Ground of oam oams cry, p.56
Ground of Oam (Oam's Cry), page 56
All of them were lined up to face the enemy before being released. Peter Scolles was there among them, and it wasn’t until all the men with the guns took aim at William and Isaac that their restraints were removed.
“It was good meeting you,” Peter spoke up. “We expect you all to make full haste back to where you came from. There will be no time for lagging.” While he spoke he moved up toward Isaac, and handed a large piece of paper to him that was rolled up and tied like a scroll. “Give this message to the Akilian, and only his eyes can see it.” Peter spoke more hushed. “Anyone else’s would be declaring a war that you do not want to have.”
“Perhaps you want to be more careful about who you threaten,” William said, overhearing Peter.
“I wouldn’t worry about it, William. We are always true to our word,” Peter replied, turning around to move back. He gave a nod to one of the soldiers who then moved up and removed the pistol from his side. Without warning he raised it and shot Relphilik in the forehead letting him fall to the ground dead.
“What are you doing?” William shouted. Isaac flinched at the sound of the shot while all the other Rebirtha jumped in surprise.
“You will have to be quick to get back to your camp in order to save him,” Peter spoke up. “It will only be a few hours before his body is too far gone to revive. Go now, and don’t come back until you have an answer from the Akilian.”
“You will pay for what you have done,” Shorkmeth spoke up, with a hint of anger in his tone.
“Go!” Peter shouted.
Isaac glanced over toward William who reluctantly complied. Shorkmeth and another Rebirtha grabbed their dead comrade and picked him up. Then they all turned to head off into the forest, back to where they came from.
Isaac felt humiliated. They had all been shamed, which was something that he hadn’t experienced in a long time. He wasn’t done with them though. He would have his revenge. Isaac didn’t know how yet, but he would find a way to finish the mission.
Chapter Thirty Three: The Imposter
I have seen my soldiers torn to pieces before him. My armies put to ruin by one man. What power could he possess?—Rebirtha Captain
The hall seemed to grow darker and colder. Even the torch fire seemed to shiver as the laugh traveled through the hall. Levi stood where he was, ready for something to jump out at him. He didn’t know what to do or how to act, but he knew that something needed to be done.
Looking around, he saw the end of the hall where it opened into another small room. To his left were the large windows. To his right was another small hall that arrived at a dead end not too far from where he stood. He knew that he had to go into the next room, but he still felt immobilized where he stood.
Then, something caught his eye down the narrow hall to his right. Something near the end of it was slumped over. He was unsure of what it was, but he felt compelled to look. Slowly moving toward it, he realized that it was a person lying on the ground. The body didn’t move, or make a noise. It just laid there motionless. Moving closer, Levi was shocked to see that it was Shaifgan. The thought of the man being dead immediately crossed his mind.
“Shaifgan,” Levi called out quietly, as he got closer. Getting down on his knees, he touched the man on the shoulder giving him a slight nudge while repeating his name. A quiet moan came from the man as he recovered consciousness.
“Shaifgan,” Levi said again, giving another nudge.
Shaifgan let out a loud grunt as he quickly sat up regaining full consciousness. He surprised Levi by grabbing his arms with a tight grasp. Shaifgan’s face was filled with surprise and shock. He looked ready to kill.
“It’s okay, it’s me!” Levi quickly said in a jumble.
Shaifgan kept his piercing eyes on Levi before relaxing. Once he noticed that it was him, he slowly loosened his grip and gaze.
“What happened?” Shaifgan asked, putting one of his hands up to his head and rubbing.
“I-I don’t know,” Levi replied. “I just found you here.”
Shaifgan cursed before saying, “My head is throbbing.”
“Were you attacked?” Levi asked.
Shaifgan looked back up at Levi before a look of worry filled his face. He quickly looked down toward his waist and pulled away his tunic that he wore over his clothes. Seeing his sword still at his side, Shaifgan looked relieved. He grabbed its hilt, as if making sure it was really there.
“I went back through the dining area,” Shaifgan replied. “There was no one there, so I continued to the corridor with all the water. I didn’t even get all the way into the next room before something hit me in the back of the head. Next thing I know, I’m right here with you.”
“Come on, we’ve got to go,” Levi announced, getting back up. Time was too short to discuss the situation.
“Wait, where is Nigarious?” Shaifgan asked, grabbing Levi by the arm.
“We had problems of our own,” Levi replied. Then he clarified by saying, “There was a blood trail. We believe something has Liseerioun, and he went in search of him.”
“What?” Shaifgan said alarmed, quickly getting up. “We have to go after him.”
“No, we don’t have time!” Levi interrupted. “Nigarious told me to continue back to the room where we first entered. I have the key to the treasure.”
“Right,” Shaifgan replied, sounding unhappy about it. “Nigarious will need to know where we are. Do you know where to go?”
“Yeah, let’s go,” Levi replied. He saw something else. “You’re bleeding.” He pointed to a bloody spot on the side of Shaifgan’s tunic. Turning his head Shaifgan grabbed the part of the tunic with the stain.
Feeling his side Shaifgan said, “It’s not my blood.”
The two of them turned to see another pool of blood next to the wall where Shaifgan had been unconscious. Looking at it they saw a drop of blood fall into it causing a ripple. This caused them both to look up and see the dead body suspended from the wall above them.
Three sharp spikes were pierced through it and into the wall, one through the chest and one holding each arm wide open. The body looked mangled, with its clothes reduced to bloody rags.
“Who is…” was all Levi managed to say.
“He’s not one of ours,” Shaifgan added, taking a step back. “Let’s go.”
They forced themselves to avert their eyes and turn. Levi hurriedly led the way out of the hall toward the room through the next corridor.
They didn’t slow down for anything, forcing Levi to rapidly recall which direction to go. The lens was held tight in Levi’s left hand, but he almost didn’t notice it. His desperate search for the Orbule Eye had faded to the back of his mind as he almost didn’t care anymore. All he wanted was to get out of there.
Making their way down another corridor, Levi recognized the next room they needed to be in. It wasn’t too big, but not small either, with stairs making their way around its perimeter to a lower level.
“There’s another body,” announced Levi, before starting down the stairs.
It was on the opposite wall where it was clearly visible. The body was in much of the same condition as the other one with three spikes as well. Blood ran down the corpse pooling up on the floor below.
“Not one of ours either,” Shaifgan replied, in close pursuit.
They weren’t there when Levi came through with Nigarious, which meant that something or someone had recently put them there, but whatever it was had to have worked fast.
Levi continued down the stairs, while questions of who these men were and where they had come from filled his head. So far they hadn’t seen any of the other raiders except for Liseerioun’s possible blood trail. All the dead men were strangers to them, and whatever was capable of doing this was obviously toying with them. The laughs Levi had heard reminded him of someone who liked to torment their victims before killing them, but was this a person or something else?
The two of them made their way through many more halls before they finally reached the outdoor city again. The natural sunlight eased Levi’s fears, but not completely, because the Oam was still there oppressing them. It was a constant battle to fight against giving up hope. The dread, anxiety, and sense of doom that came from the Oam was constantly fighting their sanity.
They made their way through the twisted streets and back to the balcony that overlooked the gardens below. It was just a little farther, and going through the large wooden doors they found themselves back in the dining area.
Looking down from the balcony Levi could see the numerous tables lined up with the fancy silverware. The candles on the tables were lit as well as the large fireplace which had all been unlit when they first came through.
“Someone has lit the candles,” Shaifgan said, as they both hurried down the stairs.
Levi led the way past the tables and fireplace when another laugh was heard. The fire in the fireplace roared into a frenzy and the candle flames flickered.
“What was that?” Shaifgan asked, spinning around, looking around for the source.
“Never mind that, just keep moving,” Levi shouted back, unwilling to stop.
Shaifgan did as he was told and followed after. Making a speedy exit through the doors they were back in the small room just outside of the water filled corridor.
Levi opened the next door carefully, stepping out onto the platform. The place was just as dark as before with a deathly silence. The thought of getting into the water came as a dread to him.
“This is where I was knocked out,” Shaifgan said, “and I think whatever did it is still nearby.”
“Well, let’s not wait around for too long then,” Levi replied, stepping down into the water. His clothes once again soaked up the water making him feel weighted down. Shaifgan jumped in after him, and they made their way through the corridor.
Levi looked back up to the large sundial above the opening after they exited it. They had around twenty-five minutes to get out of there, which was more than enough time, but hope of getting out seemed to diminish.
Sloshing through the water, Levi and Shaifgan finally made it to the other platform where they climbed up. Now, they had a maze of bridges to get through before getting to the next hall. It didn’t take too long to make it, as long as Levi remembered which way they had come before.
The next door they opened led to the hall that would eventually lead to the room with three statues. The way out of the fortress was not far from there, so Levi and Shaifgan started running faster than before. As they got closer to the end, Levi could feel the Orbule Eye’s presence growing stronger and stronger. It reminded him of what he was there for in the first place.
Glancing down to the lens that he held in his hand he realized his mistake. In order to open up the way to the Orbule Eye he would need to be on the second floor balcony to place it on the source of light. They were on the first floor though, which meant he would have to go all the way back and find the way to the light source.
He kicked himself for not realizing this, but there was no time to change anything. Time was short, and he needed to accept the fact that he probably wasn’t going to get what he was after.
Levi and Shaifgan ran through the opening into the starry room with three statues. Once again he had the sense of being in space, and glancing up to the lens on the second floor balcony that split the light into four beams, Levi looked for a way to get to it. There were no stairs anywhere.
“Wait,” Shaifgan quickly hissed, coming to a stop while putting an arm in front of Levi.
Glancing toward Shaifgan to see what the matter was, Levi turned his gaze to the center of the room. Another figure was slumped on the floor where it appeared unconscious. He looked unfamiliar to both Levi and Shaifgan like the other two bodies they had found.
This man was dressed in a gray uniform of some kind. He looked like a soldier, and was big in stature. His muscles were large in the arms, and his head shaved bald. Around his body lay three other lenses like the one Levi held. He didn’t know what to make of it, but knew something was terribly wrong. Slowly, Levi and Shaifgan moved toward the figure. Levi could also see that the man’s skin was pale white.
Thinking that the man was dead like the others, it surprised them when the figure moved. Levi and Shaifgan halted where they were. The figure slowly sat up with his back facing them while rubbing the back of his head.
Seeing this, Shaifgan quietly withdrew his sword. Walking forward he put it up against the side of the man’s neck.
“And who might you be?” Shaifgan asked.
The man froze in place as soon as the sword touched his skin. After a short pause, the man turned his head slightly toward Shaifgan. “If I were you, I would put that sword away,” came the reply, in a deep sounding voice.
“I asked you a question!” Shaifgan barked.
“And I gave you a warning,” the man replied coolly.
Levi watched from where he stood unsure of what to do.
“Now put away your toy,” continued the man.
Letting out a short laugh, Shaifgan said, “You’d be surprised how sharp this toy is.”
With a sudden swing of the arm and twist of the torso, the man grabbed Shaifgan’s arm with the sword and twisted. Shaifgan let out a shout while the man continued to get up while using his other large arm to hit Shaifgan in the face, knocking him back. The sword clanged against the stone floor, while Levi tried to pull his sword from his belt, but the big man was quick to step forward and hit Levi on the side of his head with his elbow.
Levi found himself stumbling to the side with Shaifgan. Before either of them could react in defense, the big man withdrew two large handguns and pointed them at their heads. Each barrel looked big enough to blow their heads off.
The large bald man stepped forward, forcing Levi and Shaifgan down on their knees. It was only in a matter of seconds that the man had disarmed and subdued them. Letting out a deep laugh the man peered down at them.
“I told you to put away that toy,” the man said mockingly, looking at Shaifgan with his menacing blue eyes which seemed to glisten along with the room.
Levi now had a better look at the man seeing his thick jaw and neck. The man’s shoulders were huge as well as his arms and legs. He looked like a giant standing about seven feet tall. There was no facial hair of any kind on his face. He was dressed in a grey and black uniform that looked to be made for combat. The large boots went halfway up his lower leg where the grey pants were tucked in. He wore a black utility belt full of pouches and his two gun holsters. It was a short sleeve shirt that he wore with the same grey color. Over it was an ergonomic duty belt. On his hands he wore black fingerless gloves.
“Now tell me where I am,” the man ordered. “What did you do to my men?”
“We didn’t do anything to your men,” Shaifgan angrily replied.
Levi thought about the two men they had seen suspended from the walls. They must have been with the giant that held them captive now. If that was true, then that meant the man wasn’t the one responsible for toying with them.
“Don’t play games with me,” the brute ordered. “I already know that they’re dead. Now I want to know what you did with them.”
Another laugh filled the room once the brute was finished. Shaifgan’s eyes darted around the room looking for its source while the brute cocked his head in curiosity.
“They didn’t do anything to your men,” a voice said. It seemed to come from every direction like the strange laughs. “I scattered their bodies throughout the fortress myself.”
“Who said that?” Shaifgan shouted. It caused Levi to flinch when he heard it.
The laugh echoed again.
“Is there something funny?” the giant asked, with a calm tone. He only seemed to express the simplest of emotions.
“Oh no, it’s just that this is an interesting turn of events,” the voice said, the torches flickered from the sound of it, causing the starry ceiling to glimmer more vivaciously. It sounded cruel and cold. Levi still couldn’t find where it came from. It seemed untraceable. “How you’re there, I’m here, and they’re there, and considering this great room we find ourselves in.”
Levi didn’t understand what the unseen man was talking about. He didn’t know if the brute did either, but he saw him look over to the statue of the horned man. The giant had a certain sense of awe in his expression when he looked at it.
“Show yourself you coward,” the brute then demanded. “I know what you are.”
“Well then, we’re off to a good start,” the voice said loudly, causing the flames on the torches to flare up even more. “Because I know what you are. Now, because of your two hostages down there, I think we should all introduce ourselves.”
“Don’t play games with me,” the brute replied, glancing from side to side while keeping his guns on Levi and Shaifgan.
“It’s not a game,” the voice responded, sounding irritated. “If you really know what I am then you should do as I say, and good things may come. Now, let’s start with you, how did you get here?”
The brute took a small step back. Keeping a close eye on Levi and Shaifgan, he began to speak, “I don’t know. We were tracking a group of raiders.”
“You’re the ones who were following us this morning!” Shaifgan exclaimed.
Levi remembered back to that moment when they had all been asleep that morning. Something alerted them to their stalkers. He had not known who the people were that were following them that morning, but now he was looking at one of them. What the giant wanted was still unknown though.
“Yes, and we would have had you, but then something alerted you to our presence,” the giant continued. “So we chased after you, but then something came against us. Then next thing I know, I’m here.”
“What is your name?” the voice asked, once he was finished.
The giant hesitated, but not out of fear. Instead it looked as if he was thinking how to respond.
“My name is Grandis Maxilium,” the giant replied.
“And what is it that you seek?” the voice asked.
