“She’s a beauty, ain’t she?” a voice came from beside her. Chloe jumped, having been so fascinated by the creatures that she hadn’t even noticed the sherikan beside her.
Where Finley was overweight, this sherikan was incredibly skinny. Its ribs could be seen through its rubber-like skin, and its coloring was a lot darker than the ones she had seen on the upper levels.
“What is she?” Chloe asked, reaching out and stroking the creature’s feathers.
The sherikan gave a sudden series of snarls and snaps of teeth as if suddenly possessed by the spirit of some long-lost relative before the smile returned to its face. “Or at least, that’s what we call them. Fin, what’s the word for these guys in human?”
“Scoopers, I believe, Gilly,” Finley answered. “The finest specimens on this side of the desert.” It laughed, clapping a hand on Gilly’s back.
“The only specimens this side of the desert,” Gilly corrected, waving a finger in the air.
Chloe looked at the pair incredulously. “Seriously? Finley? Gilly? You’re just messing with me, right?”
“What?” Finley said.
Chloe’s mouth flapped open. “‘Fins?’ ‘Gills?’ Next you’re going to tell me your mother and father are named ‘Flipper’ and ‘Flow.’”
Finley waved a finger. “No, no. Flipper is Guppy’s mother. We don’t want to get those two confused.”
Gilly and Finley looked at each other, clearly sharing some kind of inside joke Chloe was oblivious to. Chloe shook her head in disbelief, turning her attention back to the animals. “They’re really cute.”
“Cute?” Finley considered that. “I suppose they are, in a certain way. They taste great with a side of cave mushrooms.”
“You eat these?” Chloe said, automatically stepping in front of the scoopers as if to protect them. “Poor creatures.”
“Only sometimes.” Gilly hopped over the fence and held out its hands to calm the scoopers who began to fidget nervously around it. It shushed with its lips, advancing slowly until its hand touched one of the scooper’s bodies. The bird lowered its head as if relaxing. “Sometimes we ride,” Gilly said, swinging a leg over and sitting on the scooper’s back.
The scooper responded favorably to its touch, arching its neck toward to ceiling and emitting a strange squawk that sounded metallic. Chloe gasped as an odd thing happened.
The feathers that covered the bird’s head and neck began to fan out, creating a shape not dissimilar to a large, wide drill. The beak formed the point, and the eyes sank into the body slightly.
Gilly grinned from the scooper’s back, watching Chloe’s face as she stared unblinkingly, unable to work out what she was seeing.
Gilly cupped a hand to be heard over the scooper’s squawks. “Built for moving through sand.” It pointed at the end of the bird’s wings which Chloe now saw ended in large, shovel-like hands with claws. “Scoopers can speed through the sand, shifting and creating tunnels almost as fast as we sherikans can.”
The bird began to settle, its feathers now smoothing back down.
“The feathers turn as hard as steel and the rider can tuck themselves behind its parasol, meaning it’s great to transport guests and adventurers.” He winked. The scooper bucked, but Gilly expertly managed to stay seated. “They take a bit of getting used to, but once you’ve got it, you own the desert.”
“Well, unless you get eaten by the sandworms,” Finley joked, causing Gilly to burst into laughter. It hopped down from the scooper, letting it return to its pecking of the sand beneath its wide feet, and rejoined them.
“You’ve got that right,” it said, wiping away a tear.
“Okay, can someone please tell me what the hell a sandworm is?” Chloe said, exasperated.
Finley continued laughing and placed a hand on her shoulder. Its skin was cold and rubbery, and gave her the shivers. It sniffed through its nose, filling in its lungs as another drop of saliva tried to sneak out of its mouth. He sucked it back in, glancing at Chloe.
“All in good time,” it said. “Come, there’s more to show you.”
The animal pens stretched an unimaginable distance below the sand. Chloe’s mind was blown by the strange creatures the sherikans had reared in their underground palace. There were all sorts of lizards, some as small as her little finger, others as large as a crocodile.
There were birds flying around in an aviary-like enclosure, screeching and tweeting as Finley, Gilly, and Chloe approached. A kind-looking sherikan blushed as Finley approached, making Chloe wonder what the story was there.
There were dog- and cat-like creatures, something akin to cows, a few species of larger birds that were similar to the scoopers but with fewer feathers, and impossibly…
“You have got to be kidding me!”
Finley smiled as it led Chloe down a set of steps into one of the largest caverns Chloe had ever seen. The smooth, carved walls around her melted into rough-hewn rock, with stalactites and stalagmites trying their best to reach each other from the floor and ceiling.
And there, in the center of it all, was an enormous underground lake. Its water was so clear that Chloe could see past all the schools of incredible-looking fish species straight to the bottom. Bridges and walkways had been constructed across the lake, and at various intersections, several sherikans had lines bobbing in the water, waiting for the fish to bite.
“This is all that now remains of the lakes that once existed in this area of Obsidian,” Finley said, walking Chloe around the water’s edge. “This lake used to stretch for miles and miles in all directions, but as the sands came and the sun dried up the surface water, small bodies of water were buried beneath it all.”
“This is amazing,” Chloe said, mouth hanging open as she looked down into the water and saw several species of rainbow-colored fish. “How did you manage to preserve it?”
Finley laughed, shaking its head. “Nature preserves itself, Chloe. We can do as much as we can to improve our quality of life, but sometimes things don’t need saving. Sometimes nature just finds a way. Time will eventually move all, but it is in these pockets of our existence that we must do nothing more than simply appreciate what it is that the world has given us at the time that we are here.”
“Huh.” Chloe chuckled. “You sound just like a friend of mine. You wouldn’t happen to know him, would you? About yay high, floats and bobs about as an orb of light? Fond of the hookah.”
“You’ll have to be more specific. I know many who are fond of the hookers.”
Chloe snorted. “That’s not exactly what I meant.” She looked around in wonder at the shark-like people, feet resting in the water as they waited patiently for their lines to bob. A little way away, a bulky sherikan with dark stripes reeled in his line, fighting something in the water. As his line breached the surface, Chloe saw a fish launch high into the air, landing with a splash back in the lake as it broke free of the line.
“Aw, nuts!”
Chloe couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “I don’t get it,” she said, unable to wipe the grin off her face as she shook her head. “Do you know how ridiculous it is to see sharks fishing? Shouldn’t you guys just be in the water, swimming your little butts off and hunting down there?”
Gilly and Finley recoiled in unison, horror clear on their faces.
“Gosh, no!” Gilly said, turning a few nearby heads.
Finley shuddered. “Don’t you know that it is against the sherikans’ nature to swim? We wouldn’t last five seconds in the water. We’re built to bull our way through sand. One stumble into the water and we’d sink like a stone.”
“Seriously?” Chloe couldn’t understand what she was hearing. “You... Can’t you... What if… Seriously?”
They both nodded.
“Well, I suppose we’d better get you two away from the water’s edge, then,” Chloe said, half-turning. As they moved to join her, she threw her hands in the air and yelled, “Watch out!”
Finley and Gilley cried out in
fear, clinging to each other as they backed away from the water.
Chloe burst into laughter, ignoring the annoyed snarls and grunts of the sherikans they passed on the way back.
Only once while returning to the dining area did Chloe and the others have to pause as another tremendous sound came from the other side of the palace walls.
Once again dust and debris drifted from the ceiling, the sherikans lying flat on the floor as the noise came and went.
Once again, Chloe felt that strange surge of power come over her, her bracers and greaves trembling as the noise subsided.
“What is…” Chloe started, then let it go, already recognizing she wasn’t going to get an answer from Finley as it trotted up the stairs ahead of her. Gilly had stayed back with the livestock, looking a little paler after her water prank.
When they passed through the doors to the dining area, the whole scene was different. For the first time in as long as she could remember, Chloe was starving. The smell of cooked meats and other foods made her drool. The hall was filled with hundreds of sherikans chattering noisily in their guttural, growling language.
There were dozens of rows of tables, and Chloe was surprised to see that not all the chattering creatures were sherikans. She spied a couple of creatures she presumed were dune-goblins, and was confused as to why they were sitting with the sherikans.
“Moles,” Finley explained. “They keep tabs on the roaming dune-goblins on the surface, letting us know their plans and ideas for finding us. In return we feed them, providing them with riches for their families.”
“I never knew goblins had families. Not the same way that we do, anyway,” Chloe said.
“All creatures are different. Just because one type of goblin acts one way, don’t expect all breeds of goblin to duplicate their actions. Remember that. It may serve you well, going forward.”
“You mean in the same way that you guys are sharks and don’t swim?”
“Seriously?” Finley asked. “What are sharks?”
Chloe patted its shoulder. “I’ll tell you later.”
“Good. I’ll hold you to that. Because we’re here.”
“Where?”
“Chloe!” Tag called through a mouthful of food. “There you are, you slippery serpent!” Great chunks of meat flew through the air and landed on the floor with every ‘s’ sound.
Gideon sat opposite Tag, with Ben and Jesepiah beside them. Ben was already talking to a female sherikan he happened to sit beside, while Jesepiah ate her food, unblinkingly in her admiration of Tag.
“What’s wrong with him?” Chloe asked, feeling concern wash over her. Gideon looked ill. He was frozen in his seat, his eyes glazed and unfocused.
“Still logged off, ain’t he?” Tag laughed.
Jesepiah joined him, her laughter reminding Chloe of schoolgirls swooning over their crush.
“Oh.” Chloe chuckled. “So why’s he here?”
“Shark-boys dragged us,” Tag said, stuffing more food than should be possible into his mouth. Chloe saw a small yellow feather on the side of his plate, and her hunger suddenly subsided. “Grabbed us while we were logged off. I logged back in just as we disappeared below the sand. Little I could do. Saw some massive monster thing before it all went dark. Next thing I knew?” He held out his bowl. “Voila!”
Several sherikans that were sitting with them joined in the conversation. Chloe recognized one of them as the sherikan that had nervously tried talking to her when they arrived at the palace.
“Made it easy for us,” a sherikan with a thick scar running from its upper lip to its eye growled, his words not as well defined as Finley’s but easier to understand than many of the others. “We lift your friends. They no resist. This was good.”
“Except her,” a sherikan with almost white coloring said accusingly, shoving its finger toward Jesepiah. “She wriggle like fish. Slippery when wet.”
“I bet she was,” Ben quipped.
“Well, at least we’re all here,” Chloe interjected, trying to hide her smile and desperately wanting to pull the conversation away from fish. She counted their heads with her fingers, tallying only five. It took her a second to realize who was missing. “Where’s Decaru?”
“Your wisp friend?” Ben had his arm resting on the crook of his chair as he turned his attention away from the sherikan, who had already gone goo-goo for him.
“Our wisp friend,” Chloe corrected.
“The light ball?” the tough sherikan asked. “He float away. Could not catch. Didn’t even try. Sometimes stars fall. On earth, they die.”
Chloe opened her mouth to reply, then thought better of it. Would the sherikans really understand that a shaman had taken wisp form and was one of their companions?
Probably not.
She had no idea what kind of sheltered life these creatures led down here, as hospitable as they might be. She counted herself lucky that her other companions had been brought here in one piece. The wisp would find his own way, of that she was sure.
“Very well,” Chloe said as a sherikan set a bowl of food in front of her. She scoured briefly for any sign of feathers and, satisfied she could see none, raised a fork-like instrument to tuck in. “While we wait for our dear friend Gideon to bring himself back to life, let’s fill our stomachs!”
“Way ahead of you.” Tag laughed and more food spilled out his mouth. He chewed a couple times, then said, “And when we’re done, can we, like, prank him or something? Stick his finger up his nose, or put his hand in warm water and make him pee himself.”
“Do you really think that’ll work here?” Ben asked.
Chloe’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I’ve got a better idea. Trust me, this is going to be epic!”
Chapter Sixty-Four
When Gideon logged back into Obsidian, it was with the familiar seasickness that comes from hopping out of one world and snapping into the next.
He had left his brother and mother arguing behind him, sneaking out the moment the heat of the argument had turned away from him and his brother had become the target of his mother’s disappointment.
As a single parent, she had struggled to raise two boys on her own, especially since the elder child spent most of his time taunting and winding Gideon up every chance he got.
Gideon had sat quietly, occasionally opening his mouth to answer questions before he was cut off, then he would fall silent again. His mind wasn’t in the room anyway.
It was filled with the wonders and imaginings of Obsidian, and all he really wanted to do was thank his mother for the delicious chicken stir fry and disappear back into his man cave, his thoughts idling over what challenges and quests the desert would bring.
Maybe if we use our magic to clear some of the sand, we’ll find the entrance to a dungeon, he mused, racking his brain to try to remember if any spells within the shaman’s tomes had offered clearance or entry magic.
Eventually, his spot had opened and he sat in his half-open pod, remembering the last location he had been when he logged off. The safety instructions advised that it was best to slowly bring your mind in sync with where you were last to make the transition smoother on your brain.
But as he shut his eyes, initiated the game, and opened them again, he couldn’t have felt more lost and afraid. His mouth opened in a silent scream, his body so taut it felt like his muscles were cables. The grinning teeth of the sharks in front of him overwhelmed him, and he emitted the weakest of screams before he fainted.
Gideon came around a few minutes later, saw the sharks, and fainting once more.
The third time he came around, he peeled his eyes open so cautiously that he wondered if he wasn’t dreaming. The only thing that made him open them fully was the sight of Chloe, her hands in the air in a bear-like stance as she growled at him.
“Chloe?” Gideon whispered, his knees knocking together painfully.
In complete unison, all the sharks’ mouths closed, their lips curling into smiles as Chloe and the others
burst into raucous laughter.
“You should have seen your face!” Chloe managed between gasps for air. The sharks parted, wiping their own tears as they doubled over, Gideon, now seeing their shapes fully, recognized that they weren’t really sharks, but rather humanoid creatures with shark-like features.
“What was that?” Gideon said, his face white as he sat up and tried to get his bearings. “Who are all these people?”
Finley stepped forward to answer, its rotund belly inches from Gideon’s as it loomed over him. “Forgive me, Master Gideon, but your friends insisted that pranking you was a fantastic idea.” It sniggered behind its hand, “I have to admit that they were right.”
At Gideon’s perplexed face, it straightened and coughed into its fist. “However, it is not customary for us to greet beings like this, and I apologize. Welcome to the Lost Palace of Irizeth, home of the sherikan people.”
Finley launched into the same spiel it had given Chloe. Tag’s and Ben’s ears pricked up to take in the information too. It appeared that Finley truly was the best translator out of the sherikans, and no one else had bothered to inform Tag and Ben of where they were.
Not that that had stopped them accepting a ton of food from strangers, of course.
“So why are we here?” Gideon asked, which was the same question Chloe had been trying to get answered for some time now.
As if triggered by Gideon’s question, a rumble started around them, the boat-scrape noise returning momentarily as all the sherikans found spaces to hide or ducked beneath the tables. Gideon, Tag, and Ben simply stood up, perplexed, and Chloe fought once more with the sickening pull of power that surged through her.
When it passed, Finley climbed unsteadily to its feet, trying to put a smile on its face. “Well, where was I?”
“What the hell was that?” Tag, Ben, and Gideon asked in unison, staring at Chloe and Finley.
Chloe shrugged. “I don’t know. It happens every now and then, and this guy,” she jerked a thumb toward Finley, “won’t tell me what’s going on. It’s a...sandworm, am I right?” Chloe said sarcastically.
Collecting The Goddess (Chronicles Of KieraFreya Book 1) Page 45
