Quillblade

by Ben Chandler

  Lenis peered through the mist to where the captain was pointing. Above the entrance to the temple he could see a triangular symbol carved into the stone. At first it looked like three triangles threaded through one another, but as Lenis’s eye traced the pattern it seemed that all three triangles were made up of the same line.

  He was still craning his neck to study it as Yami carried him inside. ‘Whose temple is it, then?’

  The interior was unlit, the diffuse light from outside unable to penetrate beyond the deep vestibule. Lenis let go of Yami’s neck and found his legs weren’t able to support him. He sank to the floor and sat, his head spinning, while the others spoke of torches and the possibility of getting a fire going for food. Something flickered at the edge of Lenis’s awareness, but he was too tired to focus his attention on it. He put his head in his hands. The salve was finally wearing off. The numbness was giving way to an unpleasant tingling that Lenis knew would soon start to sting and then ... The headache that had been growing all day exploded, sending dazzling lights shooting through his skull.

  ‘Are the Bestia here?’ someone asked. Lenis shook his head from side to side, unable to answer. ‘Master Clemens?’

  ‘Let the boy rest awhile.’ Shin’s voice floated across Lenis’s awareness, strangely soothing. Something cold touched his forehead and then the back of his neck. ‘He has a fever.’

  ‘Is it the Wasteland sickness?’ The captain’s voice smashed into the side of Lenis’s head. He groaned.

  ‘I don’t know. You should have brought the doctor to care for him.’

  Lenis lost consciousness before he could hear the captain’s reply.

  ‘Is he awake?’

  Lenis was in horrible pain. The effects of Long Liu’s medicine had worn off completely while he slept. His head throbbed. His cheek, hands and knee were burning anew, the damaged flesh rubbed raw under his bandages. He was lying in front of something so hot it was almost unbearable.

  ‘Lenis? Lenis?’

  Lenis had to blink several times to clear his blurry sight, and then he found himself looking up into Shin’s eyes. His head was nestled in her lap.

  ‘How are you feeling?’

  ‘Sore.’ The word came out muffled.

  ‘Demon’s wings, you gave us a scare!’ The captain crouched down next to him. ‘How are you feeling?’

  Hadn’t he just answered that question?

  Yami’s voice came from beyond the dancing flames. ‘We should not stay here. He needs the doctor.’

  No! They couldn’t go back now! ‘The Bestia ...’ Lenis concentrated. They were close. He was sure of it. He had to convince them not to take him back. ‘They’re here.’

  Captain Shishi placed a hand on his arm. ‘Where?’

  Lenis attempted a shrug. ‘Somewhere here.’

  He tried to sit up, but Shin held him in place. ‘The two of you should go and look for them. I’ll stay here with Lenis.’

  Yami stepped closer to the fire, looking demonic as the firelight played across his skin. ‘This place is not safe. Whole sections have collapsed. I do not think we should split up.’

  The captain stood and stretched. ‘I agree.’ He picked up two large sticks and lit their ends in a fire, the source of the heat that felt as though it was searing into Lenis’s burns. ‘Sir Yami and I will examine the main hall while Lenis rests. When he is strong enough we will all venture deeper into the temple.’

  Lenis tried to block out the pain by following the two Shinzôn men with his eyes as they made a circuit of the chamber. They held the burning sticks like torches, and the light from them danced along carvings of horses, birds, wolves and the strange three-triangle motif Lenis had seen above the temple’s entrance. One whole wall was carved to look like a bookcase full of books. The effect was so realistic that Lenis was half-convinced he could have reached out and taken down one of the stone tomes, if only he was strong enough to lift it.

  Shin stroked his forehead, smoothing the hair back from his face. It was a wonderful feeling, hauntingly familiar. Perhaps something his sister had once done for him? Lenis couldn’t remember, but the constant touch eased the throbbing in his head, and her hand was so cool it eased the pain of his burns, just a little. Lenis wasn’t sure if it was a dream or a memory, but he suddenly wondered if this was the sort of thing mothers did for their children. He closed his eyes and let her soothe him down into a half-sleep.

  Some time later, he made an effort to rouse himself. ‘Do you have children, Miss Shin?’

  Shin’s hand paused for a heartbeat, and then began moving again. ‘No, Lenis.’

  Lenis felt her momentary shock and the hastily erected barrier that had blocked it out. He had sensed this sort of thing before. It was common in the slave pens. There were some things people didn’t want to feel.

  Shin started humming deep in her throat so that it vibrated up through her chest. It was a low melody, just as soothing as the rubbing of his brow but also haunting. Lenis, not really knowing what he was doing, tried to reach out to comfort her. He couldn’t have said what he was feeling, but he knew he didn’t want Shin to be sad. There was a moment of connection, an instant where he felt her reaction to his sympathy, and then it was gone. Shin squeezed him to her, oblivious to his injuries. Lenis opened his eyes as the full force of his pain returned.

  Captain Shishi and Yami had come to a stop at the far end of the hall. Yami’s voice carried easily back to them. ‘The World Tree.’

  ‘What?’ Lenis sat upright, and then felt so dizzy he thought he might throw up. Shin placed an arm around his shoulders and he sagged into her.

  Yami called back, ‘It is a diagram of the World Tree.’

  Lenis had to wait several moments before his vision cleared and his stomach stopped churning. Then he peered through the gloom and could just make out by the wavering light of Yami’s torch the edges of a strange glyph carved into the far wall. It consisted of a series of concentric circles interspersed with crisscrossing lines. He leant forward for a better look at the carving. The glyph had ten large runes carved into it at regular intervals. They stood out from the rest of the pattern, but as Lenis squinted through his pain and the flickering light he noticed smaller runes set in an increasingly complex pattern. His vision blurred again and he lay back in Shin’s lap, clutching his stomach with one hand and his head with the other.

  ‘The World Tree?’ This was the first clue Lenis had found to saving his sister, but he was too sick and in too much pain to do anything about it.

  He heard footsteps and then Yami’s voice close by. ‘The runes represent different species, and the circular pattern represents their connection to one another. The World Tree is the symbol of that connection, remember?’

  Lenis nodded miserably.

  ‘How did a diagram of this World Tree come to be carved in this temple?’ Shin wondered aloud. ‘Does it tell us whose temple this is?’

  Yami looked at Lenis before answering. ‘No. There are people who worship the World Tree, but they do not build temples.’

  Lenis didn’t even try to raise his head as he asked, ‘People worship the World Tree?’

  ‘Yes, but the World Tree philosophy is a way of thinking, of looking at things. It is not a religion.’

  The captain lit fresh torches. ‘We need to get moving, Master Clemens. Do you think you are well enough?’

  No. ‘Yes, captain.’

  ‘Miss Shin, Sir Yami, please aid Master Clemens.’ The captain handed Yami one of the torches and, brandishing two himself, moved to an open archway at the far end of the hall just below the World Tree diagram. ‘There is only one way forward from here, but the corridor beyond branches several times. Can you direct us?’

  As Shin and Yami helped him to his feet, each supporting one of his arms, Lenis concentrated again on finding his Bestia. It took a colossal effort, but he ma
naged to ignore the sting of his burns, the ache in his head, and the queasiness in his stomach. Together, the three of them staggered after the captain. ‘We go straight at first, I think, but then we have to head down as soon as possible.’

  ‘Down?’ Yami’s face was close to Lenis’s.

  Lenis nodded. ‘Underground. I think they’re underground.’

  As they passed under the circular glyph carved into the temple’s wall, Lenis noticed that the carving was rough, as though it had been done in a hurry. They were through the archway before he could get a good look and then he had to guide them through the winding corridors, deeper into the temple.

  The going was hard for all of them. As Yami had said, large sections of the temple had fallen in, forcing them to scramble over debris and under broken support beams. They couldn’t move four steps on even ground. Even where the floor of the temple was sound, it was covered in layers of crumbled mortar and bits of stone that made their footing uncertain. Yami and Shin did their best to spare Lenis from being jostled, but there was only so much they could do in the increasingly confined space of the temple’s deteriorating corridors.

  The captain stopped suddenly by the sagging frame of a doorway. ‘There are stairs in here, but the ceiling has partially collapsed.’

  Lenis lacked the energy to speak, so he nodded and allowed his two companions to carry him into the ruined chamber. It looked like it had once been an audience hall. The only thing left standing in the room was a large stone chair, half-covered in debris from the fallen ceiling. Lenis couldn’t tell if there was another floor above them, or if the ruined chamber opened up into the Wastelands. To the side, and unblocked by rubble, was a staircase leading down into the dark.

  Suddenly a wave of emotion slammed into Lenis. It was all joy and anticipation, and the force of it banished his hurts for an instant. ‘They’re down there!’

  They all hurried on, scrambling over the loose scree beneath their feet. They reached the stairway without mishap and started down the sharply winding staircase. After several turns it opened into what looked like a natural cavern. Though the light from their torches illuminated nothing, the vast space was filled with a faint blue light. As they stepped off the last step, Lenis felt a change in the atmosphere that reminded him of the last time he had left the Wastelands. Before anyone could stop him he reached up and pulled the scarf away from his mouth. He inhaled deeply, revelling in the fresh, crisp air.

  ‘Lenis!’ Shin tried to pull his scarf back up, but he swatted at her hand.

  ‘It’s all right. The air’s clean.’

  He could sense their disbelief, but they each pulled down their scarves and breathed in.

  The captain grinned. ‘Remarkable.’

  The bubbling of emotion Lenis had felt earlier surged around him, welcoming him, and he squinted through the vague light until he found its source. ‘Over there.’ He pointed.

  They moved on tentatively, as though they thought the place was some trick of the Wastelands. It was so unreal. The blue light was coming from a small pool, and the group were drawn towards it. And then Lenis saw his Bestia, frolicking in a shallow, glowing well. His heart surged and he stumbled away from the others, falling to his knees in the water and pulling his Bestia to him. Lenis wept as he hugged them all to him. Ignis, whom he had feared lost at sea, licked his cheek and Lenis savoured the slight burning sensation. He forgot all about his pain.

  WELCOME, LENIS CLEMENS.

  Lenis’s head snapped up and he looked around, but there was no one there but the Bestia and his three companions. ‘Who’s there?’

  I AM SILILI, THE PEACEFUL GUARDIAN.

  ‘Master Clemens?’

  Lenis heard the captain’s question, but he had more important things to think about. ‘Are you a Totem?’

  Lenis heard soft laughter. YES. THAT IS WHAT THEY CALL US NOW.

  ‘I thought you were all Demons!’

  THERE IS NOT MUCH TIME, LENIS CLEMENS. THIS GATEWAY CANNOT STAY OPEN FOR LONG. THE MASTER OF THIS TEMPLE WILL SOON RETURN.

  ‘The master of the temple?’

  ‘Lenis!’

  Lenis ignored his crewmates and concentrated on the Totem’s voice.

  THIS TEMPLE BELONGS TO THE JINN CALLED NETI, THE FATHER OF THE SLAIN, WHO HAS FALLEN TO THE WASTELAND TAINT. HE IS NOW IN THE THRALL OF THE DEMON KING.

  Lenis was barely aware that he was clutching Aeris to him. ‘What can you tell me about the Demon King?’

  THERE ISN’T TIME. I JUST WANTED TO MEET YOU, AND TO GIVE YOU WHAT HELP I CAN.

  ‘Please! What about Missy? And the World Tree!’

  YOU MUST SAVE APSILLA’S DAUGHTER ...

  The voice faded and the blue light dimmed and then went out. Shin grabbed Lenis’s shoulder. ‘What is it, Lenis?’

  ‘I ... I don’t know!’ Lenis was suddenly aware he was sitting in a cold puddle of water surrounded by a group of soggy Bestia. ‘I think one of the Totem just spoke to me. He called himself Silili.’ Lenis looked at the others. ‘He said this temple belonged to a Jinn called Neti, and that Neti is now a Demon working for the Demon King.’

  No one said anything for a moment, and then Yami came to help Lenis to his feet. ‘This Neti is most probably the Demon Lenis sensed in the Wastelands. If he used to be a Jinn, he will most likely be a Demon Lord like Shamutar. We have the Bestia. We should leave. Now.’

  Shin bent down to grab Lenis’s other arm. ‘Did the Totem tell you anything else?’

  Lenis felt tears of frustration come to his eyes and shook his head. He winced, bracing himself for the pain, but none came. He felt fine. He waved off the others and took a step. Nothing. He looked more closely at his Bestia. They, too, seemed unharmed.

  ... and to give you what help I can ...

  Had Silili healed them all?

  ‘Thank you,’ Lenis whispered.

  ‘Master Clemens?’

  Lenis unwrapped the bandages from his hands. The skin was sound. There was no sign of any burns. ‘I’m fine, Captain. I think the water must have healed me.’ He reached up and pulled off the covering on his cheek. He braced himself and rubbed at his skin. It was smooth. There wasn’t even any scarring.

  The captain watched Lenis closely. ‘Indeed?’ He bent down to take a sip from the shallow well. He pulled a water flask out of his robe, emptied its contents on the ground and filled it from the well. ‘We should bring some back for Master Long to examine.’

  Lenis took one of the captain’s torches, and they made their way back to the stairs. The Bestia followed demurely. Lenis felt better than he had in weeks. He looked at Yami. Now that his body was free of pain, his mind returned to his sister. ‘You said there were people who worshipped the World Tree?’

  Yami nodded. ‘Though I do not know how to find them. As I said, they are not a religion, but they must have some way of identifying one another. A symbol, perhaps?’

  Lenis squared his shoulders and pulled up his scarf. ‘Well, just because we don’t know where to start looking for them doesn’t mean we can’t look for them. We’ve got the Bestia, so we can go on to Ost now. Maybe there are some of these World Tree philosophers there.’

  The captain placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘Asheim, the capital of Ost, is a large city. Many different people gather there.’

  Lenis nodded as the others pulled up their scarves, and then he led the way up the stairs. His strength as well as his health had returned. He manoeuvred his way through the debris of Neti’s temple, stopping only to examine the World Tree diagram again. He did his best to memorise the different runes carved into it but knew he probably wouldn’t be able to reconstruct the intricate design later.

  It felt good to have the Bestia near him again, better, in fact, than he remembered. Even stepping out into the green-tinged air beyond the temple’s entrance didn’t seem as daunting as it had on their
way into the Wastelands.

  They set off to the south and it wasn’t long before Lenis felt the presence of the stalking Demon Lord. As before it stayed a constant distance away, but Lenis was even more wary of it now that he knew it was probably Neti, the former Jinn. If he was anything like Shamutar, he could probably summon lesser Demons to serve him. There was also the chance that the Demon King would be nearby, controlling him.

  The journey into the Wastelands had taken them hours, but the return trip took less than one and Lenis wondered to what extent his pain had played tricks with his mind – or, worse still, if he had led the others in circles through the mist-shrouded Wastelands.

  Once they left the blanket of miasma and the lurking Neti behind them, they walked for another half an hour to be sure they were well clear of the acrid air before they set up a makeshift camp. The ground was soaked and large puddles had formed in places, evidence of the downpour that must have occurred during their time in the Wastelands. As the others worked, Lenis tried to coax some fresh water into his Bestia, but they seemed more interested in playing than drinking. He wondered what had caused them to seek out Neti’s temple in the first place. Had they somehow instinctively known to go to there? Did Silili call out to them?

  As Lenis picked up Atrum, he noticed the Bestia had managed to get a leather cord twined about his neck. Under Atrum’s chin, attached to the cord, was a small leather pouch. Lenis carefully pulled it from around the Bestia’s neck, wondering where Atrum had found it. It looked old, and the leather was stiff and cracked around the seams. Lenis worried at the knotted cord that bound the pouch and eventually resorted to getting Yami to cut it open for him. He upended it into his palm and four pieces of wood tumbled out, each twice as wide as his thumb and almost as long. They were surprisingly light and roughly tubular in shape, with jagged ends and flat sides with runes scorched into them.

  Lenis showed them to the others. ‘Atrum found these in Neti’s temple. What do you think they say?’