18! Enjoy the read!

Chapter 18: An Uneasy Decision

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The forest was eerily quiet the further they went in, except for the sound of metal clanging against metal. The soldiers following them were making quite a ruckus, though it was unavoidable since it was impossible to move silently in full armour. To make it worse, the ground was littered with dried leaves and twigs, preventing even those in lighter clothing from making noise. This couldn’t be helped; the route they were taking was off the beaten path, which made sense since the Cult wouldn’t build their headquarters in plain sight of the main roads. Lukas seemed distant as he walked alongside them, a frown on his face.

“He’s probably just overwhelmed by the situation…” Draygor guessed. He hoped this wouldn’t cause his relationship with his grandfather to sour.

“Will we be there soon?” Lah’ra asked nervously. They had been walking for nearly two hours, and each step simply made her more nervous. “I hope there’s no trouble ahead…”

“We’re close,” Kha’na replied. “Usually, strangers wouldn’t be allowed within a half-hour’s distance without… consequences. I don’t think there’ll be any problems though, not since master worked his magick.”

“They’ve had three years to rebuild, lest you forget. We should be more careful,” Lukas suddenly spoke up as he scanned their surroundings, as he had been doing for a while now. Lah’ra had told him scant details about the truth of Draygor’s disappearance as they walked, and the soldier in him had taken over.

“And they certainly know we’re coming. Don’t you agree, Stefan?” Lukas added sarcastically, turning to glance at the Royal Advisor and his retinue of soldiers. The gentle incline of the forest floor had become steeper as they moved along, and the sound of breathing added to the noise that was already disturbing the peace of the forest.

“Tell me something I don’t already know, Lukas,” Stefan said, glaring back at Lukas. “Besides, my men are capable enough to deal with any threats.”

“Of course, of course…” Lukas smiled, holding back the urge to laugh at Stefan’s confidence in the soldiers. They were indubitably the best of the best in the country, yet they had been subdued by Draygor so easily. The soldiers that had moved to apprehend Draygor before shot nervous glances at one another at Stefan’s words, though the rest still retained most of their confidence. Draygor was simply an abnormality, they rationalised.

“Halt. We’re here,” Draygor announced as Kha’na raised a fist to signal a stop. “There. See that rock?” Kha’na continued, pointing out a small rock that seemed out of place amongst its surroundings. It was smooth and free of moss, and it sat among a cluster of green, moss-covered rocks.

Draygor nodded as he saw it. She didn’t need to say anymore. He could sense the faint use of magick in the air. Lukas had realised it too; those who could manipulate mana were often sensitive to its use as well. “Illusions…” Both Draygor and Lukas spoke aloud, as if to confirm that the same thoughts were running through their minds. Clearly, illusion magicks had been infused into the rock, to conceal the entrance of the Cult’s headquarters.

“Kha’na, grandfather, let’s go take a look. Royal Advisor, you come too. The rest of you, wait here and protect the High Priestess,” Draygor said and the soldiers followed his instructions, as if it was the natural thing to do. Lah’ra’s safety was paramount because of her position, and especially since she was a non-combatant. While Stefan held a very important position as well, he had been the best of his cohort in the warrior academy, and there was less worry about his ability to defend himself.

The four of them made their way over to the rock carefully. “This illusion spell… is pretty simple…” Draygor observed, picking up the rock to observe it closer. For the headquarters of a formerly huge cult, it felt extremely lacklustre. There was a little diagram carved onto the bottom of it. It wasn’t too complicated – just a circle with a few lines running through it. Lukas mirrored his observations, nodding his head in agreement. “I can’t cast it myself, but from my understanding, it’s merely an intermediate spell that illusion mages learn early on.”

“Mhm. There are two ways to get around an illusion spell of this kind. One, simply destroying the object in question,” Draygor pointed to the rock in his hand, “or two, we speak a keyword or phrase that will deactivate it momentarily, allowing us to pass. I’m sure grandfather here will be able to blow it up easily, though that might trigger a trap of some kind. An illusion mage would be a moron if he didn’t prepare for such a situation.”

Lukas gave a peculiar look at Draygor. “You’ve been reading up, haven’t you?” he asked redundantly. Draygor gave a knowing smile in return. “I’ll tell you everything later, grandpa.”

He imagined the truth would help Lukas to understand him more, and clear some of the older man’s doubts. Of course, if Lukas reacted negatively, Draygor could always tweak his mind to accept it, though that would be the very last resort. It was an excruciating experience for one during the process of altering one’s memories, and Draygor didn’t want to put his family through such pain if he could help it.

“So? How will we go about it? We don’t know the keywords, do we?” Stefan asked with a frown, glancing at Kha’na.

“That’s where my companion comes in. I’m sure you’ve had your suspicions, Royal Advisor, about my companion’s identity. Lah’ra did tell you that she was the one who had saved me, but she didn’t mention the fact that Kha’na is a former member of the Cult. To be precise, she was the Mouth of Shaitan. Due to certain circumstances, she’s my… subordinate now. I’m sure you know what that means,” Draygor explained, passing the small rock to Kha’na. Lukas balked at the revelation of Kha’na’s true identity, while Stefan gave a stiff nod of acknowledgement.

“I suspected as much, though I didn’t expect her to have held such a high position in the Cult’s hierarchy. We will have a long talk after this, young man. Whether or not the Cult is truly dissolved, all of this involves the country’s safety,” Stefan reasoned.

“Fine,” concurred Draygor. “Now, Kha’na. Will you please do the honours?”

“Of course, master,” Lukas simply stared wide-eyed as Kha’na referred to Draygor as such, still unable to believe that his grandson had gotten such a servant.

“I give my life to Shaitan, He Who Takes Lives. May he reign forever,” Kha’na whispered, closing her eyes in reverence. As soon as the last word left her lips, a cave entrance shimmered into view, just a few meters away from their position. It wasn’t too big, just a little over 2 meters high, and about three times as wide – just enough for a few people to enter side by side at once. Replacing the rock back to its original position, the four of them moved toward the cave entrance, peering into it.

“My eyes can barely pierce the darkness…” Stefan noted, unable to see further than a meter or two into the mouth of the cave.

“It will be much too troublesome to bring all the soldiers in at once, Royal Advisor. I suggest that we head in with at most… half of your men. It would be a good idea to leave some above ground to secure an exit,” Draygor said as he studied the entrance of the cave, looking out for any abnormalities or traps.

“The more I think about this, the more it feels like a trap,” glared Stefan accusingly, “but, I will trust you, for now. I do hope you remember my promise just now; if there is any threat of treason, I will execute you. If I have to, I’ll damn well take you out with me.”

“I still don’t appreciate your threats, old man. You’re just wasting your breath,” Draygor retorted, tired of Stefan’s apparent lack of trust. “You’ll see that I can be trusted soon enough. Let’s go.”

With a loud harrumph, Stefan turned back to the soldiers. “High Priestess, we’re moving! The first half of you, come along as well. The rest are to stand guard around the perimeter. Make yourselves hidden. If we do not return in an hour, you are to assume that we’ve been compromised. Do what is necessary then.”

“Right. My grandfather and I, along with Kha’na, will lead the way. Lah’ra, Royal Advisor, I suggest that the both of you follow right behind us. The rest can file in after that,” Draygor said. With a thought, a ball of flame materialised in his left hand, and he raised it to illuminate the darkness of the cave. Everyone else gasped in surprise at his actions.

“A second field of magick?!” Lukas thought, his mind reeling. Clearly, his thoughts were mirrored by the rest, other than those who already knew. “No wonder the soldiers were so easily subdued. My grandson’s a genius,” he muttered proudly under his breath.

“Grandfather? Would you mind helping as well?”

“Hmm? Oh yes, of course,” Lukas conjured a small ball of flame in his hand as well, further pushing back the darkness of the cave.

With that, the small party entered the entrance of the headquarters of the Cult of Shaitan, led by a child, a young woman, and an old man.

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“Our guest has arrived,” a hooded figure reported.

“Indeed he has. Finally, the day has come for us to return what we owe. Begin the chants! It would be rude of us not to greet our esteemed guest with the utmost courtesy. In fact, send out a… welcoming party as well. Ensure that they are well prepared,” another hooded figure cackled in reply, rubbing his hands together with glee as ominous chanting filled the air.

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The cave wormed its way deeper into the ground. The walls were smooth, and the ground was pleasant to walk on. It was clearly man-made, and not naturally forming. As they journeyed deeper into it, the gentle decline began to level out, and its interior began to widen out. Every sound they made echoed deep into the cave – the sound of their footsteps, their breathing, and of the movement of men clad in steel. They were able to see quite clearly thanks to Draygor’s and Lukas’ efforts, though there wasn’t much to see.

“Wait. Stop,” Lukas hissed through his teeth, raising his free hand to signal the rest to stop. “We’ve come to an intersection.”

The cave tunnel had widened out considerably now; certainly enough to fit the rest of the soldiers. Probably enough to fit at least three times the size of their retinue, by Draygor’s rough estimations. From their position, there were four tunnels, heading in different directions. “Which way do we go now?”

“Makes sense…” Draygor thought as he observed the size of the cave silently. The ritual chamber itself had been able to hold nearly a thousand people, as he had witnessed during his sacrificial ceremony. After a moment of thought, he asked. “Kha’na, where would the survivors most likely be, if they stayed?”

“Hmm… at this time of day? They should be at the ritual chamber, master. We usually give praise to He Who Takes Lives at this time, before we carry on our other activities. It would be the second path from the right, master,” Kha’na replied softly, raising a hand to point out the tunnel she was referring to.

“Where do the others lead?” Stefan asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

“The furthermost left tunnel leads to the dormitories, whereas the one next to it leads to the kitchens. The furthest on the right leads to the training caves,” Kha’na huffed, still unhappy at Stefan’s attitude toward Draygor.

“I see. Alright, the five of you! Stand guard here and apprehend anyone that appears. Use deadly force if necessary. We’ll go ahead and inspect the ritual chamber – ” Stefan whispered his orders, pointing out five of the soldiers.

“Wait! Did you hear that?” Lah’ra suddenly spoke up, her eyes wide in fear, interrupting Stefan.

“What? What are you talking about, High Priestess – ”

“Silence, you old fool!” Again, Stefan was interrupted, this time by Lukas.

The group stood still, straining their ears to catch whatever the High Priestess had heard. A shiver ran down their spines as, after a few moments, monotonous chanting echoed softly from the tunnel heading toward the ritual chamber.

“Weird… isn’t that a chant of – ” Kha’na mumbled quietly, before she was cut off by Lukas.

“Who goes there? Reveal yourselves!” Lukas called out sharply, his gaze focused in their intended direction. At the same time, the ball of flame in his hand grew in size and intensity, illuminating their surroundings even more. All of the group turned to look in the direction of Lukas’ call, and immediately, Stefan and his soldiers drew their weapons.

The light had revealed the silhouettes of three figures, approaching them from the tunnel of the ritual chamber.

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“I agree with the motion!”

“Nobody cares what you think, Hare!”

“What? How dare you?! I’m one of us, and I’m entitled to an opinion! This decision will decide our fate!”

“You may be one of us, but you are the weakest! Is that not why you’re always hiding behind Bear?”

“Why you – Bearrrrr, Shaitan’s bullying me again!”

“Quiet down!” Mhi’ra snapped, raising a hand – covered in white scales – to call for silence. “We do not have time for this nonsense! With every second we waste, the Abyss grows stronger. Everyone here knows what the consequences will be when it reaches its full strength. It is embedded in all our consciousness, even if we have never experienced its terror before. And I don’t think that any of us wants to see the day that the Abyss runs free again.”

“Now, let us discuss this systematically. Gaea, what do you think?” Mhi’ra continued, turning toward the figure seated beside her. The figure was Gaea, goddess of the dryads, the second most senior amongst them.

“Thank you, Mhi’ra. I think that deep down, all of us know that even with our strengths combined, we cannot face the Abyss without him. It is simply the will of nature. Therefore, I agree that we should aid him fully, for unless we do, he has no chance of beating the Abyss either,” Gaea gently intoned in a soothing, singsong voice.

“Thank you, Gaea. Now, Shaitan… what is your argument?” Mhi’ra turned to her fellow god with a sigh.

“I don’t disagree with Gaea’s argument, my dear Mhi’ra,” Shaitan replied with a smirk. “I simply think that it is too early for us to take action. I, for one, am not willing to stake my existence on someone who cannot even remember who he is. Even if we aid him directly, it is not within our power to restore what has been lost. He has to find the truth to his existence before I will decide to give my strength to the cause, because even if he regains his power, it will be for naught unless he recalls the laws of this universe. That is my argument.”

Uneasy murmurs began to spread through the throng of gods as Shaitan concluded his argument, with many nodding their heads in agreement with his assessment of the situation.

“Are there any other arguments? Bear? Mechanicus?” Mhi’ra asked, raised her hand again to silence the crowd. “None. Very well. Let us take a vote to decide on our course of action, then. All those in favour of Shaitan’s argument, raise your hands.”

A majority of the gods gave loud murmurs of assent, raising their hands as they glanced at one another nervously. They were nervous at the Abyss’ awakening, but like Shaitan, they weren’t willing to rely on someone who they couldn’t depend on as of yet.

“It is decided. The majority has voted in favour of Shaitan’s argument, and thus, we will wait to take action. The meeting is dismissed. We will hold another when the time is right, and let us pray that the Abyss will be slow to rise,” Mhi’ra announced solemnly as the gods slowly faded from view to return to their own domains.

“I hope you are right, Shaitan, and that it will not be too late by the time we deign to interfere,” she added under her breath.