Land of the King
Chapter 48: A Place so Evil
"I can't do this anymore Jaenara. I watched your father turn from the man I loved into everything I hated. I won't watch you do the same, watch you become just like them, just another dragonspawn," her mother said.
"Mother please!"
But her pleas were for naught for Lina jumped off the balcony then and out of her daughter's life.
In the present, Jaenara Belaerys woke from her sleep with a gasp.
It was just a dream. Her mother had died many years ago but the memory had never faded, haunting her.
As part of her agreement with the Arnorians, Jaenara had gotten quarters on board their ship, with her safety guaranteed by oath as well as the threat of her dragon immolating all of them if she was harmed.
Jaenara opened the door of her room and walked up above decks. The early morning had always been her favourite time of day. It was refreshing to feel the cool morning air upon her skin as the sky slowly turned bright. It was soothing.
Yet the feeling was always dispelled all to quickly as the sun rose to dissipate the mist and bring its warmth upon the world.
For all our accomplishments and deeds, are we humans simply like the morning mist?
It was a haunting question. Even the Arnorians did not live forever and death not even they could escape. For her own part, Jaenara wasn't even sure how long she could expect to live. Would her mother's blood run true in her? Or would she prove herself just like the rest of the dragonspawn her mother had so despised?
"Can't sleep?"
Jaenara turned around to see Captain Túrin watching her with an expectant gaze.
"No. I just like to wake up early I guess," Jaenara replied. There she was again with the lies though at least there was some semblance of truth in her words this time.
"A kindred spirit I see. When I was a boy, I would wake so early that my parents would get annoyed at me. They told me a growing boy needed his rest."
The faraway look in Túrin's eyes reminded her that he was a Dúnadan. Longevity was his blessing and he was no doubt far older than she had thought him to be.
"And how long ago was that?" Jaenara asked.
"At least a century."
Jaenara said nothing after that. The two of them remained there for a little, staring out at sea as Sothoryos slowly came into sight.
"I can't believe that I'm going to be back in that hellhole again so soon," Jaenara muttered.
Of course Túrin heard her, "Why are you exploring Sothoryos then? You don't sound that pleased to be back."
"I could ask you the same thing," she retorted, "but if you must know, it's been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to seek out adventure and expand our knowledge of the world."
"I'm not sure that's still why you're doing it. What you are doing now doesn't seem like the dreams of a little girl. It seems almost like just the excuse you use. The cloak you shield yourself with. You're running aren't you?"
Jaenara snapped back, "What's it to you? You don't know me Túrin. You can't possibly understand what I've been through."
"You're right I don't. Like I said though, you're a kindred spirit, in more ways than one Jaenara. Perhaps in more than just spirit as well."
She flinched when she heard his last words. Did he know? Did they all know? Or did they suspect that she was more than meets the eye? More than just another Valyrian with purple eyes and silver hair?
Jaenara told herself she didn't want to know. Yet as good at lying as she had gotten, she could never lie to herself. Deep down, she wanted to know if all Arnorians would think of her the same way her mother did.
It was midday when they made landfall in the ruins of Zamettar on the mouth of the Zamayos.
Once an ancient Ghiscari colony, the city had been destroyed by Valyria and left abandoned since, with the jungle slowly reclaiming it over the centuries.
After they landed, Jaenara called Terrax to her and scouted their surroundings before reporting back to Túrin and Allard.
"There's nothing but jungle for a hundred miles around us. Zamettar is secure enough."
Allard glared at her, as usual, but Túrin accepted her report with a smile, "Excellent. It's midday already so I believe we should set up a primary camp in the ruins of the city as our base. The Arsarothod can go a few dozen more miles up the river but frankly that would be useless. For further exploration upstream, we'll use the river ship whilst the Arsarothod resupplies us from Gogossos. Any objections?"
Jaenara agreed wholeheartedly with that idea. With the large ship to supply them and with their defensible position in Zamettar, their expedition was off to a good start.
"I need to know though, what exactly is your goal here in Sothoryos apart from simple exploration? I could give aid more expediently if I knew."
Túrin and Allard shared a look. Jaenara was almost tempted to try and look into their minds but knew better than to try and read the minds of the most adept mind readers in the world.
"Well we are interested in the native flora and fauna. There are a number of exotic animals that would fetch a nice price back in Arnor and some specific substances that could be useful in medicine and other fields," Túrin answered.
"So that's why you're sponsored then." At the looks of the two men, Jaenara continued, "Come on, I'm not stupid. You would need quite a sponsor to fund an expedition like this and it was not only for exploration but research into potential financial benefits?"
"Something like that," Túrin answered,
"It's none of your business Valyrian," Allard spat out before stalking off when reprimanded by Túrin.
"Sorry about that."
"No it's fine. I'm just wondering what exactly I did to make him mad at me."
Túrin sighed, "Long lives come with long memories. It's not any fault of your own but Allard still believes in hating all Valyrians because of what your ancestors did to Lys and the Stepstones."
"But that was over a millennium ago! Arnorian or not, everyone who was alive at the time is long dead!" Jaenara protested.
Túrin shrugged, "Like I said. Long lives and long memories. Grudges die hard in Arnor."
Jaenara turned to Túrin with a suspicious gaze then, "Do you think the same then? Are you just being polite to me?"
He put up his hands in defense, "Hey, not all of us think like that alright. The patriot in me will never be happy that land my people once lived on is under foreign rule now but the pragmatist has accepted that its done and over now. The one thing that I or any Arnorian will always hold against Valyria however is the slaves you still hold in your thrall."
Jaenara turned away from his gaze in shame, "My family does not hold any Arnorian slaves."
Not anymore.
"What about slaves in general?" Túrin asked.
Jaenara looked at him in surprise.
"Most any Arnorian will take offense to that. Slavery is abhorrent to our culture."
"Yet your own ancestors crushed the First Men and Andals underfoot and made them your slaves in all but name. And in the olden days of Númenor, you were just as bad as you call us. Do not preach morality to me Arnorian, not when you have yet to rid yourself of the hypocrisy."
"That's the thing. We have rid ourselves of the hypocrisy. It took time and effort but we redeemed ourselves for our past sins. Now we look at Valyria and see a mirror reminding us of our shame reminding us of everything we once were. I can only hope that Valyria and its people repent before it is too late."
Túrin walked off then, leaving Jaenara to her thoughts.
It was months later when their expedition came upon the ruins of Yeen.
The Arnorian riverine ship had been anchored on the outskirts of the ruin and her partners had begun setting up camp.
Terrax had refused to land in Yeen the last time she had come and Jaenara, having no allies on the ground, had followed her dragon's lead.
This time however, Jaenara had to land to meet up with her allies and with her coaxing, Terrax reluctantly landed in the city near the camp.
A feeling came upon Jaenara when she landed. One she could not describe. An eerie sense of constant danger.
"Terrax! Terrax come back!" Jaenara shouted at her dragon as it took off and left her in the dust.
"Coward," she thought disdainfully of her mount
The sound of laughter made Jaenara turn to see Allard barely able to control himself. For the first time, she saw something other than a glare on the lieutenant's face,
"What's so funny?" Jaenara demanded.
"I am sorry but that was hilarious to see. Looks like your dragon decided to leave you all alone with us now."
"He'll be back soon. And when that happens we'll see how much you'll be laughing when a dragon is baring its teeth in your face."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Túrin approached then, coming to see what all the commotion was about.
It seemed he had guessed as he was wearing an amused smile when he spoke.
"Well would my lady wish to join us in the ground exploration?"
Jaenara regained her composure and replied, gritting her teeth, "Very well then." She would regret her decision later however.
As their party walked through the streets of the abandoned city, Jaenara looked at her surroundings and awed. The entire city was built out of black oily stone, similar to the black stone used by both Arnor and Valyria and yet also not. The stones used to build Yeen were not smooth and fused like those of Valyria and Arnor but many large blocks. Some were so large that not even a dozen elephants could move it, making her wonder who or what had built Yeen and what had caused their extinction?
That was not all however. The strange feeling was back now and with a fury. Every single part of her body was screaming at her and telling her that she had to leave now but Jaenara pressed on through sheer will.
"It's too quiet," Túrin said.
Jaenara agreed with him. With their time in Sothoryos, the expedition had long adjusted to hearing constant sounds everywhere but in Yeen? The silence was deafening.
"It does not make any sense either. Yeen has been abandoned for millennia, the jungle should have reclaimed it like it did Zamettar," Jaenara said puzzled, trying to distract herself from the silence.
"It's simple really."
All of them turned to Allard, "This city is a place so evil that even the jungle will not enter."
"Why are we here then?" Jaenara thought to herself.
It was not long before they had reached what seemed to be the central plaza of the city before a colossal structure.
"What do you think that is?" one of the other expedition members asked pointing to the structure.
"I don't know," Túrin said simply.
"It looks to be some kind of temple or palace. Judging by its location, it was probably the most important building in the city," Jaenara deduced.
"Well then, what are waiting for?" Túrin asked cheerfully.
"Wait, who knows what could be inside? There could be dark magic and curses, or maybe booby traps and monsters!" Jaenara exclaimed.
"All the better then," he replied.
She deadpanned at him, not knowing if he was serious or not. Nevertheless, Jaenara followed when the Arnorians eagerly climbed up the stairs into the complex. Someone had to keep those boys out of trouble after all.
The moment they entered the complex however, Jaenara's strange feeling intensified even more than she had thought possible. And it only got stronger and stronger, as if it was warning her of something.
Ever deeper they ventured until they had found something that perhaps they shouldn't have.
There was something there in the darkness, but also nothing. A place that seemed to suck in all the light from the torches. Something so dark that it could not be described, something blacker and darker even than the black stones of the complex. Jaenara could only describe it as something that was not of this world, or any world. It was nothing and everything. Empty and yet also full. A void in the dark where nothing could exist.
The cheer had gone from Túrin's face now.
"Let's leave," he said.
And all of them almost tripped over themselves to leave, the feeling of danger at its zenith.
Yet right as they left the room that contained the thing, Jaenara heard a voice whispering to her from the darkness.
Jaenara
And she almost froze because she knew that voice. Her mother's voice.
Jaenara couldn't sleep that night. Her thoughts were plagued by the memory of the voice calling in the darkness. It was why she had volunteered to take the watch.
She knew her mother was dead, but she was not thinking rationally. Making sure not to disturb the others, Jaenara got up from her watching position and walked off into the ruins for the complex from earlier, almost like she was possessed by someone or something.
So distracted was she, Jaenara did not notice the stars disappearing in the sky above. There were no clouds obscuring them from view on that moonless night. Nor had anything happened to the stars themselves. They simply could not be seen for darkness had come to choke Yeen.
A fog began rolling into the city, but it was no ordinary fog known to men. And dark things used it to cloak their approach.
Soon, Jaenara found herself before the thing from earlier. As she approached it, she wondered why she had thought it dangerous before. There was nothing wrong with it, the feeling of danger she had felt before was completely gone now, replaced by a soothing touch.
Jaenara
The voice called out again.
"I'm here Mother. Please, don't leave me again."
Come
She reached out her hand for the nothingness yet before she could touch it, she felt herself being yanked back.
"Are you stupid?" Túrin demanded.
Jaenara grew angry. Her mother's voice had gone now and she felt despair at its loss.
"I won't let anything take my mother from me again, not even you Túrin," she said as he blocked her path to whatever lurked in the darkness.
"Snap out of it Jaenara. You're not thinking right. It's gotten into your head!"
"Get out of my way."
"Make me."
Jaenara drew her Valyrian steel sword and Túrin drew his own, a purely black sword that he had named after the legendary blade of his namesake.
He was fast, faster than any opponent she had fought before. Before she knew it, she was disarmed and Túrin's blade was at her throat.
She began weeping then, sobbing and shrieking as Túrin picked up both of their swords and carried her out of the complex.
Almost anyone would think that she had lost her mind and in her fear and desperation Jaenara called out for help mentally.
Still in Túrin's arms, Jaenara vaguely saw a host of massive hog-like people, armed with primitive spears and clubs at the base of the stairs as they exited the complex. For some reason, perhaps because of whatever that thing had done to her, she was barely conscious, barely able to control her own body as Túrin carried her to safety.
Her mind was slipping now and she could barely remember what came next.
In a fluid motion, Túrin placed her gently on the ground at the top of the stairs before drawing both his own blade and Jaenara's Valyrian sword.
With a grace and skill that was almost inhuman, Túrin deftly avoided all the blows of the Brindled Men before slicing any who dared come near Jaenara to pieces. Yet there were too many and soon he was forced to withdraw.
The last thing Jaenara remembered before losing consciousness was the flames incinerating the Brindled Men approaching her to ashes.
Author's Note: Sothoryos is a really creepy place. I wouldn't go to Yeen no matter how much you pay me. Also apparently Zamayos is the canon name of the river and I could not find it on AWOIAF when I was writing 47 for whatever reason, eh.