Dear Muse (Those Whom the Gods Wish to Destroy Book 1) (10 page)

Lug demanded to face the chieftains in fair combat. Gar did not trust Floon, especially wielding the spear, and grudgingly kept silent. His ally stepped forward, accepting the challenge, brandishing his weapon in ostensible mockery at the unarmed Lug. Lug called Floon a coward and said that he should fight hand-to-hand, as their ancestors had. Without a word, he impaled Lug through the chest, grinding the tip deeper and deeper until it passed through his back.

Gar broke into unrestrained laughter as Floon lamely attempted to pry the spear tip from Lug’s corpse, heaping caustic mockeries, comparing his ally to a newborn and Kay, having survived so far through supreme cowardice. He boasted that Floon would die wielding the bone spear, for if he were to lose against the most inferior among the chieftains, he had no right to sovereignty. Floon, blinded with rage, flew at Gar, who narrowly dodged a fatal blow, the point lodging in his upper thigh. Before Floon could pry it out, Gar seized him by the arm and drew him closer, swiftly tearing off his necklace of severed heads and taking hold of Karkrak’s with his free hand. Floon managed to tear his weapon from Gar’s leg, nearly ripping his leg in two, but took the brunt of his blow to the head, splitting his skull down the middle.

Gar managed to raise himself with the spear, gouts of blood squirting from his leg. The citadel doors flung open, and a milieu of Kel poured inside. He could no longer distinguish them from his foes, for their clans had been wholly assimilated. They saw Gar standing limply over the corpses of Floon and Lug and immediately broke into a deafening cheer praising the strongest of the Kel.

Gar’s first order consisted of two tasks: build a throne atop the citadel, and fortify the city’s ground. When this was finished, he added, the ramparts must touch the sky. The Kel were disappointed, assuming this had been the end of their everlasting conflict. It would be useful to protect themselves from a potential enemy, they concluded, and soothe the wrath of their leader. As promised, he decorated the citadel with a wreath of chieftain skulls, which he fixed his constant gaze upon while sitting on his throne. Once his wound healed, he ordered the useless ornaments to be used in fortifying the city, which he named Nemesis.

But what about the monsters? Where is the island? How about the castle? The first question, initiated by Thomas, opened a floodgate. Fortunately, the day was over. I accomplished nothing of value, but the excitement on their faces stirred a new joy in my heart, a passion that could only be called love. It was the sort of adoration I felt in my childhood, toward my family and friends, dulled for so long that I assumed it had been mistaken for as a categorization rather than an all-encompassing gut reaction that spread like a neural disease.

These children were no longer unwashed in my eyes. Their gaze of wonderment and utter absorption throughout the story gave a new sense of security. The terror from the past few days had become a dim memory. As class dismissed, the children left giddily, excited to return tomorrow.

So what happens next? I know how it ends, but like the others, you must wait for our next conversation. This one felt less one-sided than usual. Is that so strange?

Entry 21

I may be enjoying my newfound creations too much. I told Aiden about Nemesis, the city of bones, and was met with feigned smiles and terse nods. Imagine a city literally built by the bodies of your ancestors. In that context, it sounds a bit morbid, though tame compared to their mating policy. These stories did not contain the usual lessons meant for children, which was why they were begging for more the next morning. Why do I feel compelled to write out the whole thing here? The third act still eludes me. Jotting it all down may ignite the Muse’s inspiration. For myself, at this point. The children seemed bored by the end of today. Still, how will it all end?

Any Kel who did not work on the city was traveling the land, excavating the bones of their ancestors. Few had lived prior to the Clan War, merely setting to the task because it was their duty. Those who had survived countless generations, unaccustomed to the absence of war, killed their fellow workers over better discoveries. Without law, small skirmishes occasionally erupted through the land, nearly reviving tribal warfare.

A Kel named Yod, eldest surviving son of Floon, made an aggressive effort to end these skirmishes, emphasizing that they should unite rather than continue perpetual combat and thin out their bloodline. Joined by Agrippa and Duncan, sons of Ennok, the three succeeded in gaining a following. Among these were Panagon, son of Lug, and Laine, son of Narg. These two were the most notorious looters, uniting with Yod’s group because of their strength rather than ideals. They acquired immense renown for bringing order outside the city.

The forest surrounding the lake had rapidly spread vegetation throughout the previously arid landscape, growing especially thick at the origin. This created many difficulties for excavation, since many areas no longer resembled the former locations. In some cases, forests were torn down, only to discover an empty dig site. The confusion did not stop the dedicated excavators, but certainly brought the unenthused back to the city, including many bandits.

Conditions were no better inside Nemesis. The inferior workers were tossed from the citadel by Gar, or merely executed on the spot if his mood was exasperated enough. Personal quarrels were settled through hand-to-hand combat. Petty squabbling was a serious offense on par with theft and murder. The better workers were treated like royalty. To offend one would rouse the wrath of Gar. This did not take much—a Kel was once executed for pausing to sneeze.

A few heard rumors of Yod and his band of just foragers, and when the opportunity arose, they fled the city gates in search of their benefactor. They were welcomed on the condition that their conduct met certain expectations. Many small towns had been erected between the larger excavation sites and were the targets of most raids. Aggripa was exceptional at converting the fearful into Yod’s company, bargaining protection in exchange for loyalty.

Gar was universally branded a tyrant outside Nemesis. Yod’s charity had left the Kel hoping for more than slave labor, or at the very least, a pardon from failure to fulfill draconian rules. Aggripa pointed out that their leader held no regard to any other than himself, being a relic from their brutish ancestry, remaining content with working his kin to death.

Their numbers swelled to a notable level. Gar did not flinch from the news of a potential revolt, neither to halt its progress nor allow it to rise out of amusement. His reaction kept most inside the city, for they feared their leader could singlehandedly destroy the resistance, even if they managed to breach Nemesis. The city had grown tenfold since its occupation, and it showed no signs of decreasing. The walls were lined with towers nearly as high as the ivory citadel.

Yod possessed the intention to overthrow Gar for some time. Much like the city’s inhabitants, he could vividly recall his strength. Of all the clan leaders, his was exceptional, rivaled only by Ennok or Karkrak. He had suffered a terrible blow from Narg during the war, after the surprise attack massacred most of his clan. The chieftain nearly crushed his skull, stopping only to chase Floon. Yod joined Lug’s clan with the other survivors and had guarded the city’s ramparts throughout its production. He witnessed the final battle. Gar had slaughtered Narg like a newborn Kel. During the sneak attack on the city, he did nothing to stop the opening gate, even as his brothers threw themselves against the enemy swords to garner valuable seconds. He followed the charge for the citadel, unsure if he held allegiance to any of the chieftains.

Yod was confident in his followers’ zeal. They would certainly attack the city until the very last. Without Kay to replenish their numbers after engaging, his forces would quickly diminish. Unfortunately, every last one of them was locked up in the citadel. Rumors spread for quite some time that a community of Kay inhabited the thicker parts of the forest, guarded by an army of monstrosities. Kel had been discovered on the outskirts with their bellies scraped open and their insides thoroughly gnawed. Yod decided to explore the forest, seeking out the aid of Kay or monster, for either would surely help his cause.

The vegetation had become so lush, it was difficult to navigate through heavy vines and thick canopy. Yod thought it a good sign when the trees blotted out the sun, making it impossible to distinguish night and day, other than the occasional thin beam of light that managed to pierce the forest’s top layer. The leaves were larger than a Kel’s hand, and their trunks were twice as wide as a torso. He had gathered a small army to scout the territory, yet the alien surroundings left them unnerved, including Yod, who became increasingly suspicious the forest contained nothing.

The first attack came during a brief encampment. The lookout was later discovered with his throat open and entrails lay out, which would account for the lack of warning, though several of the Kel confessed to being awake, neither seeing nor hearing the beasts pour into the camp. It was an incredible feat on their part, for they nearly outnumbered the Kel.

An assortment of shaggy and striped four-legged animals pounced from every direction, letting loose guttural growls only when they managed to wrap their hungry jowls around an unsuspecting Kel. They were initially struck with horror at the sight of these beasts devouring their kin, gnawing strips of flesh and splitting their bellies to lap up the insides. The concept of hunger was foreign, and the eating of flesh seemed utterly profane.

When they gathered the courage to retaliate, the beasts fell swiftly, though not without killing a few more Kel. The easy victory was not celebrated. Despite their weak bodies, their ferocity was unequal. These Kel had known combat their entire lives, some before the Clan Wars, and not a single one was undisturbed by the slaughter. After burying the deceased and tending the wounded, Yod commanded they cull the forest of these beasts before their business was finished with the Kay.

They had numerous encounters, none as devastating as the first, but increasingly terrifying. A massive snake hung from the canopy, snatching a Kel and retracting out of sight in an instant. Many confessed to seeing an upright lizard with a head bigger than their bodies stalking the outskirts of their camp. They feared an attack from a group of these monstrosities would make them easy prey. The strangest of all were a cackling pack of wide-eyed dogs. Though the beasts did not attack, their eerie laughter kept many sleepless that night.

They eventually discovered the river, traveling the opposite direction of its rushing waters towards the lake. Agrippa, oldest among them, told the story of its formation. Yod was too young to recall it vividly, but he did remember hurling corpses into a bottomless ditch. Panagon elaborated on the story, how his clan dug the river to empty the brimming waters into the ocean, else the lake would overflow and sink the continent, according to Lug, who had been advised by one of the surviving Kay. The river continued to flow rapidly into the ocean, even though the lake certainly was not bottomless, yet constantly expanding.

The expedition wandered into a large dirt clearing with a blazing bonfire and small mud hut. They warily circled the crude structure, expecting some form of a trap. Yod announced himself and encouraged his allies to sheath their weapons. They did so, and after a long silence, a Kay crept out of the hut.

She was nearly unrecognizable as such from an initial glance. With wild green hair, big red eyes, and an almost skeletal frame, she rose, towering more than a head taller than the Kel. Though she resembled the other Kay more than not, there was certainly a hint of menace in her gait, which caused a few to tremble. Much like the beasts of this forest, they could strike her down in a single blow, but the monsters that could potentially spawn in place of her corpse made them shudder.

The Kay introduced herself as Matralina. She had belonged to Gar’s tribe prior to the Clan Wars, lost during the mass slaughter of her sisters. Tossed into the pit of dead, she managed to climb through the corpses, nearly suffocating from the weight of them all, claiming to have been saved by a divine force that caused her to see visions, such as a city of bone and steel, ruled by a single Kel seated on an immense throne.

Agrippa confirmed her vision, and asked of her original name, since Matralina was generally a title given to the eldest Kay. She had inherited the name from her mother, meaning she had likely been considered old even during the massacre, since the title stopped being passed through inheritance long before that period. This would explain her appearance. Green hair was common among the Kay, but it was normally mingled entirely with black or blonde. Matralina’s was a deep verdant with strands of radiant lime.

As Yod held counsel with Aggripa and Duncan, Matralina knelt by the bonfire and extended her palms up to the blaze. A clear, oily substance dripped copiously from her fingertips, dropping into the flame and sizzling. Matralina explained the Sap, waste material which began excreting from her hands shortly after her separation from Gar’s clan. If not disposed into the fire, it would seep into the soil and sprout life, such as the animals and the very forest itself. She said this was due to abstaining from birthing, and if her sisters did the same, they could also create the Sap. On the condition that the Kay in Nemesis were spared and allowed to live near the lake thereafter, she would assist Yod in overthrowing Gar by his means.

Yod agreed to ally with Matralina, despite the protests of many Kel, who thought her a greater threat than the tyrant. The main consensus was to cut off her hands. Yod scarcely managed to calm the others through negotiation. If another Kel were to fall to one of her beasts, he would personally lop off both hands. Matralina explained they were docile in her presence, so as long as she remained close, they had nothing to fear from her little pets.