| From: | Ratinac, Rand (NSW) RRatinac@*****.redcross.org.au |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Untitled: Chapter 1 |
| Date: | Fri, 19 May 2000 18:23:03 +1000 |
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Doc'
=========
Chapter One
The moon was full that night. Staring up at the stars I realised
that now - finally - it was time to begin. My stomach churned with
excitement and anticipation as the tremendous significance of the moment
struck me. I gulped as the sting of bile burned in my throat, forcing down
both my anxiety and my gorge. I had never been a particularly excitable man,
but that night was different. That night was exceptional. The night was
charged with energy and I could feel every nerve in my body tingling.
Climbing to my feet, I paid no heed to the magical paraphernalia
that surrounded me. Passing through the mystical circle, graven into the
black marble slab inset in the floor, I unlocked the bay window, the one
that looked out over the city streets far below, and pushed it open. I
relished the cool of the night air against my face as it calmed my quivering
nerves.
"Come to me, my servant," I whispered, raising my arms in a
grandiose gesture. The breeze picked up as I fell silent, whipping my
clothes around my body. A figure took shape before me, a whirling storm of
air. Only a pair of what seemed to be eyes, glowing deep within the
whirlwind, hinted at sentience. The voice that whispered out of it seemed
nothing more that the wind itself; yet the words it formed held great and
powerful meaning. "Thy will, master."
"Bear me out upon the winds," I murmured.
"To whence art thou bound, master?"
"I will direct you."
The elemental bent in a fashion that was almost a bow, then floated
forward to envelop me. It almost seemed as though gentle hands were
caressing my body, then the pressure on my feet and legs vanished. I sighed
in unconscious relief, looking down to see my booted feet dangling a foot
off the ground. I pointed forward. "That way."
With a breath of wind, I floated through the window, over the
streets. I looked down with a smile at the insignificant, ant-like figures
hurrying through the night, or plying their varied trades. I felt a sense of
power, of majesty and consequence, yet I knew it was just a pale shadow of
what was to come. If I was right.
Slowly I picked up speed and height, until I soared high above the
city. The shimmering lights lent it a beauty that was all too often absent
in the harsh light of day, an austere serenity that both calmed and
enthralled me. My destiny awaited me in the streets far below. My destiny -
and notoriety beyond almost any whom had gone before. Everything would
change tonight, in those streets - one way or another, everything would
change and I welcomed the possibilities. The feeling was heady - combined
with the sensation of the wind rushing through my hair, coursing over my
body, blasting into my face, I felt almost giddy. The exquisite anticipation
gnawed at me until I could bear it no longer, not even for the pure joy that
the flight brought me, and I pointed down. "Take me there," I ordered the
elemental. I did not know what I was pointing at. It did not matter.
"Thy will, master," gusted my spirit servant. The ground rushed up
at me with incredible speed, yet I felt no fear - I had complete control
over the elemental.
At first I could see nothing but the lights rising up at me. Soon,
the buildings resolved themselves against the blackness of the streets below
and the true rate of my descent became apparent. It was exhilarating and I
felt my heart pounding in a way it had not done for years. The unyielding
earth loomed closer and closer. Tears formed in my eyes as the wind whistled
into them, but my smile was wide and ecstatic.
My plunge slowed, then bottomed out no more that twenty metres from
the ground, high enough that I would not easily be seen, yet low enough that
I could watch the denizens of the streets with impunity. And thus I did.
This was not a good part of the city I found myself overlooking.
Those who had business here were whores, thugs, or even worse predators of
the night. Those who did not hurried along their way, desperate to escape
before the odds caught up with them. Only the most foolish of those poor
souls were on foot and I knew they would not last long. If not tonight, then
tomorrow, or the next night. They could not elude fate forever. So too for
us all; or perhaps not. I would find my answer to that question soon. I was
sure of it.
It was time to begin. I turned my eyes to the ether, opening myself
to the wondrous, flowing life of the world around me. Light and colours
rolled over me in an intoxicating flood. My limbs drained of strength and I
gasped weakly. I might even have fallen, but for the sure grip of my
servant. I had never felt this way before. It was the night. It was destiny.
I opened my mouth and the lights seemed to surge into me, filling me
with new power, rejuvenating my strength. For a time, I revelled in the
sensation, rolling over and over in the air, but something irresistible
called me, spoke to me, until I could ignore it no longer. I looked around
and I knew the urge was true. None of those who surrounded me would do.
Poor, ordinary sacks of flesh, none of them held the spark I required. Some
had even mutilated themselves, filling their beings with lifeless, leaching
metal and plastic. I gagged at the foul taste that filled my mouth as I
looked on those ones. Desperate to be away from there, my eyes darted
around, seeking something, anything to tell me where to go. I found it.
Currents of life flowed deeper into the heart of the city. Not the
life of the world, wild and untamed; but that was not what I desired. No,
this was the life of existence, the life of my fellow man, and it drew me
on. "That way," I instructed my servant.
The elemental bore me on, soaring above the streets, around
buildings, past parks and cars and homes and people. Innumerable people. I
saw ones with the spark, but still the tide tugged at me. None of them were
quite right. None of them would do.
Finally, I found myself approaching the heart of the city, amidst
light and life so luminous it nearly hurt to gaze upon it. If felt so right
- yet it was not. There was something missing. I had found the place I was
looking for - but I had not yet found the one.
"Stop," I whispered, and my servant stopped. I slowly turned,
peering into the riotous colours around me. I was missing something, but I
did not know what.
At my murmured instructions, my elemental flitted back and forth,
carrying me from end to end of the street over which I hovered. Still, I
could not find that which I sought.
"Up," I ordered my spirit servant. We rose quickly, until I stopped
it again, a hundred metres or more above the city. I had to get closer, to
feel the essence of the people far below me, but I could not do that caged
as I was within my body. With my physical form safe from discovery, however,
I could break free of the shackles of flesh and mingle with the throng.
Closing my eyes, I breathed deeply, attempting to calm my racing
nerves and quivering body. It was impossible. Words darted through my mind;
potent words. Destiny; fate; change; possibility; doom...and power. Endless,
ultimate power. I frowned, clamping down on my emotions. This was not right.
There was no reason that I should be so excited. It was only an experiment -
there was no guarantee it would even work. I had to remain calm, serene -
controlled.
Again I schooled my breathing, slowing my respiration until I had
mastered my physical being. Then, with the merest thought, I vaulted into
the ether.
Floating down from the lofty heights, I came to rest gently, my feet
touching the rough concrete of the sidewalk, although if I had wished I
could have slipped through as if the sturdy barrier was not even there. I
tilted my head back and spread my arms wide, soaking in the waves of life
that surrounded me. People passed through my astral body, totally unaware of
my presence. A few of them, more sensitive than the others, noticed
something and looked around, searching for the cause of the sudden chill
that ran through their bones. Of course, they could not see me and I simply
ignored them and opened myself to the currents of magic.
I felt a tugging, a pull that drew me to my left, across the busy
street. Cars, trucks and bikes roared along, flying through me as I drifted
across. It was an odd sensation, but it did not trouble me. I was almost
there and I would let nothing stop me.
On the far side of the street, I found myself staring at a woman.
Her life was strong, vibrant, untainted by the touch of man; but it was
still ordinary. Yet I felt there was something else; something hidden. I
peered closer and closer, paring away the skein of life, looking for her
heart, the secret core of her being.
The transition was stunning in its abruptness, so much so I nearly
lost my grip on the ether. It was only with an effort of will that I was
able to prevent myself fleeing back to my body. One moment I was touching a
young, but ordinary soul; the next I was inundated by a raging tide of
power. Gasping, I pulled back to regain my bearings, fighting free of the
consuming intensity of her core.
When I had collected myself again, I turned to watch her. She went
on her way, seemingly unaware of my touch. Now I had pierced her veil of
illusion, however, I could see the truth of her being. She was powerful,
nearly as much as I. She was what I had been seeking, and much, much more.
No mere spark in this one. She was the one I wanted; the one I needed. A
certain darkness bespoke of her experience, despite her obvious youth, and I
felt a twinge of sorrow at the thought of the trials she must have been
through. Still, there was no time to waste in idle fancies. I marked her
location and the direction she was travelling, then rocketed back to my body
faster than thought.
Sinking into my unresponsive flesh, my awareness returned to the
world of men. I gasped and shook, then turned my eyes downwards. "Take me
there!" I barked. My servant did as it was bade and mere seconds later, I
hovered above the head of the woman.
I could follow her easily, now that I knew her essence; and follow
her I did. If I lost track of her in the crowded streets I could merely cast
my sight into the ether and her shining spirit would call me on. Alone, she
walked the benighted city unafraid. Most women wouldn't venture out into the
streets at night without an escort, but she...she was cloaked in the shield
of power, guarded by her magick.
At length she parted from the crowds and turned down a bleak,
deserted alleyway. I soared past her, sensing the time fast approaching.
Pointing to the shadows at the far end of the alley, I bade my servant, "Set
me down there." As it lowered me gently to the ground, I spoke again. "Hide
yourself, but remain by my side."
Straightening my suit, I ignored the faint shimmering as the
elemental disappeared from view and started towards her. My booted heels
clicked loudly on the asphalt, echoing along the narrow lane. I saw her head
rise, but I studiously stared past her and she dismissed me. An easy mistake
for such a young, vibrant soul to make, when viewing one such as I.
As we closed I observed her in a way that I had not had the
opportunity to do so before. Young she was, and beautiful, with a golden
mane of hair billowing about her head and shoulders. Her eyes, an icy blue
if I was not mistaken, darted back and forth warily and her round, cherubic
face was drawn, her full lips pulled tight.
We passed perhaps two yards apart. I bestowed a polite smile on her,
but received none in return. I did not blame her. I continued on for a few
more steps, then stopped and turned. "Return to me, my servant," I breathed,
my eyes fixed on her hunched shoulders.
Something warned her that things were amiss. Perhaps it was a
presentiment of doom; perhaps her mystically attuned senses. Perhaps she
simply realised that she could no longer hear my footsteps. She began to
turn as my elemental rematerialised by my side. Her hands rose defensively
as I pointed at her, but it was too late. "Take her," I ordered and my
servant flew forward to do my bidding.
Her scream choked off as the elemental enveloped her inside its
vaporous body. Her hair whipped about her face as she gasped for air, air
that would not come. She struggled valiantly, drawing a dagger from within
her coat and slashing at my servant. The spirit moaned loudly; the sound of
the wailing wind. Even my mundane eyes could see the terrible magick within
the wicked blade as it bit into the elemental.
Her blows weakened as her struggles consumed what little air
remained. Still, the blade continued to rip through my servant, rending its
misty form. Finally it could bear no more and, with an eerie cry, it
dissipated into wisps of air.
She fell to her knees, gasping in huge gulps of air. Before she
could accomplish anything else, I formed my hand into the shape of a claw,
whispering words of power. "Fauces elido." She gagged; her hands coming up
to her throat as the arcane grip of my spell squeezed her windpipe shut.
Desperately, she flailed at the air, then slashed it with her dagger; but
there was nothing there for her to strike. She could do little as I lifted
my arm and she rose from the ground in response, her head arched back as if
to thrust her slender neck at the sky. I could see her whispering words as
she clutched at her neck, attempting to shatter my enchantment, but she was
weakened from her battle with my servant and I was too powerful for her. Her
wheezing gasps faded away as I continued to squeeze, then her arms dropped,
her body dangling limply in mid-air. Drawing her closer, I looked into her
face, slack in apparent insensibility, and her closed eyes and shook her
once. Receiving no response, I quickly eased her to the ground and released
my spell before she could be permanently damaged.
I looked around. Finding that our brief duel had gone unnoticed, I
quickly waved my hands over her body and murmured a mystic phrase. She rose
into the air, her delicate form crumpled on the bed of my magick as she had
lain on the ground. With a quick gesture, I directed her deeper into the
shadows of the alley and followed her. It would not do to be seen now.
When I was satisfied that we were out of easy sight of the streets,
I summoned two more of my spirit servants, glittering beings of fire and
ice. "Sustain me," I instructed them. They bowed in wordless obedience.
Focusing my energies, I raised barriers of darkness around us. Even
if passersby happened to look down the alleyway now, they would see nothing.
The weight of the spells bore down on me heavily, until the elementals, as
ordered, took hold of the threads of magick, lifting the crushing burden
from my shoulders. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs once more as the
ache in my bones faded.
"Ascensus." I lifted my hand and she rose into the air above me.
Bending, I drew a dagger of my own from the sheath hidden at my waist. The
golden blade scraped across the ground as I traced an odd, asymmetrical
design around her floating body. Strange words, words that had likely not
been voiced in millennia, if not longer, fell from my lips as I worked.
_"Hokain, tulonteral vormith. Karatanen mokshoi bchae."_ The words spilled
out in a rush, twisted almost beyond recognition by my unpractised tongue.
Still, I had memorised the words, their exact pronunciations and the
inflections required long ago, and my speech grew surer as I progressed.
_"Hohain bilerretat mok'shoiddaar ceronil."_ Rising to my feet, I
reached up and took hold of her arm, gently bringing it down to me. The
rune-carved blade of my eldritch dagger glistened as I stroked it over her
tender flesh. _"Aullorn'itith maruscal yberret. Bchae!"_ Pronouncing that
last, forceful word I pierced her skin - only lightly, just enough to bring
blood welling to the surface. With a delicate touch, I carved a pattern,
identical to the one on the ground, into the inner side of her forearm.
_"Nomshar barrigeth kzerrent,"_ I breathed as I laboriously completed the
design. Lined in blood, it almost seemed to glow with a deep, dark crimson
light. As the seconds passed, I knew it to be true, the pattern brightening
as its mate on the street below her sparked in response.
_"Emshen, maeket mergen."_ A broad smile lit my face, but I knew I
could not afford to interrupt the ritual, not even to shout my joy at my
burgeoning success. _"Akkerronn pkenth."_ I trailed the dagger down her arm,
slicing a thin line from the symbol to her wrist. _"Bcholl, bcholl, bchae!"_
With a shout I slashed my dagger across her wrist. The cut was deep and her
blood spurted freely, spattering the alley floor. A soft moan escaped her
lips - even in the depths of her stupor she could feel the mortal wound.
_"Keturel moi'akturel ek'maar."_ I manoeuvred her arm over the
pattern, her blood pouring out as my chant increased in volume and tempo.
Symbols formed where her blood dripped on the ground; arcane symbols that
burned with witchfire. The scientist in me wanted to turn to the ether - I
knew the spectacle there would be unbelievable - but I had to perform the
ritual correctly and the sights I would behold on the mystic plane would
only serve to distract me. Perhaps when I was surer of myself.
_"Dohlmokh chamhae shoi."_ The flow of blood from her wrist slowed
as the blazing symbols filled the bounds of the pattern. Her face was pale,
nearly white, in fact. She was fading fast. The design was complete, but I
knew I must hasten to conclude the ritual. "Sursum," I whispered and her
body rose in response. As she cleared the top of my head, I stepped beneath
her - into the pattern. It flared in response, surrounding us with a wall of
cold, ruby flames. "Inclinare." At my command her body tilted until she
hovered vertically above me, her flaxen hair dangling down to brush mine. I
looked up into her serene face and, closing my hand into a fist, I spoke
again. "Elido."
At first, nothing seemed to be happening. I squeezed my fist tighter
and a soft, grinding sound became audible, a sound that grew into a horrific
cracking. Her body spasmed as her skull deformed visibly, twitching
uncontrollably as life fled her. _"Bcholl, bchae, mokshoi sidderat!"_ I
exclaimed as her head compressed further. "Powers of life and death be
mine!"
As I spoke the final word I clenched my fist sharply. Her skull,
already terribly stressed, could take no more and, with a shattering pop, it
burst asunder. Shards of bone tore through her flesh and a shower of blood
and shredded brain matter fell into my open mouth.
The vile taste overwhelmed my senses in those first few seconds and
I retched, dropping to my knees. Then all thought of that petty discomfort
was driven from my mind as a torrent of force obliterated all else. I
bellowed, a stentorian roar of commingled agony and ecstasy, as my soul
erupted with coruscating energy. My wordless cry rose into a shriek of utter
torment, then I could do nothing, not even wail my pain to the heavens. My
entire body was knotted into a mass of tortured muscle and it quivered, my
breath caught in my raw, roughened throat, unable to escape. But I...I rose
above it all, filled with bliss, euphoria...unending, unbelieving rapture.
For the longest time...forever...I was immortal, invincible...omnipotent.
The world - nay, the universe itself in all its glory, was mine.
My abrupt, crashing return to reality was almost enough to sunder my
grasp on sanity, but I fought through the alternating waves of power and
torment, forcing myself back to the cold, harsh world. I had been through so
much to get to where I was; I was not about to lose it all now. My will was
stronger than that. I would not allow it. I would _not!_
When my senses returned I found myself curled up in a pitiful ball
on the filthy street. Spots danced before my eyes, fading only once I had
drawn a shuddering breath, my first in however long, I did not know. I
coughed and spat, clearing my throat, but I could not rid myself of the
bitter tang of her life-fluids as easily.
I turned my head; she lay beside me, pitifully crumpled, her lovely
dress stained by the detritus of the alley. A sigh brushed past my lips and
I clambered to my feet. Even as I did, new life seemed to course through my
veins. I felt invigorated, filled with a might that, while nothing compared
to what I had just experienced, far eclipsed anything I had ever known prior
to that.
I laughed joyously. A single word sent me flitting into the air with
such ease that it stunned me, and my laughter grew louder. It had worked! By
all that was holy, it had worked!
I dismissed my servants with a wave of my hand, then soared upwards.
And this was only the beginning! I laughed, the sound ringing out over the
city. My mirth only diminished when a stray thought crossed my mind.
I did not even know her name.
