claw-like fingers at Tullus.“Vomito!”
A sharp pain stabbed Tullus' stomach before a wave of nausea hit him. He retched uncontrollably as Afaa laughed. His head spun and he nearly dropped LeopardClaw.
“What’ssss the matter Leopard King? Cannot defend yourself against a simple spell? Or perhapssss you’ve eaten some bad shellfish?”
Tullus cursed his inability to react quickly to break the old man’s spell. After Vomito had worn off, he collected his composure. He cast the Ballista spell with his free hand as ripples of blue Vigor surged toward the old man who lifted his palm and said, “Contego!”
A red energy shield formed around him and easily absorbed Tullus’ attack spell.
“Is this the best you can muster?” the old man asked.
Tullus felt a surge of anger rise in his chest before he calmed his nerves with short breaths.
Now things were clear. This Afaa was the Cultist who had trained Serpentus.
“Your piteous Elemence skills are no match for Serpent Eye.”
The old man fired a spray of red energy projectiles at Tullus who raised LeopardClaw to deflect the attack. The brunt of the attack spell was absorbed by LeopardClaw. Tullus felt the ripples of red energy waves surge across his body, pricking his skin like rose thorns. Despite his Vigor training with Hradack, he had not prepared to face more than one deadly enemy. First Spikeskull, now Afaa.
He had to get away. To conserve his Vigor. In the past he would’ve stayed, and fought to the death, but he remembered Hradack’s Pride-Fear lesson in the forest. He stumbled down the stairs. He didn’t care about attracting the attention of the skeletons. He just needed to get away from the old man. Who knew what other deadly powers he could summon using Serpent Eye. Besides, Tullus could not save his friends if he was dead.
The old man appeared in front of Tullus. “Leaving? So soon? How rude.”
Tullus acted quickly this time, casting the Lucis spell. A ball of blinding light appeared over his head causing the old man to shield his eyes.
I’ve found his weakness.
He then cast the Fuga spell. Afaa disappeared as the spell transported him away from his foe. But his fatigue meant that he couldn’t control the spell. He landed on his back and awoke inside another cavern chamber.
He examined his surroundings. More sconces flickered around him. Moments later, the familiar peal of laughter he had first heard with Celestra greeted his ears.
{II}
Celestra peered into the water, searching for the serpent Havoc. He was in there. Somewhere. Her instincts told her that he was alive, and waiting for her. So she waited. Time passed slowly, yet Havoc did not appear. She strolled away from the pool and stretched her haunches. Tullus came to mind, and she wished he was here. Part of her felt exposed when he was not around. He was like the rosettes on her fur. Without them she wasn’t Celestra. Just like without her he wasn’t The Leopard King.
Celestra’s patience grew thin. Not something she was proud of, but she couldn’t wait for the serpent to make his next move. She moved away from the pool and looked up at the light. It filled her heart with joy, and for a moment, she forgot about this dreadful place.
She focused her attention on the Fuga spell. Her struggle with the serpent had drained some of her Vigor, but her brief rest had rejuvenated her and the light above her had strengthened her resolve. She imagined herself at the edge of the opening, just above where the light filtered down into the cavern.
She cast the Fuga spell.
She felt her body transform into a pure energy, guided by her consciousness. Her destination set, she found herself moving toward her desired location.
Then she heard an explosion. It sounded like a an anchor hitting the surface of the water with great speed and power. Her focus faded as she felt something appear within her Vigor aura, weighing her down. The hissing returned and Celestra felt herself being dragged away from the light.
She crashed into the pool of water. Her body materialized and she felt the scaly body of the Serpent opponent constricting her. It squeezed her as it tried to drag her deeper into the water, to drown her.
She felt Havoc wrap around her neck and squeeze. She didn’t know if it wanted to choke or drown her, either death wasn’t appealing.
Celestra’s stars pulsated inside her pupils as they met Havoc’s red throbbing eyes. His tongue darted in and out of its mouth, brushing up against her face.
Then he spoke to her thoughts, “Stupid furball, you cannot defeat Havoc.”
She growled but swallowed a mouthful of water. She needed to break free or she’d be finished. She summoned the Fortitudo spell and felt its energy give Vigor to her dying body before she broke free from Havoc and launched herself toward the surface of the water. After her head emerged above water, she breathed deeply, her sore lungs embracing the air like an old friend. She swam toward the edge of the pool but felt something twist around her right rear leg. Havoc. She tried to shake him off and with one quick motion, she flexed her muscles around the spot where he had taken hold of her and kicked him off. The serpent exploded from the water and flew through the air before crashing onto the cavern
floor.
Celestra emerged from the water and cast the Invado spell. Two Vigor beams poured from her eyes and slammed into Havoc’s body. Under normal circumstances that blast would’ve killed, but the serpent had cast the Contego spell and its shield absorbed her rays.
Havoc took off. How he could fly without wings surprised Celestra but she knew she wasn’t dealing with an ordinary serpent. She chased after him, following Havoc out of the cavern room and down another corridor. Her heart pounded as she felt the Fortitudo spell wear off. Her sore muscles returned and she stopped to catch her breath. The cavern’s temperature was cool and felt good against her fur.
She felt her thoughts stir. It was the Mentis spell. Her time with Hradack had helped her develop her Elemence. Mentis was her Gift spell, ingrained within her consciousness, which had emerged naturally as her proficiency in Elemence increased. Just like the Periculum spell had emerged as Tullus' Gift spell. She liked Mentis, it cost her no Vigor and was useful in tight spots.
She closed her eyes and tried to understand what the spell was trying to tell her, while scanning the vicinity for Havoc. Moments later she felt Havoc’s thoughts. Except he was conversing with other beings. Celestra relaxed her mind and tried to focus on his conversation. But he detected her and cast a counter-spell to block her and to prevent her from understanding his words. She struggled to keep his counter spell at bay, but heard the words Medusa and Wildfire mentioned repeatedly.
Who were they? Or better yet, what were they? Celestra opened her eyes and her stars gleamed brightly in the darkness of the rocky corridor. She treaded carefully, making sure her senses were in tune with her surroundings. There was no telling where Havoc was. He could be close.
She heard the hissing again. This time it was louder than before. As if multiple serpents were hissing at her. The hissing got closer and closer. She cast the Contego spell and waited.