“What do I do?” Xlina looked at the door, her fear of the unknown welling in her.
“Do what anyone does when lost and afraid,” Oxivius pushed open the door, “Follow your heart.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Well Of Souls
Xlina passed through the door and was blinded by light. She felt the familiar sensation of falling and knew she was crossing the planes of existence. As her eyes cleared, she found herself in a park in downtown Portland. The scent of the harbor danced on the wind, bringing the salty scent of the ocean to her nose. The warm light of the sun felt good on her bare skinned arms as she sat on a park bench.
Children ran whimsically about, darting from swings to slides. Their raucous laughs and cheers a fitting backdrop to a beautiful summer day. The wind shifted slightly, and she could smell the delectable scent of pier fries from the local vendors lining the harbor. A treat of fresh cut potatoes topped with vinegar that was a favorite of the many tourists visiting the harbor. She could taste the delicious treat on her tongue and her mouth watered.
She surveyed the park numbly, vaguely remembering what had brought her here to begin with. It did not matter, for the moment she was free. There were no demons, no infernal game, just her in the warm summer air. The caw of seagulls fighting over scraps drew her attention to the nearby walk where a balding old man in a white t-shirt with matching white Capri pants pushed a broom lazily.
“Weh, is that you?”
The man looked up from his broom and smiled wide with crooked teeth through a wispy white beard. He tipped his head and gave a curt bow before pushing his pile of swept litter to the side. Spinning the broom over his shoulder, he marched like a soldier returning home from the war and crashed down onto the bench next to her.
“Ah pretty girl out on a pretty day,” Weh laughed patting her on the shoulder, “Twice blessed is this old man.”
“Whatever are you doing?”
“Sweeping the walk.” Weh patty his trusty broom.
“But why aren’t you tending your gardens? Why are you here sweeping the park?” Xlina looked at the walk and the small pile of litter Weh had brushed aside.
“A gardener is always tending his garden child,” Weh laughed, shaking his head with an enormous smile. “Why does the sun not shine, bringing nutrients to the blossoming flowers? Does the rain not fall rejuvenating the earth? A gardener is always working, for you see sometimes inaction is the right action.”
“If you say so,” Xlina shrugged, looking back at the small pile of litter, “But why sweep the park?”
“Why not? It needs to be swept.” He answered her plainly, as if it should have been obvious.
“But it’s not your job.”
“Bah, all the children come and play in the park.” Weh raised his hand, waving away her protest. “If the community is not everyone’s responsibility, how then can it be called a community.”
“But it’s someone’s job to do that.”
“Let me tell you about the two brothers,” Weh chuckled, pointing to the walk. “The older brother had many chores but was a lazy person. He accomplished nothing. The younger brother was full of pride and arrogance, but he constantly took the blame for his lazy older brother.”
“And what become of these brothers,” Xlina smirked, looking at the pile of litter.
“Well, the older brother Somebody, never being blamed for failing to do his chores, was just given more and more responsibilities because the entire community knew Somebody would do it. Meanwhile, as the unfinished chores stacked up, and the community suffered the younger sibling, Nobody was blamed as the entire community agreed the problem was Nobody’s fault.”
“Hilarious, Weh,” Xlina rose from the bench and collected the litter in her hands. She looked around, seeing a wastebasket, and dumped the litter in before turning to the old man.
“Now my work is done, and I can return to being a lazy old man.” He laughed and slapped his knee.
“I love these little chats of our Weh,” Xlina crumpled down next to the old man on the bench and took a deep breath.
“So do I, young lotus blossom, so do I,” Weh took a deep breath, absorbing the warm summer breeze.
“I could sit here and enjoy that sun forever,” Xlina sighed, relaxing against the park bench.
“Forever is a long time,” Weh snickered, pointing to the children on the swings. “The child will grow to a man, his children will grow to men, their children after that, and still you will have barely been a blink of the eye to forever.”
“It’s a figure of speech, Weh.” Xlina chuckled, marveling at the innocent youth on the swings. Their carefree play warmed her heart.
“Still, what good is a beautiful day without someone to share it with?”
“Why Weh, you’re somebody.” Xlina bumped his shoulder with her knuckles playfully.
“Yes, but isn’t there something you should be doing? A young lass like yourself, always busy, always in a rush. Life always moving faster than your feet allow.” Weh’s tone grew more serious. She squinted at him, scrunching her face in thought.
“I can’t remember.”
“What brought you to the park today?” Weh prodded, his voice growing stern.
“I honestly can’t say,” Xlina thought hard. She remembered relaxing on the park bench. The warm summer breeze carrying the salty smell of the ocean. “I think I was here to relax. Have a lazy day for a change.”
“The air smells crisp,” Weh lightened in tone and rubbed his belly.
“Yes, the smell of the ocean and the fried foods is making me hungry.”
“Indeed,” Weh laughed, pointing down toward the wharf. “I could go for a stroll on the pier. I think I will try those fries the tourists are so fond of.”
“You should, with vinegar. They are Amber’s favorite.” Xlina nodded, a sudden recollection dawning on her. Her thoughts tumbled in her head.
“Oh Amber,” Weh laughed, then his face grew serious, “Were you supposed to meet someone here at the park.”
“I don’t think so...” Xlina struggled to piece her thoughts together. She was so hungry, and smell of the fried food tantalized her senses.
“I am sure you’ll remember.” Weh patted her on the shoulder and stood. “Oh, well.”
“Well?” Xlina blinked as a memory stirred loose. “Well! I was supposed to meet Amber at a well. I think.”
“Then why are you lazing about the park?” Weh grew firm, his eyes narrowing. She had never seen the gentleman so stern. It was unnerving.
“I’m not... I don’t remember,” Xlina held her hand over her mouth, a sudden confusion settling in. The rich smell of baked apples came on the breeze, and she looked longingly at the pier. “Perhaps if I had just a bite, I could clear my head.”
“Many wonderful temptations in that direction,” Weh pointed to the far end of the park leading away from the waterfront. “That road is the one less traveled.”
“The road less traveled?” Xlina looked at the gate leading from the park. Past the slides and swings. It looked old and run down. Seldom used, it hung on rusted hinges, leading to a narrow alley that cut between two derelict brick buildings. She looked back at the beautiful waterfront. The busy harbor brimmed with activity. The sun bounced off the surf, making the cascading waves glitter with each lazy crash on the shore.
“Less attractive perhaps.” Weh stepped in front of her, obstructing the view of the panoramic waterfront. “But I find the less traveled road allows one better control over their path, as the vegetation has not yet been worn away by the masses. It allows one to choose their own course.”
“Choose,” Xlina nodded, looking at the rusty, ramshackle gate.
“The harbor is well marked with signs and merchants. It offers safety and certainty. It is the path society expects you to take. The path everyone else has chosen for you, Xlina.” Weh place a loving hand on her shoulder. “But is that the path that leads you to Amber... or from her?”
; Xlina shook her head, finding her temples throbbing and aching. Amber. She was doing something more important than enjoying the summer day. She was choosing to save Amber. Xlina’s eye grew wide as she looked around the park once more. Weh was gone. The scent of fried delights on the wind was replaced by the stench of earth and decay. She blinked quickly, her senses confused. She felt cold, damp air despite the scorching sun in the summer sky. She felt cold stone under her feet where she saw the grassy playground.
“Weh? Amber?” Xlina gazed around the park, a sense of fear building in her. What in the nine hells was happening. She had just been standing with Oxivius at the door. The door to the Well of Souls. She closed her eyes, not trusting them, and reached out with her hands in the dark. Cold, damp earth met her touch.
Xlina flung her eyes open, and the park was gone. The panoramic view replaced by a dark and dank underground tomb. She was in the necropolis... or rather below it. She looked about the catacomb in awe. Skeletal remains sat as if contentedly awaiting the afterlife all around her. She scampered from the wall, retreating quickly from the remains as bones fell around her.
“Weh? Amber!” She peered into the gloomy tomb, lit only by phosphorescent lichen growing on long deceased remains. To her right, the path ascended to the cave opening. Jagged stalactites hung around the cave exit, making the opening appear like a massive mouth of rocky fangs. To her left, the path cut deep into stone, leading to an eerie blue light.
No one answered her calls. She was alone. Thoughts of Amber’s soul, loose and vulnerable, rolled in her head. Thousands of horrible possibilities filled her thoughts, and instinctively, she raced deeper into the catacomb. Running to the blue light. Running to Amber. The light drew nearer as she followed the path deep into the earth. At last, she came to a spot where the cave walls opened into a large underground cavern. Blue torches lit the walls and the ghostly spirits hung in the air. A host of the dead just milling about. She moved cautiously through the spirits, careful to avoid contacting the apparitions, who seemed to neither notice nor care about her presence. At the center of the cavern, an old decrepit well of limestone and sandstone construction stood like relic lost to time.
Xlina approached cautiously. She counted hundreds of apparitions milling about in the air aimlessly. The blue light from the torches seemed to entrance the dead as they hovered about like moths to the flame.
“Long has it been since the living visited the realm of the dead,” a strong feminine voice filled the catacomb, echoing off the walls.
“I am Xlina Dar’Karrow. Enough games show yourself,” she called to the host, looking around warily.
“Em hotep,” A shadow emerged before the well as if melting out of the stones themselves. It grew in size and form until it shaped a human silhouette. The shadows then retreated slowly, melting from the top of the head to reveal a beautiful, dark-skinned woman. Her hair, black as the night, hung in long braids down her back with turquoise emblazoned gold fittings at the end. Her brow was adorned in a gold chain with a quarter size deep blue lapis lazuli perfectly placed at the center of her forehead. Her skin was unnaturally flawless, smooth as stone. The shadows retreated, revealing the woman’s torso nude to the waist, covered with ancient hieroglyphic tattoos that shimmered in the dull blue light of the cavern. A solid white pareo wrap-around skirt emblazoned with a green stitched crocodile up the left side covered her lower half. Gold circlets hung on her ankles loosely over her bare feet.
Xlina drew in a breath. The air was bitter. It reeked of thyme and lavender as the woman took form, appearing within the spectral host before her very eyes. As the last of the shadows melted back into the stone, the ebony woman opened her eyes, revealing two yellow reptilian eyes with deep black vertical split pupils.
“Em Hotep, young Baku,” the majestic woman said once more, her voice a resounding echo in the catacomb. “In peace.”
“Who are you?” Xlina cautiously approached. Her track record with otherworldly beings not what one would consider a stellar record. Too often, her impetuous words had landed her in hot water.
“When last I walked your realm, they called me Ammit, the devourer of the dead.” She raised a hand, gesturing to the catacomb. “Long have I slumbered, longer has it been since the living ventured into the underworld.”
“This place, it is a tomb?” Xlina asked, studying the being before her.
“A gateway,” Ammit corrected, focusing her slit eyes on Xlina, sending a shiver down her spine. “A path to the underworld.”
“Where exactly are we?” Xlina stepped closer, moving around a wandering spirit.
“The well of souls, did you not enter the crocodile’s mouth under the sycamore? Know you not where you are? Why have you come to this place, girl?”
“I passed through a door, brandished with a flaming rose, and awoke in an illusion. I have come seeking the cauldron of rebirth, that I may resurrect one close to me.”
“Mortal, you tread in the domain of the gods, like a mouse stealing wheat from the stores under the cat’s watchful eye.” Ammit opened her arms and raised her hands, causing the flames on the torches to surge in bright blue bursts.
“I know what I seek. I have braved angels and demon alike to reach this point.” Xlina clenched her fist at her side. The last thing she needed was another ‘divine,’ entity telling her not to proceed. “I’ll not be judged for trying to set things right, Ammit.”
“That is my role,” Ammit grinned, showing rows of pointed teeth that belied her beauty. “I devour the souls of those deemed unworthy.”
A pit formed in Xlina’s stomach as the thought of the missing Amber being devoured by the being before her flashed in her mind. She steeled her gaze on Ammit. Feeling the creature’s power emanating through the cavern. She was exhausted, her nightmare energy at a barely perceivable low. The many battles of the past days taking their tolls on her. Despite it all, if this thing planned on consuming Amber it would meet the same fate, the same furor, the celestial and infernal had seen. She had come too far to turn back now.
“Have you seen my friend,” Xlina said slowly, each word growing more stern, “Have you seen a wayward soul named Amber?”
“” Ammit relaxed her arms and gestured to the well. “She wandered past while you faced the temptations in the cave. She awaits you in the cauldron.”
“She was worthy, after all?” Xlina tilted her head, a wave of relief washing over her.
“It is not her worthiness being judged,” Ammit settled her hands on her hips and narrowed her reptilian eyes.
“Me then?” Xlina met her steely gaze proudly. “I stand by my choices Ammit.”
“You passed through temptation,” Ammit observed with a haughty tone. “Tell me what you saw?”
“Home, Portland, the waterfront. I sat at peace and content. The joy of a beautiful summer’s day called to me. It dulled my wits. I forgot why I had come and from where. All that mattered was the peaceful bliss that enthralled me.”
“A powerful temptation, the peace in life you craved. How did you resist what you have always wanted?” Ammit eyes narrowed as if she were weighing Xlina’s very soul.
“I almost didn’t, but I saw an old friend who reminded me why I was here.”
“Impossible. The temptation is to be faced alone. You bring only what is in your heart. Your deepest desires. No more, no less.”
“I tell you I saw Weh. He spoke to me and turned me on my way. He too was part of your illusion, was he not?”
“No, the trial is for you and you alone. No spirits, no manifestation of self-conscious. No being celestial or infernal has ever penetrated the veil.” Ammit stomped her foot and clenched her fists at her sides. “With whom were you speaking? I demand an answer. You cheated. Somehow you cheated.”
“Cheated?” Xlina’s face scrunched, and she shook her head dismissively. “How did I cheat on a challenge I didn’t even know existed?”
“Tell me, child, how did you bring help into that sacred space? What ca
used you to choose this path over your deepest desires?”
“You’re wrong, Ammit,” Xlina pointed back at the cave fiercely. “At one time, a normal life may have been my deepest desire. There was certainly a time when I would have run, arms wide open, onto the peaceful path laid before me. But not anymore. I don’t want that life. I never truly wanted that life.”
“What then Baku? What is it your heart desires above all other?”
Xlina’s brow furrowed. The question was profound. What did she want? After everything she had seen, everything she had faced. What was it she truly sought? She had told herself she wanted to be accepted in the Druid order when she was young, yet she did not wish for a life of duty and bondage. She told herself she wanted a normal life, yet when given just that by Valeria, she still hunted her nightmares. She had told herself she did not seek love and relationships, yet she yearned for companionship connecting with Amber and Oxivius. After it all, what was it she wanted?
“Choice,” Xlina answered firmly.
“That is not an answer.” Ammit roared in defiance.
“It’s the only answer, Ammit,” Xlina continued boldly, “Of all the lies I told myself, all the things I thought I wanted. I realize now. What I craved, what I long for... was a choice. I wanted to be the one to choose my destiny. Not the Druids, not my family, not the demon, and not my Baku lineage. I wanted the choice.”
“Petulant child, you flaunt destiny. You flaunt the natural order. You discard everything, merely so you do not have to do as your told?” Ammit’s arm flew in rage as her words spilled forth.
“Don’t you understand, Ammit? Fate and gods, deities and kings? You are but a cosmic gardener. You can plant the seeds, but you cannot choose how they bloom. All you can do is fend off the weeds, provide fertile soil, and hope for the best.”
“Nonsense!”
Dirge of the Dead Page 30
