Chapter Eight, Immortal Battle
Jonathan was awakened a few hours after he had fallen asleep by a door closing nearby. He pulled the covers off his body and walked to the door, pulling it open and looking out along the passageway. Down the corridor, he saw a figure slip around the corner, descending the stairs.
Slowly, thinking hard, he went back into his room and stood there for a second. Then he began dressing, pulling a pair of dark coloured breeches and shirt on, over his loincloth.
He slipped his feet into his boots, lacing them up swiftly, then picked up his sword and scabbard from a chair and left.
When he found the mysterious person again, it was in he dark stables. It was near impossible to pick out anything in this gloom but outlines.
A girl was saddling a horse, that much he could see from the moon's light. Her face was obscured but her body was lit dimly by the silvery light. She wore her long hair back in a plait and she wore a sword belted at her side. Apart from that though, she bore no weapons.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
She whirled around, drawing her sword as she did so.
"Who is it?"
"Jonathan of Conté."
"Your highness! What are you doing down here?"
"The same could be asked of you." He pointed out. "Who are you?"
She let out a bitter laugh,
"So short a memory? I was in the sunset room of Persopolis castle only this evening.." She swung herself up into the saddle.
"And why is a Bahzir girl riding off towards the Black City in the middle of the night?" He caught hold of the bridle, stopping her from moving on.
"I am not a Bahzir Prince Jonathan. You might want to check your sources again."
With a flick of her wrist she freed the leather from his grip, leaving his palm stinging and red. Without looking back she rode from the stable and onto the street.
Jon stared after her, before running to saddle his own horse, Darkness and following her. He caught up with her as she rode away from the light of a guard post. She had bribed the man to let her through, as Jon rode past he saw the man bite on the coin she had given him, to test it wasn't fake.
He set Darkness in a gallop until he caught up with her.
"If you're not Bahzir, why were you wearing a burnoose, and how did Ali Muhktab know so much about you?"
She sighed and answered his questions. "As to the first; it's cooler and it keeps the sand out of my face. For the second Muhktab is a nosy old man who pokes his nose in more peoples' business than he has a right to."
"So who are you?" The Prince persisted.
"I am called Ariana and I am a fighter of Shang. I took my ordeal in Corus a week or two ago."
"You were brought there by the Wildcat?"
"Yes, she was one of my teachers."
"Who was the other?"
"Liam Ironarm, The Dragon, and then the Panther."
"Did he tell you of Lady Alanna?" Jon leant forward, willing her answer to be 'yes'.
"No. He never mentioned her name. I don't think he ever mentioned her. Surely I would remember if she was as legendary as you say." He tone was harsh and he changed the subject.
"Why weren't you named then, when I was there?"
"There was something I had to do first, I couldn't stay on for another year." She said simply.
"And what was that?"
She nudged her horse ahead of his and said simply, over her shoulder.
"This."
They rode the rest of the way to the Black city in silence; Ariana rebuffing any attempts Jon made at conversation until at last he gave up.
She spoke again when they reached the gates of the city.
"You shouldn't come with me."
He shrugged.
"I'm going to anyway."
"Fine. Leave your horse out here."
They both dismounted and left the horses to roam on loose pickets before walking towards the city.
They entered the city, and Ariana noticed the carvings once more, in the vision she hadn't seen them clearly, so now she examined them. They were exquisitely done, it was true, but of ghastly creatures, mixtures of animal and human. She traced the shape of one who was half bird, half man.
Silently, in awe, not liking to make a lot of noise, they explored the city. Occasionally they split up, only to find each other soon after.
Eventually, after turning a sharp corner, they found themselves standing on a plain sheet of black stone. No light hit it, the night was thick, unnaturally so; they could see no colours instead of black, white and grey.
Ariana swallowed, it looked like they were above a deep chasm, covered by a thin sheet of glass. Together, shoulder by shoulder, they stepped on to the square and crossed to the centre. A building stood in the middle of the square. It too was plain of carvings. Instead the steps leading up to the doorway was lined with gold. Slowly, feeling insignificant against the massive building, the two climbed the steps.
When they reached the doors, more pictures were carved into the wood. These pictures were humanoid, but taller than any normal human. Lines of fire swirled around their bodies, making their loose garments swirl around them. For some reason, the artist had left their faces blank, only the curve of their cheeks and noses gave any shape to their heads.
Jon pushed one of the large doors open, and stepped through. As soon as Ariana set a foot inside the temple, for a temple it was, she jumped and let out a small cry of surprise.
"What is it?" Jonathan asked
"My sword- it's shaking." She laid a hand on the hilt to control it and moved past him, into the darkened building.
A cube block of black stone let out a greenish yellow light that reflected off the smooth walls, illuminating the room around the stone.
"That must be the altar." Jon whispered in Ariana's ear, he saw her nod in front of him.
Suddenly, a blinding flash made the two raise their arms instinctively and blink. When their vision cleared, they saw ten men and women grouped around the altar.
These were the men and women Jon and Ariana had seen on the door leading into the temple. Ariana know saw why the artist had neglected to add their faces. They were brilliantly beautiful, so much so that it hurt to look at them for long. They were very tall, both she and Jon had to crane their necks to see their heads.
"Brothers. Sisters. Food has come from the north to us." One of the women said, staring intently at the pair.
"But they are so young, and so small." Another said, looking yearningly at them.
"Silence!" The tallest woman said, "Step aside."
"But Ylanda…"
Jon interrupted their argument.
"What are you?"
All of their attention was not focused on Ariana and him now. They stood side by side, but neither dared take their eyes off the things before them.
"We are the Ysandir." The largest male spoke. "I am Ylon, the oldest and most powerful."
A white haired woman crept around Ylon and stared at them intently.
"He thinks his father, the King will ride in and save them. Foolish child, by the time they would get here, you will be nothing but dust and we shall be gone." She purred. Ariana ignored the words and waited for her to come closer. When she was reaching out to stroke Jon's face, less than a foot away, Ariana spun and kicked her full in the head. The Ysandir fell back, stunned by the power of the blow. Shock waves reverberated up her leg, but she ignored it, drawing the sword from her side and slashing it down. As soon as the immortal's head was severed, her body vanished with a flash and a smell like sulphur.
Another two, a male and a female, threw themselves at Ariana. As she fought them, she could hear Jonathan drawing his sword and chanting a spell at the same time.
Ariana kicked on twice in one fluid motion, leading with one leg then hitting with the other. When she landed she stuck her sword deep into his heart, assuming he had one of course, before bringing it back to the front and slashing the woman's chest. Both disappeared within three seconds of each other.
"So you can be killed." She said, barely breathless.
Ylanda swayed through the rest of the immortals. Ariana's sword flashed pure white light and she fell back
"You have their sword"!" She hissed. "How did you get that?"
Ariana was a bit unnerved herself by her sword's antics but she wasn't about to show it as she smirked at the woman.
"It was a gift." She shifted to face the rest of the Ysandir. Jonathan was building a wall of blue flames between himself and the Ysandir and was continuing to chant as he did so.
Suddenly Ariana felt a foreign presence in her mind, she yelled and the prince sent a flash of sapphire lightning at Ylanda. She was thrown backwards, away from Ariana, who hurried to his side.
"Be careful." He chided her. "What happened?"
Ariana rubbed her forehead.
"I wish I knew."
Ylon was pulling his mate to her feet as the Immortals threw themselves at Jon's barrier. He winced as they hit, but the barrier remained strong and three Ysandir died.
A horrible sound was coming from Ylanda as she laughed uncontrollably, the grating laughter hurt their ears.
"I have lived a long time little Phoenix, but I have never touched a being with so much pain and so many secrets." She pointed at Jonathan. "Princeling, see your companion's true face." She turned on Ariana and hissed, her voice filled with venom. "Murderer!"
Ariana only had a second to register the words and to shrink back, away from her and from the truth before it was too late.
A burst of green energy erupted from Ylanda's palm and that of Ylon. It tore through the barrier and hit Ariana in the chest.
She was propelled backwards and hit the floor hard. Coughing as he lungs worked to overcome the shock, she rolled over on her side, then onto her back again. As she lay on the floor, she lifted her legs and flipped up, into a standing position, hands up, ready to defend herself. She found herself wearing soft, well worn breeches in soft fawn, often mended and a blue shirt.
Jon stared at her, his eyes wide and his face pale. He looked as if he had seen a ghost.
The girl, sword back in her hand, turned to face him. By the light of her sword he saw her bright violet eyes for the first time. They were wide and filled with an emotion he could only call fear.
"Alanna?" He breathed.
She tossed her long red hair back over her shoulder and nodded slowly, her eyes filled with emotion.