Maal The First Skull- Shadows of the Mind

by Theodore Packwood

  Jedd’s son appeared out of the kitchen, visiting each fire to light them, and soon there were six roaring fires, blasting heat and light into the room.

  The women had their amazing figures outlined by firelight once more. The soft curves of breasts, hips, and buttocks again created agonizing distractions. Perhaps other males would be drawn to the muscular oXellona, or the thin aXarelle, but eXia was a succubus whom I could not have resisted. I caught myself staring at her constantly. Perhaps I was dead after all, and this was some sort of persecution.

  Such a delicious torture, to watch them without being able to touch, said Magenta. It makes them even more tantalizing, does it not?

  I could not agree more, but I would welcome greedily an end to this torture.

  Tchurn rolled out of his fireplace before coughing wetly and spitting onto the floor. He snorted, spat again, and stood up. Realizing all other fireplaces were lit but his, he scowled and went to gather firewood. A single arm was able to carry 15 logs, and he stopped only because additional logs fell off the stack already gripped in his left arm. On the way back to his fireplace, he nabbed a lit log from an already burning fire and carried it in his grip, though its flames caressed his skin. Arriving at his table, he dropped his logs in a haphazard pile and kicked several of them into the fire, tossing the lit one in last. He went to visit the shithole, his piss loud and lengthy.

  “Intercept him when he returns to his fire,” I commanded. The uXulu were busy at the bar, and the Goor’s noise from above increased.

  Jil’s Fear surged. “Now?”

  “Now, Master?” I corrected, but kept my voice neutral.

  She winced, and dropped her voice low. “Now, Master?”

  “Yes.”

  “But what if he…” She looked at her fist, and gasped when she saw how much farther the tendrils had crawled up her arm. Her eyes widened as she remembered. “What happened ta me?” I frowned, trying to ascertain her meaning, but she went on: “After Tchurn tried ta behead me at tha table, I couldn’t…” She shook her head.

  I waited for her to add, but she said nothing. “Explain,” I added impatiently, watching Tchurn, who had finished. The huge Tror turned away from the shithole, lifted up his armored skirt, and crouched down. I chose not to watch what came next.

  “’Twas like a dream. I couldn’t feel nothin’. I wasn’t afraid of him no more, but I don’t remember much. ‘Tis kind of fuzzy.” She looked at Tchurn, and her nose squished as she witnessed him defecate. “How did that happen?”

  “I did not notice,” I lied, irritated at the delay. “Did you feel any physical changes?”

  She thought, scratching her dirty hair. “No. Just… I wasn’t afraid. I wasn’t sad, wasn’t scared, wasn’t nothin’. ‘Twas like I was dead inside.”

  “Perhaps you are gaining Courage after all. Now go speak with him. I want to know everything he knows about the black metal inside your fist.”

  “But he...”

  “Silence!” With rising Hate, I slapped her with an arm I did not have. I was well out of arm’s reach from her, but her face snapped to the side, as if struck! She turned back to face me. An inky cloud pooled across her eyes, turning them completely black. Her breathing calmed, and she stood up straight. Her emotions vanished.

  “I’m sorry, Master,” she said, without convincing me. “I’m not afraid now. What should I do?”

  “Confront him and bring him to his knees! When you have cowed him, rip the information he has about your black fist from him!”

  “Yes, Master.” She paused. “What approach do yew recommend?”

  “I do not think physical violence of any kind will threaten or subdue him.” Several ideas came to mind for alternative methods, but none of them seemed viable. “You must seduce him.”

  She frowned. “I don’t think he finds me attractive, Master.”

  “Change his mind.”

  Oh, this will be fun, said Magenta.

  Tchurn was tromping back to his table. Jil intercepted him, but he did not notice her until he was within arm’s reach. “Begone,” he said.

  “Don’t yew want ta continue our dance from last night?” she said, an uncharacteristic half-smile on her lips. Her eyes were in shadow from the fireplaces, obscuring their blackness. Unfortunate. I wanted him to see them and be dismayed.

  Tchurn stared at her without saying anything.

  “I know yew want to,” she said. She raised her good hand and massaged her breast. I caught eXia watching from a few tables away, but Jil’s back was to her.

  “You know naught of what I want,” he said flatly.

  She was undaunted. “Oh, but I know something yew want.”

  Tchurn attempted to step around her, but Jil grabbed the armor at his crotch with her good hand.

  “Let go,” he said. His tone had lowered.

  “Yew can have me,” she whispered. “Just tell me what yew know.”

  Tchurn’s jaw clenched, the firelight enhancing the muscular bulges on his face. He snatched Jil’s groping hand with his left and brought it between them. His right hand bunched.

  “Oh, if yew’d rather hit me again, I’ll let you do that, too.” Jil tried to pull his left hand toward her.

  Tchurn yanked his hand, but it didn't come free. The force rocked Jil onto the balls of her feet, and her chain clinked, but she held on. Hate bunched his face, and his teeth bared. His right hand fell to the very large knife at his waist.

  Jil released him. “No need fer that. I just want to talk.”

  Tchurn stomped off. “Breakfast!” he yelled at one of the uXulu. eXia was busy arguing with aXarelle, but a different uXulu hustled to get him a bowl.

  Jil approached me with no Fear, no trepidation, no hesitation. “It didn’t work, Master,” she said.

  I had no small amount of anger for the failure, but found little to blame her for. It was Tchurn who would be difficult to break, and despite knowing this, I still wanted to punish her. “We will continue to press him until he talks.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  I waved my hand, dismissing her, but she slumped. After a few moments, Jil looked up at me in horror, her eyes clear of the blackness. “What just happened?” she cried. She began to back away.

  “Do not retreat from me! I will not tolerate weakness!”

  She whimpered as Fear poured out of her. She looked around for relief, but all the uXulu were busy. The tingling sensation of her emotional assault returned, but I did not understand what it meant.

  “What will you do when no one is there to rescue you!” Hate fueled my words, and I could not find the control to stop them. My fingertips sparked as I followed her.“You must learn to fight, fight until you can no longer stand, and even then, when you are defeated, chew on the ankles of those who sought to defeat you!” She backed into a table, slid along it, tripped over a bench, and fell onto her ass. I loomed over her, ready to carve a new scar into her flesh with black lightning. Her Fear spiked, but I had pent-up Hate to resist her: Hate at being incorporeal; Hate of The Nail and its endless creatures; Hate of the lust toward eXia that I could not satisfy; Hate of the foul Goor and their impedance of my goals; Hate of my lack of understanding of my current state; Hate of my own weakness.

  Black lightning arced between my hands as I raised them. Jil shook in terror, and her Fear almost took control of me. My Hate fought the emotion and suppressed its effect upon me.

  Punish her! cried Viridian.

  Make her suffer, said Indigo.

  I froze. I could not do this! Sending out arcs of lightning had sent me to The Nail! My Hate wobbled, and her Fear devoured it. The sparks vanished as I backed away.

  He does not want to go back to The Nail again, does he? asked Tawny.

  Fear once again decides his course of action, said Indigo.

  His pathetic, weak-willed mind can not withstand Fear’s malevolent embrace, said Carmine.

  Jil was panting, and I believed I would be also, if I inhabited a mortal form. �
��Be still,” I said, with a gentle tone that was almost impossible to produce.

  How well is your soft hand approach working? asked Tawny. I almost screamed at her.

  A voice called out. “eXia! eXia! Everyone, come here!” oXellona stood up and gestured frantically to the others, then knelt down again between Tchurn’s table and the one nearest his, this side of the walkway.

  I floated over, eager for the distraction.

  “What is it, oXellona?” eXia asked as she approached. She gasped.

  oXellona smiled up at them, kneeling by a large rock, the size of Jil’s torso.

  “Freedom,” she whispered, looking up at everyone with tears in her eyes. “Come, sisters, touch it with me.” She reached out to the rock.

  “Don’t!” eXia said, slapping her hands away.

  oXellona looked at her in shock. “eXia!” she cried.

  “Stone-shifting won’t save us! We have no power over forged metal!” eXia grabbed the chain about her neck and held it up, revealing raw skin underneath. Her skin was an angry red where the collar had rested on her, pus and blood oozing out from large blisters: far worse than what I would have expected from mere rubbing. As she touched her skin and winced, I noticed all of the uXulu’s fur collars—provided by Jil—had become blood-stained from the bleeding patches of skin on their necks.

  “Shhhh!” one of the others said.

  “Metal or not, I will stand upon this rock and fight them!” The firelight gleamed in oXellona’s eyes, and her fists clenched. She reached for the rock again.

  eXia shoved her onto her butt. oXellona became enraged, and lunged for the rock. eXia stood in the way and pushed her back. She clawed and kicked with fierce abandon, a guttural yell coming out of her, forcing eXia to push back with equally fierce strength.

  Oh, what a sight! said Magenta.

  Two naked, huge-breasted women wrestling by firelight? asked Tawny.

  I am certain Maal hates this, said Magenta.

  “Be still!” eXia hollered, surging forward. She pushed oXellona to the ground, pinned oXellona’s arms with her legs, and knelt on them. oXellona tried bucking her off, twisting and shoving and turning her head to bite eXia’s thigh. eXia punched her in the face.

  “As First Stone, I command you to stop!” eXia yelled.

  oXellona looked up at her with white eyes. Her next words spewed spittle onto eXia’s belly. “May your stoneworks be brittle!”

  Two of the other tall women gasped, and the struggling stopped. eXia was in shock, and said nothing as a pair lifted her off. The others helped oXellona up, who looked ashamed.

  aXarelle said with a snide tone, “eXia, just because you are First Stone doesn’t mean you deserve it. Your skill with the stone is envious, but you are the youngest of us all, and I am the Queen’s daughter. We should attack as oXellona suggests. We are all aching to touch this rock. As Second Stone I demand to hear your reasoning.”

  Jil approached, avoiding me, though our tether remained short. Anguish poured out of her, and she looked at me askance.

  eXia narrowed her eyes at aXarelle. “We cannot win against a hundred of them, even with stone-aid,” she said, looking at each of them, one by one. “Do any of you believe we can?”

  There was some muttering, but no one contradicted her.

  “Who cares?” oXellona yelled. “I would rather die touching stone than to continue like this!” She held up her chain, and black hair.

  “oXellona is right,” aXarelle added, a smirk on her lips.

  eXia ignored her. “If we touch the stone now,” she said calmly to the rest, “the stone-aid will shear off our hated hair.” She held up her long, black waves. “They will know the instant they see us that we have touched stone, because we will all be hairless. They will attack us immediately, and you know this! They knew the weakness of our people when they first found us, and we were easily captured because of it! We cannot win if we do this now!”

  “What other path should we take, then?” another asked.

  “We hide the stone until they leave after the morning meal. We will have all day to prepare for them, and they will return worn down from the mine.” She looked at the others, resting her eyes on oXellona. “We wait.”

  “Wait for what?” aXarelle demanded.

  “We wait for others to become involved,” eXia said, staring directly at Tchurn. The others noticed, and looked at him. He was huddled over his mug, shivering.

  “He won’t help us!” oXellona said, laughing incredulously.

  “Not willingly, no. But I believe the stone has given us a way.” She glanced at Jil and quickly looked away.

  The women were quiet. None of them moved.

  “Shall we touch the stone and die? Or wait to claim it when the time is right?” eXia asked. Their answers were immediate, except for oXellona. She fell to her knees and cried.

  M A A L

  There was a rush of movement. The uXulu scrambled to cover the stone with a table, and realized it was still too easy to see. They had to move two tables, the two nearest Tchurn’s table, to hide it. Dirty rags were thrown on top of the rock, as an extra precaution. oXellona did not assist; she went across the walkway and sat at a table, massaging her jaw and wiping tears.

  Someone suggested that the Goor would get suspicious by the table rearrangement. They became frantic, wondering how to explain why the tables were moved, and why they were unavailable for the Goor to eat at. Ideas were tossed about, and discarded.

  Above the timbers, you could hear the sounds of the hairy creatures calling out to each other in grunts: they were awake. Hotun brought out dirty bowls and mugs from the previous evening and piled them onto the bar, though only Jil noticed.

  “Dishes?” Jil suggested softly. “Could we clean them out here instead of at the bar?”

  “Yes!” shouted eXia, already moving toward them.

  “But why are we cleaning them out here? They will ask!” snapped aXarelle.

  “Let’s think of an answer. But hurry, there’s no time!”

  Soon enough, the hairy beasts came down for breakfast. Like an avalanche, over a hundred white hairy beasts descended along the ladders and ropes. A pair of uXulu dashed to the table with the first pile of bowls as they arrived. Many Goor knuckled over to the shithole to piss and shit, others went to the troughs and drank deep. Fortunately, the smell from the hole did not waft all the way to the bar, where I hovered near Jil.

  “What task?” Hak asked as soon as he landed.

  “Cleaning dishes, what else?” eXia snapped, cradling an armload of dishes as she stared down at him.

  “You task: clean at bar. Goor task: eat at tables!”

  “There are too many dishes and not enough room to wash them all at the bar. There’s only one pot. Out here we could have four or even six pots of hot water to work with. Do you want them done by the time you return or not?”

  “You task...” Hak started.

  He was shoved from the side by Rop. “Hak task: leave alone! All task: hurry!” He turned on eXia. “uXulu task: clean later. Food now!” He shoved her toward the bar.

  Hak glared but moved off. Soon all of the hairy creatures were sitting on benches or the floor between them, crowded for space with the reduced seating. The grunts and hoots created a tremendous din.

  Jedd and his son heaved a huge pot to the floor behind the bar, and filled bowls with an iron ladle. He poured the white mash into many bowls at once, but his efforts were not fast enough. Yelling started from the Goor; they were in a hurry and made it well known. The uXulu scrambled to deliver the gruel, some sort of yellow juice, and biscuits.

  Those who finished early left immediately, heading out through the now-silent gate in the tree wall. When Rop was done, the departing Goor became a steady stream until all but a few were gone.

  Rop came over to eXia and glared up at her, with ten others behind him. “You task: hurt Goor last night.”

  eXia snorted at him. “We wouldn’t dare and you know it. We
remember well the results of our previous mutiny.” She pointed at Tchurn, who did not notice the secretive blame being assigned him. “They tried to steal his gold.” She emphasized the word to assure his attention.

  Rop stared at Tchurn. “You task: where gold now?”

  “Behind the fire.”

  Rop looked up at her again, studying. After a few moments, he turned and left.

  The remaining Goor claimed the same table the four had used last evening, before their attack. None of them appeared wounded, and kept careful watch for quite some time before someone produced a bag of small bones. I watched as they took turns tossing the bones onto the table, then betting and arguing over the result until a winner was somehow determined. I grew bored and floated back to Jil and the uXulu. They were quietly arguing as they washed and dried plates, bowls and cups.

  “Let us touch the stone now!” aXarelle whispered angrily when I returned to their table. “There are only ten of them!”

  “Then what?” eXia countered. “We cannot break these chains, even if all of us were to work together! We’ve tried before. Then they beat us and kept us wrapped in our chains for a blueday.”

  The argument went on a short while, but oXellona remained silent. The hurt on her face as she glanced at eXia was obvious. eXia reached out a hand toward her but oXellona ignored it. The soft clack of wooden bowls against the inside of iron pot, and the sloshing of water became the loudest sounds in the Inn, until Tchurn had another coughing fit.

  “I’m surprised they didn’t confront Tchurn,” aXarelle said.

  “Yes,” eXia said. “So am I. They are engaged in some important matter today.”

  “Any idea what?”

  “No,” she admitted.

  “Somethin’ ta do with tha mine?” Jil asked, drying the utensils with her good hand.

  “What do you mean, Jil?” eXia inquired.

  “Well, where else do they go every day?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted.

  “Don’t they go to tha mine?”

  “Do they?”