by Casey Knight
It didn’t surprise me I chose the right place to begin my search. I shielded myself, then drew a circle around the table enclosing three or four of the vilest of the offending tomes. I didn’t like being locked inside a circle with these books, but I was safe enough as long as I didn’t evoke any spells. I just wanted to make certain nothing I found could leave the circle. All magic, including dark magic, must be activated, and I had no intention of activating anything. Bracing myself, I picked up the first book and scanned it. I’d honestly never seen such dreadful curses and spells, but then I don’t practice the dark arts. The hardest part would be figuring out from the descriptions, what could produce the evil emitted at the oasis, by the vulture and dear old Frosty.
This was worse than looking for a needle in a haystack, because at least you knew you were looking for a needle. I didn’t find anything in the first book, and these things didn’t come with useful tables of content. There had to be a better way to approach this, and that’s when I found a section on hunting. It got my attention, and I skimmed through the section. This might be the break I need. The segment was about how to track and kill one’s enemy. On a hunch, I checked the other books and found they had similar subdivisions. Reinvigorated by my discovery, I went back to work. I didn’t hit pay dirt until I almost finished the third book. Something Traygen said came to mind when I read a section about a god named Moros. He was the Greek god who drove mortals to their doom where one of his brothers killed them. The Greek mythology had two gods that symbolized death, Ker and Thanatos. Thanatos was the god of a peaceful death or transition; Ker was the god of violent death. Ker and Moros were known to work together to kill their victims. Moros and Ker were the sons of the dark goddess Nyx.
I sat up, rubbed my neck, and shrugged my shoulders to relax and stretch them from the time I’d spent poring over these books. I couldn’t help grinning, and like I always say, “he who smiles in a crisis has found someone to blame.” I had found my assassins, now I needed to find out how to stop them.
It is no surprise to anyone who knows me, that I’ve stepped on a few toes in my time, but was unaware of offending any of the Greek gods. Well, that’s not entirely true. I did beat Erebus in front of his zombie army. Yeah, he had a motive, and I had no doubt the zombies existed because I’d battled him for the code to unlock the Spear of Destiny. Fortunately, I seldom needed to confront a Greek god. My villains are usually into drugs, prostitution, or gangs, especially the vamps and fae. This is a good thing, because the usual suspects aren’t Mensa material. I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed vamp or fae. The last thing I need is Greek gods running amok in L.A. Oh, there is no shortage of Hollywood stars that think they are gods, but they aren’t ancient Greeks, and if they were, they’d lie about their ages. I continued my reading and soon learned the answer and the connection. Nyx was their mother and Erebus was their father. Now I had the link. I’ll be damned, I had offended an ancient Greek. I was obviously a one-woman goodwill ambassador for the ages.
Okay, now I was fairly certain who was after me. Next, I needed to find out what kind of power these gods wielded. This was an easier search because there was a lot written on the Greek gods and their powers. Most of their supremacy was elemental, much like my own. They liked to harness the elements and tossing lightning bolts around seemed to make their day. In that respect, we had similar abilities. I often harnessed water and the wind, but that is where our comparisons ended. The dark gods harnessed the dark arts and the spells and curses associated with them. I knew what I had to do next.
I transported back and found Jason. I explained what I needed, and he reluctantly agreed to give me access once again to the council’s library on the dark arts. I assured him all I was looking for was the antidote or counter to the dark magic. From my previous brushes with the two gods, I had an idea what type of spell they were using. Jason left me to my search, and I started looking for killing curses, and boy-howdy, were there plenty. These deranged wizards had active imaginations. I looked for a spell like the one used to blow up the swamp. That blast could have leveled a city block, which means it was extreme overkill to use to destroy the space around the oasis. If I had to guess, I assumed their logic might have been, if the blast didn’t kill us, they’d scare us to death. Moros and Ker obviously didn’t do anything in a small way. I sure hoped they weren’t compensating for anything.
I read until my eyes blurred so much I couldn’t see straight. That’s when I found my first valuable piece of information. I couldn’t counter a killing curse because, let’s face it, if you’re dead you’re dead. I didn’t know anyone except Christ who had risen from the dead. It might be possible to stop them before they unleashed their curse, but that wasn’t a risk I was willing to take. If they surprised me, they could kill me before I could react. No, I needed a way to disarm or deflect their curse. Now that I had an idea what I was looking for, I was wide awake and dove into my chore. It took several hours, but I was satisfied I had an answer to their curse. I didn’t have a cure because there wasn’t one, but I thought I could deflect the curse.
I still had a couple of hours before I had to brief my team on the final challenge. It was enough time for me to research a counter to their killing curse. I didn’t have any time to waste, so I gathered my ingredients. I wouldn’t have much time when I returned from briefing the team. By the time I finished finding the necessary ingredients, it was past time to head back. Satisfied I could make something to shield my team, I transported myself back to fill my squad in on what I’d discovered and to review the final challenge.
Once I had everyone assembled, I explained what I had learned. I clarified who I believed was behind the assassination attempts on my life and why. I started by sharing Traygen’s theory of how the two assassins worked together. One assassin would scare me in one direction toward the second assassin, who would be waiting to kill me. I reminded them of my experience in the third challenge where they had used a similar tactic.
“I have to hand it to you, Lauren, it isn’t every day a woman from the twenty-first century can piss off a couple of first generation ancient Greek Gods. That’s impressive even by your standards,” Tokem quipped.
“Tokem, you might be wise not to push her before you wake up in the twenty-second century,” Corbin noted.
“What I want to know is how you and your team intend to catch these two, or if you think we should cancel the final challenge.”
“Traygen, we can’t cancel it, but we can pull Lauren...”
“Like hell you will. Jason, I won’t sit on the sidelines and let my team try to catch these two. Besides, I have a few tricks up my sleeve for this duo. I need to go back to my lab for more spell work. Jason, how many people will you take with you?”
“I’m taking four men with me.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Okay, I’ll make enough to cover your men and my team. Now let me explain the final universe and then I’ll get to work. As most of you know from reading your packets, the final world is a replica of the underground cities of Cappadocia complete with Fairy Chimneys.”
“I sure hope that wasn’t a derogatory comment about the fae. You know we’re distantly related. I’m superior of course, but...”
“Tokem, you know me better than that. Those are called Fairy Chimneys because they are naturally formed by the wind, volcanic activity, and erosion, so there is no relation to the fae. The entire city sits on a plateau in a semi-arid region of Turkey. At one time or another, the Persians, Alexander the Great, and the Romans inhabited the area. The chimneys vary in height but they resemble minarets and pillars. The early inhabitants made churches of the larger chimneys and decorated the interiors with huge frescos.”
“Good to know you weren’t slighting my relatives or Bat Boy’s either.”
Corbin tossed a napkin at Tokem, and I waited for them to act their ages.
“If you two can focus, I’ll continue. The majority of the area is built underground. It is
believed the subterranean city was built by hand around the year 1200 B.C. They know this because, at that time no metal tools were available. The theory is they were trying to escape religious persecution by the Romans. They moved underground to escape from the gas, ash, and lava from the active volcanos. The volcanic eruptions created an almost surreal landscape. The brittle tuff rock formed by the volcanoes was sculpted by the wind, rain, and elements to form the ghost-like rock faces replete with their pointy fairy chimneys. The Cappadocians chiseled their homes into the soft rock, leaving the area dotted with fairy chimneys the tribes also carved out to form homes. All the houses and communities in the region are connected by a series of underground tunnels.”
“Boy, some things never change, do they? The Romans may be gone, but there is never a shortage of bullies.”
“Corbin, I couldn’t agree more,” Jason acknowledged.
“Well before you feel too sorry for them, remember they defended their underground cities with inventive snares. The place is full of booby traps. Indiana Jones had nothing on this design team. They kept the replica as authentic as possible. There are places where stones can be triggered to roll across doorways and trap or squash people. There are hidden holes throughout the caves, where a manhole sized cover is delicately placed, so the slightest misstep causes a person to fall in. The design team has placed toxic powders throughout that can cause serious damage when triggered and inhaled. False well covers, curses, trap doors, and mazes. You name it, and it’s included in the final challenge. Remember, the area was carved by hand, so the spaces are tight. A Smurf might feel claustrophobic down there,” I said.
“Lauren, my love, are you sure you don’t want to sit this one out?”
“Traygen, I’ll be fine, but we need to pay serious attention, so we aren’t maimed or killed by the built-in defenses. The tunnels are narrow for a reason. They force hand-to-hand combat because there isn’t room to evade an attacker. And don’t forget, they’ve strategically placed holes in the ceiling where they can rain spears or arrows on their enemies.”
“I’m wondering if there were valid reasons these people were hunted. They sound like descendants of Attila the Hun, or at least card-carrying members of the Diabolic Defense League. I mean, the Romans were conquering fools, but at least they didn’t drop spears through tiny holes in the ceiling,” Corbin observed.
“As much as I’d enjoy debating history with everyone, we have one final universe before we can end the games. You all know which one of the four stages you were assigned to. Read them, memorize them, and we will meet back here in two hours. Traygen and Tokem, have you found the portal in the final universe?”
“Lauren, we did, and it’s no surprise it is in your area. There is an underground stream and a bridge that crosses it. The left bridge support as you enter is the portal. As you already know, the cavern on the other side of the bridge is where the final challenge takes place.”
“I do, and I’m not surprised the portal is near the finish line. Let’s get to work. We need these games to conclude safely for the competitors and for us. I’ll meet everyone back here in two hours. Tokem, can I speak with you a minute?”
“What’s up?”
“Can you rig camera headsets for everyone on the team?”
“You know I can. I’ll have them ready when we reassemble.”
“Good. I want you to hand pick a team to monitor each of us, every step of the way. You can take over as soon as you finish the first challenge. Then set up a direct feed to me and the extraction teams.”
“Lauren, I’ll have it ready when you return.”
I didn’t waste a minute transporting back to my lab. All my cramming on evil, vile, and virtueless curses gave me an idea how to protect us from them. Who knew I’d aspire to be the best at the worst curses ever to blacken a soul. The curses had one thing in common. They were predatory in nature, offensive weapons, abhorrently effective at attacking, killing, maiming, and destroying. Yet, they were woefully lacking in protecting their wielders. Much like Moros and Ker, anyone using these curses was trying to blast your ass to smithereens, not cover their own. I had just the cure for what would ail them when their curses came home to roost, or more accurately, I hoped I did. Life is short and I trust I won’t be unnecessarily shortening mine.
I got right to work. I didn’t have time to ponder the philosophy of good versus evil and what might give me an edge. I had to trust my instincts. Fortunately, I had the ingredients, and wasted no time slicing, dicing, and brewing my spell. It took me almost an hour, but I had five vials of my spell securely attached to my belt. I hustled back to the Four Courts for our last meeting before the final challenge.
“By now each of you had a chance to review the stage you will be monitoring in the final universe. I’ve asked Tokem to rig a small camera headset for each of us. We will have a special team monitoring each of us during the entirety of the final universe. Remember, we now know Ker and Moros are behind these attacks. Moros is the god responsible for driving mortals to their doom. We have seen firsthand the effect he had on the competitors. Ker is the god of violent death. These two are the ones trying to kill me because I humiliated Erebus their father.”
“They are a regular Hallmark family. Can you imagine their Christmas card?” Tokem quipped.
“Tokem is right. This is a violent bunch who will kill us if they can. We will need to be on our guard. I have brewed up something for each of you. This is a spell to ward off their curses. I read about these two. They’re predators in every sense of the word, bullies who believe they’re invincible,” I said, as I passed a vial to each member of the team.
“I hope you won’t need this, but I suggest you take it right before the final challenge begins. It will act as a mirror and deflect any dark curse back at the sender. However, don’t rely solely on it. I had no time to try it out, but believe it will work as intended, because the curses they use are offensive. It would never cross their minds that someone would use their jinxes against them. If there are no questions, let’s go over the final details.”
“Lauren, everyone has their headsets and I have teams to monitor each.”
“Thank you, Tokem. Jason, are you and your team ready? I made a vial for each member of your team.”
“We are, and we have the talisman you gave us. We are ready to go. Thanks for the cure.”
“Okay, I think we are as prepared as we can be. As you may already know, the vampires are down to only one competitor, so if they lose another they are out. The lycans, demons, and wizards are down two each, while the elves and fae still have full teams. The elves and fae are tied for first place. We need to finish this final challenge without losing anyone. Keep safe out there.”
I hugged Traygen and wished everyone else good luck. We would need it. Moros and Ker were not going away. In fact, I hoped they were getting desperate because we needed them to make a mistake. I checked and rechecked my gear, then went to follow the first two stages from the room where we were monitoring the final challenge. I had agreed to watch the first two stages from the safety of the Four Courts. I didn’t like it, but I knew Moros and Ker would not attack me there.
Chapter Fifteen
I settled in to watch the first trial, already in progress. All the contestants were dropped off equidistant from the travel gnome version of Mount Rushmore. Yes, travel gnomes - think pointy hats, hollow eyes, that is how the weathered features of the Cappadocian hills appeared. Once inside, all contestants would search for the statue of Ahura-Mazde, the believed leader of the Zoroastrian tradition. Some scholars believed the Zoroastrians were escaping aliens when they went underground.
The main city was Derinkuyu, approximately eight stories deep and totally self-sustaining. The Zoroastrians built everything from stables, to cellars, to storage facilities, large ventilation shafts, chapels, and mess halls. Archeologists have found oil and wine presses, irrigation systems, wells and elaborate fortifications. Clearly, the inhabitants could live a
long time underground. The question is, why would they need to spend a long time underground? For whatever reason, the inhabitants had built one-thousand pound doors that opened and closed with rollers to safeguard their underground homes. Even more telling is, the doors only opened from the inside.
For some unknown reason, the Zoroastrians felt justified in fleeing to their underground cities, a practice going against everything they believed. From cave men to modern man, conventional wisdom considers “caves to be graves,” a caveat the citizens of Derinkuyu opted to ignore. Was it to their peril? History is unclear, since the underground cities flourished for centuries.
I hoped this last challenge was mercifully short, but the chances were slim to none. I watched as the sound of running footsteps announced the arrival of the first contestant. It didn’t take long for the wizard to burst into the nearest room and stumble to a stop. From the looks of the room, he was in a granary or stable. I couldn’t tell, but it looked like there were large bins of grain in vats around the room’s perimeter. In the center of the room were huge presses and rollers. The wizard looked around before he pulled out his notes and studied them. Then he folded up his notes, stuffed them in his pack and paced the exterior of the room. I hadn’t a clue what he was looking for, and from the expression on his face, neither did he.
Just when I was about to give him a hint, anything to get him moving, I heard the sounds of another competitor approaching the room. The noises seemed to spur the wizard to action. He moved over to stand in front of a large door with an enormous chute protruding from above the door. All I could think was, he wasn’t going to pull that chute open. I mean would you? I’d seen contestants flushed and dropped through trap doors. Call me crazy, but I wouldn’t stand anywhere near the thing. Obviously, the wizard was feeling bulletproof, because he walked up to the lever on the side of the chute and pulled it.
