by Rosie Scott
“You saved me,” Nyx mused, even as her muscle began to reconnect before my eyes, causing more blood to leak to the sands.
“Yeah, I did. You're lucky Cerin and I were up. You could have been killed.”
“Cerin and you were up, huh? So you can't blame me.” It was somewhat of a jest, but I could tell she was ashamed of herself.
“Nyx, we're not even out to Jaalam yet, and already, soldiers are dead.”
“...yeah,” she said, her voice deflated. “I'm sorry. I had no idea we were so close to ruins, and I guess neither did they. We were trying to sneak off so we didn't bother anyone, and it ended up...” she trailed off, before she finally opened her eyes to the night sky. “Gods. I'm fucking irredeemable.”
“Kai...” Anto's voice caused me to glance up to the orc, as he still watched me heal Nyx. “The anubites would not hurt you. Do you know why?”
I was quiet a moment, realizing he was right. The anubite who had appeared just before me earlier did not attack me when it could have, and instead went for Cerin. Perhaps the one that had meant to kill Nyx only stopped because it was me guarding her.
“I have done nothing differently than any of you,” I insisted, watching as Nyx's purple skin slowly mended together from through the cut in her armor. Once her worst wound was healed, I moved onto her hands, taking each of them into my own, healing her as I became covered in her blood.
“They are protectors, Anto,” I heard Jakan comment, from a few feet away. “You know they only fight to keep people out of the ancient ruins. Perhaps they somehow knew she was no threat.”
Nyx laughed low from below me. “Neither were we. I never even saw the damn ruins. Didn't know they were out there. We just walked far enough into the sands that we thought we could fuck in peace.”
“Perhaps they sensed her blood,” Anto commented.
I glanced toward the orc. “Why would that matter?”
Anto looked off into the distance, where the last few remaining skeletons were getting demolished by a pack of the anubites. He shrugged. “You are a god, aren't you? Your kind was created by the Ancients, and it is their ruins the anubites protect. Perhaps the ruins are open to you.”
I frowned, finishing healing Nyx's hands. “I was not created by anyone. My mother is a god, my father was human. I have no connection to the Ancients.”
“You do, once removed,” Anto pointed out. “For your mother is a god, and her blood flows through you.”
I stood up beside my best friend, taking notice that the soldiers still watched us from closer to the camp. I glanced back, toward where the battle had just happened, though the anubites had vanished, leaving only the bones of Cerin's skeletons and a few bodies which were casualties from our army. Amongst the signs of battle was Nyx's torso armor, still lying over the sands.
“If the ruins are open to me, there is only one way to find out,” I mused, holding a hand out for Nyx to help her stand.
“Kai, I don't really think testing that is a good idea,” Cerin warned.
Nyx grabbed me into a hug, squeezing me tight. Despite my frustrations with her, I returned the affection. “Thank you,” she said again, at my ear. “I'm sorry for being trouble.”
“Just...stay in the camp, okay?” I pleaded to her, before we separated.
“Yeah. I will.” She looked off toward the casualties, her conflicted eyes betraying her inner demons. I knew it bothered her to be somewhat responsible for the deaths tonight, though she wasn't allowing much of that self-consciousness to reveal itself.
I looked to Cerin, having heard his worry for what I planned to do. “If they won't hurt me, all will be well. If they try to attack, I can simply retreat.”
The necromancer looked off toward the casualties, still leaking blood into the sands. He knew by now that arguing with me usually got him nowhere. “Then be careful. We will wait for you here.”
“Kai—wait,” Jakan interrupted. I turned to face the Vhiri, seeing he held out a torch he had gotten from Druhv, which was coated in calcint. “Take this.”
“Ah. That'll be helpful. Thanks.” I took the torch from him, before turning back toward the bloodied sands. “Wish me luck.”
I walked slowly, at first, and did not yet light the torch. In the case we were wrong and the anubites would attack me, I wanted to have both of my hands free for magic. I kept the torch in my belt for now, making my way through the sands and past the bodies of three of our soldiers, all in a state of undress, and all with the slices of sickles through their flesh. It appeared Nyx and the men did not get very far before they were attacked by the anubites.
I reached down, grabbing Nyx's torso armor from the sands, and throwing it toward my friends. Because of its weight, it only landed a few meters away, still out of their reach if they wanted to remain safe. I promised myself I would grab it on the way back, and continued forward. A little while away in the darkness, there was a shadow that blacked out the stars of the sky near the horizon, proving the existence of some landmark. Thinking it to be the ruins, I headed there.
Sssss...
I stopped in my tracks, watching as an anubite began to form in the sands just to my left, the sands building upward just as I had watched them do earlier. My heart picked up its pace, pounding against my ribs as I formed two spells in my palms, one of fire, and one of air. I did not use the spells yet. I waited. Because I was alone, I hoped the anubite would not decide to attack.
Within seconds, a fully formed anubite stood where it had been summoned from the sands, holding two gold sickles at its sides. It did not howl. It did not jump toward the companions far behind me. It swayed with the deep breaths I doubted it even needed to take, watching me with two intelligent, golden eyes.
I waited, watching the anubite, and it waited, watching me in turn. It made no move to attack, as if it was simply standing guard.
With the energy of two spells throbbing in my hands, I decided to speak. “Why do you not attack?”
The anubite watched me, but the intelligence in its eyes did not allow it to speak. I had figured that perhaps it could, given its humanoid form, but it did not. Its eyes fell to my hands, where my two spells glowed in the darkness. I shook both of my arms, dispelling them. The creature noticed this, but still did not move.
I glanced behind me, where my companions were watching the exchange from their distance. I saw the glint of metal, and knew they were armed and waiting to aid me if need be.
My eyes found the anubite's gaze once more, and I took a step forward, continuing toward the ruins. It watched me, but still did not move. Taking a deep breath and hoping my theory was correct, I picked up my pace, heading toward the landmark ahead. The anubite did not attack, and when its kin rose from the sands around me in droves, neither did they.
As I neared the structure, I lit the torch Jakan had given me with fire so I could see it more clearly. I realized I would be able to get closer to the ancient ruins than most ever had, and there was an excitement and intrigue within me that kept my heart pounding even as the fear of the anubites subsided.
The ruins finally came into view. Rounded metal rose above the sands over the length of twelve or so feet, shining silver from beneath the light of my torch's flame. At first, I was disappointed, for it seemed the ruins were nothing more than a metal object rather than some sort of cave. But as I approached it and stepped onto the metal, I noticed there was some kind of door beneath my feet which looked as if it would lead directly into the ruins below the sands. I felt dozens of gazes upon me from the anubites as I reached down, tugging at the door. When it did not budge, I began to wipe the sands away from around it, searching for a different way. I found two latches on either side of the door, and I tried to unlock them. They were old and decrepit, the sands having built up within their hinges.
I built up water energy in my right hand as I held the torch with my left, before expelling the magic onto the latches. The water darkened the sand and loosened much of it from the hinges, and I used
my fingernails to try to dig the rest out. After doing my best to clean the two hinges, I tried to unlock them again. This time, it worked, and then I grabbed the handle of the door, lifting upward. After a few tugs, the door gave, swinging open toward the Naharan sky. Stale, dusty air wafted into the night, and when I looked down into the ruins, I saw nothing but blackness.
I let my eyes scan over the anubites, who were all surrounding the ruins now, watching me. I wanted to make sure they would not attack if I were to enter the ruins, and they did not appear to care, as long as the others stayed out of the territory. I dipped my torch into the hole, allowing the fire to brighten up around it. There was a metal ladder that came into view, leading down into the depths.
I looked off to the horizon, where I'd left my friends. I gave them a thumbs up, letting them know I was fine. Then, I began to descend into the darkness.
There was a mixture of fear and excitement building in my chest as I descended down the ladder. I wasn't sure what to expect when I finally hit the bottom. I didn't know if there were still Ancients living down here, or if they were far gone. I wasn't even sure if more anubites would be within the structure, though I doubted it, for they formed from the sands.
My feet finally hit a metal floor, within a minute or two of descending the ladder, reminding me that in my rush to protect Nyx earlier, I hadn't put on my boots. I turned to look around me, using the torch to light up my surroundings.
I was in a room, of sorts, where everything was metal and glass. It was an elongated room, sloping downward into the sands like it had multiple levels, though it appeared to me that the ruins had simply been built somewhat lopsided within the earth, which confused me. Perhaps the Ancients were not the best builders. There was furniture in this room which aligned the walls, and I walked over to it. It looked much the same as our modern furniture, though everything was made out of metal. Desks, chairs...even these long cabinets lining the walls, where the drawers were vertical, much like doors. I walked over to these cabinets, noticing a handle, and tried to open it, though it didn't budge. Near the handle was a round knob of sorts, with characters from a language I did not recognize circling its edges. I let a finger touch the knob, trying to push it, but it did not cave. It did turn slightly, however, so I then tried turning it, but no matter how much it turned, it would not open the door.
I continued down the desks, coming across more writing tablets like King Adar had in his castle, all with square characters along the bottoms of one side. I let my finger graze by the characters, finding the squares to be indented into the metal. Whoever had written these characters must have etched them with such strength to have been able to carve even metal. Perhaps the Ancients had wanted to ensure their history and secrets would be remembered forever, so they tried to etch their words rather than write them with ink, much like we did today. It was a shame so much time had passed since their existence that none of the races on Arrayis knew the language, however.
I continued down the room, finding that as it sloped ever downward and underground it slimmed into a hallway. I went further, noticing as doorways popped up on either side of me. Most doorways were closed solid with doors I could not get to budge, so I was unable to delve further into the ruins in those directions.
One doorway, however, was still open, and it sat before me at the end of the hall. Breathing evenly, I continued into it, my curiosity getting the best of me. The metal floor at my feet creaked with my weight as I entered the room, holding my arm outward so the torch would show the surroundings without me having to get too close right away.
Lining all three walls were floor to ceiling tubes of glass, each tube about three feet wide. I approached one, noticing it had an opening in the glass, where it appeared a door had once been. Or, perhaps it was still there; one of the sides of the tube had double glass, and it appeared there was a glass door which simply slid outward to lay over the rest of the tube. Inside the tube, there was a pad that looked almost like a thin mattress of a bed, though it stood upright, against the wall. I reached out, letting my fingers run along an indentation in the pad. It appeared to be humanoid in shape, as if someone had been standing in this tube for a very long time. I jerked my hand back, a little frightened by that prospect.
My eyes fell downward, noticing a small metal pedestal that stretched outward from the tube, holding a smooth, rectangular piece of thick glass. I wasn't sure what it had been used for. Perhaps these had once been beds for the Ancients, and they had written their names or positions in their culture on the glass. Then again, how could one use ink on glass effectively? I remembered the language of the Ancients in the other rooms had been etched, so I decided against the idea. The glass here was clear of imperfection. I had to admit its purpose was lost to me.
The other tubes were much the same, large enough to serve as a bed for someone, but each one empty and open. I passed them all to walk to the room's singular desk. On it, there were windows. No—that wasn't quite the word. I wasn't sure what they were, but they looked to be pieces of black glass, held upward on stands for no apparent reason. It reminded me of the large pieces of art which hung on the walls of the rich, like Ali had had in his mansion, but the glass showed no artwork. It was only...glass.
Above the desk hung actual artwork of the Ancients. They must have been obsessed with the skies, for the art showed the stars that shone over Arrayis, with lines connecting through particular stars to create the constellations. Below the art, still on the desk, was a ball similar to the one King Adar held as his prized artifact back at the castle. This one, however, did not glow. Then again, the king had told me his only did in the sun.
I backed away from the desk, and my torch shone light beneath it. There were ropes beneath the desk. I slowly squatted down, reaching out to touch them, unsure as to their purpose. My fingers landed upon the shiny material, realizing these were unlike any ropes I'd ever felt. They felt like metal, only slightly softer—and they bent in my hand like ropes. They fed into the metal wall of the room, and seemed to be connected to the displays of glass that sat above the desk.
I stood from the floor, and walked past the desk, coming to a white cabinet which sat beside it, the cabinet as tall as I. It, too, had a door, much like the cabinets in the first room. Only this one opened when I pulled at it, and it held glass shelves within. On the top shelf was a small metal container of sorts that held enclosed glass tubes about the size and length of my fingers. I reached into the cabinet, pulling the object out. The glass tubes shook within their holders, making it clear they were not part of the metal container. Knowing this, I set the container on the desk and pulled up a glass tube, letting my torch shine its fire over the contents. There was a thick liquid within. It looked black, but as I tilted the tube one way and then the other, the residue it left along the sides of the glass was a dark red.
Quickly, I put the tube back into its container. If the Ancients were killing each other and storing their blood in containers, I wanted nothing to do with them or their ruins. I hurried to put the container back into its original cabinet, and closed the door. Then, I started briskly walking back the way I'd come, hurrying to the ladder to walk outside once more.
I had entered these ruins with questions and intrigue, and only ended up finding confusion and disgust. Either the Ancients were living here and using their blood for nefarious purposes, or perhaps this had even been some kind of a dungeon where they had kept others. I wished, at this point, that I would have asked Nanya back in Whispermere all that time ago what she remembered of the Ancients. Surely, if most of the gods had been created by them, some of the older ones would remember the Ancients and what they were like. Perhaps there were gods still on Arrayis today who had knowledge of this race which was so shrouded in mystery and were the reason most of us were here.
But for right now, as I breached into the deserts of Nahara once more, I felt nothing but comfort for having left the oddity of the ruins. Nyx had once told me the answers for some things in li
fe were unable to be obtained, and I agreed with that, particularly now that roaming the ancient ruins had left me with more questions than answers. She hadn't said finding answers would sometimes be worse than having questions, for now, my view of the Ancients was no longer of awe and intrigue, but of fear and disgust.
The anubites still surrounded the ruins, and watched me as I closed the door and locked the latches behind me. I hurried past them and back to my friends, making sure to grab Nyx's armor on the way back. Behind me, I heard the anubites dissipate, their ash returning to the sands when the territory of the ruins was no longer infringed upon.
I gave Nyx her armor when I neared my companions, who all stared at me with curiosity.
“...so? What was it like?” Jakan asked, intrigued.
“Weird,” I replied, struggling to find words that described it. “The Ancients were obsessed with glass and metal, and they either lived there, or were keeping people there. There were paintings of the stars, and cabinets full of blood.”
“Cabinets full of blood?” Theron frowned, flabbergasted. “There were bodies? Fresh bodies?”
“No—they were just these little containers, full of blood. There were no bodies. Only places for them.” I looked off to where some of the Naharan soldiers still stood, appearing shocked to see I'd entered the ancient ruins and had lived to return. “I have to be honest—I'd rather not think about it. It was creepy in those ruins, and I don't really want to go back.”
Cerin reached out, putting an arm around me and pulling me close. As a group, we started walking back to camp, eager to return to the sleep which had been lost to us. “I don't blame you,” the necromancer murmured. “And I'm glad you came back safe.”
We returned to camp, and though I was tired, sleep did not come quickly for me that night. What little I had found in the ruins disturbed me. I decided some mysteries of the world might be best left to the imagination.
Twenty
Our first view of Jaalam came at the end of the third day of travel. At first, it appeared we were near the sand dunes from northern Nahara, because the flat desert simply rose in hills off to the south before a background of harshly cut, bronze canyons. The Dhahab Canyons, Druhv explained, were formed along the southern coast of Nahara from a series of rivers which split the land into sections. Along the same series of rivers rose the great coastal city of Llyr, far to the west, and the village of Nen, which we'd passed to the north of two days prior without ever having been close enough to see it. The city of Jaalam was settled at the end of a fork in the river, and had once been the main manufacturer of metals and gems in Nahara, due to its location just above the canyons which were rich with both.
