Offspring (The Sword of the Dragon) (35 page)

Beside the strange characters Vectra had written, Oganna scratched the letters that were familiar to her. Vectra was right—they had the same alphabet, just different characters to represent each letter. The ancients had not written in a foreign tongue; they had likely created one alphabet or the other as a code to confuse their enemies. It was either that or the Ancient Ones’ runes were the originals, and her people used a modernized script.

A palm-sized granite stone lay nearby. Oganna picked it up and copied the cipher from the wall. “Now I can read the Ancient Ones’ symbols and understand what they say.” She slipped it into one of her pockets.

“Vectra, what did you mean at the Tomb of the Ancients when you said that you will ‘subjugate’ all megatraths under your leadership? Are there other megatrath nations with their own leaders?”

Vectra chuckled deep in her throat. “You
are
an inquisitive one, aren’t you? You seem to remember every word I speak. And that is fine with me; in fact I welcome a keen mind such as yours.” She paused before continuing. “There are several other underground megatrath nations, none of them equal in might to mine. They are scattered enough to make it difficult for me to reach them all. You see, in order to unite them I must prove myself to be the strongest in each of those nations, either by our nation conquering theirs in war or by me dueling their leaders. This takes, as I am sure you can imagine, a very long time.

“These caverns in which we stand were once ruled by my great grandfather, an exceptionally powerful megatrath. He was the last in a long line of strong-willed leaders who held the many factions together as one nation. After his death there were five megatraths of equal strength who fought for the kingdom, but none of them could overcome the others. So an agreement was reached that allowed each of them to rule a portion of the kingdom so long as they left the others alone.

“My race was once mighty and”—she gave a toothy grin and ran her claws down the wall—“we were feared by our enemies. Now we are divided and thus weakened. I intend to unite our factions once more and restore our former glory.”

Oganna thought of her father and how he had taken the Hemmed Land’s inhabitants from a loose network of vulnerable people to hope and unity. Vectra’s desires seemed to be on the same, commendable plane. But were her motives?

“No doubt you are curious what my motives are in this matter.” Vectra scratched her side with her claws. “Allow me to assure you that it is not for the glory of conquest, though I do enjoy a good fight! My kind have lived in the darkness for too long, and it has hardened us to the world above and to each other. It is time for the megatraths to follow me into a new era of peace, achieved through conflict.”

The possibility of forming an alliance with Vectra had been at the back of Oganna’s mind ever since the tour of the tomb. With these desert monsters on her father’s side, the Hemmed Land’s southern border would no longer be a concern, and their assistance might prove helpful in Ilfedo’s troubles with the desert north of the Hemmed Land. Had the time come to broach the subject, or should she wait?

A breath of damp air sent a shiver up her spine as she turned to gaze boldly into Vectra’s eyes. “You and I have an opportunity here,” she said. “To create an alliance between our two nations. Together we could change this part of Subterran by spreading civilization. Think of it—an ally on your northern doorstep! What better way to strengthen your position in the eyes of your fellow megatraths? If your rivals make war upon you, we will aid you. If we are attacked, then you will come to our aid.”

“Hmm.” Vectra paced back and forth.

“Vectra, why not? Surely the rival megatraths will hear of how the Warrioresses and I slew Loos. If you ally yourself with us—strengthening the bond of trust between us—they will fear you more than ever.”

No answer.

Oganna smiled. “By showing me the Tomb of the Ancients you have proven that you trust me. Tomorrow my aunts and I must return to our homeland. It is my sincere desire that you will accompany me so that I may return your hospitality and acquaint my people with your kind.”

With a sigh, Vectra looked at her. “Your people will remember my kind with bitterness for, though I did not wish it, one of my subjects invaded your territory and committed murder. His life has been justly extinguished, but his deed will forever haunt us.”

“Then come with me to the Hemmed Land. My father is facing a strange sort of threat on our northern border. Winged men that fight like birds have invaded on occasion and now, it seems, desert vipers are going into our forests to slay people in their sleep. If you were to come and assist him, the people would recognize the goodness in your heart, and you would earn their trust.”

“I
would
like to earn their trust.” Vectra rumbled in her throat long and low. “Loos’s deeds are a blot that I want to rectify. I favor an alliance with your people.” She puffed out her chest and growled her resolution. “Let us today and now make a pact—between us alone—to stand by each other as friends even if everyone else stands against us. And let us bind ourselves to this friendship with an unbreakable oath.”

Oganna relaxed and nodded. “Agreed.”

“Come with me.” Vectra knelt and invited Oganna to hop on to ride. “The place that I should like to do this is a long run from here. It would be a rough walk for you, but for me it is nothing.”

The creature’s hide was rough, scaly, and uncomfortable. Oganna wasn’t going to complain, but Vectra swiveled around to look at her. “A ride on my back will not be the easiest on your body. Slide up to my neck.”

Oganna complied. Vectra’s neck felt flexible and the scales smoother, and as Vectra started running, Oganna found that the ride was a lot smoother than she’d thought it would be. She held on tightly as they spiraled down a narrow path along the cavern walls. Total darkness soon enveloped them, and only an occasional flash of flame from Vectra’s mouth lighted the way.

Vectra reached the cavern’s floor, slid on her rear legs to break her momentum, and skidded to a halt. “I used to come down here when I was a
megling
. The darkness hides these depths from the firelights above, and few megtraths have ever ventured down here. It is their loss, for I have found wonders that they have not imagined.”

She tilted her head back, her sides billowing as her lungs sucked in air, then she snapped her head forward and let out a deafening roar. Her bellow resounded through the unexplored depths, daring any to stand in her way. As the last echoes died out, she repeated the roar, eerily bouncing it throughout the chasms, chambers, and tunnels. Satisfied, she walked forward with Oganna still clinging to her neck.

The megatrath spat a stream of fire ahead, revealing a tunnel straight ahead. It had a circular opening, and its floor sloped deeper underground. Large tiles, most of them broken, covered the tunnel floor. A statue had fallen across the floor. Large stone pieces that once formed the image of a human—male or female, Oganna could not tell—lay scattered. The statue’s base stood whole and a pair of stone-carved, sandaled human feet remained atop it, broken off at the ankles.

Vectra lumbered into the tunnel and stepped over the fallen statue.

“What is this place?” Oganna asked.

“Truthfully I do not really know.” The creature walked into the deep darkness, still descending. Oganna could feel the powerful feet thud on the floor. “I really do not know the purpose of many of these ancient constructions. It is a pity. My race lives above all of this—and we know so few of the secrets these places hold. The Tomb of the Ancients we know, for it was a gift to the megatrath race. But beyond that there are depths, depths in the darkest, deepest places. I know that the Ancients constructed this—all of this. Yet why and how is beyond my knowledge.

“I am now taking you to a place of solitude that I discovered as a
megling
. I believe it also was constructed by the Ancient Ones—and one of their spirits still resides there. He is a wise guiding spirit of great power, as you will soon discern. If we do not anger him, he will bear witness to our oath of alliance and ensure that the oath is kept.”

“So this spirit—is he someone you can see?” The megatrath barrelled forward. As the dark tunnel rushed past, Oganna cringed. She could only hope Vectra wouldn’t blindly knock into a wall. She forced a smile, hoping it would influence her tone. She doubted very much this spirit could be real. “Vectra, have you ever touched this spirit? Like, is he able to physically manifest himself?”

The creature gasped. “Never! Once I tried to approach his form, but I will never do so again. He condemned my action, and my body suddenly felt as though it were boiling in lava. Fortunately I came to my senses and, in pardon, he permitted me to return from time to time to see his magnificence and hear his counsel.”

Vectra rocked to a stop. Oganna felt the creature’s body quiver.

A light shone upon them from high above. Its blinding radiance forced her to shield her face with her hand. She squinted between her fingers at a cream-colored orb attached to the ceiling by a twisted iron elbow.

A voice spoke out, a confident male voice that filled the room. “Megatrath, welcome.” She looked about at the brightly lit walls constructed of rectangular blocks of stone. Vectra kept her gaze to the floor, but Oganna peered into the corners, trying to discern the voice’s origin.

“What is your name megatrath?”

“It is I, Vectra. And I bring a friend.”

Oganna still could see nothing to indicate where the speaker came from. She glanced up at the orb. Was it possible that the speaker could see through that illumination device?

“I assume, Vectra, that you desire entry into the chamber for counsel.”

Vectra bowed her head toward the far wall. “This human wishes to ally herself with me.”

A long silence, then the light extinguished. Darkness flooded back into the chamber, and Oganna strained to make her eyes adjust. Another light blazed from overhead, shining in a narrow beam upon Oganna’s head. The sudden brightness stung her eyes.

“Ah, yes. I had not noticed,” the voice said in a hushed tone. “She
is
human.”

“She is also my friend,” Vectra replied.

Oganna heard stones grating. The light shifted toward the far wall, shining upon a large square opening. Vectra plodded through the entrance a couple dozen feet and halted. The stones grated behind them, and the entry resealed itself behind them, leaving them in pitch-blackness.

“Human, step forward.”

Oganna frowned. To what or to whom did the voice belong? Vectra’s head lowered her to the floor. Her shoes cracked on what sounded like tile, and she groped forward in the darkness in the direction of the voice. “Why?”

She heard Vectra snort. The megatrath’s voice hissed around her. “Do not anger the spirit!”

“I want to see what you look like, spirit. I want to see you for what you really are. Long ago you inflicted unnecessary pain on this megatrath.” She dropped one hand to her side and curled her fingers around Avenger’s crystalline hilt.

“Impudence!” the man shouted. The chamber reverberated with the sound. “Submit to my will, human. Do not anger me.” Through the veiling blackness the ghostly image of a giant man strode toward her. In his hand he held a wicked-looking sword of enormous size, and a small helm crowned his head.

She drew Avenger from its sheath. Its crystal blade turned crimson, its power clothed her in silver, and she stood as an angel without fear. The light of her sword and garment lit the area. She stood in a room constructed of stone. The light revealed a small window set in the back wall. She glanced back at Vectra. The creature cowered on the floor, every muscle trembling. No doubt remembering the pain this “spirit” had inflicted on her as a
megling
.

The man pointed his gloved hand at Oganna. Her joints ached, and then her skin warmed as if with fever. But she set her face toward the small window. If the imposter had sequestered himself in there—

With a silent command, she doused the light of her sword and that of her clothing. She concealed herself in the shadows and ran along the wall, dragging her finger lightly over the stones until she found a deep notch. Carefully she spidered her fingers along the notch, tracing the rectangular outline. So this was a small door. Tensing her arm, she pushed against the stone barrier. It swung inward without so much as a squeak, and she slipped inside.

To her right curved a long narrow room, dimly lighted by glowing ceiling panels only five feet above her head. She calmed her beating heart and walked around the curve. There, she stepped onto a grid of muted, yellow lights, warm under her feet.

A grid of multi-colored buttons, along with a few levers, glowed on panels set in the walls. Green and blue strings stretched from the ceiling to the floor along the back wall. Each string pulsated light, and a steady hum filled the room. A sheet three feet wide and two feet high leaned against one of the lighted panels. An image of Vectra still cowering in the darkened chamber appeared on its face.

A bearded man stood on a white floor panel in front of the image display. He held the sword she had seen earlier in the ghostly image. But now both he and the sword were proportionally smaller. In fact, he stood a bit shorter than her father. The man scowled at the screen and muttered, “That little whelp. Where’d she go?”