Secret of the Sunstones, Part 1: The Wanton Kingdom

Chapter XXIII: Ouroboros

Earlmorn of Primoris, Second Day of Autumnmoon

Bram and Kane spelunked their way into another large cavern. By now, the increasing fog created a thick and stifling atmosphere. At the top of the cavern, a tiny beam of light, surrounded by tendrils of steam, filtered in from outside.

The Knight grabbed Kane’s attention. “We’re close, look! A vent to the outside!”

Kane nodded, and the two fanned out in search of an exit. Bram placed his torch on the ground as a reference point and set some markers using luminess from his travel bag. He went along the perimeter, inspecting dark recesses, when he caught sight of movement. He barely noticed it, right at the edge of his periphery.

He spun around. “Kane?”

His friend was nowhere to be found.

The fog off to the side swirled, as if something had passed through. He drew his sword and cautiously retraced his steps.

“Kane!” he called out, louder this time.

The Royal appeared from the mist. “What is it?”

“We’re not alone,” he cautioned. “I’ve seen movement. It’s subtle, but there’s something alive in here.”

Kane readied his spear and stood with his back against Bram’s. The Knight picked up the torch with his free hand, and both men made their way to the cavern’s center.

“I see it, too.” The Royal pointed. “It’s not so much a creature under cover of mist, but rather like the mist itself is moving.”

A disembodied voice echoed throughout the cavern. It was hollow and whispery, but also vaguely feminine. “Outsiders, begone from these mountains … or invite my wrath.”

“Show yourself, demon!” Kane challenged. “We’ll not back down from mere voices.”

“You dare challenge me?” the voice beckoned.

Bram called out to the darkness. “We intend to move forward. Allow us to pass, or face us outright!”

“Foolish outsiders … you have sealed your fate.”

Bram and Kane took a defensive posture, back to back to protect their flanks. The Knight kept his sword poised and ready, but was startled when an ear-piercing shriek emerged from the cavern’s mouth.

“The viscars!”

The two warriors ran back to where they had left their mounts, only to find the lizard-like creatures suspended in mid-air. Around their dead and dangling bodies were coils of mist, which had coalesced into the shape of a giant snake.

“What in Gaia’s name …?” Bram trailed off, unable to explain what he was seeing.

The disembodied voice returned. “Don’t you ever utter the Goddess’ name in vain!”

The coils of mist jerked, launching the dead mounts toward the two warriors. Bram dove out of the way, just in time to avoid getting crushed by the viscar’s massive weight.

His move left him exposed. He scrambled to his feet, expecting his enemy to quickly seize on his flat-footedness. He trusted his instincts and swung his sword, just in time to parry a set of sharp fangs that coalesced from the mist. By the time the blade made contact, it passed right through.

His muscles tensed, and he prepared his enchanted armor. In one fluid motion, he shimmied to the side and leapt high into the air. His quick thinking foiled the mist-creature’s strikes, and by the time he landed, he was in a better position. Squarely in front, the monster hovered high above him. It was made entirely of mist, tinged with a menacing orange from the light of Bram’s torch. Its body shifted. Sometimes certain segments became corporeal, while others remained ethereal.

Bram couldn’t find Kane inside the fog, but he shouted a warning. “The creature can transform between mist and solid forms. If we strike while it’s solid, I think we can hurt it.”

A voice shouted back. “Keep it busy!”

Bram cursed, wondering how long he could stay nimble.

He dashed to the side, just in time to avoid another attack. It advanced again, forming jaws from the mist that snapped before quickly disappearing. Every time Bram struck back, it passed right through. Nevertheless, his sword kept the beast at bay. He hoped Kane had a plan. He just needed to keep the creature distracted for long enough. The serpent was fast, but he was faster. He dived, rolled, dashed, and dodged—a defensive dance that kept his enemy guessing.

The beast changed tactics, becoming more aggressive. Bram switched his own moves to keep up. His sword glided, circled, and swung, as he guided the beast to the cavern’s center. The light was dimmer there, but it offered more space for maneuverability. The Knight stopped in mid-swing, twisted, and changed stance, hoping to take the beast by surprise. Sure enough, his sword found its target, slicing at the serpent’s snout.

Almost immediately, it changed back to mist, but the damage was done. A pool of red coated the cavern floor. Bram was deeply satisfied. His blade’s toxins would slowly dull the creature’s senses, but given its size, the poison needed time to work. In the meantime, danger was imminent. Having received its first taste of pain, the creature disappeared, apparently reassessing its target. Bram felt exposed, without a sense of where his enemy would strike next.

He had left the torch at the other end of the cavern, and the remaining light was too dim to track his foe. He didn’t have a good sense of the shape of the cavern, either. Too many dangers lurked in dark corners. Bubbling vats of boiling water alerted him to their presence, but he couldn’t be sure where they were. One wrong move would mean an early end to the battle. He had thought the cavern’s center offered an advantage, but without enough light, it was more of a hinderance. He shifted his weight to stay nimble, turned constantly, and stayed ready to leap at a moment’s notice. Even so, the element of surprise belonged to his enemy.

Before Bram could react, the mist coalesced, and icy sheets of sleet rained down upon him. It sounded like blades of steel skating atop an iced lake, and it froze the joints of his armor. He struggled to move, but his arms and legs were locked stiff.

Unable to maintain balance, he tumbled over. He twisted, so he could lay face up, but all he could see was the head of the serpent glaring down at him.

“Arrogant outsider,” it spat, bearing sharp white fangs.

Bram raised his arms in a pitiful attempt to block the attack, knowing he had no means of escape.

He expected the serpent to dive straight down, but instead, he heard a loud crunch. Kane’s icy spear protruded from the serpent’s neck, having severed its spine. Rivets of frost flowed from the wound, and the creature’s enormous body fell to the ground with a hollow thud. It took only moments for the body to dissolve into mist, slowly drifting away before disappearing into the foggy cavern.

The Royal ran to Bram’s side and offered him a helping hand.

Bram struggled to stand, so Kane led him to a pool of hot water, where the steam slowly thawed the frozen joints of his armor.

“That was a close one, Friend,” Kane told him with a modest smile.

Bram was relieved, but he returned the look with a wry grin. “Took you long enough.”

He was impressed with Kane’s maneuver. Somehow, the Royal had climbed to the top of a nearby rock, and from the precipice jumped, using the full weight of his body to jam the spear into its target. If the serpent hadn’t been solid at the time, the technique would have failed. Perhaps the creature had let down its guard, but Kane’s timing had also been perfect.

“What was that thing?” Bram asked. “And that voice ….”

Kane shook his head. “I don’t know. But I think I found a way out while I was searching for higher ground.”

Bram allowed his friend to lead him toward the exit. His flesh still stung from the frozen sleet, but the creature was dead, and both warriors were lucky to have survived. Unfortunately, the viscars were also dead, and Bram hoped his decision to travel through the caves hadn’t been in vain. Kane had surely proven his worth in battle, but his side mission had already cost them dearly. Bram was no longer sure the detour was worth the benefit to their camaraderie.

“Wait, what’s this?” Bram saw something on the ground, further down the cavern. He hobbled over to get a better look.

It was a woman, but she was face down and not moving.

“It looks like we found the source of our footsteps,” Kane observed.

Bram bent down to check for life signs. “She’s dead.” He also checked her feet. “These aren’t the same size as the footsteps we found earlier.” He noted her clothes. “She wears the garb of a tribeswoman, but these don’t look like Ashingi. And her hair … it’s white.”

His fingers went unconsciously to his own silvery locks.

“There must be others,” Kane reasoned.

Bram needed to collect his thoughts. Gnostic Knights didn’t jump headlong into danger. “Wait. We need to think this through.”

Kane reacted impatiently, his fingers pointing down the empty cavern. “There might be others, just up ahead. The longer we wait, the harder it’ll be to catch up.”

“This body’s still warm,” Bram argued. “She died only moments ago. But, why? There isn’t a mark on her body. The mist serpent couldn’t have done this.”

Kane cocked his head to the side. “What are you suggesting?”

Bram tried to make sense of it. “You heard the voice, didn’t you? Beasts don’t speak, but that one did. It sounded human.”

Kane raised his brows, looking skeptical. “You don’t think this woman had anything to do with that. The voice sounded … weird. Not quite human. It was more … hollow and echoey.”

“I’ll grant you that,” Bram acknowledged. “But so do voices that sorcerers project into a crowd.” He had heard these projections before. The way it affected tone and pitch was similar.

Kane scoffed. “So you think she’s a sorceress, and she spoke through that snake-thing? You think she was commanding it?”

Bram shook his head. “I don’t know, I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m just saying we should be careful. These tribespeople could be rogue scholars."

Kane’s shoulders sagged. “I guess you’re right. We could be running into a trap.”

Bram thought further. “Still … it doesn’t explain why she’s dead. Unless ….”

Kane no longer sported an attitude. His voice carried severity and weight. “What are you thinking?”

Bram shrugged. “I’m just considering this coincidence. You killed that serpent a few minutes ago, right around the time this tribeswoman died. There might be a connection. Then again … I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense.”

Kane stood straight up. “Then let’s move forward. We’ll go slow and take care.”

“We’re not equipped to battle against rogue scholars,” Bram warned. “But … we can’t just turn tail. If there’s a chance of criminals living here, the honor of the Gnostic Knights and Royal Guard compels us to move forward.”

Kane smiled. “Glad you agree.”

Indeed, it was Bram’s duty, but he was also aware of how complex things had become. He couldn’t return to Angkor, having let rogue scholars roam free without consequence. Except, the dangers were greater now, and Bram had no way to defend against magic. Not even a self-indulgent chancellor at his side to protect him. Meanwhile, his primary objective was tacitly falling to the wayside.

It couldn’t be helped. The worst thing was to sit idle. Having mostly recovered from the serpent’s frigid breath, Bram and Kane proceeded toward the exit.