Eternal Foe
Chapter 8
Teela watched the archaeologists go about their business discontentedly. The same dream had plagued her for over a week now. The deeper they got, the more she felt they were making a mistake. Without being able to say how she felt that something lived within the Fortress' walls.
Dreams were indistinct; one did not recall them as clearly as though they recalled a play. Yet she could remember every detail of the 'vision' as she had privately come to call it. Every time she had revisited the dream world the strangely armoured man had always greeted her, always imploring her to draw the sword from its rocky tomb. Always she refused, wary of his desperate pleading.
The sun began to set and the working group started to return to the encampment. Melaktha nodded to her with a broad smile as he made his way to the mess area.
"How goes the digging?" Teela asked of the lead archaeologist.
"Wonderfully!" he replied enthusiastically. "The circumference of the towers now measures in leagues. I'm hopeful that we will reach the base within a day or two."
"That's great." Teela responded insincerely.
"Dear captain," chuckled Melaktha, "are you still fearful that a menagerie of ancient monsters will burst out and eat us all?" Teela arched an eyebrow at the sceptical academic. "In any case captain I have the greatest confidence in the abilities of you and your warriors to quell any hostile attack."
Teela shook her head. "For someone who has lived through the Horde War and these troubled times with Skeletor's presence lingering like a shadow, you have a flippant attitude towards the possibilities of the supernatural."
"Well, in my experience what has long been buried in the ground is and stays dead."
Teela shook her head sceptically. "Just please be careful. Something does not feel right."
Melaktha left Teela sitting in her restless mood as he ambled over to the cook fires. The digging had not yet finished for the day, once a shift finished another took its place. Teela could not imagine why Randor would allocate so many resources to an archaeological dig; she started to suspect the Eternian royal family had in inherent predisposition to trouble. Teela stared off towards the horizon, watching the last vestiges of light fade into darkness, before long she dozed off to sleep.
The green-armoured man stood above her, looking down upon her interestedly. She returned his stare. "How have you managed to free yourself?" she demanded to know.
"Not yet." He spoke sibilantly. "We are not free yet." He leaned closer towards Teela. "But soon, very soon we will roam again this world. The children of Serpentius will again assume its place amongst the living."
"The Snake Men." Teela said softly to herself.
"As some have called us before." He continued his gaze on the young warrior. "You, if you bring to me the Singer I will anoint you Queen."
"That's not the most romantic proposal I've ever received." Teela thought back over the months of drunken offers from her grubby, would-be suitors. "Wait a moment.it is." Teela frowned at the Snake man. "What could you offer me as your Queen that could convince me to accept your proposal?"
"She who would become Queen of Snake people, would soon be Queen of the world!"
"Oh! One of them are you?" Teela said sarcastically. "A mad tyrant hell- bent on world domination, well as great as offer sounds, no thank you."
"Foolish woman, when free of this gaol my kind and I are, your liberty I will take in spite of your refusals. When you are spent and have fulfilled the task I have in mind for you then your blood will let and offer to Serpentius."
Teela stood and looked the Snake man in the eyes. "Try it snake man and we'll see whose blood is spilt." The Snake man began to scream.excitedly?
Shouts of joy brought Teela awake. She awoke panting heavily, adrenaline pumping through her body; she was ready for a fight. She calmed slightly when she realised there was no snake man around, the shouts had come from the crew working in the pit. She also realised that she was squinting against the light of day; she had slept through the night and all of morning!
"What's the ruckus all about?" She asked the nearest person.
"We've done it! We've finally reached the towers' base!" The man Teela knew only as Shorick answered.
With a sinking feeling in her stomach Teela ran to the work site. A crowd of people had gathered near the lip, as Teela neared the throng she spied Melaktha in the middle, gingerly holding something wrapped in silk. She rudely pushed her way through the elated mob to see what the head archaeologist held.
"Teela it is amazing, we have unearthed the entire three towers and look what we found at the base, it is just as you said." Melaktha unwrapped the treasure and showed it to the young Captain. Teela almost choked when she saw it, a medium length sword, its' blade snaking all the way to the tip, tinged with a deep, crimson hue. The sword she had seen in her dreams now stood within reach. The very sword instinct had told her should not be freed of its resting place. The Sword, whose name she would later know as The Crimson Singer had returned to Eternia.
Mekasha hissed in excruciating pain as real light shone in his eyes for the first time in over a millennium. As his eyes adjusted to the light he looked about. Where thousands had fallen into the Council's trap, a few dozen remained.
Dust covered the floor; buried within the silt the last remnants of countless soldiers could be seen. A wind blew from without, a light zephyr through a window that had not existed before. Mekasha looked at the survivors; many hugged themselves tightly, some rocked back and forth on their heels and others muttered to themselves. The long incarceration had left most of the survivors of ill mind.
"My King?" A voice asked tentatively.
Mekasha looked into the yellow eyes of Rattlor. "Gather those who have not fallen prey to insanity," the Snake King looked at the infirm "then bring peace to those who have."
"What then my liege?"
"We are free my old friend. We will return to the world of man and wreak vengeance upon the heirs of Eternia. We have been grievously sinned against, we shall take recompense in blood!"
Chapter 8
Teela watched the archaeologists go about their business discontentedly. The same dream had plagued her for over a week now. The deeper they got, the more she felt they were making a mistake. Without being able to say how she felt that something lived within the Fortress' walls.
Dreams were indistinct; one did not recall them as clearly as though they recalled a play. Yet she could remember every detail of the 'vision' as she had privately come to call it. Every time she had revisited the dream world the strangely armoured man had always greeted her, always imploring her to draw the sword from its rocky tomb. Always she refused, wary of his desperate pleading.
The sun began to set and the working group started to return to the encampment. Melaktha nodded to her with a broad smile as he made his way to the mess area.
"How goes the digging?" Teela asked of the lead archaeologist.
"Wonderfully!" he replied enthusiastically. "The circumference of the towers now measures in leagues. I'm hopeful that we will reach the base within a day or two."
"That's great." Teela responded insincerely.
"Dear captain," chuckled Melaktha, "are you still fearful that a menagerie of ancient monsters will burst out and eat us all?" Teela arched an eyebrow at the sceptical academic. "In any case captain I have the greatest confidence in the abilities of you and your warriors to quell any hostile attack."
Teela shook her head. "For someone who has lived through the Horde War and these troubled times with Skeletor's presence lingering like a shadow, you have a flippant attitude towards the possibilities of the supernatural."
"Well, in my experience what has long been buried in the ground is and stays dead."
Teela shook her head sceptically. "Just please be careful. Something does not feel right."
Melaktha left Teela sitting in her restless mood as he ambled over to the cook fires. The digging had not yet finished for the day, once a shift finished another took its place. Teela could not imagine why Randor would allocate so many resources to an archaeological dig; she started to suspect the Eternian royal family had in inherent predisposition to trouble. Teela stared off towards the horizon, watching the last vestiges of light fade into darkness, before long she dozed off to sleep.
The green-armoured man stood above her, looking down upon her interestedly. She returned his stare. "How have you managed to free yourself?" she demanded to know.
"Not yet." He spoke sibilantly. "We are not free yet." He leaned closer towards Teela. "But soon, very soon we will roam again this world. The children of Serpentius will again assume its place amongst the living."
"The Snake Men." Teela said softly to herself.
"As some have called us before." He continued his gaze on the young warrior. "You, if you bring to me the Singer I will anoint you Queen."
"That's not the most romantic proposal I've ever received." Teela thought back over the months of drunken offers from her grubby, would-be suitors. "Wait a moment.it is." Teela frowned at the Snake man. "What could you offer me as your Queen that could convince me to accept your proposal?"
"She who would become Queen of Snake people, would soon be Queen of the world!"
"Oh! One of them are you?" Teela said sarcastically. "A mad tyrant hell- bent on world domination, well as great as offer sounds, no thank you."
"Foolish woman, when free of this gaol my kind and I are, your liberty I will take in spite of your refusals. When you are spent and have fulfilled the task I have in mind for you then your blood will let and offer to Serpentius."
Teela stood and looked the Snake man in the eyes. "Try it snake man and we'll see whose blood is spilt." The Snake man began to scream.excitedly?
Shouts of joy brought Teela awake. She awoke panting heavily, adrenaline pumping through her body; she was ready for a fight. She calmed slightly when she realised there was no snake man around, the shouts had come from the crew working in the pit. She also realised that she was squinting against the light of day; she had slept through the night and all of morning!
"What's the ruckus all about?" She asked the nearest person.
"We've done it! We've finally reached the towers' base!" The man Teela knew only as Shorick answered.
With a sinking feeling in her stomach Teela ran to the work site. A crowd of people had gathered near the lip, as Teela neared the throng she spied Melaktha in the middle, gingerly holding something wrapped in silk. She rudely pushed her way through the elated mob to see what the head archaeologist held.
"Teela it is amazing, we have unearthed the entire three towers and look what we found at the base, it is just as you said." Melaktha unwrapped the treasure and showed it to the young Captain. Teela almost choked when she saw it, a medium length sword, its' blade snaking all the way to the tip, tinged with a deep, crimson hue. The sword she had seen in her dreams now stood within reach. The very sword instinct had told her should not be freed of its resting place. The Sword, whose name she would later know as The Crimson Singer had returned to Eternia.
Mekasha hissed in excruciating pain as real light shone in his eyes for the first time in over a millennium. As his eyes adjusted to the light he looked about. Where thousands had fallen into the Council's trap, a few dozen remained.
Dust covered the floor; buried within the silt the last remnants of countless soldiers could be seen. A wind blew from without, a light zephyr through a window that had not existed before. Mekasha looked at the survivors; many hugged themselves tightly, some rocked back and forth on their heels and others muttered to themselves. The long incarceration had left most of the survivors of ill mind.
"My King?" A voice asked tentatively.
Mekasha looked into the yellow eyes of Rattlor. "Gather those who have not fallen prey to insanity," the Snake King looked at the infirm "then bring peace to those who have."
"What then my liege?"
"We are free my old friend. We will return to the world of man and wreak vengeance upon the heirs of Eternia. We have been grievously sinned against, we shall take recompense in blood!"