by N M Thorn
“I don’t understand,” mumbled Gunz, staring at the black flames as they were encroaching on him.
“A Fire Salamander can conjure the Black Fire, but there is only one way to put it down. You must dissolve into it,” explained Kal. “This is the only way a Fire Salamander can end his life, my boy. You touch this fire and you’ll die.”
“Father, what do I do?” asked Gunz, fear twisting his heart. “The circle of flames is getting smaller. Soon, I’ll have no space here.”
“My boy, I’m not going to let you die. I’ll do it—"
“Kal, no!” Gunz yelled, punching the air with his fist in helpless fury. There was nothing he could do to stop Kal from sacrificing himself. “I’m begging you… No!”
“Kal, stop!”
Gunz heard Mrak Delar’s voice and squinted his eyes to see the Ancient Master through the wall of black flames. He was standing with the sword in his hand, breathing hard. The last two mages were lying dead at his feet.
Mrak glanced back and an icy smile appeared on his face. Gunz followed the direction of his gaze and noticed that the protective shield around the monolith started to give in under Semargl’s persistent attack.
“Semargl, do not stop what you’re doing,” shouted Mrak Delar and put his hand on Kal’s shoulder. “Step away, Great Salamander. You saved me more than once. Allow me to pay this debt, at least partially.”
“Mrak, no. You can command this fire no more than I can,” said Kal, his voice shaking. “You will burn, Master.”
“I guess, we’ll see.” Mrak Delar channeled his power. His eyes swirled into a multicolored blur and his body glowed with the magical energy. He conjured a shield, but unlike his usual power shields, this one was made out of water. Freezing-cold water was streaming all over his body, glistening with ice. It covered him from head to toe and Gunz couldn’t help but wonder how he could breathe inside it.
In his suit of freezing water, Mrak Delar approached the Black Fire and touched it. “Obey,” he muttered, ordering the fire to open for him. The fire wrapped around his fingers, licking him hungrily, but it couldn’t break through his shield. The water hissed at the touch of fire and a thick cloud of dark steam rose in the air. Mrak Delar ignored it and pushed through the Black Fire. Standing, surrounded by the carnivorous flames, he spread his arms wide, creating a small opening in the wall of Black Fire.
“Gunz, I’m going to conjure the same shield around you, and you’re not going to like it. You’ll be in a lot of pain, but you’ll be alive,” he said, his voice strained. “Luckily, you’re short enough to walk under my arm. When I tell you, do it quickly and be careful. No matter what you do, do not touch this fire.”
He whispered a spell, conjuring the water-shield around Gunz. Gunz grunted at the touch of the freezing water to his body, but he didn’t move, waiting for Mrak Delar’s command.
“Go now. And do it quick,” hissed Mrak Delar. His own shield was slowly losing the battle with the black flames.
Gunz didn’t wait for the Master of Power to ask him twice and slipped quickly under his arm. As soon as he was out, Mrak Delar staggered back, releasing both shields and collapsed. Kal caught him and carefully lowered him down on the floor of the cave. The Black Fire grew tighter and imploded, disappearing.
Forgetting about his own pain, Gunz dropped to his knees next to Mrak Delar. Mrak’s face was pale, his lips blue from the cold he had to endure. His shaking arms were covered in blisters, but he was alive. Gunz put his hands on Mrak’s chest and his forehead and gently channeled the energy of Fire through him to warm him up. Mrak Delar moaned and opened his black eyes.
“Hey, Junior, you survived,” he said, the corners of his lips twitched in a weak smile.
“Mrak, what can I do to help you,” asked Gunz desperately.
“You’re already doing it,” replied Mrak Delar. The color was slowly coming back to his face as the fire energy was working its way through his system. After another minute, he added, “You can stop now. Thank you. I’ll take it from here.”
Gunz watched as Mrak Delar closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, connecting with the healing power of Earth. His burns slowly healed, leaving his skin clean and unblemished. After another moment, he stopped and sat up.
“Where is Karma?” he asked, searching around the cave.
With everything that just happened, they all forgot about her. Gunz also turned around. He saw Karma standing by the monolith, separated from the three mages by their feeble protective shield. The shield was almost gone, and the three mages were no longer chanting. Valeria Demidova lowered her hood and nodded to the mage on her left to do the same. The mage obeyed her command and slowly exposed her face.
As she did so, Karma yelped like she was in pain and threw her whole body at the shield that was separating them. Gunz looked at the second mage and his heart thundered in his chest.
“Milana!” screamed Karma. “What are you doing, my love? How did you get there? Did they force you to perform this ritual? What’s going on?”
Milana cackled, staring down at her former lover with scorn. “Karma, it’s been a while, babe. Why would you think that someone is forcing me into doing anything? I’m here of my own volition.”
“What?” Karma’s face fell. “What do you mean?”
Milana laughed again, throwing a quick glance at Demidova. “You’re such a gullible idiot, sweetie. Don’t you see? Our trip to the Land of Dreams, the accidental fall into the Dark Nav? Nothing of it was an accident. It was all well planned by my mistress and myself.” She pointed at Demidova.
“What are you saying, Milana?” whispered Karma, her voice trembling, tears glistening in her eyes.
“I’m saying that I’m a high-level mage. Not a helpless seer,” seethed Milana, staring arrogantly down at her. “From the moment we met, everything was planned. Our meeting, our life in the Dark Nav, finding and saving that young Fire Salamander. All that was done with one purpose—to take Chernobog’s attention from what really mattered. You played your part well, sweetie. I was able to steal the Axe of Perun and leave the Dark Nav unnoticed.”
“No!” shouted Karma, launching herself at the shield again. “I’ll kill you, heartless bitch. I’ll cut that piece of coil from your chest with the very same dagger you gifted me. Semargl! How much longer?”
“You don’t have what it takes to kill me, sweetie.” Milana laughed. “Plus, you’re still madly in love with me. You can’t hurt me.”
“Semargl!” hollered Karma, punching the shield with her fist and her voice got swallowed by the rocketing of the crashing protection spell. Karma pulled the dagger out and jumped at Milana.
Gunz watched Milana stepping backward, away from Karma, until her back hit the sacrificial stone. A terrifying realization engulfed him, and he jumped to his feet.
“Karma, no! Do not touch her!” he yelled, bolting toward her, but he was too late.
Karma seized Milana’s throat, pushing her on top of the stone and the dagger pierced her heart. Karma let go of the dagger, leaving it in Milana’s chest and staggered back. Warm streams of thick red liquid spilled from the wound, running down Milana’s body, spread on the sacrificial stone. Barely visible fissures in the stone slowly got filled with the scarlet liquid, creating a complicated design. The copper smell of blood filled the cave and Karma froze, staring down at her hands, smeared in Milana’s blood.
Demidova guffawed, gawking down at Karma. “Sweetheart, thank you so much! We couldn’t have done it without your assistance. All the way from the beginning to the very end. To raise my lord, a blood sacrifice had to be made. But not just any blood sacrifice. A person had to give up their life willingly.
“This part was easy—Milana was so deeply dedicated to my cause that she was willing to die for it. The hard part was that the sacrificial athame had to be wielded by a person who was emotionally connected with Milana. Since you were so head over heels in love with her, you were instrumental to us. Consider joining my ran
ks, sweetie. I would love to have you on my side. I’ll pay handsomely for your troubles.”
Karma’s eyes darted to the body of her dead girlfriend; the horror of her deed reflected on her face. Tears ran down her pale face and she fell to her knees, covering her face with her bloodied hands. “I killed her,” she sobbed, ignoring everything that was going on around her. “I killed the woman I loved. Oh, God…” Gunz doubted that she heard anything Demidova was telling her.
The ground trembled. This tremor was a lot stronger than the previous ones. Both Gunz and Kal swayed on their feet and lost their balance, falling on the ground. Semargl lowered next to them as dust and sand fell from the ceiling, pushing him down. Gunz scrambled to his feet, just to get knocked down by the next tremor.
Mrak Delar gathered whatever power he still had and struck Demidova. She waved her hand and the power stream dissipated. Then she reached under her robe and pulled out the Axe of Perun. Touching the pendant, she said a few words, and the pendant started to grow, turning into a large double-edge axe. Both Kal and Semargl managed to get to their feet and attacked her with everything they had.
The dark mage laughed manically, meeting their attack with the magical weapon. The Axe of Perun cut through the elemental fire like it was nothing. In the meantime, a dark mass rose above the sacrificial stone. It was growing wider and bigger, as the second mage kept chanting over it. Soon, Milana’s lifeless body and the giant stone monolith were swallowed by it.
“Now!” yelled the second dark mage. “You must do it now!
Demidova twirled around and swung the Axe at the darkness that was covering the monolith. She did it three times and an ear-piercing noise filled the cave. Gunz collapsed wrapping his arms around his head to protect his hearing. His eyes watered. Through the blurry veil of tears, he saw the shape of an enormous three-headed serpent rising from the darkness. The heavy smell of sulphur invaded his senses, and he coughed, struggling to breathe.
A split-second later, everything was over. Both women and the serpent were gone, and a heavy silence enveloped the cave. Gunz got up to his feet, nausea twisting his stomach, and glanced around. Mrak Delar was sprawled on the floor, drained. Karma was quietly weeping, curled into a ball next to Milana’s dead body. Kal and Semargl were back on their feet, but they both looked mortified.
Gunz ripped the shirt on his chest, exposing a new rune that was embedded into his skin. He touched the rune, sending the energy of fire through it. The rune glowed brighter with a soft white light.
“Aidan,” said Gunz, hardly recognizing his own voice, “we failed. Skiper-Zmey is free again. Now it’s up to you stop him.”
Chapter 36
~ Aidan ~
Zane’s voice still echoed in his mind, as Aidan slowly turned around to face Voron. The old warrior met his eyes and frowned.
“What’s going on?” he asked, wrinkles on his forehead getting deeper. “Did you receive a message from the young Salamander?”
Aidan nodded. “It’s coming,” he said quietly. “They failed to stop Valeria Demidova.”
Both Chernobog and Veles got up. “When did it happen?” asked Veles. He looked calm, but the storm was brewing inside him, making the magical energy field spike around him. The runes on his staff were glowing with a bright white light, providing an additional source of light in the darkness of the Nav.
“Just now,” replied Aidan.
“If we’re right, and Zmey is coming to the Dark Nav, this is the only place he can break through,” said Chernobog, unsheathing his sword. He turned to his wintry wife and an affectionate smile changed his face. “Darling, are you sure you want to do it? Knowing your history with Skiper-Zmey, we all can understand if you choose to stay in the safety of our castle.”
Morena got up and picked up her scythe. She gave a slightly arrogant gaze to her husband and shook her head. “I’m just fine here. History or not, I’m here to protect the man I love.”
Chernobog’s face lit up at her words. “Voron,” he called his righthand man, “I need you to stay with my wife at all times. Make sure that no harm will come her way.”
“Yes, my lord,” replied Voron, but his body language and his facial expression showed clearly that protecting Morena was the last thing he wanted to do. He never trusted her and he would rather protect Chernobog than her.
“How can you be sure that this is the place?” asked Aidan, looking around.
He was standing in the middle of nowhere, just an empty field, barren and cold. The place was empty, void of any kind of life. The darkness was impenetrable and even the light orbs that Chernobog conjured when they arrived here, were able to illuminate just a small area around them.
“The veil that separates the Dark Nav and the entrance to the Yav where Zmey was imprisoned for thousands of years is the thinnest here,” explained Chernobog. “I’m positive—this is the only place.”
Just as he finished his statement, a gust of cold wind rushed through the field. Aidan opened his second sight and gasped. Even with his magical sight, he could hardly see anything, but the flow of magical energy increased significantly and the energy he was sensing was dark and malevolent. He took in a sharp breath, unsheathing his icy sword.
“The Lord of Chaos is coming,” hissed Morena, excitement in her glacial eyes. She flicked her eyebrow at Aidan. “I like your sword, boy. Looks like something that should belong to me.”
The ground quaked under their feet and with a thunderous bang a giant crack ruptured the field, splitting it in two. A bright yellow light erupted from the fracture, blinding Aidan for a moment. He jumped aside, raising his arm to protect his eyes. The wind grew stronger and the negative energy intensified to the point that it was hard to breathe, crackling in the air like some ominous electrical discharge.
A moment later, the light dimmed down slightly. Aidan lowered his arm and when the white spots stopped dancing in front of his eyes, he saw two women, dressed in long robes, standing at the edge of the glowing fracture. He couldn’t make out their features. The light was reflecting off their skin, making their faces look like shiny white ovals.
A giant serpent with three heads was rising behind them. His body was covered in thick scales. His back was colored in swampy-green shades and his chest was shielded by thick yellowish-green scales. Zmey’s eyes were also yellow with dark red pupils, and they were exuding hatred and malice unlike anything Aidan had seen before. The energy of dark magic he was emanating spread around him like a poisonous gas. Aidan choked, suppressing nausea and staggered back.
Neither Veles nor Chernobog moved, calmly watching their mortal enemy. Voron stepped closer to Morena, unsheathing his sword. She raised her arm irritably, pushing him away.
“Hello, Veles-s-s,” hissed Skiper-Zmey, lowering his enormous heads down to Veles’ level. “I was-s-s hoping to s-s-see you earlier at my welcome party. But you decided to s-s-send that fire-head Semargl and a couple of lizards-s-s in your s-s-stead. Why is-s-s that, old man? Am I not important enough, eh?”
“Oh, no, Zmey. You are important enough, alright,” huffed Veles, the staff in his hands glowing brighter. “This is why we are here now. To make sure you’re sent back in the hole you slithered out from.”
Zmey lowered his head a little closer to Veles, his forked tongues flicked and disappeared. “You reek of fear, Veles-s-s,” hissed Zmey, straightening up. “As well you should, as I will be the death of you.”
“We’ll see about that,” growled Chernobog.
“And who is going to stop me? You, Chernobog? Where is your twin-brother? Where is Perun and where are the brothers Svarozhich? Just the two of you and a little Celtic half-breed? Without Perun, you stand no chance.”
Skiper-Zmey barked laughing and the two women giggled, joining their master. Aidan listened to him, with horror realizing that Zmey was right. Gwyn, Angel, where are you? he thought miserably. You were supposed to be here by now.
“I guess, we’ll have to make do with what we have,” said Cherno
bog, raising his sword.
“Whoa… whoa… Lower your s-s-steel,” hissed Zmey backing away, but all six of his eyes were twinkling with mockery. “I’ll stop you right there, puny god of Destruction. I don’t want to fight either of you. I feel… um… benevolent. It’s like my second birthday today, you know?” The mouths of the three snakes stretched in a semblance of a smile, exposing huge fangs, dripping with a nauseatingly green venom. “S-s-so, to celebrate my s-s-second coming, I wish to gift the three of you your lives. Put away your s-s-swords and bend your knees-s-s. And I’ll even let you rule your own little realms-s-s. Reporting to me that is-s-s, of course.”
The air shimmered around Zmey and a thick black mist enveloped him. He disappeared from view for a split-second. When the mist dissipated, the serpent was gone. A tall man was standing in his place. He was towering at least eight feet tall. He had no hair, and the light was reflecting off his bald head. His eyes, just like the eyes of the serpent, were yellow with vertical slits of dark-red pupils. His hulking body was covered in unusual armor that resembled the scales of a snake and in his hand, he was holding an enormous double-edged battle axe.
He ran his fingers over the slick scales of the armor on his chest and his thin lips stretched into a wolfish grin. His teeth were small, except for two sharp canines that resembled the fangs of a viper. Despite his more or less human appearance, his tongue was forked, flickering in and out of his mouth as he smiled.
“I thought a human-like form would make you more comfortable,” said Zmey, the hissing gone from his voice. “So, what is it going to be, Veles? Are you ready to submit to my rule? Bend your knee and I will leave the Dark Nav in peace.”
Neither Veles nor Chernobog said anything. They didn’t look like they were considering the proposal, but the anger seemed to be choking them.
“Did you forget how to say no, Veles? Repeat after me—N—O. Hell, no!”
Aidan heard a familiar voice and spun around. He saw two men who emerged from the darkness and approached them.
