Through the Mirror - Chapter Four

I felt pressure on my neck and I was suddenly awake again, however I was only able to open my eyes once Nat waved her hand over my face.  I took a deep breath of air and almost immediately gagged on the air itself.  There was a horribly retched stench that filled the air that reminded me of a large number of bad things I had tended to avoid back home, like the fish market on a hot Friday summer evening, or the dumpster set outside my apartment which hadn’t been given a good cleaning since it was made.  After I got over the smell, I realized that the area seemed to be getting significantly brighter.  I couldn’t see where the cart was leading; all I could see was what was behind the cart, and above us.  

“We are almost to the city gates.  I don’t think I need to say this, because the idea is nearly impossible… but don’t try to escape, hmm?”  Nat said quietly, obviously not expecting an answer, because my mouth was still gagged.  She looked extremely uncomfortable and was lying within several odd looking plants.  I realized this must have been where the stench had been coming from.  Why on earth would they need something such as that?  Am I even on earth anymore?

“Xerif, do you mind speeding it up a bit?”  Nat said with a yawn.  “It’s almost night time, and I wouldn’t mind getting in a full eight hours.”  To which the Banx simple grunted to.

Night time?  It had been completely pitch black outside since I had been here, other than the three light moons.  They were now laid out along the skyline, nearly ready to go down I presumed.  So the entire planet must have been in nearly an everlasting night time!  

The Banx came to a stop and began speaking with two of the guards.  I couldn’t quite catch what they were saying, but they sounded very excited.  The guards then opened the two enormous double doors, and in we went.  I noticed up above us there was a light orb ten times the size of the one we had over us hovering the city, with a series of mirrors around the border which directed the light rays outward, into the sky.  Laid before me was a market place.  There were food vendors, weapon sellers, armories, and even a little stand that appeared to be selling Valxmera body parts.  There were novelty toys, defensive items (many of which produced light), candy stalls, and more.  All of the walls and stands were created out of the same structural material, which almost looked like sand.  

All the people stopped what they were doing as we passed to get a good look at me, and perhaps to wonder what was to become of me.  Xerif didn’t stop for anything or anybody; he kept going until the road came to a fork, where he took a right, following that to the end.  When we reached it there was a very large building with the doors guarded by more large men.  Xerif shifted out of his form went and spoke with these people, gesturing at me the entire time, and after a moment they let us pass with a nod.  My two captors threw on their packs and abandoned the cart, where it was being emptied by several less elaborately dressed people.  Xerif hauled me over his muscular shoulder and in we went.

The hall that we entered was a chaotic place of visibly prolonged partying.  There was strange music playing, and food all around.  The stench I had smelled outside the building was even greater here, and I realized that the foul smelling plant seemed to be everywhere.  Before I could even think of getting comfortable, I was thrown like a sack of potatoes in front of a large elaborately carved throne.  As far as comfort was concerned, the throne looked terrible, for it was carved from varying woods and marble.  However it looked nice and the supposed king was too busy dancing to sit anyways.  As I hit the floor, the king stopped his cheerful dancing and stared at the four of us with caution and confusion.

“Amabo, we have an urgent issue that requires your attention!”  Xerif bellowed, causing the entire hall to fall silent.  All eyes were now on us.

“Can’t you see I’m celebrating?”  The king said with a disappointed tone. “What have we here?”

“Well sir, this boy has fallen from the Samada Mirror!  What would you like done with him?”  

“Kill him, and be done with it.”  The king said, waving his arms up with bubbly laughter and falling into his sloppy dance routine once again.  

Without hesitation, Xerif shifted into his Banx form and raised a gruesome paw, ready to strike me down.  I screamed as loud as being gagged would allow me to, and closed my eyes, facing death for perhaps the fourth time this day.  The entire hall fell silent, the music stopped, and the dancers once again stopped moving.  

“Wait!  Not in here, take it outside or something!”  The king cried.  Xerif’s claws stopped just in time.  Another inch and my face would be hamburger.   

A voice from the crowd spoke out.  “What if it’s the prophesized boy?”  And then several others spoke out in agreement.  The king was outnumbered in his own hall.

He faltered, and then laughed heartily as he realized a solution.
“Oh, oh I know!  Cast him into the well, let Adamas deal with him!”

And so it was, Xerif hauled me back over his shoulder and walked out into the street, the entire crowd following behind, leaving the king to dance alone by himself.  When we got to the circular center courtyard of the city, the people watched on as I was hoisted up onto the side of the well, which was laid directly in the center of the courtyard.  I let out struggled cries from behind the cloth gag, but it was no use, and neither was flopping around erratically.  In the end I heard the shocked cries from the patrons and the concerned look on Nat’s face as I plummeted into the dark abyss of the well.

When I reached the bottom of the well, my heart was hammering against my ribs and there was a throbbing pain in my head.  I was aware of that there were bruises now covering my body from the fall, but at the time they didn’t matter.   The place I was in now was blindingly white.  I couldn’t make out any details of the room or anything; it was just vast wide open white space.

“Hello?”  A voice said to my left.  My reflexes made me try to swing my arm towards the voice and my eyes widened; I was ready for a fight, until I realized I was still gagged and bound.  

There to my left was a man.  I could barely make out the details of his face, because it was so bright and white.  The man appeared to give off a heavenly glow, but that was probably due to the retina damage I surely had now.  The man was older, maybe in his late fifties.  His arms seemed thin yet you could tell there was muscle behind them.   Looking closely, I was able to make out the wrinkles in his face, which gave him a wise look.   

“Who are you?” The man asked, while standing over me.  I tried to respond, but my voice was very dry from having been gagged for so long.  Wait!  The gag was gone.  I tested my legs and to my shock realized they were unbound as well.  The man looked at me curiously and held his hand out to his side, in which a tray appeared with a long bottle and two cups.

“Drink this,” He said, the random appearance not fazing him.  “Its may smell like rotting corpses, but it tastes damn good, and its good for you too!”

He leaned forward and let go of the tray the very instant a table and chairs appeared underneath it.  He then looked at me with a grin and laughed.  “Can you blame me for being a bit of a show off?”

“Have I died?”  I asked the man, sitting at the table with him in a daze.  “ I mean… this is it, this is heaven isn’t it?”

“What?  Oh no, this is anything but heaven…  We’ll get to that.  Drink.”

I thanked him with a nod and took a sip of the clear liquid he gave to me in a foggy glass.  I’m not sure what I expected, but what I got was an overwhelmingly good drink that seemed to change its taste with every sip.  Fruits such as watermelon, grape, orange, apple, and some I couldn’t even place flowed over my parched throat and I quickly drained the glass.  The drinks deliciousness changed almost as rapidly as its stench, but nonetheless before I knew it the glass was empty.

“Good.”  The man said, standing.  With a flick of his wrist the table and chairs vanished, and I hit the floor.  He then began to walk away.  “Now we talk.”

I picked myself off the floor and chased the man, almost certain I had lost my mind but curious enough to pursue the madness.  This man had the air of authority, but he was in his own domain; secluded from the world.  If I were to ask anyone questions about this world, he seemed to be the one.

“Where am I?” I inquired, as the man turned towards me.  

“You…”  the man said looking me up and down as though seeing me for the first time.  “Are in my way!”

I apologized quickly and backed up, and saw him reach his hand out as though pressing his palm against something.  Suddenly we were plunged into complete darkness.  I cried out in surprise and closed my eyes, the sudden change piercing my eyes worse than the light had.  I heard the man which I assumed now was Adamas utter a word, and one of those orbs appeared out of thin air, illuminating the area we were walking.

It was a horrible place.  A prison of sorts, with torture devices and iron plated bars holding various evil looking beasts within.  These dark cells continued on, as far as the eye could see; or at least as far as the light travelled.  All of the creatures with the ability to talk begged for their release and tried to reason with Adamas, but he ignored every syllable.  

“This is where the souls that are evil at heart go when they fall through that well.  Each and every one of them makes their home in their own little cell here.  But you didn’t land here.”  Adamas said, holding his palm into the air again.  Once again we were plummeted into brightness, and I fell to my knees, ready to claw my eyes out the pain was so intense. “You landed here.  In the light!  Not one living soul in all my years has landed here with me.  You are the prophesized one.  The beast slayer.  You will be the solitary one to slay Vein and release this realm from his rein of horrors!

“What are you talking about?  I don’t want any of this… I just want to go home!”  I cried, attempting to block my ears.  That’s when I realized he wasn’t even using his mouth; he was talking directly into my head.  This was like my worst nightmare, if I were the type to have nightmares.

“What of your girlfriend?”  Adamas said, perhaps showing off once more.  “She isn’t dead you know…  Not yet anyway.”  

Amber wasn’t dead?  I had to get to her!  I loved her so much; it ached to think that I had been the one who got her into this mess.

“Where is she?”  I cried, desperate for information.

“Well, Vein is in possession of her!”  I recognized that name; Xerif had said that that person was the one who controlled all of those beasts.  “Tell you what, you go and kill Vein… It’s the only way to free all of his pawns and save your friend.  You can then take the Celestial pendant that he is in possession of and restore this world to its old self.  Then you can take your girlfriend and use the pendant to get back through the mirror.”

“And why would I kill him?  I’ll just go and explain this misunderstanding to him and get Amber and be on my way through that mirror in no time.”  I said, really starting to wonder about the sanity of this man.

“You don’t understand…  Vein is an evil soul, and he wont be giving up the pendant without a fight.  Besides, without the pendant, you can’t cross through that mirror.  Only the bearer of the pended or those under spell can cross through there.”   

“Fine, I will try my best to get the pendant.  Now would you just point me in the direction of his house?  I will go and kill him, be a big worldly hero, and be out of your hair in no time, what do you say?

“Vein is a very powerful man and to defeat him you would need more than a measly flashlight and a reason for doing so.  You need knowledge, wisdom, power, and wits.  He sends out Valxmera’s to feed upon the flesh of his brothers.  He is the lord of mirrors, the master of power, and you think you can just walk up and slay him?”  This was sizing up to be a long and miserable week.  All I wanted to do was to go home.

The man paused, and after a moment held out his hands as though he were holding a small bundle of sticks in front of him.  It took a moment but items began to materialize.  There were red heavy looking scaly robes, with a short sword and a cylindrical object, which was threaded as a necklace.  

“Take these,” he said, his elderly face becoming a mask of sadness.  “These belong to me.  Please use them in ways I could not.  The robes are a hide in which is very durable, enabling you protection where natural skin would fail.  The sword is of the strongest substance I found on my travels, which is a volcanic crystalline rock formation, sharpened with the finest machinery.  And finally, this is an energy stone.  While activated you will surely feel rejuvenated, for its energy will never perish.”

I took the items and thanked him, then waiting a minute before continuing, in a short sign of respect.  I couldn’t see how these objects could be much help; for I didn’t plan on staying too long.  Still, it brought I smile to the mans face to see me pull on the two piece robe and sword, and slip the stone around my neck.  The objects weighed me down in an awkward manor, and I felt funny and restrained.  It would be difficult to get used to for sure.

“Where exactly is Vein?”  I asked after another long moment, the thought suddenly rising to my mind.

“Regretfully I am the wrong one to ask.  See, it’s rumored that he has actually built a flying castle.  Using dark magic, he turned a mountain upside-down and allowed it to hover.  He then leveled off the top and built a castle on it.  The castle never ceases movement, and he only leaves the castle only for short times on the back of his massive Valxmera.  The odds of finding him are very slim.”  He said quickly, as though he had been expecting the question.  

“So how exactly am I going to get to it?”  

“When you return to Reflection, ask for Nereid.  Surely she will know where we could find Vein.”

Without another word he held his hand out again and we were in a room with a large mirror.  It was different from the one I had been sucked through to begin with, and I could see the hall, with the partying king beyond.  Adamas gestured for me to go through and then slowly vanished, a smile plastered on his weathered face.  And so I held the sword against my leg, as though that would make it feel less awkward, shifted the robe about, and stepped through the mirror, back into the eternal party.

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OMG I loved all the chapter i have read!!!! i could stop reading until i finished chapter four!!! Hope you write more soon!!!