Chapter 10
“Blood Leads the Way”
Cigarette smoke wafted through the cool breeze and swept passed the leaves of the bamboo brush. The rain had begun to fall a little harder with the fog thickening against the ground. Any lanterns or candles caught outside were extinguished and water trickled down a nearby stream just outside of Entity’s room. Entity sat on the roof’s edge right above the door with a cigarette in his hand and his robe was loosened to let him breathe a little better. His hair was down and soaked which stuck to the sides of his face, and his robes were drenched from having sat in the rain for so long. His breath fogged in front of him as he stared at his cigarette’s lit end become doused in rain droplets, causing him to flick it away. He couldn’t stand to sit in the silence of his room while he waited for the order to get moving.
As peaceful as his surroundings of lush green flora and calm sounds of rain on a rooftop were, he found no peace and felt only fear and guilt deep within him. His eyes were glossed over, and he faded from the world around him as he tried to retreat from the reality of his situation. Sheirun Hau never seized to remind him of which side he was on, even if it was against his will. He looked at the Black Silk on his palm and held it up to let the rain fill his palm before letting the water fall between his rugged fingers. Many times, he had considered lopping off the hand that forced him into sick slavery, if only it were as easy as letting rainwater flow between his fingers. He could never find the strength to do it, because what use would he be to anyone if he had no magic left to give? How could he ever defend himself without power?
He pried his fingers under the silk of his right palm and although he knew it was futile to remove it, a part of him wished to try just one more time to get it off. Some hope remained within him that if he just tried one more time, there would be a different outcome. At first, it stung like trying to pull off a scab. He then pulled harder on the material once he found a decent grip on it, so hard that his bones ached and creaked from the pressure. Usually, he would stop there and decide that the pain was unnecessary, but he couldn’t stop pulling this time. He pulled harder and harder until he felt his knuckles pop from the pressure, then he felt cold pain in his tendons as they strained themselves. His arms quivered from the pressure and his face contorted into frustration and struggle. He gnashed his teeth and growled as he pulled so hard that he felt the silk cut into the skin atop his hand.
He pinned his right elbow between his torso and his thigh and pulled with all his might. When that wouldn’t work, he bit the material and pinched his own skin underneath between his front teeth. His quiet growl turned into a loud roar as he gave it his all and hunched over his hands, trying desperately to pull the silk off, but the silk did not budge. It only grew tighter and latched itself onto his flesh thread by thread. He thought briefly that he might de-glove his own hand from the pull and could feel his flesh stretch no more – the pain grew too intense and forced the sorcerer into submission. He let go and exhaled loudly in defeat. His hand trembled from the damage, and he held it up once more to examine the bleeding swollen mess. It stung and ached, and he leaned his head back to the rainy sky to calm himself down.
He would play a part in removing the only thing protecting the world from war and bloodshed and he had no say in the matter. The Arithmetian Queen stood as the only voice of reason and honor in a world corrupted by a thirst for blood, and it was her voice alone that protected people like him. He never had any desire to hurt Cariphae and he was honest when he told Quartz that she always left him alone despite his past crimes. The logical solution was to let the Black Silk sever his hand and leave the Three Queens of Malice without his aid, but without his magic, how far could he run before he too was placed on a plate to be eaten alive? The fear swallowed him whole. He couldn’t allow himself to meet an end so gruesome after everything he had witnessed in life. His life was valuable, he had sacrificed far too much to die so pitifully at the hands of an Ensanguined tyrant – especially Ceresei.
He was too cowardly to allow it, and he knew it. The gut-wrenching truth he hid beneath a vain and inflated ego gnawed at him like feral rats and he felt his anger rising from it. He couldn’t be a hero and the world as he knew it would ensure that he never would be. Everything he ever touched either broke or died, like the world of Endle played some sick joke and he was its punchline. He clenched his fist and squeezed more crimson from his hand out of the anger rushing through his veins, staining the rainwater red and falling to the grassy path beneath him. A roll of thunder shook the roof after the skies ignited with white and blue in the distance, but there was a rustle of leaves that he could hear through the sound that made him perk his head up.
“The fuck?” He muttered to himself and placed his feet on the roof to get to a crouch. His glowing pink irises dashed from left to right at the brush below to see what had caused the abrupt rustle of leaves and saw nothing, but he sensed that there was life below. He pondered to himself if there was an Ensanguined watching him. A spy perhaps, sent to see if he would run – which he had greatly considered doing. His eyes narrowed and he leaped from his spot on the roof to land on the wet grass, splashing the clear water upwards from his bare feet. His fist pounded the grass to keep him balanced and he slowly stood upright with his eyes locked on the darkness deep in the brush. Though he could see in the shadows, the rain and fog blurred his vision and prevented him from seeing what lurked inside.
“Alright, I know you’re in there! Best ya come on out, I ain’t runnin’ a peep show here!” The sorcerer called into the brush and blinked away the rainwater dripping into his eyes. There was no response to his demand. “I said get out here! I’m not playin’ around!” He spat and pointed a finger at the darkness. Blood dripped from his palm when he did. There was no lightheartedness to his voice – only frustration and impatience.
There was a deep guttural growl that rumbled from the darkness followed by an animalistic purr that caused the sorcerer to widen his eyes a bit. It was no Ensanguined that made the noise and his sword was resting on his bed inside, far from his reach. He took a step back and smiled nervously.
“Okay, what the fuck…” He cursed as he saw a figure slowly emerge from the fog. It looked to be a monstrous stag that stood taller than him with a velvet rack of over three dozen dangerously sharp points upon its crown facing high in the sky. A rotted severed hand hung from one of the points – torn off a poor victim of the monster. It was layered with brutish dense muscle and displayed an abnormally broad chest coated in a long thick mane soaked in rain and mud. Its front legs were massive with muscle littered with bulging veins and instead of hooves, it had long toes with talons and thumbs. Its back legs, however, had hooves that were sharp and overgrown. It was a deep brown and gray with two white spots where its eyes would be yet it had no eyes, and it had six nostrils – three on each side of its beastly face that flared wildly as it heaved in the misty air. What Entity noticed most was its defined split going down the center of its chest and woven sharp teeth that held it together like a zipper.
Entity took another step back as carefully as he could when he saw its nostrils flare wider to inhale the scent of blood coated on his hand. It took him a moment to realize why this horrid creature was there and he glanced at his bleeding palm. This wasn’t the first time he had encountered one of these beasts and he cursed himself silently for being naïve enough to bleed in a place like Sheirun Hau. Ensanguined weren’t the only bloodthirsty creatures to inhabit such an ominous forest. He took one more step backward as the thing approached him and felt himself trip over a pile of stacked smooth stones that decorated the small plot outside his room, making him grunt when he splashed into a puddle. The rocks tumbled from their place as well and the sounds made the stag’s ears perk up and twitch.
“Shit!” Entity spat as he crawled backward in a panic to run inside. His robes weighed him down with water and mud and his feet tried to grip the ground but were caught in the fabric of his own robe. He hoped to grab his sword as quickly as he could, but the stag was not one to wait for the man to gather his bearings. It charged at the sorcerer with a cold hiss and came barreling across the grassy path. Entity wanted to scream but the panic he felt muted his voice and he braced himself for a painful attack. He reached his hand out to use his magic, but before he could, he saw a flash of white appear in front of him.
There stood Quartz who had once again come to him and had dressed herself in her old attire – ready for travel. Her fangs were bare, and she held out her hands to catch the stag’s antlers in her palms. The momentum of the stag’s charge forced the Ensanguined woman’s feet to burrow into the muddy ground, but she ultimately stopped the beast in its tracks with a strained shout that erupted from her throat. It pushed against her and reared its front legs up briefly to throw her off balance, but she retaliated and forced its monstrous head downwards to the ground where she found great traction. Its hideous clawed front feet dug fiercely into the mud to push back harder, and Quartz pushed back equally as fiercely with strain. Its gruesome antlers that twisted and curled threatened to pierce her when she found herself between each antler like a cage. With a desperate and furious cry, she shoved back and threw the stag backward several yards. It stumbled and fell with a hard thud and splashed muddy water upwards while it kicked wildly.
Entity watched the woman defend him with his mouth slightly agape and his eyes wide with disbelief, he hadn’t sensed her come into his room. Then again, he was preoccupied. Quartz watched the stag scramble to a stand and open its gaping mouth that split from its chin all the way down its chest to reveal a massive throat filled with sharp rows of vicious teeth. Fog came from the depths of its throat that opened into a fully visible stomach when it roared, and Quartz roared back as a response to take on the challenge. The stag swiped at the ground to ready another charge and kicked itself from the ground towards her without hesitation. Entity’s fresh blood was far too alluring for the beast to ignore, and it fought with monstrous hunger.
Before the stag could make it to her, there was an abrupt loud screech that made it stop in its tracks and violently shake its head from side to side. It whined in distress and clawed at its own ears from the horrible sound coming from behind Quartz. Even she found herself wincing and covering her ears from the piercing sound. She looked back to see that Entity had managed to pick up his sword and the bowl of water he had used to clean himself, one in each hand, and was scraping the sharp end of his blade against the metal bowl to create such an awful noise. He walked forward out of the room and came closer to the stag which made it back away. He hollered loudly as he then banged the bowl against his blade hard, creating a pounding metallic sound that the stag couldn’t handle. Each pounding of the bowl made the stag finch and yelp.
The stag’s cry was so haunting and agonized that it could make even an Ensanguined’s hair raise. Its ears twitched and folded backward and it backed away from Entity in a near stumble as its very balance was disrupted by the sound. After closing the distance, Entity stopped banging the bowl for only a second to raise his blade up high and ran at the disoriented beast with an angry roar.
Quartz shouted when she saw Entity run to kill the stag and caught the sorcerer’s attention.
“Don’t! Don’t kill it!” She ordered, getting Entity to lower his blade. The stag whimpered and dashed back into the brush, kicking up mud and grass as it did. Entity screamed into the fog where it had vanished and threw the metal pot in its direction angrily as a final warning to the beast. He watched it disappear into the darkness with the stag.
“Yeah! Take that ya’ blind bitch!” Entity spat furiously before heaving in a few breaths of much-needed air. He wiped away the rainwater in his eyes and turned to Quartz with a confused and frustrated expression plastered over his face.
“Why? Why’d ya stop me?!” He yelled at her.
“It’s only hungry, that isn’t its fault–” Quartz justified before she was interrupted by the sorcerer.
“It was going to EAT me! Whole at that!” Entity outstretched his arm towards the brush where the stag made its escape.
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“Everything in Sheirun Hau could eat you whole, Entity! Noep deer don’t hunt in this area unless food is scarce. What does that tell you?” Quartz explained as she took a step closer to the sorcerer who didn’t seem too pleased with her mercy. She then looked at his bleeding palm and snatched his wrist to hold it up. “This is your fault, not the deer’s. Consider yourself lucky.”
“Lucky? I had it under control! Ya got some fuckin’ guts to stand there and think I need an Ensanguined’s help killin’ a fuckin’ noep deer, do ya have any fuckin’ idea who and what I am?!” Entity snarled and jerked his hand away from her. The very look of anger and his change of attitude towards her made Quartz step away from the sorcerer with a look of offense. He had seemed to change personality in mere hours, and it was startling to see such a drastic change.
“I thought I had an idea of who you were.”
“Ya never will.” He said flatly and walked past the woman and into the bedroom. Quartz’s expression was one of disbelief and insult.
“So, who was I speaking to before dinner? You seemed like much more of a gentleman who actually cared enough to shed a little light on things. Was that all just a ploy to get me to ‘entertain’ you?” Quartz questioned as she followed him.
“I dunno where ya got the gentleman vibe from but clearly we’re on different pages here.” Entity snapped back.
“Oh, so you’re just an asshole when your ego is hurt.” Quartz fired back.
“I’m an asshole whenever I feel like it.” Entity argued.
“Can you not just admit that the great ‘Entity of Shadows’ almost had his ass handed to him by a noep deer? Not even a ‘thank you’?” Quartz asked as she followed him inside.
“I didn’t need your help. I was just fine. Besides, what would that prove? That my ego needs to be hurt to fuel yours?” Entity half-laughed as he tossed his blade to his bed next to its sheath. Quartz huffed and frowned when she saw the arrogant expression planted across his face.
“I thought for a moment we could be partners in something bigger, starting with having some kind of common ground. We’re both in a situation.”
“I walk alone, princess, and I certainly wouldn’t team with a woman who wouldn’t even kill a noep deer. Ya wouldn’t last a day in my shoes.”
“No one would, seeing how the queens plan to betray you after your favor is done. Apparently, they don’t see any future value in a partnership with you.” She huffed stiffly in defeat before reaching into the fold of her side pack. Entity looked confused and a little surprised when Quartz informed him of his imminent demise.
“They’re actually gonna do it?”
“Not if someone has your back. But you walk alone, sorcerer. No need to tell me twice.” Quartz said. She pulled out a wrapped package in brown paper before tossing it next to his sword.
“What’s this?”
“Something I thought you deserved. Pack your things and meet me at the front entrance. The sooner we leave, the better.” Quartz replied flatly before leaving his room in a rush. Her strides were long and angry, and Entity could feel such anger radiate off her. It lingered when she left the room, and his curiosity brought his attention back to the little package resting beside his sword. What he found most surprising was how she said ‘sorcerer’ and the fact that it stung him, like he didn’t even deserve to be called by his own name and was downgraded to what he was, not who he was. Though he’d only known her a day, she stood out enough to where it bothered him a bit.
He reached down and picked it up and noticed that there were dark brown spots blossoming from the bottom with oil and moisture. It smelled delicious and felt warm in his palm - prompting him to open it up to see that it was a filet of cooked seasoned salmon. Suddenly there was a twinge of guilt in his chest when he looked down at the meat. She remembered that he mentioned salmon, and she also remembered that he ate little to nothing at dinner. The orange flakey meat practically fell apart in the paper, wafting its flavorful aroma against his nose and reminding him that Quartz was perhaps one of the kindest Ensanguined he’d met.
He couldn’t deny that he wasn’t focused enough to take on a fully grown noep stag in the moment and probably would’ve suffered a great wound if Quartz hadn’t bought him a few seconds of time. He was sure his life wasn’t in danger, but bleeding in Sheirun Hau was like ringing a morbid dinner bell for the people and animals alike. Not only had she come to warn him of what his superiors had planned for him, but she had come to bring him food. Like all other failed friendships of the past, he couldn’t help but squander the kind gesture and fall victim to one of his infamous spouts of twisted anger that always pushed everyone away. The sorcerer was so accustomed to looking out for himself that he hadn’t the slightest idea of how to accept help from someone else. That very thought made him unconsciously run his fingertips over a prominent scar on his chest to feel the ridges of hardened flesh.
The room felt emptier than it had before when he turned to look at the door where she had left and wished she had stayed a moment longer to show her that he too was capable of some type of kindness. He wanted to think nothing of it, but the desire remained. It was then that he noticed a pile of neatly wrapped – albeit stained – folded clothes by his door. They were his and they seemed a lot brighter after a good wash, which surely would be far more comfortable than his wet robes dripping with cold water. The sooner he could get dressed and ready, the sooner he could see her and say what was on his mind to ease the guilt. All he had to do now was think of a way to say it without inflating an Ensanguined’s ego.
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Without prior knowledge of the Ianuae’s existence in Sheirun Hau, Entity had no idea where to meet Quartz to get to it. He wasn’t a man who enjoyed being escorted around but he had no choice but to accept the guidance, or else he’d risk walking into the wrong room and getting himself into trouble. Dressed comfortably and his items packed tightly to his body, he was ready for travel while he made his way to the main entrance of the palace. At least there, he knew he could run into someone who could point him in Quartz’s direction. Rounding a corner, Entity’s assumption was proven correct when his eyes fell on Karuka standing by the doors with his hands behind his back and a smirk painted across his thin lips. His attire hadn’t changed from what he wore at dinner and his katana was still at his side.
“Sorcerer.” Karuka acknowledged.
“Slim,” Entity smiled and prompted a frown from the young prince, “thought Quartz was gonna take me to the Ianuae?” He added skeptically and glanced around to see if the woman was nearby.
“I thought I would escort you personally to such an important location. I do hope I didn’t disappoint you.” Karuka turned to enter a hallway which prompted the sorcerer to follow at a decent distance.
“Hard to disappoint someone who never thought much of ya.” Entity shrugged as he slid his hands into his coat pockets.
“Your insults grow stale, sorcerer. The way you look at my bride-to-be, however, is what truly insults me.” Karuka hummed as he led Entity to a particular painting of hideous blue Oni devouring a man and placed his hand on the frame. “I know your lust knows no bounds, and I would surely offer you any of my future concubines if we were on more pleasant terms.”
“Insultin’ you is the only fun I’m interested in havin’. I can do without the concubines.” Entity looked a little disgusted at the thought of laying with any woman who had been with the Sheirun Hau prince. He watched Karuka open the painting like a door that hid a dark flight of stairs that sank deep into pure blackness.
“Enter, sorcerer.” Karuka impatiently ordered and watched Entity leisurely descend the creaky wooden steps. He followed and closed the painting behind them both. Their eyes lit up in the darkness and both men could easily see in such darkness. The bottom of the stairs opened into a narrow-cobbled tunnel with rounded archways leading forward. “I think you gawk at my bride for reasons other than to insult me.”
“Whatever gave ya that idea?” Entity raised an eyebrow.
“Because she smiles back.” Karuka answered with salt in his voice. It made Entity smile at the thought, but he was quick to wipe it away.
“I’ve known her a day, string bean, relax. I ain’t into bloodsuckers.”
“I do hope that you speak truthfully, sorcerer. I would hate to have to look for a new bride should this one return to me unfit for marriage.” Karuka folded his fingers together in front of him, and his tone of voice forced the sorcerer to look over his shoulder with concern.
“Why? How could she ever be unfit for marriage?” Entity asked confusedly while squinting an eye. Quartz’s gentle voice and kindness surely would go far in any marriage.
“Adultery is a crime punishable by death, for both parties involved. Though you are man, you would die quickly to retain some semblance of honor. For a whore, she would get only the most creative of deaths. I’ve had much practice in being so creative with it, I practically mastered it as an art.” Karuka smiled as his glare burned holes in the back of Entity’s head. The sorcerer felt his blood pressure rise and his face heat up with anger.
“She’s done nothin’ to deserve that kinda treatment.”
“If you get any closer to her, she will be treated however I see fit, and you’ll be there to watch.”
Karuka’s threat made the sorcerer want to rear back around with his fist in tow and land it straight between the prince’s eyes. It was odd considering that Entity hadn’t felt a need to stand up for someone in ages. Perhaps it was the guilt he felt for treating her so poorly earlier. He could always handle a threat knowing well that there was little anyone could do to him. After all, what more could the cruel world of Endle take away from him? A small and sweet woman like Quartz however was a different story.
“Every woman smiles at a compliment. It’s nothin’. Leave her alone.”
“Am I to trust your judgment?”
“I disgust her. You’ll see.”
“I suppose we will.”
“Our little rivalry aside, how long has this Ianuae been here?” Entity asked as he entered the tunnel and saw a dimly lit room ahead – warm with the orange glow of candles.
“Sheirun Hau’s palace was built upon it when it was discovered by my ancestors. We rarely use it to avoid alerting Guardian of its whereabouts with its surge of power unless absolutely necessary.” Karuka explained.
“I read on em’ that they’re activated uniquely. How’s this one powered?” Entity asked as he swatted away a stray cobweb.
“The blood of a virgin.” Karuka replied simply.
“Shocking.” Entity exhaled sarcastically as he came to the end of the tunnel that opened into a large, curved room stacked with ancient stone and plaster. The floor of the room opened into a dark shallow pool lined with smooth stone, and six stone pillars with heads of dragons surrounded the pool that all faced the center. Moss and green slime lined the ancient pillars and walls, and the candles flickered from dripping water that leaked from the ceiling. The droplets echoed in the room when they splashed into the pool.
Karuka walked around Entity and reached for a sharp regal dagger resting on a moldy wooden table beside the doorway, and he brought it to his face to examine its quality.
“I’ve always wondered what your blood would taste like, sorcerer. Is it bitter like licorice? Or is it sweet with suffering?” Karuka sighed as he angled the dagger to see Entity’s reflection on the metal. Entity smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.
“It’s salty, like my dick if ya really want a taste.” Entity retorted.
“The day I get to slit your throat will be a joyous one.” Karuka hissed as his face blushed at the rudeness and crude humor the sorcerer had.
“Lookin’ forward to it, toots. So, blood of a virgin. Cut away, slim. You’re the only virgin I see here.” Entity clasped his palms together and smirked at Karuka who simply scowled at the insult but didn’t remove his gaze from the blade.
“Neither of our blood will do. Quartz, come down.” Karuka raised his voice and the order made Entity look around. He didn’t see Quartz until he finally looked up to see the white woman standing on the ceiling. She followed the command and fell from the ceiling with her cloak trailing behind her and twisted around to land on her feet in the pool that was only a few inches deep. The water splashed upwards from her boots and her hair fell loosely over her shoulders. Entity raised his eyebrows and watched Karuka toss her the dagger, which she caught with one hand and gave a small glance at Entity over her shoulder with a scowl.
“A virgin…” Entity murmured to himself and was about to take a step into the pool before feeling Karuka’s hand grab him by the shoulder.
“Only she may be in the water until the Ianuae is opened.” Karuka warned. Entity pulled his shoulder away from the prince and watched as Quartz took the blade to her palm and squeezed tightly. She pulled the blade away to slice open her palm and let the dark crimson blood flow and drip into the water. The water rippled outwards in small waves before growing larger. Entity took a step back when he noticed the water recede and spin around Quartz in a soft whirlpool towards the center to seem like it was draining. The droplets of water that fell from the ceiling froze in their place mid-air while a buzzing whirr shook the walls and floor of the room. The eyes of the stone dragons ignited in a blaze and seemed to widen their jaws as if the roaring sound came from their throats.
The floor beneath the water was carved with various symbols that Entity made out to be naga-tongue. In the center of the saturated mossy floor was the carving of a naga – the body of a long snake and the torso of a man with six arms holding six blades. He couldn’t believe his eyes when the Ianuae finally opened in front of Quartz as a round, spiraling blueish-white portal with gusts of wind blowing from inside. The water from the pool formed a rapidly spinning oval frame for the doorway – splashing mist all around the room that Entity had to block with his forearm. The sound was near deafening. Quartz’s hair whipped behind her as she looked back to Karuka who had pushed the sorcerer forward. Entity stumbled when he came to Quartz’s side and looked down to see her hand’s wound closing rapidly to heal seamlessly. He then turned to gaze upon the gateway and ran his fingers through his hair in awe.
“So that’s what it looks like.” Entity breathed. His pink rises reflected the intense light, and he savored the moment to witness a legend that had long been buried.
“Go to Destillion and meet with Queen Nacre! Make sure the sorcerer does as he’s told, Quartz! Report back to Ceresei once you’ve completed your task!” Karuka yelled over the intense sound of the portal.
Quartz was as silent and nodded as she looked to Entity to motion her head toward the portal. Entity wanted to smile, but the look in her eyes told him that she was still very much upset and in no mood to entertain his antics. Entity took the hint quietly and walked towards the portal, feeling a blistering cold wind as he did. His coat flapped behind him, and Quartz followed, both disappearing into the portal before it violently shut with a loud clap of thunder.
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