{"sf1_id":216423,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Eventide - IV","author":"TheCatInYourPajamas","words":1359,"posted_at":"2011-01-25T05:09:00.000Z","tags":["Fantasy","Female","Magi","Rat"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/216423-eventide-iv","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/216423","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=216423\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\u0026nbsp;\n\n**Chapter IV**\n\nWater dripped in an endless cascade, striking the dank, lichen-covered walls of the under-ground with a dull resonating tone like some great heartbeat.\u0026nbsp; The sound echoed throughout the caverns and winding passages carved into the living rock of the catacombs deep beneath the earth.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; A creature knelt at the base of the rocky plinth, its arms held high above its head.\u0026nbsp; In its paws was a shallow stone bowl whose rim had been etched with a complex series of runes--the language of the ancients.\u0026nbsp; Its eyes averted, the creature crawled backwards in a shuffle of rags as the vessel was accepted.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Illatryx stared into the gloom, watching as the lifeless body of yet another pitiless beast was cut free from the altar.\u0026nbsp; So it had been for centuries, yet even the forbidden magics were naught but a salve to lessen the strain of the years, each one shorter than the last.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The scent of blood, still fresh, rose like some macabre perfume from the bowl, its runes still ensconced in a dull glow.\u0026nbsp; Illatryx drank deeply, barely feeling the alien warmth that filled her as the viscous draught slipped past her lips.\u0026nbsp; Two hundred years ago, she would have held the vessel in shaking paws, too giddy to think or even focus on the rituals at hand.\u0026nbsp; Her body was still young, then, held in equilibrium at the prime of her youth by the foul magic she had learned to harness.\u0026nbsp; Now, it did little more than to keep her alive.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Ah, has the mistress supped?\"\u0026nbsp; The voice was that of Khalain, who clung to the shadows like an oily smudge.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; She motioned to the guards that stood at the chamber's edges.\u0026nbsp; When they had left, she set the empty vessel aside and cautiously made her way to the side of the altar.\u0026nbsp; \"What is it you want?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The creature materialized slowly, its form decidedly male, reminiscent of some beautiful, lithe feline.\u0026nbsp; The pelt glistened and reflected the glow of the torchlight like liquid, its outline never solid and shifting like sculpted mists.\u0026nbsp; Only the twin points of glowing eyes and the ridge of its mouth remained constant, the latter filled with jagged teeth that seemed to sprout from deadened flesh.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Well?\"\u0026nbsp; Illatryx asked, becoming impatient with the creature's silence.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"I have found the Heartstone; it is as you had said:\u0026nbsp; it lies within the city.\"\u0026nbsp; Khalain's voice was like oil upon silk, yet the mocking tone was still visceral.\u0026nbsp; \"Is it not unfortunate that one as powerful as yourself still has to rely upon the services of a daemon?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Ignoring the scathing remark, Illatryx drew in the blood that still lingered upon the stone with a claw.\u0026nbsp; \"You would do well to obey me without questioning my methods.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"And what would you so desire, o' damned queen?\u0026nbsp; Would a mewling godling thrust upon me righteousness and foul justice?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Illatryx wheeled, her strike connecting with nothingness as it passed harmlessly through the creature's body.\u0026nbsp; She shuddered at the sensation; it was as if she had been immersed in frigid water.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Khalain shook his head, his features blurring with the motion as he strode over to where the bowl sat forgotten.\u0026nbsp; \"You are but a child in the grand scheme of things, Illatryx.\u0026nbsp; Even I am nothing more than a spirit lost to the sands of time.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Do not toy with me!\u0026nbsp; You speak in riddles, saying nothing and thinking yourself wise!\u0026nbsp; I have spent my entire life in search of this--I will not stop now.\"\u0026nbsp; She hissed the words as her claws gouged the altar stone.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"So be it.\"\u0026nbsp; The creature replied.\u0026nbsp; \"The horde will be ready to move in a day.\u0026nbsp; Your scouts are already moving ahead and they should arrive by nightfall.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Illatryx nodded absently, watching as blood dripped from her paw to spatter upon the floor of the cavern.\u0026nbsp; After several long moments, she spoke.\u0026nbsp; \"Do you remember when I first called you?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"There is little that I forget,\" He muttered.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"You said that you were not surprised to see me when I had first called you from beyond the Mist.\"\u0026nbsp; She said.\u0026nbsp; Her voice was soft and almost gentle.\u0026nbsp; \"You told me of a prophecy that night when the House burned.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The frigid blue of Khalain's eyes shimmered and winked out of existence for but a moment.\u0026nbsp; He spoke slowly, purposefully.\u0026nbsp; \"Illatryx is the damned queen, keeper of the forgotten ways and foretold to bring forth the black sun from its realm beyond the Halls of the Dead.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Riddles,\" Illatryx muttered, rubbing at tired eyes, seemingly uncaring as to the blood that smeared her fur in its passage.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Khalain watched from the corner of his eye.\u0026nbsp; \"I cannot say more.\"\u0026nbsp; He shrugged, returning the bowl to its place as a ghostly paw ventured towards the aged spine of the tome.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Then begone.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The silence which greeted her was absolute, yet still she could feel the lingering touch of the creature upon her; a faint brush against the wizened fur of her cheek like a lover's kiss long since forgotten.\u0026nbsp; Gathering up her things, she made her way to the deeper reaches of the subterranean cloister, barely registering the guards who came to attention at her passing.\u0026nbsp; All that she sought now was solitude.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs she stood before the still surface of the pool, Illatryx murmured the key to a Seeing.\u0026nbsp; The glowing threads of power seemed to come alive before her eyes, faint at first but growing stronger with each passing moment.\u0026nbsp; It was in this very cave that she had first come into her power, had first received the vision that had guided her upon her quest.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Yet I find myself here once more,\" sighed the rat as she knelt at the water's edge.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Touching its surface with a single claw, she watched as ripples danced across the mirror sheen, carrying with them the ribbon-like veins of fae.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; _The one who awakens the Beast that sleeps and kindles the black sun,_ Illatryx thought to herself as she cast aside her robes and slowly slipped into the cool water.\u0026nbsp; _Khalain is far too like that accursed tome for my liking._\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Rolling onto her stomach, the rat lounged upon the side of the pool, the cool, natural stone smooth against her flesh.\u0026nbsp; With a weary paw, she pulled the ancient tome to her side, its thick, leather-bound frame chased in copper now turned green with age.\u0026nbsp; The parchment, though weathered and stained, was supple beneath her fingertips, yielding to her touch as she found the passage she had read perhaps a dozen times as of late.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The writing itself did not match the hand that was so neatly scrawled upon the pages, nor did it appear to have been penned by the original author.\u0026nbsp; The words were feverish, cramped and jumbled upon the back of a particularly empty page.\u0026nbsp; At its center was a symbol, a circle with-in a circle, the arches filled with complex lines and cryptic glyphs.\u0026nbsp; It was not the only case of such additions--there were many places where notes had been scribbled, some of them her own.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Yet this page in particular irked her.\u0026nbsp; Illatryx felt she should know the arcane markings, as if they were some half-forgotten memory.\u0026nbsp; It was even possible they had been her own at some time long ago.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; As the sound of paws nearby caught her ear, Illatryx shut the tome and glared at the guard who saluted from the small cavern's entrance.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"M'lady, your scouts send word that they are in position.\u0026nbsp; They are setting up a staging area for the gate as we speak.\"\u0026nbsp; Though his gaze was directed at the rock wall behind her, it was obvious that the guard was nervous.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Though annoyed that what little relaxation she could have gotten was now ruined, Illatryx waved the guard away and gathered up her things.\u0026nbsp; \"Good.\u0026nbsp; Tell them to await my signal--and keep the area clear of any interlopers.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n"}