“Mage, you and your magisters have made it farther than any in a very long time. Why do you seek to face the Lord so badly?” The manticora's tail twitched again. Kalla frowned.
“We seek the Lord of Living Nightmare because it is he that has the Quill of Ma'at. We need it to recreate the binding of Al'dhumarna,” she replied.
The manticora laughed, a deep malicious sound. “What makes you think the Lord would give you the Quill, mage? Mayhap he does not wish the Nagali sealed once more.”
Kalla's eyes widened. “Why would the Lord of Xibalba wish the Nagali free?”
“Do you know what it is the Lord of Living Nightmare does, little mage?” the manticora asked.
“He brings the nightmares to us,” she relied, voice low.
“No! He merely gives shape and form to the hearts of men. Insatiable greed, bitter envy, burning lust, gnawing guilt. And fear. Fear above all else, for men fear so much. He brings them to life, these dark emotions. The reverse is true as well. He can breathe life into bright emotions just as easily.
“But you do not learn. Humans never learn. You fear and despise the Lord, when it is you who shape your own torment. Al'dhumarna is one such creation.” The guardian favored them with a malevolent grin.
Kalla's mind spun with the implications of what the manticora had told them. If it were true, why should the Lord of Xibalba be willing to help them?
“Nevertheless, we must try,” she said. “What is your test, that we may pass?”
The sting twitched again, as if the guardian were irritated. “Very well. Answer this and you may pass- What is the mark of true wisdom?”
Thinking of all the manticora had just told them, Kalla met the guardian's gaze and answered without hesitation.
“It is to acknowledge that one knows nothing at all.” A whisper through her soul and more of the locks slid open. The two magisters looked to her and from their expressions, she guessed that her eyes had changed once more. Her swirling thoughts stilled, the calm collectedness gathering itself around her once more.
“You may proceed. Let's see if you pass Lord Araun's test intact.” The manticora laughed once more and with a flash of light, the guardian was gone, leaving only the stone fragments littering the floor to show that it had been there at all. The light had revealed the exit as well, on the far side of the chamber.
A Question of Ethics
Xibalba, 'beyond Evalyce', Year of the Mythril Serpent, 2014 CE
Kalla and her magisters stepped through the doorway and, with a disconcerting sensation, found themselves in a vast chamber lit by a supernatural glow. The only thing in the cavernous room was a throne, crafted of bone. On the throne sat the great being from the painting before the spirals. A dim part of Kalla's mind howled with terror, but she shoved it down. Surprisingly, she felt no upsurge in fear from the two at her side.
“What do you see?” she asked quietly. From across the room, Araun was content to merely wait impassively until they approached.
“I see a man,” Aleister replied.
“I see a man also,” came Vander's response.
She gave them an incredulous look. “You see a man? Nothing more?”
“No, milady. I see a tall man with long silver-white hair. No more than that,” Aleister said. Vander chuffed an agreement and Kalla ran a hand over her face. Why was she the only one who could see the Lord of Xibalba for what he really was? It couldn't be because she was magi for Vander was that also. The only difference between the three was that she was the only female. Wasn't it? Cautiously the mage approached the throne. As she did so, more of the locks opened and her fear washed away. From the throne, Araun seemed to grin, but then, all skulls seem to grin.
She bowed as she came closer and to her surprise, the Lord of Xibalba bowed back, dipping his head low.
All is One. Araun's voice blew through her mind like a chill wind through autumn leaves. Though he didn't speak aloud, she knew the others had heard him as well.
“One is All,' she responded, then blinked. Where had that come from?
As above
“So below.”
“Thus are all Connected.” This last she said at the same time as Araun. He nodded slightly, as if satisfied. Kalla was left baffled over the exchange. How had she known the proper responses to the Lord's words?
Greetings, Amaraaq. Welcome to Xibalba. Araun inclined his head towards the others. And to you, magisters.
And there was that strange name again, the name Vander had called her.
Few dare to brave the trials of Xibalba, Mother of Wolves. What brings you?
Despite the question, Kalla had the feeling that Araun already knew exactly what she sought.
“We seek the Quill of Ma'at, Lord Araun.”
Ahh, the Quill. Indeed. And why should I give it to you, Amaraaq? He shifted on the bone throne, skeletal wings rattling.
“My Lord, I suspect you already know the answer to that. We seek the Quill so that we may recreate the binding that seals Al'dhumarna,” she replied.
Of what concern is that to me?
“Because the Nagali is waking. The world is in havoc and he is not yet fully free,” Kalla said.
I know. I have no reason to fear the Nagali. Give me one good reason why I should be willing to help humanity.
Kalla faltered. What reason could she give to one who was a god and that, while acknowledged, was not well-liked. A thought chased through her mind, an image of a time when the Lord of Living Nightmare was revered and respected. It was those ancient peoples who had built the mound covering the portal.
“I have no answer to that, my Lord.” She knelt before the throne, laying her staff before her. Behind her, the magisters followed her gesture. “I am willing to do whatever you require to obtain that which I seek. I made a promise. I intend to keep it.”
Whatever I require… Are you so sure of that, Amaraaq? What if the price of my payment is the lives of the two behind you? Would you be so willing to pay it then?
Kalla felt the kneeling magisters stiffen. A wave of resignation hit her, from both of them.
“Do it,” Vander whispered.
“But-”
“No buts, milady. If our lives can help to save so many others, then do it,” Aleister said gently. There was a hint of his mischievous smile in the words. “It's been a pleasure to serve, milady.”
“That is your price then, my Lord? You wish the lives of my magisters?” Kalla tried to keep her voice even. In the deepest part of her soul, she felt the volcanic pressure building once more. More locks shifted.
If it were, would you be willing to pay it?
“Yes,” Kalla growled out the word. Araun snorted, misty vapor issuing from the empty nasal cavity.
That's more like it. No, that is not my price. You may keep your magisters. You will have need of at least one of them very soon. Laughter laced the dry voice. Indeed. I think you will have a harder time passing Ganysha's requirement to enter his realm. You must make yourself whole, to embrace all that you are in order to access the true depths of your power.
But that is neither here nor there. You must still meet my price. I wish you to collect one who rightfully belongs to me.
“One who rightfully belongs to you?” she asked.
Yes. He made a bargain with me, if I would take away the nightmares haunting his wife's dreams. They had tried all the more traditional cures and pleas to Azurai, the Dreamwalker.
I did as requested, with the price of payment being a term of service to me, upon his wife's death. If he had bothered to ask, I would have told him that the nightmares were all that were keeping her alive. When I removed them, she killed herself. She would have done eventually, but she would have lived longer as the nightmares were sustaining her in some perverse way only a human could comprehend.
Nor did he want to know why she was suffering from them. My… brother… did not keep them from her for she deserved them. They were dreams borne of guilt, dreams shaped by my gift.
The wife had killed their young child, in a fit of pique. The husband thought the death natural and the dreams from stress alone. Not so. I did as I said I would, but the man blamed me for his wife's death and refused to honor his contract. He has managed to gain protection from me by beseeching Azurai's help. My brother granted the man protection because he felt my contract unjust. He believes I should have explained things to the man.
I was merely content to wait until his natural death to claim what is mine, however, it can be the price of your payment. If you were willing to give me those close to you, surely this will be nothing.
Kalla's lips drew back in a snarl and she growled low in her throat. Her mane fluffed and her ears pricked forward, then went flat. The thought of killing a child was anathema to her. She felt sorry for the man, who had lost a family. Yet still, the woman deserved what she had received. And to break a pact with a god was unthinkable.
“I will do it. If we leave, will the guardians allow us passage back in?” she growled out.
It will not be necessary to leave Xibalba in body. You must leave in spirit and so can go where needed. Journeying is not a difficult task for you, Lady Amaraaq. Your magisters will remain here. The Lord of Living Nightmare gestured, conjuring a glass globe, which he then tossed to Kalla. She snatched it out of the air.
This is a soul orb. Draw out his spirit and bring it back with you.
“So he will die?” Kalla asked. Araun snorted again, more mist billowing forth.
He will die. The term of service is for seven hundred years. He knew he would die when his wife did, when he made the pact. I made the terms crystal clear.
“With all due respect, Lord Araun, why would Azurai allow me to do what he denies you?” Kalla growled. The Lord of Living Nightmare threw back his head and laughed, a cold, harsh sound.
By now Azurai knows what is at stake. My brother has more sympathy for the humans than I do. The good of the many and all that. If you can do it, he will not stop you. The question, Mother of Wolves, is: can you? Can you take a healthy life coldly and deliberately?
* * *
Kalla paced the small room Araun had given over to her so that she could carry out her task. The room itself was well-furnished, set in the style of Arkaddia. The mage could only guess at their host's choice of décor. Mayhap because they had entered from Arkaddia?
Kalla stopped her angry pacing and used the cushions and blankets littering the floor to make a comfortable nest in one corner of the room. She settled down, resting her back against the wall. Vander came to lie beside her, head resting in her lap, while Aleister took up a position in the opposite corner. Kalla idly stroked the wolf's fur with one hand. In the other she held the soul orb. The frost wolf's ears swiveled as he listened for anything out of the ordinary, his mannerisms easy and confident, as they seemed to get when the locks on her power were open.
“Do you wish me to do this, Dashkele? I am not so skilled in journeying as you, but I can do it.” Vander's thoughts were muted. Kalla felt a flash of guilt and shame and she pulled a strand from his tangled thoughts before he could push the memories away. He was heartsick at the thought that one who was a Healer must be made to carry out such a ruthless task, when it was one better given to a person whose soul was already tainted with such ruthlessness.
“No, Vander. I must do this. I would not use you as Grosso did. I thank you for the offer,” she said gently.
“Are you sure, Dahskele? I do not mind. I would save you from this pain, if you would let me.”
“I am sure.” She gathered her strength about her. Better to carry out this task while the locks were still open. She had no control over them, thus no idea how long she could rely on the added strength.
The mage sighed. It was no use putting this off any longer. Though journeying was best accomplished by slow relaxation, she used her newfound strength to speed up the process, willing her spirit back into the world 'beyond', where they had come from. With the vertiginous sensation that usually accompanied such transitions, Kalla found herself back in the chamber of the Spiral. Araun had placed in her mind the necessary information to locate the man in question. It was merely a matter of thought to travel to where she needed to go.
Her spirit drifted, smoke on the wind, seeking out her target. She was in Inkanata, the continent to the east of Evalyce. A sere wind blew through desert dunes, though she could not feel it. Before her lay a city of tents surrounding an oasis, home of the desert nomads. This was a place far removed from anything she'd ever known. Though the Healer had traveled the length and breadth of Evalyce, she had never crossed the Aeryth Ocean to Ishkar, nor the Tezac Ocean to visit the Ramerides. What she knew of these lands came from the magi at the Kanlon who had come from them. Malik sin'Solidor was one such, hailing from Ishkar, in Inkanata.
The tents were dark shapes in the night, billowing forms that swayed with the unnaturally hot wind. A line of long-necked pack animals stood nearby. As the mage glided past, they snorted, stamping softly. Though they could not see her, the animals could sense her and the unseen presence made them nervous. She followed the trace of her target until she came to a small, shabby tent on the far side of the encampment. Clearly her intended victim had fallen on hard times.
Kalla flitted through the tent flap, entering into a small, cramped living space. A man slept fitfully on a pallet in the floor. As she entered, the man's eyes flew open. He drew in a long, ragged breath.
“Who's there?” he whispered fearfully. The mage steeled herself and willed her body into a misty visibility, causing the man to gasp and shrink away, too terrified to even scream.
“Who are you? What do you want?” he whimpered faintly.
“I am Lady Kalla. I've come to collect on your contract with the Lord of Living Nightmare,” she said softly. The man whimpered again.
“No…”
“I am sorry. However, you made the deal. It isn't a wise choice to renege on a deal with a god,” Kalla said.
“He caused her death!” the man exclaimed forcefully.
“Not so. The nightmares were all that were keeping her alive. If you'd left well enough alone, she would have lived longer. Either way, suicide would have been her choice. The dreams were borne of a guilty conscience,” the Mage replied.
“That's not true!”
“Yes. It is.” Kalla sighed. “You should have asked Lord Araun 'why' your wife was suffering from nightmares that not even Azurai would banish. He would have answered.
“Your wife killed your son on purpose. She was angry with a child being… well… a child. The nightmares were her guilt made manifest.”
The man shook his head. “That can't be…”
“Nevertheless, that it is and now you must fulfill your end of the contract.” Kalla looked around the shabby tent sadly. “And would that really be such a bad thing?”
“Why are you doing the dirty work?” the man asked.
“Because you have Azurai's protection against Araun himself. Unfortunately for you, the Dreamwalker must have more of a reason to let me carry out the task than to extend the protection to include me. This is the job Araun gave me to do in return for something I am in great need of,” Kalla replied.
“I don't want to die…”
“I am sorry,” the mage said softly. She drifted forward, causing the man to cringe away. Stretching out her hand, she rested her phantom fingertips against the man's forehead. Using the same tactic as when she journeyed, she gently began to draw his spirit out of his physical body. The man wailed, his body thrashing like a fish on a hook and Kalla almost gave up. Her soul cried with him, but she grimly stuck with her task. This was Araun's price. If she didn't do it, then they would not get the Quill and their quest would be lost before it had really begun. Finally, the body stilled, as most of the animating force was now gone from it.
As soon as the man's spirit was completely free, she pulled the both of them back to her own body. She came to herself with a gasp. The soul orb in her hand glo
wed brightly and the mage shuddered at the thought of what she'd been forced to do.
“Dashkele, are you alright?” Vander asked quietly.
“I'm fine. How long was I out?”
“It's been about two hours,” Aleister replied. Worry tinged his words and thoughts as he sensed her inner turmoil. Seeing her struggling to rise, he offered a hand and pulled her up. Araun had said to simply announce when they were done and they would be guided back to the throne room.
“Lord Araun, I have finished. I have done as you commanded,” she announced to the room in general. With a rasping laughter, two ghilan appeared before them. The spectral creatures eyed the glowing orb and nodded in satisfaction.
“Very well. Follow usss,” one sighed, in its strange, rasping voice. Kalla gave a curt nod and the ghilan trotted off, mage and magisters following behind. They crossed the door threshold and found themselves once more in the throne room.
As Kalla approached the Lord of Living Nightmare, the locks began to shift closed. Not now! she thought desperately. They had sustained her far longer than she expected, but she wished that the locks would stay open until she were out of Xibalba. Araun's skeletal wings rustled as they neared.
Well, Lady Amaraaq. It seems you managed to carry out the task after all. Mist wafted from the nasal cavern as he deftly caught the orb that she threw to him.
“Yes, my Lord,” she growled out. Araun merely laughed, in that winter wind voice.
You have done well, Mother of Wolves. He held the glass orb before him, drawing the man's spirit from within. For a moment the man looked disoriented. Then he saw where he was and dropped to his knees with a terrified wail that cut Kalla to her very core. As more locks whispered shut an altogether different kind of pressure began to build. Self-loathing. Horror at what she'd done. She tried to hide the thoughts from her magisters, using the remaining locks as a buffer.
Mother of Wolves (Evalyce Worldshaper Book 1) Page 15
