Of Ancient Passages: Chapter 25: The Rape of D'ereen

Tsuk looks to D’ereen. “D’ereen! Hey!”

She crunches a head with her fangs. A single cry of pain and the deed is done. Blood drips down her chin. Growling she proclaims her victim. Attention caught she looks to Tsuk.

“Get inside. Find The Mace. We can handle the rest.”

Hearing him, she sets toward the door. Shifting as she runs. Bows taut, ducking, arrows zoom over her head. In one motion the key pulls away and the door slams behind her. The loud boom echoes through the tower.

Darkness fingers her mind, hyperventilation sets heavy. It takes more than a moment to recover. D’ereen has no time to rest. Every second ticks away. The noise of her feet is the only constant.

Candles light themselves down the hallway. Flickering to life with unparalleled ease. A questionable shade is cast in an unusual shape. Carefully she approaches. Ready, she jumps out, to confirm, or turn away any questions.

The statue gives her a short burst of laughter. The shadows have made her drunk. The image is of a strange insect. In fact, that seems to be the running theme on all the walls and décor. The images tell a tale.

They tell a story of a race older than even the Ancients. An empire that stretches far beyond records. That stretches back into the bowls of the Universe. A blazing dragon crashes down. Out of the mouth come these creatures.


The empire makes this land their home. Odd, no mention is ever whispered about this, not in any historic manuscript. The images show their race dying to an unknown disease. From here, the wall is scrubbed clean. Whatever happened the crisis seems to have been too terrible to let be.

A door is the only way forward. The shape is chiseled into an open mouth. The eyes stare at her approach. A vivid green glow is produced in them. Squirming squishing noise comes from the mouth.

An amorphous tongue wriggles out. It drips pink plasmic goo. A face forms at the tip, undeveloped, with tricky human features. D’ereen has to resist the urge to puke it does not help. The contents splatter on the stone. The face repeats this act, considering it an appropriate way of welcome.

Its voice is clogged but friendly. “Do not come any farther, this way lies distress and pain.”

Her horripilar will not play on her now. “I cannot.”

“If you leave now you can save them.

Something seems to push her away. “I…I….”

Its voice grows quaint, sympathetic. “I know. I know. Althusbane will remain. There is someone…Sol being killed. Hurry!”

The push is stronger. “No! That is not true!”

Its voice is a kind of whisper. “There is so much blood D’ereen. So much.”

She shudders at the mention of her name. “You’re a liar!” The tears run down.

It frowns. “You would let him die?” The whispering tone cracks and it seems to shout and whisper all at once. “You bitch! He is dying!”

D’ereen clutches at her head. “Not true. Not true. Not true.” Tears run faster. “I will not believe you!”

It rains away. The door rises up. A fog blankets the way forward. It is still a single direction. At least she still has that.
“It was a trick. It wanted me to go away. It would have told me anything.” She sniffles. “It was only a defensive measure. Yes, that’s all.” Her laughter was intended to be calming it only comes out hysterical. “I must….” D’ereen’s thoughts are blank. “What was I doing? I…I…ummmmm. I have to keep looking. What for? What am I looking for?”

Beneath the fog, she trips on something. Her feet take a wrong step and she does not recover. Something inhibits her from falling. It helps her up. Steady and stable she finds an answer.

“Careful love.” Comes a smart and easy swept smile.

Head is fuzzy. “Who are you?”

He looks at her with worrying eyes. “I am your husband.”

The fog clears revealing a cozy bedroom. “Where am I?”

“Are you feeling ok?”

“I do not know. I just keep seeing blue.”

“Weird.”

Her slate is very empty. That color keeps nagging at her. Why that color?  Why blue? “I feel like I have something important to do.”

He sits on the bed. “Remember to get some cereal when you go shopping. We are out. Other than that I do not think there is nothing.”

“Nothing.” She repeats.

“I am so sorry you feel as if you have to remember something.”

“You’re not telling me something.”

He grasps her hand. “What do I have to hide from you?”

“I was with…someone…someone important.”

“Someone more important than me?”

“I…need to remember…it is important.”

He kisses her hand. “Shhh, it is all in your head, that’s all. It doesn’t matter.”

“All in my head.” D’ereen repeats it. Something feels off, unsettling.

He looks into her eyes. “I love you, won’t you love me back. It is either this imaginary person or me. Love me as I love you. Understand and love me.”

He kisses her. She searches deeper hoping to find it. It all seems foolish. Why should she keep searching, there is no point. D’ereen kisses him back.

The smile on his face is reproachful. “What’s this?” He holds the bell in his fingers. Shaking it, no ring comes. “It is broken. I will get you a new one.”

She backs away. Purple eyes fill with knowing. “His name is Sol.” D’ereen Hamala screams.

Everything disappears back into fog. As if, it was all made material by it. Shaking she continues. Fright catches up with her. Hugging the wall D’ereen catches her breath. The sobs are loud and near hysterical.

***

Alunda rushes through the trees hot on the trail. Everything blurs past. His focus is on one thing now and nothing will keep him from it. Shentra stands in the clearing waiting. Leaning on his staff, walking, he catches his breath.

“I have been waiting for this.” She says.

“I know Shentra as have I.”

“Have you come to stop me?”

He nods. “Yes.”

“This I cannot allow.”

Gold bulbs come sizzling towards him. Dropping his staff, he sends them away. Grabbing the staff, it is in his hands. Black disks with red outlines are thrown to him. Moving he avoids them.

“Damn you.” She shouts.

Lightning sparks out of her wand. Alunda catches it with his staff. The cord remains unbroken. Fighting, each tries desperately to keep it taut. Shentra disables the connection.

Spells run out of Alunda’s staff. A wall of skulls rises blocking the way. Reaching for the boulders behind her, they begin to lift up with telekinetic ability. They go barreling forward. There is trouble missing them but he keeps moving, driving closer and closer to her. A tunnel of flames bursts from her mouth.

Alunda jumps, sluggishly. He pats his pants out they sing. “You ungrateful child! You should have stayed. We could have worked things out. But you had to run away. Now look at us. I am the good guy and now you are the bad one.”

“I am not bad. I just want you to pay! I want all wizards to pay!”

“We have payed. We are exiles. It is your fault. It all started because of you.”

“Do you expect me to sympathize?”

“I expect you to feel something.”

“I do feel something. Rage.” Pink triangular shapes ram forward.

He is too slow. It explodes. A small barrier is erected around him. Catching the blast, it spreads into deep red. Straining Alunda holds it in place until it disperses.

Shentra pulls a small cylinder from her cloak. Smashing it down glass sprays and red flashes. Bags of rotting flesh rise up out of the ground.  Horrid crooked teeth gnaw. Bones crack as they move.

“You have learned to summon the dead?”

“I have. What will you do now?”

Alunda’s eyes start to spin. They swirl away like an undertow. As the spinning stops, a new change shows how unbelievable they are. Hex symbols have replaced the regularity of their appearance. Shentra’s face twists with confusion.

“What is this?”

“I am not going to let you get away!”

His vision focuses on a tree magic works its hand. It starts to move and uproot. Rising it lifts up. Stretching grunts are shouted from empty mouths. Roots pummel the zombies back into the earth.  Shentra moves back, mouth open.

He is breathing heavy. “You betrayed me. You left me to die!” A branch swoops down, picking him up.

“You fool! What do you think I was doing all this time? I have been looking for something. It has not been easy.”

A shrill roar pierces his thoughts. An ancient beast soars forward. It vomits fire. With easy elegancy, it lands near Shentra. Extreme intelligence is in those eyes, contemplating, assessing.  

Alunda nearly falls over, shocked. “What! A dragon? Imposssibblle.”

“We have an arrangement.” Shentra climbs on.

“For now, girl!” Comes a low snarling reply. “I will enjoy the roasting!”

Springing up it jumps onto the tree. Alunda is nearly sent falling. Deep breaths of fire catch the tree alight. Brawny limbs smash into the dragon. It opens its throat again, ready to belch flames. A large reservoir of water is forced out of the tree into the dragon’s mouth. Flying away it coughs wetly.

“Trees! I hate them so!” The dragon moans.


***

Sol’s healing has decreased, just like Morzak. Their arms are sore from continues strikes. The scythe shakes in his hand, bringing it up, wounds drip. Sol’s arms are too heavy to lift the katana. Blood cakes on both of them. They both bring their weapon up for one final blow; it is no use, falling to the ground exhaustion sets. Their breathing is heavy. They sleep.

Tsuk stands over Morzak, revenge in his eyes. Bringing the sword up he cuts down. Stopping short he looks to Sol. He cannot let him go unattended. Tsuk drags Sol away, pulling out medical supplies.

***

D’ereen moves through the corridor determined to persevere. It opens into a small room. A bulky figure stands in the middle. Its back is to her. Defensively she moves forward, the person turn around. Four heads look at her.

The left head sneers. “Hello darlings, you always were a pitiful child, denying your instincts. You make me sick. You were not meant for the life of a Hamala.”

“M-mother?” D’ereen stutters.

“Yes you little bitch. You left me without any reason. What an ungrateful child I made.”

“No reason? You beat me, tortured me. You made me hate myself. You made me into a killer.”

“You are weak! I should have killed you as a child. You will be just like me!”

“You are polluted. I will NEVER be like you!”

“We will see.” Her mother’s head disappears.

The heads of Susan and Stephain speak. “How could you kill us?”

She collapses to her knees. “I didn’t…mean to. My instincts were so strong, so hard to resist. I could not control myself.” Tears run down. “I never wanted to do it. You people were so good to me. You were as my mother and father. I will not ask for your forgiveness…I have so much to forgive myself for.” She is shaking.
“How could you not control it?” Stephain asks.

“It was too strong. It was my nature maturing to be a killer. Which…I did become. You were the first to be so kind to me.” Her hand clamps over her eyes. “Which I returned in death.” Sobbing the images dance in her head. “I can never forget. I have to live with what I have done.” Taking her hand away, she looks back to them. “It is my curse. I will not ask your forgiveness because I cannot forgive myself.”

They speak together. “Oh my dear. You may not ask for it but you have it. We love you. We always will.”

“Thank you.” It sounds so simple and sound. Her sobs are less wan and happier. There is an explosive mix of sorrow, regret and hope.

“Goodbye.” Their heads disappear too.

Now there is one. The face of a small child. She has a fearful nearly broken demeanor. There is a brittle, quibber in her lip; as if at any moment, she may break down. “You destroyed my heart once and found it again. Keep it and do not stray. I am glad of the person I become. Keep my heart safe.” The last head disappears.

The body jolts. Moments of pain seem to slash through it, sending it running through the last door. It makes her jump. The achievement weighs her with readiness but not preparation. The door waits for her. Will this be it?

It is cracked. Steadying her hand, she pushes it open. A strange dread fills her up. It is nearly overpowering. For a moment, she does not know if she can stand.

The body is bent low. It seizures. A new head pops up. Slow grizzly breaths roll out of it. With a low grunt it stands. The back of this new person is to her. Who is it?

D’ereen wipes the tears out of her eyes. “Shade or ghost please do not chill me anymore. Let us be done with this.”

Its voice is cold, unique and rigid. “You do not know me.”

“Then what illusion is this?”

“I am your future.”

D’ereen inches forward. “Who are you?”

It turns around. Two faces are joined together fighting for survival. Sol’s face sticks out first his eye dripping magma. The other face is hard, rough, experienced. Something about it is dreadful, infused with terrible paradox.

“I have many names.”

The unique voice rings clear in her head. D’ereen backs away. “Why…why…why do you sound like me?”

It moves with quick jerky steps. “My name is Zaladen.”

Purple eyes spread wide. This gives burst to a frantic jibber. “No. No! No. Why…why do you sound like me?”

It sticks a hand down its throat. The jaw rips. D’ereen jumps looking away in pure disillusion. The esophagus ruptures. With a rough slink, the hand pulls out Althusbane. Teeth jerk out hitting the floor like marbles.

Unable to look away a spastic shake rises over her. D’ereen’s faculties blink. Running she makes it to the previous room. Her legs give out beneath her. It is coming for her at full speed, weapon held for one fatal blow. Screams rush out of her lips.

A series of screams continue regardless of her will. He is so close, presence near to suffocate. Her body wraps up on the cold floor, fingers press over her eyes. D’ereen cannot make herself look away. Althusbane rushes down. She waits for the killing pain.

***

Alunda lies on the ground. The tree is burning away. The dragon jeers at it, victorious. Shentra walks over to him. Her smile is elated.

Shentra stands over him. Electricity curdles in her palm. “Time to die!”

One of his eyes peaks open. “I have one last thing to say.”

“Go ahead. Say your peace before you die.”

He laughs. “I…I have always…always loved you. I still love you. I just never had the opportunity to tell you. I guess the reason I have been angry with you is because you left me. You left me and there was nothing I could do about it. I had lost you. You abandoned me. I never wanted to lose you. But you never loved me. You blamed me for his death. I had every intention of letting that beast kill me.”

“You fool!” The words are cold.

“You’re going to kill me now.” There is no more fight in his words only acceptance. Alunda’s eyes close.

Electricity surges in her hand. It dies away with resolution. Her lips meet his. The kiss is received with a passionate heart. Alunda’s eyes open. He puts his arms around her.

“Alunda I have loved you since I was sixteen. I have always…always loved you. I still love you. I just never had the opportunity to tell you.”

***

Zaladen is frozen in midstride, looking up she fears to move. Now it seems little more than a statue. The same one she saw before. Carefully she moves out of the strike range. As she does so, Althusbane slackens out of its grip and falls to the floor.

It takes her more than a few moments to master the courage to grab it. It takes both hands to move. It is heavier than it looks, much heavier. Slowly she walks it out to the exit. A sense of accomplishment is in her every step.