The Fallen God

by Gary Mark Lee

  Blood.

  From the condition of the statue it must have been very old, hundreds, perhaps thousands of cycles in age, but one thing was sure, neither Arn nor Ishea had ever seen anything like it before.

  “Is it a God?” asked the Queen shaking her head.

  “No Outlander would pray to this”, replied the King, “our Gods are noble and strong, this is something not made by the Chosen”.

  Hearing those words Ishea gave him a hard look, “are you saying that the Norgonie would worship this, this thing?”

  The King returned her glare, “it dwells in your land not ours, this is not one of the children of Isarie”.

  Now the Queen took a step back from her former mate and raised her weapon, “Arm-Ra is not the father of this abomination,” she said loudly forgetting where she was, “perhaps Isarie has been a bed warmer for demons!”

  And hearing his Goddess being called a Sin-Craver caused the King to also raise his weapon, but before they could come to blows over who’s God was the most virtuous they heard a sound and quickly moved behind the statue where they could remain hidden.

  Now from there vantage point they watched in silence as a long procession of Wormrow slowly made their way into the chamber, they moved out of the great crack and across the stone walkway and as they did they emitted a low humming sound. It was not words or any kind of language but it did seem to the Nomads that they were offering some kind of prayer or homage, to what they did not know but as they continued to watch the vile little creatures headed straight for them. As they came nearer the King saw more clearly just why they were coming to them, for tied hand and foot and hanging from a long iron rod was Ral.

  He was stripped almost naked and his body was torn and bloody, looking at him you would have said he was dead but Arn saw his chest slowly rise and fall so he knew that life still dwelled within him.

  When Ishea saw her son helpless and hurt she did what any mother would do, she rose up and was about to rush to his side but the strong hand of the King stopped her and before she could tear herself away from his grasp he whispered to her.

  “They are many, we are few”.

  And hearing the wise words of the Nomad the Queen cooled her anger and waited in silence, but she gripped her Kagar tightly and fought to hold down the rage in her heart.

  The strange humming grew nearer and soon the possession of creatures and their hostage stopped just in front of the great statue. They stood there for a moment or two still uttering the weird humming. Then one of the Wormrow who was a bit taller than the rest uttered something that could not be understood and the others took the warrior up the worn steps and placed him face up on the dark stone.

  The tall Wormrow began to speak but again the words were unintelligible but their meaning was understood.

  “There praying,” said the Queen in a whisper.

  And as the King listened more he knew she was correct, then the meaning of what they said struck him like a barb from an Arrow tail, “they are going to sacrifice him” he said. And once more he had to hold the angry Queen down and as she struggled he leaned close to her ear, “for what he did he should die”, he said softly, “but not at the hands of these vermin, wait and watch then we will strike”.

  Ishea would have rather fallen on them right then and there and died defending her offspring, but she knew that they would all be slain in the attempt so she nodded her head in approval, “I will wait” she whispered, “but not for long”.

  They waited and watched as the tall Wormrow continued to speak, then when he was through he began to chant in a low guttural voice and clap his clawed hands together. And hearing their leader do so the other of his kind did the same, soon the sound of bestial chanting filled the chamber.

  “What are they doing?” whispered the Queen.

  But no sooner did she speak that question then the murky water in one corner of the huge hall began to move as if something was stirring beneath its lurid surface. Then as the chatting rose in volume a bubbling slowly rose up from the dark water and the Wormrow began to clap louder. The once placid surface began to churn and small waves migrated forward as something moved towards the demented stature.

  Arn could feel the tension rise in his muscles, something is coming, he thought, something that lives in the darkness.

  Then as the vile creatures watched a great tentacle slowly rose up from the stinking slime, it was about the size of a man’s arm and covered in quivering sunken cups set with rows of teeth. And no sooner did that one rise up then it was followed by another, then another and another, soon the air in front of the stone steps was filled with waving appendages.

  There was nothing in legend to explain this abomination to the Queen; no dark story to frighten children, no tale of hero and monster, this was something that could only spring from nightmares. And as one of the wavering tentacles began to move towards the body of her son Ishea knew that there was no more time to wait. So screaming out a war cry of her people she sprung into battle and at her side was the King.

  The Wormrow were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the humans and before they could react several of them died beneath the furious onslaught of the Nomads. Arn swung wide with his ax and cut two of the vile creatures in half with one blow, and Ishea quickly impaled three more with the point of her spear, she also broke the jaw of one who came to close to her swinging foot. But after the first shock of being attacked the little monsters fought back with all their might, they clawed and leaped on the intruders and tried to sink their sharp teeth into their flesh. But his armor kept the King from being gravely injured and the speed of the Queen was great enough to do the same.

  The creature that lay beneath the water began to move violently now for the water began to run with blood, and being a thing that lived on flesh it started to pull the Wormrow into the water one by one.

  “Save the boy!” Arn screamed out as he cut the head off the nearest foe, then he watched as Ishea drew her dagger and quickly severed the bounds of her son, she then slapped Ral hard across his face.

  “Get up!” she shouted, and to her amazement her son opened his eyes, “FIGHT OR DIE!” she called out and hearing her words brought the warrior from of his torpor and into the fight. The Queen thrust her knife into his hands and feeling the weapon Ral turned to face his captors and the thing that now rose up in front of them.

  It had no eyes only a great maw with row upon row of jutting teeth; it did make a weird piping sound like the blare of a twisted signal horn and each time it lifted one of the Wormrow and dropped it into its hungry mouth the piping grew louder. Now the little demons were trapped between the humans and the ravenous God that they once worshiped, and seeing that they would die either way the tall leader screamed out a command and they quickly scurried into the darkness from wench they came.

  The warriors were glad to see them go but that still left the matter of the tentacle monster to contend with, and still being hungry and with no other food near by the watery beast reached out for the humans. But as one of the tentacles came within reach Arns ax cut it in two and the monster gave out with a loud wailing cry and a greenish fluid that must have been the creatures blood sprayed over him. But that did not turn the beast away, rather it moved up the worn steps in a grotesque manor that reminded the King of the boneless Shorecreepers of the Western Sea.

  The massive body that rose up from the murky slime pulsated and quivered as it slithered up the stone steps, and as it did it continued to wave its many deadly arms and reach out to grasp the warriors and pull them into its crushing mouth. Arn and the others moved backwards but continued to fight the monster as they did, the King cut two more tentacles off the beast but it did not seem to effect it at all. The Queen also used her Kagar to strike at the watery demon but again to no avail, now with their backs against the stone statue they had nowhere to turn.

  “Climb!” shouted the King as he hacked at the flabby hide of the monster then with a last blow he turned and began
moving up the great statue. Ishea was reluctant to turn her back on an enemy but seeing no other avenue of escape she joined her former mate and with Ral beside her they both began to climb as fast as they could.

  As they did the blind beast reached out with its many arms and grasped the stone figure and tried to haul itself upward. But its massive bulk proved to be its undoing for the stature began to shake as its stone base started to crumble. Back and forth the huge sculpture rocked then suddenly it began to topple, Arn tried to shout out a warning but his cry was drowned out by a great cracking sound, then he held on as the monstrous icon fell forward onto the demon from the darkness. There was a loud wailing cry from the beast then its primitive brain was flattened to pulp under the titanic weight of the statue.

  Arn, Ishea and Ral managed to jump free seconds before, and landing hard in the water they quickly raised up still holding their weapons in case the monster was not dead. They watched the tentacles franticly wave about for a short time then slowly fall into the water that was now stained with a sickening green coloring.

  The warriors stood there for a moment or two more then Arn looked at his son, it would have been an easy thing now to kill him, he was naked and had only a dagger to defend himself. One good blow with his ax and he would have his revenge, but killing a defenseless enemy was not the way of a Nomad, and no matter how many laws he might have broken the King could not bring himself to judge him. So now he simply stared at the young warrior and gripped his weapon tightly.

  Ral knew what was burning in the mind of his father for he prided himself on knowing the thoughts of his enemy, so before his father could speak he answered the question that he knew was coming.

  “She is gone,” he said coldly.

  Hearing those words the King took a step towards his son and began raising his weapon, but Ishea quickly moved between him and her offspring. “I have found my son and he will be punished for breaking the law”, she said softly, “but you have not found what you came for and we will need his strength”.

  His mind told Arn to strike but his heart told him that this was his son and Andra was still missing, so now it was the Kings turn to be wise, “three are stronger than two” he said as he lowered his ax. “I have saved your life once and I will spare it again...for now”, then he turned and moved away from the Norgonie warriors.

  Ishea turned to her son and put the tip of her spear against his chest, “I am your Queen and you will obey me”, she said bluntly. “And if you do not then I will judge you harder than any King, now follow me”, then she turned and moved after Arn.

  Ral stood there for a time and watched his mother go with the man who he hated most in all the world.

  Someday I will kill him, he vowed deep in his heart, but without his help he knew he would soon die, so with no other choice he began to go with them.

  Now a searching King, a grateful Queen and a vengeful son moved across the stone causeway and through the crack in the chamber wall leaving behind a fallen God and a slain demon from the Pit of Marloon.

  Falling, falling, falling.

  Andra opened her eyes.

  At first the Selcarie girl felt like she had been sleeping for her head was filled with images that could have only been dreams. She drifted for a moment as she tried to remember the images that seemed to be just out of her minds grasp. And try as she might she could only see fragments of visions, ghosts of things long past and things present, voices that she should recognize but did not, and then she heard a song floating inside her mind.

  “Flowers of morning that bring the dawn.

  Birds that flutter and frogs that yawn.

  Wind of the meadows that blows from the west.

  Home is the haven that I love the best.”

  It was then she called out, “mother?” and quickly rose to her feet and felt the dagger still in her hand.

  A trick, she thought my home, mother, Kurlock pie, it was all a dream, but she knew she was awake now and that she would not be tricked again, so holding her weapon at the ready she looked around her.

  The place where she stood was unlike anything she had seen before; a vast crystalline cave filled with immense formations of colorful crystals and twisted rock. They seemed to glow and pulse with an inner life that made the human female feel very small, the formations jutted out of the floor at different angles and some rose up so high they became support columns for the cavernous chamber. The walls of the great room were also covered in semitransparent minerals, some the size of a finger, others larger than a Trofar.

  She looked above her and saw that the ceiling vanished into nothingness; she knew that she could not have fallen so far and lived.

  I was brought here, she told herself, but that did not answer the question of how or why? Then she heard sounds coming from all around her and she braced her feet and gripped the handle of her dagger tightly.

  But what she saw made the blood in her vein freeze with terror for all about the girl were the caretakers of this crystalline world, the Nomads called them “Lurkers in the Darkness” but most knew them as the Crystal Spiders. The bringers of new life, for they were the ones that rose up from the depths of Gorn during the Burning Time and renewed the tired bodies of the Outlanders.

  Legends said that they were immortal and the servants of Isarie and so they were worshiped by the Nomads and their images carved everywhere. The High Priestesses of the different tribes bore their symbols on sacred statures and sacrifices were made to them. But were they really came from and why the Chosen did not know.

  How many there were throughout the vast chamber was unknown but they must have numbered in the thousands, each one a duplicate of another and all of them connected in their tasks. A scientist of the Outer Rim might have been able to tell you how they communicated and why. They might also give you a detailed explanation of their inner workings and how they were able to renew a body and add many cycles to its life span. But they would not be able to tell you about the wonder of such creatures and their place in the universe for only the Gods know those answers.

  But to Andra they were her worst nightmare come true.

  As a young girl she had fallen into a breeding nest of field spiders, she was unhurt of course because the tiny insects were harmless, but she never forgot the feel of their miniature legs crawling over her body and the helpless feeling that came over her. Now even the site of a spider sent a chill up her spine and caused her to react as if she was facing a battle droid of the Ancary.

  Andra franticly looked for way out of this chamber of horrors, but no matter what direction she turned she saw only more of the dreadful creatures. She waited for what she knew was coming for she saw the demons moving towards her and filling the air with a rattling sound.

  If I’m going to die, she thought, I’ll go out fighting and she braced herself muttering a marching song of the Selcarie.

  “Sing the songs with marching feet.

  Hear the sounds of war drums beat.

  Live your days and worry not.

  Laugh at death and wars well fought.”

  But as she spoke the words all she was thinking of was home, her mother and her brother...and her child.

  It was then that she remembered.

  “My child”, she said softly, “I have a child”.

  She did not know why but she lowered the dagger in her hand, and the terror that filled her heart was replaced by the love of a mother for her offspring. And as she stood without fear the spiders suddenly stopped moving and they made no sound. Perhaps they would only attack if a person feared them, or maybe it was because the Burning Time had not yet come, or they like all creatures on Gorn they too were under the will of the Gods, but for whatever reason they now sat unmoving.

  As Andra watched the spiders the terror that once filled her mind was replaced by a voice that she knew all too well.

  “You have nothing to fear”, it said softly, “for you have remembered”, and when she turned to see who was talking she saw Simon her
brother standing only a few meters away. He wore the same simple garments that Niana has sewn for him, and his eyes were bright and clear. But she knew this could not be her brother for he was long dead, but the image pleased her and unlike spiders she had no fear of ghosts.

  “Hello onion head”, she said laughingly, for it was a name she often called her brother to torment him.

  “Hello pickle face”, he replied.

  And Andra laughed harder even though it was a name she hoped she would never hear again, but then she stopped laughing and looked at her bother longingly, “I’m sorry I did not save you”, she said softly, “I’m sorry you’re dead”.

  But Simon only laughed again, “I’m not dead” he said with a chuckle, “I live in your memories”, and he began to move away from her and beckoned to her with his hand, “follow me”, he said.

  And not wanting to be alone even if it meant going with a ghost she walked after Simon, they did not speak, and the spiders that filled the chamber paid them no mind as they moved passed them through the crystalline labyrinth. Andra was reminded of the tall stacks of yellow maize that grew on her farm and how Simon and her use to play Seek and Find through the growing fields. She would always win that game, but now she was the one following behind and her brother the one leading the way. Then turning this way and that they came to an opening in the towers of crystals, and without stopping Simon entered through a break in the wall of green stone and after a moment’s hesitation Andra followed him.

  Inside the circle of stone was a mass of translucent rocks that jutted out of the broken earth, but did not rise more than a meter in height, they created a small plateau of sorts for the tops of the minerals were flat in structure and formed a crude bed. And lying quietly on that bed was a child.