by RG Long
This was a trick he had felt could be taught to two of his followers without fear of them understanding the stones better. They were blues, blues like he was. Cut and Trak were their names. They had been with him since the jungles of the south and had continued to follow him. Unlike the unlucky ones who had been standing close to him during the assault of the beasts, they had survived. They were strong.
Snart showed them how to think of heat instead of blending in and becoming invisible. With only a little practice, they managed to make warmth come from their rimstones, which allowed them to move faster than their colder brethren. They had created enough for themselves that they could move about the congregation, stirring the others on to search deeper into the caves.
Cut was the first to spot tracks that did not belong to them. These tracks were similar markings to their own. One difference stood out, however. Where the Veiled Ones had long slender toes and claws, these appeared to be more webbed and padded.
There was a chattering from below that Snart had begun to distinguish from the deep silence in the cave. They had followed water in order to sustain themselves.
Perhaps when they found where this water pooled, they would find the Webbed Ones, as Cut had referred to them already. Snart told his congregation to be ready. They all got their spears out and used their stones to conceal them as best they could.
“Tracks go thissss way, way,” said Cut. He pointed to a path that meandered down towards more darkness. Snart had felt like he had been able to light up the cave until this point. He didn’t want to give their presence away before he had to. He also felt it was right, as the leader, to appoint scouts who would go down ahead of them.
“You three, three,” he said pointing at a cluster of orange lizards. “Go down front, front.”
They appeared like they wanted to protest. With a flinch of his clawed hand however, Snart made a ball of the cutting light appear in his hand.
“Now, now.“
These three lizards had seen what he had done to the other with this light. Snart guessed they enjoyed having their bodies whole, because they turned to walk down the dark passage.
They didn’t have to wait long for the three lizards to come back with a full report. There were definitely signs of a large group of creatures living alongside an underground lake.
The three unfortunate scouts had not gotten close enough to see more clearly how many there were or what this community was comprised of exactly. What they did tell Snart over and over again in great detail, was the fact that the lake was huge. Larger than any body of water they had ever seen before above ground.
This should have worried Snart. Such a large body of water underneath the mountains of Ladis could hold all manner of beasts. Instead of worrying him, however, he found himself thrilled.
What if he could control them? What if he could command them as their leader? Could there potentially be hundreds of reptiles whom he could call forth underneath his banner?
“New three,“ he said. “Come come. Show me the way. You there.“
He motioned to a quarter of those he called his subjects. A few dozens.
“Follow follow.“
Remembering his terrifying light and the way he had severed a lizard in half with only his hand, they followed.
The three scouts led them down a meandering path. It brought them to the lake which was, surprisingly to Snart, illuminated by massive rimstones lodged in the cavern ceiling. And here the blue glow filled the area. And the scouts were right.
The biggest body of water other than the big sea lay before them. Its depths were still and cold. Snart found himself shuttering at the thought of getting close to it and made his rimstone grow warmer.
“Down, down,“ he commanded. Several of his lizards, those who feared him the most, began to make their way down the path towards the glowing points of light down below.
All along the edges of the lake, smaller points of glowing rimstone illuminated caverns and what Snart assumed must be the dwelling places of those who lived in the deep. He continued to poke and prod those in front of him with a spear until they had walked up to the closest dwelling.
The sound of webbed feet running off down a path that connected to this one had Snart turn his head. He could hear the sounds of movement, but couldn’t see anything. He made sure that he didn’t show any fear. Whoever these creatures were, they would not scare him. He was the boss, boss.
The cave had stalactites and stalagmites that reached up so high in each direction that Snart was sure one touched both the ceiling and the floor. They were as thick around as any tree and surely helped support the massive cave ceiling that was above them.
He put his hand on one as he passed by. Something sticky and slimy came off onto his claws. He examined the goo for just a moment before slinging it off his hand. It was clear and runny.
Looking around the paths that lay before him, Snart saw one that passed by every dwelling that surrounded the lake. By each one, there was a small rimstone light. Further along, there was one dwelling that was encircled by the stones and seemed to be much higher than the others, though it was hard for Snart to tell from this distance.
He purposed to walk straight to that glowing circle of stones and speak with whatever tribe ruler these creatures had.
And to find out what these creatures even were.
“Stopping,” a harsh, wet voice said right in front of Snart. The noise of caught him off guard, but he did not flinch cowardly. He had expected some type of greeting party.
“Take me to your boss, boss,“ Snart said to the darkness. His claws gripped his spear tightly, ready to lash out if the need arose.
In front of him there materialized a creature that looked similar to them, and yet there were very significant differences.
Standing with a stone-tipped spear was a Veiled One with large eyes, a clear bulbous sack under its mouth, and what Snart only knew to describe as scales covering its entire body. A simple rope held a skin that covered its loins. Those were its only clothes.
“Taking you to Great One,“ the creature said, its spear still pointed threateningly at Snart. “Coming with us.“
“Us, us“? Snart asked looking around. He saw no other creatures like the one in front of him. And then suddenly, out of the darkness, several creatures resembling the first began to materialize. Forty or fifty of the creatures with stone-tipped spears and large eyes, all staring and pointing their weapons at Snart.
“Coming with us,” the first creature said again, a sinister-looking grin crossing his face.
Snart resisted the urge to make a show of power here. Whoever this Great One was, he would wait to reveal his tricks when he was in front of it.
“We will follow, follow,” he said.
The creature looked visibly relieved as it turned to lead them down the path. Snart kept a tight grip on his spear and, with a look, made sure those who had accompanied him did the same.
Walking down the path, Snart felt the stares of all of these odd creatures focused on him. He did his best to keep his magic only warming himself. There would be time for other shows soon enough.
The path was well-worn but wet and full of small stones. Snart found himself using more of his own padded parts of his feet, rather than his claws to move about. It was so different walking along the cave floor than moving from tree to tree in the dense jungles of Ladis. He was not going to show these lizards that he was inferior in any way. They would know that he was just fine in whatever circumstance they wanted to throw at him.
The glowing circle of rimstones came closer and closer as they walked towards the middle of the encampment. Snart saw the path take a steep incline. A poke in his back told him that they were to climb up first. He let out a low hiss to show his displeasure, then began to climb up towards the glowing circle of light.
Below on the lake, Snart thought he caught a glimpse of a ripple on the surface. He looked back to see it, but it was gone long before he could convince
himself it had been there. The surface of the lake was so still and smooth there couldn’t possibly have been anything to disturb it. Yet, when he thought about it, water fell from the ceiling above him every few feet. The large rock formations there funneled water from above. Surely the lake had to have several drips falling into it.
He was probably too far away to tell.
With one glance over his shoulder at his group one more time, as well as a quick glance up at the path that had led them here, Snart returned his attention to the platform that was right in front of him.
Hopefully, his other followers were watching the scene unfold from a safe, but manageable distance. Brave as he felt, Snart didn’t like the idea of facing this group without support from the much larger group of lizards he left behind.
The path leveled out as soon as Snart stepped into the circle of glowing rimstone. Each of the stones was as large as he was and was supported on a column of stone. These weren’t things built by any hand, Snart saw, but rather a naturally occurring phenomenon, much like the stones that were embedded into the ceiling and giving off the light that kept the huge cavern in a state of almost darkness.
At the opposite end of the circle of glowing stones was a large mound of rock. Snart looked around for any other sign of why they might have been brought here. He began to finger his spear, thinking that this might be a sacrificial altar. He knew nothing of these lizards. The attack may come without any warning or notice.
He turned around, spinning to see what might be the purpose of bringing them up to this circle of stone. Perhaps they were going to wait for whoever the leader of this place was to show up? He looked at the lizard who had first spoken to them. Instead of looking down the stairs for someone to come, the lizard was kneeling on the spot.
And then Snart heard a deep voice from behind him.
“Explaining why you are here and who you are,” it said in what Snart could only interpret as a menacing tone.
Turning around, Snart saw that the large mound of rock had big, red, penetrating eyes.
Snart grasped his spear, leaving all pretense of being casual behind. He was talking to a creature at least five times his size. Only the dreaded demons rivaled this thing in its size. The feature that really struck Snart, however, was its mouth.
Both of its red eyes were at least two spans apart. In between, moving slightly with the in-and-out gusts of wind that Snart assumed was its breath, was a giant mouth, one that could swallow him and ten of his lizards whole.
Trying not to flinch at the sight of such a monstrosity, Snart began to speak.
“We are Veiled Onessss,” he said as confidently as he could. “I am Snart. Boss, Bossss. We seek man flesh, flesh. Tastes good. Fills us up. Makes us strong, strong.”
The creature clicked its mouth several times. Snart was reminded of the sound of boulders crashing down on one another. The other underground lizards who had followed them here made similar noises with their own throats.
“Hearing about man flesh,” the large creature said again. “Deep ones eating only fish and cave plants.”
With a great gurgling noise, the creature spat out a wad of something at Snart’s feet. He did his best not to look fazed by such a gesture. With a quick glance he saw a mixture of fish bones, green and purple rope-like plants, and some glittering scales. He adjusted his footing to be a bit further from it, but looked back up at the giant lizard creature.
“Man flesh is warm,” Snart said. “Hot and juicy. Makessss Veiled Onesss tough, tough. Could make Deep Ones tough, tough, too.”
The lizards who had brought them here shuffled their feet as Snart spoke. He wondered if they had ever eaten hot meat ever. It was nearly frigid down here. Surely the fish in the big lake were just as cold. Snart looked at his lizards behind him. They were licking their lips. If they were like him, just remembering the sweet taste of humans was creating a hunger in them that was hard to ignore.
Snart felt it. The hunger was in the air. They all felt it. Even the big creature stirred at it.
“Wanting to eat man flesh. Vallin is wanting to eat! Deep Claws wanting to eat man flesh.”
The clicking noises grew louder as Vallin, who Snart guessed was the large creature in front of him, began to move. Its huge bulk rose up from the stone circle. It appeared to be some type of lizard that had eaten rocks and grown to become that which it ate. Vallin was huge.
“But first,” it said as it stood up on its four legs. “Eating you.”
Snart grabbed his spear and held it tightly as the other webbed lizards took their own stone-tipped weapons into their own claws. He hoped his lizards were paying attention.
Or he wouldn’t be boss boss for long.
21: Sacrifices
Jerius stepped over the mess that their ritual in the tower had created. Oranius’ troops had apparently pleased the dark deities Decolos had said would come to the aid of those who opposed the rimstones. And from what he could see out on the plains, the last few remaining heretics of Isol who had stayed behind were now being rounded up by Theocracy soldiers.
There had certainly been some magic out on the field in an effort to stop the flow of demons that poured from the sky. Some of the beasts even turned on the city. But that was a calculated risk. Now that they had driven Isol away from Prommus, their own soldiers would be able to pursue them across the plains and seek to make sure the heretics never again invaded the land of the Theocracy.
Regis seemed pleased with himself.
“The king will finally see the power that the church has to offer him,” he said, looking over the destruction in the field. “And the church will no longer have to play silly games in order to vie for power. We have power now. We will finally rule as Decolos meant for us to.”
Jerius nodded.
Looking down at his robes, he saw streaks of blood from their grisly work.
“How many more times will we sacrifice to the dark ones?” he asked. This was a power that needed strong sacrifices. If the soldiers went off to war...
“We have all we need for now,” Regis said. “But for the time being, we must return to the Temple and prepare the guards. The king will not march out to meet Isol without the guards of the Temple. We will show him our own strength.”
Regis spun and moved towards the stairs, not once looking down at the carnage at his feet. Several of the temple guards followed him out. Jerius gave them time and space to walk down before he began his own trek.
Luca was walking right beside him.
“My priest?” she said as they began their descent down the stairs after Regis.
“What?” Jerius responded shortly. He did not enjoy being questioned by Luca. Nor did it ever impress him when she spoke first.
“The ritual that just took place.”
“Yes?”
Luca paused for a moment. Jerius hoped that she might have lost her train of thought as they came down the stairs and into the chaos below. Soldiers were being called up all around and forming into their battalions. The pursuit of Isol was going to take place quickly, now that the demons seemed to have either vanished or gone off to chase the heretics.
Prommus was no longer on the defensive. It was poised for an attack. With any luck, the city to the east had been informed and sent troops to come to Prommus’ aid during the siege. If they were already enroute, the two armies might catch Isol in the middle and deal them a decisive defeat.
Jerius smiled at the thought.
“Was that magic?” Luca asked, finishing her thought from before.
Jerius stopped mid step, causing Luca to nearly bump into him as he swirled around on her.
“How dare you!” he spat. “The church would never agree to such a detestable thing! Decolos, the almighty himself, declared that such a ritual may be used in order to repel those who seek to use magic! Of course it was not speaking or the use of rimstone! Do you think the high priest would ever condone such a thing? Put that heretical thought behind you!”
&nbs
p; Luca looked shocked at his reaction at first. Her hands were raised to defend herself from his words, though they couldn’t cause her not to hear them.
“Yes, my priest. Forgive me, my priest,” she said, bowing her head.
Jerius spared her one more contemptuous look before turning briskly and continuing down the steps. How dare she make such an accusation. Magic. The high priest would never resort to using magic against the Isolians. Decolos had gifted them with the only thing that could stand to oppose the heretics. A dark rebuttal to the abomination that was Isol.
His mood was greatly disturbed now, due to Luca’s meddling and inquiry. Instead of victory, he felt annoyed. The emotion carried him all the way to the Temple complex. He didn't spare Luca a single look of dismissal before storming off towards the high priest’s chambers. He was going to inquire about whether or not he should stay behind while the high priest marched out with the troops.
Such a maneuver might enable him to find closer allies while no longer under the penetrating gaze of his master. Yes, these were the things he needed to focus on right now. Not the questioning of a lowly temple guard.
The long hallway that he had become accustomed to loomed before him as he made his way towards Regis’ study. They had plotted and schemed here, thinking of a way to increase the power of the church and diminish the king’s own hand in all matters of the Theocracy.
It had been like a drug to Jerius. Over and over he had read the sacred texts written by Decolos’ own hand explaining how he had envisioned the Theocracy.
It was much different than it was in this day. Men wore the robes of the temple guard, as a start, and women were forced to do daily tasks, not see to the protection of the great temples of Ladis. The church was the ruling force in the kingdoms. Princes were lowly men who obeyed the orders of the church. Kings were figureheads, puppets of a strong and glorious Theocracy.
Such thoughts filled Jerius’ head as he took the final few steps to the High Priest’s door. It was much more quiet in the temple than it had been in recent weeks. Jerius imagined that the high priest would have cleared out most of the guard to take along with the king.
