Maal The First Skull- Shadows of the Mind

by Theodore Packwood

“Well, I figured they did. Why else would they have come here in tha first place?”

  eXia and aXarelle looked at each other. “We assumed it was for your home. The walls are sturdy stone cliffs and well protected from the vicious cold outside.”

  “But didn’t they have that where they used ta live? No one survives out there without a strong home ta go back to at bluefall.”

  “Did they lose their home?” aXarelle wondered.

  “Or were forced from it,” said another.

  “Jil, what did your people do in the mine?” eXia asked.

  “They mined iron.”

  Some of the uXulu grimaced.

  “But there’s very little metal here,” aXarelle said. “What did they do with it?”

  “We traded with tha Kemiss for medicine and clothes and such.”

  “The... Kemiss?”

  “Aye. They live not too far from here. Half a blueday or so, further into tha mountains.”

  “Who are the Kemiss?” eXia asked.

  “Me Da told me about them. He said they were a strange people. Pale, sickly-like. They use metal ta make all kinds of strange things. They’ll trade some of their craft fer raw iron.”

  eXia looked down at her chain.

  “Aye,” Jil said. “And them metal bars too.” She pointed to the long metal bars the chains were attached to. “Our big cookin’ pots, also.”

  “None of those things sound ‘weird’,” aXarelle said with disdain.

  “Me Da had a long metal rod he got from them. Yew could twist the handle, and ‘twould start shakin’. In a little while ‘twould get red-hot. He could slice through them giant trees outside with one slow push and cut them down. That’s how they made all them huge trunks over there.” She pointed to the wall of enormous trunks holding back the snow.

  “How long did it take to cut one down?” one of the others asked.

  “About as long as... it takes yew ta walk very slow from the trunks, to the bar, and back.”

  “That fast?” Several of the uXulu looked at each other.

  “Could it cut these?” oXellona asked with excitement.

  “Aye,” Jil said. “‘Twerent nothin’ it couldn't cut. It even cut tha rock out from tha cliffs ta make them fireplaces. Tha Goor took it, but they don’t know how it works.”

  “Where is it?”

  “I dunno,” Jil said, and Shame slid out of her as she noticed oXellona’s face turn dour.

  “So,“ eXia asked, “the Goor are gathering metal to trade with tha Kemiss?”

  Jil nodded.

  “They’ve been mining it ever since they took over?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “But if they did, they must have a lot by now.”

  oXellona brightened again. “Could they be going to the Kemiss today?”

  “They’ve never roused this early nor rushed away with such haste,” said another uXulu.

  eXia leaned forward to Jil: “Is it possible they are going to visit the Kemiss?” Jil blushed with all the attention, but nodded. “How long until they return?”

  “When me Da and others made that trip, won’t be til after bluefall.” When the uXulu touched arms and began humming, signs of excitement upon all of them, Jil added: “As long as tha weather’s good.”

  eXia gave Jil a bright smile, and the ache that burned in its afterglow was agony. Would she ever smile upon me like this? I refused to acknowledge the voices and their reprimands. This was my desire, and I would not let them tarnish it.

  “Let us prepare,” eXia said. “A stone left alone will not roll itself downhill.”

  The uXulu made a show of fetching more bowls and mugs to wash, but after several loud, unnecessary exchanges, they coalesced around the washing tables, formulating plans with eager whispers and gestures. Jil looked pleased, and the emotion she exuded was the opposite of Anguish.

  Yes, it was Joy, and I disliked it. It was a useless emotion, generated from selfish actions that produced approval. Jil had experienced it when she first earned a reprieve from the Goor by Erigg, and also when he had fawned upon her, yet there was no benefit from it. The self-aggrandizement that occurred provided no change in one’s capability or performance. Hate and Fear were far more powerful motivators.

  I floated away from the uXulu and their plans. I could not discern how their escape would assist me with Jil, or with unearthing the origins of the shard. Or with claiming a body.

  Perhaps there will be violence today! said Viridian, as eager as the uXulu.

  Perhaps there will be sex today, countered Magenta, but not with much enthusiasm.

  Perhaps Maal will not fail today, said Carmine, and the others laughed.

  “Desist,” I said angrily. That made them laugh louder.

  Tchurn stood up, circled around the bar, and disappeared into the kitchen. I thought he might have checked on Erigg, but he returned with two enormous pots, one in each hand. Jil could easily have crawled into one, yet he carried them lightly, not even spilling the soapy water inside that filled them to the brim.

  “This is all they can spare,” he said. “They need the rest for the evening meal.”

  “Are we not adversaries?” eXia said, eyes narrowed. “Why do you assist us?

  The look they shared was intense and not short-lived. Tchurn abruptly walked away with a scowl, and eXia looked upset. A pair of uXulu giggled. One of them said: “He would make a fine mate.”

  At that moment, I hoped Tchurn would die.

  M A A L

  My sudden nemesis coughed and snorted intermittently, but slept most of the blueday. He went into the back at times, but neither Erigg nor Reze’ came forth.

  The large group of Goor who had departed at bluerise did not return by the evening quake, and oXellona’s griping was constant. Her demand to touch the stone became almost violent again, and an argument broke out amongst the uXulu, who kept her away from the rock. Eventually the guards took notice and intervened. With cudgels and fists they struck a defiant oXellona as she returned heavy blows herself. Yet the uXulu did not support her, and soon she fell to the ground. She crawled up to the loft after that, crying and holding her side. eXia looked on with dismay.

  A pair of uXulu fed Tchurn and the Goor, while the rest carried the clean dishes to the bar. Six new Goor descended before the evening meal, two of which had assaulted Erigg last night. Boz, with a sling around his head to support his jaw, and the one who had been struck behind the ear early in the fight. They avoided Tchurn aggressively.

  Six Goor departed after the meal, leaving ten to guard again. Soon after, eXia ordered them all to rest, for there was anticipation of conflict when the bulk of the Goor returned.

  I noted that I was not tired, despite being awake since my first arrival to Jedd’s bar. All other creatures required rest, why did I not?

  With nothing else to engage, I put the full weight of my intellect onto solving the riddles of the black fist and my incorporeal state. I tried to ignore my surroundings, and focus. It was easier with the uXulu out of sight.

  After some time, I had made no progress. There was not enough information with which to deduce purpose or meaning behind the black shard, The Nail, or my tether to Jil.

  Your mastery of intellect leaves much to be desired, chided Cerulean.

  Speaking of desire, said Magenta.

  The moaning began so softly that I thought it was only the naked uXulu stirring in their sleep. It was followed by quiet pleading, and a counter insistence. The moaning became coupled with panting.

  I floated up and over the loft. Under piles of ragged furs, most of the tall females slept. A pair of furry bumps near one edge of the loft were moving.

  “Don’t,” someone whispered.

  I sunk through the platform to lower my eyes through the blanket. With only my head above the platform, my vision was blocked by shifting legs, but had no trouble seeing in the near-darkness beneath the furs. I moved through the legs and found a stirring sight.

  aXarelle was kis
sing Jil on the neck and chest, and Jil was trying to keep her off with an elbow, her good arm pinned beneath her. “You must pleasure me again,” aXarelle demanded with a whisper. “The ache is terrifying.”

  Jil shook her head vigorously and tried to pull away. Anguish slid out of her, powerful but not crippling.

  “The others aren’t fond of me. You must do it.” Jil started to protest out loud, but aXarelle twisted Jil’s head and covered her mouth with her own, muffling her pleas and locking Jil’s head in her large grip. Jil tried to escape by squirming, and aXarelle halted this as well with a single large leg hooked over Jil’s waist.

  Jil fought, and seemed to hold her own against aXarelle’s strength for a while. The uXulu took her free hand and clamped down upon Jil’s free arm, and brought it down toward her crotch, causing Jil to buck and heave. aXarelle grew angry and crushed Jil’s forearm.

  There was a burst of Fear before all emotion from her vanished, and she stopped struggling. I saw the dark tendrils crawl over her elbow, not yet snaking into her upper arm, and the char spread to cover the lower part of her forearm.

  With no resistance, aXarelle touched the black fist to her crotch. Her eyes snapped open and she pulled away from Jil. aXarelle winced and shook her head in confusion.

  “What?” was all she managed, and Jil’s black arm moved against her crotch. aXarelle’s mouth went wide and she sucked in a breath. She tried to disengage, but Jil rolled on top of her. Despite her tiny size, she managed to press the uXulu onto the loft.

  Jil bent to lap at one of aXarelle's nipples. Her head was not much larger than the breast she suckled. aXarelle had a hand in Jil’s hair and seemed to be trying to pull her off, but the effort was not focused. aXarelle’s other hand was pushing half-heartedly against Jil’s blackened arm, trying to get it out from between her legs.

  She was not succeeding.

  aXarelle’s eyes became unfocused. Her face had a grimace of pain, but her throat moaned, her lungs panted, and her body writhed.

  Oh yes, breathed Magenta, her words an accompaniment to my potent arousal. I relished the way Jil teased aXarelle’s nipple, clenching her breast with her good hand.

  Jil took notice of me when she switched breasts. Her eyes had pooled black again. I had done nothing; what had triggered this?

  “Master,” she whispered, her face void of expression.

  I looked at aXarelle. She seemed barely conscious. The arms that once resisted now pulled Jil more firmly against her.

  “Should you not be resting? I need you strong for bluenight; I anticipate a collision of wills.”

  “aXarelle demanded attention, so I gave it to her.” she whispered, sucking a nipple into her mouth and letting it pop out.

  “Why has your emotion vanished?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  I thought for a minute at the implications. While I did so, Jil began using her black fist more vigorously against aXarelle’s crotch. aXarelle was quivering, and breathing in short gasps. The smell of sex was like a cloud beneath the blanket.

  “What do you intend to do with her?”

  Jil smiled mysteriously at this. With her face between aXarelle’s huge breasts, the display was perfectly wicked. The smile reminded me of someone else, but I could not recall her face. I did, however, recall what we had done next. I suggested it to Jil.

  Jil moved further down aXarelle’s body. aXarelle had both hands on the arm with the black fist now, and she was grinding her groin against it. Jil positioned herself, put her good hand on the small of aXarelle’s back.

  “Gently?” she whispered.

  “Of course not.”

  Jil shoved her black fist into aXarelle’s pussy. Jil’s hands were small and aXarelle was much larger, yet still there was tearing and drips of blood as the char cut into her. aXarelle’s whole body went rigid, every single muscle locked, not breathing. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She twitched, then locked up again.

  I felt no accompanying lust, no tingle that led to sparks upon my fingertips. Yet I delighted in the perverse display. “Again!” I demanded eagerly.

  Jil pulled her fist almost all the way out, aXarelle’s entrance stretching wide around her fist, causing another tear. She rammed it back in.

  aXarelle’s body spasmed uncontrollably. Her piss flowed over Jil’s blackened arm.

  Jil pulled her fist, waited until aXarelle tried to breathe, then rammed it back in. aXarelle’s hands were locked around Jil’s arm in death grip. The furs covering them slipped aside as Jil fisted her a fourth time. aXarelle passed out.

  Jil looked at me with no expression on her face. “Should I continue, Master?”

  I looked at aXarelle, and the other uXulu, the nearest of which was stirring. “Perhaps not,” I said, though I wanted to say the opposite.

  She rolled off aXarelle to sit along the edge, legs dangling. She did not swing them back and forth. “That was disappointing.” Blood and vaginal juice dripped off her black fist onto the floor below.

  “Why?”

  “I had hoped aXarelle would pleasure me in return.”

  I paused. “You desire pleasure?”

  She looked confused. “Lust and pain are all that matter.”

  Lust and pain are all that matter.

  Lust and pain are all that matter, agreed Magenta and Viridian.

  The mantra was as familiar as an old cloak: it settled upon me as if it belonged there.

  “Where have you heard that before?”

  “I haven’t. It just seemed right.”

  “Why do they matter?” This was important.

  “’Tis all I can feel right now,” she replied.

  “You can still feel lust? And pain?” She nodded. “But not Fear, or Anguish…” I wondered aloud. “Puzzling.”

  Will he remember the importance of the mantra? asked Tawny.

  Of course not, said Carmine.

  And I could not, further bolstering my frustration. Yet something else surfaced: a brief touch of lost knowledge tickled my memory.

  All of the tingling sensations that accompanied Jil’s suffering had filled some sort of emptiness within me. Like a dry lake that gains only enough water for a small pool at its deepest spot—that was how I felt. There was a name for the substance within that lake of power, and I now knew its name: Pith. It was the essence which filled the void—that empty lake—within me.

  I knew how to use it, but like floating, it was more instinctual than guided. I could not resist testing it.

  “Lay back.”

  Jil did without hesitation. I was pleased with her speedy compliance.

  “There is little I can do in this state, but you have provided me with a memory I shall not soon forget.” I hoped. “In return, I can do this.”

  Dare I risk a small amount of Pith? I knew The Nail was waiting to reclaim me. I had used a great deal when lashing out with black lightning, and it was essential that I know how much I could use, if any. With a heavy amount of trepidation, I used some of the power in my dark lake, my Pith, to reward her.

  Jil’s eyes flew wide: huge, black pools. Her back arched and her mouth became a large “O”. Her hand flew to her crotch as if to protect it, but there was nothing she could do. She began to orgasm painfully.

  I watched her try to escape the overpowering pleasure. She tried crawling away from herself, tried pounding her clitoris, tried twisting her legs side to side. All to no avail; the orgasm went on and on. Her toes curled, and she clawed at the platform. She finally gave in and curled into a fetal position, closing her eyes and rocking slightly. Her teeth were bared but she was smiling.

  “Thank... you... Master!” she managed to whisper, after which she collapsed into unconsciousness. I floated above the platform, thoroughly pleased with myself. For which the voices mocked me.

  Turning to float away, I was caught by eXia’s eyes. They were open. I knew not what she fretted upon, but her eyes closed, then opened. She was breathing heavily, and he
r right hand was between her own legs.

  I floated above her, until my eyes were only a hand-span away from hers. I stared into her eyes as she cautiously masturbated, watching how they half-closed at the moments of highest pleasure, wishing with all the power I had that I could fuck her.

  Willing or no.

  But the wooden door slammed to the ground and the army of Goor poured in.

  T

  The Goor seethed into the room with a palpable anger. Angry hoots and shoving occurred as they swiped the snow off the tops of their furry heads and shoulders. A pair jumped up to the ladders above and vanished.

  Several Goor were being carried, limp in the arms of their brethren. Crimson streaks darkened the white furs of many, some favoring their knuckles due to wounded legs, others hopping on feet due to wounded arms. Most of the carried looked dead.

  “uXulu task: Bring food!” one of them yelled, echoed by several others. A few grabbed logs from the pile and tossed them into dying fires. Jedd stuck his head out briefly, before the fire in the kitchen brightened.

  eXia sat up, but covered her face in her hands for a few moments. Exhausted, or irritated at the interruption?

  I certainly was.

  From my vantage above the loft, I delighted in the way her breasts pooled over the furs. She rubbed her face and blinked her eyes several times as Hak came up the stairs. He grabbed the chains of all of the women in both hands and yanked, hard, several times.

  “uXulu task: wake up!” he yelled.

  The women struggled away from slumber, their movements bleary and slow. Hak kept yanking, causing necks to be jarred to the side .

  eXia’s face filled with Hatred as she grabbed the chains in her arms and yanked Hak toward her, onto the loft. “We’re trying!” she yelled in his face. “We just fell asleep, give us a moment!”

  Hak grabbed her neck. Spittle flew from his mouth as he screamed at her. “TASK! GET! UP!”

  eXia slammed both her palms into his chest, sending him flying. He barely caught one of the iron rods, and swung down to the ground. The look he gave her was vicious.

  “uXulu task: serve!” one of the other Goor yelled. Others chimed in. The naked giants, roused by Hak’s painful motivation, hurried down the stairs. I floated downward to watch an arm-length above their heads, but was unable to move too far.