Chapter nine #2
“That’s what the males want you to believe. Do none of your females want to wear armour and defend your lands? Or is it more important that they hang off Dylin cocks instead? Are you ordered to merely serve your males? Is that why I hardly see any female Dylin on the battlefield?”
“You really think I would tell you about my kind? Your foul mouth won’t get you anywhere with me!”
“Noxlin females are our equals. There is nothing a male does that a female can’t. Can you say that of your race?”
“My race is none of your concern! I can tell you’re tapping me for information! I will not fall for your Noxlin mind games.” Darce looked at me, startled. “Ah, some of the stories are true, I see. Artful deceivers and liars. That’s what our warriors tell us about your kind.”
“I wouldn’t use the word deceivers. My race...well, we’re smarter, that’s all. What else do your warriors tell you about us?” Smarter? That was laughable for a race that lived in caves.
“You steal our souls and light to become more powerful.”
“If that was true, don’t you think I would have killed you and taken your light sword by now?” I gave him a quizzical look. I had wondered about that myself. “To be honest, it’s more fun watching you struggle to carry that sword on your back.”
“I haven’t manifested my power fully. Perhaps you can sense that I don’t have much power to take.”
“Oh, I sense immense power in you, Alora. I have no doubt that one day, you’ll easily be able to destroy a mere foot soldier like me.”
“And you’re still helping me?”
“I need the gold. Eallarim is an expensive place. A foot soldier’s wage isn’t great. We have to take what we can get.”
“I am paying you well for your services. It makes sense to keep me alive.”
“It’s just a shame you’re not a little more pleasing to the eyes. I don’t even get a twitch down there.” Darce motioned towards his pelvis.
“You disgusting pig!” I didn’t want to think about any of his body parts, but especially not that!
“Is that the only insult you can use? Pig? Dirty fucker, asshole, or disgusting motherfucker would be much better insults.”
“My kind do not use that repulsive language.” Darce shook his head, looking a little disappointed as he crossed his arms. He then tilted his head back and closed his eyes.
“I’m tired. You should sleep,” he muttered.
This conversation was clearly over. Fuming, I turned away from him, closing my own eyes.
I might be attracted to this infuriating male, but his outbursts would always help me keep my distance.
What an opinionated, insufferable, and condescending swine!
****
WE MADE IT THROUGH the passageway and up the sacred mountain without any trouble. Except for Darce’s continued insults, which I fired back at him every chance I got.
The land was in complete darkness now, which meant I was closer to Eallarim than Dallethas.
The moonlight and stars gave me a little light and allowed me to recharge under their power.
No one back home told me how beautiful the star filled night sky actually was.
With the moonlight’s silver, ethereal glow trickling over the mountain tops, and the stars fluttering in some rhythmic dance, I was captivated.
The things those stars must have seen up there.
The universe Holy Ether created was completely visible for my eyes to see.
“How many veils do you think are up there?” I asked Darce while he was counting our rations.
“Millions,” he answered. “The individuals who can travel through veils, say that you can lose your way if you’re not careful.
There are so many different dimensions and beings.
It’s too much for a single mind to comprehend.
When you look up at the night sky, you can see why.
Look at them all.” Darce stood up, pointing to the stars.
My parents and Uri were the only ones that I knew who could veil hop.
None of them had ventured far for the exact reason Darce spoke about.
Of course, our library had a few stories of my ancestors that had visited distant veils and formed bonds with other beings.
“It seems impossible to think all those stars have beings living on them.”
“Not all of them do. Holy Ether created some veils that are untouchable or only meant to be visited when our lifeforce burns out. Places such as Cansin, the celestial veil, Killia, the home of evil, and Purgatory. Not to mention, some will have creatures with no special power. I’m sure your library has information about the Guardians, Migsoi and Chalmes?
They’ll have their own veils, too, like our veil Afterlight.
” I had heard little information about the other Guardians, Migsoi and Chalmes.
“We are the Guardians of the Light. Afterlight is our veil.”
Darce snorted. “Why am I not surprised by that? Don’t you consider Noxlin Guardians of the Darkness?”
“Of course not!” I frowned, noticing he was watching me intently. “You’re kind are vermin that need to be destroyed. Afterlight Veil will return to its true balance once your kind surrenders to us.”
“My kind will never yield.” His voice was assertive as he spoke. “Do you ever wonder if it has always been this way between our races?”
“That is an absurd question. We have been at war since the dawn of time. Afterlight exists because of our constant battle for each other’s power.”
“You think Holy Ether made us simply to be enemies, nothing more?”
“Holy Ether made Dylins in her image. Afterlight was gifted to us, but your kind became jealous of our power. Your race is the reason we are at war! Look at all the destruction your first king caused!”
“Oh, and your queen was innocent, was she?”
“Lustre was selfless. She sacrificed herself at The Battle of False Promise!”
“As did Solace! I didn’t see any heroics in her actions! Solace died saving his race. Lustre allowed her soul to be drained for no apparent reason!”
“She gave up her soul to save us! Her sacrifice made the lands split and mountains rise! How can you see no heroics in that?”
“Our histories seem to be told a little differently.” Darce stoked the fire, shaking his head in annoyance for the fifth time today. “In our stories, the land split and mountains rose when Solace died. Lustre burned herself out by killing him. Her hatred for him killed her.”
“Lies!” Standing up, I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. “Have your kind ever spoken a word of truth?”
“Alora, this happened over four billion years ago. These stories are mere legends and myths. Neither of our versions is probably the complete truth.” After giving me a long glance, he continued.
“You’ve spent your entire life in Dallethas, listening to the views your king and general want you to hear.
Open your eyes and look around. It’s time to form your own opinions.
You have great power within you. It’s your choice to do what you wish with it when it manifests.
The world isn’t as black and white as you’ve been told.
Your kind aren’t as pure and humble as you think, and my kind aren’t as evil and barbaric as you’ve been made to believe. Can’t you see that?”
I had heard enough of his mind games for one day. “Darce, you can try and fill my head with all this nonsense as much as you’d like, but I am never going to believe you. Yes, my destiny is my own—I’m more than aware of that—but you will have nothing to do with it!”
“You are a stubborn cunt, Alora!”
“And you are an insufferable motherfucker!” I slapped my hand over my mouth at my blasphemy. Darce was grinning from ear to ear! “You made me swear! It’s not funny!”
“About fucking time!” he chuckled, using his shadows to put our small fire out. “Come on. Let’s get you to the top of this mountain to see your fake moonlight goddess.”
My shoulders buckled a little at the weight as I swung my bag onto my back. The light sword wasn’t the easiest thing to bear, but I was proud I’d carried it this far already.
A few hours later, we had reached the summit.
A path of moonlight rippled across the ocean, all the way to the horizon.
It was breathtaking. From the top of the mountain, I could make out the eerie Specter Isle.
It was something from nightmares, with its three, steep, jagged mountain peaks that erupted from a sea of fog.
I understood why the ocean around it was called The Sea of Lost Souls.
How many souls had been lost on the isle?
“It’s the stuff of nightmares, isn’t it?” Darce whispered against my neck. It sent shivers down my spin, but in a good way.
“Why would anyone go there?”
“Only those with the strongest powers survive. There is an oracle on the isle that grants wishes. I know of one that came back and was granted a wish.”
“What was the wish?”
“Oh, now we are sharing stories, are we? You told me my kind always lies. What’s the point in telling you?”
“Motherfucker!” It was wrong of me to use that word again, but there was something liberating about saying it out loud, and at Darce.
“Twice in one day! Alora, I am impressed,” he chuckled, crossing his arms. “I’ll wait here while you do whatever it is you need to do.”
Was it possible that this Noxlin male and I were befriending each other? The lengths someone would go to for survival was strange.
The ritual to pay my respects to Nantu took a few hours. I blessed the mountain with the flowers Luz and Nell had given me, and asked Nantu, along with Holy Ether, to allow my powers to fully manifest. I took a few moments to bless Raiden, as well, praying that he had found peace.
At the end of the ritual, I placed my hands on the ground of the sacred spot where Nantu had jumped to her death.
I prayed for my safe return home, and for the strength to make a difference when my powers fully surfaced.
Please, let me be enough. Allow me to take revenge for my mother’s death.
Holy Nantu, moonlight blessed, gift me with your strength.
Holy Ether, support me with your guidance. I am but your humble servant.
My hands began to light, trickles of my power embedded into the ground.
The gods were listening.
“All done?” Darce asked as I made my way back down from the summit. He’d found a few large boulders to sit and rest against. Nodding, I gave him a small smile. “Did it feel as if she was listening?”
“Maybe. I prayed to Holy Ether, too.”
“She’s a god we can agree on.” That was true. Holy Ether might have been the only thing we had in common.
“How long do you think it will take to get me home?”
“A couple of weeks. I can take you as far as the scorched land. It will only be half a day’s walk from there. Your kind will be able to track me if I go any farther with you.”
“I understand that. Thank you.”
“We’ll make camp at the bottom of the mountain. It won’t cause any harm to conserve some energy tonight.”