by C. A Hines
“I have seen this before,” Samar spoke, his voice hushed as the men gave nervous glances. “It is the product of old magic,” he explained as she listened intently. The group suddenly pulled together closer, as rocks fell loose from a distant wall. “They were living soldiers. They likely did not know what their priest was doing when they escorted the Emperor’s body into the tomb. They were all sacrificed. To what purpose, I know not.”
“The place is cursed!” A soldier suddenly announced with a shrill voice.
“Quiet down, men!” Titus barked as he slammed his spear once again upon his shield, the sound echoing through the cavern as the legionnaires regained their nerve.
She had to admire Titus and his ability to rein them in. Alexandra gave a small sigh as her gloved hand wrapped around the hilt of her blade, the other keeping her torch held steady. “I’m not afraid.” She stepped forward. The men followed her lead silently, forming a narrow column as they marched onward, past the gauntlet of soldiers frozen in time. None dared pry their remains for the valuables. The legionnaires honored the lives of their comrades too much to pilfer or disrupt their corpses.
Soon she found herself upon the mouth of the bridge, staring across the chasm where a section of the bridge had collapsed and tumbled into the abyss below on one side, though leaving the bridge passable. It wasn’t surprising, given how old the structure was, though the rest of its form did not show signs of age and weathering. Below, the sound of liquid stirring echoed upward, though none could say for certain what it was exactly. A subterranean lake? Perhaps. She didn’t dare glance over the side to look, no, she kept marching forward until she cleared the chasm and was standing upon firm ground once more. There was less ground on one side of the chasm than the other, the far side having only a narrow ledge along the sides of the stone walls, the bridge leading right toward a massive opening that led to the deepest layers of the tomb.
“We’re nearing our destination, Princess,” Titus spoke up, his hand knocking against the solid wall of the cavern.
“This leads the burial chamber.” She gestured toward the two lone guardians that stood vigil on either side of the entrance. “Probably the sentries that were standing watch over the entrance while the Emperor was being laid to rest,” Titus added as he brushed the dust from the armor of one. Despite their age, they had been remarkably well preserved. It almost seemed a pity to disturb the tomb any further, though she admired the lengths that had been taken to enshrine her ancestor in a land, which he had apparently held in such high esteem. Granted, it also seemed that keeping the Regalia secure was also motivation. None but a true son of the Empire was intended to ever come so far, to stand in the shadow of greatness. She was no true son, but she would have to suffice. She needed to suffice, or else the Empire was doomed to be cast into the annuls of history and forgotten.
“Leave a detail to guard the door,” she commanded. “We’ll take a small number inward. I am not sure what we will find beyond this passage. It would be better to travel with few.” Alexandra reasoned as she turned her attention toward the soldiers accompanying her, giving a small nod. “Choose five, Titus, to accompany us.”
Titus nodded as he began to sort the men out, her attention turning now to Samar. “You don’t have to come further, Samar,” She began, but before she could finish the tall man had lifted his hand up and gestured for her silence.
“I will stand faithfully by your side.” His kind words reached her ears, that warm smile of his disarming her briefly. “If we die, we shall die together, cousin!”
Ah, there it was again. His devotion to her was almost unnerving, “I have no intention of dying, Samar.” She clapped the man on the back suddenly before allowing her gloved hand to rest near the hilt of her blade. It didn’t take but five more minutes for Titus to sort who he chose to escort her. She had not heard the familiar voice since Cass had fallen. There was plenty she had to ask of it, yet it remained quiet still.
“If we’ve not returned in two hours, I want you men to take whatever spoils you can, and leave,” she instructed the soldiers. The centurion gave her a salute as he acknowledged her order and the others snapped to their posts. She cast one final glance around. Titus’ looked serious and grim, his fingers clutching the shaft of his spear. He was on full alert, and that brought her comfort. To Samar her eyes next fell, his smiling disposition having not changed a bit even as he now clutched a crooked dagger between his long fingers. Samar seemed anxious, giddy even, at the prospect of penetrating deeper into the tomb.
“Forward, then, friends.” She broke the silence, taking the first step past that threshold. “To glory.” Her voiced echoed through the chamber as Titus grunted and followed behind her. The passageway forced them into a single file, the walls arched and lined with sconces. She was careful to light the torches where they still stood, providing some illumination as they pushed deeper and deeper until the sconces ran out, though the tunnel continued. The chilled air nipped at her face and her leathers kept her body warm.
Something isn’t right. The voice had returned and it hadn’t been wrong. Even she felt it. A creeping sensation, an unnerve in the atmosphere that went far beyond the norm for such a situation. There was something else. Something different. A sound. There was a sound! She couldn’t hear it at first, but when she paused in the darkness and closed her eyes, she could almost focus upon it. A distant, beating sound. Rhythmic. Hypnotic, even. It pulsed through the darkness, growing louder and louder the deeper they marched. None of the others seemed to hear the sound as she did, that terrible beating. She knew what it was. It was a sound she was all too familiar with. It was a heart. A pulsing, beating, heart. The tunnel ended and she stepped into a large circular chamber. A gust snuffed her torch out, a single mysterious ray of light shining from above illuminated the sarcophagus. The light was artificial in nature, though she could not discern its source. Magic, most likely. The beat thumped louder. Closer. Something in the darkness begged her to draw closer, pulling at her senses.
“Something’s not right,” she finally spoke. Titus and Samar moving to flank her position. The ground rumbled, shaking terribly. She looked beyond the light, beyond the corpse of her ancestor and saw it.
A pair of monstrous eyes, staring at them from the darkness. Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed upon those pupils. “Titus!” she called, her hand falling to the hilt of her blade as she clutched it protectively. “Look up!” She pointed above the pillar of light to the silhouette of the titanic creature in the distance. The legionnaire did as was expected of him, forcing his way past her person with his men as they immediately formed a defensive line to protect her.
This is a creature of old magic. They will die. You will die.
Chapter XI
The light of their torches illuminated the hidden colossus.
The faint light allowed her a clear view of the beast, and of the corpses surrounding it, staring silently at them. The Sphinx was as wide as a man was tall. Its form towering high above them. She was startled to see the large humanoid face staring upon her, her eyes drinking in the wild sight of the creature that bore the head of a human. From her position she could see clearly that it possessed the body of a wild cat with a pair of feathered wings upon its back. Truly it was a thing of wonder to behold. It was silent and unmoving, staring upon their group.
“What is it?” she hissed in desperation, a soldier giving a small grunt. “Why isn’t it doing anything?” Her hand never left the hilt of her blade as she readied herself to face her certain end. The creature continued to peer curiously at them. It showed no sign of aggression, but Alexandra knew not how much she could trust such a beast.
“It ... can’t be,” Titus, finally whispered back. “A Sphinx? A Gods forsaken Sphinx.”
The sound of his voice did little to comfort her, the creature’s presence clearly disturbing the hardened soldier. The massive beast stepped forward and Alexandra felt the very ground beneath her tremble. As it approached, each lar
ge step drew it closer until its majestic form poised directly above the sarcophagus of the once Emperor.
“They sacrificed the soldiers to conjure this monster,” Samar mused beside her, still holding his dagger tight. There was a look of awe upon his face as he watched the Sphinx. She held no such feelings of admiration for the magical beast that lumbered above them, hot breath washing over them.
“What does it want?” she asked, her eyes still fixated upon Samar. Between Titus’ fear and Samar’s admiration of this being of old magic, she opted to go to Samar.
“If we cannot solve its riddle, it will kill us all!” he announced as he stuffed his dagger back into its sheath. He clapped his hands and gave a haughty laugh, wringing those leathery palms of his together now as he paced back and forth between Alexandra and the line of soldiers. What riddle? She could not recall hearing anything spoken, nor reading any inscription to give some great insight. The behemoth stood erect, staring upon them as the lips began to move and words she could not understand spilled forth.
“What do you want?” a Legionnaire cried out, pushing forward. “By sacred right these grounds are our—”
She watched in horror as a massive paw lashed out with lightning speed, the soldier unable to resist as it flattened his body against the floor, claws rending through his flesh before he was thrown into the air and the beast caught it within its jaw. She could hear the crunching as it chewed, grinding bone and metal alike as blood dripped to the floor in a gruesome show of force. Bones, armor, and spear were promptly spat from her mouth. The Legionnaires closed ranks once again, filling the gap now made by their fallen comrade.
Titus gave a roar, lifting his spear up “REAADY!”
“They will all die, cousin. You cannot fight a Sphinx!” Samar implored her, tugging at her sleeve.
She pushed forward at that, grabbing Titus’ spear as she jerked it down quickly. “Belay that order!” she barked, forcing Titus to stand down. “Do you not see it will simply slaughter you like sheep?” She gestured toward the Sphinx as it stood there silently, a pile of blood and gore at its feet. They had all seen how quickly the last man died, what made them fool enough to think they could overwhelm it? This was a battle that one could not fight with brawn, and unfortunately it seemed that was all the Legion was capable of.
“Just ... let me try,” Alexandra sighed, unsure what to say to convince the men. They were ready to so foolishly throw their lives away on a pointless battle, the least she could do was try to fight this one on her own. Titus eventually relented, opening a gap in the line to allow her to step through. There were murmurs behind her but she was too occupied to hear what the men were saying. There was no point in looking back, she focused instead, upon the colossal creature.
It seemed to be thinking, a claw tapping against the hard stone beneath them before her mouth opened and a voice echoed. “You who would seek the treasure of Kings,” the Sphinx announced, surprising Alexandra as it spoke in her tongue. “You will answer our riddle, or you will perish, child.” The voice was clear, echoing through the hollow chamber and ringing in her ears. Such a booming and commanding tone. She stood, not but a young girl once again staring up at the mighty giant.
“What riddle?” She cried up at the Sphinx, its face one devoid of expression as it mulled over the possibilities. As its lips curled into a smile, Alexandra stepped back, unnerved. Feeling a chill run up her spine, the large beast shifted its weight anxiously before lowering itself down, akin to a predator waiting to pounce.
“There are two sisters: one gives birth to the other and she, in turn, gives birth to the first.” It spoke, that rumbling voice causing the hairs on her body to stand up, her mind was already racing before it finished its riddle. Who are the two sisters?”
Alexandra muttered the words beneath her breath time and time again, thinking as she shifted her own weight around nervously. Time wasn’t a factor, it seemed, as the beast gave a sigh.
“I know it! It’s the moon!” A Legionnaire cried out.
“You damned fools, stay quiet!” Alexandra shouted in reply as the Sphinx wasted no time. She felt a rush of wind pass, a strange warmth in its wake as the Sphinx’s paw thrust past her head and impaled the Legionnaire through the torso with one of its mighty claws. Warm liquid dripped down and splashed her armor and head. She need not look, she knew it was blood. Anger boiled inside her as she clenched her fists tight, glaring at the Sphinx as the sickening cracking, crunching noise filled her ears “T-that wasn’t part of the arrangement!”
“Was it not?” the Sphinx replied, spitting the last of the man’s armor onto the growing pile. “He answered incorrectly. We did say if you answered the riddle incorrectly, you would perish.” It growled. She could feel its piercing eyes upon her again, the creature raking its claws across the stone below. “You should be glad he was all we killed, child. Next time, everyone will perish.”
The guards silently murmured behind her once again as she stood there, muttering possibilities like a woman possessed. She tried to think of every possible answer, pushing herself to think of the right one. Her mother offered no help, that voice in her head evidently opted to remain silent. This was a battle she really had to win on her own.
Alexandra paced nervously back and forth, the rumbling of the Sphinx’s chest ever present in her ears. The Sphinx grew more and more impatient before suddenly she froze in place.
“Enough games!” the creature cried, its paws hoisting into the air. “You do not know the answer, you shall all perish!” Its fierce cry came, echoing in her eyes and the chamber. Once again the world seemed to move in slow motion, staring as those paws came down in her direction.
“Wait! Night and day! The answer is night and day!” Alexandra cried at the top of her lungs, eyes squeezed tight as she held her hand up. “The answer is night and day, isn’t it?” she demanded as the limbs froze just an inch away from her face. There was nothing but silence, the guards not making a single sound. Had she died? Was this death? It didn’t feel much different than being alive, honestly, but she decided that she had to be certain as one eye half-opened. Large black claws and brown fur was all she could see, but they slowly retracted as her eyes opened completely. The Sphinx wore a look of bewilderment on its face. Years had passed since its creation and none had been able to grasp the riddle. For in the classical Greek language, the word for night and day are feminine. She could see the Sphinx as it trembled and quaked. The flesh of the magical beast tore and ripped as beams of light escaped from the lines left in its flesh. A howl unlike anything she could imagine bellowed out as the body began to burn away, embers drifting into the air as the entirety of its being began to burn away. A look of sadness overtook it as the process continued rapidly, a final scream of a roar parting its lips and echoing through the cavern before its head burst into a fantastical display of sparkling light, only for the light to drift away.
Magic sustained the Sphinx. When the riddle was solved, the creature died. A pity.
It killed two innocent men. Hardly a pity, mother, she responded to her mother in kind. She watched the majestic being of magic as it faded. “That was ... incredible,” Titus said.
She hadn't noticed until she turned around to face him that the legionnaires had fallen to their knees, staring in wonder at her as if they had witnessed a miracle. “I just ... solved a riddle.” Confusion marked her voice at the sudden display of fealty and reverence. Even Titus took a step away from her. Until that moment their quest had been nothing more than something based on hope and the promise of riches.
They were mercenaries at best, but now in their eyes she could see something different. It was hard to tell if they had ever believed she was something special prior to that point or if it was only the call of adventure that had pulled them to Titus. Now, however, the Legionnaires stared at her as if they had just seen a miracle. It was unnerving.
You did more than that, girl.
“You never told us.” Titus growled, his hands c
urled into fists now. “Cass died, and you never told us! Those men died and you did nothing!” His shouts caused her to step back as her lips turned from a smile to a confused frown. Even Samar stood tall, a look of astonishment on his face.
“T-told you want?” she demanded, staggering back.
Humans will always fear what they cannot understand. They will always kill what they fear.
She had never seen Titus look so furious as he marched toward her, clutching his shield and spear. From his look, she actually thought that he meant to kill her. There was rage in his eyes that she couldn’t understand.
“What did I do?” she asked as she retreated away, moving closer to her ancestor’s sarcophagus.
“When that Sphinx went to kill you, you lifted your hand and a magical energy came up and stopped it. A dark energy.”
His fury made her reach for her blade, clutching the hilt as she continued to step away from his advance.
“All this time, you could have saved them!” he yelled again. He drew his arm back, and everything seemed to stop for her once again.
“Titus, stop it!”
The figure of her mother stood beside her again, her arms held regally behind her back. “He is inconsequential,” she advised. “Yet full of rage. Unpredictable. This goes beyond a failure to save anyone. He fears what you will accomplish.” The voice was loud, as if it were actually speaking though none could hear it save her. Existence seemed to slow to a pause once more as she turned to look upon the mysterious figure, then back to Titus.
Alexandra was doing her best to make sense of what happened, shaking her head a little. It was a confusing sensation but it was not unlike that which she had experienced previously. She could see her mother. Hear her as more than just a whisper in her mind.
