by N M Thorn
The door opened and Karma walked inside, holding Milana’s hand in hers. Mishka squealed in delight and landed on her shoulder.
“Prrr,” he purred happily, snuggling into Karma’s red hair, “you’re so warm and you’re not wet like this dork.” He waved his wing in Gunz’s direction. Gunz pointed his finger at his watch, arching his eyebrow at the wyvern. Mishka sighed and muttering something under his breath, melted into the watch.
“Not wet?” asked Karma and laughed, throwing her head back. She pulled an empty chair out, helping her girlfriend to sit down and then sat down next to Gunz, patting his shoulder. “Sweetie, why did you leave? You’re our only source of entertainment here, you know?”
“Karma, we need to talk,” started Gunz ignoring her last statement.
“We’re already talking,” said Karma with a half-shrug.
“No, Karma, I’m serious,” grumbled Gunz, frustration igniting somewhere deep within him. “I need to tell you something and it’s important.”
Karma stared at him for a moment. “Fine, what’s going on?” she asked, her gaze becoming heavier by the moment.
“Karma, I need to get inside Chernobog’s castle, and I need your help,” said Gunz. All this time he was thinking of a better way to tell her and ask her for her help, but now instead of being careful and diplomatic, he just blurted it out to her face, his aggravation and impatience getting the best of him. He held his breath waiting for her reaction.
Milana gasped. Karma’s mouth opened up as she stared at him, a chain of emotions changing on her face—shock, disbelief, mockery.
“You think it’s funny?” she asked dryly.
“Not for me,” replied Gunz quietly, holding her furious gaze. “Do you think I chose to be here? Do you think I wanted it? I was thrown here against my will, forced into this place that is feeding on my life force, killing me a slow and torturous death. And the only way I can get out of here is if I do what I was ordered to do.” He slammed his hand on the table, rising, anger bubbling up inside him.
“Sit down!” shouted Karma, her fist landing on the table an inch away from his hand. She was back in her interrogation mode, and her icy voice was promising nothing good for Gunz. “Do you think breaking into Chernobog’s castle will be a walk in the park? Do you know what he’ll do to you if he catches you? What do you need there, anyway? Answer my question and if you know what’s best for you, don’t try to hide anything.”
“I need to locate some powerful magical artifact that looks like a small double-edged axe decorated with gold inlays,” replied Gunz with a sigh, lowering himself back into his chair. “Karma, why would I lie or hide anything from you when I’m asking for your help? A little trust would be nice.”
“Trust? What kind of beastie is that?” hissed Karma, her eyes scanning his insides, distaste curving her lips. “In my line of business, I trust no one. Not even people I know well. So, why would I trust a man I know nothing about? Say thank you I pulled you out of that swamp and didn’t let the phantoms drain your life. Or didn’t kill you myself when—"
“Zane, how are you planning to leave the Dark Nav? There is no way out of here,” said Milana interrupting Karma, her voice soft and sympathetic.
Neither Milana nor Karma was pure-blood human. Karma was a witch and Milana was a seer. He wasn’t sure how strong her gift of sight was or if she had any other magical talents. After three days that he spent with these women, he knew pretty much nothing about either of them, including how they ended up in the Dark Nav in the first place.
Gunz pulled his shirt apart, showing her the rune on his chest. “When I complete this mission, through this rune, I will contact the mage that sent me here. She will pull me out.”
Milana extended her hand and placed it on his chest over the rune. Her eyes became milky white and her head tilted back slightly. She was staring into space with her unnerving white eyes, saying nothing. After a few seconds, her eyes got back to normal, and she removed her hand from Gunz’s chest.
“Karma,” she whispered, her voice suddenly weak and trembling. “You can trust him, my love. He’s telling you the truth…” Her voice trailed off, and she lowered her head, resting her forehead on the rough surface of the table.
Karma rushed to her side and gently embraced her, kissing the top of her head. “What else did you see, darling?” she asked, her fingers playing with Milana’s soft hair.
Milana straightened up, leaning back into Karma’s embrace. “We must help him, Karma. He will lead us out of this deadly prison… He’s the Fire Salamander I told you about, our salvation… I would do anything just to see my own world again…” She smiled tiredly at Gunz. “I’m sorry, Zane… Here, in Dark Nav, every vision I have, takes a lot of my energy. I’m just tired…”
She got up, leaning heavily on Karma’s shoulder. Karma walked her toward the door of their bedroom. At the doorway, she turned back to Gunz, staring at him sternly.
“I’m going to help Milana lie down and I’ll be right back.” She threw him a dry look. “Don’t go anywhere.”
She came back a few minutes later and sat down in the chair next to Gunz, her face grim and determined.
“Now, Fire Salamander, you’re going to tell me everything that happened from the moment you met that mage,” said Karma, her eyes lighting up with a green light and Gunz could feel the energy of her magic expanding around her. “You need to tell me the smallest details without hiding anything. ANYTHING!” The last word she growled through clenched teeth. “If I’m going to risk my life to help you, you better not hide anything from me, or I swear, you’ll find out why my name is Karma.”
“I have never lied to you, Karma,” objected Gunz calmly.
“Then start talking, boy. I don’t have a full day to wait for you,” said Karma.
Gunz didn’t object and gave her a full version of everything that happened to him from the moment he walked into Jim’s office in the middle of the night.
“Fine, I’ll help you,” said Karma after she processed everything he just told her. “We’re going to leave tomorrow morning. So, I suggest, you pray to all the gods you know that we find a way to sneak inside that castle. I tell you, it’s damn close to impossible.”
“How do you know?” asked Gunz, narrowing his eyes at her.
“You don’t get to question me,” hissed Karma angrily, but quickly ran out of steam, sighed and sat down. “I already tried. We’ve heard from someone that the only way to get out of the Dark Nav is through some backdoor that Chernobog built for his beloved wife.” She rolled her eyes. Obviously, the healthy marital relationship between the god of Destruction and the goddess of Death didn’t impress her.
“And?”
“And Chernobog’s guards caught us before we got anywhere close to the castle. We’re lucky to be alive and free. Chernobog doesn’t tolerate any presence of life inside his domain. Nothing that’s alive should be in the kingdom of death. Nothing that is dead should be in the realm of the living. That’s his job description, so to speak.”
Karma sighed again, turning away from Gunz for a moment. When she turned back to him, she had this pained expression on her face that set a warning flag in his mind. How long had they spent here? Gunz wandered as he watched her squirming a little under his steady gaze. And how did they get here in the first place?
“She believes in you, you know? Milana… She had one of her premonitions or visions a few days before you showed up.” Karma shook her head, staring down at her hands. “She thinks you are the only one who can get us inside the castle and to that backdoor.”
Gunz rubbed his eyes tiredly, his fingers sliding down over his unshaved chin. “Karma… I can’t promise anything. I know nothing about Chernobog and his castle. I’m asking you to help me, and you are telling me I am your only hope.” He laughed mirthlessly.
“Well, little man, my lover believes in you. And I believe in her. She’s my life and I would do anything to see her happy. Just a friendly warning—you bette
r don’t disappoint her.” She got up and walked away into her bedroom.
“We’re all going to die,” peeped Mishka from the watch.
Chapter 12
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
As Karma promised, they left the house early in the morning. Both Karma and Milana traveled light, confident that it was their last passage through the Dark Nav. Gunz didn’t know what to hope for. He had no idea what to expect and Karma’s appearance didn’t match the troubling picture she painted for him yesterday. She was dressed in blue jeans and a pink t-shirt that had “Kick Like a Girl” printed on the front and a picture of a little girl kicking on the back. To complete her attire, she was wearing bedazzled pink sneakers with white shoelaces and a small pink backpack over her shoulder.
Real badass, thought Gunz suppressing the desire to roll his eyes. And where the hell is she getting all these fluffy outfits? He thought back to the time when he met Karma and the way she changed her appearance in front of him. Most likely, all these outfits were just illusions she created.
Milana, on the other hand, looked more the part. She was dressed in black pants and a shirt, and her tender face wore an expression of cold determination. As they followed a hardly visible trail, Gunz was thinking that Milana was placing too much faith in him and he had no idea why. He understood that she had some kind of vision, but it wasn’t enough to convince him that there was nothing else behind her blind beliefs.
All around them there was nothing but darkness. The thorny forest was left far behind and it seemed like they were walking into an infinite nothingness. Except for a swirling gray fog, there was nothing else before them. However, Karma seemed to be relaxed like a person who knew where she was going.
After about an hour of walking, the scenery still didn’t change. Nothing was ahead of them and nothing was behind. Once in a while, Gunz looked up to check the dark void of the sky to make sure that the flying monsters weren’t coming. Karma noticed him doing it and smirked.
“If you are searching for the phantoms, I don’t think you’ll find them here, in this area of the Dark Nav,” she pointed out. “They usually hang around the thorny forest and a few other places similar to that.”
“What other places?” asked Gunz.
“You know… Closer to the gateways that Chernobog opens to pull in the souls of the dead,” explained Karma with a light shrug.
“What are those things anyway?” asked Gunz.
Milana stopped for a moment and turned to face him. “You don’t know?” A sincere surprise sounded in her voice. Gunz shook his head.
“They are the phantoms,” explained Milana, her soft voice sounding light and breezy. “That’s what becomes of human spirits here… if they die an unnatural death and their souls weren’t put to rest. Nothing that’s dead should exist in the world of the living. Chernobog takes these unrested spirits into his domain. They become these blood-thirsty monsters made of nightmares…” Milana fell silent and kept walking forward.
“This is why they hang around the gateways,” Karma took over. “They are feeding on the newly arrived souls and trying to escape the Dark Nav in the few seconds when the gateway is open.”
Gunz shivered, thinking what could happen if these monsters would escape into Yav, the realm of the living. “Do they ever escape?” he asked.
“You don’t know much about the Nav,” said Karma, giving him a disapproving stare.
“No, I don’t,” confirmed Gunz. “Sorry. This trip was a spur-of-the-moment kinda thing. Didn’t have time to get ready.”
“They do escape sometimes. Rarely,” explained Karma with a sigh. “Chernobog is always in control, but sometimes it happens. In the realm of the living, they fly in the stormy nights, feeding on the weak, mostly kids. Luckily, Chernobog always knows when it happens, and he doesn’t let them roam around for too long. He finds them and pulls them back into the Dark Nav.”
“Sounds like this Chernobog is an upstanding citizen of Slavic pantheon,” muttered Gunz. “Lord Protector of all human and punisher of all undead.”
Karma halted and raised her hand, signaling for Gunz and Milana to stop. She stilled, and by the way her magical energy spiked around her, Gunz knew she was using some kind of spell to check the area. He sharpened his Salamander’s senses and noticed a small disturbance in the space in front of him. He could actually see it. It looked like a blob of absolute blackness with the slithering tendrils spreading around it.
“What is it?” he asked, staring at the dark blob with suspicion.
She glanced at him, a light grin splitting her face. “This is our transportation,” she replied. “Do you feel it? There are a few places in the Dark Nav where the fabric of reality is getting slightly warped. Those who know these places can use them to travel to Chernobog’s castle, faster and safer. All we have to do is step through this… Hmm, I don’t even know what to call it. A wormhole, I guess. Anyway, ready?” She took a step forward and made a circle with her hand, outlining where the wormhole was located.
“Wait,” said Gunz, grabbing her arm. “Have you ever used this one? Where are we going to walk out? Inside the castle walls?”
Milana and Karma exchanged a look and dissolved into a burst of wild giggles. “No, oh bright one. Of course not. Do you think it would be that easy to get inside the castle?” asked Karma through the laughter. “We are going to walk out a few miles away from the castle. And trust me—you want it this way. Chernobog can sense the living, and we want to make sure we cover our presence the best we can. You don’t want to meet the god of Destruction face to face on his turf.”
Gunz held his hand up, a lopsided smirk on his face. “Yeah, I know, I’m your only source of entertainment here.” He walked closer to Karma and jerked his chin toward the wormhole. “Ready?”
Karma didn’t answer. She took Milana’s hand, and they both melted into the darkness of the wormhole. Gunz sighed, wondering what was awaiting him on the other side and followed them.
In a way, traveling through the warped fabric of reality reminded him of teleporting, and he hated every moment of it. Just like during teleporting, he felt like his body was taken apart, cell by cell, and then thrown carelessly back together. His stomach was sitting somewhere in his throat and his head was swimming on the waves of dizziness.
The process of traveling through the wormhole was a lot longer than teleporting. By the time Gunz surfaced on the other side, he couldn’t keep his balance and fell forward on all fours. Fighting nausea and lightheadedness, he dropped his head down to the ground and wrapped his hands over it, breathing with his mouth.
“Come on, my strong, virile hero,” said Karma mockingly, offering him her hand. “We can’t stay here long. We must keep moving.”
Gunz raised his head just in time to catch a taunting smirk on her face. Slowly he got up, ignoring her hand. “This is why… I hate teleporting,” he muttered, still fighting to catch his breath. “I miss my portals.”
“The Fire Salamander portals!” exclaimed Milana, suddenly excited like a little girl. “I always wanted to see one. I’ve heard they are absolutely fascinating. Like a wall of a liquid fire.”
“More like a curtain of fire,” replied Gunz. “I don’t think I can open one here. I need to use elemental power for that.”
“Don’t even try,” warned Karma. She grabbed Milana’s hand, pulling her forward. “For some reason Dark Nav is feeding on you more than on anyone I’ve ever met here. Forget about using any elemental powers. Even if you try to use just your magic, you’ll be wiped out in a heartbeat. And I’m not going to carry your sorry ass.”
After a half-hour of brisk walking, Gunz noticed a weak yellow light ahead of him. Any kind of light was unusual in the Dark Nav, and this light was also flickering as if it was produced by a candle flame. He added to his pace and caught up with Karma and Milana.
“You noticed it, didn’t you?” asked Karma, giving him a quick once-over.
Gunz nodded. “Hard to miss. Light
in the Dark.”
“This is where we’re going,” said Karma, adding some speed into her already fast pace. “This is a sort of tavern. We supposed to meet there with someone who will help us sneak behind the castle walls. He’s like a Coyote, for a lack of a better word. He can smuggle us inside unnoticed.”
The “tavern” ended up being a tiny hut, roughly put together out of old, warped logs. The door was half-open, hanging on rusted hinges. Karma stopped next to the door, her hand on the door handle, and pursed her lips.
“Listen, Zane,” she started, vibe of unease permeating around her, “when we’re inside, don’t look at anyone. No eye contact whatsoever. Keep your eyes down at all times. And don’t talk. Let me do all the talking.”
“Fine,” replied Gunz.
“Don’t eat anything and don’t take a drink from anyone,” continued Karma, sternly.
“Yes, Mom,” said Gunz with a smirk, “I promise. I’m not going to talk to strangers, and I am not going to take any candy from them.”
“Don’t joke about it, Zane.” She seized his shirt, pulling him closer, her green eyes shining inches away from his. “You’re new here. Use your brain! Dark Nav—the place of unrested spirits and demons! With a capital letter ‘D’. Most of the visitors of this place are pure-blood demons, not humans possessed by demonic essence. Do you understand? They may look like humans on the outside, but on the inside—”
“Karma, relax,” said Gunz peacefully. “I promise, I’ll behave.”
She nodded and finally let go of his shirt. “Keep an eye on Milana for me, would you?”
Karma pushed the door open and walked inside the tavern. Gunz and Milana followed her. Inside, the tavern seemed to be even smaller than on the outside. All windows were covered with dirty gray film. It was understandable—there was nothing to look at outside except the blinding darkness.
