The Witch and the Warrior
Written by Kiriona
Chapter 1: Temple of the Dead
The Temple of the Dead was definitely by far the most intimidating structure the Prince of Persia had ever laid eyes upon. The landscape itself was old and worn, the soil packed down tightly, scorched black in some places, the only plants able to grow being only the most hardcore weeds and bogwood trees. Even so, they still looked dead or dying. The sky was blackened with malicious looking clouds that allowed only miniscule rays of sunlight down unto the barren land. It held naught but despair and indignant disdain within its substance, scornfully blocking out any signs of life or joviality. Not a single bird, insect or animal with within sight, except for the crows and ravens perched upon the twisted, knotted old branches of the long dead trees, every so often letting out a sardonic screech that only served to add to the eerie atmosphere.
Careful not to disrupt the melancholy, yet morbid tranquility of the environment, the Prince dismounted his dark steed and slowly approached the menacing building. The dark stone towered high above him, its sharp steeples jabbing themselves upward to the sky, but not quite reaching. The old stained glass windows staring down at him like large calloused, bitter eyes, watching his every move, their piercing gaze shooting straight through him, past the flesh and into his very soul.
He couldn't shake off the persistent feeling of vulnerability as he began the trek up the old crumbling steps to the temple entrance. His footsteps echoed out, disrupting the gloomy serenity of the land. For a moment, he could've sworn he heard a soft whooshing of air coming from the stone, as though the old architecture had been around for so long it now lived and breathed… and was watching him. Waiting.
The Prince halted his steps immediately. He lifted his gaze to the old wooden doors that served at the temple's main entrance and a wave of fear passed through him. If just the outside could frighten him like this, what was waiting for him on the other side of that door? He thought back to the tales he had heard of a temple existing far from the influence of civilization where a group of sorcerers lived and practiced a form of powerful dark magic. It was for that reason he had made the perilous journey; he hoped to harness their magic and use it to his advantage against the black demon that had pursued him for five long years. But even so, whatever otherworldly energies lay beyond that door might be more than he bargained for. There was still time… he could turn back down and leave this horrid place and no one would even know he was there…
But he had to escape the restless beast that was constantly on his trail. This could be his last chance to rid himself of the vile creature once and for all. He had to keep going.
With his resolve renewed, he forced his worries to the back of his mind and bravely continued forward. This time, he ignored the unnerving vibes that the land was trying to ward him off with and made his way forthright to the temple entrance.
Upon reaching the top of the steps, the Prince took a moment to examine the gargoyles placed on either side of the steps. Ugly bat-like creatures, they were, their eyes narrowed, their sharp fangs bared in warning, their demonic wings spread out to appear larger in size. Once again, the prince ignored the feeling of being watched and continued towards the door. But only halfway there, something else caught his eye.
Just next to the door, it's back turned to him, was a cat. A scruffy black tomcat was seated there, calmly licking it's paw as though oblivious to what dangers the old temple might hold. Somehow intrigued by the animal, the prince came a little closer, taking small, cautious steps as not to frighten it away. When the cat didn't budge, he took the chance and knelt down. Again, the feline remained unaware of his presence. Deciding to be bold, the Prince slowly reached towards the cat, with the intention of lightly scratching it on the head to get it's attention, when the cat suddenly stopped grooming itself and turned its head to looked back at him.
Normally, this wouldn't have bothered him much. But when the cat is half rotted and decomposed as though it were dead and brought back to life, that's a completely different story. Letting out a yell, the Prince jumped to his feet and stumbled back. The cat, meanwhile, also leapt to its feet, hissed menacingly and squeezed itself through a crack in the wall into the temple.
Once again unnerved, the Prince looked back to his horse and again considered just leaving this spooky scene all together. And once again, he made the same resolve. A cat is simply a cat, dead or not, and he was still five times bigger. He had nothing to fear from it… or so he hoped.
Summoning his courage once more, he stepped up to the door, took in a deep breath of the chilly air, and raised his hand to knock… but stopped when the door slowly creaked open and a dark hooded figure appeared there. The Prince's hand was already itching toward his blade, ready for anything, when the figure stepped out of the shadows and into the light and pulled her hood down.
Much to his surprise, she looked normal. Dark, luscious hair framed her pale face, and her pale green eyes seemed to blend perfectly with her complexion. She was young, maybe a few years younger than him.
"Well…" she began, breaking the silence between them with a smooth, feminine voice, "I can honestly say, you're the first unexpected visitor we've had."
"Unexpected?" he repeated, not quite sure what she meant.
"Yes, normally we know when someone is on their way here. Strange that no one foresaw your arrival. Who are you, stranger?"
"I've come a long way. Is this the Temple of the Dead?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then I'm at the right place. Please, I must speak with whoever is in charge here." At this request, the girl lowered her gaze.
"I'm afraid that isn't possible."
"What?" the Prince nearly yelled.
"Master Rahim has had a busy night. He is resting now, and not to be disturbed. I'm sorry." But like hell the Prince, in all his royal stubbornness, was about to give up and leave.
"I don't think you understand how important this is," he told her, rather forcefully. "It can't wait." She shook her head.
"No. Disturbing him now is out of the question, I'm afraid." The Prince was about to open his mouth to protest once more, but she spoke before he could form the words. "But… if it really cannot wait, as you say, perhaps you could talk to Mistress Mena. She is also in charge of the temple, behind Master Rahim." The Prince considered this for only a second before coming up with an answer.
"Very well, then."
The interior of the temple was much more comfortable than the outside. The walls were decorated with tapestries and small portraits, all depicting some kind of battle scene or other event. Along the walls on the floor were various altars and pedestals with figurines and other miscellaneous items upon them. Surprisingly enough, a crystal chandelier hung overhead, the floor was solid marble and a grand staircase that led up to a second, and possibly a third floor was lined with gold and silver. You'd think such things would seem out of place, but instead they added a touch of elegance to the dungy old temple.
"My name is Iris," the girl said as she led him inside, "I'm an apprentice here in the temple. Mistress Mena is my teacher, as she is to the other apprentices here."
"'Other?'" the Prince echoed.
"Yes. There are six of us whom live here now. The number has dwindled over the years. So many people have become terrified of what we do, and not very many travelers dare come here."
"I can understand why." Iris stopped and turned to face him.
"If you'll just wait here a moment, I will tell Mistress Mena that you're here." The Prince nodded and Iris disappeared upstairs.
Kiri: Yeah, I know what all you guys are thinking. BUT KIRI! WHAT ABOUT WARRIOR'S ANGEL! YOU HAVEN'T UPDATED THAT IN LIKE, FOREVER! WHY ARE YOU STARTING A NEW STORY?! Well, the answer is simple. No, I'm NOT giving up on Warrior's Angel and condemning it to my ridiculously large pile of unfinished works. I DO intend to finish it, however, at the moment, it's hit a bit of a snag. There have been some plot changes to it as of late and those changes and thrown things off balance a bit. In plane English, I'm a little stuck, and I need a break from it to figure out just what the hell I want to happen.
Until then, I wanted you guys to having something to tide you over, and since I've always wanted to do something involving Necromacy, this is perfect! Yes, i know I could've just continued work on something else, like my Headless Horseman story, but this thing about that, I wrote that for Halloween. Therefore, I don't think it would be appropriate to work on it any other time other than October. but anyway, i hope this little piece suits all your needs until i can figure out what's going on with everything else. And remember: KIRI LOVES REVIEWS!