by Sam Ferguson
Icadion nodded, listening intently. “You were born of a sun?” he asked.
The golden dragon nodded. “Indeed, it is so. We are all children of a sun, which in turn was created by the greatest of us all.”
Icadion extended his arm to the sun above them. “I created this sun out of myself,” he said. “I have not created dragons upon my world, for I have found them to be treacherous and dangerous in times past.” Icadion gazed into the golden dragon’s eyes for a few moments and then nodded decisively. “I have a place for you, so long as you will obey my laws.”
“Upon our honor,” the golden dragon said. “I am Hiasyntar Ku’lai, the eldest amongst the seven of us.”
The silver dragon raised her sleek, slender neck and tilted her head slightly. “I am Silakoa, wife and queen to the eldest.”
The bronze dragon then raised his head. “I am Boraketh, their son.”
The black dragon then raised its head high above the others. “I am Gorensikdar, the ruler of chaos and patron of cunning.”
The red dragon then stood. “I am Tu’luh, brother to the eldest, and patron of fire and change.”
The blue dragon then snaked its head around the others. “I am Foria Dosek’Tar, patron of life and water.”
Finally a white dragon stepped out from behind the others and bowed low. “I am Interis Aruhat, the patron of knowledge and order.”
Hiasyntar Ku’lai puffed his breast proudly. “We seven are all that remains from our former world. Each of us are endowed with powers of creation and great magic. Yet, even combined we lack the power of our creator, and as such we have no authority to create worlds upon which to live. We can only create lessor beings within worlds.”
Icadion moved forward and reached out with his hand. Hiasyntar Ku’lai dropped his head low and allowed Icadion to see his memories. It pained the god greatly to see the sorrow and sadness that had befallen the seven dragons upon their home world. A tear fell from the great god, sparkling and humming loudly as it fell to splash upon the ground. Thus was a great sea born in the midst of the land. It grew beneath their feet until they were surrounded by water and stood upon a small island.
“Because of your grief, I have set aside a special place for you in my world,” Icadion said. “Here you are free to act as you will. You may create any of the races which I have heretofore created and use them to inhabit your land here.”
“You have our eternal thanks,” Hiasyntar Ku’lai offered. “In return, what may we seven do for you?”
Icadion looked over the dragons and then spun around to survey the island. “This land will grow in the coming days. It will form countries and nations for you. I wish that you establish a land of peace, knowledge, and honor.” The god turned and locked his eyes with the dragon’s golden orbs. “Be guides for my world, so that what happened to your home does not happen here.”
Hiasyntar Ku'lai bowed low. “We will do our very best,” he promised.
Tu’luh stepped forward. “You have the word of seven dragons,” he said. “We will ensure that your world survives. No matter the cost.”
Icadion endowed each dragon with a blessing. The words which he spoke to them cannot be written, for he spoke in the tongue of dragons. All that is known is that after he gave each of them a special power, he named all of them as the rulers over the whole of the animal kingdom in Terramyr and gave them special charge to create all animal life to inhabit the world.
Hiasyntar Ku’lai bowed reverently and then again repeated his pledge. “After we have created all manner of animal life, we will then guide and teach all races that shall populate the nations we shall watch over.”
“This is well,” Icadion said. “The peoples of this world are as children now, knowing neither good nor evil. My sons are among them now, helping them establish their homes throughout the world. Guide them, as you will guide the races you shall create to walk among you here upon your lands.
Then, Icadion returned to Hildervahl, and the rainbow bridge. He noticed that the sun was beginning to set and the moon was rising into the sky above the growing world. As the night wore on and the stars began to shine down upon him, his sons returned from the far corners of the world.
“We have helped the races begin their lives upon the world,” Lysander announced.
“Very well,” Icadion responded. Then they all looked up to see Khullan approaching from the rainbow bridge. Icadion motioned for his sons to return to Volganor. “Come, it is time for Khullan to do his work.”
As Kamal finished reading the last of the runes aloud he smiled wide. All of the symbols throughout the temple that predated the symbols of the wolf pointed to Old God worship. The pagans had repurposed the entire temple, includeing this room. Kamal suspected that perhaps when the pagans had performed their sacrifices, there was either some sort of magical ward, or perhaps a curse of some sort that trapped them in here for desecrating the room with their profrane sacrifices. It was a marvelous discovery. The runes he had just read comprised the first portion of the creation of Terramyr. The text matched almost identically to the oldest sources the Krilo knew of, but delved more in depth. Kamal’s smile stretched from ear to ear as he looked around the room. His thirst for knowledge rose up and he knew he had to search for the rest of the text.
CHAPTER NINE
Kamal went to a tapestry on the west wall and pulled at it. As with the first, when it finally came down it revealed an older stone wall that had been covered up. He squeeled with delight as he pulled out the hammer and again broke apart the façade. This time he found pictures carved into the wall in a sequential pattern, telling the same portion of the creation story he had read on the north wall. He studied each scene carefully, replaying the text he had read in his mind as he looked upon every detail of each carving. He knew that Greeves would likely hoard this discovery to himself after it was made public, so for now he drank it in selfishly.
Kamal ran to the eastern wall and found the façade there as well. He held his breath when he saw more Taish runes. This passage was not as long as the first, so the carvings depicting the message were engraved into the stone in a column on the right side of the passage. The young Krilo eagerly began translating the rune aloud to himself as he had before with the first passage.
The sacred dark is not to be handled by any other than Khullan, for Icadion decreed it to be so. Though Icadion’s sons were willing to help with the Sacred Dark, the All Father knew they were not yet strong enough to withstand its force.
Khullan pledged to work through the night while Icadion rested, and promised to finish his work by first light of the following day.
Icadion and his sons left so that Khullan could accomplish his task. Hildervahl waited only a moment longer than they, and then he also crossed the rainbow bridge to return to Volganor.
Khullan walked out into the new world and sighed. He held up the onyx cube. “As Sacred Light grants life to the beings upon this world, so shall Sacred Dark complete the cycle and release the powers of death.”
The onyx cube absorbed all of the light from the stars and moon, covering the world in total, utter darkness. The lid on the onyx cube lifted into the air and released a mist over Khullan’s hands. He shivered as he fought its biting cold touch. As the first black tendril stretched to touch the ground the world trembled and quaked violently. Terramyr itself groaned under the strain of the Sacred Dark. A great mountain rose through the soil as everything continued to quake around Khullan. Khullan, the god of death, floated into the air above the earthquake and watched as the land around him cracked apart and separated into even more continents that stretched out and away from him. Lava and water tore through the opening cracks and drove the land masses apart great distances. The large, black mountain erupted with tremendous force. Bright, red magma shot through the air as lightning crackled through the ash and smoke. Fiery brimstone and darts of liquid fire splattered all around, devastating the land nearby.
Then all went black. The volcano calm
ed instantly. The waters cooled the lava. The stars and moon hid their faces from Terramyr for the space of several hours.
At last, when the moonlight was able to pierce through the darkness and the stars became courageous enough to return, Khullan walked up the side of the great volcano. Then, he descended into the belly of the fiery mountain, calming the fires below as he walked deeper down into the bowels of the world, carrying the onyx cube with him. Once he reached the bottom, deep within the world, he went to work creating Hammenfein.
With a wave of his hand he ordered the rocks and magma into a great fortress. The gates were guarded by three columns of living fire, and the inside he made strong enough to contain the evil souls that would undoubtedly be sent to him after their mortal existence was finished. When his fortress was complete, he went inside and opened a ring of fire near the back of his dungeons. He stepped down to the next level and created Vishnar, a plane of fire and brimstone suitable for the more devilish souls that would plague Terramyr during their existence. Once the sea of fire was created, he poured some of the Sacred Dark into the fire.
The black substance hissed and sparked as it connected with the liquid fire. Soon it grew into a large, steely black serpent. The great beast lifted its mighty head from the lake of fire and peered down at Khullan.
“I am the ruler of Hammenfein,” Khullan said. “You will swim in this lake and devour the souls I shall send to you. Let none escape your visage, save for me and Icadion the All-Father.”
The mighty leviathan roared and spit venom from between its fangs. The green, putrid liquid splashed onto the rocky ceiling above, causing a vast mist to cover the exit from Vishnar.
Seeing that the sentry was in place, Khullan walked to the back of Vishnar and opened another ring of fire. The chute led down deeper into the levels of hell. Khullan felt the fire lick at his very soul. The cube vibrated in his hands, pulling at him as though it were a mighty mill stone he was carrying. Yet, honorably did Khullan fulfill his duties and bend the chaos of Hammenfein to his will.
The third level of hell he named Vishra. Here he released another portion of the Sacred Dark to create a vast, craggy landscape. Acid and poison dripped down through the ceiling above from Vishnar, along with the periodic leak of magma and fire that would set portions of the third level ablaze. Seeing that this prison was suitable for those too evil to reside in either of the two levels above, he reached into the onyx cube and pulled forth a small figurine of a hound. He placed it on the ground and breathed the breath of life into it.
The stone melted away to reveal strong, vibrant flesh beneath. The beastly canine grew to the size of a house and howled in delight at its newfound freedom. Just then a column of fire drizzled down from above and the hellhound felt its heat upon his tail. He growled furiously and gnawed off a large stalagmite. Its tail grew into a full flame.
“Beast, hear my words,” Khullan called out.
The dog whirled around with fangs bared and slobber dribbling down from its pink gums. It locked eyes with Khullan and slowly brought its head close to the god’s face.
“You are free to rule this plane,” Khullan said. “You are to devour all who enter here, except for me and Icadion the All-Father.” Khullan then took pity on the hound and extinguished the fire ravaging its tail. The dog then immediately bowed its head and pledged its obedience.
Khullan then moved to the farthest point of Vishra and opened another chute of fire, albeit smaller than the others. He descended down to hover in a void. Here he released the rest of the Sacred Dark, forming five pillars of black granite to hold the upper levels of hell in place for all eternity. Once the columns were secure, and he saw that his work was done, he named the fourth plane of hell Vishnull, and began his ascent back to the surface of the world.
The god of death and hell barely managed to reach the rainbow bridge as the first rays of sun pierced the sky. Exhausted, he leaned heavily upon the large boulder near the rainbow bridge and fell asleep until Icadion returned.
Along with Icadion, came his three sons and Khullan’s two sons Hatmul and Khefir. Hildervahl and the goddess Nage followed behind them. Nage came forward first and gave Khullan a sweet nectar to revive him from the night’s work. Once the god of death and hell was restored, the others all greeted him soberly, for they knew all that had transpired during the night.
“My work is finished,” Khullan said. He slowly rose to his feet, thanking Nage for the nectar.
“Khullan,” Icadion began. “To you I have given the dominion over the damned souls. It is your solemn duty to keep them bound in Hammenfein, for none of them shall ever be allowed to set foot upon the rainbow bridge, lest they invade Volganor. Your two sons shall be your lieutenants. They shall collect the souls of evil men and ensure they are taken to Hammenfein once their mortal bodies have expired.”
“As you command,” Khullan said.
Icadion then turned and pointed to Nage. “And Nage shall gather the souls of the just, and bring them here to be judged of Hildervahl.” Icadion stretched out his hand and blessed Nage with a pair of beautiful white wings. “These wings shall allow you to travel quickly throughout all the world.”
Icadion then turned to Hildervahl and laid a hand upon his shoulder. “None shall enter Volganor, but by your leave,” he said to the large guardian. “See that you look upon the souls that Nage shall present before you, and allow those who are worthy to enjoy their just rewards in Volganor.”
All of the gods present then built a temple of stone around the rainbow bridge. Hildervahl took his rightful place inside at the beginning of the bridge upon a throne of iron and bone. Nage began to fly throughout Terramyr, to teach the peoples of the world how they might gain access to Volganor.
All the others returned to Volganor, except for Khullan. The god of death and hell walked back to the great volcano, which had now been placed far away from the rainbow bridge as the land had stretched yet again into a large continent.
As the passage of runes ended, Kamal quickly turned his attention to the carvings. There was more to the history, he knew, a lot more. However, it seemed that whoever had built this temple originally had predated even that first Great War when Khullan rebelled against Icadion, for there was no mention of that anywhere in the chamber.
“Extraordinary!” Kamal said to himself. “I have found a text of scripture, carved into the wall of a temple that predates the first war on Terramyr.” His heart leapt with joy and his mind raced with thoughts of how his parents would react at his discovery. Even knowing the fact that his father would likely approach the discovery with a lecture about how he had been correct to force Kamal to learn Taish didn’t diminish the joy he felt. With no one around to scorn him for doing so, he leapt up into the air and gave a great shout. He even tried to dance a bit in the middle of the room, though that action made him feel a bit awkward as he bumped his rump into one of the chairs and knocked it over onto the floor, so he stopped and smoothed the front of his shirt while he regained composure.
His mind quickly thought of several different artifacts that could be in the room with him. Perhaps there were other writings of some sort, or ceremonial objects buried in the rubble. He could barely contain his excitement as he revisited each pile of bones and dug through them. Unfortunately, all he got for his extra work was a pair of extremely dirty hands. He sighed and kicked a loose rock away from him as he realized that not only had he not found any additional relics of runes, but he had been handling bones.
He would need to call in the other ____xomot and bury the bones properly and perform the appropriate rituals. He was going to need to collect a group of Genverbonds to accomplish the task before Greeves could enter the chamber. If there was anything that excited Kamal less than the fact that he had to bury all the bones in the chamber, it was the idea of Greeves standing just beyond the cedar trees outside the chamber and urging him and the others to hurry the task along.
Then again, at least Greeves would be on the outside, a
nd Kamal would be inside. Handling the bones and passing them off to others to carry out would not be as bad as having to smell Greeves’ breath.
Perhaps there were more perks to being a Genverbond after all.
*****
Halsten met Samek on the river’s edge and stared out in disbelief. The river was a muddy brown color, and spanned at least a mile across. It seemed to come roaring out of a great cave, the mouth of which was as wide as the river itself, with perhaps an extra three feet on their side to walk on.
The young chief whistled through his teeth. “Have you tried to go inside the cave?” Halsten asked.
Samek shook his head. “Not yet. I wanted you to see this first. You know, in case you wanted to turn back.”
Halsten clapped Samek on the back. “No, we can’t quit now, not when Akuhn has already shown us so many more blessings than we had before.”
Samek nodded and then sighed. “Extra deer aren’t going to be of any use if we all end up drowning in there.”
Halsten laughed. “If they could leave the valley through this cave, then we can get in, have some faith.”
“Sure, we can carry our packs easily enough I suspect, but what about the elders, and the young children?” Samek asked.
Halsten stopped then and thought of his wife. She was only in the very beginning of her pregnancy, so she was still as mobile as ever, but the thought of the danger this cave posed to her now struck him with more than the usual amount of fear for her safety. He nodded to Samek and then motioned toward the cave with his chin. “All right, then let’s go in and take a look together.”
The two moved up to the mouth of the cave. The water spraying up from the river at the edge of the cave had made everything slick with moisture and algae. The ledge of ground they had to walk upon was only three feet wide in some places, though it was as wide as four in smaller stretches just inside the cave.
