‘The fight is suicide.  Yet, they stand beside me ready to fight for all they hold dear. Trust.  If only they knew what I do, would they trust still?  Creack – boom! It comes. Creack-boom, chink – chi – chink, clunk – duff – clunk!  Gurgling cries of lost souls, hope, shattered dreams and the images of a future breaking against steel; blood – sweet, pulsating, rich, blood smearing my lips, splattering my face. Fallen.  Failed. They die – they die. Oh god – they die.  Taste it Neven – TASTE IT!’

NO!  My eyes opened to darkness.  I felt the hot, chocking feeling against my chest ease as the calm of night gradually pieced together my reality.  It was just a dream.

‘Ssh!’ Kalia moaned from her cot.  I sat up about to apologise until I noticed Kalia’s eyes were still closed, deep in sleep.

‘Kalia?’ I waited for her response but after awhile of not getting anything but snores pushed myself up and swung my legs over the edge of my cot.

The dream bugged me.  Why the same one over and over like a spinning wheel? I couldn’t help feel a sense of being there, where there was.  Is that why I can’t remember who I was?  Did I survive a battle?  No one has said any sort of war is happening around here. Certainly, I haven’t heard or seen evidence of any.

‘Ah hellbore,’ I breathed out and stood in the chilling night, exposed.  ‘Brrr,’ my lips sounded instinctively and pressed closed to trap escaping breath. I fiddled around my cot for my blankets to wrap around my shoulders.

Neven

I froze with my blanket in hand and body still exposed to the night elements.

‘Ish see yousee.’

A snake-like head emerged from the night.  Holy mother of crap! I wanted to scream but found my mouth frozen shut with the rest of my body.

Yes, keepsee quiet. Don’t want to wake dems do yousee?’

The head came closer so I could trace a network of reddish veins around a papery neck and gaunt cheeks.

‘W -Who are you?’

‘Ish be Lazareth, they best and Ish thank yousee for releasing me.’

Releasing – what the hell?  How  could I’ve freed this beast?

‘Yousee gave me key. Thanks yousee.’

It sniffed in air and sighed with eyes rolled back to savour the smell of real life; a rush of memories flooded my mind on waves of nausea.  It sped through cycles of family life, royalty, simple stupid peasants to the most knowledgeable sorcerer.  ‘Conquer, control, bleed, burn, masacre, shatter, destroy…’ It rolled through its wants with a dazed voice. Seeming to catching itself, snapped its head back and returned to my view with clarity in its piercing eyes.

‘Ah to taste Neven, to taste. ‘ He cocked his head to one side and peered at me with shrewd eyes.  ‘Or should say Ser – ip – hyn.’

I gulped back the nausea and faced Mikhalz square on, no idea what he/it was talking about.

Moans and scratching on rock outside caught the lazareths attention.

‘Ah yousee hear that? Ish go and leave yousee a mark of this moment.’

It reared its head back into the obscurity of night and was gone.

I held my breath, waiting for something terrible.

We stepped into something of a massive library, broken up into three levels. Stairs zigzagged a line up the walls, connecting the levels. Before us were rows of L – shaped bookcases filled with all sorts of books, scrolls and papers kept in order by silver book ends.  At our feet, an enormous map of the realm was painted on the black marble floor. Chairs and desks sat on the map’s corners. In the middle of the map was an elaborate silver pedestal.

‘Damn,’ Edde cursed.

‘Neven,’ a tiny voice whispered from a corner.  I saw a black thing hurry across the map and hide behind the pedestal.  I approached the center and pedestal and saw a black and white skirrat looking up at me.

‘Howdy,’ it said.

I sighed with a smile. ‘You following me Wolf?’

‘Yes and no.  I got kicked out of the clan cause of Reddy going belly-up.  So figured you ‘ave more cheese.  You do don’t you?’  His orb eyes stared with earnest and sighed with disappointment when I said no.

‘Sorry Wolf, I’m just a slave.’

‘I’ll snuffle around the kitchens. Might get lucky for both of us two-legs.’

”Who yah talking to?’ Edde approached my side and went stiff.

‘Howdy two-legs,’ Wolf said unfazed.

‘It t-talks, it-’

‘Talks, yes-yes.  Love to – gotta find cheese.’

He scurried off without a backward glance and disappeared behind a bookcase.

‘That skirrat talked,’ Edde turned to me.

‘Yeah one of Master Asuras’s experiments.’

Edde’s eyes bulged at the word experiment.  Her mouth opened with more questions but closed before any could escape.

‘Dis place gives me the willies, lets go,’ Edde said and gestured for me to follow her.  My eyes caught a thin gold edge.  I was surprised I hadn’t noticed the thick book spread open between the pedestal’s hands.

‘Look Edde,’ I said.

‘No, we go,’ Edde grabbed my shoulder to pull me around.  It was too late.  I read the text on the pages and noticed a familiarity.

…and the Ryder stood before the armies of the world with her sword raised high. She was fearless amongst the afraid; steadfast against the howling devils and their thirst for souls…

My heart stopped for a split second.  Bits and pieces of dreams whirled distorted images through my mind.  I shook my head free and faced Edde, noting an expression of obvious concern.

‘Yah okay?’

‘Yes,’ I sighed. ‘No.  It’s this page.  I had a dream of facing an army and I read about it in this book.

Edde glanced at the page then at me, her worry not going away.

‘Coincidence.’

‘Is it Edde?  I don’t know who I am?  I have this stupid magic in me  I don’t want and all these strange voices bugging my head.’

‘Voices?’ Edde’s eyes bulged. She crossed her arms.

‘Yeah, a snake voice and that of a woman’s now and then.’

‘Oh Neven – neva realized, er,  how troubled yah were.’  She hugged my shoulders. ‘Slavery affects us in a ways.  I’ve seen the worst in the best of folk – dah best come out of the worst.’

She pulled me eye to eye with her. ‘Always know dah rules and stick to ‘em.’

I nodded my head conscious of my frown, and  followed her lead back through the corridors and finally to our cots.

We walked the corridors in silence until we felt certain we were far from the masters’ ears.

‘Thanks Edde.’

‘For what?’

‘For being here.’

‘Someone hasta keep yah girls in line.’

She picked up her pace and walked ahead; an obvious full stop to the conversation.

We turned right, walked straight for a bit, turned left, walked straight again and right into similar corridors. We did a few more turns, entering the same type of corridors. I was glad Edde knew where she was going as I was clueless.

‘Geez this place is huge,’ I puffed out. It felt we had been walking for ages. We came to a wide fork offering lengthy choices. Edde stopped with a deep frown etched on her forehead.

‘Edde?’

‘It’s thus way for sure.’ She mumbled unconvincingly to herself. ‘Nah, thus way or is…’ Her head turned back and forth in each direction, trying to decide what way was correct.

‘I’d say we go right.’ I offered. She wheeled about and faced me square on.

‘How’d you know the direction?’

‘I don’t. It’s bound to be one of the three right?’

‘If yah wrong, who knows where we end up.’

‘We could just end up back here.’

‘Nah – we need to be certain. Not waste time.’

‘Getting lost should be excuse enough.’

We stared at each other for a long time before Edde studied the fork again. I gave her space to work out the direction. She did another turn and after a scratch to the head , started up the right fork. The corridor took a downward bend and led us to a black sackcloth door. Edde pushed the door wide and hissed her curses. It was the wrong door.

I returned to the world in a semi-daze and found myself lying on Master Dagor’s futon.

‘She should be dead on the floor.’ Master Dagor complained from somewhere in the room. I felt shuffles behind me. I closed my eyes and played my unconsciousness.

‘And what would that achieve huh? Besides, it wasn’t intentional.’

‘She burnt half my bloody books! I’d a right mind to flog her awake.’

‘But you won’t do that Roth because she’s special. She doesn’t know how to control what she does. It’s up to us to teach her.’

‘What then Drazer? We teach her how to be this great sorceress only for her to zap off our heads and bite us in the arse! No, I say she needs to be disposed of before any more accidents happen.’

‘She can be controlled Roth. We have the means to do this.’

‘Drazer, this a fool’s want.’

‘She knows of the Tsazcuth myths, she has shown us the power of the Oracaseer that Caldera Scholars have take years, even lifetimes to master! You can’t stand there and tell me we should kill her without first extracting this knowledge.’

‘Then what we do?’

‘Let me take her to Novak. He’s good at getting from others what we need.’

‘I hope for all our sakes you’re right about this,’ Master Dagor sighed. ‘Right, I’ll order a summary that will allow the slaves passage to the Temple of Equala. You’ll have to wait until that chinka doll has recovered.’

Their prescence loomed over my head.

‘Still can’t believe this girl has the power to find the doors. She looks dumb.’

‘I – quiet.’

The talking fell to a silence all of a sudden. I felt a strong prescence studying my face. I sighed and open my eyes, pushed myself into a sitting position. The masters stared down on me with intimidation. I hugged my knees, lowered my eyes to the floor and waited.

‘Humph, look at her – a slave on a master’s futon. BRANGI BRING MY WHIP!’

I flinched and coward underneath their stare.

‘Master Dagor please – can you not see how scared Neven is? Look at her,’ said Master Asuras.

Master Dagor turned up his nose and looked away.

‘She better not pee on my futon.

Master Asuras raised his left brow. ‘She’s not a puppy. Besides, I think it’s time she joined the others. I will get Edde.’

‘Stay where you are and don’t speak,’ he ordered before leaving me alone with Master Dagor.

The tension in the room was stifling and I couldn’t help wondering what the master was going to do to me before the others returned. He faced me with narrow eyes and, after a while of up and down looks, ordered me to stand up. I practically jumped off the futon and slouched before him.

‘You’re a mousy thing.’ He circled me, slowly as if I was a puzzle he was trying to solve. ‘If it was up to me, you’d be dead.’

He was about to say something else when a rustling in the corner caught his attention.

‘God damn vermin!’ He cursed and hurried to the corner to chase whatever it was away. I braved a look and saw a black and white skirrat disappear behind the map curtain. Wolf. A sight of a charred bookcase caught my eye. All the books were burnt to a crisp except one thick tome, which sat firmly in its position.

‘What you looking at slave? The Master’s eyes went to the bookshelf. They lingered there before going back to me with obvious distaste. I could say I was sorry but I felt it would only serve to inflame him. The last thing I wanted more of was trouble.

‘You will pay for burning my books.’ His eyes narrowed with the threat. Luckily Master Asuras and Edde returned before Master Dagor was able follow through. I hurried up to Edde’s side and was grateful when I was ordered to go back with Edde.

‘Yes Master?’ A slave boy stood across the threshold with a glint in his eyes.

‘Master Asuras de Caldera to see Master Dagor de Caldera. Please chime your host.’

The slave boy sighed and pressed a purple quartz button toward the side of the doorway. Chimes echoed behind him for a split moment.

‘Follow me please,’ said the slave boy.

We stepped into a square foyer with animal statues of smooth white marble occupying the corners and sides. I passed a statue of a bird creature with feathered wings spread wide, sharp beak open and hawk eyes bulging as if with fright. The one next to it glared at us with cat like eyes and a spotted skinny body ready to pounce. I picked up the pace as we entered a white-washed corridor.

The corridors flowed and connected to each other like pipe channels. I soon lost track of the way as we followed the boy. He eventually led us toward a sackcloth door at the end of a short hallway.

‘This is my master’s chambers. Please wait here.’ The boy disappeared through the door and reappeared a short while latter.

‘He’s finishing up with a guest but will see you now.’ The boy bowed and left us.

I pried around the master’s shoulder and took in a spacious room both strange and marvelous. An imperial red rug covered the gray marble floor at the entrance. Flames from the top of marble columns lighted the area. Marble stairs zigzagged their way up limestone walls towards a clear quartz ceiling and toward the back wall where book shelves and a test bench were. A curtain map of the realm fluttered in the farthest corner.

‘Master Dagor. Lord Equala bless you for allowing us audience in this late hour.’ Master Asuras approached two men who were lounging on a pinewood futon near the book shelves. A heady sweet scent wafted past my nose. I took a step away from Edde’s side so I was able to see the men better and almost choked.

‘Chief Morriset,’ I whispered and felt Kalia cower at my side. The conversation at the Latrine Ring entered my mind along with a suspicion that perhaps Branwyn and Sister Malia weren’t the only people wanting us banished from the temple.

‘Stop with the formalities Asuras and have a drink with us.’ I braved a glance at the man Master Asuras address. Gray stubble covered his pudgy chin, stringy hair fell as a tangled heap to his shoulders. He wore blood-red robes similar to Master Asuras’s. However, where Master Asuras’s robes were crisp and well looked after, his robes were carelessly stained and creased in places where creases shouldn’t be. I figured he didn’t get out much.

My eyes wandered to Chief Morriset and noticed his jerkin was still too tight across his chest, almost as if he wanted people to see his pecks and muscled abdominal.

‘You’ve bought some entertainment!’ Chief Morriset chuckled as he took a swig from a silver goblet gripped loosely with one gloved hand. He wasn’t feigned by Master Asuras’s curt stare.

‘The slaves are not for entertainment,’ Master Asuras stated.

I felt Kalia’s small sigh tickle the back of my neck and saw Edde’s fists uncurl slightly.

‘Why are they here then?’ Chief teased. His eyes met mine with sharpness I wasn’t expecting. I suspected he wasn’t as tipsy as he made out.

‘Definitely not for your sadistic pleasure Chief Morriset. If you don’t mind lad, I need speak with Master Dagor about some pressing matters, which does not involve you at this stage.’

The chief’s eyes narrow vehemently. His gloved hand gripped his goblet so tight, droplets of wine splattered the floor like blood stains. Rage and anger gripped my heart, I felt a squeeze at my throat and thumping to my temples. His eyes transformed into slits of a snake, his hands black wings of a serpent god/demon.

‘AT LAST ISH FOUND IT!’ A snake hissed at the back of my mind. I felt a rush of wanting and the realization of freedom.

‘No!’ My voice was weak but it was enough to break through the chains that kept the beast at bay.

White fire scorched my view of the room. The ground quaked, voices screamed with both confusion and fear, destructive energies smashed through layers to the core of my soul. I wanted to break, burn, steal and destroy the world that wasn’t mine…

‘I am power now Neven. Yousee gave me the key.’ The words breathed in and out of my ear.

In a split second the quaking, feelings of anarchy, the world itself… gone.

They kept a distance from me as we trekked deeper into the obscure areas of The Zone. Every time Kalia’s eyes met mine, she’d turn away and I’d catch her lips twisted in one of those pouts she used to give the dirty floors she had to clean. I could imagine it was her illness making her cranky, yet imagination couldn’t disguise the awkward silence between us. It was heavy.

My mind kept going back to the moment of the corridor and the magic. It was the second time I had used it. My stomach churned at the thought of facing those fish-things again. What was I that I could call up a spell like that with not so much as a backward thought? Do all magic folk have this sort of ability? I suppose they must if there is a university dedicated to the use and control of magic. If this were so, I was a walking danger to myself and all those around me.

‘No magic,’ I promised myself, ‘even if it would mean my death.’

‘Girls don’t lag.’ The master’s voice broke through my thoughts. I saw him half a meter along the moss steps we ambled down. I shook off the rest of my thoughts, gripped my stomach and fears and followed the way down carefully.

The steps led to a long path and a square archway similar to the one at the rock corridor. Sea-green ivy overwhelmed the archway’s surface; white moon-flowers, the shape and size of a man’s hand, graced the path’s ragged edges. A musky fragrance sailed past our noises. I pulled my cloaked around my chest and focused on my steps.

Night came quickly. The way became a cold and desolate journey where each end of the path was hidden within obscurity. We were walking blind.

Where’s the end?

‘Where indeed child. The way is dark with both your past and present lives but it doesn’t have to be this way.’

‘My past and present what? Edde?’

‘No – a witness to who you are. I know you Neven. The Lazareth knows you. You must be cautious with magic. The lazareth is freer each time.’ A sing-song voice chimed into the night breeze. A sensation of wet leaves iced my cheeks, the smell of moss brought my mind back to earth.

‘Heed my warning. The lazareth comes!’ the voice faded.

I blinked in light and a vague outline. It flapped wings and stretched a long sinew body. I recognised its angled jaw, narrow head and beady eyes.

‘What – how you come to be?’

The lazareth faced me. ‘Yousee, that’s how.’ Light danced over the edges of its body, highlighting talons it flexed and uncurled before its eyes.

‘Ah.’ It lifted its head and sniffed in the air. ‘It comes back.’

‘What comes back?’

The lazareth’s lips twitched with a smile. ‘A taste.’

‘A taste of -’ Light heated my eyes; they stung, blistered and swelled. Pain pushed at the soft spots of my brain like thumbs pressing down and blocking relief. I felt fire melt away layers of my skin, my heart and soul.

Xixus fyre quios mendoza.

Words circled like stars in my eyes. The pain pushed deeper, stripping off more of who I was and replacing the meaningful with raw – desperate ache.

Xixus fyre quios sander.

Heavy drumbeats pounded my ears – shattering the lasting layers of my consciousness. Suddenly, the pain – feeling – memories were gone. I faced nothing.

‘Now yousee see what comes back. Now yousee see…’

The drumbeats gave way to crackling, lightening and a earth-shattering screech. I blinked in a moment of blue fire sorching the way before me and felt raw pain all over my limbs.

‘Damn it Neven! Chiardoras putus esander.‘ The master’s voiced wrapped around my ears and conscious thought, and eased my pain. I saw the master, Edde and Kalia staring at me before the entrance of a courtyard and prism shaped mansion beyond.

‘Wh-what happened?’

Answers twitched on the master’s lips; instead, he shook his head and turned toward the mansion. I glanced at the others and felt ill at the awkwardness in Edde’s eyes, darkness behind Kalia’s. Why? I frowned.

‘Wait! Why you all being like this?’

‘Why Neven?’ Master Asuras faced me again with sternness. ‘For the magic inside of you.’

‘Why is that bad?’

The master shook his head and sighed. ‘It’s not bad – it’s dangerous.’ He gestured toward the way behind me. I turned and faced darkness.

‘Look.’

Heat tickled the back of my neck as a ball of white light threw rays out toward the night, highlighting patches of charred earth, broken boulders and a path blocked by a hill of rubble.

‘The way was clear when we passed.’

‘It was until you turned up the earth and spewed out rumble, almost killing us.’

‘B – but, Master Asuras I didn’t know, I -’

‘No you didn’t,’ the master said with a sigh and snuffed out the light. ‘That’s why magic is dangerous .’

He stepped before me. I felt a stifling energy pass between us and something else dark and hard to explain.

‘It is why the empire has the death decree for unskilled magic users. It is why we have a university dedicated to magic and science. It is why I take you to the Alchemist in hopes of suppressing what lies inside of you before it-’

The master left the sentence hanging but I felt what he was going to say. I gulped back my answers and followed through the courtyard toward the mansion.

We passed through a monolithic archway and toward stepped walls that shimmered with silver flecks. Two glowing columns stood sentry on both sides of an intricately designed iron door. Light danced across a lion-head handle. Master Asuras lifted the lion-head and released it, causing the door to echo with a clang before falling to silence. The door gave way.

Posts suspended during Nanowrimo season.  Will return after this time.

The Seriphyn Knight Chronicles is a series focused on the self discovery of a young girl and her involvement with dark magic, ancient legends and myths.  For more background information and update notices, please visit the Information pages.  Thank you for your visit.  I hope you like what you read and return.

Season One: The Story so Far

The year is the 167th reign of the Great Emperor Leinard. You have stepped into a realm where magic dwells and anything is possible and at the heart of it all is a young girl named Neven.  It hasn’t been easy for her; she nearly drowned, was sold into slavery and now she must help four men locate magical doors known only as Tsazcuths, and the ultimate power that exists behind one of those doors. It’s getting ugly. Want to see how she goes? Begin the journey to find out.

It begins here… Scene 1-01

Numoir. The word plagued my mind as we traveled the jasper path toward the southern caves of The Zone. I was worried for Edde and Kalia. Damn them for being martyrs. If anything happened to them, I would never forgive myself. What would I do if something should happen, the question came to mind. I felt sick in the stomach at the possibilities involving magic. I snorted back my thoughts and focused on the master’s shadowy figure.

I fell asleep on the futon and woke in the heart of night. The master’s room took on a sleepy quiet. I pushed off the blankets and swung my legs over the edge to sit up.

‘Yah feel better?’

I glanced at the master’s desk and saw Edde sitting in the chair.

‘Edde,’ I breathed out and rushed to her with a hug.

‘Okay – okay,’ she brushed off and pushed me back to take a good look at me. She checked my forehead and cupped my cheeks in her hands. ‘Yah look tired.’

‘Nah – been sleeping all day.’

‘Not what I mean.’

I sighed and perched on the edge of the desk. ‘What happened Edde?’

‘With meh or yah?’

‘Both of us.’

Edde released me with a smile, ’some how Branwyn found out about my help with yah girls. She threatened evidence – took it to the sisters. Her that Sister Malia are close, so didn’t take much to convince the head-sister to punish meh. They’ve always wanted an excuse.’

She inclined her head to one side and peered at my face for a long time before speaking. ‘Yah give them a big surprise. Not expectin anything from yah – least magic.’

‘Kalia.’ I leaned forward. ‘She’s okay?’

‘Yep. She got her sight back – they all did.’

Edde went to futon and busied herself with tidying-up. I watched her face, noticing the changes of expression behind her eyes, as if folding blankets and straightening cushions was helping her sort out her mind.

‘Why this happening?’

She paused and faced me. ‘Trouble I guess.’

‘Right.’

Edde sighed and sat down, her weariness revealed on her face. I can’t believe I brought this to her. Wolf was right – I was stupid.

‘I’m sorry Edde.’ I sat on the edge of the futon.

She stared me in the eye and unexpectedly told me her story of her arrival to The Zone. She was born into a family of horse-breeders who raised the infamous Western Rangers. While most horses were good for cart pulling and the odd travel, the Western Rangers were revered for being steadfast in battle and hardy travelers. The Emperor, himself, favored the gallant steeds amongst all others and ensured his knights rode no other. The families who bred the horses were respected and given a status of grand importance. Edde’s young life saw visiting nobles, dinner parties and the finest of everything including education. Life was a pleasure until the year she turned eight when a whole herd of stock fell victims to a foot and mouth disease carried into the High Plains of Nordia by common Tempra horses. Four healthy stallions were the first to lose their lives,. Within a full moon cycle, all of the stock had died. Her parents were unable to fulfill orders. They had to return lein and favors received as pre-payments. Their home was seized upon by Merchant Huntsmen who repossessed furniture, slaves and all manner of personal items then the house itself. After loosing all they had ever known and treasured there was still one final tax her parents needed to pay. Her parents had no choice but agree to the Empire’s conditions of payment by slavery. Edde and her brothers were handed into an imperial office to clear the last dishonor from the family name.

‘Bane, meh brother, and I were taken here. I never saw the others again.’

‘Where’s Bane now?’

‘He was taken to the South Hold to be a henchman. Dunno after that.’

‘Thanks Edde,’ I whispered, not really sure how to take what she told me but grateful she had.

She flashed a weak smile then resumed her tidy-up of the master’s room. I helped her clean up the bench and master’s desk.

Footsteps entered. We faced the door and saw Master Asuras.

‘Good you’re both here. Gather things for a journey girls. You’ll find a knapsack near the cot and all items required in this room. When you’re ready meet me in the library.’

‘We going somewhere now?’

‘Yes Neven – now.’ The master turned and left the room.

We did as he ordered, picking up things, putting them down or in the sack Edde carried. My eyes touched the titles of the books on his shelve and saw a common theme amongst all of them – tsazcuths.

‘Master’s life work.’ Edde came up behind me.

‘What are tsazcuths?’

‘Who knows – who cares,’ she brushed off and gave me a nudge toward the door.

I followed her into the library where the Master waited for us near the desks. Torch light flickered across the Master’s face, highlighting a sober expression.

Shuffles came up behind us. I turned and saw Kalia. I wanted to pull her into a hug and tell her I was sorry but caught an awkward look in her eyes and refrained.

‘You, er, okay?’ I whispered.

She nodded her head and fiddled with the ties of the gray robe around her neck.

‘Here.’ The master threw Edde and I a gray bundle. I unraveled a long woolly robe, the same as Kalia’s, and a pair of sackcloth boots. I felt horrible Edde and Kalia had to leave this way.

‘Master – surely Edde and Kalia don’t have to leave for my crime?’

Master Asuras regarded me for a while before answering. ‘They have the choice to stay but have decided to journey with us.’

I flashed Edde and Kalia a look then frowned and shook my head.

‘Please don’t do this, especially you Kalia.’

Kalia smiled. ‘It’s my choice.’

‘No,’ I shook my head harder. ‘You have a safe life here.’

‘Exactly,’ Kalia butted in. ‘Besides – I think I’ll drive Cora and Les crazy after awhile.’

‘Edde?’

‘Meh time here’s ended. Time for change.’

‘Master?’ I faced the master and was taken-back by the sternness in his eyes. Was he expecting them to tag-a-long?

‘We need to leave now. Master Vega is expecting us at the Temple of Equala by noon-light in two days.’ He turned and headed for the opposite archway.

I sighed and placed on my cloak and boots. We followed him down the marble corridor to the end statue door of Anwar. The master stopped at the door and glanced at our robes and the knapsack on Edde’s shoulders.

‘I trust you’ll keep the girls inline with the laws of The Zone Edde?’

Edde nodded her head.

‘It’s a long trek I take you on girls. Make sure your cloak is on tight.’

Edde did a final check of the knapsack.

The master place his hand over a glimmering rosebud resting between Anwar’s breasts and gave it a good push. The statue gave way to a night sky and a sleeping courtyard. We followed him through.

Gotta be here – gotta be here. A voice broke through my consciousness and woke me up.

‘Where that stinky cheese old two-legs keep it.’

Two-legs? I sat up from the futon I had been sleeping on and glanced around Master Asuras’s room; my eyes touching the crowded bench, master’s desk, cot and the shelves at the back of the room.

‘What’s that? That you two-legs? Drats.’

‘Hello?’ I called out, searching the room some more although not quite sure who or what I was looking for. I suspected the lazareth from my thoughts yet this voice was different. It was tiny.

‘You ate the cheese two-legs?’ The question came into my ears. I felt a short breath to my neck and tickles to my skin. I tensed, slowly turned and came eye to eye with a furry thing.

‘Ugh!’ I jumped off the futon and took a few steps back. I searched the bench for something to whack the moving mound in my blanket and settled for a glass tube.

‘What you gonna do, pickle me for lunch?’ A furry black and white rat (the size of a kitten) crawled out from underneath my blankets and sat bravely before me with its green orb-like eyes regarding me carefully.

‘You can talk!’ I raised the tube.

‘Ei-ya-yi, throw the two-legs some cheese. Actually, throw me the cheese you have those filthy anchovies that old one tries to give me.’

‘Ancho – what?’

‘Born stupid were we? You couldn’t whack me with that thing if you tried.’

‘I – um, hey! You’re a rat I don’t have to talk to you. Now stand still so I can whack you.’

‘RAT! Insult. I’m a skirrat – not some stupid insect. You whack me, I bite your ankle.’

‘Bite my ankle? Why you, fluffy, furry, thing -’

‘Save the bumbles stupid. Where’s the cheese.’

‘Wait,’ I shook my head and lowered the tube. ‘What I’m doing arguing with a rat?’

‘SKIRRAT!’

‘Whatever.’

‘Cheese – two-legs, read my snout – where’s the cheese? And don’t make me repeat that in stupid talk.’

‘Why should I tell you?’

The skirrat jumped off the futon and scurried toward my feet. As quick as lightening, it nipped me in the ankle.

‘Youch!’ I cursed and hopped to the futon, slumped down and rubbed the sting better. I glared at the fluff-ball sitting smug on the ground.

‘If I was mean, I’d clobber you into mince meat.’

‘Yes – yes, very threatening. I’m scared. Now where’s the cheese.’

‘What makes you think I have some old stinky cheese?’

It sighed and looked at me with a mixture of impatience and expectancy, as if two-legged creatures only existed to give it cheese.

‘Its not where the old one leaves it. Your here.’

‘The master gives you cheese?’

‘Every day, same time, same place, here,’ it gestured to the bench. ‘I like the blue ones the best. They so stinky.’

‘I didn’t know cheese was blue.’

‘You wouldn’t – you’re stupid,’ it answered in a matter-of-fact manner. ‘There are all sorts of cheese: pink – yellow – orange…’

I frowned as it rabbited on about the different texture and colors of cheese, like I cared to know.

‘And why I’m listening to this drivel?’

The skirrat grr’d. I sighed, got up and searched the bench to see if the master had, indeed, left something for the creature. I pushed aside a set of tubes and saw a plate of cheddar sitting like a prize amongst testing equipment. The cheddar had two tubes feeding liquid in and out of vials, gradually changing its color from normal yellow to lime and its smell into a sweet-pungent stink. I was surprised I wasn’t aware it was there before.

‘Ah – there it is,’ the skirrat declared. It scurried around a mess of tubes toward the plate. I disconnected the tubes and removed the cheddar just as it was about to jump on top of it.

‘Give me the cheese two-legs’ It arched its back and bared its fangs.

‘Cheddar shouldn’t be lime. I fear this isn’t good for you.’
‘Who cares. It taste good.’

I looked at the cheese then at the angry skirrat. I could give the creature its meal and think nothing of it. After all it had survived the last meals. Yet, knowing what I knew of the master, I couldn’t allow the creature to be a test-rat under my eyes. It didn’t feel ethical.

‘No – this has been tampered with. You know what tamper means?’ I gave the fluff-ball a smug look.

It grr’d and pounced on my legs. I wriggled and cursed as its clawed feet scampered up my body towards the cheese I held in the air.

‘Get off me you fluff-ball!’ I wriggled and twisted about to shake the vermin off but it wasn’t budging, too focused on getting the cheese.

Amongst our struggles, a few more of its kind entered the room sniffing around for food. They saw us and hurried over to join the fight for the cheese.

‘Vermin!’ I cried out and threw the cheese toward the far wall. An earth-red skirrat got to the cheddar first. It sunk its fangs in and started dragging it toward a hole in the corner architrave. The others were almost upon it when the earth-red skirrat cried out with pain then fell to the ground – ifeless.

The skirrats sniffed the cheese, their fallen comrade then ran off through the hole.

I picked up the fallen, dead, skirrat and cheese and searched the master’s desk for something to wrap it in.

‘Place him in the hole. The others will take him from there.’

I turned and faced the black and white skirrat on the futon. I nodded my head and did as it suggested. I went back to the bench and drowned the cheese in a fat vial of black liquid; never to cause death to any tiny creature again.

‘Thanks two-legs,’ the skirrat whispered. It hopped off the futon toward my legs.

I took a step back. ‘No more bites.’

‘Stupid two-legs,’ it breathed out and started licking the wounds it and its kind had given me.

As icky as it felt, oddly enough, my scratches seemed better. They didn’t sting at least.

‘I’m Wolf,’ it said.

I almost chuckled at its name; hard to imagine a fluff-ball named Wolf. I was able to compose myself in time.

‘Um, er, Neven.’
‘Not stupid then,’ it said lightly.

‘Not stupid.’ I smiled.

‘Well, er, look at the time. I must hurry two-legs,’ it flashed me a funny look. ‘Neven.’

It scurried toward the hole in the wall, paused and turned around. ‘If you need help – just call.’

‘Um – okay,’ I said politely and waved goodbye. I think the skirrat took it as a gesture of sarcasm because it hissed and went on its way mumbling about the stupidity of two-leg females and how dumb we all were.