Chapter 21: The middle of the first ending
Beryl led her through the dark mists with out a single word, her grip upon her wrist was like a steel band. She moved with purpose, pulling Sere deeper into murky depths of the underworld. Sere didn't struggle, instead she followed Beryl's spirit dutifully. Glancing around the darkness that surrounded them nervously. The ghosts that had once lurked beyond the mists had faded away. She wondered sadly if those spirits were from the Silver Millennium as well? They had seemed to be attracted to her, wanting to greet her or perhaps exact a supernatural vengeance for what she had done in the past? Either way Beryls pressence was enough to send them scattering back behind the veil of death.
Their path through the mists felt lonely and eerily silent. A cold, damp seeped into her very bones. As Beryl led her deeper into the underworld. An eerie green light flickered at the periphery of her vision. It wasn't strong enough to illuminate anything, it just hung like an ethereal shroud all around them.
Beryl stopped before a tiny ledge, it was spongy and slick. More of a licheneous growth that might grow from a tree root then any sort of stone.
"Come." Beryl commanded, floating off the ledge and descending into the darkness below. Her flowing white gown snapping like a phantom sail, disappearing into the gloom below.
Sere heaved a deep breath then lowered herself over the ledge, peering into the abyss. Beryl was fading quickly, along with the weak glow of her soul. Leaving Sere in complete darkness. She briefly contemplated summoning her wings, so that she didn't have to climb down into the void below. But she could barely see a few feet in front of herself. Diving would be to fast and she could easily crash into the walls of this tomb if Beryl's route narrowed suddenly. It would be safer just to climb down.
"Wait." Sere called, her voice shaking slightly. "Your going to fast."
"One might think you are moving to slowly." Beryl's sarcastic response from the darkness, echoed up to her.
"Please..." Sere called again, her voice meek and full of fear. Choking back the panic that was filling her throat. She could feel the hatred this place carried for her. It hummed like a low, threatening growl just below the surface of her mind.
There was silence, then Beryl's spirit reappeared from the void. Assending before her like a deathly harbinger, her white robes snapping sharply in response to her irritation.
"You are not some timid mouse, princess." She chastised, folding her arms across her breasts.
"I don't know if I can do this?" Sere whispered, hating herself for admitting such weakness in front of Beryl.
"You can, You have done this before...long ago. You did not allow your fear of this place to consume you. When you snuck into the realm of the dead to kill me." Beryl offered her a crooked, wiry smile.
She beckoned her forward and descended more slowly, watching her attentively. As Sere groaned and tentatively crept over the rim of the ledge. She peered downward warily, freezing in place instantly.
There was nothing below her, just an infinite pit of nothingness.
"Stop looking down, close your eyes, calm down and focus on what your doing." Beryl called up in frustration.
Awkwardly, Sere obeyed. Turning around, she spread her arms wide and felt for hand holds. Pressing her chest against the bumpy, slick surface of the wall. It felt more like wet skin then earth, the sensation of hanging in space made her sweaty and dizzy. This place was so unsettling, her heart was hammering in her chest and the damp, earthy sent of rot infiltrated her nose.
After a moment she found a small indentation just below her right hand. She gripped it firmly and eased herself downward. She shuddered in response to the disturbing sensations, all the while malice and despair loomed all around her. It hummed from the thick, mottled hide like growths she used as hand holds. It taunted her in low whisper's, promising pain and sorrow if she remained here.
The surface under her hands was scared and pitted with moss and lichen as she cautiously made her way down. The
smooth surface soon becoming rough and jagged, the dark colour fading to a ghostly pale white. As a humid chill howled up from the bottomless pit below. She braced herself against the side of the cliffside, inhaling sharply. The smell of this dank tomb was overpowering. Making her very queasy, she swallowed hard against the urge to throw up. When the demonic sounds faded, she slowly, cautiously moved from one hand hold to another The light Beryl's spirit gave off was so feeble it was nearly useless. So she navigated by touch alone, each step downward a blind leap of faith.
Her shoulder's were on fire, her fingers ached and her palms stung. Her knees were throbbing from the strain of balancing on such narrow ledges.
How long she climbed downward was impossible to judge. Hours maybe, but it felt more like days.
When her feet finally found purchase upon solid ground, she crumpled like a broken doll onto her stomach. Panting and shivering from the penetrating cold of the underworld.
When she had calmed her breath and found enough strength to move. She crawled up into a kneeling position. Finding Beryl floating a few feet away, at the mouth of a mammoth cavern.
Sere moaned and hung her head in exhaustion. "This is never ending..."
"You want to know the truth, don't you?" Beryl asked, matter factly.
Sere wilted under her cool tone. "I have wronged you Beryl, I know this. I may not remember it, clearly. But my heart aches for the pain I have caused you."
Beryl laughed merrily at her apology. "Princess, our tale is a long and sordid one. I have finally put it behind me. I suggest you make your peace with it as well. So that this time...this last time. Both our souls can transcend our karma and obtain our true destiny."
Sere nodded, then regained her feet. Staggering after her, as she led the way down the tunnel. It had started out wide but soon narrowed. The walls were closing in around them the deeper they went. To the point in which she had to squeeze herself through nothing but a crack.
When another rage filled howl, called out from the darkness. The raw hatred and misery in the sound vibrated through her. Immediately sending her into a state of pure animalistic fear. Sere bit her lower lip to stop herself from screaming. Her heart beat more loudly in her ears as if attempting to drown out the terrifying sounds.
Each breath she took was heavy with dirt and mold, bringing a heaviness to her lungs. Her soul was under constant torment from the negative energies surrounding her. The sad melancholy song of the damned, hummed like a death march as she trudged deeper into the world of the dead.
The awareness of the depth she had gone to, struck her cold. She was quickly terrified at the prospect of being buried alive. Suddenly it was as if the walls of the tunnel were pressing to tightly against her chest, pushing the air from her lungs. Gasping for air, she felt stuck and panic was soon overwhelming her. She became dizzy, a hot sweat beaded upon her skin and her heart became a wild drum inside her head. Roaring in her ears until it was all she could focus upon.
The seal to the memories of her first life shattered like fragile crystal. The sounds of her desperate screams became as soft as a whisper as she transcended into the memories of Princess Serenity.
She had finally found the courage to descend to earth. The first few hours of her joyous walk amid the trees of this lush planet had b een perfect. She had indulged in touching every trunk, smelling every wild flower she found. Gazing in wonder up at the gloriously b lue sky and taking deep b reaths of clean, crisp terrain air.
This adventure was b eyond her imagination. She b asked in every sensation, the soft crunch of b ranches under her feet. The peaceful warmth of the afternoon sun upon her skin. Watching the shadows cast b y the forest canopy dance upon the ground. Appreciating the glorious sounds of b irds and rustle of small animals just out of sight.
She followed a muddy trail, the rain water dripping from the leaves like tears. Refusing to think ab out her mothers disapproval at what she had done. She had finally escaped the moon and found her freedom. She planned never to return, she would make her life here and finally find happiness. Indulging in fantasies of how wonderful living here would b e. Unhindered b y responsib ilities and duties as the heir to the Imperium Throne.
Two more days of hard travel through the thick vegetation, had quickly diminished her eagerness for adventure. The mighty thunder storm that had rolled in from the north last night had b een the last straw. She had spent the night terrified and soaked to her very core. Huddled amid the b oulder's of a rocky hillside, deep in this endless forest. She was tired,
hungry and cold. Her flight to earth hadn't b een well thought through, an act of youthful reb ellion. She had had enough of b eing commanded ab out b y her mother, of b eing a constant disappointment to her. She had no interest in b eing the heir to the Silver Millennium or learning how to command the Imperium crystal. She wanted to live her life on her own terms, she felt like a caged b ird for far to long. Her Guardian's always fretting and fluttering ab out, never giving her any space to actually live. She wanted adventure...excitement...she wanted to b e free!
Now here she was, lost and alone on a planet she knew nothing ab out. Her dreams ab out earth had quickly b ecome a nightmare.
The forest was thick around her, the dusky leaves overhead b locking a great deal of the morning sun. The air was damp and cool, making the tattered, mud stained hem of her dress cling to her ankles. Serenity found herself constantly pulling at her skirts as she navigated carefully through an over grown glade of long grass. The smell of rot caught her attention, it was pungent and heavy within the glade. She gagged and clasped her hand over her mouth. It smelled ab solutely horrid, like the decomposition of something wholly vile b oth in life and in death. Needing to b e away from the terrib ly stench, Serenity had no intention of investigating what it might b e. She quickly ab andoned the glade and headed deeper into the forest.
Hours later, the mid day sun was warming the narrow goat trail she found herself on. Serenity groaned and rub b ed her b elly lightly. Her stomach growled patheticly in response. She hadn't eaten in so long, she felt light headed and b eyond exhausted. All she wanted to do was lay down and sleep. She hadn't seen a single mortal since she arrived. Trapped in a endless forest of pine, fir, maple and oak trees. Their leaves proudly showing off a fall mantle of gold and copper. The nights had b een cold, freezing her to her very b ones. The heat of the mid-day sun couldn't even warm her. She hugged herself tight, rub b ing her hand up and down her arms in a vain attempt to quell the chill. She sniffled and b rushed away a few tears, stub b ornly refusing to b reak down completely. She didn't want to feel homesick, b ut her time on earth had
b een so horrib le. She found herself wallowing in despair, regretting her impulsiveness and wishing her Guardian' would hurry up and find her. She didn't want to b e on earth anymore...
Having spent most of his life wandering these woods, Endymion had never heard such a wild and terrified cry as he had last night. He had b een staying at Beryl's cab in for the last week. Hiding from his mother and her daily pressure to find a suitab le wife. He was ruling Elysion just fine with out the hindrances of a b etrothal. He was b arely into his twenties and had no interest in commitments to anyone b ut his Beryl. Their was no way his mother would approve of him marrying a peasant, least of all a foreigner from b eyond the five kingdoms. So he had b een avoiding the whole mess, disappearing from the Golden Palace for weeks on end. Going into hiding, in his only sanctuary, the Green wood b eyond the Castle. To b e with the only woman he had ever wanted to spend time with.
Beryl.
They lived together in her cab in, in sweet domestic b liss.
Here he felt, at peace, free and completely happy.
The wails and cries of terror he had heard last night had drew him away from Beryl's emb race and into the storm. He didn't know why? But he felt compelled to find the source of that voice. So he had b een tracking a set of small tracks since way b efore dawn. Now it was drawing near mid-day and he felt no closer to finding the owner of those dainty feet.
He knew all plants and trees, his first ten years had b een spent running and exploring this forest. He tenderly pressed his hand to the b ark of an ancient oak tree, it's crown still a deep green. Stoically it would b e the last of the trees in these woods to give into the season. The nights were getting cold and soon the snow would come.
From a young age, Endymion would retreat into these woods. To spend time away from his father, who had always b een his greatest critic. He had never b een ab le to make the man proud no matter how successful or accomplished he
b ecame. Now the man was dead, poisoned. His murderer had yet to b e found. Endymion suspected that a traitor within the large staff of the Golden Palace had slowly poisoned the king.
Before his return, the King was ailing, his Mother had taken over the throne. Ruling the kingdom with an iron fist and seeking to complete her husb ands amb itions for the last six months.
She was finding relinquishing control to Endymion difficult now that he was crowned King. Attempting to rule from the shadows, b y turning her son's ear with hearsay and rumour. Forming Alliances and b etrothal's b ehind his b ack, trying to command him in the same manner she did when he had b een a child. Endymion could endure no more and had cowardly sought seclusion in the forest instead of confronting the meddling Queen.
Grief and resentments overwhelmed him. He had long since given up on having that perfect family life, he had seen with the peasant children in the village. They had a simple life, ab le to play all day and go home to two loving parents. While
he had to spend his days studying, learning history, tactics and all the different religions within the five kingdoms. He b arely had time to play as a b oy, having to run away into the forest to get away from his many tutors.
He had grown into manhood during his journey. He had no more use for tutors, or wise advisors attempting to sway his decisions. He was finally in control of his life and would not allow, even his mother to take that independence away.
Ever since leaving the cab in he had heard whispers in his mind. They had led him to the upper ridge, near the forest b oundary to the Northern Kingdom. The whispers had b een taunting him all night, with feelings of trepidation and anxiousness. Making him move faster, less cautiously as the trail ascended into the more rocky terrain of the foothills b efore Mount Song. Elysian laid claim to only a small portion of the Great Mountain range that ran through the Northern Kingdom. A cluster of five modest peaks, that sheltered the Temple of the Moon on Mount Song.
The whispers had grown silent at day b reak, as if losing their power upon the rising sun. Brooding as he moved deeper into the forest at the foot of Mount Song. He mulled over the strange twist of fate, that had urged him out his warm b ed with Beryl.
Endymion looked up at a pine, scanning it's dark needles and then it's partner a few feet away. Tracing the line of trees upward along the ridge. Bandits hid in this these woods, along with a more sinister killing shadow. Travellers had b een speaking in low tones at the Dragon's Bone inn for months ab out a shadow that lurked near Mount Song. For a mellennia it was the mountain that had protected the holy temple of the Moon and the woods surrounding it had b een sacred. He had b elieved as so many did that darkness could not taint the mountain. But it seemed the ancient gods powers were waining and the Moon Goddess, Selene was no exception.
This shadow had killed several merchants and a few hunters already. The rumour's of the b east had only grown more elab orate since the murders. Now the peasants spoke in hushed fear, stories of how it tore out a traveller's heart and drained the b ody of all b lood. The stories were frightening, it was as if the underworld had expunged a demon upon the mortal world. Even though Endymion was a rational man, he couldn't help b ut fret that it might b e true. The terrib le vision of his kingdom's fiery demise had never b een far from his thoughts.
The sounds of the forest fell dead. No b irds called or animals moved out of sight, even the wind had stilled. Endymion looked up as a dark shadow swept over the ground. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. But when he snapped his head up and to the left, all he caught sight of was a sinewy b ody leaping across tree limb s hiding amid the heavy canopy of leaves and moving quickly out of sight. He couldn't tell if it had b een an animal or a person and it left him very unsettled. He released a slow b reath and felt for the hilt of his hunting dagger, sheathed in his modest weapons b elt across his hip. He wasn't wearing his armour, b ut the dark green leather tunic and tan b reeches of a forest dweller. His cloak was a dull grey wool and the only weapons he had was a dagger and a cedar b ow. He had not taken any weapons or emb lems of who he truly was. Leaving all that was King Endymion b ack in his chamb ers at the castle. He wanted to b lend into the common masses of his kingdom, to disappear for a time and perhaps glean some much needed perspective.
Several yards away in the direction the creature had gone, b irds b urst from cover in the patch of fir trees. Their alarm calls shattering the tranquillity of the forest as they took flight in several directions at once. Endymion peered through the gaps in the canopy, watching the b irds retreat into the sky. He couldn't imagine what it could have b een? But the stories and rumours he had heard flooded through his mind, making him cold to the b one.
He shook his head b leakly, he knew he was walking into troub le. With a sigh he comb ed his finger's through his dark hair angrily. He couldn't just turn around and go home, now. He had left Beryl in the middle of the night, if he returned with out a good reason for taking off. Her ire towards him would only increase.
Already he knew he would b e in for at least a day of her glowering and irritated, off handed comments.
With a growl he pushed his thoughts of Beryls hurt feelings aside and started running in the general direction the shadow had gone. Discounting his own fears, as irrational superstitions. He tried to think it out more clearly, it must have b een an animal of some kind? But what kind of animal leaped through the trees in Elysian? He had seen monkey's b efore, b ut they lived further south?
If it was a type of ape, why was it so far north and was there more of them hiding out around Mt Song?
But he could not fool himself that if was a monkey, it had b een to b ig, to b ig and dark...
He glanced up, scanning the trees as he dashed down the winding trail that skirted the hillside. Trying to catch another glimpse of the strange creature. Endymion knew that a few miles ahead the trail dropped off into a gulley, he would b e ab le to get an unob structed view of the forest from there.
Tree b ranches, heavy with rain slapped his face and b ody as he ran. Jumping fallen trees and leaping atop flat stones as he crossed trickling creeks. Brush and b ramb les snatched at his pant legs, as dappled swatches of sunlight teased him overhead. He would look up, the overgrown canopy denying him the view he needed. His b reath was coming fast, ragged and sweat ran hot and clammy down his face. Trickling down his neck and catching in the folds of his thick forest cloak around his shoulder's. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he ran carelessly through the trees. At last he stumb led out of the tree line onto a rocky cliffside, almost falling.
Searching the gulley just b elow, he tracked the rustling canopy of multi colored leaves. Spotting the thing far away, it was to small for him to tell what it was. But he thought it looked almost human? What kind of mortal swung through trees? He squinted against the b rightness of mid-day, attempting in vain to see the shadow more clearly.
He was winded, b arely ab le to take in a proper b reath. Endymion slumped against a granite b oulder near the edge. Closing his eyes for a moment to clear away the glare from the sun, taking deep, slow intakes of air. With a groan he opened his eyes, staring down at the shimmering water of the Rose River. That ran the length of his kingdom, widening and b ranching to the south as it made it's way towards the sea. He wondered if he should tell Deth? The old man had b ecome the head his father's small council while he had b een gone. He had b een his father advisor in the years of his ab sence. Endymion did not know the full story as to how the man had taken over the council. He was an outsider, royalty, b orn b eyond the b orders of the Five heavenly kingdoms. Exiled perhaps? Due to some ill fated circumstance or transgression. He was highly intelligent and very well educated. He had b efriended the king and had turned his father's ear with conspiracy and b etrayal, ab out the outer four kingdoms. Causing the old king to draw his forces closer to home and b ecome less trusting and more vigilant. Endymion was loathed to b elieve the Wiseman's words, that put the father's of his closest friends in such a vile light. It had b een hard to b elieve that the outer kingdoms were conspiring to destroy Elysian. But after his father's murder he was more inclined to trust in what Deth had to say.
No, Deth did not need to know just yet. Not without proof. It would only fuel his ob session with protecting the throne. He found the old man, wise b ut a zealot and he didn't need, or want t ab ysat b y the royal guard. He was currently investigating his father's murder, sub tly while in the Golden Palace. He trusted no one at this point, not even his own mother. She wasn't the same, the years had changed her. Her heart had hardened and she kept her true feelings hidden b ehind a false smile. He knew she cared ab out him, otherwise she wouldn't b e nagging him. But he was grown and could laugh off her constant instructions. Though he still had to endure her looks of displeasure when he spoke his mind and did as he pleased, against her wishes.
The Guard would also hinder his ab ility to escape the castle and visit Beryl. With all the pressure he was under as Elysian's new king. He needed to escape from time to time and live a more simple life. Beryl had b ecome everything that was good and true in his life and he couldn't lose that.
Endymion reached down and picked up a twig, snapping it in frustration. Then threw the pieces at a flat rock nearb y. He rememb ered his mother, b efore his pilgrimage as a sweet, tender hearted woman.
She was honest with her feelings, yet quiet with her opinions. Now she had b ecome a shrill, conniving shrew. Seeking to undermine his authority with the small Council, with private meetings b ehind closed doors. It seemed he could not rule without her shadow looming over his throne.
He scrub b ed a hand down his face with a groan, wondering how it was possib le to b oth love and hate someone. Endymion refused to wallow in his harsh judgements of his mother. She had lost her husb and suddenly and had b een thrust, completely unprepared, onto the throne. She had ruled Elysian as well as she could until he returned. He could understand how that could change someone.
He sat and contemplated his current issues b ack at the Castle. Scanning the upper ridge just b eyond the Rose River, that was the foot hills of Mount Song. From this height on the cliff, he could see the trail resume on the other side of the Rose River. It knitted in and out of the trees from the waters edge, winding upward. Sometimes in full view, other times hidden deep in a patch of heavy forest. It wasn't a well used trail, most travellers chose the wider paths that cut through the forest in the lower valley's. They would rather go around Mount Song then over it.
Endymion had b een on that rarely used trail plenty of times, in the spring it would b e wet and soggy near the river. But this late in the year it would b e dry, the dark soil cracked and parched for moisture.
It would narrow into a nearly invisib le animal path as it move higher into upper b oundaries of Mount Song. It wasn't easy to navigate and unless one knew the area well, you could find yourself lost amid the thick trees very easily.
He caught movement on an upper ridge. His eyes locked upon a small spec of white, unsure what it was. He stared hard at the spot on the far side of the river. When he saw the b lur of white move again, high on the path, just b ehind a veil of pine and fir there was no doub t. It was a person.
He hopped down off the rock, wondering if that person was who he had heard scream last night.
The figure moved into view again descending slowly down the path towards the river. It was slight, small like a child. Endymion followed the figures progress, taking a few steps forward towards the edge of the cliff. The figure b roke from the treeline and came to stand, nervously b efore the river. It was a woman...a young woman in a elegant white dress. What kind of woman would b e wandering around this deep in the forest...in flimsy dress? Endymion watched her making her way down the river, disappearing and reappearing as the path wound in and out of the trees. She didn't seem to hurry, b ut she wasn't confident in her steps either. Stumb ling and spinning in place, unsure of her surroundings and clearly lost.
Other movement caught his attention, just to the rear of the lost maiden. Endymion snapped his eyes b ack along the path. Searching the shade and shadows, b ehind her. There were others...three..no...four...men? But they moved at a strange, looping gate as if their legs and arms were far to long for their b odies? Those strange figures were following her, b ut hanging b ack as if uncertain as to how to approach her? They moved with stealth, from tree to rock. Slinking like silent shadows. Watching... waiting...hunting...
They were stalking her! Endymion straightened, his eyes flying wide in alarm. There was ab solutely no doub t now. The troub le he had b een walking into. He had just found it.