by Tom Mohan
“Put out the lantern,” Kyle said.
“No. We might need it again. What if we can’t get it lit?” The thought of being in the dark with whatever was screaming sent her into a near panic.
“Okay, put it down and leave it here, then. If there is someone up there, we don’t want to announce our arrival.”
Sara nodded and set the lantern on the ground. She took a few paces toward the light, and then glanced back at the lantern. Already it seemed such a tiny beacon in the darkness.
She motioned for Kyle to keep near her and crept forward. The light emanated from a good-sized cavern. She pressed herself against the cold wall, keeping as much to the shadows as possible. The light exuded an eerie quality that suffused everything it touched. Sara’s eyes scanned the open space, but aside from the strange light, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. The walls were rough and rose higher than the light reached. The tips of stalactites protruded from the hidden ceiling of the cavern. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Kyle pointing. She followed the direction of his finger and saw two objects on the far wall, about twenty feet above the floor.
“What are those?”
“I think they’re cocoons of some kind,” Kyle said. “But it’s the size that worries me. They’re awfully big.”
Sara started to say something, and then stopped. They were big. As a matter of fact, they were…”People-sized! Kyle, they’re almost the same size as you and me. You don’t think? Dana and Ryan!” Sara started to dash out into the cavern, but Kyle grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her back into the tunnel.
“Hold up, Sara,” he hissed. “We don’t know what they are, and if they are people, we really don’t want to run into whatever did that. We need to think this through and not go jumping into who knows what.”
A sound in the tunnel behind them reminded Sara that they were not alone. Something was moving in the narrow passage and, from the sound of it, getting closer. A stench like rotting meat preceded it, causing both young warriors to gag and move out of the confines of the tunnel and into the cavern. As they stumbled across the rocky floor, the strange light began to throb, as though aware of the intruders. Sara gazed at the pulsing ceiling while Kyle spun around, wary of attack from any direction. He had every right to be fearful, Sara thought, as the smell of death grew stronger. She grabbed Kyle’s sleeve and pulled him farther from the mouth of the opening.
“Any idea what’s going on?” Sara asked.
“Not a clue. Did you really think I would?”
Sara shrugged. “A girl can hope. How did it get behind us?”
“Who knows, but I don’t get the feeling it’s friendly.”
A shriek from behind them startled both teens. Fur-clad warriors swarmed into the cavern from another tunnel. To call these things human would have been a terrible misstatement. Sara could tell at a glance that they were being attacked by the Horde of the evil god, El-Shaddai. The creatures were about her height, though more muscular, with massive teeth and claws and bodies covered in coarse brown fur. Swallowing her panic, she let out a yell of her own and muttered the prayer of battle to Ash-Shaytan. Incredible power flooded her body, a sudden surge unlike anything she had ever experienced. For a moment her vision faded, and the memory of her mother’s death filled her mind. The power that now flowed through her was like what she had felt in the vision of her parents’ murders.
Almost without thought, she pulled out her short sword and spun it before her. Beside her, she sensed Kyle do the same. She met the first attacker head-on and nearly took its head from its shoulders. The power that surged through her cut clean through the wicked blade before slicing with equal ease through her attacker’s throat. She’d never killed a living being before, but the dread she felt of these monsters left her with no remorse. It’s them or us. Beside her, Kyle fought with the same determination. Sara deflected two more attackers, wounding one and killing the other outright. A quick glance at the opening of the tunnel showed her they were still coming, however, they’d slowed their attack and become more wary of the soldiers of Ash-Shaytan.
Sara knew from her training that El-Shaddai did not love his followers as did Ash-Shaytan. He relied on sheer numbers in battle. With a limitless pool of vermin to draft into his army, he had no qualms about how many died in his service.
The Horde encircled the two young warriors. Kyle placed his back against Sara’s. For the first time since he’d surprised her in the library, she was glad he stood at her side. In the practice arena, no four others could beat Sara and Kyle together. But they were facing a whole lot more than four right now. The Horde advanced, and Sara surrendered her mind to the power she had been given—the power of Ash-Shaytan. Her body moved fluidly, requiring little effort of her own. She noticed her heavy yet steady breathing and the light film of perspiration that beaded her skin, but these were mild distractions as her sword cut through the enemy. She felt Kyle pull away a few steps but sensed that he still covered her back. She took advantage of the increased space to spin more aggressively into the attacking Horde.
“Sara! Look out!”
Kyle’s warning broke her concentration. She turned just in time to see him jump in front of something. For a moment his body blocked her view, and then he stepped aside just enough for her to see a nightmare slithering from the tunnel they had come from. How it could have ever fit inside that tunnel she could not fathom. It’s bulk filled the opening and carried with it the horrible stench that had followed them. It looked like a giant worm, mottled and covered in a slime-like substance that she imagined was the rot of its own flesh. The thing radiated a dark dread that seeped into her consciousness.
Something from a discussion with Master Casius came back to her. She had been reading a book on the dark god’s magic and came across something called a “Death Ritual.” To perform the ritual, enemies of El-Shaddai were sacrificed and their souls were harnessed and infused into one of the Horde. They were reputed to carry with them the smell of the death from which they had been created. Sara had asked Master Casius how such a thing was possible, why Ash-Shaytan would allow something so horrible to happen. The old master had shaken his head, a sad look on his face.
“They had rejected Ash-Shaytan. He had no love for them.”
His words had seemed harsh to her at the time. After all, Ash-Shaytan loved all of his people, did he not?
“Sara, it has me!”
At first Kyle’s words made no sense. The beast was twenty paces away. Then she saw the thin strand of webbing coming from its face and wrapping around Kyle’s arm. She watched as his sword fell from his hand and bounced off the stone floor. Lashing out with her own blade, she sliced through the web and freed her friend. Kyle’s arm fell limp at his side.
“Kyle, are you all right? What’s wrong?”
“My arm’s numb, like it’s not even there.” Kyle’s face strained for a moment. “I can’t use it at all.” He grabbed his sword in his other hand as the Horde, which had backed off at the arrival of the monster, began to advance on them once again. Sara struck out at the nearest, severing its arm. She spun, whirling her blade until it was almost invisible, clearing a space around her and Kyle to give them room to fight. Another demon tried to slip in on her left and she turned to face it, knowing that was Kyle’s weak side. A sharp pain burst in her right leg. Glancing down, she saw a silver strand of webbing wrapped around her thigh. Almost at once, the pain faded and her leg numbed. She slashed down with her sword, releasing herself from the beast, but the web continued its deadening effect.
Sara caught motion from the corner of her eye and managed to deflect a blow from the demon that had distracted her. Her right leg hung lifeless now and dragged behind her, pulling her off-balance. She deflected another blow, but something hit her on the side of the head. As she stumbled on her one good leg, years of training kept her from going down. She fought to straighten her body, but pain sliced through her as another web wrapped around her chest, pinning her arms to h
er sides. She screamed in frustration and fear as the numbing effects of the web spread through her arms and torso. In mere seconds, she could feel almost nothing of her body. Her leg could no longer support her, and she crashed to the floor. She struggled to see where Kyle was, but the feet of the vast Horde all around her filled her vision. One of them grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to a sitting position. She glanced up just in time to see a stout club descending toward her. Following an explosion of light, she saw nothing at all.
The throbbing pain in her head drew Sara toward consciousness. She wanted nothing more than to push it away and sink back into sleep, but it refused to be ignored. A groan escaped her dry lips as she tried to sit up. The pounding in her head increased its tempo, and she thought she might be sick. Bad idea, she thought as she lay back.
“You all right, Sara?”
The voice brought her back from the edge of darkness. She forced her eyes open and scanned the dim room for its source.
“We’re locked up in a cell.”
Kyle? His name brought back the memory of the cavern and the demon Horde.
She fought down nausea and sat up on a narrow cot. Stone walls surrounded them, broken only by a heavy wooden door in the center of the wall across from her.
“Don’t bother with the door. I’ve already tried it.” Kyle sat on the floor to her right with his back against the wall and knees pulled up against his chest. A large purple bruise shone on his forehead. She reached up and touched the tender spot on her own head. A matching pair, she thought.
“Any idea how long we’ve been here?” she asked.
Kyle shook his head. “I woke up about twenty minutes ago, but I have no idea how long we were out. Long enough for whatever was on that webbing to wear off.”
Sara stretched out her leg and realized the numbing effect had indeed worn off. She stood up and stretched, working the kinks from her sore muscles before moving to the door and studying it. Their side of the door was smooth, with no handle or window—no way at all of opening it from inside.
She returned to the cot and sank down on it. “So, we don’t know where we are, why we’re here, or even what’s going on. We don’t know any more than when we started.” She wanted to lash out at something, but the small cell offered no target that would not do her more damage than she did it.
“What happened to you in there?” Kyle asked. He remained on the floor, pressed against the wall.
“What do you mean?”
“When we were fighting the Horde. You’ve never fought like that before. No one’s ever fought like that before.”
“I…” Sara paused, not sure what to say.
“Your sword was glowing. What you did in there wasn’t natural.”
“I’m not sure. When I witnessed my parents’ deaths, something happened. Some kind of power jumped from my mom to me. I thought it was just part of the vision, but now?” She shrugged. “I felt so strong, invincible. Like nothing could stop me.” She looked around their cell. “Guess I was wrong.”
“We never had a chance. Their numbers were too great.”
“We still don’t know what’s going on,” she said again, changing the subject.
“Well, we do know a little more,” Kyle said. “We know the Horde has invaded the Keep and are no doubt responsible for the attack on Master Casius and the death of Sam.”
“Poor Sam. I can’t believe he’s dead,” Sara said. “Wait a minute. Sam! I’d almost forgotten.”
“Almost forgotten what?”
“The scroll. The one you took from his hand. Do you still have it?”
Kyle reached into his jacket and pulled out the small scroll. He peered at it, as though uncertain what to do with it. “It might not mean anything.”
Sara shrugged. “It might, though.” She reached out for it, and, after a slight pause, he handed it to her. As she had noted earlier, it was small—only about six inches wide. It appeared ancient and had been sealed with wax, which she found curious. Had it never been opened? Or had it been read and sealed again? The seal looked old, and the ornate markings embedded in it were unfamiliar. She broke the seal and unrolled the scroll until she could see the opening words. She scanned the ancient text, recognizing the archaic form of speech but still finding it difficult to understand.
“What’s it say?” Kyle asked.
Sara read a couple more lines before answering. “I think it’s about the first war with the Horde of El-Shaddai.” She looked up. “That was almost 1,600 years ago.”
Kyle nodded. “So say the histories. Keep reading.”
“It says the leaders of the Horde were the Sons of El-Shaddai.” She looked up at Kyle again. “I’ve never heard of any Sons of El-Shaddai, have you?”
He shook his head. “No, that’s a new one to me. Maybe it means priests or some sort of religious leader.”
“That makes sense. El-Shaddai’s priests would have the egos to call themselves sons of god. Another reason to hate them.”
Kyle smirked. “What, you needed another one? The fact that the followers of El-Shaddai have spent the better part of the last two millennia trying to subjugate mankind wasn’t enough?”
Sara heard anger rising in the young man’s voice and went back to reading the scroll. She didn’t like what the dark religion had done to the world any better than he did, but storming over it right now would do little to get them out of their mess. “Listen to this, ‘We managed to evade the demon Horde and survive in the mountains. Threescore of us struggled to live off the rugged land, but live we did. We created our own community so isolated from the outside world that the minions of the dark god remained unaware of our existence. Then one remarkable day, Eve appeared to us. To behold Eve was to behold a daughter of the gods.’” Sara paused. “Hmm…now we have a daughter of the gods to go with the sons. This is getting weirder and weirder.”
“Interesting, though. Keep reading.” Kyle shifted his position on the floor and leaned in closer.
“Okay, where was I? ‘Eve, however, did not take to the gods, nor did she believe they held sway over humankind. From Eve we discovered we were not the only community to survive the attack of the dark god. Eve had traveled the region, teaching the rudiments of what she called earth power. Some called Eve a witch, but none could doubt her power, nor her desire to rid the world of El-Shaddai and his followers.’”
“I wonder why we were never taught about this Eve?”
Sara shrugged. “It may just be some story. Besides, if she was using some power other than that given by Ash-Shaytan, she probably was a witch.”
“Oh, it’s true, all right. And a witch she was.” They both jumped to their feet at the voice.
“Who said that?” Kyle shouted. “Where are you?”
“Where I am,” said the scratchy, high-pitched voice, “is in the cell across from you. I’ve been listening to your talk and wondering just where you found that scroll you read from.”
Sara thought the man’s voice sounded familiar, but the thick door muffled it, making it difficult to identify. “My friend asked who you are. You didn’t answer him.”
The man’s cackle seemed to echo in their tiny cell. “You don’t know me? You should, Sara Burke. After all, I brought you to the Keep after your parents were called to duty.”
“Master Yarna?” Sara could hardly believe what she was hearing. “Master Yarna, is that you?”
“Of course it’s me, child. I wondered how long it would be until I was found. I must admit, though, your imprisonment gives me little confidence in being rescued.”
Again he cackled, sending a chill down Sara’s spine. He sounds half mad. “You disappeared over a year ago. Everyone said you were called to the front. You couldn’t have been here all along?”
“Here, there, everywhere,” the old master said in a sing-song voice. “Time and place have little meaning here, as you will learn—if you live that long. Now, about that scroll you read from, where did you come across it?”
; Sara glanced at Kyle, who shook his head. “Master Casius gave it to us,” she said.
“Casius gave it to you, did he? Oh, I doubt that, child. I doubt it very much.”
“Much has changed since you disappeared,” Kyle said.
“Changed, has it? Yes, I guess it has. And you must be young Kyle, eh? Tell me, have you won her heart yet?” Again the old master laughed.
Sara looked over at Kyle, whose face turned bright red. “What’s he talking about?”
“Nothing,” Kyle said. “Don’t listen to him. He’s gone crazy down here.”
“Crazy I am, but much I know,” Master Yarna said from beyond the door. “However you came by the scroll, young Sara, it does not surprise me that it is you to whom the knowledge came.”
“What do you mean by that?” Sara asked. “What does any of this have to do with me?”
“Read on, young Sara, read on. All that is in that scroll is true, if only you believe.”
Sara looked back at the scroll and began reading again. “For two years, Eve trained and comforted the ragged men and women of what she now referred to as the clans. Finally, the time came for us to leave our communities of refuge and rally under the banner of Eve. By this time she owned the heart of everyone in the clans, and we loved her like she was our Mother Savior. Eve led us into battle, but, while we held our own against the masses of the Horde, man is still no match for a god. In a blazing show of power, El-Shaddai annihilated three quarters of our forces in one burst of anger. While the rest of us shrank away in terror, only Eve stood her ground.
“We watched in awe as Mother Savior approached the mountain of the dark god. Though not much taller than a normal woman, that day Eve appeared as a goddess herself. Her radiance was like the sun, her power so fierce as to be felt for miles. Alas, for all her power, she was not a god. She knew she could not win. We watched in horror as the light of the Mother Savior faded, her power stilled. We wanted to run to her rescue when she was swarmed by the Horde masses, but we were weak. We watched as she was dragged away into the mountain. It is said that her torture went on for days. Thank the gods we did not know this at the time; we would not have been able to stand the guilt. We barely managed to keep from destroying ourselves when we heard. For a full week, the demon Horde celebrated the capture and death of the great Eve, even as her faithful followers mourned.
