by Jack Wright
“Fair enough…” Caesia sighed, making another dent in the arid loaf and continuing with a mouthful of bread. “I must say, this ‘talking with your mouthful’ thing is great, so much more convenient.”
Eris giggled at Caesia’s amazement at such a simple thing. It was baffling to think she had never once talked with her mouth full. It seemed Caesia had her own brand of naivety.
“Well, I think that’s enough of a pick-me-up for now.” Caesia concluded. “I’m sure we can eat properly once we’re out of here.”
Caesia handed the loaf back to Eris and noticed out of the corner of her eye, the skeletons still watching them. She had forgotten completely about them in her fit of etiquette rage. A good thing to, she wasn’t sure if she could have eaten knowing she was being stared at by a horde of undead.
Eris crammed the last chunk of her second carrot into her mouth and gave Caesia a thumbs up of approval.
They stepped through the next archway, Caesia watching cautiously behind them to make sure the skeletons didn’t get the jump on them. The next room was not a room but a large winding stairwell, leading deeper into the tomb.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Eris muttered, not particularly happy about going deeper underground. It was bad enough up here.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Declared Caesia as she sauntered off down the staircase.
Eris watched her wordlessly in surprise at her confidence, before following in tow.
“What has you so confident?” Eris asked with amusement as she caught up with Caesia.
“Not confidence.” Caesia corrected. “Hesitation is pointless, we are long past having any option but forging ahead.”
“Fair enough, but don’t you think we should be a bit more careful?”
Caesia chuckled. The tables had turned, now she was the reckless one. She loved a bit of irony, one of few relatable things she had shared with her mother.
“Every time we’ve been careful, we’ve been attacked by skeletons. Rushing through the place renders said undead obsolete.”
“Why can’t you just use normal words?” Eris chuckled.
“What do you mean, normal words?” Caesia hissed in offense.
“Any normal person would say ‘let’s run past the skeletons so they can’t catch us’.” Eris jeered in a crude imitation of Caesia’s posh accent. “But you just go on like ‘we’ll render them obsolete’ and stuff.”
“Well excuse me for being well educated!” Caesia spat, only half-jokingly. “You’re just jealous of my intellect. I bet you can’t even read!”
“Yes I can!” Eris insisted, placing her hands stroppily on her hips.
“Oh yeah?” Caesia grinned, flinging open her shoulder bag and shoving one of her books into Eris’ face. “Prove it. Read the cover.”
“Okay, that’s unfair.” Eris hissed, batting the book out of her face.
“Ah! So, you admit it! You can’t read it!” Caesia laughed victoriously.
“Of course I can’t read it! We have a different alphabet!”
“Wait, really?” Caesia mumbled, ramming her book back into her bag. “So… you can read, but-”
“I can read Nordic runes, not your stupid, squiggly ‘Elarian common’.” Eris muttered mockingly. “I thought someone as ‘well educated’ as you would know that.”
They stepped off the staircase and into a small, dimly lit room, illuminated only by the torches in the stairwell.
“Hm… well my original point still stands.” Caesia persisted. “Ordinary people…”
She trailed off as two additional shadows crept along the ground beside them. She span around, Eris cluelessly following suit, as two figures faded gradually into view behind them.
They were like humans in shape, yet not so in form. As their chameleonic skin faded to normality, it became a pasty blueish-grey. They shared few human features beyond shape and face, no belly buttons, no fingernails, no nipples, no visible genitalia - instead, their bodies were covered with a plethora of long indigo ridges that ran across their bodies and up their cheeks. They stared cautiously at Eris and Caesia through smoky, pale blue eyes.
Several more of the creatures revealed themselves throughout the room, emerging from their invisibility in the shadows. Agitated, Eris reached quickly for her sword.
Caesia elbowed Eris hard in her sword arm. “Eris, no!” She hissed as Eris sorely rubbed her arm. “They’re not monsters, they’re Ulkari.”
“What’s the difference?” Spat one of the Ulkari, drawing her crude bow. “We’re all animals to your kind.”
“Wait!” Caesia urged panickedly. “We mean no harm!”
“Sure you don’t.” The Ulkar hissed, levelling her bow at Caesia and turning to her companions. “What are we waiting for?”
“Hold on, Alenia.” Insisted another, stepping from the shadows. He was older than the rest, his voice silky and calm. “Let’s just hear them out first.”
“Hear them out?” Alenia sneered. “When did the humans ever give us such a courtesy?”
“And when did the Ulkari sink to their depths?”
Alenia stroppily withdrew her arrow and maintained a spiteful glare at the girls. The other Ulkar stepped forth and sheathed his battered sword.
“I am Katar, leader of this band.” The Ulkar announced calmly. “What business do you have in this tomb, humans?”
Eris, worried she would say something stupid, subtly nudged Caesia. Caesia rolled her eyes and stepped up to meet Katar.
“The city of Jordenholm has been destroyed by a dragon.” Caesia declared, confidently as she could given the circumstances. “We believe it fled into the Valley of Fire.”
“You pursue a dragon?” Katar muttered in disbelief. “You… don’t look the types.”
“They’re lying Katar! It’s obvious!” Hissed another Ulkar. “They’re probably with the Inquisition, gonna gain our trust then butcher us like they did at the Minaachen!”
“Do they look like inquisitors, Eldrin?” Katar sighed. “The Inquisition would never send women, let alone young women.”
“Doesn’t matter who they are, or what they want.” Alenia growled. “They need to be silenced. No human can know of our existence!”
“If what they say is true, then a dragon stalks the Valley. How will we hunt? Where will we find our water?” Katar urged. “Their passage will be of as much benefit to us as to them.”
“If they can even kill it.” Muttered one of the Ulkar. “They don’t look like much.”
“Then let us hope that looks can be deceiving.” Katar sighed. “You have my decision. You may not like it, but that is your problem to bear.”
The rest of the Ulkar muttered and groaned amongst one another and gradually trickled out of the room.
“You’re taking a big fucking risk, Katar.” Alenia hissed as she passed. “It goes wrong, it’s on your head.”
“I understand.” Katar mumbled, watching concernedly as Alenia left.
“Thank you.” Caesia sighed in relief. “I promise, we’ll pass right through, no problems.”
Katar was silent for a time, deep in thought, before turning away from the girls. “Come with me.” He insisted, waving them along as he walked to the next room.
Caesia and Eris followed closely behind. That was a close one, perhaps they should continue being cautious after all.
“You said you hunt in Valley?” Caesia recalled, catching up with Katar.
“We do. It’s the only place we can safely leave the tomb.” Katar sighed. “I can point you there, but you will have to walk the path alone.”
“I understand. You have obligations here.” Caesia sighed. “How is it you got in here? The door was locked when we arrived.”
“We fled into the mountains, found the Valley after a day or so of wandering. We breached the door on that side and made camp in here, where the humans would never find us.”
They stepped through a narrow archway and into another open, pillar-support
ed hall. The room was filled with about ten Ulkar, most of which were eyeing them with suspicious glares. Coffins cluttered the room as improvised tables, the lids covered with a variety of makeshift equipment. There were bows fashioned from branches, ancient swords ripped from burial chambers and cleaned, crude armour fashioned from metal scraps and kitchenware crafted of stone. At the corners of the room were huge piles of decrepit bones, the shattered remains of the skeletons who rose up from the room’s coffins.
“What’re you all doing in here?” Eris asked cluelessly.
Katar glanced at her in confusion and then to Caesia, who herself turned to Eris confusedly.
“You don’t know about… any of this?” Caesia gasped, not having realised the true extent of Eris’ naivety.
“Any of what?” Eris muttered awkwardly. She seemed to have missed something important.
“Abhumans? The Inquisition? The purges?”
“I… I know abhumans. Other races, right? Like these guys?”
Katar smirked painfully. “Or in the eyes of the church, unholy perversions of the human form.”
“Let’s just say humans don’t get along all that well with abhumans, for… religious reasons.” Caesia muttered carefully, not wanting to get too graphic.
“I suppose that’s one way of putting it.” Katar sighed woefully. “We fled here last year from Tryzantopol. Many of our number were massacred as we crossed the Minaachen River, when one of the humans helping us flee alerted the Inquisition of our movements. The water ran red that day with the blood of our brothers and sisters.”
“Why would those people do that?!” Eris gasped in horror. “What did you do to them?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” Caesia smirked. “The answer’s never the same, but it always involves God, heresy and demons.”
Eris was blank with utter confusion. Verdenheld was going around slaughtering these innocent people in the name of their god? It made no sense!
“Enough of this morbidness.” Katar muttered. “Let’s just see about-”
“Katar!” An Ulkar called, approaching hastily. “There’s something you need to see!”
“What is it, Aiduin?” Katar urged concernedly.
Aiduin glanced cautiously at Eris and Caesia. “Not here.”
Katar sighed and turned to the girls. “Would you mind waiting here a moment?”
Eris and Caesia looked at one another for confirmation and nodded intently.
“Thank you. I’ll be right back.”
Katar wandered away to a branching hallway with Aiduin, leaving the girls in the rather poor company of the other Ulkari. Eris slumped onto a battered stone coffin, already twiddling her thumbs impatiently.
“I’ve never been so glad to be human.” Eris sighed. Humans were so inferior to the other races of Elaria, she always thought she’d lost out being one.
“I know, right?” Caesia smirked, perching on the edge of the coffin in an attempt to pick up as little dust as possible. “And you haven’t even seen the half of it…”
Katar stepped through the archway and into the hallway, where Aiduin turned to him hastily.
“It’s another human. She showed up out of nowhere while you were gone, says she came to talk to you.”
“Impossible.” Katar gasped. “How did she know of us?”
“I don’t know, but she asked for you by name.”
Katar was speechless, he didn’t know what to make of this. Those girls mentioned nothing of a third, but it seemed far too coincidental.
“Show me to her.” He muttered, moving further down the corridor with Aiduin in tow.
Aiduin led him to the end of the corridor and into a small burial chamber, long cleaned out by their group. The two Ulkari standing guard stepped aside as Katar entered.
Wandering inquisitively around the room, admiring the intricate murals, was a woman cloaked all in black. She wore a long black robe, peppered with holes and tears and faded by the ages, under which could be seen the rigid shapes of thin armour plating. As she turned to meet Katar, her silky blonde hair drifted aside, revealing a featureless, black arkansteel mask. She stared at Katar through the eye-slits of her mask with burning red eyes.
“You must be Katar.” She smiled behind her sinister mask. “A pleasure.”
“Who are you?” Katar muttered anxiously. “How’d you get in here?”
“Avelin Kharmenia.” She declared darkly. “I believe you know what that means.”
Katar’s cloudy eyes widened at the mention of her name. “K-Kharmenia? Impossible.” He gasped in disbelief.
“Oh, on the contrary.” Kharmenia grinned knowingly. “And you know why I’m here.”
“H-he’s…”
“Oh yes. He has returned… and he requires your services.”
“What does he ask of me?” Katar replied obediently, fearful of what disobedience may cost him.
Her eyes narrowed unnervingly and an invisible smile grew behind her mask, pleased by his submission. “He asks of you a simple task. A pair of girls have come here with the intention to damage his grand plans.”
Katar grew weak at Kharmenia’s words. He knew where the request was leading.
“You will find them. You will prevent them by any means necessary from reaching the Valley of Fire.” Kharmenia commanded with a closed fist. “Your freedom depends on it.”
“With respect, ma’am, do you truly believe a pair of girls to be a threat?”
“One of them has green essence. I don’t know what that means, nor how it has come to be, but I don’t like it.” Kharmenia hissed impatiently. “You have your orders, it’s up to you whether you follow them.”
As Kharmenia waved him off, Katar nodded his head glumly and stepped out of the room along with Aiduin. There was a sudden chaotic flash and explosion of light behind him. He span around to an empty room, Kharmenia nowhere to be seen. With a sigh, he ordered away the Ulkari standing guard with a flick of his wrist and watched as they wandered out of the hallway.
“Are they still here?” Aiduin asked eagerly.
“Yes…” Katar muttered into the palm of his hand.
“Wait, you’re not seriously considering letting them live, are you?” Aiduin hissed. “You heard her-”
“Yes, I did hear her!” Katar spat. “Aiduin, we can’t! They’re just girls!”
“So what? Neia was only six when they took her from me!” Aiduin growled. “They didn’t care, why should we?”
“This is different!”
“If you won’t do it for justice, do it for our people!” Aiduin urged. “Kharmenia said it herself, we stop these girls and that’ll be one step closer to our freedom!”
“If we’re to achieve our freedom through senseless violence, I’d rather be locked in irons for all eternity.” Katar muttered. “This is not the way.”
“Think what you want.” Aiduin spat, shoving Katar aside. “I won’t leave my people to suffer.”
Katar couldn’t let Aiduin do this. It wasn’t just about sparing the innocent, he feared that such an act would lead them down a terrible path. The abhumans didn’t have the power to take on humanity - to join the cause again would be suicide. He would not condemn his people to die.
He grabbed Aiduin by the shoulders and yanked him back, shoving him up against the wall.
“I can’t let you do this, Aiduin!” He warned, hoping dearly that he could talk him down. “Joining him will doom our people!”
“Our people are already doomed!” Aiduin spat, pulling Katar’s hands from his shoulders. “Step aside, Katar.”
“You’ll have to go through me.” Katar muttered grimly.
Aiduin shoved Katar back against the opposite wall and swung for his head. Katar dodged below the fist and jabbed Aiduin’s stomach, winding him. As Aiduin wheezed the air from his lungs, Katar grabbed him by the arms and flung him to the ground.
“Your mad, Katar!” Aiduin gasped as he hit the floor.
As Katar drew close, Aiduin kick
ed out and battered Katar’s leg out from beneath him. Katar fell to one knee and Aiduin rolled up from his back. He swung again at Katar, who grabbed his wrist and threw himself over Aiduin, pinning his arm to the ground. As Aiduin kicked violently beneath Katar’s weight, Katar’s hand swept across the dusty floor in search.
“I’m sorry, Aiduin.” Katar sobbed, grasping an eroded chunk of stone in his hand and raising it over his head. “This is for the good of our people.”
Katar brought down the stone and smashed it into Aiduin's forehead. His head slammed into the cold ground with a brittle crack and a blood spewed from his forehead and spattered Katar’s face. Aiduin managed a desperate whimper before the stone came down again. Aiduin’s arms slumped to the ground. He lay unconscious and bloodied, an oozing dent in his head.
Katar rose grimly from the ground, casting the dripping stone aside. He lifted his trembling, blood soaked hands to his face and shuddered.
“What have I done?” He mumbled, watching in shame as Aiduin’s blood trickled down his arms.
He gazed down at his motionless companion, unsure if he was alive or dead. Katar couldn’t afford for him to live, he could not be allowed speak of his defiance. Katar drew his rusted, ancient blade from its battered old sheath. He knew what he had to do.
“Alright… truth!” Eris declared confidently.
“What’s your favourite colour?”
“No, no, you’re doing it wrong!” Eris hissed. “You gotta ask something juicy, you know, something personal.”
“That seems a bit invasive.” Caesia muttered.
“That’s the idea. You gotta break the opponent ‘fore they break you!”
“Okay… you ever shit yourself?”
Eris made a nasally snigger, caught completely off guard. “No, but good question. Now you - truth or dare?”
“Truth. There’s no way I’m receiving a dare from you of all people.”
“Smart girl. You don’t wanna be on the receiving end of one of my dares.” Eris grinned cheekily. “What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?”
