# Eventide - IV

Author: TheCatInYourPajamas
Tags: Fantasy, Female, Magi, Rat

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**Chapter IV**

Water dripped in an endless cascade, striking the dank, lichen-covered walls of the under-ground with a dull resonating tone like some great heartbeat.&nbsp; The sound echoed throughout the caverns and winding passages carved into the living rock of the catacombs deep beneath the earth.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A creature knelt at the base of the rocky plinth, its arms held high above its head.&nbsp; In its paws was a shallow stone bowl whose rim had been etched with a complex series of runes--the language of the ancients.&nbsp; Its eyes averted, the creature crawled backwards in a shuffle of rags as the vessel was accepted.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Illatryx stared into the gloom, watching as the lifeless body of yet another pitiless beast was cut free from the altar.&nbsp; 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.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The scent of blood, still fresh, rose like some macabre perfume from the bowl, its runes still ensconced in a dull glow.&nbsp; Illatryx drank deeply, barely feeling the alien warmth that filled her as the viscous draught slipped past her lips.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Her body was still young, then, held in equilibrium at the prime of her youth by the foul magic she had learned to harness.&nbsp; Now, it did little more than to keep her alive.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Ah, has the mistress supped?"&nbsp; The voice was that of Khalain, who clung to the shadows like an oily smudge.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She motioned to the guards that stood at the chamber's edges.&nbsp; When they had left, she set the empty vessel aside and cautiously made her way to the side of the altar.&nbsp; "What is it you want?"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The creature materialized slowly, its form decidedly male, reminiscent of some beautiful, lithe feline.&nbsp; The pelt glistened and reflected the glow of the torchlight like liquid, its outline never solid and shifting like sculpted mists.&nbsp; 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.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Well?"&nbsp; Illatryx asked, becoming impatient with the creature's silence.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I have found the Heartstone; it is as you had said:&nbsp; it lies within the city."&nbsp; Khalain's voice was like oil upon silk, yet the mocking tone was still visceral.&nbsp; "Is it not unfortunate that one as powerful as yourself still has to rely upon the services of a daemon?"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ignoring the scathing remark, Illatryx drew in the blood that still lingered upon the stone with a claw.&nbsp; "You would do well to obey me without questioning my methods."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "And what would you so desire, o' damned queen?&nbsp; Would a mewling godling thrust upon me righteousness and foul justice?"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Illatryx wheeled, her strike connecting with nothingness as it passed harmlessly through the creature's body.&nbsp; She shuddered at the sensation; it was as if she had been immersed in frigid water.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Khalain shook his head, his features blurring with the motion as he strode over to where the bowl sat forgotten.&nbsp; "You are but a child in the grand scheme of things, Illatryx.&nbsp; Even I am nothing more than a spirit lost to the sands of time."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Do not toy with me!&nbsp; You speak in riddles, saying nothing and thinking yourself wise!&nbsp; I have spent my entire life in search of this--I will not stop now."&nbsp; She hissed the words as her claws gouged the altar stone.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "So be it."&nbsp; The creature replied.&nbsp; "The horde will be ready to move in a day.&nbsp; Your scouts are already moving ahead and they should arrive by nightfall."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Illatryx nodded absently, watching as blood dripped from her paw to spatter upon the floor of the cavern.&nbsp; After several long moments, she spoke.&nbsp; "Do you remember when I first called you?"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "There is little that I forget," He muttered.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "You said that you were not surprised to see me when I had first called you from beyond the Mist."&nbsp; She said.&nbsp; Her voice was soft and almost gentle.&nbsp; "You told me of a prophecy that night when the House burned."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The frigid blue of Khalain's eyes shimmered and winked out of existence for but a moment.&nbsp; He spoke slowly, purposefully.&nbsp; "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."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Riddles," Illatryx muttered, rubbing at tired eyes, seemingly uncaring as to the blood that smeared her fur in its passage.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Khalain watched from the corner of his eye.&nbsp; "I cannot say more."&nbsp; He shrugged, returning the bowl to its place as a ghostly paw ventured towards the aged spine of the tome.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Then begone."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; All that she sought now was solitude.

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As she stood before the still surface of the pool, Illatryx murmured the key to a Seeing.&nbsp; The glowing threads of power seemed to come alive before her eyes, faint at first but growing stronger with each passing moment.&nbsp; 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.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Yet I find myself here once more," sighed the rat as she knelt at the water's edge.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 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.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; _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.&nbsp; _Khalain is far too like that accursed tome for my liking._

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Rolling onto her stomach, the rat lounged upon the side of the pool, the cool, natural stone smooth against her flesh.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; The words were feverish, cramped and jumbled upon the back of a particularly empty page.&nbsp; At its center was a symbol, a circle with-in a circle, the arches filled with complex lines and cryptic glyphs.&nbsp; It was not the only case of such additions--there were many places where notes had been scribbled, some of them her own.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yet this page in particular irked her.&nbsp; Illatryx felt she should know the arcane markings, as if they were some half-forgotten memory.&nbsp; It was even possible they had been her own at some time long ago.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 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.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "M'lady, your scouts send word that they are in position.&nbsp; They are setting up a staging area for the gate as we speak."&nbsp; Though his gaze was directed at the rock wall behind her, it was obvious that the guard was nervous.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Though annoyed that what little relaxation she could have gotten was now ruined, Illatryx waved the guard away and gathered up her things.&nbsp; "Good.&nbsp; Tell them to await my signal--and keep the area clear of any interlopers."

Source: https://sofurry.com/view/216423