by Rain Oxford
Kailo paled. “That is not an easy task.”
“No, but you know how to fight, don’t care for the gods, and have stronger magic than the priests do.”
“Have you tried getting someone else to do it?”
“That’s not our style.”
“Well, it’s not really my turn to travel. If you don’t mind, Hato needs a rest and should be the one to take you.” We nodded and he retreated into the tower. A few minutes later, a less-familiar head poked out. It was the man who had “kidnapped” us. He closed the door.
A few minutes later, Kailo emerged. “Hato decided he would rather stay here.”
“I’m so surprised,” I said sarcastically.
“Well, we can be going now.” He gestured to the dragons, which had saddles and harnesses on them.
I got on one of the dragons and Luca got on behind me. If anything happened, we weren’t going to be separated. It was hard enough to survive in the desert with magic and the dragons could be out of sight in just a few seconds.
Kailo took the other dragon and we followed his lead. We spent a few hours answering his questions about our world, and then we spent a few more traveling in silence.
* * *
I was daydreaming, thinking up the plot for my next book, when we suddenly stopped. Luca, who had been asleep leaning against me, flinched as he came awake. “Are we there yet?”
“No. I think our dragons are out of gas.”
“Shit. Don’t you know to fill up before you start a long journey?” Luca scolded Kailo.
“Stop talking,” Kailo whispered. “They sense something.”
“Great,” Luca commented.
I flicked him on the forehead.
Suddenly, both dragons shrieked and started thrashing wildly as if they were surrounded and didn’t know which way to go. I couldn’t even think of a spell to help us because I was busy trying to keep Luca and me on the dragon.
A cobra burst out of the sand in front of us. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a normal deadly, venomous cobra. No, that would be too easy. From the bottom of its hood to the top was about seven feet. The fangs that it bared when it hissed were longer than my arm.
The dragon jerked back so fast that Luca and I were thrown forward. We landed right in front of the cobra.
“Forget Texas. Everything’s bigger in Syndrial.”
“Now is not the time.”
“I really don’t think there will be another. Do some magic.”
“Like what?”
“Lightning.”
“I’ll try.” Before I could, the snake lashed out… and the dragon rushed forth and bit him on the neck. The cobra whipped around, trying to dislodge the reptile, but the dragon was holding strong. Luca and I stood and I tried to focus my mind. As I opened my mouth to speak the spell, I started falling.
“What the shit?!” Luca screeched. He was falling as well, as if the ground had suddenly become liquid. “Sinkhole!”
That was worse than the monster, because at least being eaten by a giant cobra was worth putting on my tombstone. Sand was falling in on top of me and I slid further and further and all became black.
Chapter 4
A lot of sand got in my mouth and by the time it stopped falling, I was buried. It was so disorienting that it took me five minutes to figure out which way was up and clear my head. My lungs were burning. “Luca!” I coughed as quietly as I could, listening for my brother.
“I’m over here!” Luca finally said faintly.
I followed his coughs to find that he had ended up on the other side of the room. When I got to him and helped unbury him, I saw that he had a cut on his forehead. “You’re bleeding. Are you dizzy?”
“I’m fine.” I helped him up and he seemed sturdy enough. We were in a round room with a ceiling that was twenty feet high. The room itself was probably fifty feet across. It was old with high arches. There were lamps on the wall, but the cloud of dust in the air reduced the visibility.
Four grand, wooden doors were visible, and the only other person in the room approached us. He looked to be in his late sixties with long, white and silver hair pulled back. He had sand-colored eyes and three blue dots tattooed in a vertical row on his forehead. He wasn’t wearing jewelry like the majority of people on Syndrial, but his hands were decorated with spiraling henna-looking tattoos.
Luca zoned in on them as well.
“Know anything about these people?” I whispered to Luca.
“Not without seeing more. The dots could mean anything from how many people he’s killed to how many wives he has. Or, everyone might have them.”
The man’s clothes were also different from other natives we knew; he wasn’t wearing a robe. Instead, he wore a dark blue, satin cloak with a silver star clasp. Beneath it, he wore a sand-colored tunic and black pants with dark brown moccasins.
The man reached us at that point. “Do you want to explain what happened?” I asked.
“Be nice, bro, the dude just saved us.”
“Right. I’m sorry. Thank you for saving us… if you did. Where are we?”
“You are in the ancient city of Makha.”
“I don’t recognize that one. I thought all cities were named after their god, except the high city. I also thought they were all above ground… and protected by walls.”
“This is an ancient city.”
“Oh. Cool. Do you have a healer who can patch my brother up?”
“More importantly, do you have a library?” Luca asked, holding his hand over his eyes to stop blood from running into them.
“We have both. I am Homa. Please follow me.”
“You don’t have a title? You’re not a caster?”
We followed him out of the room into narrow, tunnel-like hallways. They were clearly carved out of stone and lacked the sharp lines of the modern cities. I wondered if the gods preferred straight lines or if it was just part of the fashion.
I had done some research on polytheistic cultures since I learned about my heritage. The gods affected more than just funeral traditions and holidays; the daily lives of a lot of people were influenced by their gods, even if those people weren’t religious. For example, one of the reasons Japan was so clean was because the Shinto gods hated dirtiness.
“We are casters, but we don’t have titles here. We do not take the trials.”
“I’m confused.” We turned several corners and the halls curved naturally, but all the halls looked the same. There were plenty of doors along the way. It looked like if I got lost, there was a good chance I would never be found again.
“I am, too,” Luca added, stumbling a little. “But that might be blood loss. Did someone say something about bondage— I mean a bandage?”
We stopped at a door and Homa opened it before gesturing that we should enter first. I entered and Luca followed closely. Inside was a pretty woman with black hair and dark brown eyes. She had three dots on her head as well, but hers were green. Her ears were tattooed with deep red, decorative patterned lines, as were her hands.
She wore a deep purple, satin cloak with a silver sun. Unlike Homa’s, her shirt was fitted to hug her shapely figure. She also wore a tight black skirt, which was the first I’d seen on Syndrial. Her feet were bare.
The room was a sort of bedroom, judging by the bed in the far corner. It was simple with tan blankets. Beside it was a dark blue reading chair. Above the chair was a lamp. A heavy wooden chest against the opposite wall clued me in that they didn’t have the same shortage of wood as the above-ground cities. Overall, the room felt simple and cozy.
“We have some newcomers?” the woman asked, standing.
“They were being attacked and while we were trying to rescue them, we injured this one,” he said, gesturing to Luca.
I reached into my pocket for a Brew-Chew, but Luca grabbed my arm, staring at me with wide eyes. “You’re hurt? Why didn’t you say so?”
“You’re concussed.”
“No, you’re concussed.”
“Someone help him, please.”
“I don’t want any peas. Peas are gross. Mom always made… oh yeah… that wasn’t true. I forgot.”
The woman pushed him into the chair and put her hand over his forehead. A moment later, she removed her hand and the cut had stopped bleeding. She waved her hand in the air and whispered something I couldn’t hear. The chest lid popped open and a bandage, a cloth, and a metal bowl floated out of the chest and into her hands. Once again, she motioned in the air and whispered something. A few drops of water condensed in the air and fell into the bowl, which she used to clean up his face. When that was done, she knelt in from of him and made him look her in the eyes.
I was ready to put an end to it when his eyes glowed light blue, but Homa said, “She is our best healer and the brain is delicate. Let her do her job.”
I didn’t like not being able to help him. I hated the fact that I was the reason he was hurt in the first place.
“Nathan, stop that,” Luca said suddenly.
“Huh?”
“You’ve got that self-hate look in your eyes. I’ll find a rock to beat you with and then we’ll be even.”
“He’ll be fine,” the woman said, not sounding so sure. “I am Sakha.”
“I’m Nathan and this shithead is my brother, Luca.”
“No relation to other shitheads, I assure you,” Luca said.
“We don’t understand,” Sakha said.
“No worries. We were born here, but Nathan grew up on Earth and I grew up on Duran.”
“Luca,” I warned.
He shrugged. “They don’t strike me as stuck-up like the priests.”
“We have heard of the priests, but we have never met them,” Homa said. “We were born and raised here with our books and scrolls. Our society knows all. We know the original traditions of Syndrial and how it came to be the wasteland it is now.”
“It’s not a complete wasteland,” I argued. “It sounds like life is quite nice in the north and possibly the south.”
“Our entire world was once great.”
“Yeah, and then there was an asteroid. It sucks, but it happens.”
“The asteroid and destruction that followed ended the horrors that we faced.”
“Oh. Well, that I didn’t know.”
“Few people to. They don’t teach people what happened anymore. We will show you to one of our many grand libraries and then give you a bed to rest for tonight. Tomorrow, you can continue your journey to the north.”
He gestured towards the door and we stepped out. Then we followed him down yet more undistinguishable tunnel/hallways.
“You got books. That’s way better than what the sand people have,” Luca said. “Maybe you can help us better than the sand people.”
“We will certainly do so if we can.”
“Why?” I asked. “You don’t know us or what we’re trying to do.”
“You are Syndrial natives. We are the same. We help each other.”
“We’re trying to defeat Maori,” Luca said.
Homa almost tripped before quickly regaining his composure. “Then we will enjoy helping you as much as possible. We are not fighters, but we have all of the knowledge of Syndrial to offer.”
“You’re not a fan of the gods?” I asked.
“The gods destroyed our society. We were independent survivors who studied magic diligently and trusted each other. Then the gods came. This was many thousands of years ago, but our ancestors were intrigued by these powerful beings. They came to our world and made a home here, disregarding our needs. They were far too powerful to fight.”
“Like people taking away animal lands,” Luca acknowledged.
“Why did they want Syndrial?” I asked.
“Apparently, there had been a war that drove them out of their own realm. Multiple wars, in fact.”
“That makes sense,” Luca said. “I wonder why these ones stuck together, though. There has to be enough worlds that each god could have their own world. They could have each claimed a different world, made it habitable, and created their own people.”
“Because why go through the work when you can fight over the one that’s already how you want it,” I said. “It sounds like a big family of jealous siblings.”
“That is what a lot of us thought as well. We were kind to them, though, because that was our way. We welcomed refugees. Then they decided we would make good servants. They offered us more magic in exchange for our work. Our people liked it; they were fascinated by the powerful outsiders.”
“Power corrupts,” I said, earning a flinch from Luca. I hadn’t meant to insult him, but I wouldn’t take it back, either. If we had met sooner, things would have been very different for him. He filled the hole in his heart with magic and it became more important than love.
“People became addicted to more and more magic,” Homa continued. “Then the next generation was born, and the gods taught our children that they were superior beings that owned us. By then, most people weren’t willing to fight them because they wanted to be superior to everyone who wasn’t a servant. Man was not meant to be enslaved.”
“We agree. How many fought back?”
“One out of ten people fought. All of them were killed by the gods. Then, one out of a hundred people fought, and they were killed as well. It wasn’t a war. It wasn’t even a fight.”
“It was pest control,” I said. “That sucks.”
“They weren’t cruel to their servants. Some of them were even nice. They made sure people had food, water, and shelter. Of course, we had that before they came. Some gods found it amusing to manipulate us. They would make us fight or pair us for breeding.”
“What about Bast?” I asked. “She was nice, right?”
“She was caring, yes. She did not make servants of people but instead taught knowledge to cats.”
“So, you totally hate demigods, don’t you?” Luca asked.
“Of course not. No one chooses their parents or what their parents teach them.”
“Really? Even a child of Set?”
“Set was not the cruelest god in the least.”
“Cool.” Luca shot me a look, silently asking if I wanted to divulge our secrets.
I didn’t. At least not yet. “Do you know Maori’s weakness?”
“Unfortunately, no,” he answered as we stopped at a door. “However, a weakness to one person is a strength to another. Perhaps you can find something that will help you.” Homa opened the door, revealing a three story library with hundreds of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The room had to be a hundred feet wide and two hundred feet long. The walls were made of stone and lanterns hung at the ends of every bookshelf.
Luca made a sound like a school girl who just got asked out by her crush. It was somewhere between a squeal and a shriek of excitement. “We’re never leaving this place!”
“Then, you don’t want to see the two larger libraries we have?” Homa asked.
“Well, if I ever need a babysitting service for you, I know where to take you.” We left Luca to be Luca and Homa showed me to a bedroom. The room was identical to Sakha’s. “How can you tell anything apart here?” I asked.
“If you were staying with us longer, we would prepare a better room for you.”
“This is plenty for us. My brother’s probably going to sleep with the books, anyway.”
“He would fit in well with us.”
“Yes, he would.”
“You two would be welcome here. We only ask that you be respectful of our culture and keep our society a secret.”
“I appreciate that. Luca and I would probably fit in better here than with the sand people or the priests. The thing is, although we were born on Syndrial, it really isn’t our home. It was our mother’s world, but she died before we got to know her.”
“That is unfortunate. Would you like anything to eat or drink?”
“I’m not hungry, but something to drink would be nice.”
“We wil
l bring you water shortly. Please rest.” With that, he left. I sat on the bed.
* * *
The next thing I knew, I was being prodded. At first, I thought it was Luca, but as my groggy mind booted back up, I realized it was tentative. I opened my eyes and found myself alone with a young woman. She had dark brown hair, light green eyes, and a single pink dot on her forehead. She looked extremely sweet and way too timid. I suspected she’d never seen an outsider before and didn’t know if I would attack her.
“We are sorry to wake you, but we have brought you water.” She held up a ceramic cup with both hands. Her magenta robe matched her dot as well as the tattoos on her hands.
“We?” I asked. There was definitely no one else in the room with us.
“Yes,” she said simply.
I took it and sniffed it. It smelled like water, so I drank it. It tasted a lot cleaner than tap water.
“Your eye color is different,” she said, then blushed as if she had been rude.
“Actually, it’s pretty common on other worlds. I have my mother’s eye color. I don’t know where my hair color came from, because my mother’s hair is red and my father’s hair is black.”
“Do you… like green eyes?”
“My girlfriend has green eyes, so yes.”
“What is a girlfriend?”
“The woman that I care for a lot.” She got it, and I hated her disheartened expression. “My brother likes green eyes, though. He could use some water as well.” She left in lighter spirits. I didn’t know if my brother would be interested in her, but he would know how to let her down easy if he wasn’t. Luca could make friends with anyone. I went back to sleep.
* * *
I was awoken from harsh poking. “Go away or I’m going to drown your phone.”
“My phone is dead, okay? Let it rest in pieces,” Luca said. He grabbed my arm and pulled me up. “Now listen. I was reading through the books, looking for info on Maori. I haven’t found any yet. By the way, Cisie is awesome. She knows that library.”
“Sissy?”
“Like anyone chooses their name… well, I chose mine, I guess. Anyway, Cisie showed me to one of the scrolls when I mentioned the weapon. The only one she knew of that the gods feared was the Sword of Draskara.” He unrolled the scroll in his hand. It was covered in the sacred language of Syndrial.