The Artifact of Dissium (Demona Book 2) (17 page)

“So be it. The Massacre of Grief occurred many centuries ago during a time when the balance of dark and light were equal in Dissium. Before the massacre different types of beings were at peace and coexisted with only some minor intermittent conflict. A dark Queen, ancestor to Queen Yuriko, sought to control all of the magic that flowed in the land, and prepared her army to invade the Vilund camp.

“They invaded and victoriously conquered Vilund. The women and children were forced into slavery and the few men that had been captured were immediately executed. Many of the men had escaped the invasion, because they were out on a hunt. They returned to find that their homes had been destroyed and their families’ enslaved or slaughtered, so they ran for the forests and sought out the ancients. The ancients were a variety of neutral beings that had resided in Dissium since the beginning of time. The men pleaded for aid from the ancients in order to save their families.

“Most of the ancients turned the light beings away, for fear of upsetting the balance even more than the actions of the Queen had already done. Most were selfish and did not wish to have any part in a war, so they chose to live in ignorance of what the dark Queen was doing.

“The light beings pleaded their case to the unicorn race. They convinced them that they would feel the wrath of
Aleph
if they did not aid them. The unicorns agreed, for fear that the great God would send another plague upon their kind, as he had done in the past. So, they prepared a counterattack alongside the few remaining light beings. Their war camp gathered in these woods, which was known as the Brio Forest before the massacre.

”One of the unicorn warriors betrayed their kind and informed the dark Queen of the plan to attack. The Queen’s army planned a night raid on the war camp and slaughtered the majority of unicorns. The Queen’s men cut the horns from their heads and kept them as souvenirs. The foals and most of the women that had remained at home were left unaware of the events taking place. Out of a thousand male unicorns, in the war camp, approximately two hundred survived.

“The female unicorns received word of the attack and came to the aid of the men. The grief of the wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters of the warriors was said to echo through the forest for a week. It is said that the female unicorns cursed the woods, so that any who traveled through them would feel the sorrow they felt on that day.”

“That’s awful,” Felix said.

It is no mere story
, Aero said.
My father and brother died during the raid. The betrayal of one of our own set our decline in motion.

“I’m so sorry Aero,” Demona said. “Can-can I ask a question?”

You may dark one
, Aero replied.

“Exactly how old are you? I mean if the battle was centuries ago and your father and brother were there… That has to mean that unicorns live a long time.”

We do
, Aero replied.
Did you think that vampires were the only immortal beings on earth? I have lived longer than most of the beings in this land.

“I-I never really thought about it,” Demona said. “I guess I just assumed that the whole resurrection of the dead thing was the only way to become immortal. But we don’t necessarily live forever;
telos
is possible if we suffer a fatal wound.”

“It is the same for unicorns. Most non-humans live varying life spans. Only humans are limited by a short mortality,” Kearne replied.

Aero, Kearne, Ileana, and Demona looked at Felix awkwardly.

“Yeah, no need to say it. You all will probably live to see my grandchildren have grandchildren,” Felix replied.

I think that is enough depressing talk for one night,
Aero said.

“Wait! You never said what happened to the light beings! I’m dying to know!” Ileana said.

“More neutral beings stepped in after the unicorns were slaughtered; they joined forces out of fear. They forced the dark Queen to release the prisoners under relatively peaceful terms. It never really ended the violence between the two groups, but the light beings were never forced into slavery again. All neutral beings keep to their own communities and far away from the dark Queen’s descendants for fear that they will follow in her footsteps,” Kearne replied.

“Thank you,” Ileana said.

Aero laid himself onto the ground.
Rest well tonight. Tomorrow we travel to the last location of Fotos. Let us hope that he still remains where he once was. The river should be shallow enough to cross by morning
.

Chapter 16:

The Tomb of Beginning

The morning had come
and they quickly crossed the now shallow river. The glaring sun and long travels brought them into another hot afternoon. The sun beat down on the group from overhead and the atmosphere was thick with humidity. Not a single gust of wind offered the travelers relief. The air was calm, so calm that even the wildlife dared not venture out into the heat of the day.

Aero lead them onto higher terrain, where the trees began to thin as they traveled higher. The paths grew narrower and were bordered by a cliff on one side and a steep mountain slope on the other. Aero had warned everyone to watch their footing on the trail. It was filled with holes that could break ankles and throw travelers into the valley below. He led the group at a slow and steady pace to ensure no one would rush towards their destination.

We grow nearer to Bretthirg
, Aero said.
We must be extra cautious
.

Demona looked confused. “Fotos is just an archangel—”

“You think that because a Power in his half bird, half human form granted you access into Dissium that there is no reason to fear? Do you not realize that
Aleph
has warriors of his own? And those angels are his warriors? Never underestimate an angel, especially those that guard something sacred,” Kearne replied.

The fairy is correct
, Aero replied.
Fotos will know our true intentions and react accordingly. You will be tested.

The group rounded a bend in the trail that now seemed to cut between the mountain side and a few large boulders. Aero had difficulty trying to squeeze his large body through the opening. After a few minutes of careful maneuvering, so not the scrape his sides, he managed to pass through.

“I’m going to get a better look at this path. Do you think there is any risk?” Ileana asked.

Aero continued to lead them up a steepening incline.
I believe the risk is minimal, but do not draw near the top of the pass. Stay within our sight and land only by us. If you see suspicious movement return to us immediately
.

Ileana squawked at Aero in response and she took to the sky. She arched in wide circles above them and then angled downward in their direction. She circled around sideways and then soared back upwards. Ileana continued to repeat her pattern of flight and made sure not to venture too far from the group.

The rest of the companions continued up the rocky incline. Felix had been quiet during the day’s journey. Unlike the others, Felix’s mortal body was paying the price for their extensive travels and exposure to weather. He frequently stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow and take a swig of water to quench his thirst.

Ileana spiraled downward and fell quicker than Demona had ever witnessed before. She landed hard on the surface still in her phoenix form with wings outstretched. When Ileana transformed again she remained in a crouched position and panted heavily. “There is movement at the top of the trail. I couldn’t see what it was, but something is there.”

Let us hope that it is only Fotos
, Aero said.

They spent another half an hour journeying upwards on the trail, higher onto the mountain side. The trees continued to grow sparser and the dirt path became more solid rock than dirt the farther upwards they traveled. The sun continued to beat down upon them even more fiercely as their altitude increased, however the air seemed to grow cooler as well.

They passed through a low lying cloud as they neared the top. The cool, moist mist settled on their skin. It had also offered a temporary relief from the sun. Soon, the cloud floated up over the mountain and disappeared on the other side.

The group reached a level surface not far from the peak of the mountain. Aero paused and looked from side to side, before he determined which direction to travel in. They walked around a large slab of stone that seemed as if it had been deliberately placed standing up. They followed the solid stone and Demona realized it was not only a stone, but served as one of several support walls that formed a structure.

A parallel stone slab stood upright several yards to the left. Another sat perfectly in front and connected the two slabs together. The largest stone was placed directly on top creating a massive, flat roof. Demona wondered if a giant had been responsible for its construction. She noticed that there was a small opening on the stone facing.

Aero lifted his head upwards to sniff the air. Moments later he stepped cautiously in the direction of the opening and into darkness. The other companions looked at Demona for any indication from her if they should follow. Demona stepped in front of the opening and braced herself. She stepped into the structure and was ready for anything that she might encounter on the other side.

Demona was surprised by what she found inside the stone structure. The seemingly dark interior was actually not dark, but filled with streams of light. The evening sunlight had entered through holes at various locations in the walls and illuminated the room. Demona walked around and looked at several geometric designs that had been carved into the stone slabs. When she made her way to the back, she noticed that the sun’s rays poured into the room and shone on one specific shape. She rubbed her hand over the unfamiliar etching.

The others walked around and marveled at the ancient designs. Felix now stood beside Demona as she studied the illuminated shape. Then, she turned to the center of the room to find a basin shaped altar, which stood on top of a cylinder. Demona placed her hand on the altar and was surprised at how cold it was.

There are no signs of Fotos. We shall check outside for any other clues
, Aero said.

The group stepped back out of the structure and looked around carefully for any sign of life. Each of her companions walked in different directions cautiously looking for proof of a living being.

“Hey, guys check this out,” Ileana said.

They stood around what looked like a long pile of rocks only to discover that it was another structure in disguise. The rocks were piled to form walls that supported a grassy mound. Demona produced a flame and stepped through the opening into darkness. The air smelled damp and stale.

Demona allowed the light to fill the room while the flicker of the flame cast eerie shadows from objects around the room. She stood inside the elongated structure with walls made of stone and a roof of timber. It was not dissimilar to the buildings in Vilund or Gleannbroch. Some old, broken wooden furnishings were placed around the room, but it seemed that it been abandoned for quite some time.

“There’s a draft over here,” Felix said. He held his hand out over the floor in front of him.

Kearne pulled a disintegrating animal skin away from the spot that Felix stood near, to discover that it covered a large sized hole in the dirt floor. The group stood around the hole. It seemed that the darkness absorbed the light from Demona’s flame.

Felix whistled and looked downward at the black hole below. “I’m glad I didn’t take another step.”

“Any ideas what is down there, Aero?” Ileana asked.

No
, Aero said.
Father Jandro’s final directions ended when we crested Bretthirg. It would seem that this is where we will need to part. I will stand guard here, until your return
.

“The rest of you can stay here. Kearne will go with me,” Demona said.

Felix crossed his arms. “You are not going down there alone…with him.”

“Aero and I will be fine here. We can look after each other. Just be careful,” Ileana said.

They discovered a small wooden ladder leaning up against the far side of the room. The ladder was not as sturdy as it might have once been, but there was no other way for them to descend. Felix lowered the ladder down into the hole, which stopped with the last rung protruding upward against the opening. It provided just enough support and a grip to begin their climb.

Kearne broke the leg of a wooden chair and pulled some scraps of linen from a rotting cot. He wrapped the cloth around one end of the stick and tied it off. Demona watched as Kearne took what appeared to be a broken oil lamp and poured a few remaining drops of oil onto the material.

“Let’s go,” Kearne said.

Demona was the first to descend the ladder and lit up the tunnel below after she had reached the bottom. She looked around as the light bounced off of the walls of a narrow tunnel. She waited until Kearne joined her and held the flame up to his torch, until the cloth caught fire. Demona dismissed her flame when Felix reached solid ground. Ileana lowered Felix’s pack first and then Demona’s. They adjusted the packs on their backs to make them more comfortable. Then, Demona glanced back up the hole to see Ileana’s barely visible face in the darkness above.

“Be careful!” Ileana said.

Demona waved up to her. “You too. We’ll be back soon! I hope.” Demona led the group down the passage and produced a ball of flames to light their way.

Felix walked behind her and Kearne followed in the rear with his torch. They walked through a downward sloping tunnel. Their shoes kicked up the long settled dust, which caused Felix to sneeze. The walls seemed to press in on all sides and left only enough room for them to squeeze themselves straight through the tunnel.

The only thing ahead of them was darkness and more darkness, until Demona stepped forward to find herself on the end of a drop off at the mouth of a large cavern. A set of steps had been chiseled out of stone that descended to the floor below. Demona led the way to the right sticking close to the cavern walls, which also seemed to have been carved into a perfectly domed shape. The light ran in front of her with each step she took as she followed the walls.

“This is a tomb,” Kearne said. He took his torch and walked to the center of the cavern. “It’s the Tomb of Beginning.” He tilted his torch into another basin altar in the center of the room. The basin burst with flame that lit most of the tomb.

“Wow, that’s a lot of gold,” Felix said as he looked down at two large objects.

The flaming basin stood at the foot of two smooth, gold sarcophagi placed side by side. Demona held her light over the top of them to get a better look. There were more detailed carvings etched on the cover stone. She noticed at the head that the likeness of a woman was carved into one and a man on the other.

“Who are they?” Demona asked.

“The first man and woman on earth, the first mortals,” Kearne said. “The sacred texts say that the first man and woman were buried in Dissium, but I never thought it was true. I always thought it was just a story.” He leaned over them admiringly to get a closer look.

“I wonder if this is just another thing that Fotos guards? I wonder why he would leave it,” Demona said.

“Don’t be so sure that he has. Remember Aero said we would be tested. This tomb has to be tens of thousands of years old. I mean think about how old that is. It’s amazing,” Kearne said. He was clearly in awe of what his eyes were seeing.

“It is truly magnificent, to be standing in the resting place of the mother and father of all beings on earth,” Felix said.

“I guess I will need a history lesson at some point,” Demona replied. “Do you think the artifact is inside?”

“No, we will not disturb the mother and father’s resting place. Look elsewhere,” Kearne replied.

While Felix and Kearne marveled at the sarcophagi, Demona took the opportunity to get a better look at the remainder of the cavern. She finished walking around the perimeter of the chamber, until she came upon something new.

“Treasure,” Demona said. She stared down at a large wooden chest filled to the top with more beautiful items.

Felix and Kearne’s heads both popped up at the word. “What,” they said simultaneously.

“There’s treasure, here.”