FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 8

Richard

A long regal hallway stretched before me, marble floors were covered by blood red carpets. Ivory walls stood at either side, imposing and eternal. Golden banners hung from the ceiling, a behemoth's head inscribed with scarlet lines. Alone in this tall and opulent corridor, I felt uncomfortable, like a robber invading a house. A spike of pain dug deep into my arm, cold spreading through my veins as a glowing brand appeared on my arm. The sickly green light that emanated from it betrayed its ill intent, my memories of the ritual still fresh in mind. I cursed under my breath, knowing there was little I could do against the magic, at least, not on my own. I looked back towards the proud banners. A scarlet behemoth on a golden field, its eyes staring impassively towards me. It was a symbol I had come to know well these last few weeks and may as well be my only hope. My mind set, I chose one random direction and ran off, knowing time was not on my side.

A heavy silence hung over the place as I advanced through the hallways, my steps muffled by the thick red rug. My eyes darted over the bare walls, looking for any sign of civilization but only smooth marble met my sight. I was breathing heavily by the time I saw the large doors on the distance. My heart beat hard against my chest and my blood had warmed the ice cold grasp the brand had on my arm. My lungs drank cool air with greed when I came to a stop; my hand rested on trembling legs while my eyes took in as much of the doors as they could. The oaken doors rose up to three times my height, the farthest reaches of the wood forming a small arc. Detailed carvings covered their surface, lifelike and fluid, their features highlighted by the dark wood. Most of the carvings were of plants, with flowery vines and flowing water taking the edges of the door and rising high above until they reached a depiction of the sky. It was a beautiful sight, one that I knew would fetch a high price in any market. However, the other carvings were what caught my eyes. On the left panel was a tall humanoid creature, his features hidden behind a closed helmet. His chest was covered in thick armor, as well as his forearms and legs, at his side rested a heavy looking shield almost as tall as he was. His free hand was lifted towards the center of the door, offered to the other figure. On the right panel, stood a regal figure, their body covered in baggy robes while a crown rested upon their head. The head was smooth, lacking any ears or hair, yet it made me feel like I was being judged. The hand closest to the border held a familiar rod with a behemoth head at the end while his other hand was held up towards the warrior.

"I'm surprised you made it this far without help Richard," a confident baritone voice said from behind me. A shiver ran down my back, fear pumping in my veins while I cursed under my breath; I turned around slowly, using the time to gather myself. A wolf man stood before me, his silver fur shone under the white radiance of the walls. He wore a set of gaudy clothes that felt nostalgic and new at the same time: a tight gold jacket, with a red bad that crossed it from shoulder to hip, and a pair of blue baggy pants with lines of gold near their ends.

"Who, who are you?" I asked with a cracked voice, my throat dry and sore.

"I'm sure you know by now, we've been awfully close lately," the wolf replied with a warm tone before he gave me a kind smile. "Though I suppose this is the first time we meet face to face. My name is Darrien Soles Ejealde, King of Azodia and 16th Ruler of the Obsidian Throne."

"You are...the king? How? Waken said you were gone!"

"Not gone, just weaker and less alive than I was mere hours ago. Ancient curses aren't good for life expectancy. They're also incredible persistent on the whole death issue."

"Is this all a joke to you? Shouldn't you be somewhere else right now? Like helping your knight who's out of himself with worry."

The king's brown eyes became cold, his brows furrowing in a stern stare that made my swallow my next words.

"No, Richard, it is never a joke to me. The fate of my country is always on my mind and so is the burden I place on Waken. My decisions can wreck havoc on the lives of all my countrymen, one mistake could cost hundred of lives down the line or rob Waken of the few things he has left." The king closed the distance between us, his chastising eyes never leaving mine. "But, I know how disorienting it can be to get involved in magic, especially this kind of magic, so I thought a bit of humor could help you."

"I'm sorry, it's just, I--"

"Don't trust magic, I know, and you don't trust me either, at least not that much. We shared a head for a time Richard, I know a few things about you, just like you know a few about me."

Neither of us spoke for a few second, the force of the king's words had left me with much to think while I could see his eyes appraising me like a crafter would do to a jewel.

"Where are we?" I finally said, unable to endure the silence any longer.

"An old place and at the same time, nowhere," The wolf replied with confidence in his voice, "This is the Obsidian Throne, the true power behind our realm and also the reason this all began in the first place, or that's what I think at least. It's been a long time since I was here and like Waken told you, we usually had a guide."

"Then, we're lost. Unless you can use some spell or whatever to get us out of here."

"We're not lost, I may not be an expert on this place but I can be sure of one thing. The Throne always takes you where you need to be. I find it funny that we ended up at this door. It's only been seven years since I stood here but it still feels like yesterday." the king placed a silver hand on the smooth wood, gently caressing the warrior's carving.

"So that dream I had, the one with a door like this one, those memories were from your time here."

"Maybe, I don't know what you saw in our dreams like you don't know what I saw. There are many doors like this in the palace, some hold secrets, some are decoys and some are there for the sake of beauty."

"What's this one about then? Secrets or a decoy?"

"An old secret that only a few know. A warning and a prediction as well. You see, behind this door lay the memories of the first Ruler and his Knight. Our predecessors and our first lives." Those last words lingered in my ears, echoing in my mind.

"What do you mean our first lives? No one gets more than one life, that's why we put everything we have on it." The king's face darkened with sadness, a weary smile appeared on his face. "Unless, you do."

"We do Richard. You're as much me as I'm you, that brand not withstanding. It is time we return to being one again...or die trying."

"We don't have any choice, do we?"

"You are here now, aren't you? Now, help me with this door, it will only open if two persons try to open it. Usually Waken would be the one to help with this but..."

I nodded at the king and walked until I was in front of the ruler's carving. I placed my trembling hands against the wood and waited for the king to do the same. At his signal, I pushed with all my strength; the wood creaked under our combined might just as a current of electricity dug deep into my hand. I bit my lips, hoping the king knew what he was doing as I threw all my weight against the door. Red arcs of electricity burst from the back of my hand as bright red lines bleed over my skin. Heat traveled across the lines, fire like heat burning their way over my muscles until they formed a smaller version of the behemoth decorating the banner. A strong force threw me back, my butt complaining as it took the brunt of the fall. I didn't have time to ask for explanations before a loud roar came from behind the doors. The loud sound pierced my ears and left my head ringing for long seconds. Meanwhile, I watched as the carving on the wood radiated a golden glow. The vines writhed like snakes over the dark brown surface while the waters flowed with contained strength. The warrior and the ruler were the last to move, their heads turning towards the other before they joined hands. A stream of red shoot above them to form a mess of ominous concentric circles. The doors opened without another sound, their movement unnaturally fluid and synchronized.

By the time my heart had stopped drumming against my chest, the heat in my hand had dissipated and the behemoth mark had disappeared, leaving only brown fur behind.

"Well, that was a bit more dramatic than what I expected," the king said while as he sat on the floor in a position similar to mine. "It usually opens up for up without a hitch but I guess this is an exceptional situation as is."

The king stood up without waiting for my reply, the easy confidence of his voice only betrayed by the slight trembling of his arm and the rigidness of his tail. I learned then that even a king could be afraid.

"Please let that be the only surprise. This whole business has made me nervous enough for a whole year," I told the wolf as I got up, flashing a nervous smile his way.

"There's no telling what will happen with ancient magic Richard. Who knows, you may grow to like it."

"Yeah, right, and we'll all live happily ever after."

The silver wolf marched forward with proud ears, only for his form to be swallowed by the darkness that laid beyond the doors. The silence that reigned then was oppressing and as sharp as a knife and I could almost feel it closing on my neck. Cold sweat ran down my spine when I glanced into the creeping darkness. My knees trembled with fear but knowing what was at stake, I plunged into the blackness with a run and hoped for the best.

It was like plunging into cold waters, the viscous liquid surrounding my body blocked all sound and feeling, and I dared not to breathe. I soon lost sense of direction, up and down meaning nothing in the vast emptiness. My body drifted into the darkness for long seconds before light pierced through the oil like liquid. My knees hit the ground moments later, my eyes opened, the silver glow that hung to every surface forced me to close my eyes. The wind caressed my skin like sand paper while the air could have been ice going into my lungs. The horrible sensations faded after a few minutes, allowing me to open my eyes. Grey irregular walls surrounded me, the stone rising high to make a natural dome. A wide hole let the moon light enter and bath the room with its radiance, casting everything in a ghostly light. The king himself stood a few steps from me, his silver fur shone with an otherworldly glow, like a king of legend.

"So, where are we?" I asked the king after I had recovered, ill at ease in such a mystical place.

"The place is a cave a few hours from the palace, abandoned in the current day and very hard to get into," the wolf said with a nostalgic air, his eyes focused in the distance. "The time is a full moon close to the winter solstice, exactly 534 years ago. Long before our kingdom as you know it even existed."

"And why are We here? What could happen in a cave that's of any importance.?"

"Everything. Here come with me. Don't worry about being seen, this is only a memory, an illusion if you will, nothing we do here will change a thing. We tried already." A resigned smile crossed the king's face as he walked deeper into the cave. I ran after him, startled by the sullen air the wolf had gotten.

"So we were here before, I mean you two," I asked after a couple of minutes of walking, the emptiness of the cave unnerved me in a way that I couldn't explain. Only a mound broke the even gray floor, rising a few meters into the sky as if reaching for the moon that shone above it.

"Yes and yes. Once when we were alive and at least once every generation." the king replied with a detached voice.

"Could you elaborate? Waken didn't really tell me anything before...well, all this."

"Huh? Yeah, I guess, it is time. It'll take a few minutes for us to get here, the old us." Darrien turned towards me, his green eyes dull with sorrow and tiredness. He placed a hand on my shoulder and gestured towards a few rocks near us. We took a seat, the cold touch of the rock almost making it too uncomfortable to remain, but the soft growl that came from the king put an end to my fidgeting. "Now, where to being?"

"At the start of this all perhaps or when you first came here?"

The king shook his head and took a seat on one of the rocks. His shoulders sagged and for a moment his eyes looked exhausted and hopeless. Another growl left his throat before he said, "Neither of us has enough time to cover the whole story. No, I guess the best place to start is at the War of the Gryphons. It happened 545 years ago, back when our kingdom was still young. There were three of us back then: Waken, the naive knight, Alena the cunning sorceress and me, the foolish prince. We used to do everything together. Studying, training, talking about the glory we would earn on the battlefield and the stories they would write about us. We didn't know of war beyond the words and numbers in our books and the tales the old warriors told at the pubs. We thought we were unstoppable.

"We didn't have to wait long for our wishes to come true, and being honest, back then we were excited. Two of our neighboring kingdoms went to war, Alabaqia and Taredia. Do you know of them?" I shook my head as I took a seat in front of the king. The wolf gave me a regretful smile, a soft sigh leaving his muzzle. "Yeah, I imagined, few do nowadays. Back then they were great powers in our area, much bigger than our little kingdom. Our father, King Coll, tried to negotiate with both of them to keep us out of their battles, but it is hard to negotiate with angry kingdoms. Soon, both countries called on their allies and we were left in a sticky position. You see, we had sworn to help both kingdoms at one point."

The silver wolf grew somber, his hands grasping each other with a feverish hold.

"And, what did your father do? Who did he side with?" I asked in a whisper, unsure if I wanted an answer.

"Father stalled as much as he could, hoping the conflict would end without need for our intervention. It didn't work out at all. Taredia lost the war at the start of winter and before spring had fully set, Alabaquia's army set forth against us. They called us traitors and cowards, though anyone could see their true intentions from a kilometer away."

"They were afraid of you, that you were going to invade them, so they struck first."

"Yes, they though if they conquered us, they would be safe, for a time. And they would get our biggest resource to boot."

"Your biggest resource? Do you mean gold? Or maybe salt?" the wolf let out a dry chuckle, sharp claws digging into the stone.

"If only it was that, it would be easy to trade or to give it up. No, what they wanted was something more versatile than minerals and the reason we're here, right now." The king extended forward one clawed hand, With one quick gesture, a pale green fire ignited over it. It cackled with hunger but instead of heat, it send shivers down my spine with every pulse.

"Magic? They invaded you for magic? I mean, I can get why but...wouldn't that be suicide?"

"Yes magic, or to be specific a few places where it naturally gathers. Our kingdom was blessed quite with a few of those and they in turn could be used to make great works. I'm sure they knew the risk were high, but like you said, they were scared of us." I grew still, the weight of the king's words settling in. It all started to make sense now, the strange restrictions on travel, the thriving cities in the middle of nowhere, what Waken and the king had said all this time. It all fit together. A glint of silver made me turn towards the hole in the roof, where the moon watched over us with a sinister glow.

"Then, this place, is it? Is it one of those places? Is that why we're here?" An amused smiled crossed the king's face, his eyes reflecting the silver light.

"Yes, it is one of the reasons we were here back then but you're rushing forward. Like I was saying, they sent their army against us and of course we sent ours to meet them. We held them at our western border for months, the mountain passes making it easy to keep their larger armies in check." The kinds words dripped with nostalgia and sorrow, his silver fur made his seem like a ghost from the past. "We were arrogant and paid the price when they broke through one of the passes. My-- our dad fell there, with a good part of his royal guards."

"Sorry, it must have been hard," I muttered, feeling like I had to fill the silence. The king shook his head, his eyes looking at his hands.

"We didn't have time to grieve, there was a war to be fought. We tried our best, our council and us, but in the end it was too hard to stop their armies momentum on our own."

"And that's why you came here, to turn the tide." The king stood and turned his back to me, his steps echoed in the cave.

"Yes, our last resort. I didn't want to use it to be honest. We had lost most of our council by that point, Alena among them. I was tired, frustrated, consumed by grief and I just wanted it all to end. Waken wouldn't let me though. Said the king couldn't give up when his kingdom needed him, when our friends had died for us."

"That does sound like him." The king gave me a smile over his shoulder, a sliver of happiness appearing on his eyes. Lupine ears stood tall then, the smile gave way for a frown just as the air in the cave grew colder.

"It's time, come, you need to see this." The wolf's hand closed around my wrist in an iron grip before the king rushed forwards, dragging me with him seemingly without effort. The dry cold air bit my skin as we ran across the room, my heart beating in my ears. Far in the distance I caught glimpse of a strange rock formation. Moments later we stood before it and I could finally understand why it had looked wrong in this cave. Where the rest of the cave had ragged and irregular borders, this stone table was full of sharp rectangular edges, its surface was flat and polished, shining like a mirror. A sudden compulsion had my hand reaching towards the smooth surface, but a furry hand put a stop to that.

"Focus Richard. don't let it control you." the king growled in my ear, his claws digging into my skin. "Remember, this is only a memory. These old forces have no hold over you."

Still transfixed by the beautiful table, I croaked a question. "What, what is this?"

"A direct link to The World, a master key to the source of us all and the most dangerous place I have ever known." I felt the king's hands pushing me back until the glow of the table died down, leaving only gray rock. I didn't get time to ask any other question before the familiar clicking of hooves reached my ears. I turned my head towards the source, a pair of shadows in the distance that were hobbling towards us. I gulped when the light finally fell on them. The smaller of the pair, an olive skinned human struggled to support a large brown bull man. Both of their armors were bent and painted red with blood. The bull eyes searched the room with desperation, dragging his bloody right leg like one would a stubborn mule. Grunts and pants echoed across the cavern as the pair approached the table. The thick stench blood and rank bull filled my nose when only a few steps separated us, making my stomach twist and turn as memories of the previous night cursed my mind. The bull let out a defiant snort; he untangled himself from the young human and sat on a tall roughly circular rock. Without the cover of the bovine's large body, the angular olive face was finally revealed, eliciting a gasp out of me.

Words left my mouth before I could stop them, coming out in a trembling low tone."That man, he----"

"Is the us from five hundred and forty five years ago, yes. Looks awfully familiar, does he not?." The king's tone was kind, a hint of sadness to his tone. Any anger that would have surfaced at that remark, was doused by the surprise of seeing my face in the ancient king. His body, as well, moved like a reflection of mine, like a twisted game of mirror.

I was brought out of my reverie as my doppelganger approached the rock altar with nervous steps. His eyes stared at the unnaturally smooth stone for an eternity before trembling hands touched it softly. The pale moonlight pushed past me with a whirlwind of cold air, its radiance gathered on the altar before us as a loud rumble traveled across the cave. My blood went ice cold in my veins and a heavy weight landed on my shoulder. Cold dread gripped my heart. Like a stranger walking in on a sacred rite I was being watched and judged. It crushed my chest, pushing the air out of my lungs. The ancient king and his guard fared worse, frost forming over their skin and fur respectively as the light drained out from the surrounding stone until only the altar was illuminated by the silver glow. A transparent liquid rose from the stone, forming tendrils that reflected the light in a rainbow of colors. The tendrils intertwined with each other, the rumble of earth growing stronger as they rose. A crystal clear sphere formed from the top of the tendrils, like the bud of a flower it grew until it was bigger than a melon. A single mote of golden light appeared within and a few seconds later it was immersed in a random dance inside the orb.

An urge to kneel and worship the sphere blossomed within me. My knees trembled, almost giving in to the unspoken order when a strong grip on my shoulder broke the trance. The horror of what I was had almost done sobbering me up.

"Why have you come here mortal children? Has your kind forgotten the price of our dealings?" asked a high-pitched voice that came for all around us. The human king let go of the stone, his noble bearing highlighted by the ghostly glow from the orb.

"We have come to ask for aid in a troubled time. Oh old one, our people are dying in the flames of war and famine. Our armies crumble before foreign might. And none of our attempts have managed to stop this wave of death," the human said with clear sadness and humility in his tone.

"And why should that matter to me, young one? This is not the first kingdom that I'd see fall and it certainly won't be the last."

"I understand that for you our lives, no, our entire history is nothing but a brief part of yours, yet that does not make it less important. Our legends say that you have always helped us in our bleakest moments and we have protected your sanctuary in gratitude. We ask only that you listen to our plea."

"Yes, I have helped those that came before you many times young one, but there's always a price. Sometimes that price was met, sometimes it was too high," the ethereal voice warned with ice in its voice. The king shared a look with his bull companion, doubt flashing in his eyes. I made to move forward when the hand on my shoulder dug hard in my skin, a warning growl keeping me in place

"I understand old one, we're prepared to pay the price," replied the king with a firm voice, a sense of finality hanging in his tone.

"What is it that you wish then, young king? For your enemies to fall? More will come after them. Would you want an immortal army? They shall betray you when you need them most. Would you prefer to conquer all the nearby lands and unite them under your rule? You shall live long enough to see your newly founded empire crumble to dust. Speak up, mortal child. What folly does your heart desire? What tragedy shall we write?"

"I want, I want to preserve my kingdom from this madness called war."

"You desire for the deaths of all your subjects then. The nature of your kind is to live in conflict. Conflict with yourself, with others and with the world itself. The price for that peace would be the soul of your people and yours as well."

The ancient king's hands clenched into fist and a grimace appeared on his face. He turned his eyes away from the sphere and muttered a few things too low for me to hear.

"Then, could you move our kingdom away from the world? So that no one could ever find us," the human asked with a trembling voice, his tone creeping with doubt.

"Such things are indeed possible. Your kingdom would be lost between the creases of the earth and time, hidden from all sight forevermore. The price for such an approach would be the slow death of all you love."

"What? Why?! Without enemies to assail us, to threaten our lives at the whims of foreign powers, we could finally dedicate ourselves to improving our kingdom, our lives. Why would death be our lot in such a world?" the king roared with anger. His fist hitting the stone with a dry thud.

"Seclusion leads to sterility. Sterility of the land when it is no longer renewed. Sterility of the mind, when there's nothing left to challenge it. And finally, it will lead to the death of your hearts, when your people realize that nothing they do will matter, for their world will never change." A heavy silence hung upon the cave, the human's head hung low, his body shaking.

"Then, I want the power to keep our enemies at bay. The power to preserve the peace we have fought so hard to get, so that one day my kingdom can find an answer where I can't."

"So you would trust the future, young king? A wise choice some may say, though it is also a risky bet. What are the odds of this peace you talk lasting longer than one blink of mine? Do you trust your people so much you are willing to bet on their success where you have veered so close to defeat? Or do you hate them so much you'd prolong their torment for something that may never be."

"Then, what do you suggest old one? Do you want me to guide them for all time? To rob them of their will and condemn them to a tyranny for the chance that this plan fails."

"I want nothing but for the price to be paid. What you want, that's another thing entirely. Think it well young king, are you willing to place such a burden on someone else? Greater men have crumbled over less."

The king looked pensive for a few minutes, his body hunched over by the weight of his decision. With a groan of pain and effort, the bull guard joined him by his side, conferring with the human in hushed tone. The coldness in the air grew with every second, my breath soon appearing in white clouds before me. A flash of green drove my attention from the side, at first I believed it to be a mirage caused by the otherworldly being but when it appeared again, I saw a hooded figure hiding in the shadows.

I placed a hand on the claw digging in my skin and turned towards the silver wolf. Misty eyes met mine reluctantly, his brown orbs heavy with emotions I couldn't grasp. I explained what I saw with hushed tones and gazed into the darkness of the cave. The king grew still beside me when the figure appeared again, closer and clearer than before. Without waiting for a response, I rushed towards the figure. It was hard to approach the figure with only flashes of light to guide me but after a bit of trial and error, I found a reliable pattern. The rustling of cloth behind me alerted me of Darrien's presence moments before the Old One's voice echoed all around us, its silver glow bathing the entire cave with its radiance.

"Speak the words then, mortal children. What will you sacrifice in return for your wish?" they spoke with a childish glee as the intense light forced me to close my eyes.

"We forsake our names, our tittles and our bodies," said a masculine voice with the same rumble Waken had.

"We offer you our futures, our fates and our luck," said the ancient king moments later, finality woven into his tone.

"We forsake our right to continue our families and to join our ancestors in death."

"We offer our lives to our kingdom and tie our souls to its fate."

"I give up my blessings and my magic."

"I forsake my right to arms, to self-defense and to leave this land," the king declared with finality to his tone.

"With no honor and no glory, we shall protect this kingdom," the bull said with sad resignation in his voice. The light grew dimmer, then, enough so that my eyes could finally open and take in the blurry figure before me.

"Only to be forgotten after its end," Added the human, sniffling at the end.

An amphibian face stood in front of me, the red of the skin dyed by green and silver light. Eyes filled with cold met mine, sending a prick of pain through my mind. Dark robes hid her body, save for the graceful fingers that held a crooked wooden wand, the source of the green light. She pointed the gnarly end towards the altar, her mouth twisted with an evil sneer.

"So it shall be young ones, may you never live to regret it," rumbled the ethereal voice like a dark promise, its light shifting to a deep crimson.

The king muttered something beside me, a whine coming from his lips a few seconds later. The amphibian woman chanted some words that reminded me of the edge of a knife and the fangs of a snake. Another pinprick of pain dug into my mind, moments before a green ray flew over my shoulder and an ungodly sound reached my ears.

My body was blown by the force of an explosion, there was no sound, no color, no pain, just endless white everywhere. Yet, it was not empty, for one word bounced in my mind like an angry hornet.

"Alena"