The Mask Wearer (15 page)

Medusa had not lied to Beorf when she told him that Karmakas was in control of her snake-hairs through his magic. When a gorgon did not obey the sorcerer’s orders, the reptiles bit the gorgon’s face and shoulders pitilessly. The pain was so intense that it destroyed any desire for revolt or independence.

When Karmakas had realized that the humanimal refused to talk in spite of his hunger, he had decided to ensnare him.
Karmakas ordered Medusa to free Beorf and make him believe that she was his friend. He then listened to every conversation that the gorgon and man-bear had in the cavern through the intermediary of the golden snakes of the gorgon’s hair. The heart of a beorite was as big as its stomach. The sorcerer’s ruse had proven successful.

Now Karmakas had the pendant, and he remained locked inside Bratel-la-Grande’s castle. He had decreed that no one was to leave the capital. But Medusa knew Beorf’s secret passage and refused to obey the sorcerer. Every day, she slipped out of the city through the secret tunnel and went to be with the young humanimal.

There was something fascinating about this boy. Looking at him, the young gorgon felt a new feeling grow inside of her—a sense of emptiness that she had never known before. She wanted to take him in her arms, to watch him stuff himself with nuts, to listen to his chatter, and to feel the warmth of his back against hers. The feeling that was growing slowly within her gave her increasing pain. It wasn’t like the pain from a snakebite or a wound received in battle. It was more acute, deeper and more serious.

With her hand, she caressed Beorf’s stone face as she remembered his good humor and innocence. He would never again be alive by her side. To break a gorgon’s spell, the gorgon had to be killed by seeing her own reflection. This was the only way to bring a stone statue back to life, the only way to reverse the curse. She would never see Beorf alive again. For the first time ever, she missed someone. She caught herself laughing at the thought of Beorf’s silliness and cried to see
him prisoner of her curse. She had betrayed her only friend and felt horribly guilty.

As she caressed Beorf’s face one last time before going back to Bratel-la-Grande, a puff of wind entered the cavern. It went around the space carefully, brushing each object, whirling against the cavern walls. It seemed to be looking for something. The wind surrounded Medusa, then Beorf. It gathered in front of Beorf’s face, forming a translucent sphere that tried to enter into Beorf’s ears but could not penetrate the stone. Unable to deliver its message, the sphere broke in pieces and Medusa heard a boy’s voice.

“Beorf, it’s me, Amos. I am well and will come as soon as possible with an army of four hundred knights. Hold tight, I’ll be there soon.”

Medusa remembered that Beorf had mentioned that his friend Amos Daragon had left to go to the woods of Tarkasis. But he had never said that Amos was so powerful. Now Amos was coming with an army to take back Bratel-la-Grande. The young gorgon left the cavern in a hurry to go and warn Karmakas. Midway, she changed her mind.

If I tell the sorcerer
, she thought,
I’ll betray Beorf a second time. But if I keep quiet, the knights will launch a surprise attack and take back the city. My fellow gorgons will be destroyed. I might lose my life too
.

Faced with this dilemma, Medusa sat down to think. She did not want to hurt anyone again. Her heart had discovered the importance of friendship. The fate of humans and that of gorgons was in her hands. She had to make a decision and take a side once and for all. She hurried back to the cavern.
As she stood in front of Beorf, she looked at him from head to toe.

“You too have the most beautiful eyes, my friend,” she whispered.

Once he had the skull pendant in his hands, Karmakas had rushed to the castle of Bratel-la-Grande. Installed in his new quarters, he had told his gorgon servants that he was on no account to be disturbed. The naga spent hours at a time looking at the pendant. He fondled it between his long fingers, smiling with contentment. At last the sorcerer had gotten his property back. After he had searched so many years for Yaune the Purifier, his efforts had been fully rewarded. His enemies, the Knights of Light, were now just harmless statues. He would be able to give life to his basilisk.

Karmakas felt a renewed strength, a courage fueled by a desire for revenge. He was going to create a living weapon capable of destroying humans, a weapon that would assure his reign on earth. He would start by extending his power from city to city, from realm to realm, and then take control of all of this part of the world. His armies of gorgons would go north to attack barbarians, then south to seize the rich and prosperous countries located on the other side of the ocean. Nothing could derail his plan. The gods of darkness would thank him and grant him infinite power. He might even be elevated to the rank of demigod!

Karmakas came from a faraway country close to Hyperborea, where humanimals like him were considered devils. He
lived in a large city cut into the stone face of arid mountains. From an early age, he had shown a special talent for magic. He knew better than anyone else how to control snakes. Having noticed this gift, his parents had entrusted him to a sect that worshipped Seth—a snake-headed god. Karmakas became a powerful sorcerer, quickly outshining his teachers. He easily inspired respect and fear.

As soon as he had been proclaimed king and master of the city, Karmakas had encouraged the dwellers to revolt against humans. His arrogance and his unbridled ambition had driven him to wage a merciless war against all the surrounding kingdoms. Hordes of snake-men had attacked and ransacked cities and villages, leaving only misery and desolation in their wake. Tired of these incessant wars, several humanimals of his own species had decided to get rid of him. They wanted another leader. Karmakas didn’t care. He used his powers to form an army of gorgons that he led against his own people. To punish them for their treason, he had all the inhabitants killed. The snake-headed god, Seth, took notice and appeared to him; he offered Karmakas a rooster’s egg.

The sorcerer never had time to create his basilisk. The Knights of Light had been called to help the humans fight against evil and Karmakas. He had hidden his precious egg in the pendant that Yaune the Purifier managed to steal. During the battle, a spear went through Karmakas’s body. He hovered between life and death for several months and had to rest for many long years before recovering his strength and his powers. Then he began his search for Yaune the Purifier and for the pendant. Now his search was over. He was finally
going to create a basilisk that could single-handedly destroy entire armies and cities.

For several days Karmakas spent time alone in his castle, looking at and caressing the pendant. He had gotten it back physically, but he needed to repossess it mentally—to reinvest it with his power. When he felt ready, the sorcerer went to his bedroom. He opened the lid of a gold box and took out a black vial. Two diamond snake fangs decorated the vial’s cork. The sorcerer lifted the vial toward the sky and pronounced some magic words. Then he uncorked the vial and drank some of the liquid. Right away he lost consciousness and fell to the ground, hitting his head. The sorcerer felt his soul leave his body.

Karmakas was now walking along a corridor with grimy walls. He reached a temple built entirely of human bones. The columns that supported the roof were made of skulls. Tibia and femur bones were set into the walls, creating a morbid and frightening mosaic. In the center of the temple, a snake-headed man sat on a golden throne. His skin was light red in color and his hands resembled strong eagle talons.

“Your servant,
ssss
, is here, powerful Seth,” Karmakas said as he kneeled in front of Seth, the god of jealousy and treachery. “I bring you,
ssss
, some good news. Are you willing to listen?”

The god blinked twice in agreement.

“I’ve recaptured the pendant that,
ssss
, contains the rooster egg. In a day, I’ll possess a basilisk,
ssss
, to lead my army of gorgons. No human or any other creature of light,
ssss
, will be able to resist.”

Seth seemed delighted. “Very well! The war has begun,” he said. “All the gods of evil are united and ready to seize the world. Our creatures of water are already winning many aquatic kingdoms. We rely on you, Karmakas, to extend the force of darkness over earth. You’re one of our most faithful servants and we hold you in much esteem. Be careful, however. Remember the long tradition of the mask wearers. The Lady in White has revived this force that has been extinct for generations. A young warrior of equilibrium has been chosen. He will visit you soon. He’s not very experienced and so possesses little power. Eliminate him quickly, as well as his accompanying army.”

Karmakas got up, bowed to his master, and left the sinister temple. He took the corridor, returned to his body, and then woke up abruptly. Tired by his journey, the naga went to his laboratory in the depths of the castle. A lot of potions and flasks filled with poison were there, as well as a big black book. He grabbed the pendant, broke it between his strong fingers, and took out the rooster egg. Much smaller than the egg of a hen, it was pale green with gray spots; its shell was as hard as stone. Karmakas put it in a wooden box that he had made himself and sat a big toad on top of it. The toad covered the egg with its huge body. The magician closed the lid of the box, which was pierced with holes that allowed the toad to breathe.

Karmakas then went up to the main room of the castle and requested that Medusa be brought to him. A few minutes later, the young gorgon came in.

“You called for me, Father?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Karmakas. “Listen to me carefully,
ssss
. I’ve another mission for you,
ssss
, of the highest importance. I know that,
ssss
, an army will arrive here soon,
ssss
, to take back the city. You’ll go,
ssss
, to meet and intercept it. Among the soldiers, there’ll be a human,
ssss
, who has the title of mask wearer. You must,
ssss
, gain his trust and,
ssss
, turn him into stone later. Once he’s petrified,
ssss
, I’ll send hordes of snakes to destroy his army. The gorgons,
ssss
, will take care of the survivors. Go forth and do not come back,
ssss
, until your mission is accomplished.”

Medusa could not believe her ears. She had barely heard Amos’s message in the cavern and Karmakas already knew of it! How had he found out so quickly that an army was coming? The sorcerer was powerful; she knew she had better obey him if she wanted to stay alive. The fear that the naga—her father—inspired made her tremble. It took all her self-control to keep her composure.

“I’ll do my best to please you,” she answered.

“Leave now; I’ve,
ssss
, other things to do,” Karmakas commanded.

Then, lost in thought, the naga added softly to himself, “My basilisk,
ssss
, is waiting for me.”

F
or four days, the Knights of Equilibrium prepared to follow Amos’s recommendations. Shields were polished until they reflected everything in front of them like mirrors. They had to shine at all times. The blacksmiths of Berrion had done their work perfectly. The large shields of the infantry shone in the sun, and so did the round ones used by the archers.

Thanks to a meticulous reading of the book
Al-Qatrum, the Territories of Darkness
, Amos established a war strategy. He requested that two mongooses be captured for every one of his knights. The animals would protect them against a possible snake attack. The Lady in White had appeared to him, warning him against an eventual downpour of vipers that the enemy could launch with their magic power. Men combed the land of Berrion and that of surrounding kingdoms, and seven hundred and seventy-seven mongooses were caught and distributed among the four hundred knights who formed
the Berrion army. The knights were ordered not to feed the animals during their journey to Bratel-la-Grande. It was vital that the snake eaters be famished at the time of their confrontation with the reptiles.