Chapter 5

Hsss collapsed wearily into his bed near the end of the day. He had never done anything so taxing in his life. He ached, but it was a different sort of ache than from riding: this time, everything really did hurt. He would never have guessed that magic could be so draining. His mother made it look so effortless.

Groaning, Hsss tried to turn on his side, but found that his limbs wouldn't respond. When he tried to force reaction from them they hurt even more. Breathing deeply and noisily, he lay there unable to fall asleep through the pain, despite his fatigue. He only dimly noted that the light overhead was slowly changing its color from gold to blue.

Closing his eyes against the aching, his thoughts wandered back to the lesson that day. Asp'rios had begun by sending another blast his way, expecting Hsss to throw up another shield. Not expecting such an attack, he had no opportunity to defend himself this time around, much to the High Priest's surprise. He remembered being helped to his feet and instructed on how to erect a proper shield. They had spent the next four hours working on his shield, and every time Hsss was thrown to the floor by Asp'rios' blast. Only at the end of the lesson did he manage to stay on his feet, prompting the High Priest to let it conclude on a high note. He had trudged gratefully back to his room after that, ignoring everyone that crossed his path, including Snake Face.

And those thoughts brought him up to the present moment, too tired to remain awake, but in too much pain to fall asleep. His mind was muddled and he had no idea how long he had lain in that state, but the weary trance was broken when he heard a knock at his door.

"Hsss? Can I come in?" It sounded like Snake Face, but he couldn't be too sure, dulled as his thoughts were.

"Who is it?" Hsss groaned out, while trying to pull himself up into a sitting position, and was unable to move his extra necks from their limp positions.

"It's me, Snake Face." Ah, so he was right.

"Sure…" Hsss' voice was strained and somewhat weak as he spoke. With a shrill creak, the door opened a bit and Snake Face poked his head in, wearing a concerned expression.

"You alright?" He opened the door a bit more as he spoke softly. Hsss noticed that he was carrying a mug of something steaming in his hand.

"Do I look alright!" The Hydra's pained voice carried the hint of a whine as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, wincing as another tendril of hurt raced through his worn body.

"No, quite frankly you look like you've been to Hell and back." Though the tone in the voice was somewhat amused, an attempt to cheer him up he expected, Hsss chose not to respond. Seeing this, Snake Face sighed and approached him, and placed the mug in his hands.

"Here, it'll help with the pain, and put you to sleep." Hsss looked up at the Gorgon with a bit of confusion, not being entirely sure what he had been given. It most certainly didn't smell like remedies he was used to. In fact, the pearly white substance didn't smell like much of anything.

"I'm not sure how they make it, or what they put into it, but Diamond Hide said you'd be needing it." Snake Face gestured lamely at the mug as he spoke.

"Who?" Hsss still refused to drink.

"Diamond Hide, she's the local telepath." At those words Hsss' thoughts wandered back to the icy voice he had heard at the beginning of the day. And then something else occurred to him: How come Snake Face knew more people than him?

"Because he had time to explore while you were training with Asp'rios." The cold voice was back inside his head, startling him yet again. "Now stop being stubborn and take your medicine."

Hsss still hesitated, watching as the white liquid began to take on swirls of blue, green, and pink. The female voice in his head sighed, and felt a wave of exasperation not his own.

"If you don't drink it yourself, I have ways of making you drink it, and it won't be pleasant for either of us." Not wanting to learn what she meant by that he hastily downed the drink. The first thing he noticed about it was that it had more flavor than its smell would have predicted: it tasted sweet, like honey almost. The next thing he noticed was the dissipation of the pain, and the swiftness of it surprised him. And then the drowsiness set in, and he tried to stifle a yawn.

"Feeling better?" Snake Face asked with a brow raised, his head cocked slightly to the side. All Hsss could do in reply was nod as his jaw stretched wide in the yawn he could no longer hold back. Letting the empty cup drop from his hands he dragged himself back onto the bed, his limbs becoming heavier with each passing second.

"Well, goodnight then," Snake Face whispered as Hsss drifted off, quietly picking up the fallen mug, and padding out of the room. The door closed behind him with only a small click.

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It was the fourth day of Hsss' training, and he was still being thrown to the floor. His shields held against attacks, but his blasts were sub par and always backfired. True, his endurance had improved drastically since the first lesson, but he could only take so many bruises. The scales on his back were starting to look blue-gray. As he pushed himself up onto his knees, Asp'rios approached him.

"It would seem that your problem is that your blasts have a tendency to rebound," the High Priest said as he helped Hsss to his feet. "I should have noticed this sooner, but we can rectify it. Hold on just a moment."

As he finished, Asp'rios raised his staff and pointed it at the empty end of the room. A white glow appeared around the stone at its tip, and a similar shine appeared in his eyes. The light around the orb shot out across the room, contorting as it did so, and when it had stopped it had taken on the approximate shape of a Worg. The white, featureless, lupine form raised its head and snarled soundlessly at them.

"It'll do for now. You will be practicing on this, until I feel you are ready to move on." Asp'rios took a stand behind Hsss, his hands on his shoulders, looking at the energy beast from over his shoulder. "Now form a blast like I instructed you to."

Obediently, Hsss raised his staff and concentrated, trying to pool his energy around his focus. A faint green mist began to swirl around his hands and coil about his staff, just like all the other times. With a bit of mental force, the mist coagulated into an orb near his hands.

"Good, now direct it at the illusion," Asp'rios instructed softly. With what seemed like practiced precision, Hsss swung his staff and cast the green orb towards the Worg energy form. It struck home with what would have been deadly accuracy, but like all the other times, a portion of the magic was deflected back onto him. He cried out in pain and would have collapsed if it were not for the High Priest holding him up.

"I see what your problem is now, Hsss. You are reluctant to let your magic leave your body. Don't worry; it's a common problem for young sorcerers. You have to learn to let it go. Now I want you to try again." Asp'rios pushed against Hsss' back until he was safely on his feet again. "Form another blast."

Hsss complied and repeated the process, another green orb appearing near his hands. Asp'rios murmured something and the light emanating from the Worg faded slightly.

"Now relax. When you cast it, disconnect it from your body. Think of it as shedding your skin. Don't try to continue feeling it: that will keep you connected. Let it go." Nodding, Hsss closed his eyes and attempted to loosen his hold on the energy. When he felt a numbing feeling creep up his arms he knew it was time and cast blindly. And with a murmur from Asp'rios the illusion leapt to intercept the blast. It struck home, but like all the other times, a shot of pain raced up his arms. He hissed at the stinging sensation, and barely registered that it was weaker than the previous times.

"You're improving, but you haven't fully let go of it. And you still need to aim." Asp'rios smiled from over Hsss' shoulder. "One more time. Relax, but keep your eyes open."

Glancing back nervously at the High Priest, Hsss ran a tongue over his parched lips and took a deep breath, focusing his energy once more. Then, looking away from the orb to the Worg instead, he tried to attain the numbing feeling again. This time he let it progress further, until the prickling sensation had spread to every inch of his flesh. And finally, still not looking at the orb, he cast it towards the illusion.

The green energy washed over the Worg like water on rock, dissipating into the air around it. Hsss braced for pain, but there was none, just a surge of warmth through his limbs. Behind him, he felt Asp'rios let go of his shoulders and step around him, clapping lightly.

"Well done, well done, Hsss." With a flash of white light the Worg was gone. "Quite impressive for your second attempt at it. The skill only needs to be perfected. With practice this will soon become second nature to you."

Hsss couldn't help but smile. The warmth had left him but the elated feeling it had brought remained. His first real success in these lessons.

"Why don't we end here? You've certainly come a long way," Asp'rios said cheerfully. His eyes flashed briefly, causing the staff in Hsss' hands to seemingly liquefy and fall to the floor, to evaporate into thin wisps of smoke. And with another flash his garb changed back to his customary robes.

"You are free to go." Hsss started to turn away, but another thought occurred to Asp'rios. "Oh, and I would advise you to have your friend Snake Face show you around. There is still much time left in the day, and he's had little to do. It would benefit you both. Now go."

Bowing slightly and smiling, Hsss turned and left the room, jumping every few steps as he descended the stairs. However he stopped dead when he reached the main hall, and looked around with an uneasy feeling. Where was Snake Face, anyway? The stables?

"No, he's in the room just across the hall from you. Big door, a fire inside, you can't miss it." It was Diamond Hide again. Over the past few days she had proven to be a reliable source of information about the castle. And once again she had come to his aid with directions. Silently thanking her, he spotted the door she meant and crossed the hall to it.

The door was quite large like she had described it, wide enough for three Adders to walk abreast through it. Also, as she had said, a fire burned inside, a pit fire in fact, low enough to cook over, but still fairly high. And sitting on the floor next to the pit's rim was Snake Face and a female Rattler he didn't recognize. Her scales, or what Hsss could see of them as her white robes covered most of her body, were a bronzy copper broken by a blue-black band, which formed a v-like shape on her face. But what caught his attention were her silver eyes, which seemed to pierce him to his very soul.

"Hsss!" Snake Face called to him, waving him over. "Come, join us!"

With a nervous grin on his face, Hsss walked to where they sat. Snake Face patted the floor next to him, motioning for him to sit. With a moment of hesitation he complied and sat cross-legged beside him. Almost beaming, Snake Face gestured to the Rattler sitting on the other side of him.

"You've met her in your mind, now you get to meet her in person. Hsss, this is Diamond Hide." Those eerie silver eyes locked with his for a moment and they penetrated him again, but the chill feeling only lasted until she blinked.

"Glad to finally meet you in the flesh, Hsss, son of Serpentor," Diamond said with a soft, almost shaky voice, much unlike the voice she used to speak to him in his mind; It was as if she didn't use it too often. "And yes, I don't interact much this way, I prefer to keep to myself. I apologize if my voice is too quiet."

Hsss blinked as she read his mind again, feeling her presence in his thoughts while she tore him apart with her gaze. Feeling tensions starting to rise, Snake Face broke in.

"So, you hungry?" Hsss nodded. "Here try this. Discovered it quite recently. It's quite good."

Snake Face handed Hsss a leather flask that smelled of flesh and alcohol. He took it, and found it to be a bit heavy, the liquid inside thicker than blood. In fact, if he didn't miss his guess it was blood contained within, judging by the smell alone.

"It's some mixture of blood, milk, ale, and honey. They call it crimson-mead. It's very filling. Try it." Sighing in an almost defeated manner, Hsss unscrewed the flask's cap and sniffed the contents. Indeed, it carried the scent of all the ingredients described, but he was still wary.

"It's a sustainer drink, often taken on long journeys," Diamond Hide put forth, using her mind to encourage Hsss. Hesitantly, he raised the flask to his mouth and took a sip. To his surprise it tasted quite good, and, as described, very rich. Emboldened, he took another swallow.

"Like it?" Snake Face beamed sharing a small glance and a smirk with Diamond Hide. Hsss nodded almost enthusiastically as he lowered the flask and screwed the top back on. There was then a long pause, through which the only sound was the crackling of the fire. Snake Face perked up briefly while Diamond Hide's eyes flashed. Blinking quickly, the Gorgon turned to his companion.

"So… you want me to show you around?" Hsss' eyes widened as Snake Face had reminded him of something he had never mentioned.

"How did you…?" Hsss asked in bewilderment, but Snake Face quickly answered by pointing to Diamond Hide. Yes, that explained it. Finally overcoming his shock, Hsss nodded yes in reply.

"Well… might as well start here…" Snake Face paused and looked around briefly. "This, as you might have been able to tell, is the kitchen."

Hsss glanced around and saw that that was indeed what it appeared to be, with its cooking fire and the fresh meat waiting to be distributed. The next thing he noticed was the black Cobra on the other side of the room who looked strangely familiar.

"You see that Cobra over there? He's the one who showed us in," Snake Face continued pointing over at the aforementioned Snakeman. "That's Dark Shadow."

"That's an unusual name…" Hsss put forth, raising a brow. "And somewhat redundant…"

"It only makes sense when you know he has an albino twin brother named Light Shadow." Hsss nodded in understanding. "They're both warrior-mages. I've seen them train. You wouldn't believe what they're capable of."

"Oh, you'd be surprised by what I'm willing to believe," Hsss interjected. "I've seen a lone, blind, herdsman fend off a Worg pack. I've seen a one-eyed warrior defeat two opponents at once. In fact, I was one of them."

"I see…" There was another pause, and once again Hsss caught a glimpse of Diamond Hide's eyes flashing. "So… I guess I should show you around the rest of the castle."

"Yes. Lets go, shall we?" Hsss and Snake Face stood slowly and stretched. Diamond Hide, however remained seated.

"You two just go ahead," she said with a wave of her thick, three-fingered hand, and a nod. With that, the two young Snakemen exit the room. The main hall was still somewhat empty, but Snake Face still seemed to recognize the few priests there were.

"You see that white Cobra one over there? That's the one I was telling you about: Light Shadow. And see that gold-colored Gorgon next to him? That's Sun Scale; she's a seer. Come on, I'll introduce you." Taking Hsss be the wrist, Snake Face led him over to where the two priests stood talking. "Don't worry, they won't bite, spit, or turn you to stone. They're really nice."

The two adult Snakemen perked up when the youngsters approached them, ending their conversation in favor of examining the new comers. They smiled, and Sun Scale was the first to speak.

"Ah, Snake Face. How good to see you again, child." Sun Scale spoke with a thin, ragged voice of great age. It had a distinct motherly tone to it, which erased most of Hsss' trepidation.

"And who is your friend?" Light Shadow stepped in with his low, thick speech; the voice of a warrior hardened by many years a veteran. His albino pink eyes spoke of hardships just as definitely as his voice.

"Sun Scale, Light Shadow, this is Hsss." Grinning as he spoke, Snake Face pulled Hsss forward, and put a hand at the junction of his necks to keep him there. The Hydra could only smile nervously.

"Um… Hello…" Sun Scale cocked her head at him and stepped forward. Her green eyes locked with Hsss' for a moment, and she raised a hand to his central face.

"Let me have a look at you, child," she said calmly as she touched his cheek. Hsss could now see that her gold scales were rimmed with white, another indicator of her age. Taking his jaw in her hand she turned his head from side to side, examining him. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Curious, curious indeed…" she whispered as she released her grip on his head, taking a step back.

"What…?" Hsss noticed her expression in an instant, one of mixed pride and sorrow.

"You may have the gift of foresight, Hsss. But it is dormant…" Her voice trailed off and her face darkened further. "I see more, but it is uncertain…"

"What is uncertain? Is something going to happen?" Snake Face broke in, a look of mild panic in his eyes.

"Oh, don't trouble yourselves over it," Sun Scale shrugged and shifted her weight. "Nothing in prophecy is for certain. Not all fates are set in stone…"

Her thin voice trailed off then, sadness appearing in her eyes as they locked with Hsss'. A chill ran down his spine and he shuddered before she broke their gaze. The following silence was deafening.

"I guess we should be on our way…" Snake Face whispered, once more taking Hsss by the arm. "Let's go, Hsss."

"Well, well, well!" Light Shadow, who had been previously silent, declared rather loudly out of nowhere, startling the two adolescents. "Look who's finally decided to come out of the catacombs!"

Snake Face visibly flinched at those words, turned abruptly, and went stone still, eyes wide with fear. Light Shadow seemed undisturbed by whatever it was, though it seemed to disgust Sun Scale. With much trepidation Hsss turned, one head at a time, to see just what had culled these reactions from them. And what he saw made his blood run cold.

In the center of the hall some distance away stood the largest Snakeman Hsss had ever laid eyes on. It was an Adder with peat-brown scales that towered at what had to be at least twice as tall as Hsss himself, and easily three times as wide. It—no, he Hsss realized, stood hunched over, his three-fingered hands nearly touching the floor. Deep-set amber eyes glinted at them blankly, while a heavy jaw hung limply with its thick tongue almost lolling out, and a trail of drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

The Adder shifted his weight from foot to foot, cocking his head from side to side. A deep rumble emitted from him, which made all but Light Shadow shiver. Something was wrong with this Snakeman, Hsss could tell, but he couldn't exactly put his finger on what it was. And then the stench of decay reached him. He understood in an instant; he could now see that it wasn't the Adder's scales that were deep brown, it was his flesh. This Snakeman was a zombie.

Hsss began to tremble, but he felt a comforting, callused hand come to rest on his shoulder. Light Shadow leaned in to whisper his reassurances.

"Don't fret. He won't attack, not unless he is told to." Then the warrior-mage stood back up and spoke louder in the zombie's direction. "Right, Necromancer?"

A gaunt hand suddenly appeared on the Adder's arm, pushing him gently to the side. And from behind him appeared another Snakeman, one who seemed somewhat more alive. He was dwarfed by the zombie, and seemed no taller than Snake Face. He was of the Viper breed, with tan scales crisscrossed by blackish stripes, and dark eyes glinting from within a sunken face. His garb was not the white robes of the other priests, but instead consisted of little more than a tattered black cloak, and floor length loincloth. Clutched close to his chest was a black-wood staff topped with an ebony orb clutched in what appeared to be a skeletal hand. His chest was bare, and those stripes didn't stop at his underbelly, leaving their mark on the plated scales as well. His form was not intimidating, but his aura, his presence, most certainly was.

"So, one that is still living takes notice of me and my location, eh, Light Shadow?" The Necromancer's grating voice chilled Hsss to the very marrow of his bones.

"Yes, indeed. I was beginning to wonder if you were trying to starve yourself, again." Light Shadow's tone gave no impression that he was unnerved by the Necromancer, or his zombie.

"Oh, no. You know full well that they would never let me do that to myself." The Necromancer grinned and stepped closer, the Adder shuffling to shadow him. "It would appear that I am more valuable to them alive than dead."

"So then, what brings you up here with your faithful pet…?" The zombie's sudden snarl cut him off, causing Light Shadow to back up a step. "Eh, no offence meant, Gorgoth."

But the zombie Gorgoth was unsatisfied and took another step forward, raising his hackles. The only thing that stopped his approach was the Necromancer's staff barring his path.

"Down, Gorgoth. Accept his apology!" The grating voice held an undeniable authority, similar to Asp'rios', but was much more sinister. An authority the zombie obeyed with a baleful glance, stepping back and grumbling deeply at Light Shadow.

"Good, boy. Now play nice." The Necromancer turned back to the Cobra before him. "And as to why I'm up here, Gorgoth wanted to go outside. And who am I to deny him or let him go unsupervised? Ta-ta. Come along, Gorgoth."

And with that the Necromancer brushed past them, Gorgoth shambling along behind him. As he passed, Hsss noticed something else that was odd: the distorted shape of the scales within the stripes. Then he realized that those were not strips, they were tattoos. Hsss shuddered; tattoos for his kind were painful enough as it was, and he could not fathom as to why one would subject his entire body to that treatment. He only dimly noted that the tattoos were not stripes, but runes.

As the Necromancer's chill faded from the hall only a dead silence remained. No one moved, and their breathing was stilled. But the silence was soon broken by Sun Scale's soft voice.

"In case you hadn't already guessed, Hsss, that was our resident Necromancer," her words carried a tone of contempt, and her gentle voice sounded somewhat disgusted.

"He spends all of his time in the catacombs, in the company of his dead, and rarely comes out," Light Shadow added, though his tone was more one of amusement.

"He's often down there so long we forget he's even there," Sun Scale continued.

"I've been warned about him," Snake Face threw in, the look of terror in his eyes still present. "I've heard he's insane."

"As he might very well be," Sun Scale went on. "As he doesn't even know his own name."

"Long since forgotten it. It's so buried that even Diamond Hide can't find it," Light Shadow stated in an almost cheerful tone, one that unnerved Hsss even further. "Thus we know him only as the Necromancer, or as the Nameless One."

The real world came rushing back to Hsss in an instant as the creak of the drawbridge lowering reached them, causing him to flinch. Spinning abruptly, he caught one final glimpse of the Necromancer and his zombie as they crossed the bridge, and into the ocean fog that surrounded the castle. The chill was finally gone.