The Beast Within

Chapter Fifty- Two – Repayments

Safiya huddled herself within the traveling coat a little bit tighter and cast a worrying look at the two unconscious bodies laying not very far from her feet. Leela and Gannayev had been asleep. They had entered their so-called dreamscape for some time. Apart from their occasional frowns and incoherent mumbles, it was rather difficult for the Red Wizard to tell what went on in that strange and surreal realm they were in. How far have then gotten now? Had they managed to free those thralls trapped inside the endless circle of nightmares? She tried to recall what she had learned from the Academy, but failed miserably in the gloom light. No, no one knew what it was like. People tend to forget their dreams once they were awake.

"They shall be fine." Kaelyn the Dove spoke up abruptly from the other side of the small fire they had conjured and wrenched her attention from the reverie.

"How do you know?" Asked Safiya warily, placed her palm on her forehead.

"Well, the next room is still relatively quiet at the moment." The half celestial tilted her head to the direction of the audience chamber: "The last time I checked, which was no less than 5 minutes ago, they were still floating there with those glowing protective shields around. So I wager they were still quite safe there."

"I see." The Red Wizard nodded.

"You should learn to trust Gannayev." Kaelyn grinned.

"Huh?"

"He would not cause Lee any harm," the Dove blinked slowly, somehow resembling a night owl: "he would not allow it."

"That obvious, is it?" The Red Wizard let out a small giggle.

"Only those two don't know." The half-celestial chuckled.

"Something about those thralls, ladies," Okku opened his mouth abruptly from the entrance of the small adjoining room, starting them both: "They seemed to wake up, falling onto the platform and managing to walk away from the chamber just now."

"What?" Said both Kaelyn and Safiya in unison. Both woman leaped up and rushed to the door. Sure enough, as they carefully peeked through the damp half opened doorframe, they noticed the thralls used to power the shields were gone. There were only dead bodies remaining on the stone floor, as well as the floating hags.

"The shields are fading, too." Safiya pointed out.

"Humph…." Okku growled: "Weapons and spells ready, everyone. I don't think it will be long before hell breaks lose."

The Red Wizard slanted a quick glance at the two sleeping companions, and gasped as they were shimmering in silvery light and quickly fading into nothingness.

"Lee!" She cried out: "Gannayev!"

At the same time, a deafening shriek broke in the depth of the Audience Chamber. The horror and dread echoed between the dim lights and shadows. No longer needing to guard over their friends' bodies, Safiya followed Okku and Kaelyn into the large hall in time to see the air in front of the strange device beginning to ripple. In the next split second, a slit was torn like a tapestry from the other side and a gap opened up in front of them. Blinding light beamed out from within.

"The dreamwalker's creating a tear from the dreamscape." Said Kaelyn anxiously as she pointed her staff at the floating Coven sisters, who appeared to show signs of distress on their once bland face: "I believe they will be coming directly from the realm of dreams."

Another screech ricocheted through the vast chamber, in agony and pain this time. The invisible string that suspended the hags in the mid air suddenly snapped. As they fell onto the cold stone platform, a hand struck out from the golden gap, widening by someone tearing it with all their might.

"Ganneyev!" Safiya cried out as she saw the tall figure stepping through the tear, his hair flying widely around his statuesque face. Almost at once, with one hand, Gannayev fired out gnarling vines toward the staggering Coven sisters, his eyes glittering in icy coldness and fury that none of his companions had witnessed before. His other hand still clasped Leela's, who in turn was summoning blizzard storm within the chamber as soon as she stepped through the torn gap.

Two of the hags were dissipated and blown away by the gale blowing around them before they even managed to get back to their feet—costs of leaping between two realms with lesser strength. It was clear that the air genasi and the blue hagspawn had started their attack before returning to the world of wakens. Things obviously had not gone well while they were in dreamscape. But there would be time for questions later. The Red Wizard rushed forward, joining her friends on the ascending steps of the podium, reciting the first of many spells that sprang into mind.

The screams and howls continued to resonate around the hall. Safiya called out another spell to aid their attack. Fluffy pinned one of the Coven sisters flat against the wall, its sharp pincers slashing across her throat like knives cutting through butter. One of the remaining hags waved her large club at Okku, which appeared to be not affected. She snarled in frustration, reached out one hand, stretched her long and twisted fingers, and called for Magic Missiles. The telthor bear god let out a roar of laughter in triumph, turned his giant body and pawed his feet at the small and hideous looking creature.

"Ungrateful pest!" The husky sneer boomed above their heads: "We answered the question you seek and this is how you repay us?"

Gannayev's quarterstaff stabbed into another hag's throat. He watched with some form of satisfaction on his face, his dark eyes were flared with anger. His voice was thick with anger: "We merely seek what you meant to repay us decades past."

"Nonsense! There was no such thing. We did according to the law—"

"A law made by your lot!" Shouted Leela, who drove a dagger through a hag's chest: "Who gave you right to decide one's fate, wicked creatures? What gave you privileges to carry out slaughters, as you would be one of the Gods? You are hags, nothing more. And like all other creatures in these realms, you shall pay for your sins!"

"We bare wisdom—!"

"Which you stole by invading others dreams." Growled Okku: "Capital notion, little one. I shall not question what had happened beyond the realm of morals, as I wholeheartedly agree to bring long overdue justice down on those self-absorbed beings."

One more of Coven sisters fell down to her knees. The door leading to the waiting hall suddenly burst open, in came the hagspawns guarding the entrance outside. Safiya could not help but wonder why it took them this long to realize something had happened to their mistresses.

"Brainless brutes!" She sneered as she watched Leela summon two air elementals to attack them: "By the Gods, they look so different than you, Gannyev."

"Of course, I am the handsome one." The dreamwalker turned his head around and grinned at her, baring his teeth: "Took you this long to figure it out, did you?"

"Oh, shut up and fight, you self obsessive hagspawn!" The corner of Red Wizard's mouth curled up. Her fingers crackled with light as she began another round of lightning bolts.

There were two more hags remained and with the burly guards coming to their rescue, they proved to be a little bit harder to handle. At the end, they let Okku and Fluffy sufficiently dealt with hagspawns while the rest tackled with the Coven sisters. The bony creatures continued to shriek and spew out threat even as they gone down.

"Rest well," Gannayev snarled as he slit the last of the hags' throat, glint of silver dancing in his eyes as he watched in satisfaction that the dark blue blood spilled all over his armor: "sweet eternal dreams! And pass my regards to my folks."

"You got what you were after with those horrible looking things?" Kaelyn reached up and wiped a mist off sweat from her forehead.

"Oh, yes, of course." Panted Leela: "Do come and sit down, let me tell you what happened while we are catching up our breath."

"Among all this blood?" Gannayev quirked his brow. Holding his melee weapon, he barely had strength to move. Casting something that tore a hole between the dreamscape and the real world drained almost all his energy.

"Marks of vengeance for your folks? Why, of course." The air genasi smiled.

"Very well." He blinked, and grinned back.

Leaning against the blood splattered stone steps, Safiya carefully handed out the rationed food and ale flask, while Leela related in great detail what had occurred to the pair the minute they entered the dreamscape. The Red Wizard's breath caught as she mentioned about the meeting between the Coven and the twins.

"Mother and Lienna? Here in the Coven?" Her eyes widened in surprise: "And asking about an ancient curse? How odd."

"Indeed. Apparently they were discussing about me," The air genasi carefully chewed the cold ham in her mouth: "trying to end my suffering, or so they claimed."

"Why, how inventive of them" Okku arched his brow: "By putting you at the bottom of my Barrow?"

"That part bewildered me, too, Okku." Sighed Leela: "It appeared by answering my questions, I have got thousands more to seek. By Gods, just the thought of it tires me."

The druid continued on, recalling those strange dreams that did not appear to fit in any of those thralls trapped by the Coven sisters. First, the strange and bizarre play at the Veil Theatre, which Safiya commented that it was rather curious about the other actors on the stage and what they said to her, as demiliches, dragons, and celestials rarely get along. Then the story moved onto the Betrayers gate. This time even Kaelyn the Dove became excited.

"The Gate?" Her face was curious: "What was it like, what did you see there?"

Leela told them who they encountered and what they did there. Safiya frowned at the mentioned of the women in red. It wasn't the first time she heard about such a person appeared in her friend's dream. And yet the druid was adamant she did not appear to be her mother or her younger self. It was even more surprising when the air genasi related the appearance of Araman, the conspirator of the coop that overthrown and killed her mother.

"Him!" She cried out, leaping on her feet: "What was he doing in there?"

"Arguing over something." The crease on Leela's frown deepened: "He spoke of me as if I was his brother. He spoke of something about the Betrayer should not be challenging Myrkul. Something about ilove./i"

"Love?" The Red Wizard found herself snorting at such a concept: "He's the last person in this world knowing anything about love."

"The Betrayer?" Kaelyn frowned: "How odd."

"It's merely a dream." Okku grunted.

"And we all know what wisdom lies within our dreams sometimes, grandpa bear." Gannayev arched his silver brow.

They argued a bit, but came to no conclusion whatsoever what it meant. And then, finally, Leela talked about the Wall of Faithless.

And someone named Bishop.

Safiya immediately sensed the change on her dear friend. Leela's shoulders became rigid. She became paler, her hands on the flask suddenly tightened to a degree that her knuckles turned white. The Red Wizard caste a wary glance at Gannayev and bewilderingly noticed the blue hagspawn had grown quiet.

Bishop.

She suddenly remembered that during the early days when she first met the druid, she had heard her cry out such a name in her sleep. Several times, as the matter of fact. Often she had to shake her dear friend awake, to stop her screaming. The hurt on her face and the trembling tone in her voice were heartbreaking. She also remembered no matter how many times she questioned Leela about him, the air genasi refused to talk about her troubles. It had happened less since they met the dreamwalker. At one stage, she thought the dream no longer troubled her companion. Obviously it wasn't the case.

"I know this name." Said Safiya softly: "Your old companion, is he not?"

The air genasi's gazed briefly left and stared into hers. There was sadness twirling deep within: "...yes."

"He was in the Wall?" The Red Wizard moved toward the druid and placed her hand on her companion's upper arm.

Leela took a deep breath: "Yes."

Behind her, Safiya heard the dreamwalker move. When she turned her head around, she saw Gannayev walking toward them and sit down. His shoulders just touched hers. His expression was dark and unreadable.

"What did he say?." The Red Wizard turned and regarded her friend again.

"…Something about seeing me in the Wall." The air genasi buried her face in her hands: "He refused to let me help him, Sa. I tried to get him out."

"You can't pull people out from the Wall." Kaelyn spoke up: "It's the law."

"Another damn law." Gannayev let out a sarcastic bark of laughter.

"There is nothing you can do, Lee." Safiya pawed the druid's hand: "They won't allow it."

"He gave us another mask fragment." Said the druid at length.

Kaelyn took out healing potions from the rucksacks and gave them to everyone to speed up the recover. She frowned as her companion mentioned about the third mask fragment: "Another one?" Leela nodded: "Show us?"

The air genasi handed over the fragment, as well as the others. Safiya edged closer and watched the Dove try to put them together with great care, before tilting her head to make some sense out of it.

"Strange patterns…" The half-celetial trailed her fingers past the carvings on the fragments: "intriguing. What do you think," She looked up and gazed at the Red Wizard: "Safiya?"

Safiya frowned over the mask: "This markings looks old, for I do not recognise any of them at all…"

"I have no idea." Leela stared blankly ahead, clearly lost in her memory: "Something I've tried to figure out myself, too. Other than Bishop, I do not know any of those people in my dream, let alone most of the places in there. How it managed to appear in my dream is a mystery, and it seemed even those hags could not answer that."

"What about that passage the Coven mentioned," Gannayev tabbed his knee: "the one they said hidden in the Shadow Mulsantir?"

"What? Which one?" Kaelyn straightened her back.

"The one the keeper had no clue where it leads, that one." Replied the blue hagspawn.

Leela took a deep breath, cast a side-glance at the dreamwalker before throwing the remaining cheese into her mouth: "Want to go back to have a look?"

"Thought you'd never asked." Safiya found herself smiling.