Chapter 28. The Temple Guardian
The following day saw Solvienne and Retta leaving the ognod town. Solvienne had refrained from telling Retta that she had transport that could take them swiftly to the temple in the mountains and save them the many days travel on foot. Solvienne hoped that JDC kept a close eye on things using the imagery sensing devices on board the Leviathan so that he could follow them but also stay out of sight at high altitude. Until that is they were far enough away to allow them to embark onto the Leviathan in secrecy without arousing suspicion amongst the ognods.
They left the town behind and passed through the agricultural plain that surrounded it. They then started to climb into the mountains proper. Thin snow drifts started to appear in the shaded parts of the landscape, probably this snow was semi-permanent all year round in these pockets where the temperature stayed at freezing or just below because the sun’s rays never penetrated into the shades to melt the snow and ice. As they rose higher these areas of snow became larger and a more common feature of the landscape. Eventually they hit the permanent snowline and the ground upon which their feet fell was covered in thick ice and snow. Their passage took them up a steep snowy incline for some fifty metres or so and the trees stopped altogether; the permanent snow here Solvienne guessed at being several metres thick. The going got tougher as Retta steered their passage around deep crevasses and areas that she did not like the look of, Solvienne was thankful for Retta’s experience and skill.
They continued to travel towards the higher mountains. After they had been walking for a number of hours they stopped for a rest. Solvienne decided to explain to Retta what she had planned. She looked around at the bright blue, cloudless sky she was beginning to doubt whether JDC and the Leviathan were still in the region, but sure enough as if her thoughts had willed it, the big machine came into view at last. At first Retta didn’t seem to notice, only after Solvienne pointed out the presence of the machine high above them did she look up and stare. She seemed to be deep in thought, an inner turmoil showed upon her expression, almost a recognition it seemed to Solvienne.
“You have seen one of these machines before Retta?”
Retta continued to stare at the Leviathan above them until Solvienne gently reached up and touched her forearm. Retta turned slowly and looked down at Solvienne and fixing her gaze upon her said, “y, T’Iea one, once many ages ago, I saw such a machine as this.” She seemed to anger and clench her fists. “A machine that heralded the full treachery of your race T’Iea one.”
Solvienne felt her heart skip a beat, what did Retta mean the treachery of her race.
Retta seemed to calm, she was obviously having some difficulty getting her emotions back under control. She tried to start speaking a couple of times but her anger prevented the formation of legible words.
Solvienne felt herself cowering a little, she was aware that over her back Retta carried the most enormous two-handed broad sword. She could feel the anger in Retta. Such anger, such hatred and malice, it felt like a wall between them. Solvienne thought if this was a common emotional outburst amongst the ognods, even when under a semblance of control, then how terrible in battle they must have been. No wonder the world shuddered when they pitched their onslaught from the north.
“Once long ago,” started Retta, “my people had an alliance with your evil brethren, the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran. But what you don’t know perhaps is that the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran had such a machine as this.” She raised her eyes and nodded her head at the descending Leviathan machine. “Once before the machine came we were allies, we fought together for a common goal. But when the machine came the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran thought themselves better, stronger than the ognods. They made demands upon our leader, my father. Demands that he refused to entertain. So they flew away in their great machine. We thought it just an argument between allies, we thought that they would not harbour grievances against us, but we were wrong. As they flew away they fired weapons upon the women and children working in the fields beyond our walls, many perished. The T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran cowards would not fight our warriors, they chose to vent their anger on the unarmed, those who could not fight back and even if they could, then none would be able to win against these great machines of death. My father could not speak for many days, his grief at our loss and anger towards the T’Iea were too great.”
Solvienne stared at the ground beneath her feet. “I’m sorry Retta, I did not know any of this history, I’m sorry that my bringing the Leviathan here has opened old memories of great tragedy.” Solvienne was starting to understand how her elder sister felt about the great machine of destruction. How she felt that its presence in the world was tantamount to the greatest of evils. She had to agree that the world was most probably a much better place without it.
But the machine had descended to almost ground level, the hatch in the bottom of the hull opened and the spiral stairway twisted its way out and down to ground level. Retta just stared at it, a grim expression upon her face. But she seemed to come to terms with some inner thought and she walked forward and placed her foot upon the first rung of the stairs and started to climb. No mean feat, for her size was somewhat larger than the entrance had been designed to accommodate.
After struggling for a while JDC spoke through the external speakers, “wait let me open the doors on the underside, the loading doors for the Startmektoken, there is more room.” They watched as one of the great doors in the belly of the machine opened downwards. Retta took one look at the rows of dormant Startmektoken soldiers and immediately drew her great sword from the scabbard across her back. She hissed in an alarming way.
“It’s alright Retta, they are dormant, sleeping. They will not attack.” But it took several minutes to get Retta to give up her defensive stance and agree to enter through the belly of the machine. Solvienne entered that way to, perhaps to give Retta the confidence that the Startmektoken would not suddenly spring into to life and attack them, perhaps to share in any indignity that Retta perhaps felt at not being able to enter the machine via the normal route.
Once on board and away from the large bays that held the Startmektoken, Retta seemed to take an interest in the vessel, Solvienne hoped it was a healthy interest and not the beginnings of a plan of any sorts. Her imagination went wild around how Retta may be thinking about revenge upon the T’Iea, or thoughts of limitless offensive power in her grasp, for Solvienne was in no doubt that Retta could quite easily overpower her and JDC and take the machine if she so wished. There was not a lot that Solvienne and JDC could do to stop a determined angry ognod, even a female one. But Solvienne relaxed a little as Retta explored the control desks and took a great interest in the operation of the machine rather than its offensive capability.
“Retta,” Solvienne decided to ask the question upon her mind. “You say that the ognods hated the T’Iea for what the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran had done. Yet my mother and her companions and even myself where accepted into your presence whereas if we were hated so much surely we would have been killed on sight?”
Retta continued to stare down at the navigation desk. But she said, “you have to thank my father for that. He was leader to our people, but he was also the keeper of the Book of Truths. He knew the book well and he knew of the stories within. One story predicts the coming of many different peoples, representatives of all the elder races, who would join once more as they did in ancient times, in the common goal to save the world from destruction. It was one of his favourite stories and he studied it many times. Eventually he ordered the ognods to immediately allow entrance for any such groups. None came however until your mother and her company. As for you, well, following the acts of your mother and the others, a degree of trust was once more returned to the T’Iea by my people at least to the T’Iea of the west. I doubt the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran would enjoy the same treatment, but then it is difficult for us to distinguish between those who harbour good will in their hearts and those T’Iea who are subject to
more evil ways, you all look the same to us. You must think us barbaric Solvienne, yes we are prone to volatile anger and great extremes of emotion, but that is just our way. Our ancestors lived in a harsh land, many things sought our demise, we have grown into a race of survivors. At one time we viewed any intrusion by man, beast or natural causes, even other ognod clans, as a great threat to be stopped quickly and effectively. Hence the way you were treated on your arrival, although I hope that was more out of adherence to tradition than any suspicion. We are a selfish race Solvienne, but also proud and we are still in a process of change, but change we must if we are to survive on this world, for our numbers grow less with the passing of the ages. My people are dying out Solvienne, something must be done to save them.” She looked up from the desk and stared long and hard at Solvienne. “I believe that the T’Iea and the other races have the knowledge to help us. Many ages ago I would have demanded such action from you as payment for the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran’s hateful act. But now I hope you find it within your hearts to help us without fear or forceful action.”
Solvienne nodded her head and was trying to think of something in response to Retta’s words.
But Retta did not wait for a response, she stood and went over to JDC who was sitting at the master control desk. “We head north master Pnook. The journey would have taken many days on foot, the way would have been long, a torturous route circling around the great mountains.” She looked down at the control desk and then added, “but it is not far across the mountains as the eagle flies. I will guide you for I know the landscape here well enough.”
After a few hours of flying across the high peaks of the Smòlt Erûûn, Retta asked that JDC bring the Leviathan down to a lower altitude. This meant some very deft flying on his part to move between the vertical walls of rock to either side of them. They came across a number of hidden valleys, Retta was forced to inspect each closely for even though she knew the area well, she had never seen it from above only from ground level. But eventually Retta became quite excited they hovered in front of a hidden valley that Retta said she was sure at the end of which the temple stood. Solvienne knew that they had to keep the machine and its power a secret as much as possible so she suggested that they land and walk the remainder of the way. Retta shrugged, it obviously did not matter to her either way, she just said that the temple was most probably empty as there were no ceremonies at this time of year so the only people there would be the temple guard. But Solvienne did not want the risk of the Leviathan finding its way into the hands of the ognods. However much she trusted Retta, at the end of the day she was an ognod first.
They stepped down onto the snow, it was knee deep for Solvienne, but her boots kept the chill and wet from her feet and she also had the presence of mind to put on some leather leggings beneath her dress. Retta had also retrieved a fur lined cloak, tailored specifically to Solvienne’s size, she said it was a gift from her people. All this additional clothing served Solvienne well keeping the cold and chill from her bones.
Now they were alone in the silent snowy landscape. Solvienne thought grimly that the Leviathan had left them all too soon, as she watched as her breath formed clouds of crystals that slowly descended to the ground in the heavy frozen air. She also noticed that she had a little light dizziness and a shortness of breath, a result of the verified air this high up in the mountains no doubt. They trudged forward, it was easier for Solvienne to follow Retta for the ognod had no difficulty in walking through the snow, indeed she cleared a path that made the going much easier for Solvienne. But to her relief the valley narrowed as they progressed along it and the snow became gradually less deep, the narrowing valley walls obviously kept the falling snow away from this place. It was only the odd snow sliding down from the steep valley sides that put any snow onto this part of the valley floor. They walked in silence and the steepness either side kept out any wind, there was nothing else down here to create a sound of any kind. It was quite eerie to listen to absolutely nothing.
They walked onward up the gently sloping valley until Solvienne could make out man-made structures in the snow. Square blocks of snow and ice had been fashioned into buildings, but most had no roofs. Someone with some skill and probably a sense of humour had made several carvings of terrible looking beasts. Some looked like giant wolves with shaggy manes of thick fir, others stood three or four metres tall upon their hind legs, they looked more docile but each forearm ended in terrible looking hooked claws. Another popular ice sculpture was of an enormous cat-like creature that had fifty centimetre long fangs hanging down from either side of its upper jaw. By far the largest though was an enormous bulky looking animal that dwarfed all the others. It possessed a large domed head bedecked with two enormous ears. Two lengthy curving tusks extended forward and where the nose should have been there was an equally long muscular looking proboscis that ended in two large nostrils.
“Do not fear them Solvienne they do not live, they are just statues of snow and ice. Most of the year this place sees little use and the temple guards have to relieve their boredom somehow.” Retta laughed. “They are beasts from where the ognod’s originated from. I said before if you remember that it was a harsh world did I not?”
Solvienne shivered at the thought of stepping outside her house every day and having to face such terrifying wild life.
But soon they stood in front of the temple. It seemed to come upon them suddenly, as if appearing out of nowhere. The façade of the temple was obviously carved out of the rock at the valley head; the toil that must have gone into undertaking this task must have been immense. As they approached the façade, Solvienne gasped to see heavy doors barring their way forward, she looked up for they towered over her. The doors appeared to have a wooden frame yet set within the frame were large roughly square slabs of rock each about the same height as Retta. The square slabs had ornate carvings upon them, not for the first time was Solvienne captivated by the artistic ability of the ognods, for there was a recognisable style in the carvings that replicated quite accurately the styles of artwork that Solvienne had seen all around the ognod city.
High above them upon the apex of the doorframe a single block of stone had been laid. The carving set within it was of the ognod city similar to the wall hanging in Retta’s room, there above which lay what Retta had described as heaven or perhaps the depiction of the ancient father’s fabled star ship. As before it dwarfed the city below, the star set within it shone its rays downwards.
Retta was looking around her, she grunted a low guttural sound deep in her throat as if she discarded some inner thought. She slid her great sword slowly out from the scabbard that hung diagonally across her back.
Solvienne watched the action feeling a little anxious at the prospect of the ognod wielding a sword before her, especially as she could see no reason for the sword being drawn, she subconsciously took a few steps back.
Retta took the sword and hefted the blade point down with one swift movement that belying the weight of the blade.
Solvienne flinched.
But Retta walked forward looking down as if she sort something upon the giant flag stones beneath their feet. Occasionally bending down to wipe away thin layers of snow and ice, Retta grunted again in satisfaction and set the point of her great sword into a small slit between two vast flag stones to one side of the great doors. With a sudden thrust she forced the blade into the slot half way up to the hilt. She then pulled the blade backwards towards her like a great mechanical lever. The great blade still rang like a bell as she removed her hand from where it was set. She then stood back waiting. After a few seconds a slow grinding noise started up. This increased in volume until it became a constant whirring, suddenly with a loud thud the two great doors moved. The edges where the two doors had joined suddenly cracked open and then stopped again but as the whirring continued the doors started to swing outwards once more upon their hidden hinges. As the crack in the door widened another noise could be heard, the noise of heavy cha
ins running along something and the squeak of mechanical devices rotating. They waited for the doors to open fully and then Retta peered into the gloomy interior as if expecting something, or perhaps someone, she frowned when nothing appeared. She retrieved the sword from where it was set and instead of placing it back into its scabbard she held it at the ready in both of her huge hands. She indicated that they should enter.
Through the door Solvienne could see that either side two great pits were revealed, or maybe it was one pit and they strode across a sort of stone bridge. Solvienne’s moved to one side to look into one of the pits. A heavy black chain went through the stone wall above the doors along a heavy looking wooden gantry and then over a pulley wheel. It then went vertically down into the pit and disappeared from view in the darkness that lay below. Solvienne assumed this was part of the door mechanism she had heard earlier. But her attention was taken by Retta grunting, almost growling. It sounded like the brown bears that sometimes wandered beneath her home in the great wood.
Solvienne looked around her after following Retta over the bridge between the two pits. Light from outside shone into the interior of the temple illuminating the inside immediately in front of them. Their dim grey shadows were long and cast out in front of them. Retta was looking suspiciously about. When Solvienne followed her gaze she was surprised to see that the inside of the temple was in complete disarray. Dust and debris covered the floor and the air she breathed was bone dry and laden with the aroma of the decay of ages. Smashed statues and other carved pieces of stone now unrecognisable as to their original design littered the place. Retta seemed disturbed by all of this, she was looking around as if expecting something to be there, her eyes searched rapidly around the walls and as she looked up towards the ceiling high above them.
“Something is not right here.” Retta was now looking around an expression of deep concern and suspicion on her face. “There should be a Temple Guard, they should have seen our approach, heard the doors open. They should have come to investigate.” She cast her eyes around the rubble. “All of this was once statues and furniture, people worshipped the Maker here.”
“Is this the only room in the temple?” Asked Solvienne.
“No, this is but the entrance chamber, this place was used to receive guests and worshippers through the doors we entered.” She took one more look around but nothing obvious could be seen so she sniffed, lowered her sword slightly and said, “the main temple hall lies beyond,” Retta nodded toward the rear of the room in which they stood.
Solvienne stared in the direction indicated; she thought she could just make out a further doorway in the rear wall through the gloom. It appeared blacker against the black of the gloom so Solvienne assumed that the doors lay open.
Retta headed slowly in this direction, Solvienne followed several steps behind. Retta had the great sword and was advancing holding it in a defensive posture.
As they neared the further doorway, Retta held up one hand to halt them both. Solvienne could see that the great doors that must have hung there at one time were both shattered and hung from the hinges or what was left of them. The wood of the doors looked like some great hammer had smashed them open. The force used must have been considerable, far greater than that actually needed to open the doors normally. The large iron locking mechanism was completely smashed, hanging from one door, even the part of the mechanism that should have been mounted in the other door was flung clear across the room such was the impact that separated the doors and then broke them from their hinges. It looked although something with great strength had forced the doors open from within and burst them into the room in which they stood. Solvienne wondered at this then she exhaled and held her hand over her mouth for looking at the hinges and the doors it was little wonder the doors were destroyed to such a degree, for they should have opened inwards into the main temple chamber, not outwards into this entrance hall.
Solvienne shivered.
Retta studied the metal work closely. “These doors have been battered to pieces, they must have been locked and forced open by something of great strength or some immense force.” She walked forward and climbed over the debris that littered the floor and stood on the threshold.
Solvienne came and stood by her side. She could see that they stood upon a pile of rubble. Splintered wood stuck out from lumps of rock, the remains of great bricks. When Solvienne looked up she realised that as well as the doors being smashed the massive lintel that must have stood above them had also been smashed in two. With the lintel gone a good part of the brickwork above the door had fallen to the floor below, this must have made up a large percentage of the pile of rubble over which they now scrambled. “Other ognods?” She asked in a whisper.
Retta shook her head, “no. I fear not, even the strongest of our warriors wielding the heaviest of war hammers could not have done this much damage. These doors were designed and made to withstand the onslaught of other unfriendly ognod clans. I am sure given the time ognods could have battered down these doors, but to have so completely smashed them into firewood like this? No, this is not the work of other ognods. Anyway whatever came through came from the inside out, not from the outside in.”
Solvienne followed Retta into the next room. The first thing she noticed was that everything that was in this room had, similarly to the entrance hall, been smashed into small pieces and flung up against the four walls. It seemed that whatever had done this was intent of destroying everything systematically so that it was unrecognisable; there was evil intent here that was for sure. Stone, wood and the occasional glint of some metal objects where dumped along the base of the walls where they had fallen, the floor area in the middle of the room was clear of anything that may have once been there. The only thing that remained was a layer of fine dust that had obviously settled following whatever catastrophe had occurred. Retta had walked over to one wall, she ran her fingers down several deep parallel gashes that ran vertically down the stone of the wall.
They both walked further into the room.
Solvienne shivered once again and drew her arms tightly about her. In an effort to lift her mood she asked, “so where then is the Rift Retta?”
Retta was looking around the room, her eyes darted this way and that, “what? Oh, it is hidden beyond, there is a false wall, there.” She walked forward and started to scrutinise one of the walls of the room. She ran her hands over the walls surface, until she came to an area that looked much the same as the rest of the wall to Solvienne. But Retta pushed firmly upon this area of wall and a click sounded, followed by a low grinding noise. They both turned looking behind them from where the noises where coming from. A section of wall had moved backwards and was now sliding to one side revealing a darkened area. Suddenly there was a loud crack, like the noise of a massive whip, this made Solvienne jump. This was followed by a repeated knocking noise; dust fell from the ceiling of the place. The repeated knocking seemed to increase in pitch until there was an ear splitting crunch and the false wall moved no further. Retta and Solvienne moved to the gap where the wall had moved away. Utter darkness lay beyond.
Retta grunted something and reached down to her side, she removed something from a pouch on her belt. It appeared to be a small glass vile, or flask. “Let us have some light to see by.” She held the glass vile in front of her and thrust her hand through the gap into the darkness beyond. Almost immediately a dull yellowish glow started to emanate from the glass vile. It was not bright, but it was enough to show some of the area beyond.
Retta stepped through; she inspected something to one side of the doors. “This mechanism has been forced, look how the metal work of the lever system has been bent.”
Solvienne took Retta’s lead she followed where Retta was pointing. She could see a thick metal spar attached to the door. There were teeth on the spar and a metal cog about two metres in diameter ran in these teeth. Some of the spar was perfectly shaped but as it got further from the door Solvienne could see that it became severely
bent. The bend in the spar was jammed hard within the mounting of the cogwheel. But what surprised Solvienne was that the spar looked like it had been twisted and as it was several centimetres thick whatever had twisted it must have applied great force. Solvienne hesitated for a moment, she had a distinctly bad feeling about this place, ever since the wall had partially slid back until the mechanism that drove it failed, she had this feeling of dread arise within her, some inner sense was now screaming at her to turn and go back, not to follow Retta into this dark forbidding place.
As if reading Solvienne’s thoughts Retta squared her shoulders with determination and said, “come,” there is nothing to fear here.” She walked forward, but Solvienne noticed she held her sword high once again as if to ward of an impending blow. She explained, “ahead there is a winding corridor, then a long hall leading to a wooden door that will open and reveal the chamber in which lies the Rift.”
Solvienne swallowed hard and stepped through into the gloom behind the figure of the large ognodess. She found that indeed they walked down a winding corridor, Retta explained that the design was one of defence, the narrowness and corners making it easy for a few to fight off any attackers. After several bends where Retta edged forward and peered carefully beyond, they found themselves in a wide stone corridor. Either side, rough-hewn stone blocks lined the walls and arched up overhead presumably joining together far above them beyond where the meagre light from the globe could reach. Solvienne also noticed that if they stood in the centre of the passage they could not see either wall. Retta moved slightly back to one side so that one wall could be seen to give them a datum point, something they could follow, otherwise it felt like they moved through a large black space.
They moved cautiously forward all the while looking around them. It was obvious that this place was not as carefully made as the rest of the temple outside, more a functional place, not meant to be seen or travelled regularly perhaps. The light that Retta held only shone for about two or three metres around them, Solvienne turned and realised that it also only shone a similar distance behind and already the gap through which they passed had disappeared into the darkening space that surrounded them. It was as if they stood and moved in a bubble of light, the only reference point remained the dimly lit section of wall to one side that they followed.
Retta explained, “we stand in the Hall of the Acolytes. Many of the temple faithful gathered here, those with the faith, those who wished to go through the Rift, to enter heaven or to whatever lay beyond.”
Solvienne wanted to ask more about these so called acolytes and where it was they expected to go once they entered the Rift, but she felt so unnerved about this place she remained silent. She jumped and ducked, waved her hand across the side of her face, she thought she felt a current of warm air there, she was sure that was what tickled the side of her face. She moved closer to Retta for it felt like someone or something had breathed upon her, exhaling a soft warm breath upon her face. She shivered. Retta was moving in front, Solvienne glimpsed something fall between them, when she reached the point she saw a small puddle of clear liquid upon the stone floor, it was quite thick as it spread slowly outwards under its own weight. Retta had moved on whilst Solvienne stood inspecting the sticky mess, she looked up and quickly moved to catch Retta up. As she walked she couldn’t help noticing further puddles of the same liquid seemed to follow along behind Retta. Solvienne caught up with the ognod just as a glob of the liquid fell from somewhere above and splashed onto the floor immediately behind her. But before she could say anything, something ahead caught Solvienne’s eye, a faint reflection off something metallic. She squinted into the darkness. Her eyesight was obviously better than Retta’s for Retta asked what it was that had caught her attention.
Solvienne looked, what she looked at she was sure she had seen before, back in the ognod city, many of the soldiers wore such things. “It looks like armour, a breastplate, I think there is someone, perhaps a soldier ahead of us.”
They moved slowly forward with renewed confidence. As they approached they saw that four large figures stood to attention in a line abreast. Each figure must have been almost six or seven metres tall; Solvienne thought that if these were ognods then they were far taller than any others she had seen so far. Retta suddenly said something, a greeting perhaps in her own guttural language, but a response was not forthcoming, the four armoured figures just visible in the dim light didn’t even move.
Solvienne reached up and caught hold of Retta’s arm and pulled her up short. “I’m not sure about this Retta?”
“They wear the armour of the temple guard, but why are they here and not guarding the entrance to the temple?” Retta then raised her voice and spoke her own language once more, this time it sounded like a command or an order. The response was the same as before, no voice or movement, no acknowledgement was forthcoming.
Solvienne again felt the movement of warm moist air upon her forehead. This time it was definite and it carried a fowl smell. She looked up, but nothing could be seen beyond where the light shone. But she felt sure she had heard a scrapping sound and a light fall of dust fell into her eyes, she looked down and rubbed them to remove the grit just as another drip of liquid splashed onto the floor between her and Retta. Retta had seen this one and she walked over to ware it was pooling upon the floor and bending poked at it with her finger. She brought the finger to her nose and sniffed the liquid. She curled her nostrils and stood once more holding the light globe as high as possible obviously trying to see above them, but the light did not penetrate to the ceiling high above.
Solvienne whispered nervously, “what is it?”
Retta just shook her head and turned back to where the soldiers stood to attention.
Retta moved closer, Solvienne was fearful and she was just about to say something to Retta when all of a sudden Retta herself issued a sound of alarm. Almost a shocked response and she stood still. Solvienne came to stand beside her and suddenly realised why there was no response from the soldiers. Solvienne covered her mouth to stifle a cry; she thought she might scream in fact. For there in front of them indeed stood four ognod guards, immediately behind them was a vast wooden door. But these ognods towered above her, she looked down and realised that their boots did not touch the floor but hung a good distance above the stone slabs. She looked down once more; beneath the feet of each soldier upon the stone floor was a mess of dried blood and a pile of what looked like the dried offal left behind after a butcher had exercised his skills upon a slaughtered beast. She tore her gaze from this awful spectacle and looked up at the four ognod guards, the reason they appeared taller was that they had been lifted high and each had been pierced through the chest with his or her own weapon and pinned upon the wooden door so that their feet dangled high above the stone slabs. One had lost a boot, a foot hung there out of the bottom of his leggings, bloody bone showed through what remained of the dry dark flesh. The door behind was stained dark with their dried blood. Solvienne looked high into the faces of the ognod guards, their empty eye sockets stared down at her, three grotesque smiling faces with the characteristic large canine teeth set into the bottom jaw. The last of the ognods had no lower jaw, and his lower face had been completely smashed. Another was missing an arm, a shattered bone stuck out from the shoulder, Solvienne gasped and cried out as she recognised that the arm had been wrenched apart and rammed into the mouth of its unfortunate owner as if something had tried to force him to devour it. She dragged her eyes away from the appalling spectacle. She looked once more at the hilts of the swords penetrating each great chest. The force of the weapons being plunged into each of the large chests had bent the metal armour inwards into a deep dent before it had fractured allowing the weapons to pass right through each body and then penetrated deep into the wood of the doors beyond. Below the breastplates long terrible gashes appeared in each exposed belly, great slices through the flesh spilling their innards and other vital organs out onto the floor below. But each slice was not
clean like that made by a sharp blade, these gashes were ragged as if some clawed beast had ripped them open, reached inwards and pulled everything out.
“Who, what, could have done such a thing?” Cried Solvienne, her voice shaking almost uncontrollably. “Were they attacked by other ognods?”
“Retta sighed, “no I think not, even my races strongest warriors would not be able to do such a thing I fear. Some other nameless malice has done this.” She started to look around nervously. Just then a definite scrapping sound came from above them, it was the same sound that Solvienne had thought she had heard before, but there was no mistaking it this time. Retta grasped Solvienne’s hand and moved them slowly backwards. The scraping sound followed them as if something was moving across the ceiling high above them, more dust fell down.
“Come,” said Retta not taking her eyes from staring into the darkness above them. Let us go back the way we came.” She gently urged Solvienne to walk back down the long hall. They got about half way back when a deep rumbling sound was heard from behind, followed by another. Solvienne’s blood ran cold, the noise was like a reverberating growl, she was reminded of some of the vicious looking beasts carved from the snow and ice outside. This second sound was then immediately followed by a loud thud; something very large had landed heavily upon the stone floor of the chamber. There was a low warbling growl that could be felt in the very soul chilling it to ice. This was soon followed by the sound of claws upon rock. A breeze, a slow movement of air flowed around the two women, it was warm and made them gag, the breeze carried upon it the smell of rotting things, of ages-old stale things, it seemed to waft around them, completely enveloping them in its foulness. It was the unmistakable stench of death, absolute and final. They stood transfixed looking into the darkness. They wanted to run, but some morbid fascination held them, wanting to find out what it was that approached them. Solvienne gasped as movement could just be seen at the edge of their bubble of light. Suddenly from high above a vision of horror looked down at them. A wide open mouth full of terrifyingly sabre-like teeth, so long were these teeth that it was probably impossible for the dark bony lips beyond to close fully around them, so that they were set into a permanent grotesque smile. A black forked tongue snaked out from between the teeth and reached down to within half a metre of where they stood, it flicked around in front of their faces for a few seconds dripping pungent smelling saliva before being withdrawn once again above. The creature obviously moved forward for more of the head came into view as did a huge clawed hand which was slammed into the stone floor obviously to counterbalance the weight of the creature’s huge head moving forward and downward. The claws dug deep into the stone slabs of the floor, chips of stone splintered away as the point of each claw dug into the rock. Two small eyes were set into the side of the head, deep red with darkened vertically slit pupils. The pupil of the nearest eye closed and opened as it adjusted to the dim light emanating from Retta’s glass vile. From what they could see of the creatures skin it looked like the scales of a reptile, yet in places tufts of wiry hair could also be seen sprouting from between the scaly plates. Whatever this creature was, it scrutinised them with evil malice. The very air around them seemed to shrink back in fear of the beast. Solvienne had never seen or heard of such a beast, it could not be a creature of this world. The creature screamed once more, both Retta and Solvienne had to cover their ears, they were spattered in vile spittle it stung their skin where it landed.
“RUN.” It was Retta that shouted, Solvienne didn’t need much encouragement, her muscles switched back on, the adrenalin flowed and filled her mouth with its pungent metallic flavour. She turned and sprinted back along the hall. An ear splitting scream sound behind them and then the sound of those enormous claws digging into the stone floor. Solvienne was expecting to be bitten in two by that mouth full of sabres, but every step she took seemed to relieve her of this thought. But never the less she could sense the great bulk of the creature following. They ran from the Hall of the Acolytes into the much narrower winding corridor and rounded the first bend. Relief flooded their thoughts. But they did not stop for they heard quite clearly the sound of the creature slamming into the entrance way to this narrower space. It followed them. Yet it did not seem to move as fast as she would have expected. All of a sudden she realised that in fact the creature was too large to navigate this long winding chamber with ease. Thank the Maker she thought for the architect of this place.
Both Retta and Solvienne ran from the winding corridor out into the temple hall beyond the hidden door. They came into the dim light of the room and stood there panting.
“We cannot linger, come,” said Retta.
They ran on and moved through further out into the room. No sooner had they reached the far wall where the smashed doors lay when a massive clawed hand and a sinewy forearm shot through the half closed opening through which they had just passed. The hand groped around searching to grasp them. They moved back further into the temple. The hand repeatedly picked up various pieces of debris from about the room and as it realised that these things were not the soft flesh that it sort it threw them with great force against the walls. Stones exploded into sharp shards that ricocheted about the room. The hand was withdrawn from the room, but closely followed by something smashing hard against the half open stone door. Dust and rock fell from the ceiling as the door was smashed repeatedly from the other side. Then a crack appeared in the wall to one side and each massive blow on the wall widened the crack until it was apparent that a much larger opening was about to be made. The two women ducked from the flying debris and ran from the room back out into temple entrance hall through the smashed doors. They didn’t stop but ran back outside into the snowy landscape. Retta quickly reinserted her sword into the slot as she had done when she opened the temple doors and pushed upon it. The whirring sound of the mechanism could be heard. The two great doors started to close. Retta withdrew her sword and as they ran from the temple across the snow they heard a loud crash of falling masonry, the creature had obviously burst through and was once more on their heels. They heard a scream of triumph as it found it was back on the hunt once more.
Solvienne slipped and fell into the snow, she was quickly hauled back to her feat. She looked around, the noises of pursuit sounded behind her though the still closing doors, the sound was getting ever nearer. It would only be seconds now before the creature burst out into the open and they would have to face it. Solvienne prayed that the doors would close, sealing the beast once more inside the temple. Retta gazed around trying to find somewhere to conceal them. But all that was around here was snow, odd boulders, the statues and walls carved from snow blocks none of which would hide them for long. But never the less she grabbed Solvienne’s hand and made for the nearest roofless building. They both collapsed into a seated position behind the nearest wall just as the boom of the doors closing sounded behind them. Both women breathed a sigh of relief. They sat there panting for some minutes before they rose and looked up into the sky hoping to see the Leviathan machine swoop down. The Leviathan was nowhere to be seen. Solvienne’s heart faltered as she realised that rescue was not imminent.
But her attention was taken by a great rumble and crash of falling masonry, they felt the very ground beneath their feet vibrate, they both started in fear. Another series of crashes was followed by the sound of splintering rock. Solvienne risked a look around the boulder behind which they hid. There behind them, just outside the temple entrance, shaking pieces of rock from itself was the most horrifying beast Solvienne could ever imagine. Now that she could see all of it, she realised it looked like a monstrous deformed but muscular man, covered in scales and course hair. Clawed hands far too large for the arms slowly flexed open and closed as they were held either side of the great beast. On the ends of its thick set muscular legs it had large feet of four toes each ending in a lethal looking scythe-like claw. It seemed to rise up upon these toes and what Solvienne thought to be reversed knee joints were in fact a
nkles; the knees were normal but further up the leg. She could now see the creature walking around on its toes, the powerful legs ready to spring forward as soon as it caught sight of its prey.
But it was the creatures head that shocked Solvienne the most, at least ten metres above them the creature looked down and around. Its facial features where the thing of nightmares. The head was nothing like a man’s, for a start it seemed scaly. The mouth protruded from the face in a short snout and was indeed lined with many long sharp teeth. The eyes were set into the forward part of the head and slightly to the sides. The forehead sloped sharply back and the head itself was long, it extended beyond the neck and was coloured in dark reds and blacks like some hideous crest. The muscles that moved the powerful lower jaw could be seen clearly beneath the creature's skin, they ran back and were connected under the skin about halfway along the elongated skull. Solvienne was transfixed by the movement beneath the scaly skin as the creature flexed its hideous jaws open and closed. It was salivating, large globules of thick sticky looking liquid ran from its lower lip and dripped onto the rock path beneath it. Its tongue flicked about tasting the air, then it slowly turned and looked directly in the direction they had run.
Solvienne stared, rooted to the spot. Only when the creature screamed again and started after them did they move and run, but each knew it was useless for the creature would be upon them in seconds. Solvienne’s muscles felt weak, the adrenalin rush was over and now she felt like she had run out of energy, a tingling sensation filled her legs, they would not respond as she wanted them to, her feet felt like lead weights. The creature screamed again and they felt the vibrations in the snow and rock beneath their feet as it pounded along after them. Its prey was now in full view, it expected victory in moments. Solvienne sobbed and fell to the ground, Retta turned, a snarl on her lips and her great broad sword held up in front of her. There was a movement of air and Retta ducked just as a great clawed hand passed slightly above her head, she stabbed wildly as it went by and caught the creature a glancing blow with her blade. The creature screamed. It brought the same hand back again and caught Retta a huge blow. She was knocked off her feet and sent sprawling into the snow some metres away. Now the creature looked down to where Solvienne lay, it made some warbling guttural noise and pierced her with its evil gaze cocking its head to one side. Somehow the feeling in her legs returned, she stood and ran.
The sky above her went dark for a few seconds and Solvienne dared to hope that the Leviathan machine and JDC had returned to offer them aid. But when she looked up she was dismayed for it was the creature that pursued her. It had bounded over her head and now landed in front of her. It crashed to the ground on all fours, snow and ice exploded where it landed. It turned and screamed at her, the sound was deafening, she smelt the warm foulness of its breath once more. Solvienne tried to turn but she was slipping on thick ice just beneath the snow covering the ground. She fell once more onto her knees, she tried to stand but found she could not, her muscles were shaking uncontrollably, fear had gripped her in its icy hold. The creature raised itself up to its full height and screamed at her once more. The sky went dark once again; Solvienne closed her eyes thinking that it was the enormous clawed hand coming down to crush her and then to rip her apart. She prepared herself for the inevitable death to come she asked the Maker for swift end to it.
Solvienne covered her ears, she couldn’t hear the scream that she emitted from her mouth it was lost to the creature above her screaming in rage. It moved away from her and day light again reached down to where she lay, she looked up, Retta a bloody mess running down the side of her face had struck the creature in the leg, her sword was buried in its flesh at the ankle joint up to the hilt. Retta then twisted the sword and pushed with all her might, the weapon cut through the flesh and the sinew that lay just below the surface. Blood gushed from the wound as the ankle joint collapsed and the creature fell onto its knee. The monster turned to catch sight of its tormentor; it raised a clawed hand and again went to strike Retta. Solvienne was saddened for she knew there was no way even an ognod could survive a second blow like that, she turned her face away not wanting to witness the terrible act to come, she was recalling the spectacle of the temple guards, or what was left of them. But there came another sound, also deafening, but a rattling, metallic clanking sound. Solvienne looked up, the creature reeled backwards holding its chest. Many little red spots now covered the left hand side of its body. It screamed again and Solvienne turned and lay on her back in the mud and snow. There now above them was the Leviathan machine, it hung there broadside on. She saw flashes of light along the hull and again heard the deafening rattling roar. The creature screamed again. It bent its remaining muscular leg and sprang high into the air. It bounded high over them, running towards this new enemy, there was a loud snapping sound and the now useless ankle trailed behind as the creature seemed to happily run on the upper part of the ankle joint. Solvienne was appalled at the shear hatred and intensity of revenge that the creature must be feeling to overcome the pain from its wound. Before JDC could take any evasive manoeuvres the creature leapt and grabbed the promenade deck railing with one clawed hand. Its rear legs dangled down, the damaged ankle swinging around on what remained of the flesh and skin that surrounded the broken joint. It took a couple of seconds for the Leviathan to right itself and come to terms with the additional weight it now carried. The creature started to tear at the Leviathans underside with its remaining clawed foot. But the Leviathan was constructed of some hard alloy and although the creature marked its surface it looked more like it scrapped dust and dirt from the metal of the machine rather than cutting into the hull.
Suddenly frustrated at this unsuccessful effort the creature sort another tactic. It rocked back and forth obviously trying to disrupt the Leviathan’s flight and sort perhaps to crash its tormentor to the ground. But the Leviathan although it began to rock with the creature’s weight seemed to be able to compensate within seconds for the rocking movement stopped. The creature reached up with its other arm and grasping the hull went to try and heave itself up onto the top of the machine. Its clawed foot also caught on the side promenade deck of the machine and with this purchase the creature managed to climb upwards. Suddenly a portal opened in the side of the Leviathan to the left of the creature and a short round tube protruded alongside the midriff of the beast as it climbed. JDC obviously made a violent manoeuvre for the bow of the machine dipped at an absurd angle. The creature momentarily lost its grip and seemed to slide down the hull of the Leviathan. Its body slid over the small aperture where the tube showed. Immediately there was a loud retort and a flash of light. The creature screamed and as they looked up something burst through the back of the creature, roughly where its shoulder blade must have been. Its skin seemed to bulge outwards and burst, clumps of flesh and a rain of blood burst out from the creature’s back and came cascading down upon the ground around Solvienne and Retta. Then the creature screamed again and must have lost its grip for it fell from the Leviathan, one arm trailed at a horrible angle, obviously now useless and broken at the shoulder. It seemed to fall in slow motion towards the ground. It hit the snow and rock with a bone shattering crash and lay still, but the jaws still worked, opening and closing. Its eye focussed upon Solvienne, she saw unbelievable malice within that stare, it hit her like a blow to the chest and she sat heavily upon the snow. The creature rolled over onto its good arm and started to raise itself up from the ground, but before it could do so two further energy bursts from the Leviathans energy cannons exploded on the creature’s form and more blood and gore rained down around the two women. The creature cried out in its agony and frustration, then all that issued from the beast was a long drawn out escape of breath as its lungs exhaled for the last time. The eye kept staring at Solvienne as it dulled, the iris slowly closed and then all life and energy snuffed out.
Solvienne collapsed back upon the ground and cried tears of relief. Retta frowned, one eye was completely closed a
nd the side of her face looked in need of some serious medical aid. But she walked over to the fallen beast and retrieved her sword from where it lay. She cleaned the blade carefully in the snow before placing it back into the scabbard on her back. She stared up at the Leviathan machine as it descended down towards them.
Solvienne felt a lot better after having a shower in the Leviathan’s decontamination chamber, she had retrieved fresh clothing and even enjoyed a small meal. She walked out from the galley and joined Retta and JDC in the main control room. She went up to Retta and was relieved to see that although she sported a closed and blackened eye, the blood was cleaned from her face and she didn’t look half as bad as when Solvienne saw her earlier. She sported several neat stitches along her cheek. JDC had made a good job at cleaning her up. He left them together saying that he needed to clean up the medical room of the Leviathan.
Retta watched him go. She didn’t say a word, but Solvienne thought that Retta looked upon the receding Amndo with a deep suspicion.
Solvienne mentally shrugged this off, another question needed answers. “What was that thing? That, that creature?”
Retta looked up, “a creature of pure evil, not of this world. But a thing of malice from the voids I suspect.”
“The voids? But why was it here? Why was it in the temple? How did it get here?”
“I do not know, I don’t think it gained entrance to the temple through the outer doors for they were not smashed like the others. That only leaves one explanation that it was brought here through a void portal. But whoever brought it here from whatever dark place it once called home must have intended it to prevent entrance to the temple and to kill any that may have ventured there. Perhaps this is the work of the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran, although I doubt this, like us they may have knowledge of the creation and use of portals but I doubt they have the knowledge and ability to freely access the voids to the degree necessary. That skill remains a closely guarded secret that only one of the elder races possess as far as I know.”
Solvienne whispered, “the keepers!”
“Yes,” was the reply.” The Old Ones, the keepers as you call them. It worries me that whoever set the beast within the temple must have also had prior knowledge of this creature’s existence and been able to access the particular void in which it lived so to capture the creature in the first place.” This could only be the keepers, or perhaps the labours of some other force that we as yet do not know about. But my guess is that the creature was set within the temple to stop anyone, including us from accessing the Rift.” Retta hung her head.
Solvienne was thinking, “perhaps it was Tezrin the thief that caused the beast to be here, perhaps it was yet another of his legacies that seem to live on even though he has perished long ago.”
But Retta frowned and said, “I was last at the temple nine or ten months back, so whoever is trying to stop our access to the Rift had only become aware of our intention or even aware of the existence of the Rift within the temple quite recently. Long after the thief Tezrin had been killed.”
Solvienne thought for a moment. “Well if the creature was there to guard access to the Rift, then I suggest we try and use the Rift to see where it may lead sooner than later. If someone is trying to stop us then they will try again, perhaps with a stronger deterrent.”
Retta nodded solemnly. “You are right T’Iea one, I am willing to try again if you are?”
Solvienne nodded in agreement.
But Retta asked, “but I have one question for you” She looked towards the door as if making sure no one stood there or was about to enter. “How well do you know your keeper friend, the one you call Amndo?”
Solvienne did not answer immediately. She also had thoughts like this. She also immediately thought of their keeper companion as soon as Retta had mentioned his race and their capabilities. She knew indeed that only a keeper could have the skill and knowledge to access the voids and the one in particular where that terrible beast could be found. But surely it could not have been Amndo; he seemed to aid them sincerely enough all along. What would be in it for him if he denied them access to the Rift in the temple. But then she thought with some shock. What if he was already in league with the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran, what if he had already aligned with them. He now knew their plans and was going to the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran realm to become their gatekeeper. What if he already was their Gatekeeper, he knew everything.
Never the less there was nothing else to be done. The way forward must be to attempt access to the Rift, even if it proved to be a trap, they had no choice now. So without any further delay JDC brought the Leviathan back down outside the temple and Retta and Solvienne disembarked once more into the snow around the entrance.