Chapter Fourteen
Stepping out of the ethereal and onto the island of Bleak Rock, Durima shuddered when a cold, biting wind blew through. Although her physical form gave her a thick fur coat which usually worked at blocking the cold, it was still imperfect (as all physical bodies were), which was why she shivered when she stepped onto Bleak Rock.
Gujak didn't even have fur. He had exited before her in order to scout ahead for any danger, but when Durima saw him, he was shivering like crazy. She wondered why he had not shivered so much back in the Great Berg, but decided that it was not a question worth thinking about right now, not when they had more important things to worry about.
“N-No enemies or traps,” said Gujak, his teeth chattering. “At least none out here. Didn't go inside because I wanted to wait until you got here so we could go in t-together.”
Durima nodded. She looked around at Bleak Rock, because this was the first time she had ever visited the island and so did not know what it looked like.
It was completely different from Zamis. It had no beach at all; instead, it had what appeared to be a high cliff with no railing to catch anyone who might fall off. They were hundreds of feet above sea level, which explained the strong gusts of wind that tore through like enraged baba raga.
The island itself was rather small, despite its height. There were no signs of wildlife, not even any seagulls searching for food. The waves that crashed against the base of the island below had smoothed out it to the point where the island's base was practically unclimbable. No wonder it was called Bleak Rock. Just standing here was enough to make Durima feel depressed.
“So how do we get inside?” said Durima.
Gujak jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “T-There's an entrance behind me, the only one I could find. Just like Master said there would be.”
“Then what are we doing, standing around here getting our toes and fingers frozen off?” said Durima. “Let's go inside and find that gauntlet already.”
Gujak nodded and turned, walking toward the gap in the rock that would take them deep into the island itself. That was another unusual thing about Bleak Rock. Whereas most islands were large enough to support their flora and fauna on their surface, Bleak Rock's surface was tiny, with little room even for the two of them. The island's actual terrain, where the object of their mission was supposed to be, was hidden underground. How far down it went and what was down there exactly, Durima didn't know, aside from a handful of vague, disturbing rumors she had heard over the years.
I sincerely doubt we'll find the bones of deceased gods down there, Durima thought. Or anything else, for that matter. This island seems abandoned to me. No life here at all.
Of course, she and Gujak would have came to Bleak Rock much earlier than they did, but the Ghostly God had given them specific instructions to wait one week before going. He had told them that he wanted to time their arrival on Bleak Rock with his own journey to North Academy. He had said that timing the two events so they would happen simultaneously was very important because it was the only way to keep Skimif from putting a stop to his plans before they came to fruition, as Skimif could not be in two places at once.
That made some sense to Durima, she thought as she watched Gujak pick up a rock and toss it into the gap in the rock to test for any traps they were unaware of. She remembered well how Master had told her about how Skimif had came to Zamis last week and threatened to punish the Ghostly God for what his servants had done, forcing Master to 'apologize' for what he did and to vow never to do that again.
It always amazed Durima how naïve Skimif was. He always seemed ready and willing to believe in the inherent goodness of other people, no matter how awful they acted. She had never spoken with the God of Martir himself, but she had seen and heard enough about him to understand that much.
Then again, godlings tend to be a lot more naïve than normal gods, Durima thought. Perhaps he needs a few more centuries to grow up.
“Okay,” said Gujak. “L-Looks like the gap is safe to go through.”
Durima looked at the gap more closely. It was a thin slit in the rock, wide enough for someone like Gujak to slip through without trouble, but she did not think that her bulk would fit. She would have to widen the gap.
“Stand back,” Durima said to Gujak. “I'm going to use my geomancy to widen the entrance so I can enter. Shouldn't take more than a minute.”
Gujak retreated as much as he could on the narrow cliff that was the exterior of Bleak Rock. Once he was safely out of the way, Durima walked up to the gap and grabbed it with both claws. The rock felt old and crumbly under her hands, but it clearly wasn't going anywhere without some effort on her part.
Concentrating hard, Durima channeled her geomancy through her hands and into the island itself. It shouldn't be a very difficult move. As she had said to Gujak, it should only take a minute. Durima had widened cracks in the ground before with her magic. It was one of the simplest tasks a geomancer could do, a task that even a bad geomancer could do without messing it up too badly.
Which was why she was shocked when she felt her geomancy rebound back into her body. It sent her staggering backwards from the gap as breathless as if she had been punched in the gut by a professional fighter. She put her hands on her knees, gasping in pain, as Gujak approached her with a worried look on his face.
“What happened?” said Gujak. “Why do you look so tired?”
“Not … sure,” said Durima. Her knees were wobbly and unstable, which was why she didn't dare take even one step forward. “My magic … rebounded into my body.”
“See?” said Gujak. He gestured at the island all around them. “The rumors were true. Bleak Rock really is a place where magic doesn't work the way it's supposed to. I knew it.”
Durima rolled her eyes. “Right. Well, whatever the reason for that, we still need to widen the gap. Otherwise, how will I get inside?”
“But how do we widen the gap without magic?” said Gujak, glancing at the entrance to the island's interior. “If it rejected your magic, it will probably do the same to mine if I try anything.”
Feeling her strength slowly returning to her limbs, Durima said, “We'll have to do it the old fashioned way: With our hands.”
-
It took Durima much longer to widen the gap with her bare hands and brute physical strength than it would have if her magic worked. Not to mention it required more effort, but there was no way around it, so she moved as fast as she could, her claws tearing through the crumbly rock like a badly formed pot of clay.
Ten minutes later, the gap was now wide enough for Durima and Gujak to pass through comfortably. Her fur covered in dust and her claws aching, Durima stepped back, panting as she looked at her handiwork.
“Wow, Durima,” said Gujak, looking at the widened entrance with some respect. “Y-You did it after all.”
“Of course,” said Durima, kicking aside some of the rubble lying at her feet. “Now let's not waste time standing around here admiring my work. We have a mission to accomplish and we can't accomplish it by standing here doing nothing.”
“I'll go first,” said Gujak, holding up one hand to volunteer. “I can use my light to see what's in there. If it's safe to follow, I will let you know immediately.”
Durima was in no mood, after her hard work of widening the entrance, to argue with that. She stepped aside as Gujak walked past her toward the entrance. He stopped in front of it and then held up his right hand, which began glowing like a torch.
He stuck his hand into the darkness of Bleak Rock's interior and leaned forward to get a better look. “Can't see much. It's really dark in there. But I do see what appears to be a natural stone slide that leads down.”
“Down where?” Durima asked.
“Not sure,” said Gujak. “Maybe it leads down to the bottom or maybe it will lead us into a pit full of poisonous snakes.”
“You're still going in,” said Durima. “You volunteered. If you try to go back on your w
ord now—”
“I didn't say I wasn't going in,” said Gujak in a somewhat annoyed voice. “I was just saying that I have no idea what is in there.”
“Then why don't you stop your yammering and just go in there and find out?” said Durima. “And if you get bitten by a hundred poisonous snakes and die, well, I'll at least try to get your body so we can give you a proper burial.”
Gujak grimaced at that, but he didn't reply. He just grabbed the top of the entrance and then shoved himself forward. He rapidly vanished into the darkness, even with his hand still glowing. Soon he was gone completely, with not even one hint to suggest that he had been standing there moments ago.
Not more than a minute later, however, and Gujak's voice called up from the island's interior, “It's okay! The slide ends at a wall. No poisonous snakes or anything. But it is really, really cold down here, much colder than it was up there.”
Another shockingly cold gust of wind cut through Durima just then, causing her to shout back, “I'm coming down, so you'd better get out of the way so I don't slide into you!”
Durima walked up to the entrance and launched herself into it the same way Gujak had. She soon found herself sliding down rapidly through the darkness, completely unable to see even one inch in front of her. The stone slide was smooth but slimy and damp, which made the ride far less comfortable than it could have been.
Thankfully, the slide was not very long. Soon she saw Gujak's light, the only beacon in the thick darkness, and thanks to his small light saw a tall, solid-looking rock wall waiting for her at the bottom of the slide. Unsure how to slow down, Durima put her arms in front of her face just as she slammed into the rock wall full force.
The blow was dizzying, but not the worst blow she had ever received in her life when she considered how an enemy soldier had once beaten her brutally during the Katabans War.
Durima stood up, her head spinning, as Gujak said, “You all right?”
Durima shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “Yeah. Just slightly dizzy is all. I'll be fine in a few seconds.”
“That's good,” said Gujak. “Anyway, I've found only one way to head down deeper into the island's interior.”
“Only one way?” said Durima, looking at Gujak in confusion. “Are you sure there aren't anymore?”
“Absolutely,” said Gujak. “I did a thorough check and found only one hallway. Whoever carved out the interior of this island didn't care about giving room for anyone to breathe.”
Durima nodded. Now that her senses were returning, she, too, felt claustrophobic down here. Whether it was because of the heavy darkness that even Gujak's light only barely managed to penetrate or whether it was due to being inside an island, Durima felt like she was trapped in a cage. And she wanted out.
It's just a feeling, Durima thought. You've felt this way before. Remember the pit in the War? You didn't come all this way just to run away. Especially when running away would guarantee your punishment by Master.
“Then what are we waiting for?” said Durima. “Let's keep going. Master told us not to dilly-dally, and we won't.”
Gujak nodded and walked to the left. Durima followed and in a minute they were inside a narrow hallway that made Durima feel even more claustrophobic. The ceiling was low, the walls on either side felt like the compactor of the Mechanical Goddess. It didn't help that it was indeed very cold, just as Gujak had said, even colder than the outside.
But their progress was sadly cut short when they came upon a large pile of debris—perhaps fallen from the ceiling—blocking their path. The pile of rock chunks blocked the passage completely, leaving not even one inch for them to crawl through. The pile looked like it had been here a very long time, perhaps for a decade or more, although Gujak's small light did not show enough detail for Durima to know for certain.
“Uh oh,” said Gujak. “What happened here? Earthquake?”
“Probably,” said Durima. “Either that, or Mica came through here and decided to block off the rest of this island from intruders.”
“But this island isn't under Mica's domain,” said Gujak, looking over his shoulder at Durima. “The Mysterious One is probably responsible for it.”
Durima punched Gujak's shoulder. “Didn't you hear what Master said earlier? The Mysterious One is a myth. None of the gods rule this island. Myths can't block off underground tunnels.”
“I know, I know,” said Gujak, rubbing his shoulder where Durima had hit it. “But … well, sometimes Master isn't always right. I mean, no one has ever disproved the Mysterious One exists, right?”
“No one has ever proved he exists, either,” said Durima, “but that doesn't mean it's rational or intelligent to believe in him.”
“But don't you remember what Messenger-and-Punisher said to us once?” said Gujak. “Back when the Powers were going to destroy the world? He said that a god named the Mysterious One had ordered him to help rescue a bunch of mortals stuck on the sea floor.”
“Messenger-and-Punisher isn't exactly the most reliable source of information on the gods,” said Durima, shaking her head. “Remember when he said that Master wasn't looking for any servants when we asked him if he knew of any gods who needed servants?”
“Yeah, but—”
Gujak's sentence was cut off by a sudden shaking of the island around them. Without thinking, Durima pulled herself close to the floor, a habit she had developed during her stay on the Volcanic Isles during the Katabans War, where quakes like this one—and worse—were very common. Gujak just ended up stumbling against the right wall, clinging to it like it was his mother.
“W-What's going on here?” said Gujak, his teeth chattering as the island continued to shake. “Is the island sinking into the sea or—”
Once more, Gujak was interrupted, this time by the sound of a rock wall collapsing nearby. Durima looked to the left and saw, by the dim light of Gujak's shining hand, that the wall to her left had completely collapsed, revealing a gaping hole large enough for both of them to go through.
As soon as the last of the wall had fallen, the island ceased shaking. Neither Durima nor Gujak moved right away, however, as both were waiting to see if this was only a pause and if Bleak Rock would continue shaking.
The seconds ticked by until it finally became clear that Bleak Rock was not going to be shaking again anytime soon. That was good. Because Durima had worried for a moment that she and Gujak would be trapped underneath tons and tons of rock or maybe even drown, if the island had sunk into the ocean like Gujak feared.
“I-I don't understand,” said Gujak, his voice trembling. “Why did the island shake?”
“This area must be home to natural earthquakes,” said Durima. She gestured at the debris blocking off the hallway. “That's probably what caused that, not some silly myth.”
“Where does that way lead?” said Gujak, pointing at the area behind the collapsed wall. “To the gauntlet?”
“I don't know,” Durima admitted. “But since I doubt we could move this debris in a timely manner, why not go down there and see for ourselves? Maybe it's a short cut.”
Gujak shuddered. “Or maybe it's a trap.”
“Aside from that tremor, we haven't faced any actual problems down here yet,” said Durima. “Honestly, Gujak, I know what a dangerous place feels like and, while Bleak Rock is certainly, well, bleak, it's hardly what I'd call dangerous. We just need to be careful where we walk, that's all.”
“If you say so,” said Gujak. “I just keep expecting something really bad to happen at some point. I mean, this all seems way too easy. Surely we should have run into some kind of real problem at some point, right?”
“For once, I agree with you,” said Durima. “Normally, I'd be as paranoid as you, maybe even more so. But right now, I say we should take advantage of every opportunity we get. Remember what Master said about timing this with his mission.”
“All right,” said Gujak, although the way he glanced back the way they came told Durima all she ne
eded to know about how he actually felt. “I'll lead the way, I guess, since I'm the one with the light and all.”
Gujak pushed away from the still-intact wall and entered the darkness beyond the collapsed one. Durima followed, keeping her eyes and ears wide open in case there was indeed something dangerous awaiting them below.
-
As it turned out, behind the collapsed wall was a spiral stone staircase that went down deep into Bleak Rock's interior. It was impossible to tell who had carved this staircase, and when, but based on how old it looked, Durima guessed that it had been here for years.
Despite its age, the staircase held their weight. The steps, however, were slightly slippery due to moisture in the air settling on them, forcing Durima and Gujak to walk down much more slowly than they otherwise would. This made Durima impatient because she remembered Master's emphasis on completing the mission quickly.
This gave Durima time to think, which she did not want to do (she felt it prudent to remain aware of her surroundings at all times, even if there was nothing much to remain aware of), but which she did anyway due to their frustratingly slow pace.
She wondered how Master was doing. No doubt he was already at North Academy, maybe had even dug up the grave of that Braim Kotogs mortal. She hoped that he had run into some unexpected complications; not because she wanted to see him fail (although she thought failure might humble him a little) but because she and Gujak had not yet found the gauntlet and she wanted to make sure that she got it to him on time.
That made her wonder exactly what this 'gauntlet' was. It had to be special and important. If it was any old gauntlet, Master could have easily stolen one from a mortal or gone and bought one from one of the merchants on World's End. It probably had something to do with Master's overarching grand plan, the details of which were still fuzzy to Durima, even after she had thought about it deeply.
I wonder what Master will do to us when his plan succeeds, Durima thought. Will he reward us for our help? Or will he ignore us because of our many failures?
Either way, Durima did not see her or Gujak's life changing much after all of this was through. They would continue to serve Master or, if he decided he didn't need their help anymore, would serve some other god or goddess who needed their help. Durima didn't know which of the many gods in both Pantheons would need their help, but she figured she would worry about that later.
Maybe Skimif himself will hire us, Durima thought. Then she chuckled to herself, low enough that Gujak could not hear it. What am I saying? Skimif never hires katabans. He does all his work himself because he's just that kind of god. Most likely we'll end up working for someone like Kano, or worse, the Loner God.
Her thoughts ran along this track until she and Gujak reached the bottom of the staircase. The claustrophobia down here was even worse than it had been in the hallway from before, making Durima wish that this gauntlet had been hidden on some wide open tropical island somewhere further down south.
Gujak stopped. “I stepped in something.”
Durima grimaced. “Did I need to know that?”
“Not like that,” said Gujak, shaking his head as he lowered his glowing hand closer to the floor. “It's … webbing?”
Durima looked at the floor. A thick wad of spider web, glistening in the soft glow of Gujak's hand, was wrapped around Gujak's foot. He tugged at it and managed to pull his foot out of the sticky stuff, but his foot was still covered in it.
“Ew,” said Durima. “Why is there spider web down here?”
“Better question,” said Gujak, who based on his tone of voice was already on the edge of panic, “why is it so huge?”
Durima shook her head dismissively. “So what? We can deal with giant spiders. We just squash them like smaller ones.”
“Durima, I don't think you understand, but this is really, really bad,” said Gujak. “Spider web usually dissolves in a few hours if the spider in question doesn't recycle it. But this is fresh, which means that whatever made this web is probably still close by.”
Durima looked around the area, but it was too dark to see much. “Well, maybe it's napping right now because I don't hear it and definitely don't see it. Anyway, not like we can just go back, not when Master is expecting us to get that gauntlet.”
“You're right,” said Gujak, although the way he stumbled over the word 'right' did not inspire confidence in Durima. “I bet that the gauntlet is just around the corner now. And if we do run into some kind of giant spider, well, we can handle it like you said.”
It was painfully obvious to Durima that Gujak did not believe even half of what he said. Knowing him, Gujak was probably imagining her and him getting wrapped up in thick web cocoons and being fed to the giant spider's babies bit by bit. Gujak almost always let his imagination get the best of him, especially when he was scared out of his mind like he was now.
Still, Gujak did advance, heading deeper into the island's interior at the same pace he had walked down the staircase. Durima once more followed, but this time keeping her eyes and ears open for any skittering sounds. Despite what she said earlier, she didn't think that the giant spider was actually sleeping. Their luck was never that good.
This time, they found themselves walking down some kind of wide open tunnel/hallway. Thick webbing hung from the ceiling, which slowed their progress considerably. This webbing didn't seem as fresh as the chunk that Gujak had stepped in and in fact went down easily when Durima cut it with her claws. Still, it was an ominous sign that whatever was down here had clearly made this island its territory. And Durima knew quite well what animals did to creatures that invaded their territory, even unintentionally.
But despite the mess of webbing they found, there was no other sign of the spider. It was almost like the spider had made the webbing and left; an odd thought, to be sure. Whether that was normal spider behavior or not, Durima didn't know, and she wasn't sure she wanted to find out.
The tunnel/hallway must have been much shorter than it seemed, however, because after only a few minutes of cutting through the webbing, Durima and Gujak emerged into a wide-open chamber that was a breath of fresh air after being in such a confined space for so long.
This chamber was designed oddly, though. It had no floor; instead, there was an open pool in the center, with dark seawater inside it as still as stone. The seawater must have been the source of the salty, ocean-like smell that permeated the room, reminding Durima of the beach on Zamis.
The pool was ringed by a stone walkway that offered little room for movement and no railing to keep anyone from falling into the water below. Durima had to be careful not to lean forward too much, otherwise she would fall into the water, which did not look friendly or safe to her.
A long, narrow stone bridge jutted out over the water, but it only went about halfway across. It wasn't the stone bridge that caught Durima's attention, however. It was the glint of silver at the end of it, which reflected the light of Gujak's hand as brilliantly as a mirror.
“What's that?” said Durima, pointing at the glinting silver object.
Gujak raised his hand and his light grew brighter. As it did so, the rays washed over the silver object, giving them a much better look at its appearance.
The object resembled a gauntlet designed for a human hand. It looked perfectly preserved, as if whoever had put it down here had made sure to come back and clean it regularly. It was still too far away to make out its finer details, but that didn't matter because Durima knew that they had hit the jackpot.
“There it is,” said Durima, pointing at the gauntlet. “The gauntlet that Master wanted us to get.”
“Are you sure?” said Gujak, looking around the place as if he expected to see an identical gauntlet nearby.
“How can I not be sure?” said Durima. “Master said there is only one gauntlet on Bleak Rock. That object looks exactly like a gauntlet; therefore, it is the gauntlet.”
“I guess you're right,” said Gujak. “Well, I'll go and grab it. It doesn
't look like it's protected by anything, so hopefully we'll be out of here very soon.”
Durima wanted to be the one to get it, but when she saw how narrow and unstable the stone bridge looked, she decided that it made more sense to stand back and let Gujak do it. She watched, scratching her arm, as Gujak walked carefully across the stone bridge, which held him with no trouble.
As Gujak walked, his light casting his shadow across the still waters below, Durima fully expected something bad to happen to him. Maybe a sea monster would shoot out of the water and bite his head off. Or maybe the stone bridge would fall into the water. Possibly, the gauntlet itself was rigged with some kind of magical trap, although Durima could not sense anything unusual about this gauntlet.
All she knew was that she was relieved when Gujak reached the end of the stone bridge and picked up the gauntlet. He turned around, the smile on his face evident even from a distance, as he held up the gauntlet and said, “I got the gauntlet, so that means we can go back to Master now! Maybe he'll be so pleased by our speediness that he'll waive our punishment.”
“Great,” said Durima. She gestured at Gujak with her right hand. “Now come on. No need to keep Master waiting any longer than he needs to, right?”
Gujak nodded, but then his smile contorted into an expression of pure, undisguised horror. He pointed over Durima's head and said, “Durima, behind you!”
Durima would have turned around to see what Gujak saw, but then she felt something sharp and burning bite her back. Her body went rigid as a board, causing her to fall flat on her face. As soon as she hit the floor, she lost all consciousness.
***