by Jordan Baker
"That wasn't very nice, Elric," she said, irritated that he had resisted her at the end. Still, she had taken almost all of him, leaving only the last few dregs.
"What have you done to me?" he croaked.
"I have set you free," she said as she swung her leg overtop of him and stepped down from the platform, feeling her body shake and tremble as his essence coursed through her. "Never will you have to fear the monster."
"Kill me, please," he said.
"Oh no," Calexis said. "I think I will keep you here. I may have use for you yet, but you really should rest. You have done well."
Elric opened his mouth and let out a moan. He coughed and moaned again and Calexis shook her head in disgust.
"If you are going to weep, then I will leave you to it," she said, then she leaned in and kissed his cheek and laughed as her teeth began to grow longer and her body began to change, becoming reptilian. "Goodbye Elric."
Calexis turned and left the room, laughing at his fading moans as she made her way back up the stone stairway to the palace. As she reached the top of the stairs, she felt something strange deep inside of her and her stomach turned. Calexis staggered and fell to the floor, as her body began to convulse as though something was crawling inside of her.
The soldiers who stood guard nearby rushed toward her, but Calexis held up her hand and hissed at them through her fanged teeth and she took control of their minds and sent them away, to stand guard at the far end of the hall, with their backs to her. Her stomach contracted again and she rolled onto her back, clawing at her abdomen, tearing the crimson fabric she wore to shreds.
"Get out of me," she growled, her voice low and guttural. She cried out as something sharp moved inside of her and then Calexis screamed as she bled onto the stone floor.
Like rats scurrying from a nest, dozens of small, lizard like creatures clawed their way from her. They tumbled over each other then found their footing and ran down the nearby stairs as Calexis growled, hissed and screamed again, her voice pitching both high and low in panicked agony and visceral anger. Finally, the last of the creatures left her, shook itself off and was about to run after the others when Calexis sat up on her elbow and snatched it with her clawed hand. She held up the creature, inspecting at it closely with her eyes that had become even more reptilian as her body continued to change. It struggled against her grip, its tiny, lizard face hissing at her, bearing its fangs and spitting. Calexis hissed back at the creature, then she threw it against the wall. The creature spun in the air and landed against the wall on all fours, then it opened up a pair of small, leathery wings then leapt down to the floor, gliding through the air, and landed on the floor. It turned, looked at Calexis and hissed, then it bounded away, back down toward the dungeon.
Calexis let herself lay back to the floor and drew her knees together. She closed her eyes and ran her clawed hands down to her stomach and used her power to learn what had happened to her. A wide, toothy smile grew between her lips and she began to laugh in ecstasy at her discovery. She could feel the guards' nervousness, as she rose to her feet and gathered the front of her dress back together, then walked toward them. She released them from her control and they turned to look at their queen.
"You," she said to one of them. "Send word to the kitchens to send food to my chambers. Have them send plenty of meat, preferably venison or something wild. And leave it raw."
"Yes your highness," he said, nodding briefly before he ran off down the hall.
As she walked past the rest of the guards, a mage appeared.
"Your highness," he said. "The preparations at the temple are nearly complete. We thought you would already know, as you know all things, but it seems there has been some confusion among our ranks."
"Then let us clear up that confusion," Calexis said and she reached out with her power and touched the minds of every mage and soldier under her spell, reaffirming their bond, her control, and their devotion to she, who was become the one god.
*****
Brian set Pike down on the remains of a crumbling stone bench among the vines and leaves by the ancient shrine and he checked the scrap of cloth that was tied around the Xallan's eyes then sat next to him. He could tell that Pike was starting to come to and he was not sure what to do about it if he was still under Calexis' spell.
"There may be a way to release him from the dark spell," Kroma said.
"Truly?" Brian said. "How?"
"This is a shrine to Mara. Perhaps the goddess would grant a favor. Come, let us discover if my sister still rules the waters."
Brian rose from the bench and walked over to the remains of the shrine and the trickle of water that bubbled up from the earth, the source of the stream that ran toward the vast lake that, like the city that loomed above them, bore the goddess' name. He crouched down and dipped his fingertips in the water and touched it to his forehead, then he felt something, like the cool, clear feeling of a cold drink of water, spreading through him.
"Mara," Kroma's voice rumbled in Brian's thoughts.
"Kroma?" a woman's voice replied.
"Yes, it is I."
"Where have you been?"
"I should ask the same of you."
"I have been here, keeping out of the affairs of the world as we agreed."
"There is no point in debating that," Kroma said, though Brian could tell that he was irritated. "The shadow is returned and causes much trouble, once again."
"I am aware of this," she replied. "You still have not answered my question. Where have you been?"
"Trapped, inside our brother. He has taken much of my power, but I have managed to escape him, with some help. What of the others?"
"Ayra has returned, but in a new form, so in a sense she is no longer as you knew her, but she is very much like mother."
"And our father? Kenra attempted to do the same to him as to me, but only managed to take a small portion of his power. I sense him in the world, but his power is different."
"Something has happened to him, but I cannot tell what, for he went to a place with little water, and I have been focused elsewhere."
"That is not like you."
"I have stayed out of the world, brother. I am different now, and I no longer live as the goddess, Mara."
"What of the world?"
"What of it, brother?"
"Who is to oversee it?"
"What need is there?"
"We must stop the shadow."
"Of course, brother. Of that, there is no doubt."
"Then why do you stay away? Your shrine is nearly crumbled to dust."
"I have no need of a shrine."
"I have need of your shrine."
"What do you need?"
"There is a young fellow, ensorcelled by the dark god and touched by the shadow. Is it within your power to cleanse him?"
"How long has it been since the dark magic touched him?"
"Not long."
"It may be possible. Bring him to me."
Brian walked over to the bench and picked up Pike and brought him to the bubbling water and laid him down beside it. He stood back when the water rose up from the ground and took the shape of a woman, entirely made of water, but a clearly a woman. She knelt down over Pike and touched her watery fingers to his forehead.
"He fights it," she said. "That is useful. I will try to remove the shadow from him."
Water pressed hard against Pike's forehead, flowing from her fingers, pushing hard against his skin and Pike groaned as though he was in pain. Brian stepped back when he saw a thick, dark liquid ooze from Pike's ears. It pooled into small black puddles on the ground, withering the green moss to dust and eating away at the stone.
"He has been cleansed of the dark power," she said, turning to look at Brian. "Do you have the power to destroy it?"
"I don't know," Brian said. "Do I?"
"He does," Kroma said.
"I see you have taken another form," she said.
"It have taken nothing," Kroma told
her. "This young man is a defender, and I do not compel him in any way."
"What is your name?" she asked.
"It's Brian," he told her. She smiled and placed a cool, watery hand upon his face.
"You have an honest look to you," she said. "You remind me of someone I met recently."
"Thank you, goddess Mara," Brian said, not sure the right way to address a deity, especially one as beautiful as she was, and he was already confused enough with another god speaking inside his head.
"You are welcome," she said. "There is no reason to be nervous. I no longer use the name Mara. When next we meet, please call me Carly."
"Yes, of course," Brian said. "We will meet again?"
"If you are with my brother, then it is likely. We have much that needs be done."
"And what of you, sister?"
"I am searching for someone. Once I have found him, I will join you."
"Another one of your lovers?"
"Perhaps. But you know better than to ask such a question."
"You are still the same."
"If you choose to think so."
"Thank you for your help."
"Of course, brother. You have made a good choice in this one. He is much like you, though more pleasing to the eye."
"I am grateful for your help, but I am not in the mood to be teased."
"One must always tease one's little brother. It is one of the most ancient laws."
"You've got water in your head if you think that's a law."
"It is good to see you, brother."
"You as well, sister."
She smiled, then her watery form swirled and cascaded to the ground with a splash, some of it hitting Pike's face and he stirred.
"Oh, no, I've gone blind," he said.
Brian pulled off the strip of cloth that was tied around Pike's head and looked in his eyes as the Xallan blinked and looked around.
"Pike, are you all right?"
Pike looked up at him and blinked.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I'm Brian," he told him.
"Have we met?"
"Yes, we have."
"Oh. Who am I?"
"You're Pike."
"I am?"
Brian sighed.
"What's wrong with him?" Brian asked.
"His memory has been harmed," Kroma replied. "He may have buried himself when Kenra tried to steal his thoughts."
"Will he recover?"
"In time, perhaps."
"Your name is Pike and you're a Ranger and a swordfighter," Brian said. "You were injured in a fight and your memory is gone."
"I must not be much of a swordfighter then?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, I'm tied up, so I must be a prisoner, which means I must have lost the fight."
"Not exactly," Brian said and he helped him sit up, then he pulled a knife from his belt and cut the ropes from his wrists.
"Thanks, that's much better," Pike said. "If I'm not a prisoner, how did I come to be here?"
"I carried you from the palace," Brian said.
"Palace? What was I doing in a palace?"
"You were trying to kill a king."
"Oh, well then," Pike said. "That's looking for some trouble, isn't it? No wonder I was a prisoner." He looked down at his belt. "Is this my sword?"
"Yes, you're a swordfighter and a Ranger."
"A Ranger?"
"Yes."
"Is that like someone who ranges about, sword fighting and such?"
"No," Brian said. "Well, yes. Sort of."
"No and yes, sort of?"
"It will take some time to explain, and we don't have time," Brian said.
"Oh, we're in a hurry then?"
"Yes, and I have to go back to the palace and rescue someone else."
"Oh, would you like some help? It's the least I could do, to return the favor."
"You should stay here," Brian said.
"And do what?"
"Just wait."
"Stand guard or something."
"Like a ranger."
"Yes, like a ranger. Which also means, don't let anyone see you."
"A secret ranger then."
"Yes, Pike."
"Is that the weapon or the fish?"
"The fish, I think," Brian said.
"Well that's disappointing."
"Just keep watch."
"I thought you said to stand guard."
"Yes, stand guard by keeping watch."
"A secret ranger."
"Yes."
"Very good."
Brian headed back toward the entrance to the tunnel. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Pike had drawn his sword and was swinging it around the way he and his brothers used to do with sticks.
"Brian, it may not be wise to return to the city."
"You heard what she did to him," Brian said.
"Yes, Kenra has taken yet more power, the power of the dragon king."
"Kenra? That was Queen Calexis."
"Yes, Kenra is in the queen, similar to how I am with you."
"Then which of them tortured the lizard man?"
"The lizard man, as you call him, is Elric, the young king of Kandara, and the magic that stole his power was that of Kenra, the god of lies, though perhaps now goddess of lies would be more exact."
"What about Calexis?"
"It is possible that she suffers in some dark corner of her mind, as I did and the way Cerric did much of the time, if she survives at all. Kenra has become far more adept with his power and he hated sharing his thoughts with me and the part of Cerric that remained, so it is possible that he would have completely consumed the Xallan queen when he took control of her. Having seen Kenra's thoughts before he left Cerric, I know it was his intention, which means Kenra has become Calexis."
"Is this what gods do, take over people?"
"No, it is not what we do, though it has happened before. And you do not see me controlling you, do you?"
"Would I know it if you were?" Brian asked.
"If I were, you would not be walking back into the palace."
"Right. You make a fair point."
"I always do."
"How do you know so much about Kenra and Elric and all of that?"
"I was in Kenra's mind, and Cerric's as well. I have seen much, which is why Kenra wanted to leave me trapped in Cerric's body. It was good of you to rescue me."
"I did not know I was rescuing you," Brian said.
"That is true, and for that I apologize to you. If you would like me gone, then perhaps we can find someone who is still faithful to me, then I can leave you."
"I don't really mind," Brian said. "And I like that you know things."
"There is much I can teach you, if you wish."
"That sounds to be a fair trade. I imagine you know a lot, being a god."
"I do. Now let's rescue what's left of the young Akandra and get away from the city before Kenra works his spell."
"You mean before Calexis works her spell."
"Yes, you are learning quickly."
*****
Calexis watched as though through the eyes of another as trays of bloody meat were devoured and she felt it satiate the gnawing hunger in her stomach, but she did not share the satisfied feeling that flowed through her body, which felt strange and foreign to her. She watched as her eyes looked about the room and felt her limbs move as her body walked into the royal bedroom. She glanced at the dark stain on the floor where Cerric had died, killed by her hand, but her eyes turned toward the wardrobe and the long, standing mirror against the wall as her hands shrugged off the torn red dress and dropped it to the floor.
Calexis watched as she stepped in front of the mirror and she was shocked at what she saw. The pale, beautiful and voluptuous body she had been so proud of had changed far more than she had imagined, no longer accented with the features she had inherited from the Darga, she was far more reptilian now. Her face was more angular and long, sharp hor
ns protruded back from her temples, her nails had become claws and her body was a different shape, with thicker legs, a round belly, more powerful arms, and the pointed folds of leathery wings stuck over the tops of her armored shoulders, while almost all of her body was covered in scales. At least breasts, which had always been points of pride, still remained, though they were encircled by leather and scales and their tips looked sharp enough to cut someone, but the rest of her was so much like the creature, Elric. She felt herself smile and saw that her mouth was wider than before and her teeth had grown even longer.
The eyes that looked back at her were barely her own, with graying black shadows and purple fire shifting behind the sharp predatory lines of a reptile, and Calexis knew that she was lost. If not for the place in her mind that the mage Dakar had shown her how to make, there would be nothing left of her, for she knew the thoughts of the god that had entered her, and the dark, consuming power that flowed through her being, a contradiction that it would not destroy her, somehow its power being held in balance by the god. Such a power, Calexis had never imagined, and it was the opposite of what she had wanted. The power of the shadow was not power at all, but emptiness, and a hunger, to destroy all things.
"What has become of me?" she thought, and all she heard was her own voice, laughing as the creature in the mirror reveled in her power.
Calexis heard an echo of a thought from somewhere in the back of her mind, and she wondered if some small glimmer of who she had been still existed. Unlike when she had taken the essence of her brother long ago, then Cerric the arrogant king who thought he was a god, she was sure she had perfected the magic to truly consume her host. The name Kenra was a memory, though she still knew herself in such a way, and she had truly become Calexis, and she was pleased with this choice, for her mind was sharp, her latent powers diverse and unexpected, and her body both fertile and strong. There was much she could do with such a form, and she was pleased at how her appetites complemented her desires.
Calexis opened the Xallan Queen's wardrobe and sorted through the various dresses, all of them elegant and made from the finest cloth, but she knew that few if any of them would fit her new body. She sent out a thought to one of the guards at her door and he headed off to set the dressmakers, tailors, leatherworkers and armorers from the city to work. If she was to lead the battle against the elves, she would need to be attired appropriately, but for the ritual, something from the wardrobe would suffice.
