Chapter Thirteen
“It should be just around this corner,” Miles said, stopping the small group. Before them was a giant boulder that sat on the path, blocking their view. “Donovan, I’m gonna need you to stay here until we get back. The old hag isn’t too fond of people she doesn’t know, so two people will already be too many. She’s already going to hate meeting Ben, so it’s best to keep the number down, sorry. Trust me when I say you’re better off.”
Donovan pulled Ben to the side and tried to whisper in his ear. “I don’t trust him. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“We’ve been over this. We don’t really have a choice in the matter. Are you going to be okay here?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, as long as he doesn’t leave those damn bugs here. I’d rather stand here in this dark cave alone,” he replied.
“Do you have anything but the bugs for light?” Ben asked Miles. He watched as Miles dug through his bag and pulled out a small pouch. He bent over and poured it out onto the ground at Donovan’s feet. With the same impressive snap, the pile of dust ignited and burned a bright green color.
“Trust me when I say I wouldn’t pour out a pouch of dried will-o-wisps for just anyone. You two owe me, big time. As long as the flame burns, and you stay within its light, you should be protected. Now, it’s time for us to go,” Miles said, turning to Ben, who then turned to Donovan.
“We’ll be back soon,” Ben said, unsure if his words held any truth. He looked at the grown man like a parent would its child. The heavy burden Donovan represented had been weighing heavily on his shoulders since they left Eden. As he walked away with Miles, he almost wished Donovan would be gone when they got back. He didn’t want the man dead, just gone.
As Miles and Ben maneuvered around the boulder, a small domicile came into view. It didn’t have the appearance of having been constructed, but seemed formed from the very stone itself. It rose up out of ground like a large stalagmite with an opening and stairs that descended to the rock floor. There were no windows, and the only opening other than the entrance was a hole that had an abundance of smoke rising up from it. All around the small cave-like building were lines with leather hides hanging from them.
“I take it this is the place?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, look, try not to say much. I really want to get in and out as quickly as possible. Morgause can be a little chatty at times, and I have to meet Diostist in Lemuria soon. In, out, that’s how we are going to play this. Now, give me your money,” Miles said.
“I don’t have any money,” Ben said.
“What? How can you not have money? Oh well, never mind. I’ll take care of it for you, but I want you to pay me back as soon as you can,” Miles said, turning to walk up the stairs. Ben couldn’t help but notice the pile of bleached bones that were collecting behind the structure. It was at least waist high and as big around as the building itself. Reluctant to ask, Ben kept his mouth shut for the time being. Ben couldn’t help but think about all the bones he had seen over the last couple of days. All around him was death and decay, eating at his morale and courage.
“Aye, what do we have here?” said a dry raspy voice. Both of them turned to see a rickety old woman with the face of a hag and just a few teeth in her mouth. Before anything else, Ben noticed that her breasts were exposed, escaping from her patchwork robe of brown and dark green. Boils and loose hairs covered her exposed flesh, which was pale and flaky. Covering her ancient body, her pale skin was almost translucent from how the years had worn it thin. Her hair was black with many grey streaks and gaps from where it was thinning. The most haunting part was her blackened puffy eyes, which looked wide and piercing as she made eye contact with him.
Standing crooked and short with the help of a long stick, she seemed frail. Ben could see the blue veins running their way through her body like crooked, broken lines on a map. Her wretched appearance was enough to make Ben swallow the collected spit in his mouth in one large gulp.
“Miles! How have ya’ been, sweetheart?” she asked, like a grandmother would, with a rotten grin that smelled like death. “It’s been awhile since ya’ last came up to this old shack.”
“It’s been awhile since I’ve needed anything,” Miles said. “Tell me; is Lemuria still at war with the Atlanteans? We have some business with both and I need to know what we're getting into.” He reached into a small pouch, pulling out a coin and tossing it to her with a single fluid motion. With a speed that belied her age, she caught it with her bony fingers and then bit it to test the coin’s authenticity. With a satisfied grin, she pulled it from her mouth and placed it in her pocket.
“Aye, they are; but there’s been an interesting development. Looks like Atlantis has finally taken a serious blow. Things are going under for the old water worshipers. They had a leg up, until Azothothus came to Lemuria and shifted the tides of war,” she said.
“He’s here? Do you have any idea of his business?” Miles asked.
Ben picked up on the nervousness in Miles’ voice and felt a chill run down his spine. Here was a man who seemed to be on top of things, and yet he was scared of this man, Azothothus. That alone was enough to scare Ben. “Who is Azothothus?” he asked.
“Oh dear, step inside; we obviously have a lot to talk about,” she said, waving them in. Miles flashed him a look, showing his disapproval of this sudden question.
Inside was a large collection of glass and crystal set up like the chemistry sets he had seen at school. He watched as a flame would light this end of a tube, and the contents would rise up and collect in another, condensed and ready to be mixed. Ben was never good as chemistry, but he understood the basics, which was enough to gather what the old witch was doing. The walls were covered in cluttered shelves overflowing with jars and containers that held all sorts of goo and fluids that were unknown to him. She pointed toward a small cot, indicating that they should sit down and get comfortable.
“You aren’t from here, are you boy?” she asked, hobbling over to a chair.
“No, I’m not,” Ben replied, reluctant to explain in detail where he came from.
“It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen someone from your world,” she said, resting her weight against her work area.
“Wait, you aren’t suggesting that this boy is…” Miles broke in, looking surprised by this sudden revelation.
“Aye, I am. How could you not notice? Are you getting dense on me?” she asked with a crooked jack-o’-lantern smile. “I didn’t take you under my wing just to have you fall apart once you got on your own.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” Miles said.
“Aye, it doesn’t. Now, on to your question, lad. Should I tell him, or do you want to?” She looked at Miles before she poured some white powder onto a wooden block.
“Go ahead,” he replied to the witch, who was now chopping and sorting different herbs.
“Do you know what the hollow are?” she asked.
“I’ve heard the term, but I’m only vaguely familiar with what they are. Something about the negative aspects of man?” Ben asked, watching as a small winged figure fluttered around the room until it finally stopped and hovered in front of him. He examined it and saw a tiny beautiful woman with shiny transparent wings like an insect. He marveled at her for a moment until the lightning-fast hand of the witch snatched her out of the air in a single motion. A hard crunching sound filled the room as she smashed the miniature woman in her palm.
“Filthy creatures,” the witch said as she wiped the gooey remains on her robe, leaving a repulsive stain mashed across her thigh.
Ben was aghast at this dreadful action and sat there with his mouth agape. With one finger and slight smile, she pushed his chin up with the same hand she had crushed the tiny creature with. With a look of disgust, he pulled away from her and wiped his face on his sleeve.
> “Why did you do that?” Ben asked.
“Your mouth was hanging open, no telling what might fly in,” she said.
“No, I mean why did you kill that…” Ben started.
“It’s a fairy, and they have ways of spreading disease and stirring up trouble where they aren’t wanted,” she replied.
“But…” Ben started again.
“No buts! I won’t have any buts in my house,” she said as she hobbled over to her shelves and pulled out some more additives and started mixing the concoction inside of a crucible. She said a few words, causing a flame to ignite underneath it. A few moments later, she poured the substance into two small containers.
“The hollow, my dear, are more than just representations of negative human emotions. That’s like saying death is only a product of man’s demise, when death actually took the first men and opened their eyes to the reality of life. The hollow taught us how to hate and steal from the moment we crawled out of the trees and into the grasses. They have been there, lurking in the darkness of our minds since the dawn of man, and Azothothus has become their…emissary. Every action he takes is to facilitate their release back into the world,” she said, handing them each a cup full of frothing liquid.
“I’ve heard that there are coming back, and you just talked about their release. What does this mean? Where are they?” Ben asked, taking the drink while maintaining eye contact.
“Who knows?” she said with a grunt as she sat down. “Their stories are older than any I’ve read, and most are only accounted for in that book you hold in your lap. Don’t let it out of your sight; it’s an important tome. As far as Azothothus goes, I wouldn’t be in such a hurry to learn about him, but I’ll tell you what I know. He’s a powerful sorcerer and a learned mage. He was born long ago to a race that no longer exists and has made it his sole mission to bring the hollow back to the world. Some say that they chose him specifically and speak to him in his dreams. Keep in mind this is all just speculation. Only he knows the truth. Either way, he’s bad news for just about anyone that gets in his way. I suggest you stay as far away from him as you possibly can.”
“Don’t listen too closely to her, Ben; she likes to fill people’s heads with stories of the bogie man by blowing certain things out of proportion,” Miles said. “Now, let’s get on with business.”
“Let me guess, you need some charms so that you can enter Lemuria? You know, Acheron can take you straight to the ocean if you can get a boat that can traverse the jagged waters,” she said. Ben thought he noticed a hint of worry in her voice. This conjured a sense of dread in his stomach that started to grow.
“That wretched river? Yeah, and if anything happened, we’d be lost to the underworld forever. I’d rather take my chances with the child-eating lizards of Lemuria,” Miles said.
“Child-eating?” Ben asked.
“It’s just an expression, dear,” the witch said. The endearing tone in her voice was off-putting when juxtaposed with her hideous features.
“You bring up Azothothus, but then you sugar-coat the Lemurians’ dining habits?” Miles asked Morgause. “Let’s just get our charms so we can get out of here.”
“Yes, let’s,” she replied, handing them both another cup of frothy liquid. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, there’s no surprises in this one. I have too much going on today to be messing around with you.” She placed her hand on the bottoms of the cups, getting ready to force the disgusting fluid down their throats, but Ben stopped her. Taking the cup from her hand, he turned it up and drank it himself and handed it back to her.
“The last time I was here, she ended up paralyzing me for over a week. She sat me up in the corner here and laughed at me as her customers threw things and spit into my mouth,” Miles said with a hint of bitterness in his voice. She threw him a wide, empty grin that did nothing to help his mood
“That’s what happens when you get caught stealing from me. Be thankful I considered that payment enough and let you keep coming back.”
“I single-handedly made you the wealthy woman you are today. It was me that suggested this business idea when the war started up!” Miles said, as if trying to rationalize his actions.
“The war has gotten pretty damn bad, Miles, but as you’d say, bad war makes for good business. Here, spit," she said, holding the empty cups out in front of them. Miles complied with a long snort and thick wad of spit. Disgusted, Ben followed his lead. "I have to make my charms by the dozens now, so people can smuggle themselves in and out of Lemuria.” She took what was left of the concoction and stirred it in a smaller bowl. She took a couple of other things from the shelves and mixed them all together in a wooden bowl, and then dumped the contents in to leathery pouches and pulled the drawstrings, tightening them closed. “It’s only going to get worse until one of the cities finally falls, and right now, it looks like it’s going to be Atlantis.”
“Enough with the chatter. We are in a hurry,” Miles said.
“Ya’ never were a patient one. Here you go,” she said, handing them each one of the small pouches. Covering the thing was an assortment of bones and insect carapaces that had been sewed into the fabric. He wondered how much of it was for decoration and how much was for practical use.
“Thanks, again,” Miles said as he stood up and readied his things for travel. Ben decided to do the same and got up to follow him. As he did, he realized the sword he was carrying had become something of a burden. Struggling to keep it wrapped in the jacket and tucked under his arm, he groaned in frustration.
“My charms will hide a sword as well. You just have to keep it close to your body at all times. I think I have something that will help,” she said, digging through a crate of junk she kept in the corner. Ben watched as she dug a scabbard out of the box and handed it to him. “Take it; this one is on me.”
“Thank you. I wish there was some way I could pay you back,” Ben said. She leaned in close and whispered in his ear.
“Don’t worry; I’ll get my money from Miles. With a sword like that, you’ll want to keep it close, okay? Both the sword and the book are very valuable. Don’t give them to anyone, not even Miles.”
“How much do I owe you?” Miles asked, rummaging through his money purse. He pulled out a few more gold coins and she grabbed all of them.
“This should be enough,” she said.
“Your prices get steeper each time I see you,” Miles said.
“That’s because I like you less each time I see you,” she replied.
“Come on, Ben,” he said, not acknowledging her comment.
The two of them stepped out of the building and onto the hard stone ground again. With the door shut behind them, Ben turned and started adjusting his new scabbard to fit around his shoulder. Miles turned and took the leather straps in his hands and started helping.
“Listen, don’t worry about her. She’s old and has too many bones to pick with too many people. The stuff she was saying about the hollow and Azothothus, it’s true, but it’s not something you need to worry yourself with,” Miles said. With the pull of a strap and the snap of a buckle, the leather harness was secured on Ben’s shoulder. After examining the sword for a second, Miles took the weapon and put it on the boy’s back. Standing before Miles, with his weapon in place stood a boy, who was the prospect of a man; the promise of something greater.
“Come on; let’s get going before our friend gets worried.” Miles said.
“Wait, I can’t help but wonder about the hollow. Please help me understand,” Ben pleaded.
“They are…monstrous beings that are said to come from the blackness between the stars. Their presence here alone is enough to disrupt the balance in men’s hearts. Even though they have been missing for a very long time, they still have an effect on us, and there are people out there who worship them,” Miles said.
“Like Azothothus?” Ben asked. Miles put his hand on the boy??
?s shoulder and stared him right in the eye.
“Azothothus is something else. Some say he was born for the sole purpose of bringing them back to this world and that all his scheming and planning is for this mission alone. Whatever is happening with Atlantis and Lemuria, it’s because it somehow fits into his goals. Come on, we really need to get going,” he said.
They turned the corner where the boulder blocked their view, and Donovan was standing there with a strange, scared look on his face. It was as if he was frozen in place, until he mouthed the words, “I’m sorry.” Out of the shadows moved a figure that was so fast; it was gone again before they could pinpoint it. Their heads darted back and forth as they tried to gain sight of their enemy.
“Ada…Donovan, are you okay?” Ben asked, rushing over to him. The frantic nature of the situation caused his slip-up, but there wasn’t time to worry about it. The unseen creature came at them again, but this time his body became visible in the dim light. Standing before them, with two curved daggers that resembled the fangs of a snake, was a reptilian man wearing boots and a loincloth. One of his shoulders was covered by an arm guard, and draped over his head was a dark hood. The humanoid stood there like a savage with scaly skin that shifted in color like a chameleon. Through the dark barrier of the hood were two yellow eyes, slit up the middle by an inhuman iris.
“Get back!” Miles said, pushing Ben to the side. Their attacker came at them with its blades focused on the kill. With a few words and a wave of his hand, Miles conjured a spell that brought the ground up in a pillar that worked like a shield. The creature landed against it on all fours and crawled around it with blinding speed, almost defying gravity itself. Within a second, he was in the air again, hurtling toward his prey.
Fumbling for the blade, Ben pulled his sword and tried to grasp it, readying himself for battle. The creature parried his pathetic strike and then kicked him back before going at Miles again. The wizard procured his own dagger just in time to guard against his foe’s lightning-fast attack. With fast reflexes, he managed to cut open his opponent’s cheek, almost blinding him. The red blood rolled down like a tear from its unflinching eye as he attacked, relentless and skilled, until Miles fell. As his back hit the ground, he launched a fireball into the reptilian’s face, blinding him for just a moment. Ben took this opportunity to strike him in the head with his sword. Unable to control the blade, he only hit the creature with the blunt side instead of the sharp edge, but it gained the adversary’s attention nonetheless.
Miles scrambled to his feet just in time to see the attacker turn his attention to Ben. Donovan jumped at him, but took the short blade to the side and fell to the ground as his clothes turned dark red with blood. Standing over a frightened Ben, their antagonist kneeled down, fighting off Ben’s sad attempts at defense, and came in for the deathblow. Ben screamed for his life at the same moment the reptilian man shrieked and then died. Standing over them both was an exhausted Miles with the fumes of a spent spell still steaming from his palm.
Ben shuffled up in a panic and checked his entire body for wounds. There were none, but his attention was shifted to the cries of his fallen friend, Donovan. Scrambling over to help him, he saw the wounded man grasping his side as blood poured out. Miles moved Ben out of the way and tore open the shirt that was now soaked in the red fluid.
“It’ll be okay,” Ben said, grabbing his friend’s hand. “What can I do?” he asked Miles, panicking. “I’ll go get Morgause!”
“No, her camp won’t be there anymore. Besides, I need you here. Just be sure to listen to my directions,” Miles said, working without emotion in his voice. Rummaging through his things, the mage pulled out a set of doctor’s tools and started digging around the wound. “I’m going to need some water for the poultice. Get me my canteen out of my bag,” he said to Ben, who complied. “Make him sniff this, it’s for the pain,” Miles said. Ben held the white powder under his friend’s nose. Donovan took a deep snort and coughed as Ben handed it back to Miles. The mage poured what was left on the wound and then started sewing it up.
After a few minutes, they both sat back and started breathing again. Donovan was asleep and the situation had become less hectic. Exhausted, Ben took his time before finally opening his mouth to ask the dreaded question.
“Will he be okay?”
“He should,” Miles said. “There are no signs of poison and the organs look undamaged, so that’s a good sign. We are lucky that wasn’t a true assassin; otherwise, we’d all be dead. They tip their weapons in powerful poisons that slow their victims and eventually kill.”
“Thank you for saving us. Really, you could have bailed at any moment and left us here to die, or worse. I don’t know how I could ever repay you for this,” Ben said.
“Don’t mention it; I’d just hope you’d do the same for me,” Miles said. “So, that thing you are carrying. What is it?”
“What thing?” Ben asked.
“Earlier, at the cave mouth, you held something up to your chest,” Miles said, pointing.
“Oh, yeah, that thing,” Ben replied, pulling the medallion out of his pocket. He tossed it to Miles, who caught it with both hands. He examined it and then tossed it back.
“Interesting symbol. What does it mean?” he asked.
“I’m not sure honestly, but my grandfather always said it had to do with the collection of heaven, earth, and humans. He always insisted that it would give me strength and courage if I wore it. As a kid, I never did, even though he insisted. He was always superstitious like that,” Ben said.
“Sounds like he cared about you a lot,” Miles said.
“Yeah, he was my friend,” Ben said, looking down at it with sadness in his eyes.
“So, has it worked? You know, given you strength and all?” Miles asked.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” Ben replied with a slight laugh.
“What about him?” Miles nodded toward Donovan. “You looked pretty panicked when you saw all the blood; afraid of death or just emotionally invested in this guy?” He wiped away the collected sweat from his brow.
“I...I’m invested because he’s my responsibility,” Ben said, unsure of his words.
“How does a grown man become a boy’s responsibility? He’s obviously not your father,” Miles said. Ben didn’t say anything for a while, making the situation between them uncomfortable. “I didn’t step over any boundaries, did I?” the mage asked.
“No, I just don’t know how to say it,” Ben said. “Basically, when I was in Eden, I…I used the fruit to bring him back from the dead. I plucked him up from whatever paradise he was in and brought him back into all of this. It’s my fault he is here, and now I have to take care of him. I don’t know how to explain it any other way.”
“Wait, you’re telling me he’s Ad—” Miles started, but was stopped by Ben’s quick shushing.
“Don’t say it!”
The two of them sat in silence for a long time after that and then fell asleep, too exhausted to find a better place to hide. Ben awoke before the other two and got up to walk around. He checked on the sleeping, stabilized Donovan before making his way behind the boulder that separated them from the witch’s home. What he saw showed him that Miles was indeed right; the entire camp was gone. The only thing left there was the flat space on the ground where her house once stood.