Origin Mage

by John Forrester

  Caisa looked knowingly at her elders, and the priestesses aimed their hands at the Starwalkers around them. They shot out quick spells before the Starwalkers could react, mesmerizing them in an instant. The only ones who remained conscious were Jared and Selana, and a few of the singer’s loyal companions.

  “There, now we can end this charade. I doubt they’ll do us much good anyways in the upcoming battle.” The Nameless glanced at Selana. “Cast the spell, singer, the two young lovers have arrived. That is, if you possess the knowledge and power.”

  Selana shook her head in irritation. “I seem to recall a certain spell I cast that rendered you useless against me. Does that sound like power to you?”

  “A gift by the ancients of the Origin World.” Caisa tilted her head in amusement. “Otherwise, you would have had nothing—at least you did nothing after your first attempt failed. And look around you, we’ve already adapted to your spells and broken through your defenses.”

  “The girl had a dagger to my neck.”

  Caisa scoffed. “That never stopped me. Cast your spell, wench, before you raise my ire. I grow tired arguing with children.”

  The singer released an exasperated sigh and turned to face the white stone. In a smooth flourish, she brought her hands up, summoning millions of filaments of black and silver light. She chanted an undecipherable prayer, and her words seemed to float like visible shadow beings into the statue. The filaments and the shadows merged into an inky electric mesh and soon crawled over every inch of the stone, turning it black.

  A low boom sounded, causing Mara to crouch, heart pounding. Her daggers flared up in a shield of green light surrounding her. She took the chance and went invisible, wary of an insurrection against Caisa while they were making the journey to the Origin World.

  Talis scanned around in surprise, his body tensed and ready for a fight. But Mara reached out and took his hand, squeezing it in reassurance. He relaxed in an instant, keeping her hand as they studied the singer completing her spell.

  The stone had utterly transformed into an electrified blanket of black light. Inside, Mara could see stars shining around a completely black void, darker than the black portal. A sticky feeling of loathing and malevolence poured from within the blackness, causing Mara to take a step backwards. Her daggers flared a brilliant shade of green in warning. They seemed to tell her, Don’t take another step closer. Flee now or forever be lost in the void.

  “Behold,” Selana said, her arms outstretched as if waiting for a lover’s embrace. “The gateway to the Origin World. On the other side we will find ourselves in the ancient Temple of Yavreel. There you must make an offering of silver, or die due to the wrath of our god.”

  Several Starwalkers walked amongst them, handing out silver coins. Talis took two and handed one to Mara in secret. The coin vanished into a gray mist once Mara palmed it. She examined the coin and found a flowing illustration of a moon goddess on one side, and an intricate illustration of a sun goddess on the other. How appropriate, thought Mara, and grinned.

  “And now, as I have been instructed, the Goddess Caisa will be the first to enter the portal, as a show of faith to the priests of Yavreel. Otherwise, they will suspect something is amiss.”

  A twitch struck Caisa’s face as she stared in concern at the portal. “No, young Mara will go first and scout ahead. Once she returns and informs me there isn’t an ambush ahead, then I will go. Talis will stay here under my protective custody and will remain that way until I am safely through the portal. No more tricks or he will die. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Perfectly,” Mara said after commanding the daggers to allow her voice to be heard.

  “A caution.” The singer cleared her throat. “Be careful about straying too far from the portal stone. There are… devices and spirits that guard the temple and inform the guardians of unauthorized entry. Those devices and spirits take action directly, and the consequences are deadly.”

  “So you wanted me to go first into a trap that could kill me?” Caisa was livid as she glared at Selana.

  “No, that was not my intention. I would have warned you as well. These were my orders.”

  “Of course, you have orders to capture and bring me to the high priests of Yavreel, how could I forget. I understand where your loyalties lie.” The Nameless sneered. “But when you are slain and facing the guardians of the dead, remember this, those loyalties gained you nothing in that realm.”

  The singer looked like she’d been slapped by Caisa. Her face twisted up at the threat. “You may kill me, but you won’t win me over to your cause like that. By your actions and words I see what kind of a goddess you are: a cruel, manipulative despot. Completely contrary to the ways and ideals of the Origin World. Though we worship the darkness, we do so with equality.”

  “Bah. The beings in the universe are hardly equal. You of all people should know that.” Caisa gave the singer a look of disdain. “After all your journeys through the many worlds, haven’t you discovered this simple truth? No one is equal. Even amongst human mortals there is no equality. There are the strong and there are the weak, there are the leaders and there are the sheep. Equality is a fine illusion adopted and promoted by philosophers and lazy minds. Does the ant insist it is equal to the lion? Does the goddess care at all about the wishes and desires of her mortal subjects? No, she insists on absolute, unthinking devotion and obedience. All else is stupidity.”

  “No wonder they imprisoned you for what they hoped was an eternity.” Selana gave her a venomous look.

  “Oh, yes, they built a prison where they believed they could contain me. But they failed, didn’t they? Those rulers and priests thought they were so smart, first by destroying my body, and then in frustration, imprisoning my soul. They will never master my willpower, never. I am eternal. Though this body is burned into ashes, my soul will still thrive. There are many bodies for me to possess.” A wicked smile came to Caisa’s face. “Yes, hate me, despise me, do it. Let your anger be as sweet incense to my spirit. I thrive under your hatred, wench. You will be among the first to be tortured. I will enjoy hearing not song from your lips, but your beautiful, ceaseless screams.”

  Selana turned away, disgusted.

  “Now it is your turn, Mara. Scout ahead, be diligent, and protect the life of the boy you love.” The Nameless placed her hands on Talis’ shoulders. “Find those devices and spirits, or he will die. It is your responsibility to not only scout but to clear the way for my arrival. Do not fail and do not return until this is done.”

  Mara knew better than to argue with the woman, though she also knew that what she was being asked to do was impossible, especially without Talis and the Surineda Map. “You have my solemn promise that I will do what you ask with the means and cunning I possess.”

  It was the only way. She snuck over to Talis and touched both Charna and him, willing the daggers to render them invisible. Talis and Charna entered the shadowy world, surprised, but soon he gave her a warm smile.

  “Sneak! Thief!” cursed the Nameless and she swung around as if trying to discover where Talis had gone.

  “And with my cunning and power I do what I must. But still, I will keep my promise,” Mara said. “Never threaten Talis again, and if you do, then I will find a way to destroy that body you possess. If you ever act against me or my friends, I pray to the Goddess Nestria that your soul will forever be bound to these daggers I hold.”

  The Starwalker sanctuary shook with a violent swinging and rolling that caused Talis and Mara and the others to fall to the ground, gasping in fear. Caisa’s eyes went wild as she stared up at the sky. Some dark plague rolled across the sun, sinking them into darkness. The Starwalkers screamed, shaking out of their hypnosis, crying to their god, begging for him to stop.

  “Yavreel is nothing next to the power of the goddess of the sky,” Mara said, staring at the black portal. “You crave darkness and darkness you’ll have. I’ll do as I promised and return when it’s safe. But don’t forget my word
s, for they’re no idle threat.”

  With that, Mara gripped Talis’ hand and smiled, feeling terrible and wonderful at the same time. Together they approached the portal, Charna joining them alongside, and they watched the electrified currents washing across its surface. Another step and she felt the surge of dark power flood through her, causing her daggers to raise an emerald shield around them. Another step and it seemed her senses were compressed to the smallest, most powerful point imaginable, until there was nothing.

  The next moment, she opened her eyes and almost screamed.

  15. The Temple of Yavreel

  In the dim room flooded with soft, gray light, there were alien horrors floating in the mist. They moved slowly and restlessly over the black marble floor, ghoulish eyes hungry, searching. The beings Talis witnessed were not of human origin. Even malevolent spirits weren’t as awful as the things he was tracking. They were indescribable terrors. His mind had trouble understanding what he was seeing.

  As the ghostly gray things turned and traveled the temple, silently stalking about, his mind formed different entities at different angles. At times, one looked like a grotesque figure with the head of a monstrous, oily fish and the wet, blubbery body of a poxy, pus-oozing old man. But the thing was sexless. Its vaporous eyes leered and its slovenly mouth drooled ceaselessly.

  Talis caught sight of Mara covering her mouth, eyes disbelieving and horrified as she shrank back. More of them were there, churning and rolling, gliding past each other. Some looked like figures covered in rotting flesh. Others were alien creatures with insect-like eyes and fangs protruding from their mandibles. Some had claws while others had fins, but they were all, together, the most hideous things Talis had ever seen.

  Charna came alongside Talis, letting out a low, throaty growl of warning.

  Beyond the beings stood towering columns of black marble barely visible beyond the gray mist. The ceiling was also made of black marble, though, for some reason, faint, blurry starlight twinkled above, providing a hint of some faraway sky. Or perhaps it was a magical illusion.

  “Are those the spirits?” Mara whispered, so softly Talis could barely hear. It was as if she was afraid of being discovered by the gigantic monstrosities.

  Talis pointed at his open mouth, also worried whether he could be heard by those things.

  She nodded and held her daggers. “It’s ok to talk, at least I hope it is.”

  “This place… we can’t possibly make it safe for Caisa’s arrival. There are hundreds of them. If the priests are expecting the Nameless to come as a prisoner, then they’ve placed the spirits here to warn them of her arrival. There’s nothing we can do.”

  “Don’t give up so easily. We have to do something, no matter what. Whatever we do, the priests of Yavreel mustn’t know a thing.” Mara bent down and studied the seamless black floor. “Use the Surineda Map. There has to be a way past the spirits and out of the temple.”

  “I’m not sure if it’s a good idea.”

  “Just do it, otherwise we’re blind.” Her eyes were fixed, determined. “And what do you think the singer meant by devices?”

  “Some kind of advanced machinery, like what the Starwalkers possess on their sanctuaries.”

  “Do you think it will it work? Will magic prove useful against the machines?”

  “I’m doubtful.” Talis withdrew the map case and paused, feeling hesitant about using it here. He glanced at the weird spirits floating around, sniffing and searching the temple like bloodhounds. Although they had used the map successfully while invisible on the sanctuary, he questioned the daggers’ ability to keep them hidden.

  “What’s wrong?” Mara seemed to catch his hesitation and lifted her dagger. “It will shield us from them, don’t worry.”

  Talis looked back at the sparking portal. He realized that when it came to life, it woke the spirits as well. They were anticipating the singer’s arrival. Wouldn’t the spirits have told the priests that the portal had been activated?

  “I don’t think we have much time,” he said. “When the portal came alive… I think the priests were told.”

  “Then be quick about it. Look at your map and find a way to get past the spirits and whatever traps they’ve set.”

  Under the rising golden light, Talis studied the Surineda Map, commanding it to reveal the dangers and to find a way of safety. But to his surprise, the area surrounding the portal was covered ghostly green objects and red, angry boxes. The map seemed confused, for a moment. It zoomed in close to where they were, searching the area around them, but it found no answer to his request.

  “It’s completely covered, either in a series of traps or with spirits.” He sighed, frustrated at the situation. He glanced at the weird things, and with a cold chill of alarm, realized they were tensing up, as if alerted of some presence.

  “They can tell we’re here, or they sensed the map. I knew it, I felt it would happen.” Talis glanced back at the portal. “Maybe we should leave? Who knows how powerful those things are. We’ve done everything we could.”

  “Maybe not everything.” Mara looked up at the dim starlight and Talis followed her gaze. Was it a fabrication of the temple, or were those really stars? When he stared at the hazy lights spread across the ceiling, he had the feeling like they were dying stars, old stars exhaling their last breaths. It was a sad and lonely feeling.

  “You’re thinking of going up there?”

  “Don’t you think it’s odd that in a temple devoted to the god of darkness there are stars? I thought all sunlight was supposed to be banished from this planet.”

  “If it were true, it would be a very cold place, right?” Talis said, looking around. “But it’s neither hot nor cold here.”

  “This place gets stranger and stranger by the minute. Look.” Mara pointed at the ceiling where the stars were moving, realigning to form several geometric shapes.

  “I don’t like it,” Talis said, and crouched. “I think we should leave now. We have to go back.”

  “No, let’s wait a moment. Something’s happening. See! The ceiling is coming down.” And it was. The geometric shapes were opening blocks in the ceiling that were pushing down, unfolding, moving left and right, and opening up as more blocks came out.

  “It’s forming a stairway. And those aren’t stars. The ceiling is some kind of a machine.” Talis felt prickles of fear striking along his back. “We have to go. Now, Mara, before it’s too late.”

  She stared at the machine, mesmerized. Talis grabbed her shoulder and tugged her back, but she shook off his hand and kept staring as the last block touched the marble floor not twenty feet in front of them.

  “We’ve got to go!” He glanced back at the portal and felt his heart sink to his knees. Where there had once been a churning magical portal was now a smooth, obsidian stone, the inverse of the white one on the Starwalker sanctuary.

  The portal had closed.

  “Look,” Mara said, her voice soft and shaken.

  Charna hissed, the hackles rising along the back of her neck.

  Talis turned back, catching sight of what Mara and Charna had spotted. Dark, electric figures floated down through the ceiling in a kind of weird procession, their black robes fluttering behind as they hopped, descending down the blocks one at a time. There were ten of them in all, hooded figures with glowing silver eyes that searched around as they turned.

  A shiver raced down Talis’ spine as the ten fanned out and encircled the stone. But, thankfully, it seemed like they hadn’t pierced through the veil of invisibility. He caught a glimpse of their faces and had to suppress a scream. They were hideous, alien faces, with translucent silver skin stretched across some kind of cartilage appearing underneath the skin. The worst part of it was they had only tiny slots for mouths. The silver eyes were wild and roving, restless and weird. They possessed the cunning likeness of a snake combined with the alien indifference of a crow.

  There was no life in this place. He felt certain they were going to di
e. The aliens were filled with determined malice, and there was nothing else for Talis to do but simply stand there and watch.

  “They can’t see us,” Mara said.

  Though Talis felt frozen in fear, he opened his mouth and managed a strangled whisper. “But they know someone arrived. See? They’re looking around.”

  Who has intruded on the sanctitude of the Temple of Yavreel? said a priest standing at the head of the stone.

  Talis was stunned to discover the words were spoken inside his mind, since no sound disturbed the quietude of the temple. He glanced at Mara and noticed the look of surprise on her face. She had heard it as well.

  The creature’s gelatinous neck swiveled back and forth, its sticky eyes searching for uninvited guests.

  I can feel you are close. Though how you remain hidden from my magic is a strange and curious thing. There is nothing, no remnant of a spell lingering in the air, but the power is there, nonetheless. And I can feel you have heard my words in your mind.

  Ah, there are two of you. And a third… strange, this one. It is different than the two.

  You should know we welcome all visitors. That is, if you bring silver. You will be allowed entrance into the temple and pass freely into the Origin World. All seekers and travelers are allowed sanctuary here. We judge none and harbor no enmity against those that bring no enmity against us. Do you come with silver and hold peaceful intentions?

  Was it a trap? If they responded, would it help the priests locate them? But Talis had to trust the power of Mara’s daggers to protect and keep them concealed. Perhaps if he merely allowed them to hear his voice they could remain safe. He decided to take a gamble, knowing they had few other choices.

  “I’m going to talk to them,” Talis whispered. “Can you tell the daggers to allow my voice to be heard?”

  “What? Why would you do that? Maybe we can leave the temple and find another way out of here.”

  “Please, just trust me. I think we’ll be ok. If we don’t learn something about the priests of Yavreel, I believe we’ll have an impossible time surviving on this world. They told us they will grant us sanctuary. Here, though, in the temple, and only if we ask it. I have a feeling there will be little safety outside unless we request sanctuary.”