As much as it was a disorientating experience for those not born in the dark, Anouk remained patient and motionless upon the slab in case she might lean over the edge too far and fall. About thirteen steps below her slab was the next slab and so forth as the stairs coiled downward for her, filling up the gaps in the turret and making sure that someone recalled to coil them back up when they wanted to leave the gatehouse rooms. Once the black slab hit a gentle cushioning wooden platform at the bottom of the long coiling corkscrew it froze for thirty seconds as Anouk stepped cleanly off. Once there she swiftly grasped the hood of her cloak and then strolled a little way down the hollow, deep cave toward a narrow passageway and a collection of mangled bridges leading this way and that designed to confuse everything that got this far, even if some creature were foolish enough to go through the Dregg filled caverns!
Most of the bridges led somewhere unpleasant but six of them; one to this gatehouse, one to the healers, one to the farm stock area, one to the emergency flood gates, one into the city and the final one through a criss-cross of dangerous tunnels near Dregg kennels to the Benaga Household and the Pitch Forest for hunting. All these tunnels went under the ground but only the Benaga Passage had to go through an area that was usually flooded and needed a guide; it kept annoyances out of Anouk’s way but it had also been used to their disadvantage when only Damara and Loteg had escaped the events of a decade ago.
Anouk shook her blood red mane vigorously beneath the hood to wake herself from such unsafe thoughts and quickly sought about her person for a veil to cover her face. As the Lord of the Benaga and therefore Head Executioner, rules were strict about the need for her eyes to be shaded from the public and as the veil was the best counter to the frustrating rule, Anouk had to dig about her satchel for the dark fabric. Once covered she proceeded down a sloping grit covered bridge that looked to fall right down into the raging waters of the river below; of course it was an illusion created by one of the two remaining sacred stones that not only caused the river to flow around the kingdom but also shielded the entrances and people crossing them. In older days it had been quite a shock for cunning hobgoblin battalions to quarry under the gatehouses, run at the bridges and then fall off the moment they couldn’t see themselves any longer; but these days the dirt from shoes tended to reveal the truth and laws for soldiers meant they could not remove their footwear unless in a house!
After walking over the roaring, rolling waters Anouk followed a wind filled (by trickery of course) passage out and up onto the high platform attic of the main citadel, here air was filtered in from above along with rain and snow. It was a freezing room and with a scowl Anouk crossed the great rotating blades with a red glow about her person before she stepped onto another set of stairs leading nowhere. With another steady unscrewing motion, the stairs here clicked out of the floor and along a circular path towards the Greeting Corridor which led to the iron gatehouse, the Above World Entrance and the marble library. From here the walk was routine as Anouk passed by statues commemorating heroes from the past, including several of her ancestors. As always though she paused beside the most recently built with a grimace of frustration to know that this was all that remained of their physical form.
One was to Barbanos Benaga and showed a towering behemoth of an elf, unusual for having visible musculature and an angry face as he seemed to be smashing down a sword into a hammer! The other was for Irophand Benaga and showed a youthful, angelic figure in peaceful robes holding a baby Dregg like a lamb upon is lap and a book of the Virenheim Oaths in his left hand, a symbol of religious piety. To Anouk those two were her grandfather and her father, beloved and sorely missed; the time since their deaths had not cured the pain of their passing for her but instead developed a bitterness she could not wholly explain. As she stopped by the statues she checked about for anyone foolish enough to watch her before pressing her flat hand to her chest and forehead before touching the arm of each statue; a common gesture to state they were unforgettable. But then she moved on down the corridor, down the steps through the iron gate and as her hefty boots slammed into the stone of the plaza square, they tapped the edge of a familiar head.
“By the Sacred Stones… Higatso you old fart, you should have been more careful in your boasting. Just be pleased you won’t have to witness me pissing on your grave as I promised.” Anouk cackled evilly as she bent down to grasp the bloating head before her. There were only a few people out on the street at that time to notice her; most had gone down to the lower level plaza and market place to allow the cleaners and undertakers to deal with the body. Currently the undertakers appeared busy prepping a suitable box for the body and with head in hand Anouk felt it only correct to step to them. She strolled over with a swagger and casually tossed the head of the old chauvinistic drunkard into the box with a haughty ‘swing’ sound and chuckle to make all the men blanch. “Don’t forget the head… he’ll need to offer his eyes to Nabuto after all.”
The oldest of the undertaker crew, a near albino figure with harsh pink eyes and a vulture like face, just gave a soft chuckle at her manner. His name was Gorammi and as the Head Undertaker and a member of the Council of Elders, he knew Anouk very well. He was also one of the few to appreciate her variety of amusement and so with a soft cough he called her over to him. Anouk froze and stared at the white robed figure with a soft smile; one should always be kind to the undertakers for they alone would guide eyes back to the light of Nabuto, therefore their faces were the only ones never to be covered.
“Lord Benaga, it pleases me greatly to see you taking death lightly, it is almost as if you knew that Higatso had attempted to cheat in a fight watched by the king himself!” Gorammi grinned but oddly it was a kind of sweet thing to see, like an old man smiling with grandchildren playing around him. He watched for the flexing of Anouk’s pointed ears to guarantee he’d caught her interest, after-all he was pleased to be a gossiper and working with the dead you learnt some intriguing secrets. As Anouk turned with a vivid grin visible past her veil she swung out a stick from a nearby wall, located a hole to position it in and then gently balanced her weight upon the top. Gorammi seemed to wheeze delight through his curiously crooked and sharp teeth. “It’s true; our beloved Monarch made the rules strictly non-magical and Higatso tried to bury his challenger. But this opponent launched straight out of the earth and practically popped the fool’s head off! Ah… justice works quickly these days.”
“Intriguing… but tell me Gorammi, oh wise friend who can read the crystals by the flame… who was the challenger to be so powerful? And what Household in their right mind would have risked utter humiliation in sponsoring a being against Higatso?” As much as Anouk was pleased at the death, she was also very concerned by it and recalled the itching at her old scar earlier. In her youth Higatso had been forced into tutoring her with a blade but he’d been so aggressive and so cruel in his manner of teaching that Anouk could barely fight with a sword thanks to it and he’d given up. No one could be bothered to improve where he’d left it and so a later sword fight had given her a scar across her body to prove the training had been poorly. But her question was met by giggles from a few of the cleaners around the plaza and from the other white robes about her. Slowly it began to click into place and Anouk’s grin turned into a stony expression as red fire danced at her feet.
“Don’t get upset about it; Damara chose very wisely, and it startled us all. In fact, she was very brave to approach the stranger and… oops…” Gorammi was almost pleased to let that one slip out, although he had meant no harm to come to little Damara through it. But Anouk turned into a living green and black flame with her rage and magic before he spoke again, timidly in fear of this power. “If she had not figured out he was a Zhajti warrior and shown the correct response, Virenheim would have been a blood bath. Plus, she’s a Benaga; your blood is encouraged to face dangers to protect others.”
“That’s what Higatso’s little helmets are supposed to do, not my infant sister!” Anouk sna
pped, the fire suddenly gone as she marched toward the library. Whatever had happened for Higatso to loose was no longer in her interests as much as scolding her sister. However, the phrasing bothered Gorammi greatly and he hollered out after her with genuine insistence.
“But she’s not a child anymore Anouk; she’s a grown woman!”
“Master Gorammi?” One of the younger apprentices with salt-and-pepper hair questioned sweetly, attracting his master’s attention. “Why is Lord Benaga…?”
“Generally, I would say don’t ask; I have known Anouk since her early years and feel responsible for her friendship to the blasphemer Loteg. She raised Damara alone when their parents died, Anouk already grown and Damara was barely eight. She is more daughter than sister and that is why Anouk fears greatly that the wrong man may become involved in the girl’s life. Especially after so many mutterings over Anouk’s choice of friends.”
Damara and Karani sat in the quiet of the great marble library with expressions of pure confusion. A lot had happened very quickly and the reality of it all had just sunk in with a morbidity Damara quite feared. Karani had also begun to understand the consequences for Damara’s words as other nobles strolled past giggling and stating quite simply that Damara was going to get killed. Of course, they all knew it was not the new figure, Karayan, who would remove her head but Anouk! Damara did not know how she was going to explain herself or how she would get out of a violent beating as was to be expected. Her mind echoed with witnessing the violent punishments metered out to Anouk by their dominating uncle Scaropan. She wondered if even one such stomp against her spine would leave her dead rather than just helpless and her grimacing continued until Karani gently stroked her head.
“We’d better cover ourselves up some more if you want to avoid a beating; its best we both show humility. The moment we’re home, we’d better cook too whilst she cools her skin in the Clay Pit. Hopefully she’ll feel more comfortable then and less likely to string us up on the surface for the night!” Karani grimaced, swiftly finding a scarf to wrap about her mouth as she tucked her hair back into place, pulling on gloves as well for added humility. Damara nodded swiftly in agreement, knowing that she could receive another beating for stepping out of the kingdom without being fully covered on their way home. Even if they were never going to visit a foreign place, such disrespect to the Great Eye was inconceivable when they were still in academy and Damara wanted to be seen doing the right thing.
After shuffling the scarves over their mouths and looking a little more relaxed for it, they had attempted to study the oaths of the land again when their ears twitched. Damara yanked her slender points in fear, sinking down her seat as she tried to fight the paranoia that said Anouk was barking outside. Many other people had stood up when they’d spotted the flame through the windows and already a good deal were scampering off. Karani felt dreadfully exposed and stood herself up to check before slamming herself back down on a seat behind Damara. She feared that it might all be blamed upon her and that Damara would be denied permission to ever see Karani again… after-all Anouk could be damn nasty when she was riled up.
Strolling amongst the great arches of the temple-like structure with books up to the rafters, Anouk’s slow and steady movements garnered much attention and much fear. People could see the anger as her hand seemed to spark black flames and swiftly those closest to the exits put their books away and snuck off. Fighting may not be allowed but it had not prevented a Benaga mauling from taking place! As much as everyone was eager to watch the confrontation, they did not appreciate the thought of Anouk desecrating the sacred space… again. But Anouk tried to keep her rage bottled as she stepped over to the pair covered in brown scarves and looking repentant. Time seemed to hang as both made audible gulps of terror and Anouk sucked in air through her grinding teeth.
“What is the name and species of the warrior you chose to sponsor on my behalf?” There was so much venom in the words squeezing past her grinding jaw that Damara could have fainted. Dread sucked into her very marrow as she tried hard to think of what in Organthra their champion was and all she could do was shudder at the memory of Higatso’s death, although she could barely put her words together to explain to her big sister what it was caused by.
“His eyes and head had appeared Imperial, he was the size of an Aeron, his hands were more the claws of a Drakada and his blood was like tar. I don’t really know what he was but…”
“But he told us he was suffering an affliction and could not uncover his body. I think it’s a curse linked to the downfall of his old master. But the king approved of him straightaway!” Karani blurted like a startled sheep as she sought to protect her friend. Anouk’s face turned to her and she grimaced at the sensation of the burning eyes as Damara stepped in again. Karani was not sure if Anouk could tell she’d been making an assumption and lying, but it would not have mattered when the being was so steamed.
“He is called Karayan… he says he’d heard of our father and because we give loyalty only unto the king… he wished to do the same?” Damara lifted her hands up to her sister in a soothing gesture, but her sister seemed oddly distracted. Damara would have asked a question of it, but Anouk seemed very confused for a moment, her expression changing bizarrely to one of shock before she shook her head roughly. Perhaps some flash of recognition for the name or perhaps not, Damara knew Anouk’s memories were quite damaged these days regarding the time father was still alive… in fact Anouk only ever seemed completely certain of the time their grandfather had been alive and that always left Damara in awe of a man she had never known. “Uh… sister?”
“Come, we’ll discuss it all at home.”
Anouk wiped the white clay from her body and rinsed the salt off her cooling hair, her mind buzzing with questions over what was going on in Virenheim. She was so used to having to defend the rights of foreigners to join the farming gangs, guard and trading posts on the way up to North City or the Eterik Kingdom that a foreigner in the fourth highest position of authority was unusual! Yes, Higatso had been useless and lost his vigour to work decades ago, but the laws had always been so unkind to non-Deep elves that she could not understand this change of heart from the king.
But then again, maybe the combat rules predated King Otzell’s ancient rule on foreigners? It was more similar to a Benaga rule on respecting all opponents anyway and weren’t their family distant kin?
Anouk had only removed herself from the shower in time to throw a robe on before the Dreggs spotted her. The great mastiff-sized reptiles with tiny pig-like eyes on their oval-shaped heads, slimy long striped tongues and skin like armour lunged into her lap with a strange whistling screech of delight to see their master again. Their great nostrils twitched at her playfully as they bowled her to the ground to lick up left-over clay and get some well-earned attention. With teeth like a shark and a scissor bite, an angry Dregg could easily chop a limb off but the Deep Elves had tamed them like dogs and found them all the more emotional and loving for that. They were also at home in darkness and ideal for running the tunnel perimeters and dealing with the worms.
“Catos! Miros! Jube! The three of you hop off and check on Damara! Yes, I know she’s scared I’ll lose my temper and you don’t want me upset… I get it! But go fuss her and let me think about it.” Anouk chuckled at the three yellow beasts. She was very pleased to have kept the line of her grandfather’s strong enough to produce this shade; Dreggs came in five colours that were linked to their abilities and strength and the yellow were pure protection and loyalty. Anouk owned three other colour varieties that the family had bred, pine green hunters, black trackers and her old favourites the red-brown coloured fighters, twice the size of most Dregg and trained to wrestle. She had never indulged in the fifth colour, little pink-white things that were bred to sit on laps and act as surrogate babies!
Currently those other Dreggs in her ownership were not allowed from the kennels due to the rainy season. When rain came down from the Giroff Mountains the Dreggs
were always kennelled up in case they fell into the river, as they had no idea in their heads how to swim! The yellow were the only kind permitted to roam all year round, although they barely left their chosen territories. Anouk was hoping the rain would have cleared before any big party came along and yet now she would have to host the first party of the season thanks to her sister. It also meant she would have to show her best Brown Dreggs’ fighting ability, worse still she’d have to pick a good Dreggling to offer as a gift to the ‘Karayan’ so he could enter his household into the bloodless wrestling matches.
But that was something else entirely; she was sure she’d heard that name before. Every time she thought of it though a dark cloud descended in her mind as if she was not supposed to remember it anymore. It was not the first time that had happened of course, but she hated the frequency of it and her dark dreams were increasing alongside it. Perhaps she should stop trying to remember, what she did recall was always dark, and her body did not assist in keeping such thoughts at bay as her Dregg companions cantered off to the door. If only the great scar across her body that had slashed one nipple in half and left near her death did not keep reminding her how her father had begged for the healers to look after her instead of him, then he would be in her position right now.
Traitor to the King: A Tale of the Benaga Sisters Page 5