Flame Soul

by Sandler L Bryson

  Those words hurt Kasim as much as any knife would. Oma was the Naban Orisha of health. He was also the Orisha of sickness and plague. He was a fickle god. When one was healthy it was said Oma was satisfied with that person. If a person became ill it was said that person had somehow earned Oma’s disfavor. In order to regain Oma’s favor the person needed to rest and offer prayers to abate the deity’s ire. When a child was born sickly it was believed that for whatever reason the child was born with Oma’s Curse.

  Kasim was born a sickly child. He had continued to be illness prone until his teen years. He was always given to diseases and maladies of various sorts. Even now Kasim’s face and skin was covered in a mass of scars, keloids, and pockmarks; unsightly remnants of a skin disease he had overcome years ago. While the disease had not made him an outcast the other tribesmen often minimized contact with him. Although accepting of him they never really interacted with him except when necessary. For example, despite his strong and lithe body Kasim was all too aware of the fact that girls his age had never talked about him with the whispered passions that the other boys received. Instead they eyed him with emotions ranging from pity to digust. It was partially his status as a semi pariah that had made him such a good student of both the arts of war his parents had taught him and the spiritual instructions Yobachi had offered.

  “When you were born I should have put you out of your misery!” His father shouted. “Then killed your mother for giving me such a worthless progeny!”

  The words sent a lightning bolt of rage through Kasim’s heart. There was a loud clang as Kasim deflected an overhand swing. Kasim darted forward swinging his blade at his father’s torso. The older man jumped back inches from being gutted.

  Kasim crouched into a battle stance. He held his blade in front of him.

  “Okay creature who are you? I know my father. You may look like him but you are not him!” Kasim said. He looked into his opponent’s bloodshot eyes as he spoke. “My father was an honorable man! A true warrior of the Naban! He loved my mother with all of his heart. He would never disrespect her or me! So who the hell are you?”

  Kasim watched as first the flesh on his attacker’s face and then the flesh on his whole body shifted and rippled like rolling water in a pond. The man’s skin sizzled and melted like butter on a hot skillet before reforming itself. The beasts that stood before him looked nothing like his father. Gone was the creature’s human guise.

  Where once had stood his father there was a creature that looked to belong firmly in the nether realms. The creature was man-sized and anthropomorphic but there any resemblance to humanity ended. The monster’s skin was a sickly greenish-brown in color. The skin had a rotted appearance. Small fluorescent red worms that might have been some form of maggots crawled in a chaotic mass to and fro across the monster’s flesh. In place of arms the creature had two long tentacles like those of an octopus. The suckers on the appendages dripped with a thick gooey saliva. Instead of hands the tentacles ended in two hook-shaped claws the nails of which were a dull yellow like old bone. One of the bone claws, the one on the monster’s right hand was attached to a scimitar.

  The lower body of his opponent resembled that of a goat including cloven hooves for feet. Kinky black fur covered the lower body. The coarse dark hair was also infested with the same crimson worms. The demon had a tail like that of an alligator. The tail stayed in a state of constant motion swinging from left to right and back again.

  The most aberrant aspect of the monster was its head. The bullet-shaped head was apelike in appearance. Two gigantic cavity filled tusks protruded from the beast’s lower jaw, but the face of the creature was what Kasim found the most disturbing. The face like the rest of the head was simian in design but had a chubby and childlike (almost cherubic) quality to it. The creature’s eyes were bright blue like polished sapphires. The azure orbs twinkled with bemused malice that betrayed its childish visage.

  “Die huuumannn!” the monster said, it’s voice guttural and raspy.

  The monster lunged forward and swung its blade at Kasim. Kasim blocked the blow then darted forward aiming his own blade at the creature’s midsection. The creature jumped backwards dodging the blow.

  “Killll! Humaaan!” The demon cried.

  Kasim’s rage burned away any sense of fear he felt at the loathsome beast. He raised his scimitar and sprang forward like a striking cobra. The demon raised his own weapon and parried the blow with a loud clang!

  At the same time the monster swung its reptilian tail around to smash it into Kasim’s torso. The force of the impact sent Kasim sailing backwards. A lesser man would have been knocked unconscious by the blow but though he had not yet taken his test of manhood Kasim was a warrior of the Naban and no ordinary man. Though winded by the attack Kasim’s combat instincts were in full effect. Rather than resist the hit Kasim rolled with the impact. He landed flat on his back and allowed the force of the tail-strike to help him perform a backflip and jump to his feet.

  Kasim’s eyes faded from brown to smoky white as he felt the force of his element filling him. He darted forward with the grace of a leaping panther. The demon lashed its tail at him. This time Kasim was prepared. He ducked just as the monster swung. The tail sailed harmlessly over his head. As soon as the tail passed over Kasim struck. He swung at the tail with all his might. The blade bit deep into the reptilian hide and cut through the monster’s flesh as easy as a knife through marinated pork. The demon gave a howl of pain as its tail fell to the ground flopping and thrashing like a beheaded snake.

  “Kill! Youuu!” The demon howled.

  The monster charged at him. Rage appeared to fill the demon’s mind as it attacked. The demon growled like a wounded bear as it gave a wild swing. Kasim raised his own scimitar to easily parry the blow. Where the demon’s mind was filled with anger Kasim’s was in a nigh emotionless state. He was fully aware of his actions and his surroundings but his mind rested partially in the spirit realm now. It was a dreamlike state in which the soul of his ancestors spoke to him as he fought.

  The image of his father was looked at him now. Though it was hazy and translucent, Kasim recognized his father’s visage.

  “Baba!” Kasim said.

  His father was younger than he had appeared when he was slain. When spirits manifested to him, which was rare and had only occurred a few times in his life, they appeared as they had been when they were at the height of their maturity—that middle point in life when they still had the vitality of youth but the wisdom of age. Whether this was because spirits were truly ageless or simply because this was a time of fond memories for most people Kasim did not know.

  Look out son! Duck!

  Kasim heard his father’s shouted warning as a whisper in his mind. He obeyed and dropped his head just as the hooked claw of the demon’s left tentacle swept overhead.

  A hazy image of his mother appeared beside that of his father.

  Strike now! His mother shouted.

  Kasim grunted as he sprang forward. He turned his right hand with the palm facing upwards and swung his scimitar in a backhanded motion. There was no sound as the razor-sharp blade bit deep into the demon’s torso. The blade cut its way through from right shoulder to left hip.

  The demon gave a screech that sounded like a wounded bird.

  Cover your eyes, Mpwa! A voice shouted in his head.

  Kasim did not see the speaker but recognized the voice of his mentor Yobachi. Also the speaker had used the term mpwa (‘nephew’) which was his teacher’s nickname for him.

  Kasim shielded his face just as a geyser of green blood shot out of the demon’s wound. Kasim heard a hiss and felt his flesh burn wherever the glop touched. If he had not shielded his eyes he would have been blinded.

  Run Kasim! His mother shouted.

  Find cover boy! Echoed his father.

  Kasim saw that the demon had fallen to the ground. The monster’s body was trembling. A rumble like a volcano was coming from the shaking form.

&nbs
p; Mpwa! Go! Now! Yobachi yelled.

  Kasim turned and ran for the only shelter he saw: the other side of the altar.

  GET DOWN! All three voices shout.

  Kasim dropped to the ground behind the altar. The power of their voices crying out in unison caused a wave of vertigo to course through him. Kasim blinked as everything seemed to be spinning.

  No need to yell I am going to fall (and perhaps puke) anyway, Kasim thought.

  Kasim hit the round just in time. The demon exploded in a loud clap that sounded like thunder. The ground shook from the explosion. A wave of green sludge covered everything like a tidal wave. He heard stones sizzle wherever the slime touched. Kasim cradled himself against the far side of the altar. He curled into a ball with his hands locked together behind his head. He bent his torso bent forward between his legs. How long he stayed this way he was unsure. The sound of clapping and three voices laughing drew his attention.

  One voice was female and her laughter was a maniacal sounding cackle. The other voice appeared to be male, boasting a deep throaty chuckle. The last voice sounded like a baby’s. That laughter was a giggle of innocent delight.

  What is a child doing in this place? Kasim thought.

  The warrior looked up to see his new audience and nearly fainted. If the first monster he had seen was aberrant. The creature before him now was pure anathema to existence as he knew it.

  The monster (or demon rather for monster was too tame a word to describe the abomination in front of him) was huge standing easily as tall as a fully grown male elephant. The upper body of the creature was oval-shaped like that of cobra but while snake shaped was humanoid in design. The demon had pale, almost milky white, skin. The creature had well-sculpted muscles. The left half of the creature’s torso was male and was barrel chested above the demon’s chiseled abdominal muscles. The right half of the creature was female. A supple swollen breast rested above the stomach. The creature had eight arms—four on each side that ended in clawed human hands. The arms were all human looking except for the fourth arm on each side which ended in claws like that of a giant scorpion.

  As Kasim looked he noticed that the creature had a giant humped shell on its back. The shell was a swirling gray-white in color and looked like the shell of a snail. A pair of giant butterfly like wings rested on either side of the shell. The wings were beautiful. Their ephemeral splendor sparkled and shimmered in the sun. Bright blue circles with black dots in the center covered the shimmery wings, creating patterns resembling myriad tiny eyes that seemed to stare out at the observer.

  Perhaps they really are eyes Kasim thought. For a moment he thought he saw one of them blink or perhaps it was just a trick of the light.

  The bottom half of the demon resembled a green-scaled snake with black diamond patterns on it. The demon’s tail was pale-white and segmented. The creature rapidly shook its tail, creating a noise like a child’s rattle. The head of the monster was neckless and attached to the beast’s ovoid body in an arrow shape similar to a snakes head, but while the head was snakelike in shape it was covered in tarantula hair and had a spidery visage. Eight beady black eyes stared out at him. The demon’s emotions were hidden in their Stygian depths. The creature’s mouth had two giant fangs that dripped saliva. It was out of the demon’s mouth that Kasim saw the beings who spoke to him. The demon had a gigantic three-pronged tongue like a trident and at the end of each of the tongue tips was attached a malformed human head.

  The left head was that of a man, his features ill-proportioned and deformed. His left eye was bright blue and at least two or three inches above the dark brown right eye. The head was bald with ears easily as disproportionate in placement as the eyes, giving the man’s entire visage a lopsided appearance. A broad nose that looked like it had been smashed flat rested in a fleshy hump in the middle of the man’s face. The mouth was thick-lipped, and instead of being under the nose, it sat on the man’s left cheek. The mouth was open in a wide grin, and Kasim noticed what few teeth the head had were small like baby teeth and yellow with rot.

  The right head of the demon was female and resembled that of an old crone. She had long, dark, oily hair streaked with gray. Her eyes appeared to be partially filled with cataracts, pus seeping from them. The crone had a large hook-shaped nose with a giant wart on the left side—a wart so bit it almost looked like a second nose. She was smiling at him, and Kasim saw that her teeth were rotten and appeared to have been shoved in her mouth in a jumbled, decayed mess.

  The third head rested on the middle prong of the tongue. It was that of a child no more than a year old. Like the rest of the heads, it was malformed. Instead of being the visage of a healthy baby, however, the entire head had a swollen and sickly look to it. The face seemed to be filled with excess fluid, and the head looked like it might pop if someone touched it too hard. The puffy eyes of the infant were nearly swollen shut. If the creature was in any pain, however, it did not show for the baby’s lips were open wide in a puffy toothless grin.

  A clear viscous liquid coated all three heads.

  Kasim’s grip tightened on his scimitar. He rose to his feet as he faced the creature that towered over him. Though afraid he was determined not to let his fear show. If he was going to die he would die fighting. He would die in bravery and rage doing all he could to take his opponent with him.

  “Come demon! My blade has tasted the flesh of your kin! If you want to give my blade another meal I will be happy to feed it!

  Kasim raised his scimitar for emphasis.

  “Well, you are a fiery one are you not?” The male head said.

  “Impetuous he is,” the female head chimed in. “Full of vinegar and grit! We likes him!”

  The child head giggled.

  “Demon did you come to try to claim me or banter?” Kasim asked as he stepped back, putting himself in a more defensive position. “Either way let’s get on with it!”

  The monster’s three heads burst out laughing: the crone in a maniacal cackle, the male head in a burst of deep throaty guffaws, and the child head in a string of high pitched squeals. There was another sound also. A steady rubbing sound not too dissimilar to the sound of a guiro being played. It took Kasim a moment to realize it was coming from the larger tarantula-snake head that housing the other heads. It was laughter. The monster was laughing at him.

  The sound of all the heads laughing, mixed with the rattling of the tail, the swaying of the giant cobra shaped body, the blinking black spidery eyes, and the shimmering wings all flowed together to create a kind of mesmerizing miasma that assaulted the senses. Kasim watched in a state that fluctuated between anger, fear, and amazement at the creature before him. How long he would have stayed that way Kasim did not know. It was the demon itself that broke the spell. The Hag Head was the first to speak. The others followed suit:

  Hag Head: “No need for anger have ye.

  Baby Hood: GA!

  Male Head: “Yes. It was you who called upon us. You came seeking the aid of the Nguvu Ya Kale.”

  Hag Head: “Ye came seeking the one called Ya-Sudala in particular ye did!”

  Male Head: “You sought us in your mind and your heart. We have come.”

  Baby Head: Giggles

  Hag Head: “Aye, Ya-Sudala came! Came to aid ye like ye wanted we have!”

  Baby Head: Ya! Ga! (Giggles)

  Male Head: So tell us boy! Why have you come to seek our help?”

  Hag Head: “Yes speak and tell, tell and speak! Always eager to help humans Ya-Sudala is!”

  Baby Head: (Excited Gibberish)

  The heads on the end of the tongue moved up and down as they spoke further adding to Ya-Sudala’s mesmerizing effect.

  Kasim blinked and turned slightly away as he spoke.

  “So you are the one of legend? The Ancient One called Ya-Sudala who aided humans against his brethren?”

  Again all four heads laughed before speaking.

  Hag Head: “Ya-Sudala I am! Ya-Sudala we are!”

  B
aby Head: (Giggles)

  Male Head: “Ya-Sudala is one of our names. The name given to us by your people (your tribe) but in other lands, other tribes, in other realities we are called differently.”

  Hag Head: “Aye, many names we have! As many names ye would find trees in the jungle or grains of sand on the beach; more names than the sky has stars for names come and go but the YA is eternal!”

  All the heads laughed at this. What the hag meant by this Kasim did not know nor did he care. He had sought the Nguvu Ya Kale out for the power they offered. Their motives and reasons for helping were beyond his concern.

  “I have come to make a bargain? To seek the power to master magic that only you can offer,” Kasim said.

  Baby Head gave a loud cry of excitement. Ya-Sudala slithered closer. The demon’s tail rattled in rapid succession like a child playing with a toy. The blue speckled wings fluttered. The eyes on them seem to be winking at him.

  Hag Head: “OH! It is understanding of magic ye seek! Power give ye we can!”

  The Hag smiled.

  Male Head: “We sense something rare in you? You are born to magic…spirit magic—a rare thing.”

  Hag Head: “Spirit magic! A rare thing indeed it is, precious like a polished stone.”

  Baby Head: (Gibberish)

  “I have been told your kind can unlock powers of magic,” Kasim said.

  He lowered but did not sheathe his weapon as he stepped closer to Ya-Sudala.

  “I have need to master magic. I need it to help me conquer my enemies who slaughtered my tribe. What must I do to gain your aid? What offer will you take in return for aiding me? My soul?”

  The cobra head of Ya-Sudala answered with its guiro like laughter. The rattling tail increased in pace. Besides the main head none of the other ones laughed. The male head spoke first.

  Male Head: “Bah! Every time humans come to make a deal you think it is your soul we want. If I may say so this is an incredible narcissistic paradigm.”

  Hag Head: “Think to highly of yourselves ye do! What be a soul to beings who live forever? What be a human soul to Ya-Sudala? Not much more than a desert pebble. Nay, even less.”