Caravan to Kittikin

by Brian S. Pratt

  “What is…?” he began until it popped to emit the forlorn sound that dampened a person’s outlook on life. Realizing he had fallen a bit behind to watch the emergence and subsequent popping of the bubble, he hurried to catch the others.

  “We’re almost there,” Master Tuppin said.

  He brought the group to a halt and then turned to Reneeke. “Up ahead is Oriu’s tower. Before we reach it, we will be met by one of his servants. Be not afraid though your instinct may be to flee. Once we are joined by the servant, speak not a word unless directly spoken to by either myself, or Oriu.” He paused a moment before adding, “Let us hope Oriu chooses not to speak with you.”

  “But if I cannot speak with him, how will I convince him to help Jaik?”

  “You leave that to me. One word misspoken at the wrong time and none of us may make it out alive. Understand?” He locked gazes with Reneeke until the young swordsman nodded.

  “I understand.”

  “Good.”

  “Keep in mind,” Rojer said. “There are fates worse than death.”

  He eyed the guard to see if he was making sport. But the seriousness to the set of his jaw made Reneeke realize that he was quite serious. Reneeke pondered that statement as Master Tuppin got their group moving again.

  They hadn’t gone far before the servant foretold by Master Tuppin made its appearance. It stood a little under four feet tall and was for the most part, humanoid. Bipedal with a central body like a human, its two arms were longer in proportion to the rest of it by a third of what a human’s would have been. Its head was a little oval with dark eyes staring out from beneath thick, bulging ridges. Not a single strand of hair grew from its formidable, thick leathery skin. Two fangs descended three inches from its upper jaw and the tips of its fingers ended in talons.

  Master Tuppin came to a stop when it appeared.

  Oriu’s servant approached, eyed each in turn. His gaze lingered upon Reneeke an overlong time, during which the Adventurer felt acutely uncomfortable and more than a little afraid. Just when Reneeke thought it might attack him, the servant turned about and without a word, returned the way it had come.

  Reneeke glanced to Master Tuppin who pressed a finger to his lips signaling for silence. Then the caravan master stepped forward to follow. Rojer and Somak did likewise and Reneeke made sure to stay close.

  The creature strode purposefully and with a grace that belied its outward appearance. It resonated a physical prowess and surety that Reneeke had never encountered in any other individual. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was the servant, what the master had to be like? If not for the fact that Jaikus would not survive long without making this trip, he would have long since fled back to town.

  Through the dark landscape they followed Oriu’s servant. Soon shadowy structures became discernible in the dark. What they were or even what their function might be remained lost in the dark. The trail led to none of them. It wound its way through them, leaving them just beyond the reach of the lantern until finally a dark edifice grew to clarity before them. This had to be Oriu’s Tower.

  Even when they came close enough for the light to illuminate it, the Tower remained in shadows. It was almost as if it was constructed of shadows rather than stone. The surface undulated like smoke being affected by a very subtle breeze. The unnaturalness of it unsettled Reneeke. A dark opening gaped before them; the trail led straight for it.

  As he followed the others through the opening, he felt a strong impulse to reach out and touch the shadowy substance from which the tower seemed constructed. Before his fingers could connect, Somak grabbed his arm and pulled it back. He said not a word, merely shook his head.

  Reneeke nodded in understanding. Eyeing the wall, he left it alone and entered the Tower.

  The lower level of the Tower was lost in darkness. The lantern’s light pushed back only so much of the dark to allow them to walk within its radiance. That the light could not penetrate further unsettled Reneeke even more. He wanted nothing more than to turn and flee. To the innermost center of his being, he knew that this was no place for him to be. Keeping Jaikus and why they were there at the forefront of his thoughts, he fought the desire to flee and continued on.

  Before them, the servant seemed to suddenly rise in the air as he walked, but Reneeke was soon to learn that it was ascending steps. Though steps was a term he wasn’t entirely sure was accurate. Cubes of darkness bound by dark red lines led up to the next level. It wasn’t until Reneeke was upon them that he could make them out.

  He watched the others take the steps and when it came his turn, he gingerly put his foot upon one. It gave ever so slightly. As his weight came full upon the step, the next one appeared before him. He couldn’t tell if it had been there all along, or if it had materialized in that instant.

  Fifteen steps took them up to the next level. There they heard chanting in a language both unfamiliar and hackle-raising. All along his arms and along the back of his neck, Reneeke felt the small hairs rise and goose-bumps form beneath.

  The next level was lit by a dark red light similar to that which had bound the steps. The shadows which had shielded the ground level from view were not present on this one. Seven globules of pulsating light floated throughout the area. Like water droplets the size of a man, they morphed from one shape to another as they moved about in no discernible pattern.

  At the center of this level a small creature stood with arms upraised. It was from this creature that the chanting issued. Along the floor throughout the entire level, except the small area where they stood, lines of power had been etched. Forming geometric patterns as well as patterns that made one’s head ache if they were looked at too long, it was clear the glowing of the power lines, as well as the floating globules of pulsating light was what lit this level.

  Before the creature stood an apparition of monstrous aspect. Towering twice over again its height, the apparition looked to have come from some pit in a nethermost region of the underworld. Six legs framed a fat body that oozed a substance that when it dripped to the floor, sizzled to produce a noxious fume. From the body rose twin torsos, one looking to be somewhat similar to a man while the other was right out of Reneeke’s worst nightmare.

  The man-like torso was man-like in shape only. It had four arms that bent in unnatural angles, a pair of dark wings sprouting from its back and the face was blank without eyes, ears or nose. Three horns sprouted from its skull; one from either side and a third that curled up from the top.

  Reneeke couldn’t bring his gaze to settle on the nightmare of the second torso. Each time his gaze wandered close to it, fear and dread would rise within him and he would have no choice but to look away. Catching even the briefest glimpse of it made his legs weak and his mind spin.

  The creature stood before it with arms raised and chanting words of power. Hissing and making an insect-like noise, the apparition of terror stood bound by magic before it. Then suddenly, it vanished. The chanting stopped but the creature remained where it was.

  Reneeke glanced to Master Tuppin.

  The trader mouthed, “Wait.”

  Nodding, Reneeke then pointed toward the creature that stood in the middle of the room. “Oriu?” he mouthed silently.

  Master Tuppin nodded once then turned back to watch.

  Oriu remained motionless for some time. The pulsating globules of power pulsed simultaneously in three quick bursts. After the third burst, the apparition reappeared. It was not alone; bodies of four humans, three male and one female laid motionless on the floor before it.

  Resuming the chanting, Oriu raised his arms once again. In short order, the apparition vanished and the floating globules pulsed once more before becoming nothing more than floating objects producing light.

  Having remained completely motionless throughout it all, the sudden movement of the servant that had brought them startled Reneeke. He took a step back when the servant moved forward to claim one of the bodies. From other areas of the level, three other
servants, identical to the one that had brought them, emerged to claim the other three bodies. Taking hold of them by a foot, they dragged them away.

  Oriu turned toward where they stood. When his eyes fell upon Reneeke, he felt as if all hope was lost and that this would be his last moment among the living. But his demise was not to be. Once Oriu’s gaze left him, so too did the feeling.

  The creature stalked forward. Less than three feet tall, it was humanoid in nature. Dark skin covered a thick torso and likewise thick appendages. Its arms and legs moved with a grace that belied its mass. Oriu’s face was human-like, yet all wrong. Eyes the color of mud, nose split in two places rather than nostril openings and a mouth much too small for its face made its appearance as unsettling as its gaze. The Master of the Tower came to stop before Master Tuppin.

  Rojer held forth the chest and another servant seemed to materialize out of thin air to take it.

  Reneeke watch the chest disappear with apprehension. “We need your help.”

  Instantly, Oriu’s gaze turned to him and all strength fled. Knees buckling, he collapsed to the floor. Then hands that burned gripped him and hauled him to his knees. Oriu stood before him, his hellish gaze bored into his soul.

  An anguished cry split the silence of the Tower. Not knowing from whence it came, he was startled to realize that it had come from himself.

  “Our pardon,” Master Tuppin said. “He does not know.”

  Six points upon his body burned as if hot pokers had been placed against his flesh. They were the spots where the hands gripped him. The pain grew in its severity as Oriu’s eyes continued to bore into him.

  “The chest was stolen by bandits. He and his friend retrieved it for you. Without them, the chest would have been lost.”

  The aspect of Oriu’s eyes changed ever so subtly. Where before they had instilled fear and despair, now they produced a need to speak.

  Without conscious thought, Reneeke’s mouth opened and words issued forth. He spoke of joining Master Tuppin’s caravan, of their journey and the events of the bandits’ raid. Then he spoke in great detail of how he and Jaikus went for the chest and the events culminating with its retrieval from the Keep.

  Next came the telling of Lord Holleran, the Halflings and all that transpired until their flight to the Brigands’ Lair. Then he spoke of the meeting of Arno, the death of Arno’s comrades and the search of the secret areas.

  He barely paused before speaking of the battle with Mackum, and the fateful night afterward when Arno opened the chest thereby cursing himself as well as Jaikus. The last bit emerged in a cracked voice as he finished with the meeting of Borj, Fjerl’s temple and his need to cure Jaikus, the meeting with Midden and then Master Tuppin.

  When at last he had told it all, the eyes left him and he took a deep breath. He wasn’t entirely certain but it felt like he hadn’t taken a breath during the entire recitation.

  “His friend, without whom the chest would never have been recovered, lies afflicted by the chest’s curse,” Master Tuppin said once Reneeke had remained silent for several heartbeats. “And it should be understood that he is so not by his own hand, but another.”

  Oriu turned and suddenly stood before the trader.

  Master Tuppin swallowed hard as the eyes locked onto his.

  “Rather than surrender the chest to Fjerl’s priests to save his friend, he instead came here to ask your aid for he is an honorable young man. I request most humbly that you aid him in his endeavor to save his friend.”

  In the blink of an eye, Oriu again stood before Reneeke. He moved so fast that it could well have been teleportation for no movement had Reneeke seen. The burning sensation where the hands gripped him suddenly intensified fivefold.

  The agony was nearly unbearable but it lasted only a moment before the hands let go and the pain subsided. Residual aches and pains throbbed from where he had been gripped but nothing felt overly bad.

  Three servants converged on Oriu, each carried a single item. One was a ring, another a vial, and lastly a small box.

  Reneeke’s mind suddenly exploded with pain. Dizziness assailed him and he felt like retching. Through the pain and nausea, a vision played out. When it ended, Oriu was gone.

  He found himself sprawled on the floor, gasping and holding his head. Opening his eyes, he saw the three servants standing before him, their items held out. He glanced to Master Tuppin.

  “Take them, son.” When Reneeke hesitated, he added, “Be quick.”

  Reneeke tentatively reached out and removed first the ring, then the vial and finally the box. These three things had been part of the vision. Once they rested in his hands, understanding came as to what he needed to do.

  Relieved of their items, two of the three servants departed back to the shadows. The last turned and began walking toward the steps leading to the lower level.

  “Help him up,” Master Tuppin said.

  Rojer and Somak took him by the arms and helped him to his feet.

  “Can you walk?” Somak asked. When he nodded, they let him go.

  He was a bit unsteady making his way down the steps. At the bottom, he felt more of his strength return and by the time the servant led them from the Tower, he felt his old self again.

  The servant paused at the entrance until they had completely passed through, then it turned and vanished back within the deeper darkness that filled the lower level of the Tower.

  Now that they were out, Reneeke felt quite relieved. The sky to the east had already begun to brighten with the coming dawn.

  Reneeke turned to Master Tuppin. “I didn’t think we were in there all that long.”

  “Doesn’t matter how long we’re in the Tower. It’s always on the cusp of sunrise when we leave.”

  As if on cue, off to the east the sun crested the horizon and the first rays of sun fell upon them. Glancing over his shoulder, Reneeke came to a sudden stop.

  “Where’s the Tower?” Not only was there no Tower, but they walked through a grass-covered field. The cracked, lifeless earth they had traversed on their way in was nowhere to be seen. Scanning the horizon, Reneeke saw nothing but leagues of gently rolling grass covered hills.

  “It’s only there in the deepest part of the night,” Master Tuppin said.

  “And not always,” added Rojer.

  “True enough,” the trader agreed.

  “But…”

  Somak slapped him on the back. “Don’t try to reason it out. We’ve had dealings with Oriu for years and we still don’t understand what he is or even where he is.”

  If not for the trio of items held in his hands, he would question whether or not the evening’s events had truly happened. But since they were real, and the vision that had been implanted in his mind was real, so Oriu and his Tower must be real though maybe not in the strictest sense of the word.

  He put the inexplicitness of Oriu behind him. More important concerns demanded his attention. Now, to get to Jaikus before the sun rose to midday and lift the curse.

  Chapter 20

  Upon their return to Fjerl’s temple, they found the place in an uproar. Panicked townsfolk as well as priests fled through the entrance. Screams were heard from within.

  “This can’t be good,” Rojer mumbled. He drew his sword as did Somak. They interposed themselves before Master Tuppin.

  Reneeke forged his way through the panicked exodus and entered the temple. He paused just within the entrance to see what was going on. The large area where townsfolk came to meet the priests was in a state of chaos. Priests ran to and fro, some bloodstained; everyone fled for their lives.

  A hand on his shoulder caused him to glance back. Rojer was there with Somak and Master Tuppin.

  “Jaik.”

  Rojer nodded. “Has to be. Where was he?”

  Reneeke pointed toward the hallway down which he had left him. “That way.”

  Rojer took the lead with Reneeke right behind. Somak remained by the entrance with Master Tuppin.

  �
�Be careful, boys,” the trader said.

  Shouting emerged from the hallway and then a most terrifyingly familiar howl turned their blood cold. Rojer glanced at him.

  He nodded. “That’s Jaik. He must have gotten loose.”

  Once within the hallway, they saw five priests standing in a half-circle before a doorway some distance further down than the room wherein he had left Jaikus-beast. The robes of two were shredded in places and stained with blood. Magic flowed as they battled what lay beyond the doorway. One took notice of their approach and broke off from the others. Reneeke recognized him from his earlier visit.

  “Do you have the chest?” Father Ranon asked. “It still may not be too late.”

  Reneeke shook his head. “No, but I can cure him.”

  “What happened?” Rojer asked.

  The priest eyed the guard. “We thought to lift the curse despite not having the chest as a guide. But the curse proved more powerful than any of us could have imagined. He almost killed two of our priests before we cornered him in that room down there.” Then he turned to Reneeke as if just hearing what he had said. “Cure him?”

  “Yes. But we need to draw him outside the temple.”

  Father Ranon looked skeptical.

  “Oriu said…”

  “Oriu?” the priest exclaimed, saying the name as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. “Is that the originator of the curse?”

  “Yes,” Rojer replied.

  “That explains a lot,” he said but failed to elaborate further.

  “Can you help me get him outside?”

  “My son, if he gets out of the temple, the town will be in danger. There are a lot of innocents just outside. We can’t allow him to endanger them.”

  “But I can cure him!”

  “I’m sorry, son.”

  A cry from the priests drew their attention to the battle just as Jaikus-beast emerged from the room. A swipe of one claw sent a priest flying out of his way while a second one dropped another.

  “Jaik!” he cried.

  Jaikus-beast turned his way just as bolts of holy energy slammed into him. With a cry, he backhanded a swipe toward the offending priests but failed to connect.