“Trust providence. Maybe the gods are leading Mara to something or someone who can help us. We can’t give up. We need to keep trying and find her. It’s the only way.”
Off in the distance, a little off to where they had been heading, Talis heard a strange voice speaking. The voice was low and strangled, like an aged man, but it also had a weird edge to it that caused the hackles to rise on the back of Talis’ neck.
“This is very disturbing,” said the voice. “How is it you came to find us here?”
Another voice, shrill and mad. “Strange, indeed.”
The first voice, deep and rumbling. “A mortal, blundering her way down into the catacombs? Speak up, child. Not that I mind the company after being locked up here with this madman.”
“Who are you calling a madman? Speak for yourself.” The shrill voice hissed.
Mara responded, soft and dreamy, “I have been sent to find you. We need your help.”
“And who is this we you are referring to?” The shrill voice again. “I only see a young thing before me, a girl, but a fierce one at that. With wicked daggers imbued with a strange power. A dying wish stored within, an old magic, and a curse. The girl is afflicted. Yes, indeed, she is. And this affliction will bring her demise. Perhaps you should deal with her, Crar. You are intimately aware of all manner of afflictions as your mind and body are rife with them.”
Talis followed the voices. He could sense Charna at his side. As he glanced down, he caught sight of her glowing eyes. They were stronger now, illuminating the area around them. It was as if her power was growing stronger because of their proximity to the voices.
“Nothing as serious as a terminal case of clinical insanity, Jorem,” the deep voice said. “Besides, my afflictions have led me to wisdom and a clarity of soul. Ah, now I understand. Someone has been following the girl. Are these perhaps your friends? Who is out there lurking? And what is this I smell? Some kind of a strange cat?”
Bright green eyes pierced the darkness where the voices came from. They approached slowly, bobbing in the dark. Old eyes, sad eyes, moving in the dark. Chains rattled and clinked.
The eyes stopped and stared at Charna.
25. The Catacombs
Mara roused from her slumber and glanced around in confusion and fear. Darkness surrounded her.
Where was she? A fog and a heaviness of mind dulled her senses. She remembered something about leaving Talis in anger. She was determined to do something he didn’t want her to do. But she had to do it for some reason, though the reason had slipped her mind.
Wait, now it was coming back. It was the daggers. The daggers had compelled her to go down and find… find what? What was it she was supposed it find?
No, it was who she was supposed to find.
She spotted the golden glow of eyes moving up ahead.
Someone or something cleared its throat. The voice came from behind. She spun, facing the threat. There was also the sound of heavy footsteps and the rattling of chains. Fear overwhelmed her, crippling her will. Was she having a nightmare? It seemed like the stuff of bad dreams. And it smelled worse than that. Something awful, like a festering corpse rotting in the sun. She fought the urge to run screaming into the darkness and away from everything.
"The girl has roused from her fever dream." An eerie shrill voice came from the direction of the footsteps. Chains again rattled and clinked, closer now. "She is petrified with fear."
How was she visible? Or was she? In her mad rush down to the catacombs, had the daggers caused her to gain visibility? Then it meant that Talis and Nikulo were visible as well. Where were they? She fought the urge to call out to them.
"As she should be. You're the most hideous creature in all the known worlds. One look at you and she's bound to go insane," said another voice, lower in tone and greased with dark humor. "It’s been many years since anyone dared to venture here in the catacombs. I wonder what foolishness possessed her?"
"The daggers, Crar. She holds cursed daggers. The taint has overtaken her mind and compelled her to us. You can see this clearly, no? Or have the diseases infecting your body also spread to your eyes?"
Mara wondered if the two men had gone insane down here because of their long imprisonment. And who were they? She found some comfort in the fact they were apparently chained up and unable to reach her.
"I can see clearly, enough, old friend. But still I wonder why? What desperation drove the girl to act in such a careless way? Even though you've done countless idiotic things in your life, I doubt even you would ever come down here. Not without being forced." Crar gave a nasty cough and spat out phlegm. "There must be something amiss up in the city, Jorem. I feel that providence has brought the girl to us. Is it not true?”
"Not only the girl. There are also two boys and a strange cat. A creature with power from the gods, enough to pierce the absolute darkness. But not enough to remove your stench. You smell like the rotten carcasses of a million dead wardabeasts."
Talis was here? She looked back to the golden eyes. Was that Charna?
Crar's laugh was terse and artificial. "It’s a shame we are chained. I relish the thought of one day cooking your tongue and feeding it to you. The vision to me is like sweet nectar to a hummingbird. The moment, pure bliss."
"Have you forgotten I have no need for food, you old fool? I feed off the idiotic ramblings of your violent and perverse mind. You would call the sane mad and the mad sane. So says your many deviant afflictions." Jorem gave a derisive snort. "More than a few minutes with you is long enough for anyone with a normal mind. My torture is being locked up here with you, and unable to escape your mindless drivel."
"Who are you?" Mara said, her fear broken by the desire to shut these two up.
"Ah, the little sparrow speaks. And what a lovely voice she has. Are you feeling temporarily better, my poor afflicted child? Keep away from Crar, or you might find your afflictions spreading.”
"Don't listen to him, my dear. It is perfectly clear that you are a lovely child. If it were not for those daggers that you hold in your hands, you would roam the worlds all your short days without a care or worry in your sweet mind."
"Do us all a favor and use your daggers to put the madman out of his misery. He's lived for far too long." Again, the deep voiced Crar.
"You still haven't answered my question." Mara turned and stared in the direction of the voices. "Who are you?"
Chains rattled again.
"Come closer my dear, so you can see us." The shrill voice sent a chill of alarm down Mara's spine.
"Don't move," shouted Talis. She could hear him shuffling toward her. "Don't take another step closer to them. Please."
Soon he was by her side. She felt for his hands. Despite the heat, she realized she was cold with fright. His warm arms wrapped around her.
"I thought you were gone," he whispered. "Why did you leave like that?"
"A tender reunion." Crar gave a fake sniffle, his voice seeped in mock sorrow. "Is this young love? A tragedy worthy of the greatest poets, I'm sure. Tragedy describes the entire pathetic life of Jorem, a book whose pages would be filled with blithering nonsense. Learn well from these two, old friend, and see what love is all about."
"I don't know what happened," whispered Mara back. "But the gods must have intended for us to find these two madmen. Why, I have no idea."
"Yes, the gods have indeed sent you to find us. Find us and free us." Crar spoke this time, his voice sonorous and thoughtful. "Some have called our powers godlike. And I suppose we are gods, in our way. Still powerful enough to lure this little sparrow down here, eh, Jorem?"
"Not too shabby for an old, ugly, diseased fool." Jorem sniffed. "Why don't you come closer, children? We won't bite, you know. We only want to help you. You came down here seeking help, did you not? How can we give it, if you don't come to us?”
The last thing Mara wanted to do was to take another step in their direction. But she was curious to see what they looked like. And they had com
e all the way here, presumably for a reason. Though Talis was resistant, she pulled him along until a green glow was visible up ahead. Eyes staring at them through the darkness.
"That's better, my little songbird.” Chains rattled and popped, like they were extended as far as they could go.
That's when Mara noticed it. Her heart pounded at the realization.
There were only one pair of eyes.
26. The Old Master
Talis held Mara back, keeping her away from what he thought was a safe distance from the strange thing chained up in the dark. He had begun to suspect that the two mad prisoners were actually one truly insane prisoner, as only one pair of eyes revealed themselves.
The chains rattled again, and from the sound and the eyes moving left and right, the creature was bound by chains on both sides, unable to move much more than a perhaps a foot. For the eyes did not roam much in the dark, and instead were confined to one area, only able to twist around in frustration.
"Now tell us, little sparrow, how can we be of assistance?" Crar spoke again, an eager edge rising in his voice. "Certainly the need must have been great for you to venture all the way here. Tell us, what do you need?"
In his mind Talis debated whether to tell them the truth or not. The twisted knot in the pit of his stomach told him to run far away from this place.
Finally, feeling some comfort in the fact the creature was chained, he decided to speak.
"We want to return to our home. To a world far from here."
"Ah, so the truth unfolds. The little sparrow is caught. She's flown far from her nest and has been captured in a trap. And now you've come here begging for help from Master Crar?"
"And don't forget Master Jorem," said the shrill, weird voice.
"But there’s only one of you," said Mara. "I only see one pair of eyes."
"No!" hissed Jorem, and the chains rattled so loudly Talis thought they might break. "There are two of us here. It is my curse to be confined for an eternity with this diseased maniac."
"It is an easy mistake to make… by humans," said Crar, his voice unperturbed by Jorem's outburst. "You see two eyes in the dark and think we are of one body. But there are indeed many creatures in the many worlds with only one eye, or perhaps many eyes, or no eyes at all."
"But you move as one," Mara said, her voice protesting.
"Yes, you've noticed that. How very observant of you." Crar cleared his voice and continued. "Then there are creatures with two minds and two separate selves. As such, that does not describe our punishment. Come closer, and I will show you what they've done to Master Crar and Master Jorem. The two arch-enemies of the old empire."
But they were already so close they could smell the stench surrounding the foul creature. They could see the hatred and bloodlust in its sickly green eyes.
Another small step closer and Talis thought he could perceive the grotesque outline of its hulking frame. Charna strode closer than he, seemingly unafraid. She hissed and gave a low, menacing growl at the thing. The golden light in her eyes grew to a blazing strength, a vast power like the sun. It broke through the dark stain in the air and illuminated the thing in front of them.
The creature was stretched out by four chains shackled to its ankles and wrists. It was humanoid, in a sense, though its massive bulk was unlike anything Talis had ever seen. It was forced to hunch over at half its height by the chains. The thing wore a tattered pair of pants that looked ready to fall off.
The hairless skin possessed an awful shade of green and was indeed afflicted with numerous large boils which oozed disgusting, yellow pus. There were many lesions and rashes covering its body, the kind that looked infected and itchy. In fact the creature was wracked by many tremors and seizures. The chains rattled as the hands and feet seemed to want to scratch the source of the skin's many irritations. The mouth and face moved wildly, and the head twisted down in an attempt to bite or scratch a nasty rash on the shoulder.
"You see our suffering, little songbird,” said the shrill-voiced Jorem. The face was maniacal and desperate, eyes shifting around wildly. "If you could only itch this for us. Just a little scratch to relieve our torture."
"This will never be enough, you fool." Crar's deep voice came from the same mouth. And the face transformed in an instant to the expression of the other personality. The change was frightening and drove Talis to a strange state of mind by simply watching them. "We beg of you to release us from these shackles. Anything, ask anything of us and we will grant it. You can see what a terrible situation we have been placed in. Only freedom will bring us any lasting reprieve."
"We beg of you to have pity on us." The face changed to Jorem's wild and pathetic face. "We were tricked… tricked into our confinement. You must believe that we will never do any harm to you if you free us."
"If you aid us," said Crar in a calm, sober voice. The creature gulped as if trying to swallow its excitement. "We will shower you with the greatest blessings. Anything your heart desires. Only say the word and we shall open a portal and allow you to return to your world. Only, we do require the runes that will allow us to find your world. Do you know them?”
Talis sighed. "We know the runes to our world, but it is too far. We came here through the temple portal.”
“But we can help! If you know the runes. No world is too far for the power we possess. How is it that you came here?”
“We were forced by an entity who calls herself the Goddess Caisa, but she is also called the Nameless—”
"The Nameless?" Crar looked puzzled as he glanced off as if trying to remember.
"Yes, she was imprisoned in a cell of darkness. A place situated between two worlds."
The creature's face shifted between Jorem's wild, enraged face and back to Crar's sober, but now alert and concerned face.
"This is the worst possible news. After ten thousand years she returns? The old witch is here on the Origin World? How is it she escaped from her imprisonment?"
"None of that matters, Crar," said Jorem. "She is here and there is certainly fighting up on the surface. Undoubtedly the rulers of this world are weak now and will be overcome."
"No, that's not the case," said Nikulo. "The priests of Yavreel were winning against the Nameless. They killed many of her elder sorcerers. If it weren't for Rikar, helping the Nameless, they wouldn't now be winning."
"Winning? The Nameless is winning? How?" said Jorem.
"Because of the Naemarians. They are helping our friend Rikar. They've possessed him. And he’s formed of Starwalker blood and bone. An abomination created by the Nameless."
The creature gave a concerned sigh. "This is indeed difficult and complicated news. An unfortunate combination of physical and mental strength with Naemarian insight and knowledge. Has their plague spread through the city?"
"Spreading now," said Mara, looking ashamed.
"You had a part in this?" said Crar.
"They promised us they would help. We had no other options at the time," Talis said.
"Well, it is what it is." The creature stood up erect and looked determined. "Still, we agree to help you."
"Why should we release you?" Mara said, her voice skeptical.
"Quite simple. We were part of the group of old masters who imprisoned the Nameless. Only we know how to deal with her."
"But you are now imprisoned yourselves. Why? Besides, how do we not know you haven't truly gone insane? You seem to have gone down the path leading to madness. I see one body but hear two quite disturbed voices," Talis said.
"Ah, that was part of our imprisonment," said the shrill-voiced Jorem. "They extracted both our souls from our old bodies and infused us in this hideous, wretched, diseased creature. What a horrible torment. Please, will you end the torment and break our shackles? The daggers can do that!"
Crar took over, calming the creature's face. "Stop it, you fool. Can't you see you’re frightening the poor children?" He exhaled a long time as if trying to center himself. "Master Jorem is not inac
curate in his statement, though. When the revolution came against the old masters, we were tricked and imprisoned. The other masters of the old empire were killed and their souls consumed by what we called the Hunger. It was a disease that afflicted the blind. It was the only way to completely destroy them, body and soul.
"We were more fortunate. For some reason we were viewed favorably to the revolutionaries: the priests of Yavreel. They craved for the church of Yavreel to completely rule the Origin World. They cast their horrible spells, killing our bodies and seizing our souls, and finally placed us in this cursed creature. The priests have kept us here, to be tortured for all eternity.
“From time to time the priests come down here seeking knowledge. We have obliged them in exchange for healing salves that temporarily ease our afflictions. This has gone on for a thousand years."
"Dreadful," Mara exclaimed, and covered her face, eyes horrified.
"Indeed it is dreadful, sweet sparrow.” The creature looked at her, sadness overwhelming its expression. "Now you see why we beg for our freedom and a release from these endless torments. We vow to Yavreel and to all the old gods that we shall not harm you. We vow that we will aid you in your struggle for freedom, and will help you return to your home. This we swear together as one."
The creature's voice had alternated between Crar and Jorem. Talis found himself believing their vow to be true. He glanced and Mara and saw conviction in her eyes. She took a step closer to them, her daggers outstretched.
"Before we release you," Talis said. "We should discuss the question of strategy. How we approach the battle being waged in the streets."
"We will deal with them," said Crar, his cocky voice failing to inspire confidence in Talis.
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