《The Cursewright's Vow》Chapter 13: Leaving Munazyr, Part 6
Advertisement
Denisius and Vos made better time than expected -- not least because Vos felt the need for haggling had passed if they were to give the appearance of a desperate and cowardly noble -- and they made their way back to the old temple with about an hour to spare before sunset. Three boys not much older than Casimir strained to haul their provisions. All were innocent of the Swiftfoot mark. Denisius had expected to see it everywhere, but no one even seemed interested in them, except for the Butcherstreet salesmen hawking their goods and a few fortune tellers who promised to relieve them of but a few silvers in exchange for all the secrets of the gods. The Prideful Lioness was still closed, although a single light burned on the uppermost floor, presumably Madame Laurette mourning another night's lost business. Guardsmen patrolled the Old Godsway, but the bloodstains from Lena's murder were long gone, trampled into the dust by the day's traffic.
Casimir met them at the front doors. The boy was dressed in a heavy traveling cloak and carried a lantern. "Come on," he whispered to them, closing the door behind them once the delivery boys, looking rather intimidated by the looming temple ruin, had dropped off the provisions. The cursewright's apprentice passed his hand over certain panels and reliefs, just as Ammas had instructed him to do to re-seal the wards.
The old temple was cast in shadows. All the lamps and fires had been doused, and there was a forlorn air to the place that made Denisius uneasy. The only light to be seen besides Casimir's lamp was a pale, wavering illumination rising from behind the altar. It seemed almost magical, although not in a way either man found especially comforting. Once the sun had set the temple would be totally shrouded in darkness. Casimir walked ahead of them, leading them with the lamp to the area behind the altar. A stair descended into a lit chamber. Shadows broke through the light. Barthim the Beast was climbing the stair.
Advertisement
"Our provisions!" he exclaimed happily. "You and I will be doing much of the carrying, Lord Marhollow. But wait. Ammas is coming to speak with you."
The cursewright was indeed following the enormous bouncer, now fully clad in his cursewright regalia. Casimir's lamplight glittered off the charms on his hat and shoulders. He clapped Denisius and Vos both on the shoulders, smiling in a way both men found hard to believe. Not unlike Carala, Lord Marhollow found himself wondering if all cursewrights had been slightly mad.
"Just in time. We'll be leaving before sunset. Let's see what you've got for our journey." As he strode down the center of the temple, Casimir following close at hand with the lantern, Ammas spoke rapidly. "When I settled in this temple, I did so for many reasons. I had known it as a boy. Its location is amenable to my particular gifts. The city and the priesthood of the Graces had no interest in it, but the city preferred it to be a place of business rather than a den of criminals or beggars, however gray that business might be. But there was a more important consideration than any of these: I knew, someday, I might need an escape route."
Vos and Denisius stared at him.
Ammas smiled knowingly, his eyes glittering. "The catacombs beneath the altar are extensive. They served this temple for centuries. And they connect to the old city sewers, ruined cellars, long-lost streets. If one knows the way, one may follow the places beneath all the way to regions far beyond the city walls. We'll leave Munazyr right under these wolves' noses, and be miles away before they even know we're gone."
"Do you actually know these ruins well enough to lead us there?" Vos sounded incredulous.
Advertisement
Ammas nodded. "I've mapped out a goodly portion of them. Far from all, but enough to get us to an abandoned monastery in the Chalk Hills. I won't lie: this is not a completely safe route, and there will be dangers along the way."
"I'm worried about the grave-leeches," Casimir said in a voice that hinted this was the latest line in a familiar argument.
"Oh, Cass!" Denisius smiled, though he looked a trifle pale himself. "You don't have to worry about that. Grave-leeches are nothing but a myth."
Casimir and Ammas exchanged a look. Denisius tried not to feel insulted by the way the boy shook his head. "Grave-leeches or otherwise, Lord Marhollow, there are dangers, and so I give you one last opportunity to depart Munazyr. I see no shame in such a choice, so long as you contact the Throne as I've asked."
"I see shame in it," Denisius said with a touch of mulishness. "I care as much about Carala as you do, Ammas. More, I should think."
Ammas's smile faded to be replaced by a look of admiration. "Well said, Lord Marhollow. Now come. We've a long and unlit journey ahead of us."
Hoisting the provisions onto their backs -- everyone was carrying some, even Casimir and Carala, who had emerged from the catacomb toward the end of this conversation -- the group descended the stair. Ammas took up the silver cage containing the airy spirit and placed it at the top of a stout walking stick that leaned against one of the catacomb walls. Leading them, Casimir at his side, Vos and Barthim at the rear, and Denisius and Carala between them, Ammas strode into the dark hall that led to the main body of the catacombs. Some of the niches in this section were still occupied, and Casimir shuddered every now and then to see a grinning skull, or a decrepit casket that had decayed to the point of the shrouded form within becoming exposed.
Eventually the spirit's light was no longer visible from the stair as they descended further, drowning the chancel in utter darkness. As the sun set over Munazyr, the temple shadows deepened, until it was so dark and lonesome that it might have been a ruin that had stood empty on the Old Godsway for centuries. When the Prideful Lioness finally reopened, the few patrons who had never been there before thought exactly that, and when the girls they hired for the night told them a cursewright had kept shop there until a few days ago, no one believed them at all.
Advertisement
Convergence of Fates
After being rescued by an Assurian scientist, Fenicia Kranicar wakes up panicked, afraid and very angry. Her plans to escape must be put on hold when she learns that dangerous mercenaries are about to attack the space station she is on. The half Assurian-Saryan female will soon discover things about herself that she would never have guessed. Will the knowledge of her new powers and where they came from be enough to save her? Warning : COF contains violence, trespassing, bad language, multiple references to various matters of fandom, questionable interrogation tactics, kidnapping, arguable murder, justifiable murder, filthy murder, assault and battery, abuse of authority, destruction of private property, disorderly conduct, dismemberment, and an uncomfortably sexy mother. Cover commissioned by Jackiefelixart
8 203The Traveling Musician
A man, a laptop, and the opportunity of a lifetime. To recreate himself in his ideal image. However, he is given a limit of 10,000 creation points to do so. Discovering that it was possible to change his race from a human to a god, the man decides to do just that. However, the cost to become a god wasn't a cheap, costing 15,000 creation points, more than he was allowed to spend. Finding a workaround, the man was able to change his race into that of the powerful beings that are gods. However, unlike what he had in mind, he finds out that he is not the powerful deity he believed himself to be. Instead, he has nearly all the characterstics of a common man, outside of his divine talent for music. And it is divine, for he became the god of music, and must now rely on his divine talents to survive and navigate a new world...
8 135The Black Fortress Academy
Quinn is the most disliked human and necromancer in all of Cinder. Or at least it feels that way when she's pushed so far north she has to make a living hunting the animals in the mysterious and feared North Forest. When bounty hunters force her to cross the border into Rainon she meets Meyron the Black, the definitely insane former professor of necromancy from the Academy of Mages. But she's been pushed out too, and together they're going to look for the five rejected necromancer applicants she fished out of the headmaster's wastebin. Together they will build the foundation of the Black Fortress Academy.
8 201Faceless Phantom
A man had given up his real life. He was one of many NEETs who wished to change their life. A new popular virtual reality game, Heallance, was released. He intended to become a new person inside the game. Thus, he promised to himself that he would never log out. And he was reborn as a player named Zeroth. Throwing his real life away, Zeroth's new life in artificial world has begun. Note: English is my third language, so my vocabulary is limited and my grammar may not be good. There's no proof reader too. Please leave any critics or advice for me. I'll try my best to improve. Well, I hope you will enjoy my story!
8 197The Puppy Project
"Give me my puppy!" I demanded, my eyes ablazed with fiery anger."Correction, it's not your puppy. It's our puppy," He smiled, but it was anything but sweet nor happy."You know what? Damn you! You're nothing but a cold, emotionless, and heartless bad boy!" I sneered, glaring at him fiercely.He chuckled at my words, taking a step closer to me. He slammed his hand unto the wall, trapping me, before leaning in close. "You got that right sweetheart but I think you got one thing wrong." He said, his eyes piercing straight into mine."And what is that?" I managed to asked, my throat seeming to get drier the more he looked at me."I'm neither one of those when I'm with you," and with those words, slammed his lips into mine.#1 in Strong-Female Character - 1/29/21#1 in Sarcasm - 2/4/21#2 in BadBoy - 2/13/21#3 in Teen Fiction - 2/13/21#1 in Mysterious - 3/4/21Copyrighted 2017. All rights Reserved.
8 144Pain (Discontinued)
(Discontinued)Izuku Uzumaki Midoriya, A 14 year old boy who has went through more Pain then anyone elseMother- Beaten to deathFather- Burned slowly Sister- Throat Slit and left to bleedHaving experienced pain in every shape and form...Izuku at a young age learnt the horrors of life and now he wishes to create a world that will not knowPAINWarnings:DeathBloodGoreSucidal ThoughtsSwearing/cursing
8 78