Serpents Rising (Eve of Redemption Book 3)

by Joe Jackson

  The fures-rir priestess stood and turned to face Se’sasha. Se’sasha tilted her head back and let forth a long sigh, but when she looked back to her companions, she smiled. Everyone moved away a little bit to give her room, and Kari tried to keep Little Gray’s tide of questions quiet and quickly answered. He was curious about the grave, why Se’sasha’s mother had died, what Se’sasha was doing, what they were going to have for lunch, and a million other things. The syrinthian priestess seemed to block it out well, though, and she began to pray aloud in her peoples’ native tongue. Kari picked up her son and held him close, and Grakin wrapped an arm around them while they watched Se’sasha.

  Se’sasha opened her robe and let it fall to the valley floor, though she was still modestly covered by the slip she wore underneath. All of a sudden, the sun managed to penetrate the canopy of the trees and the valley mist a little better, lightening the area. Se’sasha’s tattoos began to glow, and her scaly skin along with them. The priestess’ prayer reached a frenetic pace, though Kari assumed it might just be the normal speed of speech the syrinthians used. When she’d heard their excited chatter in the prison before leaving on this trip, they spoke with a similar speed and sense of urgency in everything they said.

  A tingle passed through Kari’s mind that she recognized immediately. She whipped her gaze around the immediate area, expecting to find Sakkrass’ avatar among them, but he wasn’t there – not physically, anyway. She could feel his presence, and she knew that any doubts she’d had about Se’sasha’s loyalty were invalid. The priestess was praying to their mutual father, and his spirit was passing among them. Most curiously of all, the symbol of Zalkar began to glow on Kari’s chest and through her breastplate – something no one but Se’sasha missed.

  Ty looked around suspiciously. “Kari, did you swear a Blood Oath?” he asked.

  Kari shook her head. “No, not since the one in Barcon,” she said quietly, trying her best not to distract Se’sasha. She recalled Uldriana’s indignant reaction when interrupted, and she realized she was doing the same thing now, despite the fact that Se’sasha wasn’t talking to any tangible being. “This happened when I was on Mehr’Durillia, too; not sure why. We’ll talk more when Se’sasha is finished.”

  Her blonde brother-in-law nodded, and the others agreed silently. Everyone continued to watch Se’sasha, and Kari could feel Sakkrass’ presence more potently. The symbol of Zalkar flashed in bright tones, almost as if she was standing in the presence of something she’d sworn the Oath against. Kari attracted Sonja’s attention and gestured for her sister-in-law to use her life-sense again. Sonja concentrated for a few moments but then shook her head; there was nothing dangerous in the area, unless it was something whose life-force Sonja couldn’t detect.

  Everyone’s attention was drawn back to the grave and a brilliant flash of light that came from the air above it. The light was intense, like a miniature sun that didn’t hurt to look at. It slowly coalesced into a humanoid shape, and then, over several long minutes, it took the shape of a syrinthian woman in pure white garments, who looked astonishingly like Se’sasha. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that they were staring at the spirit of Se’ceria Sasha Solaristis.

  Se’sasha smiled, and Kari did so as well unconsciously. As much as the sight of the syrinthian priestess’ spirit lifted Kari’s own, it was the sense of Sakkrass standing beside her that truly set her own soul at ease. It was as though he lifted all of Kari’s burdens from her mind and body just with his presence, and for a moment, all the aches, pains, and worries of her life melted away into bliss. He was with them, in spirit at least, watching a former high priestess pass her gift to her daughter, who would now be his high priestess.

  “My friends, please be aware that my mother cannot see or hear you in this state; she will see and hear only me,” Se’sasha said. Everyone looked around, shocked that they could suddenly understand her. “For your sake, I will speak aloud, so that you are not ignorant to what is said, but you will not be able to hear her speak. Also, most of the passing of her memories and her power will be done silently.”

  “How is it you can suddenly speak our language?” Aeligos asked suspiciously.

  “She can’t,” Kari said, remembering this same experience on Tsalbrin years before, when she had met Sakkrass’ avatar. “Sakkrass’ spirit is among us; he’s translating our words for us.”

  The others were clearly astounded, but no one interrupted Se’sasha further. She spoke to her mother’s spirit, telling her that Danilynn and Eli were there, and passed along their words of greeting at their request. “She is thankful to know that you both have survived and prospered in the wake of everything that happened,” Se’sasha passed along to the group. “She further says to avoid the Crimson Queen, for without my mother’s intervention, there is nothing to protect you from King Koursturaux’ wrath.”

  There was a long silence while Se’ceria apparently spoke to her daughter, and Kari and her friends waited anxiously to hear what was being said. Se’sasha’s mood nearly soured, but the syrinthian girl nodded at last. “The others who are with me are thankful for your efforts,” she told the shimmering spirit. “They have brought me here, and treated me with a great deal of respect on account of what you did. I am told that the czarikk, too, are thankful for your efforts to free and evacuate them.”

  Danilynn sniffled, and Eli wrapped an arm around her. Kari guessed that Danilynn hadn’t exactly expected the events of nearly a dozen years before to still affect her so. Se’sasha closed her eyes, smiled broadly, and she turned to her companions after another minute. “My mother says that she is safe, warm, and happy with Ashakku, who does indeed go by the name of Sakkrass among our czarikk kin. While with him, she is free of the burdens of guilt or regret, but here she is mindful enough of it to pass along her apologies. Is there anything else anyone would like me to tell her or ask of her before we commune?”

  “Nothing that you probably won’t know once you’ve communed,” Kari answered for the group. “Should we move away and give you some space?”

  “This may take some time, so you may do as you wish,” Se’sasha said. “Though I would be grateful if your blonde sibling would stay and keep watch over me.”

  Ty’s eyebrows rose in surprise but he agreed without too much delay. The others moved to the camp, but as they walked away, Kari watched as the shimmering spirit and the syrinthian girl merged into one. Se’sasha began to glow golden-white while infused with her mother’s spirit, and for a moment, Kari thought that must be what an angel looks like. There was a warm feeling in the center of her brain and in her heart as that thought crossed her mind, and she realized that Sakkrass was agreeing with her. Kari understood now: she could trust Se’sasha wholly. The girl was her sister.

  Kari played with Little Gray and listened to Eli, Danilynn, and Aeligos discussing how to get to the west coast from the valley. Kari had heard quite a bit about the Temple of Archons in recent years, but she’d never laid eyes on the holy structure, and had little idea of what to expect. She assumed it would be grand and stately, possibly made of marble like the temples in the holy city of Sarchelete. She knew that its front door had a strange locking mechanism that required six jade seals and some interaction from her as Salvation’s Dawn to open. Other than that, she wasn’t sure what the writing on it might look like or what any of it would mean.

  She supposed it was possible she would be able to read the inscriptions on the Temple’s face, since she was Salvation’s Dawn and a part of the key to opening it. Kari wondered if there would be any repercussions to touching the locking mechanism: whether her touching it might unlock some of the writing or other secrets to the mechanism itself. She decided she would talk to Aeligos and Sonja about it first, but not until they got to the island. There was little sense causing a commotion before they even reached their destination.

  After a while, Se’sasha returned to the rest of the group with Typhonix. The girl wasn’t glowing anymore, but there was a shi
ny golden sheen to her skin that hadn’t faded. Her tattoos now appeared permanent, standing out from her flesh in fully saturated red and orange hues, and they more clearly depicted images of the sun and the flowing script of the syrinthians. Se’sasha touched Ty’s shoulder in thanks and the blonde warrior smiled. It left Kari to wonder what the priestess saw in her brother-in-law, given that she had no way of understanding anything Ty had said until they stood at her mother’s grave.

  “I understand now,” Se’sasha said as she stood before the others. Sakkrass’ spirit was no longer among them, and though it was shocking, it was clear that communing with her mother had allowed Se’sasha to learn the Citarian common tongue. “When we return to your Order, I will tell you everything I can. For now, though, I must ask your help with one more issue. My mother’s spirit has asked that we tear down the temple to Sekassus. Though it was damaged in the final battle there, it still stands, and is a danger if anyone knows how to repair its portal. We do not have to completely destroy it: we simply need to destroy enough of it that it can never again be used toward the Cobra Lord’s purposes.”

  “I am strangely comfortable with that,” Kari returned, which brought laughs from her friends. “But speaking of temples, did your mother tell you anything about something we call the Temple of Archons?”

  Se’sasha shook her head. “No, the only temple my mother was aware of was the very one she had overseen the construction of and run herself. You can explain the significance of this other temple of yours when we reach it, I suppose. I am guessing it is not something your Order wants to be common knowledge, so I am content to remain in the dark on it for now.”

  “What was the significance of this place?” Aeligos asked. “Did your mother give any indication of why this valley was chosen? I understand Sekassus wanted to be summoned here to Citaria, but when we dealt with one of his schemes a few years ago, it was to be summoned on Tsalbrin. During the Third Demon War, your kind invaded Terrassia. I’m curious why his plans don’t all focus on the same place.”

  The syrinthian priestess thought to herself for a minute. “I believe it was the proximity to the great forest and the elves who live within it,” she offered. “Sekassus believed that by taking this valley, and then possibly allying himself with the nearby elves, he could take the great forest without too much notice. He then apparently planned to sire a child with my mother to give him an anchor here on Citaria, and use the ever-growing populations of my people and the elves to eventually bring war to this land.”

  “That seems rather un-Sekassus-like,” Aeligos mused, but he didn’t say more.

  “No, it makes sense,” Sonja said. “Think about it: if there had been fighting here on Askies between our people and the combined syrinthians and elves, we would’ve never been sent to Tsalbrin. His son and Emma would’ve been completely unopposed there, and he might’ve been able to capture that other portal he was interested in.”

  “Oh, you’re right,” Aeligos said. “Good point.”

  “We have to keep in mind that the kings – most of them, anyway – look at everything in the long-term,” Kari said. “Whatever it is Emma’s truly up to, she’s been at it since Eli and Danilynn and their friends worked with Se’ceria. Who knows how long before then she was skulking around Askies and wherever else, laying the Overking’s plans?”

  “All right, so let’s go destroy a temple,” Ty said, and everyone got to their feet, excited.

  The group searched the village for hammers, mauls, or anything serviceable for such use, and they found some of the simple tools of the czarikk. Had they known they would be trying to dismantle a temple and portal, they could’ve bought appropriate tools in Atrice before making their way to the valley. Still, between the three priests and Sonja, Kari was sure they’d manage one way or another. In all honesty, she was curious to see what sort of damage of an arcane nature her sister-in-law could cause.

  They trekked to the west but lost the sunlight before they reached the temple. They camped the night a little ways into the forest so as to stay out of sight of anyone or anything that had claimed the temple ruins as its own. Danilynn and Eli mentioned having seen a white dragon from time to time while passing through the mountains near the valley, but there weren’t any obvious signs that it was living in the valley, if it was still in the area. They kept their dinner fire small to stay on the safe side, and kept watches throughout the night.

  When the sun rose the next morning, they reached the end of the valley jungle and stood staring at the former temple of Sekassus. It was vaguely pyramidal in shape like the one Kari had seen Sakkrass stand on in her dream. It left her to wonder if there was some relationship between Sekassus and Sakkrass, and whether either of them would ever tell her. She stared up at the statues of the snake-men at the pyramid’s flat top, their tips poking above the mists and catching the first rays of the sun as it crested the eastern mountains.

  With a grim smile, Kari approached to destroy the temple of her enemy.

  Chapter XXIII – Vengeance

  The temple was well-constructed and quite impressive to behold. The entire structure was designed as a single, large pyramid with multiple levels. Archways led inside at each level, and at the top there were several smaller pyramidal buildings. Down the center of the long, steep stairway leading to the pinnacle was a waterway, apparently once fed by a fountain at the top. Even from the base of the structure, the friends could see the snake-man statues at the top, and the very upper portion of the circular stone-arch portal.

  Marring the architectural beauty of the pyramid were the many skeletons on its stairs, half-buried in the soil at the base, or laying along steps or the walkways at each level. Eli and Danilynn hadn’t given much detail regarding the final battle that had taken place here, but Kari could see dozens of skeletons just from the base of the stairs. She guessed there had to be three score or more dead lying about the area, but as she considered the martial prowess of her friends, she also remembered them saying that Koursturaux had “torn the souls” out of those who hadn’t died in the conflict itself.

  Most of the skeletons were dressed in rags, all that remained of their stylish clothing, though there were some that seemed out of place. The naked skeletons of the sylinths drew the most attention, as did the occasional canine skull of an elestram. Some of the skeletons showed the trauma of the wounds that had struck them down, but most appeared unmarred, having either been slain by flesh wounds alone or by having their life-force snuffed out. Not surprisingly, after the amount of time they had laid here untended, not a shred of flesh or even hair clung to a single one of the long-dead Mehr’Durillians.

  Se’sasha gestured up the wide main stairway, and Typhonix took the lead, using the broad blade of his axe to sweep the remains away. The temple showed no signs of disturbance, its wide steps and walkways covered with a fine layer of silt or soil and weeds. Just for safety’s sake, Sonja used her life-sense, but didn’t come across anything in or near the temple aside from rodents and other small creatures. The companions ignored the walkways and the doors into the temple itself, and made their way to the pinnacle.

  The top of the pyramid was a flat, wide space with four pyramidal buildings in the corners, the twin statues, the arching portal, and an altar. The four corner pyramids appeared to be preparatory rooms, or else single-person dormitories. The statues were large and impressive, nearly fifteen feet tall, depicting two syrinthians but with the cobra-like heads of their king, and they held their arms out to each other so that their fingertips touched. In their collected palms sat a wide bowl, likely for burning offerings. If there had been a ladder to reach the brazier, it had long since been stolen or rotted away.

  The portal was masterfully constructed, and appeared to have been cut from a single mass of granite. It had the shiny surface of granite with mottled undertones, and stretched neatly into an ohm-like shape (Ω). The center of it was circular and hollow, the outer ring engraved with writing in the infernal tongue. Danilynn move
d closer to read the inscriptions, and Sonja joined her. Se’sasha ignored the portal for the most part, her attention drawn elsewhere.

  Kari followed the syrinthian priestess’ gaze to the altar. Contrary to Kari’s initial belief, the “waterway” down the central stairs was nothing so beautiful. It was clearly for the flow of blood from sacrifices made upon the altar. The altar was wide and flat, large enough for even an erestram to be stretched out and slaughtered upon it, and its single drain led onto the slope of the “waterway.” Even though the rains had long since washed away any evidence of blood in the stone channel, Kari could well imagine it running red with the blood of sacrifices, and a shiver coursed through her.

  “My people were not always like this,” Se’sasha said to Kari’s reaction. “After millennia of being under the rule of Sekassus or his forebears, we have become twisted and cruel, and lost our way. I am loathe to admit such to you, but this was not an anomaly among my people, Kari. My mother was an anomaly. Scenes like this are all too common where I come from, and my people have lost not just their hope, but their innocence.”

  Kari nodded, but before she spoke, she saw Eli crouched down across the way at the other end of the altar. He looked up under Kari and Se’sasha’s scrutiny, and then he got to his feet. “Your mother wanted to change that,” he told Se’sasha. “She was willing to die to see that it happened, and Kari bringing you here to us means she succeeded, to some degree.”