Eight 4

Obviously, we had questions. Manipulating light was supposed to be exceptionally difficult. But as the saying went, “Talents bend the world and soul marks twist it.” Anything was possible with the right path and access to the requisite power-magics-resources.

A quick read of our faces told Mumu we all agreed to continue on to the Temple of Wanting. The reasons for heading there hadn’t changed, and this expedition’s mission in these ruins was to pursue mysteries, not run from them.

Mumu took off with the rest of us in tow. As we ran, lightning flashed in the east and thunder rumbled down from the mountains. Then it happened again, a little farther to the north.

The howling of the wind increased in intensity, and the sky trembled as the pressure that’d been pressing my authority eased. Asiik might’ve been a Master of the Air, but he’d have to be a hell of a lot more powerful than that to control the approaching storm.

A moment later, Snow called out a warning, ‘The predator approaches!’

Lightning arced again, this time illuminating the winged kalesk, hanging over the city with his wings spread wide. The moment lasted barely a beat before the night swallowed him.

Through our connection, I felt Mumu’s alarm. Her Wild Sense must be singing. Snow’s instincts too, because the blynx immediately shot toward us.

“Hood the lanterns,” Mumu called out. “Night Eyes.”

The only one without the spell was Anya, so Weni grabbed and threw her sister over her shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

In the distance, I made out the savage mammoth slamming into the Hall of the Inquisitors. Magics flared in response—the people there seemed pre-occupied with the fight. Had they not spotted Asiik flying overhead?

The air rippled like the surface of pond, a rock skipping over it.

The temple was ahead. The first section was a covered courtyard, and we dashed past statuary, a fountain, stone benches, and engravings on the walls—none of which registered deeply. My eyes were on a pair of stone, ten-foot-tall double doors that were fortunately propped open. We ducked through them.

The interior was vaulted like a cathedral, a big open space cut in half by a polished wall opposite the entrance. It was engraved with text from top to bottom and side to side. There were no windows or any other openings I could see. Stone benches sat before the text like pews, and along the edges were more statues—these of grim-faced people looking down at us, their eyes, ears, and mouths disturbingly large. The ghost of an old man walked among them. He carried a cane in hand as he examined each of the statues’ bases.

The building was much deeper than what was immediately visible, but there were no doors in sight to get to the other half. Nothing about the space indicated a reason for why silverlight should be drawn here.

“Protect our air,” Mumu commanded. “Check for enemies.”

We sprang into action, each of us removing from our pouches a necklace hung with an enchanted frog’s skull. The bones were satellites to a larger one—about a foot across—carried in Anya’s pack, which she removed from the cloth protecting it. There were also fragments from a porpoise’s skull in her pack, as well as some baleen from a whale; I didn’t know which species.

Once the necklaces were worn, Tegen cast a Bear’s Strength to close the doors behind us, and I clicked with my Status camera around the room to make sure nothing hid from my spirit eyes.

“Looks clear. Just one—” Another ghost appeared, walking out of the wall with the text on it. She was a middle-aged woman with her head held high. She wore a long cape that looked to have been made from snake skin. “Make that two ghosts in the temple.”

The woman walked around the statues to address the man with the cane—instructions clearly, and the man bowed deeply in return. The vibe I got was of someone in charge talking to the janitor.

Afterward, they both walked toward the wall again, her gesturing at some of the text first before walking through.

“Secret door,” I said, moving that way.

Anya joined me; the larger frog skull was in her hands, ready to be imbued with mana. “Where?”

“The ghost gestured like this,” I said, replicating what I’d seen. Nothing happened as a result, though.

Anya’s eyes glowed. “Do it again.”

When I did and once again nothing happened, Anya turned her attention to the wall. She looked like she’d be there for a while, so I went to talk to Ikfael.

“The temple resists me,” she signed. “It refuses to let me join with the stone.”

“Even the floor?” I asked.

Ikfael nodded. “For now. Perhaps if we pry one of the tiles up to get to the ground underneath.”

“Later,” Mumu said. “First we must protect this space.”

“I agree,” Ikfael replied, “and I’ll go outside to gather stone to blockade the door.”

Immediately, Teila and I volunteered to join her. But first, Ikfael removed a bunch of our supplies from her Hoarder’s Pocket to make room.

Tegen, unfortunately, had to open the door again, and the three of us went out—but only until the edge of the courtyard. The rain stung as it swept in from the side, the wind whipping it around.

Ikfael disappeared at first to check if she could get under the temple from outside its grounds, but that didn’t appear to work. “A protected lower floor,” she signed on her return. Then she stuffed some of the road’s old paving stones into her pocket. Several others, she floated through the air to stack them inside the doors.

She hurried all the while. There was a timer ticking, we all felt it.

Teila and I both burned more mana, so as to keep an eye on our surroundings. Occasionally, I heard a bang in the distance—a real feat given the clamoring storm. At least the temple’s interior had been dry, except for a little puddle at the entrance.

“I’m ready,” Ikfael signed, and we trooped inside. Then, when Tegen closed the door after us, Ikfael sealed it using the road stones.

“There’ll be other openings for ventilation,” I observed.

But Ikfael responded with a gesture of, “Can’t be helped.”

Well, we did what we could, and Ikfael’s next move was to unload the rest of the recently acquired stone to create a shelter within the temple in case we needed to insulate ourselves from the outside air.

While Anya and Weni conferred by where we assumed there was a secret door, the rest of us gathered in the middle of the space for brief consultation.

“We appear to be safe for now,” Mumu said, “although I’d feel better if we can get deeper into the temple.”

“There might be more undead there,” I said.

“I’d rather fight them than the Army of Sorrow,” Haol said. “How goes the storm?”

“Still building, although it’s very, very close now.” When I closed my eyes, I felt it beating against the land. Soon, all would be thrown into a violent turmoil.

I glanced over at where Ikfael finished assembling a . She’d left one of the paving stones to the side for an entrance. Otherwise, the whole thing looked airtight, which was exactly what it needed to be.

Asiik might still be able to sniff us out, the scent of us lingering, but he shouldn’t be able to suck the air from our lungs, feel us breathing within the temple, poison us with bad air, or any other of the myriad tricks of those who controlled the air element.

With a gesture Ikfael swept away all the rainwater soaking us through and dumped into a tub she pulled from her pocket. We all sighed at the feeling of being dry again. Snow purred especially hard. No matter how often she’d shaken, the water had clung to her fur. She walked to Ikfael to give the otter a good rubbing with her face.

Ikfael gave her a scritch in return and then came over to where we were meeting.

“Anything?” Mumu called over to Anya.

“It’s promising,” the peltwei replied. “Enchantments hide within the text, but they are many, intermingled, and protected by a barrier of some kind. A spell key is required to open the way.”

“So not anytime soon then?” Mumu asked.

Anya shook her head. “This is more complicated than anything I’ve encountered before, and none of the previous explorers admitted to having found a way through.” She stepped back to look at the entire wall. “There is much to study, though. Our time here will be productive, I think.”

The text was written in a calligraphic style, with some of the words spelled oddly and the syntax different than I was used to. Language drift was apparently a thing on Diaksha too.

Still, at the top, the wall appeared to read, “Behold the Testament of Hunger. It is the acclamation of progress—the impetus to subsume all who impede the Path to Perfection; the marvel that begets the desire for more—the heart of the Path.”

I wrinkled my nose at the stuffiness of the prose and turned to ask Ikfael about it. I nearly laughed, though, at the expression on her face. It matched mine, except I didn’t have whiskers trembling in distaste.

Mumu suddenly shoved Teila in the direction of Ikfael’s stone box. She grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me along. “To the shelter!” she called out. “Cast the spell!”

A beat later, a high-pitched whistle sounded above us like a giant tea kettle boiling. I was in the process of catching my balance and moving as instructed when my hair fluttered and my cloak snapped. The air in the room vanished up through what must’ve been hidden vents high up in the walls.

Anya reacted, enchanting the frog’s skull in her hands to cast the spell Breath of Life. A pale green light spread, so that it covered her whole body. The smaller skulls around our necks then glowed in sympathy, and I felt my lungs open. The pores on my skin too, like in a sauna.

We all ran to the stone shelter, crowding inside while Ikfael willed the last of the pavers into place, sealing us inside. Cautiously we waited in case anything else happened, but there was only the amber glow of our lanterns and silence. We wore our packs, so we were well stocked with supplies. And the spell was relatively mana efficient—Anya should be able to keep it up for a good two hours. The quarters were tight, body to body, but we appeared to be safe for now.

After about twenty endless minutes, Ikfael disappeared into the stone. A moment later, she came back. “The air is still missing.”

It was going to be a waiting game then. The hunters sat, and a moment later the sisters followed suit. We all tried to relax to conserve our energies. If we had to, we could feed our mana to Anya and go for much longer. Hopefully that wouldn’t be necessary, though.

Into the silence, Tegen asked, “No one has to go, right?”

Teila glared and hit him in the shoulder. “I didn’t until you asked about it.”

###

While Anya maintained our protections, the rest napped while they could. I had tried, but my thoughts wouldn’t stop spinning in circles, so I simply rested instead, keeping an eye on things. From her breathing, I could tell Mumu also wasn’t asleep. No doubt, her Wild Sense was firmly in mind in case another warning came.

Anya sat with the frog’s skull in her lap, gazing down at it. Haol shifted positions, so that his face was right next to mine. Thankfully, Anya’s spell filtered the air, so that I didn’t have to deal with his post-jerky breath. On the other side, Tegen swung his leg so that it covered my knees.

With a sigh, I continued to wait, thinking about… well, everything. A glance at my Status showed that it was 3:42 a.m.

###

“Fiftieth.” Anya had softly whispered the word, but it woke up the sleepers. It meant she only had enough mana for half an hour more of Breath of Life.

Ikfael departed to check the outside air again but shook her head on her return. All she’d found on the other side was vacuum.

“Eight, you’re first,” Mumu instructed.

“Will do,” I replied and crawled over Haol to get to Anya. “Don’t be alarmed—I’m going to touch your back.” I placed my hand behind where her heart dantian was before letting my mana seep into her.

The efficiency for this process was normally awful, but Anya was quite adept with mana and able to secure a good twenty-five percent of the energy I gave her. That meant almost twenty points’ worth from between Yuki and me—another hour and a half of Breath of Life.

As I sank into the depths of meditation, I heard Mumu say, “Haol’s next if needed.”

###

A light touch from Ikfael on my shoulder roused me. “Your turn again,” she signed.

Immediately, I noticed my bladder feeling like it was about to burst. There was also an intense need to stretch, yet there was no room to do so—hardly any room at all, really. The shelter had saved our lives, but now we were trapped inside.

I’d missed a notification on my phone while meditating:

* Alert * Alert * Alert *

Update: Extreme Weather Event

If you’ve not found shelter yet, seek it now. The [ACCESS DENIED] is upon you and expected to remain in the area until [ACCESS DENIED].

Expect heavy flooding and winds of 105 eisqilm per hour. Anything not secured will go flying. Authority over the relevant elements will be severely limited while under [ACCESS DENIED].

Seriously, don’t go outside if you can help it.

Can a person slap a System notification? Because that was exactly what I wanted to do. Is it trying to jinx me? I wondered. Well, mis abuelos didn’t raise a fool. I planned to stay put until I was sure it would be safe to go outside.

That commitment in place, I needed to take care of business, so I crawled over to the hole Ikfael had made in the stone for us to use to relieve ourselves. It led to a reservoir she’d carved into the base of the shelter’s walls, and once again I felt grateful for the Breath of Life’s filtering of scents.

A glance showed me the weariness on everyone’s faces. No one slept now; the time was needed for meditation. Anya breathed shallowly, like she was caught in a bad dream.

My Status clock read 4:30 pm. She’d maintained the spell for over twelve hours. It’d been time enough for us have come full circle—everyone contributing to the Breath of Life until it was my turn again.

After I was done peeing, I moved to sit behind Anya, and looking closer, I saw her shivering. Her fingers wrapped around the frog’s skull where white from holding it tightly.

“Easy now,” I whispered. “We’ll be okay. Just hold as lightly as you can without losing your grip. That’s the key to winning the long race, yeah?”

A slight nod let me know that Anya had heard me. Her breathing eased a touch too. She’d probably already been following that advice, but a reminder never hurt.

I placed my hand on her back and let my mana flow.

###

My meditation was disturbed by a popping sound, and then something big slamming into the temple. The ground had trembled with the impact. Rousing myself, I heard the storm outside. The vacuum had gone!

I opened my eyes to find Ikfael missing. She’d already merged into our shelter’s walls to check. All of us looked hopeful, except for Anya who continued to maintain the Breath of Life. Then, the door to the shelter opened, Ikfael willing it away and to the side.

“There’s air again,” she signed.

Mumu emerged from the shelter and said, “I will go see.”

“You shouldn’t go outside,” I warned her. “It’s a beast of a storm.”

“Then I’ll look from the door. Ikfael, if you will create a hole for me?”

The otter nodded and led Mumu away. Meanwhile, the rest of us emerged from the shelter, and the first thing I did was throw myself to the ground to stretch-stretch-stretch. It felt so good.

A pale green light clung to me; the Breath of Life was still active and would remain that way until—

“Anya, you may rest,” Mumu said. “I’ve confirmed we have air again.”

We heard a deep sigh from within the shelter, giving way to sobbing. Weni went to hug her sister.

“That was so hard,” I heard Anya whisper.

Weni rocked her lightly. “Shh. Shh. You were so brave and did so well. The whole family would be proud.”

“It was hard,” Anya repeated.

“Yes, yes,” Weni replied. “Rest now. It’s our turn to take care of you.”

A moment later, the Breath of Life dissipated, and the stony scent of the temple filled my nose. There was the funk of the shelter too, and it was so stinky, Ikfael pried it apart to encase the waste in stone. The work was done gently, though, to not disturb Anya dozing on Weni'’s lap.

“We all need to sleep,” Mumu signed, observing the sisters.

“Standard shifts?” Haol asked.

“How are you feeling?” she asked in reply.

“Like I could eat a fifth day,” Haol said.

Mumu snorted and said, “Then you’re certainly sleeping first.”

Well, and I agreed. Anyone willing to eat the meal named after the last of the Long Dark had a screw loose, no matter how good a stimulant it was.

How am I doing? I asked Yuki.

‘Been better,’ they replied, ‘but also been worse.’

I don’t feel like I have another two hours in me, but I can probably push through.

‘Mmm,’ Yuki said.

I’m asking if you think Tegen needs the sleep more than I do.

‘We know,’ Yuki answered, ‘and he’s asking the same thing about you.’

Gods, but I was too tired to laugh, but I did and so did Tegen.

I gestured for him to go ahead. “Age before beauty.”

“If that’s the case,” Haol called over, “then Mumu would never sleep.”

“Oh, shush, you.” Mumu said, shaking her head at her husband’s antics. She didn’t seem to mind it all that much, though. “I’ll take first shift with Eight. Then Haol with Teila, Tegen with Weni, and Ikfael with Anya. Assuming that’s acceptable?”

The otter nodded in reply, her expression as exhausted as the rest of us.

“Then let it be so,” Mumu said.

###

Mumu and I circled the perimeter—the movement welcome after being cooped up for so long. Plus it helped to keep us awake. For company, we had the cacophony of the storm—random thumps against the walls, the howling wind, and the pounding rain. When I pressed my ear to the door, I heard water flowing. The streets must be flooding.

The temple’s interior walls glistened, and small puddles formed at their bases. The building was absolutely well constructed, but with how the rain was flying, some of it seemed bound to make its way inside.

###

I went out like a light as soon as I lay down to sleep. The next moment, though, my eyes opened wide, and I saw the Deer God standing above me. There was a stone-cold madness in his eyes: his gaze was upon the Testament of Hunter. The section before him was scratched all to hell, like he’d been raking it with his antlers for hours.

He charged at the wall, and the space vibrated with the impact. He reared and struck again, a tine from his rack snapping. But that didn’t stop him. He speared the wall like it was his immortal enemy. The silver cord connecting us glowed with the Deer God’s righteous rage.

What should I do? I thought.

But there was no response. All I felt was my own trepidation. There was something about the text that was anathema to the Deer God. It advocated for a stupid kind of greed, but was that reason enough for the spirit to act this way? Unless… unless the cause for his anger was on the other side? Slowly, to not draw the Deer God’s ire, I moved to pick up the fallen tine of antler. It felt cool in my hand, like the dawn of a spring day.

Then, the ghosts from before came through the wall, seemingly surprised to find the Deer God present. He moved so suddenly; it was like he Blinked in front of the woman. His antlers gored her. The throat, the arms, her torso, her hips—the tines pierced her across her ghostly body. Her mouth distended in a scream, but I heard nothing, as she was driven out from this reality.

The man cowered before the Deer God, then he was struck with a hoof to the head. That sent him falling to the ground, and the hoof followed, crushing it like an over-ripe melon. This ghost too was then pushed out of the world and into the next.

The Deer God pivoted to look for more enemies, and I immediately raised my arms in surrender. I couldn’t help it in the face of the fierceness in his eyes.

Not me, I thought, I don’t like them either. Then I ran to the wall to pick at it with the tine in my hand. A moment later, the Deer God followed, charging once more. Together, we attacked the wall with everything we had.

Listen, I know I talked a big game about standing up to power, but in that moment, the Deer God was unspeakably overwhelming. It took time for me to gather my senses and recall myself. And even then, I kept picking at the wall. Fear no longer drove me, though. Instead, the realization filled me that whatever pissed off the Deer God was likely to piss me off too.

From the stories I’d heard from mis abuelos, the things the earth spirits hated the most were the corruptions of sorcerers.