by N M Thorn
Veles? The Slavic god of the Three Realms? What is he doing here? And did he come here with Angel?
“Can I take your place, Horseman?” Veles spoke again, stepping closer to Gunz.
Angel, don’t leave! I don’t trust any of these Russian gods!
Angel got up and the floor under Gunz’s back shook slightly, making him realize that he was lying on a low sofa, not on the floor. Veles sat down on the edge of the sofa next to him and its springs moaned, bending down under the weight of his colossal body. For a moment, Veles stared at Gunz, then sighed and patted Gunz’s shoulder gently.
“What’s your name, Child of Fire?” asked Veles.
My name is Zane… I’m sorry, I don’t think I can speak…
“Zane Burns,” Angel replied instead of him. “His name is Zane Burns and I don’t think he can speak right now.”
“Chernobog, brother, you shouldn’t let your wife run your life,” said Veles, scrutinizing his brother with a disapproving glance. “She is as cold as her powers and no matter what you do, she’ll never return your love. I don’t think she’s capable of such strong feelings.”
“In all fairness, it’s not her fault,” said Chernobog quietly, dropping his head to his chest. “We don’t know what happened to her when Zmey held her captive—”
“It happened a long time ago, brother, before you married her. She made us all believe that she was fine, and that she put all that behind!” growled Veles. “Look what she did to this innocent man and this young witch.”
Karma! She’s alive. Please, someone tell me that she survived all that. Gunz tried to lift his head to look for Karma but couldn’t.
Veles noticed his struggles and waved his hand. “Karma, come closer, so he can see that you’re alive and well.” A moment later, Karma came into his view. Gunz exhaled and closed his eyes, relaxing.
“Okay, Zane,” said Veles and Gunz opened his eyes again. “Here is the deal, child. I can’t heal you, but I can make you feel a little better. At least, you’ll be able to communicate and keep your eyes open. Do you understand me?”
I understand you just fine, thought Gunz. Too bad I can’t tell you that. He blinked once, hoping that Veles could understand him.
“Listen, Zane, I’m going to use my magic to help you. Like I said, it’s not going to heal you, but it’ll give you a temporary boost of energy,” continued Veles. “You’re not going to like it, but it’ll hurt just for a moment. Okay? Ready?”
Gunz blinked once, bracing himself for more pain. Veles pushed his massive arm under his back, lifting his chest up slightly. He extended his other hand and whispered, “Ignisio Orbus.” A small fire ball manifested in the palm of his hand.
Fire… Yessss….
Just being in close proximity to his element was making him feel better.
“Now,” said Veles and thrusted the fireball through Gunz’s chest.
The heat surged through him, igniting every cell in his body, making his eyes glow brighter with the dancing flames. The initial pain was insignificant compared to the way the fire made him feel, restoring his strength and killing the pain. Veles was right. This small fireball wasn’t enough to completely heal him, but at least now the pain wasn’t as unbearable as it was before, the flashbacks stopped, and he could finally speak.
“Oh, God…” exhaled Gunz, panting. “Thank you… I can… it stopped… thank you.”
Veles smiled, his eyes squinting beneath his bushy gray eyebrows. He gently lowered Gunz back on the sofa and got up, offering his place to Angel.
“Alive?” asked Angel, helping Gunz to sit up.
“Barely,” muttered Gunz. The small infusion of fire took the edge off the pain and stopped the flashbacks, but he was still weak and sore all over.
“Let’s get to business,” said Veles. He walked past Chernobog and sat down into a massive chair that looked more like a throne. “This boost is not going to keep Zane up forever and I need to ask a few questions while he still can talk.”
“What would you like me to tell you, my lord,” said Gunz, bringing forth all the medieval manners Kal taught him in Kendral and hoping that he was sounding respectful enough. After all, he was in the presence of two ancient Slavic deities, two of the first and most powerful gods of Slavic pantheon. Ancient gods weren’t known for their patience and forgiveness. And these two were at the top of the list—the god of Destruction and the god of the Three Realms.
Veles was the only god of Slavic pantheon who could freely move between all three realms—the Nav, the Yav and the Prav. He was as powerful in the Dark Nav as he was in the realm of gods—Prav. Even though some of the northern Slovenians considered Veles to be the god of Wisdom and Magic, he wasn’t famous for keeping his cool or for a kind disposition. So, in the company of these two, being humble and respectful sounded like the right thing to do.
“I’ve heard your story from Svyatobor and from the Horseman,” said Veles, slightly inclining his head, “and I have no reason to doubt their words. However, I would like to hear it again in your words. How did you get here and what was your purpose?”
Gunz quickly recounted everything that happened to him since the moment he met Agent Zvereva, to the moment Morena locked him up in the icy prison. He didn’t hold anything back and the further he proceeded with his story, the grimmer Veles looked.
When he finished, Veles turned to Chernobog, who was standing next to his chair. “Brother, which pendant was he sent to steal from you?”
Chernobog silently pulled the chain out from under his leather armor and showed it to Veles. At the sight of the missing pendant, Veles blanched. His eyes widened, and his hands gripped harder at the arms of the chair.
“I thought you were never taking this chain off, Chernobog. It was your duty to protect it!” Veles wasn’t shouting, but his voice filled all the space of the small room, pressing on Gunz’s ears, making him feel like he was deep underwater without any scuba equipment.
“I never took it off, brother. I swear,” replied Chernobog, his dark energy spiking around him. “Not even when I sleep.”
“Then how did it go missing?” hissed Veles, throwing his hands in the air. “I don’t believe for a second that this little witch and the Fire Salamander could steal it from you.”
“Neither do I,” agreed Chernobog, “but Morena is of a different opinion.”
“I don’t give a damn about her opinion,” growled Veles. “But I would really like to know why she was so bent on killing them both.”
Veles got up and approached Gunz again, staring down at him heavily. Gunz recoiled, pressing into the back of the sofa. The ancient god seized his chin, lifting his face up, staring directly into his eyes. Veles’ magic enveloped him, penetrating the deepest corners of his soul. Gunz flinched in his hands but couldn’t break eye contact. After a moment Veles let him go and repeated the procedure with Karma.
After he was done, he went back to his chair and sat down, shaking his head.
“This man is a warrior,” he said to Chernobog. “It wasn’t his will that brought him to this place and he’s definitely not a petty thief. The woman is a different story. Her ways are a lot darker. But I’m sure, in the case of the missing pendant, she is innocent.”
Both gods stopped talking and silence enveloped the small room. Veles closed his eyes and for a while he appeared to be sleeping. However, no one, including his brother, was brave enough to bother him. After a few minutes, Veles opened his eyes and waved his hand at Gunz.
“Zane, this glowing rune on your chest. Did you say that you were supposed to activate it when you completed your mission and ready to leave the Dark Nav?”
“Yes, my lord,” replied Gunz, his hand involuntarily moving up to his chest.
“I want you to activate it,” demanded Veles.
“My lord, if I do it, the mage will pull me out of the Nav,” said Gunz quietly. He wasn’t ready to leave. The powerful magical artifact was truly missing. Milana was MIA. And he didn’t want
to leave neither Karma nor Angel behind.
Veles and Chernobog exchanged a quick look, and both laughed.
“You still think this boy is capable of stealing anything from you?” asked Veles, still chuckling. “Like I said—he’s innocent in all this. Your cold-hearted wife was wrong.”
Chernobog nodded and his eyes stopped on Gunz. A smile curved his lips as he stared at him.
“The mage lied to you, Child of Fire,” explained Chernobog. “No one can pull you out of the Dark Nav. It’s impossible. There are no doors in or out of here, except the gates that only I can open. Veles and I are the only two gods who can let you out of here. Well, my wife can also move between Yav and Nav, of course. Anyway, you can safely activate this rune—trust me, nothing will happen to you.”
“No doors?” mumbled Karma. This was the first time she had spoken since Chernobog teleported them into this room. “I thought there was some kind of backdoor to Yav, that you built for your wife…”
“Backdoor?” repeated Chernobog, shaking his head. “There is no such thing.”
Karma looked at Gunz, her eyes wide with worry. “Then where is Milana? She was sure that there was a backdoor in your palace that led to the outside world.”
“I assure you, witch,” replied Chernobog coldly, “if there was such a door, I would know. Nothing can be hidden from me in my realm. And as far as your girlfriend, Milana, I can also guarantee that she is no longer in the Dark Nav.”
Karma’s eyes swam with tears and she silently averted her gaze. Gunz sighed. He had no choice but to trust Veles and Chernobog. And the only way to see if they were right was to activate the rune and see what would happen.
Like in response to Gunz’s thoughts, Angel softly touched his shoulder and said, “Zane, activate the rune. Let’s see if this mage lied to you.”
Gunz held out his hand. “Ignius,” he whispered, and right away weak flickering flames wrapped around his fingers. Gently he pressed his hand over the rune and send the fire through it.
At first, nothing happened. A few seconds later, blinding pain erupted in his brain. He wrapped his arms around his head, bending forward. Everything went black and Agent Zvereva’s face emerged from the darkness.
“Why are you using the rune, Salamander?” she asked frostily, her mouth twisted with arrogance and distaste. “I’m positive you don’t have the artifact.”
“I thought you… couldn’t… communicate…” Gunz managed to say.
The mage laughed, and his anguish increased. “I can do many things,” she seethed. “I can do things you can’t even comprehend with your primitive mind.”
“Can you… get me out of the Dark Nav?” moaned Gunz.
“Well, that’s one thing I can’t do.” Zvereva cackled. “I was never planning to get you out of the Nav. Just like I always knew that you were not capable of getting the artifact back from Chernobog.”
Her answer was so unexpected that for a moment Gunz forgot about the pain. His arms dropped and his eyes, blinded by the darkness, widened.
“Then why?” he whispered, fear twisting his guts. “Why did you need to blackmail Agent Andrews? Why did you kill Lera? Why do all these things if you knew that I couldn’t do what was needed to be done?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Zvereva, her face hardened. “You were just a decoy, boy. You kept Chernobog and his guards busy. This rune was never supposed to pull you out of the Nav. It was suppressing your fiery presence, hiding you from Chernobog in the beginning. And when I needed him to find you, I made it glow, sending some fire through it into your eyes. Decoy—that was your only purpose. And now that I have the artifact, I need to bid my farewell. Goodbye, Child of Fire. Enjoy eternity in Chernobog’s dungeons.”
Zvereva’s face dissolved into the darkness. The headache stopped and Gunz was able to see again. However, the use of his magic and the pain Zvereva inflicted on him took away the effect of Veles’s healing. The world spun around him and he fell back on the sofa. Cold sweat covered his forehead, and he started to shiver violently. The flashbacks returned with menace and he could hardly make the difference between what was real and what was the manifestations from his past.
He felt Angel’s hands squeezing his shoulders. Like through a cotton wall, he heard his voice.
“Zane!” shouted Angel and shook him slightly. “Zane, can you hear me?”
“Angel,” said Gunz, “please stop… don’t shake me. Hurts…”
“Zane, you must tell us everything Zvereva told you. Please, man, put yourself together for one more minute.”
“Angel, Veles was right,” Gunz managed to say. “She was never planning to bring me back. I was just a decoy… keeping Chernobog busy… She has the pendant…” He closed his eyes. The mingled reality was becoming too much for him to handle.
“Veles, we need to take him to the Yav,” said Angel urgently. Gunz felt Angel’s arm supporting his back, as he tried to pull him into the upright position. “We need to do it now. I can’t have him tormented like this for another moment.”
“The Horseman is right.” Chernobog’s voice sounded somewhere far away in Gunz’s murky mind. “My apologies, Child of Fire. I knew that you were innocent, yet I let my wife put you through this terrible ordeal.”
“Karma…” whispered Gunz without opening his eyes.
“I’m coming with you, Zane. I’m here.” He felt Karma’s cold fingers finding his hand.
“Brace yourselves,” said Veles. “I’m going to take all of you to the Land of Dreams. We’ll use the World Tree passage and the voyage might be a little bumpy. Brother, I’ll see you soon. We need to get ready. A deadly war is coming.”
Gunz felt Angel pulling him to his feet, providing him the support of his shoulder and Karma holding him from his other side. Veles snapped his fingers, and the ground disappeared from under his feet.
Chapter 20
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
After the constant darkness of the Dark Nav, the sunlight was jarring, unexpected, almost painful. It was hurting his eyes even through the closed eyelids. The elemental powers and magical energy rushed through him and Gunz squeezed Angel’s shoulder, asking him to stop.
“Angel, where are we?” he whispered. “Fire… there is fire here… I need to—"
“You are in the magical nexus, the Land of Dreams,” explained Angel. “You can revert now. There is more Fire here than anywhere on Earth. I know your face is swollen and you can’t really see, but we are standing right next to the World Tree.”
“You and Karma need to let go of me and move away,” said Gunz quietly. “I’m sure you and Veles will be fine, but Karma still may get hurt by the fire—”
He didn’t finish talking as the energy of fire he felt just a moment ago, suddenly tripled. His breath caught, and he cracked his swollen eyes open just a little. He could hardly see, but he didn’t need his vision to recognize the Fire Elemental, his mentor, his friend and the only person in his life he had ever called Father.
“Father,” he moaned, letting go of Angel’s shoulder and stretching his hand toward Kal, “you’re here… How did you know?”
“Of course, I’m here,” mumbled Kal, putting his hand on Gunz’s shoulder. “I came as soon as Aidan told me what happened. You didn’t think I would leave you alone when you needed my help?”
Angel lowered him down to the ground. Kal squatted down next to him and placed his hand on his forehead, gently channeling the energy of Fire through him. He relaxed, feeling his strength slowly getting restored, and the fog of the flashbacks cleared from his mind. After a few minutes, Kal let go and got up.
Gunz finally was able to open his eyes and see clearly. He was lying on a wide clearing covered in tall, soft grass and wild flowers. Right above him, he saw a giant tree. Its massive root system wrapped around a solid piece of rock, disappearing into the ground. He had never seen a tree so large before. Svyatobor, Mrak Delar, Aidan and a tall man in ancient Russian armor were standing next to the
rock. He stared at the man, recognizing the presence of elemental fire power in him, but he was sure that he had never met him before.
“I would suggest for everyone to move at least a few yards away and give the Salamander some space,” said Kal rising. “Master Mrak Delar, even though this young lady is a witch, you should shield her.”
Mrak Delar nodded and turned to Karma. “My lady,” he said with a light bow, “I’m going to erect a power shield around you. It may slightly restrict your movements. Don’t get alarmed. I shall keep you safe.”
Karma shrugged and pursed her lips. Gunz knew exactly what she was thinking. “Lady? How dare this master-of-whatever even think that I need the protection of a man? I don’t need his goddamn shield!” But Karma probably realized that insulting a Master of Power wasn’t the smartest thing to do and she just nodded at him. Mrak Delar snapped his fingers and a dense layer of his power shield wrapped around Karma.
Svyatobor chuckled. “He’s just a little Fire Gecko. He’s completely harmless when it comes to us, gods. And his natural state is nothing I haven’t seen before.”
Kal gave him a sarcastic gaze and his thin lips stretched into a wide grin. “Sure, then stay as close to him as you possibly can,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “And the next time you’re in Florida, also cross the street on a red light and play with matches. I’m sure as a tiny god of Nature, you’ll be absolutely safe.”
Mrak Delar chuckled, stepping back to the Alatyr Stone and leaning his back against it for support. Everyone backed away, giving Gunz some space. Even Veles respectfully stepped aside. But Svyatobor stubbornly crossed his arms and remained standing next to Kal.
“Suit yourself,” muttered Kal in Svyatobor’s direction and turned to Gunz. “Now revert, my boy. Let go completely, like you never did before. The dark magic you were tortured with inflicted some serious damage on your body and your mind. You need to burn it out of your system. To do it, you must let the Fire Salamander take you over completely. Don’t worry, you’re not going to lose your humanity.”
