Ancient Voices: Into the Depths

by Allison D. Reid

  “A strange man found me there in the alleyway. He wore heavy monastic robes, and his face was cloaked in darkness. Something about him did not seem right to me. Though he was soft spoken and unarmed, my hand instinctively hovered over my weapon. The monk chuckled softly.

  “‘I am sorry if I startled you. I can assure you that I am harmless. You did not see me, but I was standing nearby when I heard you asking for black pearl. It is an unusual request for a common boy to make. For what purpose do you seek such a powerful substance?’

  “‘My brother is dying, and nothing else of this world can save him,’ I replied.

  “‘How unfortunate,’ the monk said soothingly. ‘If I had any pearl in my possession, surely it would be yours. Alas, I have none. But, I have heard rumors that there is pearl to be found in the Deep Woods, within the Crevasse itself. Not many have the strength and skill to go there and return alive. However, as you would be going on a merciful mission, not to seek glory and riches for yourself, but to find your brother’s cure, perhaps Aviad would shield you from harm. There are always groups of men gathering at the Eastern Gate seeking companions for their excursions into the wood. It may be that you could journey with one of them into the Crevasse for added protection.’

  “He must have seen from my face that the idea appealed to me. Somewhere deep inside, a small voice protested it as complete folly. I was naïve enough to ignore that voice. Though the monk’s presence left a queasy feeling in my stomach, he had given me hope that I might still succeed in my quest. The monk leaned over me, so close that I could feel his breath on the side of my face. It reeked of decay and death, forcing me to stifle a gag.

  “‘Listen carefully now,’ he said. ‘Your traveling companions will warn you that there are many tangled passageways and deep pits in the Crevasse where you might go astray and become lost forever. They will tell you to stay close by their sides for your own protection. But I tell you that the wide passageways will already be picked clean by the groups that came before. You will not find what you seek there. Flash your torch into the narrow cracks and crevices, delve deep into those empty, tangled passages rejected by the glory-seekers. There is your treasure.’

  “The monk then hurried off, disappearing into the crowded streets without ever giving me his name. Fool that I was, I did just as he suggested. It did not take long for me to find a group of men eager to face the challenges of the Crevasse. They reluctantly agreed that I could join, but made no guarantee that I would return alive. Even they thought that I should go home and accept my brother’s fate. Instead, I pressed forward with misguided, yet noble aspirations, confident that Aviad would protect me as the Monk had suggested.

  “I had no idea what fearsome trials were to test me in the very abyss of the Crevasse. Even now, I am loathe to speak of them. The stench was overpowering, with the dead and dying strewn about the passageways. My companions had already hardened themselves so that they could endure such horrors. But my head swam and my stomach churned. Beads of sweat formed upon my brow. I would not admit it openly, but I knew from the moment I entered the Crevasse that coming had been a grave mistake. The eyes of the slain looked up at me, so empty...the life and intelligence that was once behind them gone forever. I forced myself to turn away from their vacuous stares for there was nothing I could do to help them.

  “Two trolls rounded the corner. I froze in terror as they came toward us, for I had never seen trolls before. They ignored our small band, clearly not afraid of us, and began rummaging through the bodies. They had no compassion for the defeated, no respect for the dead—when they were finished, they tossed the bodies aside as one might cast away a piece of rotten food. Though the anger flared hot within me, I was not prepared for a fight, not that day. When my companions rushed upon the trolls, I took the ensuing chaos as a chance to break away unnoticed. My only chance to survive that place was to slink about like a thief and run from any challengers that might appear in my path.

  “I kept away from the most populated areas of the Crevasse, moving quickly past the raucous clanging of metal, and the shouts of warriors, as stroke by stroke, they paid in blood for their tales of glory. Sometimes they paid with the blood of the wicked, but more often with their own. The further in I went, the more unbearable the smells and sounds became. I eventually entered a part of the Crevasse that was so thick and close, never had a draft of fresh air been felt there, or so it seemed—I almost believed that I would suffocate. My feet waded through the remains of a corpse blocking the path, so long decayed I could not make out whether it had been man or beast. Nausea rushed over me, pushing up to the top of my throat and spilling over. The glistening walls seemed to circle me like a hungry predator. I longed for but a single breath of clear air, or a trickle of cool water to wet my lips, but there was nothing good there. Only slick, greenish walls, unwholesome air, and endless trails of blood and rotting flesh.

  “Yet I could not turn back now, I had come too far. I held my brother’s pale, drawn face for a moment in my thoughts, and grimly steadied myself against a rock. Though every pulse of my body and spirit pleaded with me to turn and flee, I gritted my teeth and urged myself forward. I was greatly discouraged that I had not yet seen any trace of pearl, if indeed I would recognize it in this dark, twisted hell. If I could not find it here, all was lost, for I knew of nowhere else to look.

  “Strange shadows moved across the floors and walls. The death cries of the fatally wounded echoed up along the passageways, distorted and fragmented. I could not tell if they were from above or below, ahead or behind. They were an eerie reminder of my own fragile mortality. Suddenly everything grew so black, that the darkness seemed like an enveloping, breathing presence more than it did an absence of light. The part of the Crevasse that I had just entered was strangely deserted. There were no monsters, and no warriors, yet something was there. I could feel a deep disturbance pressing on my mind and spirit. It wanted to mock me, drown me, defeat me...seduce me. Of all the evils I had encountered thus far, this was the strongest, and most perplexing. There was nothing in the passage with me, at least nothing that I could see.

  “My hand shook as I reached for the sword on my belt and pressed onward, despite the overwhelming sense of panic rushing over me. Just as I was about to turn and run, I saw what looked like a small pile of glistening purple-black beads peeking out at me from a narrow crevice to my left. Surely this was what I had come for. I tried in vain to reach them with the tip of my sword, but they were too far in. I was then faced with a difficult dilemma: to force my way through the crevice could leave me trapped—I would have to slide in sideways, with no way to reach, or use, my weapon, and no way to shield myself from falling rock.

  But the alternative was to go home to my brother, look him full in the face, and say that I’d found pearl, but did not risk the danger of retrieving it. I thought to myself that I would prefer to die there and never return, than to see such disappointment in those loving, weary eyes. I was determined that if it was indeed fated that Grindan must die, it wouldn’t be because I did not give everything trying to save him. Without Grindan, there was nothing worth returning home to.

  “I tested the wall—it seemed sturdy enough. I pressed myself as thin as I could beneath the bulk of my armor, turned my head toward the pearl, and eased into the crevice. I could hear the sharp edges of rock scratching at the chain mail I had borrowed from Grindan and hoped that, in the end, any damage done to his tunic would be forgiven. Movement was slow and difficult. The deeper I forced my way into the crevice, the further away the pearl seemed, and the heavier my soul became. The rock pressed so tightly against my chest, my breaths had to come short and quick. There was no room for my chest to expand. I was quickly becoming light headed and disoriented from lack of air. I no longer had any idea how far in I was, or how long I had been there. The pearls always seemed to be just at the ends of my fingertips, but when I reached out to take them up, they were only chips of stone that had fallen from above, wet and shimme
ring with foul smelling, stagnant water.

  “The dark presence seemed to grow stronger. It was laughing at me, luring me to some unknown fate. I realized with sudden shock that there had never been any black pearl in this crevice, only illusions of it. As panic and despair set in, I began to lose consciousness. My weight shifted forward as my legs gave way, and suddenly I could breathe again. The crevice had widened. I pushed forward one more time and found that I had broken free of the crevice. Turning my head, I could see that the place where I had entered was now a barely-visible slit, flickering red with distant torch-light. I sat there for a few moments, just breathing, wondering how I would ever get through there a second time.

  “I used my tinder to light a stump of candle that I always carried in my pouch, hoping to get my bearings and find another way out. As soon as the candle was lit, I lost all hope. I was in a chamber, constructed not of stone, but of men’s bones. This was a place of the blackest of magic, darker than necromancy, or any power that could be wielded by a mere human. It was filled with the signs of demons, and of those who lord over demons. The dark presence I had felt resided there. Just being in that room, so filled with unspeakable evil, was more than I could bear.

  “At one end of the room was a stone altar—a place where not only the body, but the soul was sacrificed, to feed the evil presence. I could sense that it was never satiated, needing to consume more and more, age upon age, to feed an emptiness that would never be filled, not even if the whole world were to be devoured. To see a free soul, complete and content, brought forth an envious, raging desire to possess, and to extinguish.

  “Above the altar was a primitive painting on the rock face of a demon so grotesque I had to look away. But even though I only caught a glimpse of it, the image has been forever burned into my mind. Half of the spirit world, and half flesh, its head was that of a dragon, with fierce burning eyes. Gargoyle’s wings protruded from its back, and its long, knobby hands, curved at the ends into razor-sharp talons. The body of the beast was hidden under a long red robe. Its clawed feet clutched a group of forlorn half-clothed men and women, dangling them precariously over a flaming pit.

  “Resting on the altar itself was an intricately carved chest, its pristine, white stone standing out sharply against the blood-stained surface of the altar. As I stepped closer to it, I could see that there were figures carved onto its surface, their anguished faces speaking of unseen tortures, their hands reaching out to me in desperation. I could not tell if they were begging me to pull them out, or if they were trying to draw me into their misery.

  “I began to feel the dark presence more strongly, and for the first time I heard its voice inside my mind. ‘Open it.’

  “‘I am afraid of it,’ I said aloud, my voice echoing strangely off the walls of the chamber.

  “‘There is no reason to be afraid. This is what you came for, is it not?’

  “In my mind I saw a vision of the chest being opened. Inside of it was a fine leather bag filled with black pearl of such purity, every lord, alchemist, and healer in the realm would have gladly fought to the death for even the slightest chance of possessing it. I marveled that this unseen presence could know my mind, and my purpose, with such ease.

  “‘Who are you, and why do you not show yourself?’ I asked.

  “‘That knowledge cannot be given away,’ the dark presence answered, ‘it must be sought after. The price is steep, but to know my name is to have ultimate power in this world.’

  “I could still see the pearl dancing before my eyes, its perfectly round, purplish-black hue testing the strength of my will. The air was so thick with the weight of the evil presence I could barely breathe. If simply knowing this being’s name had a steep price, what would it want in exchange for the pearl? I could not believe that it would freely give away such a prize.

  “‘It is a rare gift,’ the presence said soothingly, ‘for you and your brother. You do want to save his life, don’t you? Without him, you will be alone. This is the way, the only way.’

  “Having the pearl so close within my grasp was unbearable, and the thick shroud of evil emanating from the presence was clouding my mind. I never thought to question the being’s claim that this was the only way.

  “‘I am offering you a gift...this time. Know that I rarely go to such trouble to bestow a treasure like this upon a mere human. If you hesitate too long, I may change my mind. It would be nothing for me to destroy you instead.’

  “My heart grew heavy. I wanted to snatch up the pearl and run home to my brother before it was too late. But I held back because I did not trust the presence.

  “‘I know that your brother raised you, even though he was not much more than a boy himself when your father died. Yet you hesitate to save him. There is enough pearl in that bag to not only cure your brother, but to allow you both to live like lords for the rest of your days. Only you must decide quickly, for my patience runs short. Perhaps you do not care for your brother as much as I expected.’

  “I grew angry and indignant at this remark, and my hand moved to my sword even though there was nothing visible to challenge. The evil being chuckled, amused by my pointless gesture.

  “‘I grow tired of this game. Take the bag and be gone, or I will destroy you, and you will have destroyed your brother.’

  “The horrors I had endured that day, the exhaustion overcoming my body, and the crushing burden of such intimate contact with the evil presence, all conspired to rob me of my sanity in that moment. I was young, and foolish. I only wanted to go home, pearl in hand, to see a relieved smile pass across my brother’s lips; to see him able to take a full, deep breath...to watch him walk across a room without the need of someone’s arm to hold his weight, to see color in his cheeks, and the luster return to his eyes. I was arrogant enough to think that any price the being could ask of me would be worth that final outcome.

  “The image of the pearl faded from my mind and I saw once again the closed stone chest before me, the promise of treasure still sealed up inside. The same small voice that had warned me against going to the Crevasse warned me again, louder this time, that it was wrong to open the chest. The carved faces gave their silent testimony too, gazing up at me with despair. But in my desire to see my brother well again, I ignored them all. I reached out my hand and lifted the lid only to find an empty chest. The evil presence breathed a long sigh and began to laugh, until its laughter shook the entire Crevasse. The bone room began to collapse upon itself as large rocks crashed into it from somewhere above. I knew that I had been betrayed and feared that in a matter of moments the bone room would become my eternal tomb. And had that been my fate, it would have been a deserved one.

  “The figures on the carved chest came to life, shaking their heads sorrowfully at me. They reached out to pull me in, to trap me as they had been, by the trickery of the evil presence. What promises had been made to them? What desperation had drawn each of them to believe the being’s lies? I knew that I had made a terrible mistake, and it was one that I could never take back. I began to feel not only the presence of the evil being, but that of every unwholesome creature in the Crevasse, and in every dark place throughout the whole of the lands. I could feel the lustful greed, the ravenous empty void that ate away at their souls, if they had any. I could sense their desire to stamp out anything that breathed life and knew love. It unified them. The evil being kept them together, of one mind, and of one destructive purpose.

  “I could sense the darkness covering me, like a thick, cold mountain fog, compromising what remained of my judgment, disorienting me, penetrating my very skin and drenching me to the bone. In my panic, all I had left was to pray. But that gave me small comfort as I was ashamed to come before Aviad, even in prayer. I felt the powerful tremor of the being’s laughter coursing through me as the whole Crevasse quaked. Something struck me in the head and everything went black.

  “When I opened my eyes again, I wondered if it had all been a horrible nightmare, for I found mysel
f lying on a steep mossy slope in the mountains of Minhaven, my home just over the ridge. But several things convinced me that my adventure into the Crevasse was all too real. First, there was the horrible pain in my head. I touched it gingerly and found a knotted wound where I had probably been hit by a falling rock. When I pulled my hand away, it was covered with blood.

  “Second, lying near me on a bed of moss was a badly made leather pouch that was not my own. Looking inside, I found a small amount of black pearl. It was of poor quality, nothing like the beautifully formed pearl the presence had shown me in my mind. It was misshapen, and lacked the shimmering, purple luster it should have had. But it was pearl just the same.