The Godling Chronicles (Shadow of the Gods, Book #3) (22 page)

“
Slavers do this to them.” Pali's face
burned with fury and disgust. “They destroy their will, and torture
them until they are nothing resembling what they once were.” He
looked hard at Aaliyah. “This is why we protect the humans.” He
turned to the woman. “Look at her. She is so afraid, that she will
not go with us. She fears what will happen to her if she tries to
escape. I've seen this before...far too many times.”

“
Is this true?” Aaliyah asked the
woman. “Will you not let us help you?”

Tears welled in the woman's eyes “Please. I
must obey my master. He wants to know why you're here.” She
anxiously gripped the sides of her long tan skirt, and her light
blue blouse was caked with thick patches of dried blood and
filth.

“
Who is your master?” asked
Gewey.

The woman shook her head nervously.
“Please.”

“
Tell your master that our business is
our own, and none of his affair,” said Pali.

The woman bowed and scurried away.

“
Poor wretch,” Pali muttered, sadly.
“It seems we are expected. What do you suggest?”

“
We have little choice,” said Aaliyah.
“We must continue. They may expect us, but I doubt they are
prepared for us.”

They watched the slave return to the Oasis,
making a note of where she entered. Once she disappeared, they
cautiously followed. Gewey reached out, but his senses were
deflected. The look on Aaliyah's face told him she was faring no
better.

As they neared, the blackness of the Oasis
turned to enormous deep green and thick gray vines. Slick, round
leaves, beaded with the dense humidity, hung low, some touching the
moss-covered ground. Vines and thorns twisted their way through the
branches, wrapping themselves from tree to tree in a never-ending
web. Tiny blue flowers dotted the vines and low branches, their
colors so deep and rich that one had to strain to notice them as
they blended with the leaves. Each flower was cradled by a nest of
black berries no larger than the tip of a child’s finger. High
above the canopy, flocks of jet black birds, of a species Gewey had
never seen, darted and swirled, landing in the tree-tops for a
moment, then taking flight again.

Gewey could taste the moisture in the air in
stark contrast to the arid desert, and the scent of rotting foliage
left a foul taste in his mouth. They checked where they saw the
slave enter the wood, but saw no trail or path. Pali slowly scanned
the area, then with a satisfied smile, pushed his hand against a
patch of brambles. They swung back as if on hinges. Gewey could
make out a narrow trail that disappeared into the blackness.

“
I will lead,” said Aaliyah.

Gewey could feel her drawing in the flow and
reaching out. Her face twisted in frustration and she drew her
daggers. The trail was very narrow, making Gewey's sword all but
useless, as well as Pali's scimitar. He pulled out his small dagger
and followed Aaliyah into the gloom of the Black Oasis.

Though Aaliyah was only a few feet ahead, he
could barely see her; even with his heightened senses. Thankfully
the trail was, for the time being, straight and even. The ground
was covered in thick moss that was nearly as deep as the desert
sand. The impenetrable trees and vines compounded the darkness,
making it impossible to see more than a few inches on either side.
Even the air was thick and humid. Already his clothes were soaked
and his hair hung limp. The few sounds to be heard were the drops
of dew and creaking of trees and the occasional rustle of some
small animal scuttling through the undergrowth.

Aaliyah stopped short, her back stiff and
straight. “Something lurks,” she whispered. The sound of her voice
only barely reached Gewey.

“
What?” asked Gewey.

“
I do not know,” she replied. “But I
can feel something watching us.”

Gewey looked around. He couldn't imagine from
where someone could watch them. The foliage was far too thick for a
man or even an elf to pass through. He closed his eyes and breathed
deeply. Then, as an itch in the small of his back, just where he
couldn't reach, it was there. A presence...watching. He was
reminded of when he was in the Spirit Hills with Dina.

“
Some say, the Black Oasis is alive,”
remarked Pali. “And though I do not possess your skills, I feel
something odd, as well.”

They continued for another half mile. Both
Gewey and Aaliyah's frustrations grew as neither could sense beyond
a few feet, regardless of how much of the flow they allowed to pass
through them. Then they smelled it before they saw it....smoke.
Foul smoke. Ahead they could see the trees thin and open into a
small clearing. The closer they came, the more apparent it was that
this was not a natural clearing. No, this had been carved out by
hand. The perimeter smoldered and in some spots small fires still
burned. The moss on the ground had been trampled flat and at the
far end the trail had been sheered wider. Gewey and Pali put away
their daggers and drew their swords.

“
Whoever was here has clearly fled,”
said Pali.

“
Yes,” agreed Aaliyah. “But
why?”

“
I don't know,” said Pali. “But I'd
wager we'll find out.”

Gewey listened for signs of people, but as
every time he'd tried, his senses reflected back on him. “Well,
whoever they are, there's only one way they could have gone.”

“
Don't be so sure,” said Pali. “If they
can survive this place, they may have learned its
secrets.”

Aaliyah nodded in agreement and cautiously
moved across the clearing. The smoke lingered just above the
ground, and reeked like rotting earth mingled with decaying flesh.
Gewey nearly became ill. As they neared the trail Gewey spotted a
dark lump a few yards away. At first he couldn’t tell what it was,
but then a cold chill sent him shivering when the blood-spattered
face of the slave girl came into view. “Monsters,” he fumed.

“
Indeed,” said Pali.

They dragged the body to the clearing and
covered her with a blanket.

“
We must continue,” said
Aaliyah.

Gewey nodded and said a silent prayer for the
poor creature.

The ground on the trail ahead had been
stripped of all life, leaving only tightly packed black earth. On
either side the trees and vines had been hacked away, making it
wide enough for them to walk abreast.

Aaliyah slowed their pace to a near crawl,
then after about twenty yards stopped altogether. She knelt down
and examined a cut vine on the side of the trail. The second she
touch it she quickly withdrew her hand and shot to her feet.

“
I think I understand,” she whispered.
“And if I am correct, the mystery has deepened.”

“
Correct about what?” asked
Gewey.

“
The Black Oasis is alive,” she replied
darkly.

“
How do you mean?” Gewey bent down and
looked at the vine. It pulsed and throbbed like an open
wound.

“
I mean that the presence we sensed was
not those who reside here,” she explained. “It was the Oasis
itself.” Her face tensed. “And whatever has cut it away must be
strong enough to resist its wrath. This place is powerful...and
angry.” She turned to Pali. “You say that none have returned that
has ventured here?”

“
Not that I know of,” he affirmed. “But
then I know of no elf that has dared the Black Oasis. At least none
have in my lifetime.”

“
If whoever is here is so strong, why
did they flee?” asked Gewey.

“
Perhaps they didn't,” said
Pali.

Aaliyah nodded in agreement. “I think you are
right. I think we are being allowed to go deeper inside.”

“
Maybe we should go back to the
clearing,” Gewey suggested.

“
I do not think that would help,” said
Aaliyah. “We can only go forward, or leave this place.”

“
Assuming we would be allowed to
leave,” muttered Pali.

They continued cautiously for another half
mile. Ahead a dense haze obscured their vision. Gewey reached out
with the flow and tried to move the fog aside, but with no effect.
Aaliyah tried as well, but with the same result.

They entered the mist and Gewey immediately
felt a presence wrap its spirit around him, pressing in on his
mind. He was only just able to keep it out and stumbled, gasping
from the effort. Aaliyah placed one hand on his shoulder and wiped
the tiny beads of sweat from his forehead.

He held out his hand and steadied himself.
“I'm fine.” He looked into Aaliyah's eyes. “Did it try to reach
you?”

“
No,” she replied softly. “What did it
feel like?”

Gewey thought about the first time Lee had
entered his mind. “It was as if someone wanted to force its way
inside me. I was only barely able to keep it out.”

Aaliyah furled her brow. “It is good you had
the strength. Though it could be useful to know what is out
there.”

“
Should I allow it in?” asked Gewey.
The idea worried him.

“
No,” she replied. “The risk is too
great. But let me know if it happens again.”

The fog only allowed them to see a couple of
feet ahead, and was several degrees colder. After a few hundred
yards, it began to thin, to Gewey's great relief, though the chill
remained even when the air was clear. The light that crept in from
the widening of the trail, allowed Gewey to see the true color of
the Oasis. In contrast to the dark green of the exterior, the
leaves were a rich vibrant mixture of green, pale blue, and
delicate lines of bright yellow. The trunks were smooth and without
blemish, as if polished by skilled hands. Even the vines and
brambles were less sinister in appearance, flowing in an elegant
weave of life and symmetry.

One-hundred yards ahead, they saw a narrow
black stone archway the height of two men. Symbols of the nine Gods
had been carved across the face and inlaid with pure gold. Just
beyond the archway, the ground had been paved with smooth red
marble, veined in green and blue, and polished to a mirror shine.
The moment they passed beneath the arch, the forest on either side
melted away like wax in a fire. In its place was a series of white
marble columns the same height as the archway, connected by small
arches of blood-red volcanic glass. To the left and right of the
columns, the ground became a meadow of soft turf scattered with
tiny yellow and purple flowers. It extended for one-hundred feet
then was reclaimed by the dense trees and vines. The sun beamed
down illuminating the glass arches, causing tiny rays of red light
to shoot out in every direction. At the end of the path stood a
forty-foot pyramid of polished bronze. The sides were smooth, and
the top was crowned with a blue crystal. At its base, a shallow
arched corridor of black marble, led to a silver door with the nine
Gods were etched in a circle at its center.

“
What is this place?” gasped
Pali.

“
It is a temple built to house the
tools of the Gods,” explained Aaliyah. “I have read of its
existence, but had never thought I would see it for
myself.”

Gewey shifted uneasily. “We still haven't
seen whoever is in here, and it looks as if this is as far as we
can go. So where are they?”

“
Perhaps they await us beyond the
door,” suggested Pali.

“
I suppose there's only one thing to do
then,” said Gewey. He strode down the path until he stood in front
of the door, grabbed the small silver knob and turned. Aaliyah and
Pali stood, weapons drawn, just behind him.

Gewey pushed the door open without a sound.
Just inside a narrow passage led to a stone staircase leading down
into the earth. The walls were covered with bronze plates that gave
off a faint light similar to the glowing globes of the elves. As
Gewey stepped inside, the glow became brighter, and extended down
the walls of the staircase. They descended for about thirty feet to
another long hall that ended with a dull gray stone wall.

“
A dead end?” asked Pali.

Aaliyah examined it carefully. The stone was
rough and uneven, in stark contrast to everything else, and tiny
quartz crystals were embedded throughout. She reached out and
gently ran her index finger over the stone, then pressed her palm
flat against it. She stood there silent and still for a full
minute.

“
There must be another way,” said
Gewey.

“
Did you see one?” asked Aaliyah,
irritably.

Gewey reached over her shoulder and touched
the wall. There was a bright flash of white light. When it was
gone, so was the wall. In its place was another silver door. They
all stood in amazement.

Aaliyah reached for the door, but Gewey
grabbed her wrist. “Don't.”

“
What is it?” she asked.

Gewey put his back to the door. “I don't know
how, but I know it is meant for me.” He placed his hand on the
door, feeling the cold metal. He could feel the pulse of the flow
everywhere, calling to him. “Don't you feel it?”

Aaliyah touch his shoulder and let her spirit
flow toward his. She could feel the power calling to Gewey. But it
was different. It was not the abstract raw power she molded to her
will. This had form and...consciousness. She gasped and snatched
back her hand. “It knows you.”

“
Yes,” Gewey affirmed. “I don't know
how, but it does. I can almost hear its thoughts.”

“
Hear whose thoughts?” asked
Pali.

“
The temple,” Gewey replied. “It speaks
to me. From here I must go alone. It won't allow you to
enter.”