Apr 25

Apr 25 Shadows Of The Soul

Shadows Of The Soul - book excerpt

Lying there, all she could do was wait. The crisp cool air from the nearby mountains brushed against her skin as the silhouettes of various avians graced the skyways. It had been over a decade since she had arrived in this war-torn universe. Since she had met him. Since she had conceived this child. Her position in the heavens now revoked, she had no choice but to stay here and watch over the creatures she had risked her all to save.

Scarlet and violet hues danced around the field before her, the wind coordinating the flowers’ every move. Gentle mists could be seen slowly traversing the hidden base of the Irakalla Mountains. The golden streaks in her luscious black hair played on the breeze as she inhaled the crispness of the meadow. It was here she had decided to birth her child.

“Your Majesty, are you okay? Can we get you anything? Have the contractions started?” Her faithful minister of defense’s visage appeared from the darkened hollow behind her. Glancing backward, she could see he had verified the healer’s preparations of the birthing area quite thoroughly.

A sigh of despair escaped her as she looked back into the sky. The twin suns shining down on her as the Celestial Eclipse neared, filled her with so much hope…and pain. It was on this day ten years ago that she became with child. At the height of the convergence, she would give birth to the next evolution of her kind…

My kind…

Her kind…a murderous pack of destructive beings awaiting the Celestial Lunar Eclipse…the day they were promised they would conquer the two divine realms and finally have access to Vidik Suvereno, the realm between realms where they would be granted immortality.

Inching a small blade of grass into her mouth, a small grin pierced her lips. The marks of the Sphynx and Manticore on her inner wrists reminded her of her past.

At least this child will never have to worry about that kind of existence.

Here, she had aided in the creation of a peaceful world. A world where everyone had plenty and prosperity flourished.

“ARGGHHH!”

An agonizing pull in her abdomen halted her thought process.

“My lady…is everything ok?! Is it that time?!”

The healers brushed past the minister of defense, darting to her side. As they approached, a soft lime-green glow emanated from their bodies, slowly covering her.

“Her breathing has slowed.”

“She seems to be coming back around.”

The healers swiftly moved, hovering like a hive of bees over their queen. Their hands circulated in tantric rotation as they moved around her. The glowing aura started to numb the pain as the agonized look on her face subsided.

“We’ve got to move her into the birthing chamber before the suns align! Sir Tari?! Sir Tari, we need you!!”

From inside the birthing chamber, all that could be heard was the slithering and hissing of what seemed like hundreds of snakes. The tongues and heads of one, then three, then ten snakes started coming out from the darkened room. Moving away, the healers allowed the serpents through as they crawled towards the queen. Meticulously, they began to circle her body from head to foot, slowly tightening upon each other as more and more vipers joined them from the darkness. Within two or three minutes, they had intertwined to form a bed of living serpents hoisting her into the air.

*THUMP THUMP*

The heartbeat of the child caused everyone in the vicinity to shudder as it resonated with their souls, many dropping to one knee. The snakes shook, a few falling from the bed, making it lean to one side. For every serpent that faded, two more took its place, keeping the bed from tipping over as it slowly made its way into the sparsely lit birthing chamber. The healers, recovering from their reeling, accompanied the bed of creatures.

Each healer tried to maintain mystical contact with the mother-to-be, walking in unison, unbothered by the snakes coiling around their ankles. As they closed in on the darkened door the chiseled visage of the Minister of Defense, Johar Tari, became clearer. His dark, dreaded hair fell over his stony gaze. The bright white gloss of his reverse dilated pupils scanned his queen in sheer concern. Pieces of piercing light sullenly combed through the room from the branchlike structure encompassing them. Serpents of all kinds seemed to encompass his entire lower half, hoisting him eight feet in the air. Slithering over the birthing bed, they gently released the queen from their grasp. Slowly dispersed, the ophidians returned to Johar. Lowering himself, the serpentine tendrils dissipated, revealing a more humanoid form. Red, black, and gold silk ceremonial attire formed from the very scales of the creatures he commanded.

“Marie,” he whispered in her ear as her dainty hand disappeared into his. Running his hands through her hair, he kissed her forehead. “My queen, it will be okay. This child, our child, will be as beautiful as her mother.” With tears in his eyes, he caressed her face.

“Or as handsome as his father…” she stated, allowing a pained giggle to escape her grimacing smirk.

The remaining healers, finally recovered from the psionic pulse of the child’s heartbeat, made their way into the chamber, ushering Johar to quickly step away.

“My queen,” his head bowed in submission, “I will take my leave…but should you need me…” He paused, allowing their eyes to connect only briefly. “Merely utter my name.”

A slow nod signified her understanding of his feelings as one of the healers stepped between them, finalizing preparations for the birth. Quietly, he backed towards the door, his head remaining bowed until he finally reached the entrance. Upon exiting, vipers of all breeds began to emerge from his torso, his legs and thighs melting away into a sea of slithering serpents. The simplest motion seemed to command them as hundreds found their way to the doorway. Interlocking, they contorted to form a protective covering over the entire domed birthing room.

Inside the room, the healers scurried about.

“Where are the clothes? Does anyone see the Yestina petals? How far apart are her contractions?”

The pain intensified as the sun's orbital approach continued. Screams of agony and pain tore through the forest, scattering nearby flocks of birds.

“Ahhhh…Arrrrgggggghhhhhhhh!!!!”

“It’s nearly time,” said one of the healers as she raced across the room to a rotating lever. “Someone, help me open the skylight!”

A few healers raced over to assist her with the three-handled wheel, which opened the hatch in the upper portion of the branches covering the room. As they turned, the sun’s light pierced through the darkened den, shining directly onto Marie. She screeched as though tortured by the sun’s very existence.

And then, it happened…

“THUMP THUMP…THUMP THUMP…”

Each murmur of the child’s heartbeat could be felt across a portion of the globe. The forest creatures began to scurry. They all raced to evacuate the area, as though a catastrophic event were on the horizon. Those not hardy or swift enough to escape the range instantly collapsed, as though death had taken its toll. The healers were also worse for wear, though each of them continued to release a green aura seeking to absolve the queen of her pain. Alas, one by one, they, too, fell; victim to the psionic blasts emitting from the queen and her unborn child.

“THUMP THUMP…THUMP THUMP”

“It is time, my queen, you must push.”

The few healers still conscious continued to work tirelessly through the birthing process. A flurry of fresh towels, water containers, and potions continuously rotated around the room.

“THUMP THUMP…THUMP THUMP…THUMP THUMP…THUMP THUMP…” This time, even the strongest healers had issues maintaining their composure.

As the height of the lunar eclipse came to a head, there was but one healer left standing by the queen’s side. Sliding her arm underneath Marie’s head, she whispered, “We’re almost there, my queen. You will now give birth to the living damnation of all you tried to preserve. Your child will be the demon spawn that hastens the desolation of everything you have come to love these last ten years. May we all be reborn as servants in the Manticore’s Court…LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!!!”

Marie’s eyes widened as the healer removed her hands from under her neck. Blood trailed down the healer’s arm where the faint reflection of hair like needles protruded.

“THUMP THUMP…THUMP THUMP…”

The healer, no longer able to withstand the barrage of energy, and her errand finally complete, lost consciousness. Falling to the floor, she mouthed, “May I rest in your court, my queen…”

Silence enveloped the den. Marie’s breathing shallowed as she barely released the words from her now-numb mouth, “Jo-har…”

From under the earth, a violent eruption of serpents spewed into the den.

“MARIE!!!! What have I done? I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone…”

Holding her close, tears filled his eyes as he gripped her head and hand.

“The baby…” she gasped.

Reaching towards the sheets below her, he froze. Draped in bloodied layers, a figure seemed to rise, giving the appearance of a small ghost. A violent wind shunted its way through the den, ruffling the sheets before blowing them to the floor. There, floating in confusion, the wide-eyed face of a child met his gaze. A demon-blue color slowly rose from the child’s feet across her skin. Inconspicuously, Johar attempted to send serpents around the bedside in preparation to contain or strike as needed.

The eclipse now complete, an ominous ring emitted kaleidoscopic flames. The sudden waving of their arms wildly across the sky must have scared the child. Scared or awakened…none still conscious could tell.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

An explosive psychic blast was released with the child’s shrill cry. From the skies of Xibalba, all that could be seen was a mushroom cloud of destruction. For miles on end, the lush greenery that covered the southern fields of the Irakalla Mountains was destroyed.

A desolate wasteland was created.

A queen was killed.

A child was born.