Tellus Tales, Volume 1 - AXE
Page 10
“Who are you?” the cat-human asked. The voice was that of a woman. She picked herself up from her relaxed position and sat up straight upon the throne, her bright emerald eyes staring down at them. “What are you doing in my temple?”
“Your temple?” Axe repeated.
“Yes,” she purred. “I am Sekhmet and this is my temple and these,” she waved to the mummies in the room, “are my warriors, my guards.”
Axe's dark eyes met her bright eyes. “Sekhmet? As in Necromancer Sekhmet?”
Her eyes lit up and her lips curled into a smile. “Ah! So, you have heard of me.”
“Only just recently,” Axe tried to rise, but he was quickly forced back down by the undead.“You're supposed to be dead, though, from what I hear.”
“Far from it, as you can see.”Sekhmet looked to the unconscious red-head next to Axe. “I know what is going to happen to the two of you, but I am curious as to who you are and what you are doing here.”
“Why do you want to know?”
She shrugged casually. “I'm always curious about my visitors.”
“You've had more?”
“Oh yes! I've had a number of people come into my halls: lost souls, tomb raiders, all kinds of people. They enter my pyramid, after one thing or another, but they all meet the same fate.”
“Which is what, exactly?”
She smirked. “They give their lives so that I may live. Their blood spill and it grants me more years to enjoy in this world!”
Axe glowered and spat,” Vampire!”
“I suppose you could call me that, human,” Sekhmet said with a nod. “I would much prefer something like Mistress or Your Ladyship, but to each their own, I suppose.”
“So, you've been here, just drinking the blood of people to stay alive?” Axe questioned. “All this time?”
“It's so much easier to pretend you are dead instead of blatantly flaunt your existence. Amazingly, people are foolish enough to fear ghost stories more than the real thing.” Sekhmet gloated, her tail swaying back and forth behind her. “In my glory days as cult leader, we often battled with lawmen and others that came to persecute us. This way, I can prey upon those I wish and all that's left are whispers in the night and fearful peasants.”
“Why don't you just leave this temple for good? All these years, you must have had an opportunity or two?”
“I am bound to this temple for it is my duty as leader of the my cult to stay and pay homage to my deity. I can only leave during the night hours and must return before daybreak or else I will be punished and become nothing more than a pile of ash and bones.
“I was about to go out and collect a victim or two, but then I heard that I had a couple of visitors and decided to...eat in.” She approached Axe and took his chin into both her hands. Her coat of fur was thin and felt soft against his hardened features. “Your friend will make nothing more than a late night snack, but I think I can make you into a long lasting meal.”
Axe's manacled hands moved to his waist. He had hoped that he could undo the ropes that kept the pouch shut, but Sekhmet caught the action. One of her clawed hands latched around the pouch and snapped it off his waist. “What do you think you're doing, human?”
“Nothing,” he said simply.
She sneered, “Liar! What were you reaching for, a weapon?”
He kept silent as she pulled away the cord with a claw. She reached into the bag, only to recoil and drop the bag almost instantly; she swung a powerful arm and raked her razor claws across the right side of Axe's face. As the skull slid out and hit the floor with a thunk, she let out a shrill scream and leaped backward, baring her fangs; her hand was smoking, and a loud sizzling noise filled the air as if it had just been thrust into a fire. The scream woke Terence from his forced slumber, but once he saw where he was, he closed his eyes and feigned unconsciousness.
Quick as he could, completely ignoring the pain inflicted upon him, Axe swept Steve into his grip and held it up over his head. The mummies around him and Terence immediately began to back away, as if they were terror-stricken, dropping their weapons as they retreated. Axe's double-sided weapon clanged against the stone floor.
“Bastard!” Sekhmet howled, arching her back. “What is this?!”
“This is your end, bitch!”Axe collected his battle-axe and with a burst of speed that surprised the necromancer, he closed in on her. He moved as a great cat himself: fast and deadly with the intent of death in his eyes. In one hand, he held the skull and in the other he held his weapon. He did not truly understand what it was that was giving him aid that night, but he was grateful for it nonetheless.
Sekhmet tried to pull away from the Knossian and his strange talisman, but she found herself trapped against her throne. She could do nothing as Axe raised his blade and with a grand swing, separated her head from her shoulders. The cat-witch's head flew through the air, mewling as dark blood splattered against the décor and some of the treasure. Her headless corpse slumped against the throne and came to rest, never to move again.
Their mistress vanquished, the mummies of the pyramid collapsed into piles of metal and dust and bones. Axe went back to his employer, collecting the pouch as he did. With a loud snort, he placed Steve back inside and tied it.
Terence, hearing nothing more but the footsteps of his bodyguard, cracked open an eye. After a quick look around, he pulled himself to his knees, shocked at what lay around him and what lay on the throne in front of him. “What in the world just happened?!” He looked up at Axe. “What did you do?”
Axe wiped the blood from his blade. “My job.” He held out his hand and helped Terence to his feet. As he did, Terence watched in silent amazement as the four gashes on Axe's face stopped bleeding and closed up, leaving nothing but a collection of wicked scars. Axe noticed his stare and said,” What the hell is the matter with you?”
“Uh...I...” Terence gulped and raised his hand, reaching out and running his fingers along the fresh scars on Axe's cheek. The warrior, though irritated, did not knock his hand away. “What in the name of all that is good in this world did I just see?”
“Nothing you need to worry yourself about,” Axe said solemnly, pulling away. “Come on, let's get out of here, huh?”
***
The sun was already in the air when Terence and Axe left the Temple of Sekhmet. Although the ordeal was over, Terence was still shaking a great deal when they walked into the fresh air and hot sun. He sat down against the lowest wall of the ziggurat, resting while Axe made a number of trips into the temple, bringing out another load of treasure each time.
“Well!” Axe said, finally satisfied at his haul. “This turned out to be a better job that I had ever hoped it would be!” He reached into one of the treasure bags and pulled out a circlet with a magnificent lapis lazuli set in the center. “What do you think?” he asked, placing it on his head. “Is it me?”
Terence shook his head. “How can you possibly be so cheerful after what we just went through?”
“When you live the kind of life I have, not many things can actually disturb you.” Axe pulled out a glorious necklace that sparkled with at least a dozen diamonds and whistled. “I can really get a lot of money for all of this!”
“You're going to sell all of that?”
“Maybe not all of it,” Axe mused. “I think I'll hang onto my favorite pieces and put them in a safe place, but the others I can sell to help me on my way.”
“Your way?”
“Our agreement is over with, Terence; I protected you while we were in there, right? With Sekhmet gone for good, there shouldn't be dangers in there anymore. You're free to study that place to your hearts delight and there's plenty of treasure left in there if you want it.”
Terence looked back to the ziggurat and shook his head. “I don't know I'll ever want to go back in there. I might just go back home...”
“Well, then I wish you the best of luck in life, Terence.” Axe sorted his treasure and picked up the bags with eas
e. He took one last look at his employer. “You got here just fine before, you think you can make it alright on the way back?”
“I think so, yes,” Terence nodded. “I'm going to have quite a story to tell others when I get back to civilization!”
Axe chuckled. “Do yourself a favor, Terence: embellish a little bit. Try to leave out the part that you got knocked out cold and throw yourself into a battle to the death with Sekhmet and her undead horde. That'll do wonders for you, might even get you a woman or two!”
And with that, Axe of Knoss turned and ventured out into the Lujayn Desert. Terence never saw him again, but he would never forget what the bull-lover had done for him that night.
Epilogue
And so, as our hero, Axe yet, again walks away,
We take our leave from this magical world, much to your dismay.
But fear not, just because we are leaving the world of Tellus behind,
Does not mean the stories shall stop, there’s so much more to find.
Dragons, pirates, mermaids, beastmen, sorcerers of the undead, we’ve seen them all!
We’ve watched some rise, but we’ve also seen others fall.
No, this is not goodbye; I have so much to tell you, more than you can possibly think.
So join us next time, when I’ll tell you about a young pirate named Linc.
Notes of the Sea
About the Notes
The Notes of the Sea section includes an entry of a journal that belonged to a roaming scholar of Tellus. Inside the journal are many recordings of creatures, places and civilizations throughout this unique world. As you, the reader, explore the tales within this book, you will learn more about Tellus through these entries. Come, travelers of Tellus, there is much for you to discover!
Dragons
These frightful creatures, known far and wide throughout Tellus, are an extraordinary species. Varying in size and shape, these reptilians are capable of immense destruction and misery, and are often the focus of children's stories. Quite greedy by nature, Dragons often horde masses of wealth, whether it be mountains of shining coins, dazzling jewels, or even pretty arms and armor that catch their eyes. Their range of abilities, defensive and offensive, are as follows: breathing fire or some other form of dangerous substance (such as toxic clouds), having scales that can be as protective as the thickest steel shields, long and powerful tails that can knock a man flying into the air or crush him on a whim, razor sharp claws and fangs to rip flesh from bone with surprising ease.
I have heard some strange stories about Dragons, which has sparked my interest in them to a new height. Though having a reputation of being ferocious man-eaters and destroyers of kingdoms, I hope to be able to get closer so that I might get a more in-depth study on them. I also hope that in doing so, I won't be the next meal for one of those winged brutes.
Bibliography
“Prison of the Dead” (Short story)
A day at Falling Rock Correctional Facility starts out simple and routinely enough for two inmates, but it quickly turns into the most hellish days of their lives. The halls of their prison are soon stained red with blood as the walking dead swarm the compound. Now, the two must fight for their very lives while picking up unlikely allies along the way. Join them in The Prison of the Dead, the first chapter of a brand new saga set in a zombie apocalypse.
Available on Kindle now!
Table of Contents
Intro
The Beast and the Monster
Captain Bones
The Tome of Nomolos
Turning Point
The Nightdwellers
The Ocean Bride
Lucky Low
The Temple of Sekhmet
Epilogue
Notes of the Sea
Bibliography