Book 3: Chapter 9
A/N: Enjoy the long chapter!
Tiffany
He gently held my waist, and we shared his broom… but I wanted to know more. This Coven had so many secrets, bound creatures and collections of illegal ancient items that I still couldn’t believe I was here…
Black Diamond was at least ten times the strength of Purple Diamond…
“…. How did you have them bound so young? Even now, I still don’t have access to all my powers…” I admitted.
“Because for you… your rebirth was a punishment. Mine was a choice. I wouldn’t be able to have stayed with you in my former life… so I asked to die, and the Horned One was moved enough to oblige.” He admitted. “I have them wear the collars for everyone else’s peace of mind, because I made them trainers when I brought them here. The beast casters now have an actual school in my tower. We meet on floor 7 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. From 9pm to 11pm.”
“Still… how’d you get your claws on mythological beasts of old?” I asked. He’d remember… “And how’d you get them to Agree with being professors?!”
“They like teaching, since it adds to the monsters of this world… Oh, during the war, we encountered them. Echidnah was mortally wounded by The Unicorn King Uriel… I bet that name’s engraved in your soul.” He chuckled…
It did… his name brought me true fear for only a split second….No… it wasn’t ‘fear’, it was a warning…. The First Unicorn was also a mythological beast. His sword was so sharp, the master’s son killed him, and forced him to stay dead in order to turn the tides of battle…
“Anyway, my power saved them both. It took all four of us … and an army to get Uriel and his army to retreat that day… At that point they vowed in blood to be our thralls… Typhen may, at any point, turn humans into mindless beasts. Echidnah births litters from time to time… The Beast King Rau’s true purpose was to tame, control, and use any he finds. Those beasts hold no alignment until they’re taken and trained…” He said doing a loop around the castle.
One of the gargoyles moved, rolling his shoulders….
“I KNEW IT!” I yelled.
I *knew* they were alive… Living stone was Very illegal… but we were already dark witches…. In the grand scheme of things, our people’s existence was illegal until recently… before I was born… They were probably made before that, but as the castle’s defense, they wouldn’t attack unless there was a threat.
I didn’t remember the war… but I was kind of glad for it. I know I did terrible things in the name of freeing the Moon Goddess…. but now that wasn’t needed.
“Calm down.” He smiled shaking his head. I think it amused him that my reactions to the ‘mundane’ were filled with so much excitement…. “Look. The Sun’s coming out.” He pointed.
I could see the grounds of the castle from up here, and the light touched the tops of the red roofs in the village…. Each tower belonged to a brother except the center tower, and the one on the right of Alteer’s. Both of those were their parents, the 7 others were Alteer’s sons, with a small reception and guest wing below. That area was long with pillars almost like an abbey or old convent. There was a square courtyard, where we were originally, in the center of it all.
“Who’s that?” I asked.
I pointed to one of his brothers. He and his wife trained with a male goat demon, the common form Zeh’Kahrraam’s bloodline took.
He had many children and grandchildren, with Gulteer’s children, coven leaders, and mother holding command over his sons, while the rest were grandkids….
“Thomas, the fourth brother, the War Tower holder, and his demons Drakarraam, and Tyrraa. They spit flammable acid.”
“Wow… what’s that?” I pointed.
“Don’t go over there.” He warned.
I pointed to a perfect circle of dead trees in the distance…. The rest of the trees were beautifully evergreen, or fall oranges and reds… I could sense something was wrong over there…
“Is it where the Bookyman lives.” I joked.
He didn’t say anything.
“No way… that’s so Stupid!” I complained. “I know everything is out here somewhere, but how cliche is that!”
“That’s what the humans call him!” He protested.
“You guys have so much stuff here!” I complained. He was slowing down to land….
“We DO, but He’s Paanix Stalking One. He sleeps because he disagrees with the peace of this world. He eats fear, indecision, and drives mortals insane. He haunts their dreams to torment them before he enters their homes, and chews their bones while they still live. He enjoys tormenting the children, while leaving the parents be until the last moment. The surprise of his reality makes him happy….”
“Were the hags trying to wake him? I assume he’s why the mines were closed.” I said looking at the ground. I was trying to find the mine entrance, but it was well hidden.
…. Old Ones do not die, nor can they. They are forces of nature, and those who could not deal with the peace of modern times, slept in long cycles, occasionally feeding every once in a while…
“I believe so… lately there’s been more interest to awaken those who chose to eternally sleep, that peace remains.” Said Zayde… “People thought the Realm King was going to be the same… That he was coming back to crush this world, but he doesn’t care about destruction. He has his promised mate. The reason why he destroyed has been resolved.”
“Queen Harmony is my mother’s niece.” I said getting a hand when he landed.
We were in front of just a small hill, observed above because of the large forest around it… I could feel the magic here. I could see the barrier that would likely be invisible to humans, and I put my hand on it. Nothing happened when I did, but Zadye seemed like he knew that would happen.
“I have not met her nor the King, but Lord Gulteer lives on the King’s private island, keeping it invisible from idiots who would disturb the peace of one no one could defeat…” Zayde waved his hand and a peacock appeared before he opened a plain wooden door. It was invisible without a Yoltier to open the way.
The mineshaft inside was dark until torches lit by themselves. The tunnel was long, but when we were on the broom, his resting place was deep in the mountains…far from this entrance.
“It seems Paanix is inviting us in.” I half-joked.
“Ladies first.” He bowed. “He knows a pair of witches marked by the master enter; he won’t do anything.”
We walked holding hands, and more torches on the wall lit by themselves. Some were different colored flames… Those went down different hallways. I could feel the heartbeat of Paanix…. I could hear his breathing. I don’t think a human could? If they did, the small shiny glints every now and then might attract them, or anyone seeking fortune.
“This place is huge.” I mumbled. The tunnels were carved and lit, but it seemed to go on forever.
“Just don’t touch anything yet.” He chuckled. “Oh, and the green torches lead to Paanix, the blue ones lead to water, and the purple ones lead to a panic room.
“Alright.” I smiled. I got to hold onto him tight, and snuggle him… He was warm and confident. I wasn’t worried when he was around… I knew he knew what he was doing, and he wouldn’t have agreed so readily if there was any chance of danger.
It took about 30 minutes of walking, but I could see why and how Paanix attracted people to his resting place.
“Just wait until you see it.” He smiled. We turned left, following the regular flames…..
Inside a large cave opening was a magical wonderland of crystals… All kinds… even precious ones like diamonds, emeralds, sapphires of every color, giant quartz the size of a basketball… and impossible ones like pearls… The ground was soft as sand, but solid.
“Did a dragon live here too?” I asked.
“No. This is the anomaly made by Paanix. He’s allowed to feed on any human who willingly comes in here… Farther down is gold. First, he lets them escape… Taking anything of value gives him permission to do as he pleases. The locals know, but tourists don’t. any adventurers find this, thinking they made it big, only to take home with them beacons…” He said ominously.
“That’s… kind of dastardly… So they take it home, and anyone else who touches it…” He finished for me.
“They get marked too. Whoever has this stuff in their possession is cursed. He has his fill, and collects it when he’s done. The mine’s been closed about a hundred years or so, maybe a little longer. He’s also restricted now to one family at a time, so he bides his time, and only allows men to enter with wives and children.” He said picking up a gold bar, and chucking it. “It’s real too. Taking something like that could change someone’s life… for a few days.”
“… Can we see his burial chamber?” I asked.
“No, only father has access to that deep…. But you Can pick a crystal. All tower holders are permitted one stone.” He smiled. “It’s why I didn’t mind taking you down here, since I haven’t’ picked anything.”
“I’d love to make a staff out of one of these.” I looked around… This stuff was Quality… a lot of the stones were cut… so I could bet money Paanix allowed them to take gems, cut them… kill their entire family as a thank you, and put it back in the pile after he killed the adventurer last…
“I have a whole branch of Tarteron bloodwood… Whatever you pick, it’ll make a perfect staff.” He encouraged…
I looked around… I could take a gold bar… Hells, that could be Really cool, but gold is heavy, and more importantly, it would make it actually valuable to mortals And witches.
That’s trouble I don’t necessarily want.
Sapphires were in every color… Tarteroon redwood was black, with the wood grain being red… it’s sap was also red, and when freshly cut, the sap was thick as blood….
/Take that one…/ Said a whisper in my ear. I turned around, knowing full well that it wasn’t Zayde…
“Did you hear that?” I asked.
“No?” He said kicking a random rock. “That’s probably Paanix if you hear a shifty voice in your head. He Freaked me out my first time down here.”
/Yes. That one./ said the voice… It was cold and firm… like stone… but there was a slithery hiss at the end of his words too…
I saw it… a rough yellow diamond about as big as my fist… there was a black inclusion in the center of the transparent, buttery stone…. It looked like it was only polished to be clear, not faceted to sparkle. Inside, that up arrow was the rune Tiwaz, but I didn’t want to admit it.
It looked like an egg by shape… neat. Magical inspection of it told me that it was just a stone.
“What about this one?” I asked.
“The inclusion makes it look like the Rune Of Sacrifice… Tiwaz.” Said Zayde. “It’s meant for you.”
“Indeed.” I said picking it up…
“He who holds the Tower of Three, You have Entered, and you have seen… Now Leave. Take your stone, begone with thee!” Said a low voice, a gurgled, hissed whisper….
Paanix…
“We’ll leave. Thank you Old One. I will ensure your southern tunnels are available till next spring.” Said Zayde.
“It has been…. A century… I thank the little witch.” He gurgled…. His high picked demonic giggle made the torches flicker, but I knew that was his excitement. He’d been permitted to hunt one time. I silently gave a small prayer to the Horned One. It cannot be helped, unless they starve him, and he escapes to feed anyway.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
