Ground of oam oams cry, p.59
Ground of Oam (Oam's Cry), page 59
Carthus had the Orbule Eye now, and Levi couldn’t leave without it. It would be easier for him to run, but the Orbule Eye was something important. He had to retrieve it, which left him with no other option but to fight. Looking up at the time he saw that there were less than two minutes left.
Just before the light was on him, Levi lunged forward at Carthus from the side. The man picked up on his presence quickly however and tried swinging the torch at him. Late with the defense by only a few seconds, Levi managed to grab hold of the man causing him to stumble back.
The two of them found themselves standing, holding each other back. Carthus tried to throw Levi off balance, but he grabbed onto the rod of the torch and held onto it when Carthus threw him to the right sending him flying with the torch in hand.
This time Levi landed with one knee hitting the stone floor. The force traveled up his leg into his thigh, and he pulled himself up despite the excruciating pain.
Taking the torch, Levi quickly threw it to his right across the room toward Moriam’s position who was still trying to get out of Carthus’s trap. She had been witnessing the whole thing and had probably seen things she would never forget. Levi had a responsibility to obtain the Orbule Eye, but he could not forget Moriam. He would have to do whatever he could to get her out of there.
With the torch away from him, Levi bolted to his left out of the position Carthus had seen him last. If he could stay out of the light he would have a chance, but the tormenting laugh from Carthus filled the room, discouraging Levi from any advantage.
Watching Carthus, Levi saw him grab something from out of nowhere. It looked like an automatic rifle of some kind. Levi didn’t know where he got it from. It was like this guy was a magician stalked with artillery.
Carthus put the gun up against his shoulder and began to release a succession of bullets around the room as only mere seconds were left on the clock. Carthus quickly rotated around bringing the torrent of bullets closer to Levi.
Realizing that Moriam would be hit if he didn’t stop him Levi hurried toward his foe as fast as possible. He quickly ducked and rolled sloppily as the bullets went flying overhead. Once they passed, Levi got back on his feet and charged using his shoulder to hit Carthus in the chest. The hit knocked him back causing him to lose control of the gun. Grabbing it by the barrel Levi tried to disarm him, but once again Carthus threw him down on his back using his knee. The rifle dropped, and Levi found Carthus coming down on top of him with a large knife in his hands.
Levi felt Carthus’s knee drop down on his belly painfully pinning him to the stone floor. He grabbed Carthus’s wrist holding the knife above him by inches as it was forced toward his head. The room darkened as the sundial lost its light. Time had run out, and fear traversed through him as he realized that there would be no escaping.
“Time’s out,” Carthus hissed.
But Levi felt something else enter the room. The Oam that they were in seemed to grow more violent as something disturbed it. Levi didn’t know what it was but he could feel another presence there now.
Carthus’ force on the dagger subsided as the expression on his face changed. Levi didn’t know what it was, but then he felt something else moving toward them. A figure loomed over the two of them, and Moriam plunged the blade that had subdued her earlier into Carthus’s back.
The man screamed while Levi pushed the blade away. Kicking him in the gut with his knee Levi forced him over, and grabbed the Orbule Eye from his pocket.
“This way,” someone shouted.
Moriam pulled Levi off of the floor before they spotted Nigarious standing in the doorway beckoning them to follow. The two of them followed as Nigarious led the way down the hall. Another scream echoed down the hall after them causing the flames on the torches to flicker violently.
Making it into the starry chamber Levi found the light from the lens depleted. The place seemed darker now except for the glistening ceiling. The eyes of the three statues continued to gleam in the darkness as if watching their futile escape. Time was already out and the doors were surely closed.
Nigarious led the way into the next hall that would take them out of there. A loud grinding sound emanated in the hall as the two round doors looked to be jammed by something. They were partly closed with only the daylight from the other side peering through the gap at the top and bottom of the doors.
Nigarious beckoned Moriam through the shuddering gap which threatened to close at any moment. She threw herself onto her knees to squeeze through as two hands grabbed her from the other side to pull her out. Levi followed after to have more hands drag him from the abyss before Nigarious came shortly afterward. The raiders pulled their prince out as the doors gave a final groan before something like metal was sheared into pieces.
It was Keith that held the doors at bay with the butt of his rifle in which he had jammed into the closing doors. He stumbled backwards as his rifle shattered into several shards before the doors rolled shut with a slam.
Levi found himself on the hard ground freed from the presence of the Oam. The sight of daylight flooded him with relief, and several raiders stood around him. Liseerioun helped him to his feet. They all looked ragged from their previous fight, and a couple of the raiders were still unconscious. Apparently they had been dragged from the fortress as Nigarious went to assist Levi and Moriam.
Levi looked down toward the bag in his hand which held the Orbule Eye. They had made it, finally, and a ray of hope came across him. They had escaped what seemed to be the inescapable. Levi had learned of something important as well as disconcerting. He now had a true name, Carthus, but there was still much more he did not understand.
“Do you have it?” Nigarious asked stepping forward. His voice was strained.
Levi looked him in the eyes and pulled the Orbule Eye to his side. Raising his chin he nodded. He was tired and perplexed. He didn’t want to fight but he couldn’t let Nigarious take the Orbule Eye from him.
“Good,” Nigarious said. “Hold on to it for me. My father will want it in good condition.”
With that Nigarious moved past him, and Levi felt a knot in his stomach. He had prevailed against the Oam and his stalker, but the raiders were still a threat. Their king, Aleejin, would require of this treasure, but Levi would have to protect it with all he had left within himself to fight.
Chapter Thirty Four: Something’s Changed
The war has begun. What we have feared has come at last. May the enemy burn upon the earth they devour.—Bleeder
There was the sound of a woodpecker off in the distance tapping away at a tree. Everything else seemed dead silent. Matthew still stood in the marsh hidden behind the tall grasses, and it was early morning now. The sun was peeking over the mountains into the treetops giving some relief to Matthew, but he was still tense and exhausted.
He had spent the whole night too scared to move, and he didn’t know what to do. Gileaus had passed sometime earlier that morning when things were dark, but Matthew wasn’t sure when, maybe two hours ago or maybe four. He remembered hearing Gileaus’ silent but hard breathing until it stopped finally. Matthew had to fight back the emotions that had haunted him that whole time. He barely knew the hermit, but having to hold the man in his arms while he died wasn’t an easy thing to do, especially when there were people and monsters out hunting him.
Matthew looked around his surroundings as best he could. The place seemed clear, but he was afraid that he would be spotted if he tried moving. It was that fear that kept him up all night. He couldn’t stay there forever though.
Keeping a tight grip on the rifle that he kept on top of Gileaus’s body, Matthew began to move. He pulled his feet out of the heavy muck under the water and struggled to shore. It was a wearying task, but he kept at it pulling the hermit’s body with him.
Getting to the shore, Matthew dragged the body onto drier ground and placed the hermit’s head down on his legs. He checked for a pulse, although he knew full well that the man was dead. However there was a part of him that wanted to deny it.
Matthew sat there for what seemed like a long time in a mournful state. Everything he had ever known was gone now. The town that he and so many others had taken refuge in was now taken over by an unknown enemy. Shandrom, his best friend, could very well be gone forever now. First, it was his father’s disappearance that tore a hole in his life, and now this.
Giving a quick glance around the area again, Matthew began to get up. He gently laid down Gileaus’s head on the cold ground and said goodbye. He grabbed the rifle and both bags before walking away. Walking away from his old life and into something else that he wasn’t sure would be better. Perhaps there would be something better beyond the borders that he never dared cross before. Perhaps something better that he wasn’t expecting, but that thought seemed like wishful thinking to him. The only thing he could see coming was more hardship and pain. The world beyond was a world where terror reigned with Rebirtha and other creatures hiding in the shadows.
The marshes eventually turned into thicker forest the farther Matthew went. He remained aware of his surroundings, making sure that nothing was stalking him. All remained quiet though, with not even a breeze that would stir up the trees. Looking back occasionally, Matthew almost longed to head back to see if there were any survivors, but something else told him otherwise. Perhaps it was instinct that kept him moving away from town.
The loud fluttering of a crow was the first sound of wildlife Matthew had heard since the woodpecker. It made him freeze where he was as a black splotch flew off into some trees to his left. Realizing that it was just a crow, Matthew was about to move on, but then something else caught his attention. He could still see the crow hidden behind some trees doing something. Then he spotted another crow in the same area. A loud caw nearly made him jump as another crow in the area cawed.
Moving closer Matthew pushed the low hanging tree branches out of the way. He saw what brought the crows together. Straight in front of him was a dead man’s body raised from the ground by a tall wooden spike. The man’s body was tied to the spike while the crows feasted on the corpse. Looking behind the body, Matthew spotted another spike directly behind the first a few yards away with a head on it. It wasn’t the head of a man though, but the head of a Sarendeti. Its blackened eyes still struck horror into Matthew even from that distance. It had long stringy hair while its face was covered in blood. It was from this spike that Matthew saw the ropes that led off into different directions. Some up into tree tops, while others disappeared among the lower bushes. It looked like a web. Glancing up to a tall tree to his right, Matthew saw the other corpse pinned to the top by wooden spikes while a rope came down from it to the Sarendeti’s head. Another body was fastened just like it in another tree to his left.
A Morgni must have passed by sometime during the night while the men were out looking for him. Matthew had never seen a Morgni kill humans before, but then perhaps these men were no longer humans. Perhaps they were once human but now were something else.
Taking one step ahead, Matthew scared the crows away from the corpses. He took a closer look at a wooden sign that was tied to the dead body’s chest. It had something sketched onto it. Making it out as best he could, Matthew read what it said. “Let our father’s will be honored.”
Matthew didn’t know what it meant; he had never seen something written by a Morgni before. It had always been visual signs and clues, but now something had changed. Matthew didn’t know what, but he knew that things were different now.
Chapter Thirty Five: A Ray of Hope
The results are good. The Rebirtha have delivered surprisingly well, and the test subjects have given us plenty of data to work with. We will be starting the next phase as soon as the weapon is complete.—Quint
The night sky was dark in the valley of Mount Pieriom. Levi leaned up against a tall tree looking off into the surrounding landscape. Trees and grasses shimmered in an aurora of colors casting dark shadows against the mountain walls. Yellow, blue, green, and red light gave a faint glow off in the distance. A large mountain plateau a few miles behind Levi had a faint yellowish glow that lit the darker treetops with a soft yellow.
Levi and the raiders had set up camp in a darker place in the woods where the trees gave off no light except for the few plants that grew among the forest floor with vibrant colors. The place was truly a beauty to behold, but Levi couldn’t shake the dreary feeling he had.
Everyone was still shocked after all that had happened, but the raiders dealt with it better than anyone. Levi had obtained the Orbule Eye, but never before had he experienced such a nightmarish thing – an Oam within a seemingly abandoned fortress. Levi wondered where it had come from, and who it belonged to. What was its purpose up there on such a strange mountain?
Then there was the man Levi thought to be Carthus, who had been tracing their every step. Never before had Levi witnessed someone like him. It was in his fight with the man that he discovered the truth about himself. It was a truth that Levi was both glad and afraid to know. All this time he had been going by the name of Levi, but now he realized that it was only another man’s name given to him. He was the true imposter posing as the man named Levi for a reason he did not know.
The real Levi somehow tricked him into believing something that was not real. He remembered back to the times at the fort that was probably now destroyed. It was after his first encounter with an Oam that he experienced a strange dream that he had decided was just a dream. It was now that he realized, that it was not just a dream he had, but that it was the real Levi that had been digging around in his head. The man had presented himself as death, and it had nearly proven to be true for Levi.
Everything seemed confusing to him now. What was this Orbule Eye that everyone seemed to be after, and why was he sent to retrieve it? Who was it that sent him, and who was this man he thought to be Carthus? What was it that he was after?
Levi supposed that he would never know. He could still remember the horrible screams that came from the man when he was left in the Oam to die. It was a fate that Levi could wish upon no one.
Looking down at the Orbule Eye, Levi rubbed it with his fingers feeling the smooth texture; he wondered what would come next in his life. Would the Raiders let him go free? Surely they would not as long as he had the Orbule Eye. They had sacrificed a lot for it and he was still their captive. He was also wounded with his leg in bad shape while the rest of his body ached from his fight with Carthus.
He had discovered his new ability to cloak himself within shadows, and somehow he had even been able to use his shadow to teleport himself. It was an ability he did not understand. He didn’t know what he was, but it didn’t seem human to him. If he wasn’t human though, then what was he?
Moriam was the only other one that knew of these abilities, including his real name Carthus, and he couldn’t imagine what was going through her mind. She had saved him though, more than a couple times now, which he was thankful for. He owed her now, so there was no way he would abandon her to the raiders.
Glancing back to the small fire that the raiders sat around, Levi spotted Moriam who sat quietly by herself, leaving a few feet of distance between her and the men. The raiders spoke in hushed voices about something that Levi couldn’t make out. The firelight flickered against Nigarious’ face which looked serious and stern. He wasn’t happy with all that had happened. Some of his men had been killed, and nothing else about the journey left a good taste in his mouth.
Looking farther up, Levi saw the long bridge stretching from one end of the canyon to the other side darkened in shadows. It was the bridge that led to the fortress, and the bridge with the monsters that had killed both Coben Haw and Mark.
None of them wanted to cross back over it when the time came, but it wasn’t something they could avoid. There was no other way back, but to their surprise the bridge was empty of monsters. The creatures had disappeared as if they were never there. The way had been made safe, but by what?
Someone moving toward him caused Levi to look back toward Nigarious who had stepped away from the company of his men. His facial features were covered in shadows giving him a more menacing look. He carried his bag at his side as if ready to unload it before stepping to Levi’s side.
“It’s time that I explain something to you,” he said, in a whisper before passing.
Levi turned to follow with dread in his gut. What was the matter now; what kind of dreadful subject needed to be explained? Probably it had something to do with the Orbule Eye, which was now something Levi would be reluctant to give up.
He followed Nigarious into a grove off the edge of the forest. The man waited in the center of it where he rummaged through his bag while Levi moved closer.
“You know I doubted you Levi,” Nigarious said, while pulling some kind of papers out of his bag. “I thought my father had made a mistake, but now I see he was right. You found the Orbule Eye just as he said you would.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Levi.
“My father knows things Levi,” replied Nigarious. “It puzzled me as to why he took such an interest in you, and I’m still unsure how he figured it out.”
“I don’t know why he took such an interest,” Levi said, still unsure what Nigarious was trying to say.
The prince tossed down the papers which were illuminated by a nearby Galback tree standing over the grove. Its branches twisted outward where the leaves drooped over the smaller trees. Yellow pollen dusted the smaller foliage below where it gave off a dim glow.
“I want you to take a look at that,” Nigarious said. “I want you to see the truth of why you’re here.”
Curiously Levi crouched down to view the papers. Upon closer examination he found that they were maps of Dritheena. It was marked up with plenty of scribbles, but he was unsure what he was supposed to see.
