The Trials Of Ashbarn ( Book 5)

by Jeff Gunzel

  Morita’s lips pulled back and her yellow eyes bulged, the deranged expression falling somewhere between a snarl and a smile. She began to scratch away her chest, each pass of her fingernails sounding like a tree branch being broken in half.

  She could see it now, clear as day, the mighty Gate Keeper down on his knees before her. The unconscious strokes across her chest came faster and faster. There were thick, black chains wrapped around his neck and body. Naked and helpless, his knees sank down into the soil. Morita continued to claw away at her chest, thin rolls of skin collecting underneath her long fingernails. Blood ran freely down her front; scratching, clawing, the prickling itch simply could not be satisfied. He begged for his life, wailing and moaning like the sniveling coward that he was. On his hands and knees, he pleaded for forgiveness, amnesty that would never be given. Scratch...scratch...scratch. Her already heavy breathing increased from excitement, blood flowing from numerous deep cuts.

  Without warning, a thin golden line slashed the air before her. Morita leapt back, startled by the sudden interruption. It hung there a second or two before extending. It opened up into a shimmering golden hole hanging in the air. Her jubilance and lust vanished instantly, replaced by terror welling up inside her. She backed away until she could go no further, her back pressing against the cold stone wall. Attempting to cover her naked body was the last thought on her mind.

  A tall man clad in white stepped through. His drooping hood and long, flowing robe rippled violently as if caught in a windstorm. When the glimmering hole snapped shut behind him, his robe stopped flapping. Even with his face covered, Morita could feel his eyes burning into her; could feel his vile thoughts. This creature’s mind was as dark and broken as any she had ever known.

  “My-My lord,” she stammered nervously, bowing her head, then dropping down to one knee. “I was not expecting you. But-But no matter, you are most welcome.” He said nothing. Still as death he stood there staring, evaluating, judging her—or so she felt. Her terror was growing by the second, filling her gut, threatening to consume her. She had a mind to flee for her life, but where to? No, she needed to control her emotions. With an extreme effort, she forced down the building panic and steeled herself. Morita rose to her feet, still making no effort to cover herself, and slinked towards him. Each forced step was a chore, but she could not let the fear overwhelm her. She moved in close, her firm breasts pressed against his chest. “And to what do I owe this great honor?” she whispered, peeking under the low-hanging hood.

  The man in white slowly raised and drew back his hood. As he did, his loose sleeves rolled away, revealing the charred black markings burned into his arms. His long, dark hair was slicked back across his head, flowing down his back in a single loose braid. Soft brown eyes bore into Morita as he stared at her, still not saying a word.

  She moved her hands up his arms, feeling the rough, sandy scars, before locking her fingers around the back of his neck. Morita’s long tongue slipped underneath his collar as she pulled him closer. Covered in a white, slick film, it swiped back and forth across his chest, leaving behind a sticky slime. Keeping his eyes focused on hers, her tongue rode up the side of his neck, across his chin. “I am yours to command, my prince of the shadow,” she hissed like steam seeping from a lidded pot. “I live to serve any and all of your needs.”

  Morita pressed her mouth hard into his. When he remained unresponsive, she began to work her lively tongue between his lips, prying them apart as she worked her way in. Caught up in the moment, her raging terror had now subsided. If the madman’s plan was to kill her, she would already be dead. Besides, he was still a man of sorts, and must have the same needs as any other man. Certainly he could be...influenced.

  Determination replaced her last bit of fear as her snakelike tongue worked the top of his mouth. Her long nails dug deep into the flesh of his back. I am the one in control here, she thought to herself. But deep down inside, she wasn’t so sure. All her abilities had been given to her by this...creature, a mirror image of the Gate Keeper himself. His godlike abilities remained a mystery to all. A blessing? A curse? No matter, his power was plenty real, and only a fool would cross the unpredictable being.

  Their agreement had been simple enough. In exchange for her abilities, she had simply been asked to obey—an easy decision at the time for both her and her brother. He even transformed their troublesome father into something a little more harmless, yet retained his usefulness. But now there was the little inconvenience of keeping up her end of the bargain. These abilities—a curse, some fools might claim—were not free, and the debt needed to be paid—a drawback that had slipped her mind completely.

  With her lips still pressed to his, saliva ran down both their chins. She mumbled, “Everything I do,” her lips mashed further into his, “I do for you. With me by your side, no one can stop us.” She pulled back for an instant, her lower jaw coming unhinged like a snake. She lunged back in, hissing. Greedily, her teeth sank deep into his neck. He hardly seemed to notice, still staring off at nothing. Blood ran freely down the side of his neck. “I am your loyal servant,” she slurred with her mouth full of skin and blood.

  She felt a fist tighten around the back of her hair. Her head snapped back, suddenly forced to look up into those gentle brown eyes—gentle eyes that belonged to an innocent child, not this unpredictable madman. “You are loyal to me?” he said softly, eyes crossed slightly as if focusing on something off in the distance. She reached back to touch the fist clenching her hair, but thinking better of it, pulled up short. Best not to resist. His eyes came back into focus and resettled on Morita, now having a glittery golden hue to them. “Loyal to me, as you were to Zhou?” All the fear came rushing back into her like a raging river. Panic flooded through her veins.

  With what seemed like a gentle flick of his wrist, Morita flew through the air like a leaf on the wind. She crashed against the far wall, then slid down to the floor. The jarring impact shook her to her core. Winded and shaken, she found herself being hoisted off the floor again. How had he gotten there that quickly? Lifted off the ground by her neck, her feet kicked in the air helplessly. She struggled for air, looking down on the madman holding her up like she was weightless.

  “I…did it…for you!” she gasped, using the little precious air that still seeped through. Tiny flaps on her neck began to open and close urgently, trying to bring in air even though they were useless out of the water. “He-He was a…a liability and…and couldn’t be trusted.” She wrapped both her hands around his thick wrist, pulling with all her might. Moving a mountain would have proved easier. Her kicking legs now slowed to a shaking quiver, toes spread out wide while black spots began to cloud her vision.

  Like an iron vise cracking open, his grip released, spilling her down to the stone floor. Rolling to her back, she breathed in the precious air one deep gasp at a time. For a moment she considered crawling her way back into the rejuvenating filth. That would at least allow her to use her efficient gills to pull in even more air. But she thought better of it. It might appear too much like an escape attempt, and the last thing she wanted was to further enrage this lunatic.

  “Agreed,” he said with a shrug, before turning his back to her. Relief washed over Morita. Her short, rapid breaths began to slow and she sat up, hand pressed to her chest. “The beast was never to be trusted, only used. I was going to dispose of him myself when he was no longer of any use to me.”

  “Yes...yes,” Morita agreed hoarsely between wheezing coughs. She slithered towards him like a reptile, elbows pulling her along the damp stone, frayed strands of red hair clinging to her face and lips. “He was a danger to our plans. Now we don’t have to worry about—”

  “The beast was never any danger to my plans,” he roared, turning on her once more.

  She stopped crawling and lowered her forehead to the cold floor. She should have known better than to allow her confidence to grow, or to even consider reasoning with the madman. It was always best to just agree, wh
ether or not he was making any sense.

  “And I said I would dispose of him when he was no longer any use. Though rash and reckless, he was most certainly formidable. I can always use someone like that. He still had a role to play, yet you acted on your own,” he accused.

  “I took initiative,” Morita murmured under her breath. She boldly raised her head from the floor and met his gaze. “Could you have continued to control him? Probably. But that isn’t good enough for me. I leave nothing to chance, and I make no apologies for my actions.” Morita had never felt so small. It took all her self-control not to tremble as she lay there on the cold stone, like a worm that had crawled from the ground at the first spring rain.

  He held her gaze for several minutes, his face unreadable. Then, without warning, he burst into mad laughter. With both arms wrapped around his midsection, he cackled away, shoulders hopping up and down with laughter. He spun away again, hands dropping to his knees. Then, as fast as it came, he stopped suddenly. The humor was gone from his eyes now. Nothing there but confusion while he mumbled to himself, eyes crossed and head tilted slightly. Suddenly, his harmless mumbling turned heated. He began to argue with no one. Teeth bared in an angry snarl, he bickered with an unseen force, fists clenched and knuckles turning white.

  Morita watched in awe, unable to move, unable to speak as the spectacle continued. Should she be relieved his focus seemed to be a million miles away, as opposed to being on her? Was this her chance to run? No, there was no running from him. Her best chance was to lie here, appearing weak and obedient.

  He wailed a mournful, desolate cry before his hands slapped onto the sides of his face. He began to sob. Fingernails dug deep into his forehead while he moaned, causing fresh, deep cuts to form. Lines of red ran down his face and neck. Morita held her breath, having no idea what to do or how to react. Abruptly, his moaning stopped, his hands falling to his sides. Despite his bloody face, his expression was calm, in control. That alone made Morita shiver. “My lord?” Her hushed voice was nothing but a squeak.

  His soft brown eyes held an odd...fondness. It was as if he had somehow found peace during that insane outburst. “I have no use for your apologies,” he said melodiously. “You did as you saw fit. Since I can no longer depend on Zhou, I must now depend on you and you alone.” With a slight hand gesture, a golden doorway split the air.

  Morita scrambled back to her feet and watched him step through. “I swear I will not fail you, my lord,” she called out, finally finding her voice.

  Halfway through the doorway, he stopped without looking back. “Of course you won’t. You can’t afford to.” The light tone of his voice was more like a song than a statement. The shimmering door snapped shut behind him.

  Morita dropped to her knees, holding herself tightly. If he wanted me dead, he would have done it here. She rocked back and forth; her nervous laughter echoing off the stone nearly rivaled his. When her hysterics finally stopped, she sat back, knees pulled into her chest. Even then, her breaths came deep and heavy like she had been sprinting. If he wanted me dead, it would already be over, she repeated in her head.

  Once she got back to her feet, it began to sink in. He still needed her. Mad as he was, he didn’t instill her abilities just to turn around and take her life. Time is what I need. And time is what I’ve just bought myself. She ran her hands down her sides and inhaled sharply, the slick, transparent film covering her body collecting between her fingers. She moved her hands across her neck, leaving behind a thick trail of the clear gel. Morita felt good suddenly. More than good. Not only had she gone unpunished for her betrayal of Zhou, but it appeared the “man in white,” as he was sometimes known, was still willing to work with her. He thinks he’s using me, but I’m the one in control here.

  Realizing she was getting ahead of herself, she shook away the overconfident thought. Patience—that’s what’s gotten me this far. My time will come. She left the dark room and walked into the hall.

  Gliding down the hallway, she watched the blue spheres of light dancing about in their glass prisons. Mirrored walls reflected her smooth moving image, hips swaying rhythmically with each graceful step. Tall and lean, she was as beautiful as she was deadly. Her confidence increased with each long stride. With that distraction over with, it’s time to deal with the tasks at hand. I think it’s time I paid Hashiki a little visit.

  Although she found him peculiar and certainly abnormal, Morita couldn’t deny how useful the little feathered creature could be at times. Hunched and broken, he seemed most unassuming at first glance. An inferior being, low on the ladder of evolution. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. His ambition and general intelligence were second to none, and more than made up for his physical deficiencies. Hashiki was renowned for finding answers before the questions had even been asked. He was truly a marvel of nature in his own right.

  Seeing Morita approaching, servants in dingy white clothing skittered to the opposite side of the hall. She received no more than a swift glance before they dropped to their stomachs, noses pressed flat to the red tiled floor. This was hardly the first time they had seen her naked, her shapely body glistening with putrid oils. She slinked on past as if they weren’t even there. But she saw them, could feel their rising terror. Show them kindness and respect, they might follow you. Grip their hearts with icy fear, and they will follow commands without question. Since the dawn of time, this has always been the way. Why don’t other leaders understand this?

  When she reached Hashiki’s quarters, Morita pushed back the thick wooden door. The iron hinges groaned. She took one step inside before stopping, hesitating. Normally the little creature eagerly ran up to greet her, but not this time. She leaned against the doorway and watched with interest. Morita had always been intrigued by his work, and now would have a chance to watch his black magic firsthand.

  Hashiki stood before his three-pronged crystal figurine, his one good hand raised in the air. He held a small, leather-handled object with a short, thin cord hanging from the end. At the end of the black cord was a single blue feather. It was unclear whether or not he had noticed Morita enter, but he continued on anyway. Gurgling and growling like a cat with its tail being yanked, Hashiki waved the odd wand around in wide, sweeping circles. His ever-present glass mask began to fog when his breathing increased, coming now in heavy bursts.

  All the blue creatures hanging around the room had stopped bouncing around in their glass spheres, and now held perfectly still. Morita watched in wonder, intrigued by their sudden change in behavior. Used as nothing more than a source of light, she normally paid little attention to them. But this was odd. Never had they acted like this before. The blue light their bodies gave off had always been consistent, but now they were blinking on and off for some reason. Had they stopped to watch? Was it some kind of reaction to the energies given off by Hashiki?

  His crystal began to pulse with a faint green light. Slow at first, like a steady heartbeat, it then began to speed up. The green light grew brighter while the pulsing sped up. With his mask now completely frosted over, the little creature gurgled and chirped frantically, circling the feather over his head. The blue spheres twinkled on and off rapidly, making Hashiki's movements look jerky and erratic in the sporadic flashes.

  There came a blinding flash of white, forcing Morita to cover her eyes. She rubbed them, trying to make the smoky spots in her vision dissipate. After a bit of incessant blinking, she was able to focus on the enormous object that wasn't there before.

  The large, armored ball radiated lines of yellow and gray steam, as if it had just been pulled from some sort of toxic inferno. Splotches of orange, thick like honey, bubbled and smoked from its metallic shell. After a short time, the shell began to give off a crackling sound, rolling back and forth, slightly. The crackling sound soon became a shrill creaking. The high-pitched clatter of metal grinding on metal filled the room while the lumbering giant unfolded before them.

  Despite the creature’s great stature, i
ts wide gray head hung low, humbled in the presence of its new masters. Thick, pinkish whiskers drooped from a broad slit of a mouth. With no pupils to speak of, it was difficult to tell exactly where it was looking. Rubbing its humanlike hands together nervously, tiny clawed legs wiggled across its chest, clacking against one another.

  Morita strolled up to the beast, her greasy body glistening in the blue light. With the spectacle over with, the little blue beings had returned to their endless dance, bouncing around within their glass prisons. She reached out and ran her fingers down a thick whisker, giving the end a playful yet sharp little tug. The beast shied away from her touch, drawing in on itself shyly. For a moment, she thought it might pull back down into a metal ball, but it remained upright.

  “Wonderful,” she whispered before turning to Hashiki. She stroked the top of his head with a gentle caress. “I see you're busy. Our business can wait until later.” The little creature cooed and popped at her gentle touch before turning its attention back to the giant. Morita left, quietly closing the door behind her. I’ll leave him be for now. I have more than one source of information at my disposal.

  In no hurry, she moved methodically back down the hallway. She felt good—in control, the way things were meant to be. With her head mostly clear and a little extra time to think, a thought suddenly occurred to her. Her highly ambitious plans were not entirely self-dependent. Deep down inside, Morita knew she alone would not be able to enslave the Gate Keeper and force his followers to kneel before her, but by surrounding herself with competent individuals—specialists such as Hashiki, and even the man in white—there was a chance. Ridding herself of mindless, reckless creatures such as Zhou, who had proven to be a burden rather than an asset, only then could she achieve greatness.