Sekali, "The Sister City"
Chapter 8
Cautiously, they made their way into the midst of a large ring of jagged rocks that jutted out from the earth over three times Sekali’s height. At a silent gesture from Mahkaia, Sekali surrendered the satchel to her, then began searching about the stones, half expecting some form of attack. To his relief, there were no creatures present. Only he and Mahkaia shared the area, for now.
Returning to Mahkaia, Sekali stopped directly behind her, eyeing out every open area between the massive shards of rock, which looked as if they had been hurled against the surface of the ground from within the depths of the earth, piercing, but not quite escaping the surface.
This land was strange, unnatural. Sekali suspected the Wastelands were cursed. He had always suspected some evil magic was at work, twisting and torturing this region beyond inhabitable for all but his people. It was obvious the Wastelands attracted terrors into its borders, and maybe that was the purpose of its existence; to keep the outside inhabitants safe. If such terrors dwelled in this land, the Living World would remain free from them.
Mahkaia tediously completed about half the Gorilith skeleton, when Sekali saw a shadow pass by outside the boundary of stones. For the first time in his life, Sekali felt alone and exposed in the land where he had grown up.
A tinge of fear shot through him as he suddenly recalled the words of the curse. Terrible thoughts of an unimaginable evil, suddenly aware of their presence, and stalking them, entered his mind. Banishing the thought, he glanced over at Mahkaia, who had neatly assembled the legs and hip bones of the fiend they had slain. Mahkaia seemed to be in debate as to the positioning of a bone, and held it, tapping it in the palm of her hand as she stared at the completed part of the skeleton.
Again, Sekali saw a shadow pass by. His blood chilled within him as he heard the distinct sound of something sniffing, and the soft padding of something stalking not far off in the obscurity of the mists. Readying his blade, he made a motion; a warning to Mahkaia. She silently placed the bone upon the ground and came to Sekali’s side, also seeing the obscure silhouette of something sniffing around just outside the rocks that concealed them. She raised her hands before her and silently moved her fingers in the intricate patterns.
“Vaneighoi Ahmura (wind current).” She faintly whispered. Reaching up, she pulled her face-cloth down as she took in a deep breath. Ever so gently, she exhaled toward the intruder. A wind gently began to move against the mists from outside the ring of stones, sending shreds of dark shadow streaming past them. IN frozen silence, they waited as she pulled the cloth back up over her face, eyes fixed on whatever was out there. Sekali realized she had caused an upwind effect in the area, providing concealment from a creature that would no doubt find them by way of its oral senses, providing there were no more of them. If they were surrounded, it would not bode well, and they would be in for a fight.
As still as stone, both waited in silence, intent on whatever it was that sniffed about not a short sprint from them. For a time. the sound of sniffing became louder, then began to fade as they watched the creature’s silhouette fade out into the wilds.
After the danger was past, Mahkaia again spoke the words of the same spell. Instantly the breeze ceased, and the flow of wasteland mists once again steadily crept back into its normal course. She placed a hand upon Sekali’s arm and nodded, then withdrew to finish her work.
Once again Sekali began to keep an eye out for danger, marveling at how Mahkaia, who seemed so in control of the situation. She always portrayed that confidence wherever she was, especially on The Watch. Sekali thought about her being his wife, and it caused him to smile for the first time while outside the citadel. As he briefly spied out the area through a small opening between two twisted stones which seemed to fight one anther for space, he realized the Wastelands were not so forlorn as before. Together they would master this land of twilight. The thought gave him courage.
The soft chanting of Mahkaia’s voice drew Sekali’s attention. Then she had finished assembling the bones and was casting the spell to animate it. He did not understand what that meant fully until the chanting ceased.
In one fluid motion the structure of bones raised from the ground and stood silently before Mahkaia, who stepped back and motioned for him to come. A chill clawed its way over his shoulders and into his face as he slowly took the first step toward her. Instantly, the Gorilith skeleton turned its attention his way, a green illumination blazing to life within its empty eye sockets as Mahkaia continued to motion him to her. An unearthly rumble echoed through the area as it stalked between he and Mahkaia, half crouching and spreading its fleshless wings out as it prepared to fight.
Sekali was deeply startled, his mind flashing back to when he had beheaded it. Raising his blade, he prepared for its attack, thinking it had broken lose from his wife’s enchantments. Mahkaia quickly lowered her hands parallel to the ground, palms and fingers flat. The skeleton instantly stepped aside, lowering its defenses and became still. Sekali then understood what it truly meant; what she had been trying to tell him.
“Impressive,” he whispered in awe. She nodded, motioning for him to follow as she picked up the satchel and warily headed out from ring of jagged stones.
“Let’s get back while our good fortune holds.” Sekali fully agreed, but said nothing as he scanned the area for danger. If their presence had not given them away to some wandering predator, the odor of Mahkaia’s undead skeleton would, and his suspicion of it attracting unwanted attention was confirmed soon after starting back.
As the three made their way back, a deep howl split the air ahead of them. Sekali froze in place, taking up a defensive stance as he peered into the mists ahead. In silence he waited as Mahkaia moved one pace to the right, placing a hand on his shoulder to let him know her exact position. Ahead of them, they began to hear the steady rhythm of deep breaths as something approached.
After a few tense moments, they no longer had to strain his eyes to see what approached. Sekali pointed at the obscure figure of a rather large creature loping directly towards them through the mists. Moving protectively between the creature and Mahkaia, Sekali took up a defensive stance as his wife began chanting.
Readying himself, Sekali studied the creature. It was quadruped, wolf-like in appearance with lengthy jaws and ears, giving the distinct characteristics of a Kemplan Wolf, the natural assassin of the Wastelands. But something wasn’t right. Kemplan never traveled alone. Either this one was the soul survivor of a fallen pack, or a scout, a forerunner, a lure. He had never encountered just one, or heard of one to scout solo. No, something wasn’t right.
Spotting them, it stopped and raised up on its hind legs in perfect balance, its long tail sliding back and forth in a snake-like pattern, kicking up black dust behind it. It raised its nose and sniffed the air three times. A deep rumble filled the air as it lowered its menacing attention to Sekali, its lips curling back, exposing two rows of hand-length, razor-sharp, fangs.
Sekali recognized it for what it was. This was no Kemplan Wolf. He knew that returning back to the safety of the citadel alive, or unaltered, would be a sign that Vannar was watching over them, guiding them by his hand of safety. Never on The Watch had he seen one of these creatures. When he was a child, his father had told him a legend of a vicious shifter that prowled the wastelands, attacking those unfortunate enough to cross its path. Not daring to take his eyes off this creature of insanity, he turned slightly to Mahkaia, swallowing hard.
“Night`Shade Werewolf,” he whispered hoarsely. Mahkaia instantly focused on their enemy, eyes igniting with a dark flame as she continued her chant.
Bracing himself mentally, he turned his full attention on his foe and bent his knees slightly, exhaling evenly through his mouth, centering his thoughts on the battle with one of his childhood fears. Sekali knew that if its saliva mingled within a wound, no matter how minor, he would fall victim to the Night`Shade curse, quickly transforming to one of its kind. The problem with this type of shifter, was that once bitten, the change would happen so quickly, he would end up fighting as its ally against Mahkaia.
As a child, his father had told him the terrifying story of the Night`Shade Legend, a tale of how this vicious killer came to be. Ever since he knew this legend, a profound fear had settled in the back of his mind, tormenting him with every nightfall. This fear had eased with his ascension to The Watch, but the darkness of the Wastelands reminded him of the legend. In his adult years, Sekali found it hard to believe such a curse existed, for there had never been a sighting reported until seven years ago, when one of The Watch was infected and had to be slain by her own team. It was alarming how a single creature could so quickly cause such terror within this realm of constant death. When his people had struggled to power within the Wastelands, amidst heavy casualties, the Night`Shade Werewolf, the curse of a single man, instantly came to power among the many terrors.
He suspected his fear is what attracted its attention, for as he battled an almost uncontrollable panic, the werewolf snarled hatefully and crouched, sinuous leg muscles tensing for only an instant before it sprang at him. In one swift motion, the Undead Gorilith leapt in front of him, blocking its path, a ghastly flame of sickly green igniting upon the surface of every bone, filling every hollow and space within its entire skeletal frame. Taken off guard, the Night`Shade Werewolf stopped instantly, taken off guard by the sudden fiery display of the burning remains now facing it. Spreading wide its blazing wings, it screamed a ghastly challenge at the werewolf, that unnatural sound reflection it carried in life echoing, as if a host of forever-ensnared souls were crying out in unison from some unseen dimension.
The werewolf backed a pace and shook its head furiously, then howled in rage and hate, giving Mahkaia enough time to finish the chant. The skeleton jerked, as if suddenly struck from behind, causing it to stagger one step forward. The sudden movement made their enemy leap back and snap viciously at its foe as its hackles shot up straight.
Mahkaia suddenly screamed, “Kill it, slave!” Mahkaia’s skeletal servant lurched forward into action as it screamed hatefully at the shifter. Without hesitation, the werewolf met the challenge with a snarl as it leapt forward. Both horrors clashed against one another in a sudden fury of hacking and slashing.
Sekali retreated a few steps back, watching the two, now locked in mortal combat, each furiously attempting to rip the other to pieces. There was too much noise; this was going to attract other predators. It had to end quickly, or they would be in mortal peril. He had seen it happen before. In this land, predators were instinctively attracted to the sound of battle, for the winner was most always weakened by the struggle, which made for an easier fight.
Sekali had just decided to join the fight when Mahkaia gripped his shoulder tight.
“Don’t,” she hissed vehemently. Reluctantly, he held his ground and watched as the two rolled upon the ground, thrashing, biting and clawing at one another in a shower of flying hair, blood and bone. As they struggled to overtake each other, Sekali kept an eye on the surrounding area, watching for any other creatures which might be attracted by the raging din of unearthly screams and snarling.
The battle had to end now!
Going against Mahkaia’s command, Sekali charged into the fray. Using his blade like a spear, he focused his mind upon his enemy, plunging his blade deep into the werewolf, not caring that his strikes might stray against the undead. With every thrust, he moved in, then quickly out, making it difficult for his foe to land a strike, should it turn on him. In silence, he speared the thick hide of his enemy, desperate to end the conflict.
Mahkaia ordered him more than once to stand down. For the first time in his life, he ignored her command as he desperately stabbed and thrust his blade into the body of the werewolf. Mahkaia’s wrath might follow his actions, but it was her he was worried about, not what she might do to him after the fight. The words of the curse, now raging through his mind, spurred him on to defy her. To him, losing Mahkaia would be like embracing death himself.
As Sekali feared, before the conflict could be ended, he heard a fierce cry somewhere in the mists behind them. It was too late! Growling viciously, Sekali backed off three paces as he flipped and caught his blade point down. Anticipating its movements, he charged into the shifter, driving his left shoulder into its neck with all his might as it ducked under the grasp of the undead. The impact was enough to knock it off balance long enough to wrap his left arm about its blood-soaked neck. Pulling it to his chest with all his strength, he raised his blade and waited for it to turn on him.
Mahkaia’s undead hesitated, then leapt to its back-side to gain a clean attack on the werewolf. At the brief relief of the skeleton’s onslaught, the Night`Shade Werewolf turned upon Sekali, attempting to bite him in the face, just as he hoped it would. With all his might, Sekali thrust the point of his blade into its eye, delivering a penetrating strike that was stopped by the cross-handle of the blade’s handle.
Instinctively, the shifter jerked back as Sekali let it go and kicked it in the chest as hard as he could, creating a quick distance between he and his enemy as it snapped at him in one last attempt to defend itself. As Sekali staggered back, he quickly drew two daggers from the sheaths strapped to each forearm as a deep cry split the air a second time. It was much closer that a few moments ago.
As the werewolf struggled to tear Sekali’s blade out, the burning undead leapt upon it, pinning it down under its weight as it snapped its jaws about the back of its neck. As it pinned the werewolf down, it shook its head back and forth with all its might, instantly snapping its neck and nearly tearing its head from its body. As it released the Night`Shade Werewolf, Mahkaia’s creation turned its attention upon the new intruder, which appeared out of the mists and stopped, surveying the scene.
“Dragon!” Mahkaia yelled.
Sheathing his two daggers, Sekali leapt forward, ripped his blade from the eyesocket of the shifter and rushed to defend Mahkaia, disheartened by turn of events. As he stopped at her side, the dragon folded its wings back and challenged them with a roar.
This was a normal course of events which occurred with almost every battle on The Watch. Being out in the more wild area, it would have shocked him if had they only encountered the Night`Shade Werewolf. It was no surprise to be faced by yet another foe, but a dragon? Could things get any worse?
Sekali was relieved to recognized the breed as not within the family of breathers, such as a fire dragon. This one was a hunter, and a young one at that. Being about forty feet in length and around three times his height gave him hope, due to Mahkaia’s presence. If he had been found alone by this beast, he would have had the opportunity to blend his spirit in with that of his master. Even being a young one, Sekali was still quite alarmed. A dragon, no matter how young, was a deadly encounter, even for his team, and he wished they were here now.
As it stopped to sniff the air, there was simply nothing else to do but attack. Taking a deep breath, Sekali sprinted towards the hunter dragon, knowing Mahkaia would back him; she had never let him down. If he attacked quickly, he might be able to put it on the defensive and get lucky enough to drive the point of his blade into its chest and pierce its heart. What a plan!
His advance was instantly noticed as he rushed forward. Lowering to the ground, it dug its front claws deep into the rock, waiting, its tail snaking back and forth as it eagerly anticipated the confrontation, its ashen gray eyes widening almost playfully at him as it bared teeth.
But, once again, Mahkaia’s undead preceded Sekali, leaping past him, trails of green flame flowing behind it like some unnatural comet. It launched itself at the dragon, slamming headlong into the dragon’s face, viciously biting clawing both scale and flesh, forcing the dragon to abandon its attention on Sekali.
“Sekali, back down!” Mahkaia called out in a voice, obviously agitated with him. He backed away, not daring to take his eyes off the beast as it scooped up the skeleton in two powerful claws and bit it. Even as young as it was, Sekali did not care to fight a dragon, even in its youth.
Most likely, the skeleton would be destroyed; it was only a matter of time. If it fell, there would be nothing to stop it from attacking Mahkaia. Gripping Sekali by the hair, Mahkaia wrenched him back as she extended the other hand. Instantly, he froze in place for fear of disrupting her spell.
“Kahdjarune (Shielding),” she growled, pronunciating the spell through clenched teeth. He noted an alarmed look in her face, which concerned him highly. If she was unsure of the outcome of this conflict, he knew they were in trouble.
Doubt began to overshadow his confidence, dance in his mind and threaten him with shadows of thought, threatening to turn him mind to hopelessness. In his mind, Sekali could hear the words of the curse mocking him, driving his thoughts into the forbidden territories of shadows wherein only the hopeless wander -- where the hopeless embrace death as the only option. Realizing what was happening, Sekali grew angry and banished such dark notions from his mind. No, to entertain such destructive contemplations, was opening the two of them up to failure. This was one of many natural deceptions of the Wastelands, and one he rejected utterly!
He searched the area about them for incoming danger, not jumping to conclusions as the look she had given him. As for now, the dragon seemed to be the only adversary, and Mahkaia’s undead was holding it at bay. Contrary to the dark thoughts, which seemed to be luring him to believe otherwise, things were going well.
Turning his attention back to the fight, he caught a look from her, which plainly warned him not to do anything stupid. Sekali knew she was right, which suited him perfectly. He didn’t wish to fight this overgrown lizard anyway. For the first time, he was glad she had created that abomination. And though he hated and distrusted it, it seemed to be holding off the dragon fairly well. Also, after Mahkaia had cast that last spell, that abomination seemed much less effected by the dragon’s physical attacks. The dragon had taken deep wounds from its attack, which was solid evidence that a Gorilith Vahkrin made a formidable undead slave, which thought highly pleased him.
Sekali watched the skeleton instantly rise and continue its attack after taking the full impact of a powerful tail-strike, which could well have killed an armored warrior. Against the skeleton’s relentless attacks, the dragon retreated, open wounds on its face and neck bleeding freely.
Again, Sekali scanned the area about them, not trusting this would be the last enemy to be attracted by the raging screams of the dragon, in chorus with the unearthly screams of Mahkaia’s macabre servant. Still, there was no sign of any other danger, which seemed to indicate this conflict might just end without further complications.
While Sekali kept a lookout for encroaching threats, Mahkaia observed the raging conflict with unveiled interest. Her actions did not surprise Sekali in the least, nor did he question the reason she wasn’t helping to finish off the young dragon. He knew she had to see how well this “thing” could hold up against a formidable enemy. Coming out here to raise the remains of the Gorilith Vahkrin was the reason for the chances they were taking.
Sekali reluctantly held his tongue, distracted by the possibilities of attracting a greater enemy than what they had encountered so far. Designating himself as lookout, he divided his attention on the surrounding mists and the dragon, wondering how long Mahkaia would allow this to continue.
Mahkaia had transformed the remains of a once deadly threat into a horrifying champion, to be used as a shield to hinder the attacks of the terrors of the Wastelands. Coupled with the power of Mahkaia’s magic, this undead slave could hold its own against a superior foe.
Unhindered by the dragon’s attacks, Mahkaia’s undead relentlessly continued its attack, undaunted by the dragon’s attempt to counter it with powerful attacks of its own. The dragon would have been victorious, were it not for Mahkaia’s spells, which increased its power and absorbed the heavy attacks of the leviathan reptile.
Observing the fight for a time, Mahkaia smiled, obviously pleased. Sekali watched her, suddenly realizing his wife had been worried about him, not her own ability to deal with this situation. He had simply misread her expression.
In one motion, she threw a hand out towards the dragon, fingers extended wide. As she did, Sekali averted his eyes and covered his ears in the attempt to ward off the side effects of a spell he knew all too well.
“Shrakka!” She called out in a loud voice.
A sudden burst of heat flashed over him as lightning arced between Mahkaia’s palm and the dragon’s forehead, followed by an instant clap of thunder. A sudden ring hammered the air, as though a colossal hammer had struck a huge anvil. At that instant, the protective shield about the skeleton exploded, hurling the skeleton out into the mists. Though he could no longer see it, Sekali heard the impact of its skeletal frame as it struck something. The magical fragments of the destroyed shield formed a sudden sparkling cloud of glass-like shards that gently settled to the charred earth and rapidly faded away.
The dragon grunted and dropped to the ground as the skeleton vanished into the mists, its legs and tail stiffening as its eyes bulged in sudden shock. Kicking wildly, the dragon fought in vain to suck in a breath as it clawed and tore at the blackened earth. After a few moments, it passed away, relaxing eternally into the slumber of the dead.
For the first time since they encountered the Night`Shade Werewolf, they could only hear the common noises of the Wastelands, with the exception of a strange and distant cry.
The undead came into view as it stalked back through the mists towards Mahkaia, that green flame now a fading haze of eerie luminescence within its skeletal structure. As it neared, it stopped between the body of the dragon and Mahkaia and shook itself vigorously, awaiting her next command.
Sekali looked at Mahkaia, who raised an eyebrow to him. Looking over at the dragon, he shook his head. A dragon, no matter how young, was a prize kill. The slaying of a dragon meant an empty lair, which most always contained the treasure of its victims. The problem was, they were far too few in number to risk tracking it back to the lair. Besides, there could be more than one. Sekali noticed he suddenly had something more important to deal with. Mahkaia was glaring at him, and he knew exactly the reason. Turning, Sekali pointed at her.
“Mahkaia, I can’t lose you,” he stated flatly, knowing he was in peril of her wrath. She glared at him, unblinking for a time, but he held her eyes, undaunted by her mood. After realizing he was not going to give in, Mahkaia stepped close to him, smiling slightly. Resting her hands upon his chest, she shook her head.
“Please, Sekali, don’t do that again.” Feeling a deep love for this woman, who was now his wife, he reached up and brushed a lock of loose hair from her face, smoothing it back .
“I swear I will never disobey your command upon The Watch. Remember the curse, Mahkaia.” At his words, Mahkaia flinched, paling somewhat. Looking about them, she nodded.
“Let’s get back.”
As they approached the first watch, Mahkaia stopped and turned to Sekali.
“Wait here for a moment.” He nodded and turned about, watching for danger as Mahkaia left both him and the undead alone together. He watched as she approached The Watch and began speaking with them. At this point, Sekali turned to the undead.
“If you still live within your own corpse, know this: If attempt any harm against Mahkaia, I will deal with you myself.” Sekali struck it in the skull with the back of his armored fist, half expecting it to retaliate --- it did not. Rather disappointed, he grinned up at it, a threatening gleam burning in his eyes as Mahkaia turned away from Jerstel and began walking back to him.
“Sekali, we can move in to the presence of The Watch; they have been informed of our new slave.” Sekali nodded and followed Mahkaia to The Watch, giving the undead once last warning glance. Yes, it had been useful, but he still didn’t trust it.
As they approached the pinnacle, Mahkaia turned and made a motion with her hand, signaling her undead to stop. It instantly obeyed and turned, facing out into the Wastelands, its back to them. Mahkaia then turned and bowed.
“Thank you, Jerstel. I am in your debt. Will you tell me how it fights? I am curious to know the level of its power. Against two creatures, and it did well, but I wish to know how it fares against something more powerful than a Night`Shade Werewolf and a fledgling dragon.” Her words brought a murmur from Jerstel’s six warriors, which he silenced with a sharp glance. Jerstel grinned and shook his head.
“I will give you a full report, Mahkaia. Congratulations on a nice catch. I believe this one will do very well.” Mahkaia nodded, then motioned Sekali to follow as she headed back towards the walls of Sardakahn.
Falling in beside her, Sekali felt her hand slip into his as they walked. The Portal Guardians opened the gate, immediately allowing them entrance. After formal pleasantries, they both made their way to Sekali’s home to retrieve his belongings.
For the remaining hours of the day, they made six trips from his old home to Mahkaia’s, moving Sekali’s belongings in with hers. That evening, as they placed the last of their trophies neatly together, Sekali turned and embraced Mahkaia affectionately.
“Mahkaia, I am happy to have you as my wife; my dream has come true.” Mahkaia wrapped her arms about him and squeezed as hard as she could.
“I truly love you.”
That evening enjoyed one another’s company. As the night wore on, it felt as though the heavy cares of their life had been washed away, the blessing of no longer facing life alone made all the troubles of their dark world easier to bear.