‘Of course you do,’ he chuckled, ‘it is the Pact. Not an oath. Binding beyond your approval. Fail, and you will not survive the mistake. Your friends will be hunted by my kind. They will hunt them for sport.’ The Masked One nodded, hesitated, and his figure flickered away for a second. ‘One more thing. I know you will go to the mirror. But to pass through the Dark Prayer, you will need a gorgon to touch it.’
‘Will a gorgon blood do?’ I grinned.
‘Yes,’ he agreed. ‘We will see each other again, Pact Sister.’
‘Come,’ I told them and marched out, my mind whirling with the implications of the Pact. The Pact. It didn’t look good. I squeezed Lex’s hand and gazed at Dana. She did not look happy but scowled at the ceiling. We made our way out of the huge cell, walked up the dark steps and there, in the hall, Thak was arguing with Baktak. He noticed us before we could be seen, greeted us with a grunt, the massive thing sitting on the steps leading to the door. He was holding Bilac. What was left of her.
‘You hare-brained idiot,’ I said thinly. ‘You ate her.’
‘Mind your tongue, little girl,’ he rumbled, pointing a tree-sized finger my way. ‘They are dangerous. Best dealt with quickly.’ He threw Bilac’s head in the air and grabbed it. ‘Can’t eat it. Would make a terribly hard to digest lump of eels that one. You needed her?’
‘Yes, I needed gorgon blood to open the doorway,’ I hissed.
‘There is blood in here,’ he grinned, shaking the head so the snakes flapped grotesquely. ‘It will do.’
‘You ... fine,’ I told him, hopelessly. ‘We are going up there in a bit. They are likely waiting for us, but we have a surprise for them.‘
‘Made a Pact, did you?’ he asked. ‘I think you had to, but will regret it shortly. Or in the long run.’
‘I made a Pact,’ I told him, nervously. ‘And I’m sure I will.’
‘Met someone who tried to renege on one once. His heart burst, I mean, exploded,’ Thak said absentmindedly. ‘Gory sight, but cute.’
‘We will have to fight soon,’ Albine said, getting fidgety. ‘What shall we do?’
‘How many gorgons do you think there are?’ Anja asked, surprisingly bloodthirsty as she was braiding her hair.
Thak grunted. ‘Some hundred altogether, perhaps. Thirty to forty in the tower itself if you don’t count Euryale. All Fury Whips of the Dark and Deep Waters Clans. She, of course, is worth an army.’
‘They have all the spells and power,’ Dana stated dubiously. ‘But we have the surprise. Some might make it.’
‘Oh, possibly, some,’ the giant said morosely and got up, eyeing the cells with a dangerous glint in his eyes.
Then, I felt a presence. Forty presences. Forty beings were grasping the Shades, and filling themselves with various forms of Fury. And they were close.
‘Up!’ I told them, preparing myself. They all jumped up in surprise.
I turned to look down towards the former red door cell, and there stood Euryale in front of her troops, spreading out from the cell. She too was wearing supple chain armor, decorated in dull silver and bright gold, cowled in the battle mail, her eyes swathed inside iron-laced silks. On her shoulders, there was a beautiful red drooping cloak. In her hands there were a curved bladed spear and a shield, both inlaid with serpents and flames. Behind her stood a cordon of gorgon blood, Cosia amongst them. They were all armored and armed, all harnessing spells of Fury, some carrying whips of ice, others of flame.
Euryale snickered as she walked forward, gazing at my armor. ‘Well, you found the Silver Maw. Mighty fine it looks on you. Suits you well. Yet, we shall discuss the dead elves and the circumstances leading to their demise later. Now. You burnt my study. Many of my books and a number of irreplaceable artifacts are cinders and dust. You did this. Somehow you did. How did you do it? How did you even escape?’ Her eyes traveled around the room, fixing on Ulrich’s broken shackle. ‘Where is Bilac?’ she asked.
Thak slowly hid the mouth behind his hand and burped.
I was terrified though only momentarily. Had Able destroyed the mirror, after all? I wiggled my hair back from my forehead, deciding it did not matter. We would go up there anyway. ‘My secret, you lying, murderous bitch.’
‘You can still drop this foolishness, human girl and keep the ones you love. They will all keep breathing, if I will it,’ she challenged me, her voice angered and nervous. She aimed the spear my way, the point quivering. ‘I need you. But there will be others eventually, and I am a patient one. Spare your friends this trouble and submit quickly.’
‘I am sorry, our filthy, dark-hearted mistress of sacrifices, but they will all die here, one way or the other. Saa’dark sacrifices to feed your power. They are like lumps of coal, useful but soon gone.’
‘He told you this? So, you went down there? Inside? Nox will pay for it. I think he has betrayed me more than once. Shades will get him, if not I. Brave you are,’ she stated with dangerous sweetness. She glowered under her hood, that much was clear for her anger was enough to make me turn my eyes away from hers. She spoke slowly. ‘You do not understand, Shannon, what we have to go through to stave off the elven kingdoms. You know …’
I slapped my thigh angrily. ‘Stop right there. I don’t care if you are the victim or the oppressor, disgusting mistress of pain and treachery. Elven houses do not like you? I don’t like you. That is all I care about, you ugly wench. I care nothing for your hardships,’ I grinned. ‘I will take us all away or none.’
‘None,’ she said, near bored. ‘And what of the Rot, should you escape?’
‘It’s gone, dozy bitch, for you forgot a cup of rancid blood in the cell,’ I said, and she froze. ‘And as for more surprises? Here is one.’
Her manner turned cautious, taking a step back. The gorgons lifted their shields, making a wall of steel.
We all harnessed spells of Fury.
‘I went down there and met your First Born slave in this damned dungeon, and I made a Pact with the slimy bastard, just like you did. He owns the Fetters now, and he is not here to cut us off, is he? He is stuck down there by your own Pact. Here!’ I hissed, and we wove our spells. The enemy stared at us in shock. I gathered power, so much power I staggered. I summoned the ice spears from the floor in front of them, tall and thick, swiftly spreading to the left and right, before and amongst them, blocking their sight. They were massive and thicker than any I had seen as I added more and more, laughing with the wild power. I braided the weaves together, and even when my friends let forth flame walls, the flames sizzled on the massive block of ice.
‘Shannon!’ Euryale screamed from beyond the wall. Some gorgons were on our side of the wall, getting to their feet. ‘Shannon, you coward, reticent little traitor. I shall …’
‘Feast on me no more,’ I spat and grasped at the spell she had used so many times. It was a massively hard spell, and I gathered ancient ice and whirling wind, adding tingling bits of frozen waters, and the familiar dark hole blew out of the ground before me. The gorgons were scrambling around the ice now, some slipping and falling heavily, but I pushed my friends forward. ‘Jump in! Quickly, don’t tarry, dammit!’ Thak grinned and went first, shrinking to man size. We had to dodge as a gorgon’s crushed torso flew back out of the tunnel. Thak had met a guard. I begged he had not lost Bilac’s head.
‘Go!’ Anja screamed as she went in, pulling Ulrich along. Albine jumped in with a shriek and so did Lex after I kicked him. Dana grimaced and hesitated, and then I felt her gathering force, a huge, huge amount of it, rivaling what I gathered with the help of the Silver Maw, much more than I could ever hope to hold without the armor. Smiling demonically, she let go of thick strands of flame that exploded over a pair of backpedaling gorgons, then the fire waved forward to erratically hit the ice wall. The fire and ice roared together so powerfully we all flew on our asses. Ice shards skittered about, flames licked across the room like cannoball shrapnel, and Baktak banged open, the door trying to shield itself. I nearly lost my spell.
Dana wiped sweat from her brow and glanced at me. She grinned, swaying next to me. ‘You might be particular to Aldheim, sister, but I am powerful beyond anything. Don’t forget it. However, I’m with you, now, love,’ she told me with a grin and jumped into the portal.
I stared at the room.
Gorgons were staggering around, some tearing at smoking armor and a few were on their knees in the final throes of pain. Some were burning fiercely, others charred lumps. Others were frozen, unable to breathe, their snakes writhing on the floors. Over a dozen confused gorgons were still holding to the Fury in the smoky room. One cast a spell, and I noticed a lumbering thing made of stone rise from the rubble, a huge thing. It came to stand before the hurt ranks of my enemies, shielding them. Others were casting lights, one summoned freezing wind to clear the smoke away.
I saw her.
Euryale stood there, her legs spread, cheek bleeding. She tore at the cowl, trying to catch my eyes, and our eyes met for a brief moment, the pain ripping through me, the petrification and death of her ancient gaze creeping in at the edges of my eyes, making them dry and ill. I tore my eyes away from her and spat. ‘You and I, you creep of Niflheim, are not done.’ A feeble threat, really, but I had surprised her.
‘No, we are not,’ she grinned. ‘Go then. I shall find you. And perhaps I shall call for your young Rose in a year? One day I shall have her, should you escape me.
I rocked my head at her in shock. She moved for me, fast as a shadow, but flames licked the ground between us, and Cherry appeared, pushed me through and jumped through the portal, and I let it close as I whirled away. I felt Euryale’s portal opening up somewhere close, and I cursed as I stared at the faces around me, all anxious. The study was in simmering ruins. Books had been burnt indeed, great stacks of dark pages and leathery covers floating in the scorching air and perversely I felt a moment of regret. There were holes in the floor, and some featureless, darkened corpses were lying about, people, or gorgons who had fought the fires and explosions. By the far wall, something had shattered violently, spectacularly, leaving the wall open to the light of Mar.
The once magnificent study was gone, replaced by a terrible chaos all around.
Able was nowhere to be seen. By the miraculously spared bed, the dark, swathed mirror stood. I ran there and pulled at the dark thread for it was stuck. ‘No time for that now,’ Thak informed me and hefted Bilac’s head. He stared at me, and I gathered myself, swaying as I did. I pulled at the powers Euryale had used to call on the mirror and whispered the name of the artifact. The crow heads turned to stare at me, the thing glowed, and I nodded at Thak. He pushed the gorgon’s head through the velvet, and the heavy drape was sucked in. A simmering doorway stood open, glittering with light and promise, and I shook with fatigue.
Euryale’s portal opened up.
‘Go!’ I screamed and cursing, Ulrich and Anja jumped in. Lex grabbed at Cherry, who shook her head and disappeared. Lex stared at me, and I pointed at the mirror. He hesitated until Thak grabbed him and tossed him through and kicked Dana along as well. ‘Did Cherry go?’ I yelled.
Albine dived in with a shriek, and Thak stared around, shrugging. ‘I suppose so?’ His eyes narrowed as he looked at the dark tunnel.
I turned to face the enemy. Euryale stood there in her war glory, grimacing in anger as she witnessed our escape. More and more of the enemy followed her, carrying fiery whips. She grinned at me. ‘What, human girl? Afraid of the trip? Go on!’
‘I don’t want you to follow me,’ I said with spite.
‘Very hard to stop me,’ she laughed. ‘Very hard. Go on, I’ll be along. Leave the giant here to fight for you.’
‘I’d love to squat on your ugly skull and void my bowels,’ Thak rumbled, but I shook my head at him.
‘I don’t think,’ I told her brazenly and eyed the dozen or so enemy, now all harnessing spells of Fury, all carrying flaming whips, ‘that I told you about my skills.’
‘You have a skill?’ she asked sweetly. ‘What is that? Other than failing to become what few could dream of.’
‘I can see what you weave,’ I spat. ‘What elven maa’dark, the First Born train for centuries, I learn just like that.’
‘What?’ she said as she took a step forward. ‘That is how you had that ice wall spell?’
‘This is what I can do,’ I said and grasped at their spells. I yanked and tore at them and the effect was spectacular. Some of the whips disappeared. One exploded, spattering the lot of us with blood and intestines. Another grew wildly and lopped off a leg of another. Then I called the power Cosia had called in Trad.
I melted the floor of the Fanged Spire.
I pushed everything I had left in it, and the walls and the floor changed to ice, then it melted, and everything holding the stones in place just disappeared. The floor buckled crazily. It turned to mush, then to water, and the last thing I remember was Euryale hurtling for me, her face a mask of rage, snakes hissing madly. I felt I was falling and saw Thak pulling at me in midair and pushing me through the half falling mirror, the fancy thing spinning in the carnage as the tower collapsed.
‘I bit you twice, love!’ I heard Euryale screaming and with that, I fell into the vortex.
Twice?
Was I still infected?
We fell hard. It was not a magical fall, a featherlike, sweet thing of dreams, but a brutal and cold tumble and likely I had broken something in Dark Prayer for what I had done to the tower. The tumble ended quickly, and we were all exposed to Mar.
However, we were in the air, and below us was the Dancing Bay, perhaps. We fell into a sea, the fall was painful, for we fell on top of each other. I had barely time to draw in a breath as the gray and blue brilliance claimed me. We went in and under, deep, and all were bruised by the impact. I came up, sputtering, trying to draw a desperate breath. Cherry was coughing nearby, having swallowed saltwater. Lex was suddenly there, paddling like a dog, and Albine was trying to support him, and I saw Anja was swimming for Ulrich. ‘Everyone can swim?’ I yelled, finally spotting Dana’s head, her hair over her eyes, struggling fiercely to see.
‘I can’t, not very well!’ Lex panted. ‘I know I like boats, but I never took the time to learn!’
‘Well, this is great,’ Dana spat. ‘Just what real freedom tastes like. Salt. Shit cold salt and so we shall drown!’
I could not see well. I realized I was armored, and it weighed me down. Not like I would imagine a real armor would, for the metal was supple and light, but it was still heavy, and I wore Bilac’s armor under the plate as well. Dana cursed and swam to me and grabbed me, treading water. She held me like she had held me when we grew up, and I stared at her and she stared at me. She shook her head at me and stammered. ‘What?’ I asked her.
‘I suppose I shall thank you,’ she said as if unused to being grateful. ‘You disagreed with me, and it worked. Even for them, the dolts. I guess you don’t really need me, not like you used to.’
‘I still need you. I want you to need me as well,’ I said with chattering teeth. ‘And I’m not sure why you think I saved us. There are beasts in the seas, they said.’
‘No, you saved us,’ she grinned and nodded at Albine, who was treading water next to me. The teen yelled gleefully. ‘Look! We are free!’
A ship of purple sails was sailing behind us, and on the deck, imperious faces could be seen, their thick dark and silver hair whipping in the wind, and some pointed at us.
The flag was a rampant beast on a green field. A House Safiroon ship.
Elves.
We would be safe. We were free. We had so much to do yet, but we were free of Euryale. I hesitated and gazed at my shoulder. It tingled.
Then I turned around, staring around at the sea. ‘Where is Thak?’
EPILOGUE
So it was, that we escaped Grey Downs and Euryale. The Dark Levy, the cursed road so many had previously taken had not quite claimed our lives. Not all of our lives. Not yet, not then. We waited for
the fabulous elven ship to make its way to us, and we would face many, many challenges, for the elves were not kind, gentle folk by nature, though there were those who were, of course. We would meet both kinds.
You ask what then?
Well, there is more. Much more.
I would meet Euryale again, and I would dance with the ghoul. I would deal with the Pact, I would learn of love, and sisterhood, and many things would change.
Many things indeed, for I would also meet Hel.
Wait.
- The story continues in the Eye of Hel, early 2016 -
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AFTERWORD
W riting a story that is centered on the ancient mythology is both fun and risky business. There is so much you can do, so many great myths to unravel, so many creatures of ancient origins you can mold and fit into the story. That is the fun part.
What is risky then?
This is dark fantasy. It is bound to break some eggs and the omelet does not always come out pretty. Also, I took a bit of a risk by mixing in our Earth and even a touch of religion. Yes, I brought in gods, I created an idea on how life was born. I do not, however, claim these gods are above anything most people in our modern world believe in. They are simply there, and yes, something might be above them. Do treat this as a fantasy book and not a personal attack on anyone’s beliefs. The last thing I wish to do is to offend my readers.
The Dark Levy: Stories of the Nine Worlds (Ten Tears Chronicles - a dark fantasy action adventure Book 1) Page 38